How to create dramatic black & white photos with Lightroom presets

This is a very good tutorial by Serge Ramelli on YouTube about how to create impressive black and white photos with Adobe Lightroom. Ramelli starts with the basic adjustments for B&W images. After that you will see how to use gradient filters and how to break the gradient by using radial gradient filters. All the tricks shown can then be saved as a preset for future editing tasks. The tutorial is for both experienced Lightroom users as well as for beginners.

[via Fstoppers via ISO1200]

How to shoot sharp photos, explained by Canon Professional Network

canon

Are you unhappy because your pictures turn out not to be as sharp as they should, or you want? There are many possible reasons that can lead to an unsharp photo. The Canon Professional Network posted an article with ten tips for getting really sharp photos.

It’s pretty much the most amazing thing in the world when you look at the back of your camera and you see the incredible image you have captured. Perfect light, perfect moment, perfect expression. You get it home and and upload it onto your computer only to discover that it’s out of focus. Wompwomp. In the early days of learning about photography, I struggled with getting sharp images. In this article, you’ll learn my tips for getting sharp images. Read the article…

I guess anyone made the experience described above.

Canon suggests “think first, shoot later” (video)

Neat video by Canon Australia. The nice thing here is that Canon doesn’t push you to shoot at everything with your camera. Instead, they suggest you put your camera down and start thinking about what you want to frame.

The most important tool for any photographer is the mind. To prove this we invited 6 photographers to a cemetery to capture “eternal life” in a single image…without a camera.
‘Mindframe’ is one of six experiments from The Lab, designed to shift creative thinking behind the lens. Want to be part of future The Lab experiments? Register your interest here: http://bit.ly/1MrOBh8

The ultimate crash course on night time-lapse photography (30min video)

time-lapse

Have you ever wanted to shoot a cool time-lapse but were afraid of the complexities of the task? Here is the 30 minutes crash course on time-lapse that you’ve waiting for.

Photographer Mark Gee shows you how to tackle the various tasks, like planning, setting up, shooting, post processing and exporting.

In this Star Timelapse tutorial you’ll learn how to setup a motion control timelapse using the Syrp Genie and Magic Carpet. This guide to Astro Timelapse covers everything from location scouting to camera setup and includes a detailed section on post production using Adobe Lightroom and LR Timelapse.

The tutorial goes beyond the software and the gear used by Mark Gee. Btw, he used a EOS 6D and Canon 14mm L lens. Enjoy:

In the field:

0:49 – Location Scouting – Mobile Apps | Composition
3:03 – Camera setup – Image Quality | Shutter | Aperture | ISO | Focus
4:33 – How to avoid star trailing
5:27 – Setup the Genie – Rec Time | Interval | Play Time
6:29 – How the interval works
7:43 – Setup the movement – Movement length | Ease in / out

Post Production:

8:20 – Introduction and workflow setup
10:32 – Color adjustments and neutralising the image
11:32 – Lens Correction
12:20 – Set black and white points
13:20 – Color adjustment – Clarity | Tone Curve
16:30 – Local Sky Adjustments – Graduated Ramp
19:37 – Technical Clean-up – Noise Reduction | Artifact clean up
22:47 – Sync color adjustments to all images
24:22 – Export all images to LR Timelapse
26:08 – Export out a movie from LR Timelapse – Codec | Output size

[via DIY Photography via Mark Gee]