No Macro Lens? No Problem!

Five ways to make close-up photos without a macro lens

William Sawalich

The best method for making close-up photographs of small objects is with a dedicated, fixed focal length, macro lens. Although some cameras and zoom lenses are touted as having macro capabilities because they can focus close, a true macro lens creates 1:1 magnification, rendering subjects on the sensor as big or bigger than life size. (Slightly less... Read more

Restore An Antique Photo With Photoshop

The effect is huge, and the technique is surprisingly simple

William Sawalich

From 1980s family snapshots to 1880s family heirlooms, many of us have old photos in need of repair. Even images with significant creasing, pitting, discoloration and tears can be restored with just a few simple Photoshop tools. You don’t have to be a Photoshop expert to make massive repairs to damaged old photos. You just have to be patient. Here’s... Read more

Manual Versus TTL

Which flash mode is best?

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

TTL flash used with the Nikon SB-5000 Speedlight. Nikon D500, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm F2.8G ED. Exposure: 1/1600 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 200. One aspect of photography I really enjoy is watching how technology changes. During my photography career, I’ve seen cameras go from mechanical shutters using ISO 25 slide film in manual mode to mirrorless cameras with... Read more

Creative Use Of Lightroom’s Dehaze Slider

One simple slider can add punch and pop by boosting contrast and color, as well as pulling details out of the fog

William Sawalich

Do you know about the Dehaze Slider? It was added to Lightroom a few years back and became a hidden gem so beloved that in a recent upgrade, Adobe moved the slider to a more prominent position in Lightroom CC’s Develop module. So now you may have noticed it there, front and center, right beneath the Clarity Slider on the Presence panel. But what,... Read more

Photographing Architecture Without Special Equipment

Three techniques for making great shots of structures while traveling or any time you find yourself without specialized equipment on hand

William Sawalich

From simple tripods to more specialized perspective control lenses, there’s lots of equipment that’s standard for photographing architecture. So, what do you do if you don’t have access to these special pieces of equipment—while traveling, for instance? Here are a few useful techniques when you find yourself photographing architecture without... Read more

Balanced Illumination

Two ways to balance ambient light with fill flash for beautiful portraits

By William Sawalich

Low-light flash photography can be frustrating, especially when you’re new to it. Balancing ambience nicely with flash seems like the mark of a masterful photographer, but it’s actually fairly easy once you know the basics. The trick to balancing ambient light with your flash is to think of these two types of light as two separate exposures that... Read more

Find A Favorite Selection Tool That’s Hidden From Photoshop’s Menus

Frustrated by Select and Mask? This simple tip lets you access the Refine Edge tool that’s still hiding there in Photoshop.

By William Sawalich

If you want to cut a subject out of a background, there’s no better way than with Photoshop, of course. And within Photoshop, the Select and Mask tool is the obvious choice for making a highly detailed selection around fine image elements such as hair. But the Select and Mask tool is, well, not as great as it should be. And frankly, in my opinion,... Read more

Getting Hands On With Detailed Metadata

Digging into EXIF data can be very helpful for sorting and organizing images, as well as for finding out facts about your cameras. Here are three ways to easily access and view that metadata.

By William Sawalich

Every digital camera records all sorts of information about each exposure in text-based data that’s embedded into each image file. This EXIF metadata includes everything from the exposure settings (such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance) to the camera details (make and model, number of shutter actuations, whether or not a flash was... Read more

Creative Portrait Lighting

12 time-proven lighting techniques for making pro-quality portraits

Text & Photography By Rick Sammon

Anyone can “take” a portrait. “Making” a portrait—which involves working closely with the subject, seeing the light and controlling the light—is a different story. In this article, I’ll share with you some of my favorite portraits along with 12 time-proven portrait techniques. Let’s go! 1. Balance The Light I took the photograph that... Read more

Magic Hour Lighting Variations

Not all sunsets are equal! Understand the nuances of sunset, dusk and twilight to determine the ideal time for your photo.

William Sawalich

Everybody knows magic hour lighting makes for beautiful pictures because the color is warm, full of glowing gold and pink tones, and the angle of the light produces more interesting illumination with shadows that show shape and build drama. Or, after the sun dips below the horizon, it produces a beautiful softbox of diffuse illumination across the sky.... Read more

Make Lightroom Library Filters Permanent

How to make your preferred filter settings sticky to see exactly the images you want by default

William Sawalich

One of the most powerful capabilities in Lightroom’s Library module is its ability to show you the images you want to see and only those images you want to see. Used in combination with ratings and flags, you can create filter presets to winnow down your project gallery quickly to show you all four-star rated images, for instance, or only those images... Read more

Noise Reduction Tools In Lightroom, Photoshop And Beyond

High ISOs are cleaner than ever, but they still create noise. Deal with that noise by using a software fix in post.

William Sawalich

With high ISOs come increased noise. And even though that noise is much less pronounced in current cameras than in the earlier days of the digital revolution, increased noise still correlates with increased ISO. And while ISO 6400 is very easily usable, under close inspection you’ll still see noise. So why not learn to minimize this noise and make... Read more

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