Still Not Sold on Lightroom? Watch This!

So, if I'm done this properly, you'll be reading this blog post (if you're one of the few people who read these posts, not including my wife and my dad) while I'm at Disneyland. I mean, actually at Disneyland. I'm probably waiting in line for Space Mountain right now. Funnel cake in one hand, giant turkey leg in the other hand, with a bunch of sweaty tourists standing both in front of me and behind me... and yes, they're standing too close!!! Anyway, I imagine we're having a great time and taking lots of pictures. I'll be sure to post some of the good ones as soon as I return.

In the meantime, I wanted to revisit one of my favorite subjects... Adobe Lightroom. I've dedicated previous posts to this subject and I've professed my love to Lightroom to whoever will listen... on Facebook, on Twitter... in line at Disneyland. However, as hard as I try, there are still people who either don't think they need it or think it's too hard to use. So I found a great video that will help with the second issue. In this tutorial, take a look at how a photo can be saved using some of the recovery tools in Adobe Lightroom.  In this real world workflow this guy Gerard shows many techniques to organize and improve photos.  Watch as he compares multiple images using a Survey View.  He also selectively improves the image using new tools in Lightroom 5 to make spot adjustments within his image.This video helps illustrate just how easy it really is to use. For those of you who don't think you need it--well, I can't help you anymore. I've told you that you do need it... everyone needs it. It will make any camera's pictures look better... It will make your iPhone pictures look better! Anyway, here's the video. Take a look and see what a difference it can make and just how easy it is to use. In fact, if you want, send me a picture (mattshellphoto@gmail.com), any picture at all and I'll retouch it for you and you can see what a difference it makes. Preferably the picture will be of Heidi Klum, but any picture will do. Send me a photo you think is overexposed, blown out, covered in shadows, too blue, too yellow... whatever. Send it to me and let me fix it for you. If you like the pic buy me a cup of coffee. If you don't like it I'll buy you 10 cups of coffee! 

Controlling Shadows in a Portrait

Being able to control your shadows when taking a portrait is both easy and important as long as you have the right equipment and knowledge. This video really helps illustrate the technique of being able to use your off-camera flash to both soften the shadows and make them more manageable. If you're using an on-camera flash, you won't have as much flexibility, but the principle remains the same and you can use this technique when using the sun as your key light too! Unless your subject is just really, really, really ugly... I'm talking shaved dog butt walking backward kinda ugly (I don't even know what that means!), than you probably don't want their face covered in darkness, but that's your call.

I'm on a boat!

So before I begin this blog entry, I have to admit that this is my second time writing it.  I just accidentally deleted my original post.  The problem is the first one was good, really good and now it's gone.  So just know while you're reading it that this isn't nearly as good as the first blog entry I wrote.  That one was going to get me a pulitzer and now it's gone.  Sad for me.

Anyway, last weekend my family and I did one of our favorite summer activities.  We spent the day on the Sacramento Delta with our friends on their ski boat.  For those of you unfamiliar, the Delta is THE place around here for boating, fishing and most importantly, wake boarding.  Now you have to know the back story here.  In the spirit of full discloser, this was our fourth time out in their boat and my third time attempting to wake board.  The previous times I failed to get up, but this time was different.  I owned it.  I got up and it was fantastic... spectacular even.  I was amazing and there was no way I was going to stop... until I fell, then I knew it was time stop.   My body is still sore, but it hurt oh so good. :-)

 

So, lucky for you, this is a photography blog and not a wake boarding blog, so this means it's time to talk about the pics I took.  Now if you'd like me to continue talking about the fact that I was spectacular on the wake board, email me... I'll talk about it all day, but now let's focus on the photos. 

I don't usually bring my camera when I go out on the boat, but on this day I decided it was time.  I left my Canon 5D at home, however and once again left the house with my Lumix micro four thirds camera.  As far as lenses go, I brought both a 12-50mm telephoto and a 24mm prime lens.  Now that's what I brought, but I only ended up using the 24mm prime.  There's a really good reason for this.  Well, there's a reason... I don't know if it's really good.   The reason is when it was time for me to use the telephoto, I realized that my camera bag was under about 200 other bags and a cooler full of beer. That bag stayed where it was and I just used the prime lens.  It was actually a fun exercise, to spend the day with my only zooming capabilities being my feet.  When I needed a different shot, I had to move... changing the focal length wasn't an option.  There were times, especially when I was shooting people wake boarding, that I really wanted the telephoto, but I made do and got some great pics.

