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I know a lot of photographers that use HDR processing in their photography and I think that HDR software is adding a new layer to professional photography. It is all a matter of personal taste and the right situations. I find that some HDR images look awful and way over processed. I am a fan of the more natural feel HDR processing in the right situations with the right pictures. I started experimenting a little with HDR photography a little while ago and have learned through online tutorials how to create effects that I like. One of the most common and popular software choices for HDR blending is Photomatix, this software is quite powerful, it can enhance images or totally ruin them, treat with care. I recently came across a video tutorial on HDR by Trey Ratcliff that I thought beginners would find interesting and informative. Trey runs a photoblog called stuck in customs and features a lot of awesome travel shots, many of which are HDR processed, I am a traveler at heart and am naturally drawn to travel photography, have a look at Trey’s portfolio for some travel inspiration!
A family friend who is a wedding photographer recently contacted me and asked if I would help teach him some lighting techniques and post production workflow in order to help him get into the world of Stock photography. Please note that it is not essential that you have a studio, fancy lighting or the best equipment in order to submit to stock agencies, you can start with as little as a Nikon D90 and a 50mm lens. Donavan Whyte has always wanted to shoot more fashion style images and hence his desire to master studio lighting. So he decided to fly me up from my Cape Town Studio and spend a day and a half helping him out.
I was happy to see that he was somewhat prepared for the shoot, arranging 4 models, makeup, props and
It was rumored that Canon would announce a new camera on the same day that RED are supposed to announce the Scarlet, but it seems they wanted to get the word out sooner and perhaps steal a little of RED thunder. Similarly Nikon have been rumored to announce their delayed D800 sometime this month or next. Needless to say this is an exciting period for professional photographers, new improved technology and choices are all coming out from some of the leading camera manufacturers and lets face it, new technology is what helps drive image and video quality up and onto a whole new level. For a long time the Canon 5d Mk 2 has been the camera to have for photographers who want to be able to produce good video as well as super high resolution images. Nikon have been under pressure to rival this camera and RED have threatened to blow it out of the water. The new release from Canon has just raised the bar for the other cameras rumored to be announced, but it is safe to say that either of them will be a fantastic piece of equipment for any photographer to own. especially those producing stock images for agencies such as Shutterstock and iStockphoto where image and video quality standards are high. Below is the official press release with all the tech specs of the new Canon.
Here is a video tutorial I made about helping you isolate studio shots using gradients and layer masks.
This is the finished image, as you can see the gradient is much smoother than what the video recording software showed. Here is the lighting setup and it was all shot in our new cape town photography studio.
A new and exciting product available to help you stabilize your video and achieve cinema quality motion. check it out! This could be very useful to the stock video producer.
