Pye Jirsa

Before You Buy Photography Gear | 10 Tips (2021 Update)

June 17, 2021June 17, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

buying photography gear collection feature

You’ve saved just enough money to buy that lens you have always dreamed of, but should it be your next purchase? Before you buy photography gear, refer to these 10 tips to help you decipher which investment to make next to further your photography career. Before You Buy Photography Gear | 10 Tips Go with …

Mobile Photography Lighting | Dramatic Off-Camera Flash with an iPhone

February 21, 2024June 16, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

Profoto recently made a tremendous leap forward when they introduced the ability to sync their lights with the phone via their Profoto Camera App. This is important because it opens up a whole new world of possibilities and images you can take with just your phone. By using professional lights such as the A10 and B10 to control the light, the divide between mobile and traditional cameras are becoming even more blurred. In this video/article, I’ll be demonstrating mobile photography lighting using the Profoto A10 via the Profoto Camera App.

Our model today is my friend, Kiara, so be sure to check her out on Instagram. Let’s jump in.

Video: Mobile Photography Lighting Tutorial With the New Profoto Camera App

Scene #1: Smoke Grenade

The white dome adds slight diffusion to the light.

I’m starting with this unsightly location to show you that you can create great images no matter where you are. I’ll also be using the MagMod MagShoe as well as the Dome to diffuse and disperse the light from the A10.

I first placed Kiara in the shade and got this shot without any additional light.

The Profoto Camera App features a “Smart Mode” option. This essentially allows us to put our focus on the creative aspect of the shot rather than the technical. After selecting our desired contrast and warmth effects, the app will automatically adjust the A10 to the proper settings. To get high contrast, I selected “Dramatic” for contrast and “Cold -1” for the warmth effect.

I then used Enola Gaye smoke grenades behind Kiara to create the effect I wanted. After a series of bursts, we wound up with this great image.

I edited the photo in Adobe Lightroom Mobile. Here’s the before and after.

Scene #2: Black & White Portrait

The second location is just a basic room and I’ll be using a simple bounce light to get our desired lighting. First, let’s see how our image looks without any additional light.

The light bouncing off the wall creates a large, soft, light source.

I positioned the A10 up and toward the wall which will provide a beautiful fill of light from our left side. I distanced it from the wall to fill out the entire wall and create a large soft light source.

This time around, I selected “Classic Mode.” This gives me full control over everything including the light and camera settings. After some trial and error to find the right look, these are the final settings I used.

mobile photography lighting raw images — Note: The power setting on the right-most image is at full.

Then we took this series of images.

Here are the final images edited in Adobe Lightroom Mobile.

Scene #3: Hallway

I chose this brick hallway for our third image. Notice the interesting texture on the walls created by the backlighting. The initial shot with no lighting or composition looks like this.

For the composition, I had Kiara pose low to the ground and I flipped my phone upside down to get as close to the ground as I can.

I positioned the A10 on camera right with a grid to focus the light on Kiara’s face. I also popped on a 1/2 CTO and adjusted the white balance in-camera to match the warm light from the A10. Notice the background becomes cooler while the light on Kiara remains neutral. This completely changes the game for mobile photography lighting by allowing us to introduce off-camera flash into the scene.

I tried to use “Smart Mode,” but it wasn’t quite getting the settings right so I took manual control and landed at these settings.

I took a series of images and got this great final image.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video on mobile photography lighting. With this advancement, we’re a step closer to the future of photography as a whole. The ability to use professional-level gear with our phones opens up the door to take creative photos anywhere with minimal gear. Profoto’s Camera App is intuitive and contains reliable technology makes this process smooth and allows us to put our attention entirely on creating.

The Minimalist Challenge: The iPhone Portrait Edition

February 21, 2024June 11, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

We’ve teamed up with Adorama to bring you a series of photography tutorials called “Master Your Craft” to be featured on their Youtube Channel. Subscribe to see more of our videos on their channel that covers all things photography-related from lighting and posing to editing to help you hone your skills and master your craft and don’t forget to check out our playlist to watch the entire series! In this video, I’ll be taking on the Minimalist Challenge again. This time, instead of a camera and lens, I’ll be showing you how you can take a great iPhone portrait while on the go.

Video: The Minimalist Challenge: The iPhone Portrait Edition

The Minimalist Challenge

The rules for this challenge are simple. Previously, I’d photograph a model using a single lens and body. However, I’m going to mix it up a bit and this time, I’ll be capturing iPhone portraits of my friend, Alyssa using nothing else but the environment around me. The purpose of this challenge is to learn to think creatively under constraints and focus on technique. It’s easy to get bogged down by too much gear and feel like we have to use them all. This challenge forces us to look for what already exists and make the most of our environment.

Be sure to check out Creative Photography 101 from our Premium Channel. This is an entire course on how to take and edit stunning photographs using just your phone, much like we’re doing here. We’ll also be editing these photos using Adobe Lightroom Mobile. Let’s dive in.

Grungy Scene
Black & White
Natural Reflector

What Not To Do When Taking an iPhone Portrait

I’ll start with what not to do when taking iPhone portraits. This is what I call the “walkup shot.” While we have the walls leading the eyes to Alyssa who I placed right in the center, the shot isn’t that interesting. The photo was also taken at normal height so it doesn’t offer any unique perspectives. Instead, we’re going to turn a little bit and pick out a better background.

Image #1: Grungy Scene

Just to our right was a chain fence and a grungy looking scene with a “Private Property” sign which I liked. Pair that with Alyssa’s edgy outfit and we have an already interesting shot.

I got down low and framed Alyssa on the right third line. This places her against the blue sky in the background. I asked her to give me a strong, open stance. Since the light was coming from the left side, I had her look that direction to get the highlights on her face.

