Lightroom Edit of Zell Am See – Austria Real-time Lightroom editing tutorial Here’s a 10 stop shot – taken with a very dark ND filter which makes the exposure 1000 times longer. This one has a 30-second exposure. The filter has a blue cast, so we show how to correct this – and work through […]
Editing a Landscape in LIGHTROOM – Zell am See, Austria Read More »
Was the Pixel Stick Worth it? Having watched this cool light painting tool evolve for a while it was only a matter of time before I got one. That came on Black Friday 2015 when the offer price was right. It arrived from the states a few days later, and I was raring to go
The Pixelstick – The Verdict Read More »
Shooting the Milky Way – If at first you don’t succeed… Pack up your bags and go back another night! That’s what happened with our legendary Brimham Rocks workshop this year – the first run was a wash-out no sign of a star, never mind the milky way. Horizontal rain, cold, and no shelter anywhere
The Amazing Milky Way at Brimham Rocks Read More »
Why does every marketing team love stunning, unique images? It makes their job easy – photos are powerful – they make your business:- stand out from the crowd easy to understand have INSTANT impact communicate who you are show how you do it Well here are just 9 of the many ways photos help boost your
9 Ways Photography Can Transform Your 2016 Read More »
4 Easy Steps to Photography Mastery Want to make your friends say “wow” when they see your photography? Brilliant. But let’s get one thing out of the way first: there’s no magic button for mastering photography. You can buy a better camera, a sharper lens, or some whiz-bang bit of kit, but none of that
4 Easy Steps to Photography Mastery Read More »
Salford Quays Workshop Media City is right on the canal network – so where better to teach night photography skills, a location where you get amazing architecture as well as stunning reflections in each shot. The workshop started at sunset and went on well past the 10PM finish time… when you’re in the zone, may
Salford Quays Workshop Read More »
Low Light Photography for Beginners 2015’s summer looks to be ebbing away – certainly in the evenings as it’s dark by 8PM now! So last night we started our summer-winter transition and showed a group how to shoot at night. What we did… Kicking off at Clarence Dock, or New Dock Leeds, as the re-brand
7 Top Tips for Low Light Photography Read More »
Retouching in Photoshop – Skin and Eyes Lightroom has so many great tools that Photoshop is fast becoming redundant for most tasks. Retouching is one area where Lightroom still needs development. There are tools for skin softening and bumping eyes, but they don’t really have the same accuracy or fine results. For most commercial work
Retouching in Photoshop Read More »
Sunrise and sunset provide the best light for photography: Lauren Bath AS THE saying goes, the best camera to have is the camera you have with you. And for must of us, that’s a smartphone. Mobiles with built-in high-resolution cameras have changed the way we shoot holiday snaps. For […] Click here to view original
How to take better travel photos on your smartphone Read More »
Ever travel long distances as a passenger? I do – as a member of a touring band, we sometimes cover hundreds of miles – and a few weeks ago, that involved going from Leeds to Inverness… and back! Naturally I took the camera – for photos of the lovely Scottish city, but also to capture
Travel Photography – Literally! Read More »
Photo by David Clapp 1. Lens Choice Use a wider angle lens 16-20mm (about 24-30mm in 35mm terms) 2. Focus On Parts Of The Circle Try isolating two or three of the stones and shoot from a low angle. 3. Get Up High Find a vantage point at a […] Click here to view original
15 Essential Stone Circle Photography Tips Read More »
[message type=”info”]….this thing isn’t just a “settle for lens” for those who can’t afford the 2.8, but a real contender.[/message] Just invested in the new canon 16-35 F4 – part of the new range of canon F4 L lenses, as opposed to the F2.8 L range, with new generation Image Stabilisation. These are smaller, lighter and cheaper than
