One Hour Lightroom Tips Video and Two Upcoming Workshops in NJ
Hello! It’s been a while since my last post here on ImagingBuffet.com. In addition to spending time with family, over the last few months, I’ve been experimenting with YouTube video as well as Facebook Live, and I’m learning a lot along the way. Our son Tyler is 12 now and he’s keeping us busy as school begins here in suburban New Jersey. Here’s a photo of our little man all dressed up with his Grandma Tessie at his Grandpa Bert and Grandma Tessie’s 50th Wedding Anniversary a few months back (this is a good example of using TTL metering with an external flash unit attached to the hot shoe on top of a camera):
photo © Andrew Darlow
I hope that the video below from a recent one hour Facebook Live event is useful as you navigate through Lightroom. After that, I have links to more information about two upcoming workshops in case you missed the announcements on my Facebook Photo Tips page.
In the video above (I recommend pressing the full screen arrow buttons for a better view), I cover these tips and more:
1. A few Lightroom Preferences that can make importing and navigating easier.
2. Some quick tips for viewing your images more effectively in the Library module.
3. How to avoid constantly switching from the Develop Module to the Library Module.
4. How to “paint” on keywords to make keywording “almost” fun!
5. How to edit multiple photos in the Develop module without pressing the Sync button.
Portrait Lighting & Lightroom Workshop in Berkeley Heights, NJ
Date & Time: Sunday, September 25, 2016, 10:30AM-5:00PM
Tuition: $169
I’m very happy to be returning to the NJ Media Center and having an opportunity to teach a new class that covers portrait photography and Lightroom workflow. Nancy Ori, an award-winning photographer and educator who many of you probably know, will be working with me to help you improve your portrait lighting and posing techniques. In the afternoon, we will gather in front of a large screen as I walk you through the steps I use in the Library and Develop modules inside of Lightroom to help you get the most from your portraits in a fast and efficient way. FOR A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKSHOP, VISIT THIS PAGE ON OUR MEETUP GROUP
A selection of my photographs to give you an idea of the types of portrait lighting that Nancy and I will be covering. Photographs © Andrew Darlow
Lightroom Print Workflow: How to Easily Match Your Screen to Your Prints in Princeton, NJ
Date & Time: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 7:30PM-9:30PM
Tuition: $25 plus $5 Materials Fee
I’m also very happy to be returning to the Princeton Photography Club to teach one of my favorite subjects: Fine-art inkjet printing. If you have a printer at your home and studio and would like to learn how to get better prints in a straightforward, repeatable way, and learn how to automate your workflow, this is the workshop for you. FOR A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKSHOP, VISIT THIS PAGE ON OUR MEETUP GROUP
If you are not able to attend either of these workshops, but would like to get notified immediately when new events are posted, you are invited to join our Meetup group here (there’s no fee to join).
NEW ONLINE VIDEO SHOW COVERING LIGHTROOM TIPS
Just one more thing. I recently launched a new online video show on YouTube called: Ask AndrewD About Lightroom for Mac Users. Each episode, I cover tips and techniques related to Lightroom. I tailor it to Mac users, but the vast majority of the information is cross-platform, so Windows users can also benefit from the information. If you’d like to take a look, here’s a link to the show’s website.
New Article on Tips for Photographing Pets in Costumes
Is it almost Halloween again? Time has a way of going faster as I get older :). I have fond memories of Halloween over the years. Not just the candy and cavities, but when I was much younger, it was always fun trick-or-treating around our neighborhood with friends. I just wrote a Short Guide for Photzy.com with some of my top tips for photographing pets in costumes. It’s called: DRESSED TO IMPRESS: 5 Tips for Photographing Pets in Costumes. It’s a free PDF download, and you can find it here.
Related Resource
Some similar tips to those found in the guide linked above can be found in my book, Pet Photography 101: Tips for taking better photos of your dog or cat (Focal Press). You can download a few free chapters from the book’s companion site, PhotoPetTips.com.
PhotoPlus Expo 2015 – Day 2 Observations and 20 Quick Booth Suggestions
A few days ago, I posted this pre-show article about the 2015 PhotoPlus Expo, in New York City. I spent the whole day at the expo on Friday, 10/23, and even though I am very tired as I write this, I feel that it would be a shame not to recommend some booths to visit and specific things to see before the show ends on Saturday, 10/24.
There are some things that you can’t easily experience on a website or even in a camera store, so I’ve put together a list of companies in booth order in case you’d like to treat this like a scavenger hunt. I list odd number aisles from low to high numbers, and even number aisles from high to low since that’s how you would normally walk up and down the aisles. If you attend, please consider commenting below about what you found interesting and/or inspiring.
