The tempting idea of traveling lightweight is rarely easy as a photographer. It doesn’t take much – just an extra lens here, a sturdier tripod there – and your bag suddenly weighs as much as a bull elephant. While I can’t totally cure your PEES (Packing Excessive Equipment Syndrome), my tip today may help you take the first step to recovery. If you don’t want to carry your laptop with you in the field, try backing up your photos to a hard drive directly via your smartphone instead.
This post-processing tutorial is the first installment of a new series from image-editing expert Anthony Morganti whose transformative techniques are extremely popular among Shutterbug reader of all skills levels. In each of these videos Morganti will present multiple tips for users of Lightroom Classic, the Cloud version of Lightroom, and the Mobile version as well.
Morganti kicks off the series today with four Lightroom Classic quick tips, each about three minutes in length, that you’ll definitely want to include in your image-editing workflow. The first bit of advice reveals a convenient trick when editing images that were converted from color to b&w.
Some photographers like to see before/after examples of their adjustment as the editing process proceeds, and there a couple ways to achieve that. You just hit the “Y” key to get a before/after side-by-side comparison or tap the backslash key to view the images individually in successive windows. But here’s the rub: In either case, the original image appears in color.
As Morganti explains, however, “when you’re editing in b&w sometimes that before shot in color doesn’t really help you see that you’ve done with your processing, and it may be beneficial to see the before image in b&w. And, as you may expect, there is a way to do that with the simple solution that Morganti explains.
Tip number two has to do with architectural photos, whether they’re captured outdoors of an iconic building, or indoors when shooing an interior. These images are typically shot with wide-wide lenses that may induce distortion in a photo. Hence, verticals may not look like vertical and your horizontal don’t always appear horizontal. In Morganti’s example, the massive building appears to be falling backwards.
Of course, you can always go to Lightroom’s Transform tab, Select Auto see what you get, but frankly the results can fall short. Yet, once again, Morganti offers an alternative approach that many of you may consider preferable. This one is so simple to explain that we’ll let the expert do that.
At this point we’re only halfway there, which means there are two more great tips to go. So be sure to watch this very helpful clip until the end. Then head over to Morganti’s instructional YouTube channel where you’ll find lessons on just about any editing task you can imagine.
In August of 2022, the Chinese lens company Viltrox quietly removed a lens from their online store: the Canon RF version of the Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8. Soon, it became clear that this removal was in response to a demand from Canon that the lens no longer be sold.
OK, you just acquired your first drone so you can start capturing images with a spectacular aerial perspective, but you’re not sure where to start. This tutorial from the UK-based Yorkshire Photo Walks channel explains all the basics that are important to understand, and you’re unlikely to find them all in an instruction manual.
Instructor Tom Marsh covers everything from rules and regulations, rookie mistakes to avoid, and essential camera settings. He also discusses key compositional concerns when shooting from above, how to make sure your drone returns in one piece, and a few other tips that will guarantee impressive images on your maiden voyage.
One mistake made by first-time drone users, according to Marsh, is storing batteries in a charging case or in the drone Itself. As he bluntly says, “just don’t do it.” That’s because this practice “wastes precious battery juice” for reasons he explains. In other words, store batteries separately if you want to save energy and extend flying time.
Marsh mentions a couple more common mistakes made by beginning drone pilots, one of which is “trying to run before you can walk.” He admits doing that himself and says, “the flashbacks still haunt me today.” So make sure you’ve mastered basic maneuvers before pretending to be a Top Gun fighter pilot.
Step #2 requires an understanding of what Marsh calls “the drone code.” This involves legal considerations that vary from one locality to another, in other words, where you’re allow to fly. He also explains how keep your drone safe so it’s not shot out of the sky by authorities or “an angry farmer.” And you’ll learn about a helpful app that provides an overview of no-fly zones, security risks, and other essential information.
Once you know where it’s safe to fly, Marsh recommends one further step before launching your drone. This is doing a bit of reconnaissance to pick out a location that looks great from the air—much in the same way that experienced landbound landscape photographers scout a destination before deciding where to shoot.
As you can expect, capturing aerial views requires a unique approach to camera settings, composition, and other key imaging variables, and Marsh discusses a number of key considerations for doing things right and increasing your odds of success. By following his advice you’ll be cleared for takeoff today.