Why I Bought the Canon 16-35 F4L Read More »
Is HDR Photography Dead? In many situations, new cameras do indeed render HDR Photography redundant. We use HDR to increase the “dymanic range” of our work – capturing extra detail in the highlights and shadows. Older cameras had a limited range, was was proved by lightening an under exposed shot. The “noise” would be intolerable,
HDR Photography is DEAD! Read More »
How to Create That Vintage Look in LIGHTROOM In this short tutorial video, we look at editing a beach shot at Alnwick, Northumberland. It was a bright day with strong clouds, so lots of mid tones and some crisp shadows to play with. There are many ways to process such a shot, in this session we’ll
Creating Vintage Photos Made Easy in LIGHTROOM Read More »
Photography Kit Which Doesn’t Cost The Earth 1 – Angle Finder – £20 – £200 If you shoot low down, maybe for landscapes or createive atchitecture shots, so see through your camera, you’ll either have to lie fly on the floor or guess your compoisition. This is where your “angle finder” comes into play. It allows
9 Affordable Gadgets To Transform Your Photography Read More »
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Going Pro I’m sure many pro photographers get asked “How do I become a professional photographer?“. I have and it’s never a straight forward answer – in fact, the answer would be unique for each person. Every photographer is different (personality, experience, confidence, business savvy, camera skills etc.), so there’s
5 Essential Questions for Aspiring Pro Photographers Read More »
Here are some tips from EPHOTOZINE on how to take better Macro photos… 1. Make Sure Your Subject Is Perfect 2. Get Up Early 3. Try Backlighting 4. Switch To Manual Focus 5. Try Pre-Focusing 6. Pack A Polarising Filter 7. Avoid Shake 8. Windy Days Are Your Enemy 9. Get In Close Then Add
Ten Top Macro Photography Tips Read More »
Shoot to the right… what’s that then? It’s a technique to get better image quality… simple as that really. Why does the “shoot to the right” technique give you better image quality? Well the science is pretty complicated and all to do with how a sensor captures light. Digital cameras sensors are more efficient at capturing the light
Why you should “Shoot to the Right” Read More »
Video of 5 Tips for Perfect Journalistic Wedding Photos Through the years shooting weddings, I have found that my favorite photos always tend to be those charming candid moments that last ever so briefly. In this video and article I wanted to talk about my technique in how I set up […] Click here to view original
5 Tips to Capture Beautiful Candid Wedding Photos Read More »
I learned about flash by using statues as models… they’re more patient than real people, don’t get cold and available 24/7! Just spotted this article about it here so thought I’d share Click here to view original web page at www.ephotozine.com Gear Suggestions: Unless you’re a particular fan of the carvings that decorate the tops
Tips On Photographing Statues Read More »
Choosing the right Photographer For Your Project Let’s help you with a few simple steps:- 1 – Think about what you NEED It’s worth having a think about the purpose of the photos before you start. Go online and check out your competition’s websites, see what they are doing – or people in California doing
6 Essential Steps to Hiring the Right Photographer Read More »
I need some photos…. fast! You need some photos, something which is going to make you look great for a press release, or your web developer needs something to fill that website.. Where do you start? Be honest – do you get a few photographer’s “day rates” and plump for the lowest? Or do you just
3 Things You Never Think of When Hiring Photographers Read More »
Landscape Video… If you’re into landscapes, here are some cool tips in a short video – well medium, it’s 8 minutes long. Photographer Antony Spencer teamed up with Phase One last year to share inspirational tips on how to shoot better landscape images. But these aren’t necessarily any ordinary tips that you’ve heard before.