Here's my daughter getting ready to head out on the boat. Good thing she hasn't figured out how to "work" the camera yet. Clearly she is really uncomfortable in front of my lens.

I would have loved to have a telephoto for this photo, but using the prime lens ended up working great and I love this shot.

There are many challenges when you're out spending the day out on the water, in a small boat that you're not in control of, when it comes to taking pictures.  My biggest issue was the light.  When you wanted the sun in front of you, it was usually behind and when you wanted it behind, there it was in front.  Never mind the fact that most of the day the sun was right above us, so it made for shots with a lot of contrast and shadows were really difficult to work with.  Often people had dark faces with the sun directly behind them, or overexposed faces and dark bodies.  It seemed like the sun was never where I wanted it to be.  So, there is a way to fix it.  Take all of those pictures that aren't working out for you, put them in a folder on your desktop and DELETE!  Of course you could spend time fixing them in Lightroom or Photoshop, but who wants to spend the time fixing "okay" photos, when hopefully you still got a bunch of great photos that you enjoy much more spending time on.  The key is to take lots of photos.  That will drastically improve your odds of getting good pics.  Don't take 10 photos and hope you have 10 good ones.  Take 20, 30, or 50... Your odds of having some in there that you really like will drastically increase.  The other way to increase your odds of getting good pics is to wait until the sun is being a little more cooperative.  If you wait a few minutes, the boat is bound to be in a different location.  If the shot doesn't need to be taken right away, wait a bit for your location to change or the sun to go down a little.  Sometimes not taking a photo is the best way to get better photos

I really wanted a good shot of the harbor, but the light wasn't cooperating, so I waited and took this shot on our way back, when the sun was going down.  Great golden light and no harsh shadows. I think it was definitely worth the wait.

When your out taking pictures on a day like this, don't forget to document the trip and try not to only focus on taking the perfect shot, with the perfect light and amazing composition.  Take some of those pictures, of course, but also try and take photos that tell the story of your trip. When you go back and look at your photos later, you'll be glad that you captured some of the funny, fun and spontaneous moments. Those are the ones you'll really cherish.

When I look back at photos from this day, this one will aways make me smile.  My wife needed a bit of privacy to take care of some "business," but all I remember is all of us lowering her into water because of her bad knee.

After the ballgame

So, as I mentioned last week, Sunday I spent the afternoon at the Giants game.  It was a great day.  The Giants lost, which sucked major balls, but the day was still a lot of fun.  The weather was perfect, I got to eat hot dogs and drink beer, got to hang with the family, got to eat hot dogs and I even got to eat hot dogs (if you can't tell... I don't eat a lot of hot dogs).  There something about being at the ballpark that makes both dogs and beer taste better than anywhere else.  I mean, if you had a hot dog and a cold beer in the shoe department at Macy's, it wouldn't taste nearly as good... I don't think, but I'm willing to try it.

Anyway, it was a great day.  However, we're here to talk about photography.  I did take a camera with me. Not my DSLR, but I took my Lumix, micro four thirds camera.  It's a fun camera that easy to carry around because of its size, and takes great pictures.  I only have one lens for it, a 12-50mm, but that suits most of my needs when I'm shooting with that camera.  If I really had a need for more range, I'd be taking my DSLR (or I'd buy a new lens for the Lumix).  Most of your pictures at a day game will be taken in full sun.  Of course, it's really easy to get out of the sun and head inside, or under an overhang, if you want out of the high contrasty light of full sun.  I didn't plan anything, just took my camera with me, looking for some candids of my kid or some interesting street photography.  I've always wanted to get a good photo of the guy who plays the sax outside of the stadium, thinking it would make for a great black and white photo, but he wasn't around on Sunday.  I did like some of the photos I took.  A few of my favorites can be found below.  One of my favorite things to do is just walk around the park taking interesting shots of the stadium (and eat hot dogs... did I mention that?) 

Don't just stand in front of your subject and take the expected shot.  Move around and look for something interesting.  This shot was taken while standing above my subject and I think it's pretty cool.

I just loved how the light was shining through the train window.

There are all sorts of interesting shots to be found at the ballpark.  Walk around and see what you can find. Or don't... this shot was taken right from my seat!