There are many more booths I could mention, but I need to go to sleep sometime! Booth numbers follow each company listed below, and I Highly Recommend Checking Out…
1. Canon (#121) for their compact and impressive PowerShot G3 X digital camera with a 24-600mm effective focal length (35mm equivalent), and the G5 X (24-100 mm), which has a super-sharp EVF (Electronic Viewfinder). I was also impressed by the capabilities of Canon’s new 430EX III-RT Speedlite. The prints in the Canon gallery are also stunning. Thank you to Syl Arena of Pixsylated, and this episode of the TWiP podcast for the tip (I probably would not have known about the new flash had I not listened). On the page I linked to, you can also find a link to Syl Arena’s presentations at the Canon booth, and more information about the new flash.
At the Canon booth I tested Canon’s new 430EX III-RT. I asked a representative from Canon to show me the custom setting for adjusting the time before the unit would go to sleep (very important, especially if you place the unit in a difficult to reach spot!) Photo © Andrew Darlow
2. G-Technology (#149) for their many well-made storage options. I learned that all of the enclosures they ship contain HGST hard drives, which have an excellent reputation in the industry.
3. Museo (#169) to see some incredible prints by Les Picker on matte and fiber-gloss papers. Picker’s work has appeared in hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, including National Geographic Society publications.
4. OWC Digital (#170) for their many storage options, and a dock called the Thunderbolt 2 Dock that can turn one Thunderbolt port into a wide array of inputs, including Ethernet, FireWire 800 and three USB fully-powered 3 ports (no external power needed).
5. Digital Silver Imaging (#173) for their true black and white digital silver prints and a new, easy print ordering system via their soon-to-be released iOS app. They are a pro imaging lab based in Massachusetts.
6. Peleman Industries/Unibind (#258) for their instant book binding and print mounting options. If you want to make a book quickly, they have some excellent options.
7. Sigma (#337) to see their many lenses and the impressive exhibition of backlit prints of various “critters” by David FitzSimmons.
A range of prints on Moab Slickrock Metallic Silver Paper (face-mounted to acrylic and unmounted) Photo © Andrew Darlow
8. Moab Paper (#354) for their “wall” featuring the same print made on different papers, as well as a beautiful presentation of face mounted prints on acrylic using their very unique paper, Moab Slickrock Metallic Silver.
9. Polar Pro (#361) for their new product, PowerGrip H20, a innovative tripod/extension arm, as well as a huge collection of GoPro and Drone accessories (GoPro users should definitely see their case with a built-in battery charger for two different GoPro battery types).
10. LensBaby (#372) for their many impressive lens offerings, including the new Composer Pro II with Edge 50 Optic. Definitely bring your camera to get the most from your visit there.
11. MagMod (#562) for some truly innovative magnetic shoe-mount flash accessories.
12. WD (Western Digital) (#573) for their many storage products, including the bus-powered WD My Passport Pro 4TB portable RAID storage with integrated Thunderbolt cable.
Peter Dering, Founder and CEO of Peak Design, demonstrating two of the company’s newest products: The Everyday Messenger Bag and the CaptureLENS. photo © Andrew Darlow
13. Peak Design (#669) for a look at their Everyday Messenger bag. The bag, which comes in two styles, was recently launched via a Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly five million dollars. The company has quite a few other new products worth a look as well, including The Field Pouch, three new waterproof camera covers called Shell, new and improved Peak Design anchors (if you know their products, they look like thumbnail-sized round disks with a cord attached), and a new system for changing lenses called CaptureLENS.
14. Hahnemühle (#655) for a look at all of their papers, including their newest Baryta paper called FineArt Baryta Satin. They also have artist signings each day.
15. Miller’s Professional Imaging (#701) for their many offerings, including small wood photo boxes that holds 4×4 inch mounted prints and matching stands. Very simple, yet elegant.
16. Epson (#707) for their amazing print gallery, and for a look at their newest line of fine art papers, called “Epson Legacy Papers.”
17. Blazing Editions (#859) for their truly jaw-dropping print samples. The company is a professional imaging lab based in Rhode Island.
18. Professional Graphics Systems (#933) to take a look at their impressive printed samples on different media and to see a sample of a removable, repositionable fabric material I had never seen before called Photo Tex. This material seems ideal for when you don’t want to use adhesives on walls when hanging prints.
19. LumeCube (#959) for their incredible new super-compact, powerful and waterproof LED external flash and video light (and companion iOS app).
20. WANDRD (#1227) to see their very innovative backpack, the PRVKE Pack. You can check out the company’s Kickstarter campaign here (ends 11/5).
I hope that you enjoy the show if you plan to visit. You can always check the companies’ websites for more info and updates (they are all linked above).