10 Inspiring Tips for Better Landscape Photos Read More »
Enjoyed this article on EPHOTOZINE so thought I’d some of my Long Shutter Speed shots to illustrate it’s key points! For full details, click on this next link… Click here to view original web page at www.ephotozine.com Blurry Water Spooky, Atmospheric Shots Northern Lights I’ve not got any of these 😉 Give A City Shot
Why Use Long Shutter Speeds? Read More »
Free Lightroom Tips and Photo Critique – Week 11 This weeks Lightroom tips…. This week we have a night photo, castle, lake and canal. Main tips are on composition, cropping and focussing. It’s not easy focussing on dark subjects at night – so there are a few tips on how to do this. Here’s the
Free Lightroom Tips and Photo Critique – Week 11 Read More »
This week’s selection are up and ready for you to enjoy. We have a mix from a US mountain to a Lancaster Bomber
Lightroom Tips and Critique Week – Week 9 Read More »
Free Lightroom Tips and Photo Critique – Week 7 This weeks Lightroom tips…. Welcome to the 7th instalment of video critique – this week we have a set of 7, from a TVR to portraits, beach huts to classic architecture. As ever, these are uploaded to DROPBOX anonymously and imported into Lightroom so we can
Free Lightroom Tips and Photo Critique – Week 7 Read More »
Photography in India…. Got a trip to India Planned? Well here are 5 tips for photographing a most wonderful country for photography…. Take as little kit as you can Its the “people” not the “places” which count Don’t bother taking a tripod Don’t go for the obvious shots Be prepared for MAYHEM! Take as little kit
5 Tips on Photography in India Read More »
Free Lightroom Tips and Photo Critique – Week 6 This weeks Lightroom tips…. This week we had 5 photos uploaded, a nice mix of subjects including a lancaster bomber, river and York scene. Main tips are on image editing and losing quality through excessive noise reduction, cropping and vignetting. Free, anonymous Lightroom Tips – Submit now
Free Lightroom Tips and Photo Critique – Week 6 Read More »
NIK EFEX VIVEZA – it’s just curves, right? NIK EFEX Viveza is, on the surface, a very simple NIK EFEX plugin, and when compared to Silver EFEX, it looks trivial! But with its 4 sliders and curves control, it is extremely powerful! Add to that the ability to create as many “control points” as you like,
GOOGLE NIK EFEX Guide – 3 Viveza Read More »
NIK EFEX Define – the Best Noise Reduction Software Available? Direct answer: NIK EFEX Define stands out because it gives you more control over what the software treats as noise, rather than just applying a blanket fix. In this workflow, you can sample a noisy area by hand, help the filter learn the difference between
NIK Dfine Explained: Smarter Noise Reduction for Landscape Photos Read More »
Sharpening with GOOGLE NIK EFEX Google Nik has to be one of the best suites of plugins for Lightroom and Photoshop available. Many of our McFade Training customers use it, so in this mini series, we’ll introduce the workflow NIK recommend, showing you how we’d use it on a Landscape photo of the lake district.
GOOGLE NIK EFEX Guide – 1 RAW Pre Sharpen Read More »
What are you Business Photos Telling People ? Business Photos used to be fillers on websites. Pretty pictures would just separate the text and logos, Photos would be bought off Stock Photography websites and have no connection to you Californian models with perfect smiles or sunset shots of the New York skyline would be used to sell
5 Photo Tips For Every Business Read More »
Leeds Shopping – Knightsbridge of the North? Leeds does seem to have its fair share of shops. Posh shops. Harvey Nichols. Designer stuff. I like the shop in the Victoria Quarter with Panerai watches best – often found lusting after the PAM 372, a huge watch which looks just about perfect on my wrist… shame
Leeds Shopping – 9 Photos from Briggate and Beyond Read More »
Sleep Deprivation Up well before the lark, usually 2 hours before the sun rises, so they can drive an hour and walk 40 minutes to be in “that” position for the sunrise they’ve planned for the last 4 years. They say a prayer before bed – “Please god, let the light be good this year”
4 – Die Hard Landscaper Read More »
After running a workshop on Anglesey in the late Noughties, I got chatting to a professional photographer from Somerset. Great guy, had a few beers and his main comments on his 20 years in the photo business were stock photography wasn’t worth doing any more and assignment pay rates had dropped and not to even
So you want to be a pro photographer… what they don’t tell you Read More »
Visiting Yorkshire? The coast is well worth a visit for anyone, especially photographers. Here are 5 places to call into with your camera. All these photos were taken on one day – Sunday 1st December 2013 – during a McFade Photography workshop, proving you can get a huge variety of subject in 20 miles of
5 Yorkshire Coast Photography Locations Read More »
Title: 5 Tips For Photographing Holiday Parties The holiday season is nearly upon us, and for photographers that may mean a number of Christmas events and similar holiday parties coming up. People love to have professional quality photos of these special events, and indeed it’s a great time of year to create some lasting memories.
