More Flexible Lightroom to Photoshop Editing

If you work in Lightroom, at some stage you’ll probably want to take an image to Photoshop for some additional processing. How you send it to Photoshop will have an impact on the options available to you. One option in Lightroom is to take an image to Photoshop as a Smart Object and that has some advantages. Here’s how to do it and why you might consider using this feature....more

This tutorial is by Helen Bradley  a Lifestyle journalist who divides her time between the real and digital worlds, picking the best from both. You can view her site at helenbradley.com. She writes and produces video instruction for Photoshop and digital photography for magazines and online providers world wide. She has also written four books on photo crafts and blogs at Projectwoman.com. This tutorial is on Digital-Photo-School.com

Critique your pictures – see more clearly -make better images

One of the skills we try to teach on our courses is how to read a picture and how to critique, this means looking critically at an image and determining what it is about, how it is formed and how it could be better. We feel at OSP that this is a vital part of becoming a better photographer and on many of our courses we set up blog sites where the students upload work and discuss each others images. Sounds a bit scary but it is so valuable and everyone benefits. We call it learning to see.

Christina N Dickson writes about this process in this interesting article on The Digital Photo School site,

“There comes a point in your photographic development when all of your images seem “pretty good”. Whether you are a professional or an amateur, this is the place where you like what you create, and even if there are a few little things that you would change, you’re ok with the results.

There is no better feeling for an artist than to love and enjoy the art you create. This is a wonderful place to be – so long as it doesn’t keep you from progressing in your craft.

Art is something that is developed over time. It is grown. It is reborn. As you are deliberate in the art you create, your craft will go to new heights.

So how do you work on your skills as a photographer? How do you “evaluate” what you need to change? What techniques you need to work on? How do you learn see new artistic possibilities?”...more

This is a nice picture from the article but Christina finds ways of improving it, have a look and try to work out what you might have done differently and then read what she says

 

How Image Stabilisation works

Have you ever wondered how your image stabilised lens manages to help you get sharp images in low shutter speed situations, well I have. This video actually shows the process in action viewing the inside of a lens as the is works, fascinating, here is a link to the video

How to Tell a Story with Your Photographs

Chase Guttman explains and gives a few pointers how to make your images do more than just represent a moment, more that they tell a story. This is a fundamental part of our Intermediate Course which will run again in the autumn. Here is what Chase has to say ”

We all strive to sculpt a lasting image – a shot so powerful that it entrances viewers forcing them to have a close affinity with the photograph.  But what makes a lasting photograph? What makes a photograph truly stand out?  Is it merely a group of elements shot with skilled techniques?

No, a lasting image is holistic, it sends a strong message when it tells a thought-provoking, emotional story.  So how do you do that?  Next time you go out to shoot, consider incorporating some of the tips below into your photographic routine.”...more

One of my personal favourites in creating a story, or at least a narrative that is open to your interpretation is the magnificent Gregory Crewdson, here are a couple of his images