Just a thought…
As I was outside today taking pics of our cute little kitty, Oreo, I realized I had the white balance set on my camera for incandescent light sources. As I was reviewing the images I laughed, thinking that we used to get the same results shooting tungsten film in daylight. The results of my mistake were not unpleasant as it gave them an overall cyan wash, and it really accentuated the blue in Oreo’s eyes. However, the images I had already shot of the woodpecker singing as he hopped up a nearby tree were not very pleasing.
Now, I could spend hours trying to re-balance the images but then I recalled that Adobe Lightroom has the option to adjust tones, white balance, etc. In just a few clicks, the corrections were made.
If you have not tried Lightroom, it might be worth checking out. It can quickly and easily create catalogs which are like albums. It can export with copyright watermarks, export as Digital Negative files (.DNG), allows you to quickly and easily apply corrections to a quantity of images, add/append metadata and so much more.
I have not really explored all the possibilities, but Adbobe continues to amaze me at how it can deliver for the professional photographer. Workflow tasks are whittled down to size with no problem.
Another tool which you may have discovered is Adobe Bridge. This existed prior to Lightroom and allows you to quickly and easily view your images before you even import them into your workflow. If you shoot in RAW, you can view and edit through Bridge and then bring it into Photoshop. These are two very similar products from Adobe but you may prefer one over the other, use both or neither. As with everything, we each must find the path that works best for us as an individual. As I tell my photo students in every class, what works for me, may not work for you.
This is the end result of our precocious Oreo…
Holy comic book, Batman!
Superhereos in disguise.
As I prepare for my continuing education classes that will start in September, I am shooting more and more with my classes in mind. Will this be a good shot to illustrate this or that technique? This is a great way to really think about what I am shooting and how I am doing it. This week I have been gleaning more knowledge about Photoshop and how to create some fun portraits. This is one of the easiest and most fulfilling ways to take an okay shot and turn it into something memorable! This particular shot consists of five layers (add another two for the thought bubble and text) and three filters to create this comic book effect. I have tried a few different ways but this one is the most like a real comic book illustration because of the black line effect used on one of the layers. Other techniques create cartoon-like images that are closer to avatars than comic book characters.
Creative means to an end
Today was a rush of activity…I love working in the media center at SFCCS and seeing all the students, seeing what they are reading and answering their questions. Today was catch-up day though and I spent the morning shelving books and checking out those students who were able to come to Media. As the day wore on, I began talking to our IT guy, Jef. He has the ability to make everyone laugh with him AND at him sometimes. We began talking about computers, tech/geek stuff and such…so what’s so creative about that? Well, I contract with his company FGS Computer Services to create simple websites for his clients. I have been working on the first one for a few months off and on for James Smith Drywall Unlimited. Check it out and let me know what you think. As I get more inspired I am going to update the FGS website and my own website which is now hosted with Comcast. Ultimately, I will have my own domain! Does that make me a dominatrix??