5 Tips For Photographing Holiday Parties – GUEST BLOG Read More »
Here’s a selection of photos from Leeds’ Roundhay Park firework display on 5th December 2013, and a few tips on how we did them. Get a good place to watch them A good clear view is best, you get to watch the entire journey of all the fireworks. Too close and you may end up
Fireworks Photography Tips Read More »
Casvegas…. Pontecarlo…. West Yorkshire’s casino district? Well maybe not, but between the 2 or them, they have a couple of real photographic gems. The boating lake at Pontefract’s racecourse is fantastic for sunsets, and this bridge in Castleford is pretty spectacular after dark. So what brought me here… Well 2 things really – I’m starting
The lakes in Austria tend to be green – a bluey, greeny Jade kine of colour. But on an overcast day, they weren’t really shouting “colour” at us – so I decided to create a series of black and white images from our morning walk around the lake on the German border. The passers by
Austria Workshop – The Lake at Kufstein Read More »
After a shoot with personal trainer, Victoria Wood, she made the comment:- “who knew that lighting was such a big thing!” And it go me thinking about this blog… All we do as photographers is use a device which records light – it’s called a camera. We use things called “lenses” to focus and manipulate
Its all about the lighting…. Read More »
Surreal Leeds! You’d not normally bother with the camera on a day like this was, but here’s what I tried, making a surreal Leeds…. It’s mid-afternoon… The sun is bright There is a slight wind blowing the clouds There are people and cars around I’ve just left a meeting in Leeds… So do I
30 Surreal Seconds in Leeds…. Read More »
Wind farms are, by definition, positioned in windy, desolate places. This makes for truly atmospheric shots – given the right lighting conditions. The best time is sunset or sunrise, because the sun light comes in low and lights 1/2 of the turbine, leaving the other half in shadow. It gives a 3D feel to them.
Wind Farm Workshop with McFade Training Read More »
Coming from Ribblesdale, this is one I’d been looking forward to leading. The Ribble is around 70 miles long – we were at the source, I’m from about 35 miles downstream… so it wasn’t really “my hood” – but I’ve been around Horton, Settle and Ribblehead many times so knew a few gems to show
5 Photos from Ribblesdale – the McFade Workshop Read More »
This may seem a bit obvious, but having taught many people flash/portraits, it’s the number one reason why you get bored looks on your photos…. Don’t look at the back of your camera all the time You need get the lights right and checking this on camera is fine. But once you’ve got the lights
Top Tip to Keep Your Portrait Sitters Happy…. Read More »
Mastering the Art of Portrait Photography: 5 Essential Tips for Engaging with Your Subject When it comes to portrait photography, the technical aspects like lighting, camera settings, and composition are undeniably important. However, the way you interact with your subject can often make the difference between a good portrait and a great one. Whether you’re
Want some new kit? If you’re a “kit monkey” and have unlimited funds, you may as well stop reading this now. However, have financial limits, here are a few things to ask yourself when looking to buy a new gizmo for your collection. 1 – What “extra” will it enable me to do? This is
Which lens should I Buy? Read More »
A Great Way To Build Teams Volunteering days are the best team building events – spending time with good people doing good things for a good cause… what could be better? Having been on 2 when working in a corporate environment, I can vouch for them – getting out of the office and tooled up
Volunteering Days – 5 Reasons to Hire a Pro Photographer Read More »
Exposure is entirely dictated by the light conditions when you are shooting. There are no perfect settings – you need to use your light meter to “read” the light level, then set ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed accordingly. There are certain rules of thumb you can follow – generally landscape shots are sharp from front
Exposure – Subject Cheat Sheet Read More »
