Lightroom 3 Beta Is Here!

Rob Sheppard - author and Outdoor Photographer columnist - shares his thoughts on Lightroom in general and the new Lightroom 3 beta in particular. Rob, by the way, says that "Adobe Lightroom is the best image handling and processing program available today for most photographers". Here's his BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog:
Lightroom 3 Beta: Analysis of New Features

Just Out: Lensbaby Fisheye Lens

The Lensbaby is a great special-effect D-SLR camera lens with a unique perspective. Lensbaby has just come out with a fisheye lens, and here are thoughts from Tony Sweet (one of the most creative nature photographers around) in his BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog:

Lensbaby Fisheye Lens for Creative Photography!

By the way, Tony teaches a terrific online photography class on creative nature photography with a Lensbaby.

Creative Travel Photography: Capture Artistic Images!

Brenda Tharp is one of the most creative travel photographers around, and her latest BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog is an excellent one:
Artistic Images: Seeking Different Photos in Bhutan.

Brenda also teaches a number of online photo workshops for BetterPhoto's digital photography school.

OUTDOOR PORTRAITS: LIGHT AND BACKGROUND ARE KEYS TO SUCCESS

By Kerry Drager

I love photography and history, and special "living history" events allow me to enjoy both. During these programs at state and national historic parks, volunteers and rangers dress up in costume to re-create the past. They make terrific subjects for outdoor portraits!

I look for casual portraits and candid close-ups, as well as environmental portraits that show some of the story-telling surroundings. But fine light and simple backgrounds are just as important as willing subjects when photographing people outdoors.

For lighting, this often means the soft light of shade or overcast, as opposed to bright and harsh sunlight. While there's not always a white-sky day when I need one, in midday sunlight, I'll either choose subjects who are already in the shade, or - when possible - pre-select a nearby shaded spot and then ask my subject to join me there. Unless they're involved in a special activity or answering questions, living history performers are always open to photographs ... after all, these are popular picture-taking events!

Also for portraits, it's easy to overlook the background while concentrating on your foreground subject. That's because a bright "hot" spot, contrasting color, or other distraction can draw the viewer's eye away from your close-up subject.

Thoughts on the accompanying photos:

- In the horizontal shot, I caught this Gold Rush "doctor" as he shared stories about 1800s medicine with a group of kids. His great expressions caught my attention. I chose a low camera angle, so that I could include the old tent's awning as a fairly plain background. I also liked the nice patterns of very soft diffused sunlight on the canvas tent awning. Details: f4, 1/250th sec, ISO 400, 50mm lens; photographed at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, CA.

- For the vertical shot, I found "Gentleman Jim" in bright sunlight while talking with visitors to Gold Rush Days. I couldn't resist his colorful outfit. I waited for a free moment, and asked him to strike a pose in the shade of a nearby old building. A wide aperture helped separate sharply focused Jim from the blurred brick wall. Details: f4 @ 1/500th sec., ISO 400, 50mm lens; photographed at Old Sacramento State Historic Park, CA

For outdoor portraiture, be sure to pay attention to light (especially soft light of shade or overcast) and background (keep it simple), and you'll increase your odds of picture-taking success!

Note: Kerry Drager teaches the Creative Light and Composition online photo course. In addition, BetterPhoto's digital photography school offers many online tutorials on portrait photography techniques and other aspects of people photography.

How to Shoot Night Pictures

A dramatic mix of colors is what you'll find when photographing cities at night. So says pro photographer Jim Zuckerman, who teaches many outstanding online photo courses at BetterPhoto.com's online photography school. Read more of Jim's thoughts on low-light photography in his Instructor Insights blog: How to Shoot Night Pictures

Create Artistic Images with Your Digital SLR Camera

Learn to show motion with your D-SLR camera! In a recent Instructor Insights blog at BetterPhoto.com, two top pro photographers - Brenda Tharp and Deborah Sandidge - share picture-taking tips and artistic images on creating a beautiful look of movement with "just" a digital camera. Read the blog: Create Artistic Images with Your Digital SLR Camera ... have fun reading and shooting!
Kerry

Capturing Art in Nature - Photographing from a Plane

Top stock photography pro Jim Zuckerman had long wanted to shoot the sand dunes of Namibia from the air. His goal was "capture true art in nature photography". Check out Jim's BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog:
Aerial Photography: Capturing Art in Nature ... in addition, Jim Zuckerman teaches online photo seminars at the BetterPhoto.com digital photography school.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Digital Workflow

There are many ways to file your digital images. Rob Sheppard - a columnist for Outdoor Photographer magazine and an instructor at BetterPhoto.com's digital photography school - now uses Lightroom 2 almost exclusively for downloading digital pictures from a memory card and for organizing his photos. See his BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog at:
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Digital Workflow

HDR Tutorial - How to Create Artistic Images

Check out Deborah Sandidge's blog at BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog! She discusses HDR - High Dynamic Range photography - which reveals more details in an outdoor scene that has a wide range of lighting contrast (i.e., brights and shadows). Here's the link:
HDR Tutorial: How to Create Artistic Images
Enjoy!
Kerry