I pulled the exposure up a touch by holding the screen until AE/AF lock appears and I dragged the dial up. We then captured these great shots.

Editing the Photo

First, it’s a good idea to load your presets onto your desktop Lightroom so that it appears on your mobile version automatically. I started with Visual Flow’s Mood Pack: Soft Light.

In the Light panel, I increased the exposure. Then, in Selective Edits, created a radial filter to create a vignette. then, I kicked up the clarity a touch.

Check out the comparison between the final image and the walk-up shot. You can drastically improve your photos by keeping these techniques in mind:

Match the clothes to fit the scene.
Change the perspective to give the subject presence.
Pose the subject to match the intention.
Edit the photo to match the vibe.

Image #2: Black & White

One of the benefits of taking photos with a phone is its size. For example, because the phone is so slim and small, I can squeeze the lens into spots I wouldn’t be able to otherwise with a full camera. I fit the camera in the space between the fences and switched to portrait mode.

I framed the image to get Alyssa looking at the camera through the gaps in the fence.

Editing the Photo

I started with VF Presets > Mood Pack > Black & White. I created a vignette using the radial filter, added contrast, and a bit more clarity.

This edit was super simple and the results came out fantastic.

Bonus Tip:

Always be sure to wipe your camera lens between or before shots. If you ever encounter haze, it’s likely leftover oils from your fingers or other stains so be sure to keep the lens clear.

Image #3: Natural Reflector

I found beautiful lighting a few steps down the alley. I took a basic image with Alyssa being lit by the bounce light from the wall and the results are nice. However, there is room to make the image even better.

I moved Alyssa into the sun to catch the hairlight. I wanted to capture a strong pose but it’s a good idea not to crop at the hips or any joint. To get Alyssa’s legs in the shot, I got a little lower as you can see here.

Editing the Photo

In Lightroom, I added VF Presets > Modern Mobile > Soft Light and I made the same basic adjustments: Exposure and vignette.

You can compare the walk-up shot to the final image here.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. The phone offers so many possibilities for great images that often go overlooked. I encourage you to spend a day taking photos with just your phone and see what creative concepts you can come up with. By focusing on your technique and environment, you too can take incredible iPhone portraits. For a full course on phone photography, be sure to check out Creative Photography 101 from our Premium Channel. Be sure to also check out Visual Flow where we have presets designed for any lighting condition. These presets are compatible with Lightroom Mobile so you can edit great images at home or on the road.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Adobe Lightroom Mobile: 5 Tips For Better Landscape Photography

June 9, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

We’ve teamed up with Adobe to bring you a series of tutorials. In this video, I’ll be walking through 5 tips on how you can take better landscape photography using Adobe Lightroom Mobile. You can download Adobe Lightroom here.

Video: Adobe Lightroom Mobile: 5 Tips For Better Landscape Photography

Adobe Lightroom Mobile

The Lightroom Mobile app packs quite the punch. Not only is the app a pro-level editor, but it also has a built-in pro-level camera as well. The camera even has the ability to shoot DNG Raw files. While Lightroom Mobile has premium features, I’m going to focus on what you can do with the features included with the free app. The best part is, the app is available for both Android and iPhone.

Before we dive into the five tips for mobile landscape photography, be sure to add the app as a widget if possible. This provides quick and easy access to the camera without having to unlock your phone. Let’s jump in.

Tip #1: Compose Using the Grids

adobe lightroom mobile grid options — Different grid options can help with composition.

I came across this beautiful vantage point at Crystal Cove with a cliff that drops into the horizon. To help compose the shot, click the three dots at the top and select from the grid options.

Tip #2: Adjust Exposure Compensation

Lightroom Mobile gives the ability to adjust the exposure with an easy drag to the left or the right. Doing so is crucial to get the variety of looks as you would on a full camera.

Composition Tips

The easy shot would be to compose with the horizon in the middle. I call this the “Bullseye Shot.” However, to switch it up, follow these steps:

Switch to the standard wide angle lens. It’s tempting to use ultra-wide lens to capture grand landscape, but sometimes, we end up trying to capture too much.
Line the horizon with a third line. This allows you to showcase more of the sky or the landscape.
Find a foreground element.

By following these tips, I end up with a composition that wraps around the frame to the horizon on the top third line. I exposed to the sky, and we end up with this great image. Compare it with the typical “bullseye shot.”

This is the final edited image.

Tip #3: Capture DNG Raw

Adobe’s DNG raw format allows for more information to be captured. Scenes such as this are known as “High Dynamic Range Scenes.” This means that the range from the darkest to brightest areas is high. RAW format captures the most amount of information which helps preserve highlights or shadows from being lost.

Switch over from AUTO to High Dynamic Range. You’ll see the DNG icon at the top.

Composition Tips

Instead of the usual bullseye shot, I want to find a composition using the widest lens. I tipped the camera down to showcase the texture of the landscape and got this image. To show you how powerful capturing DNG format is, I’ll walk through how I would edit this in the app.

Editing the DNG Image

I selected VF Presets > Modern Mobile > Black & White. I lowered the exposure and added de-haze and clarity.

adobe lightroom mobile before after — VF Presets > Modern Mobile > Black & White

The before and after are stunning. With Lightroom Mobile’s seamless workflow, capturing and editing can be done in one simple go.

Tip #4: Choosing the Right Lens

Lightroom Mobile allows you to switch lenses by clicking the lens icon on the bottom. This available lenses will be limited by the amount of lenses you have on your phone. I’ll be capturing this scene using the telephoto lens.

One small trick is to flip the lens upside down to get closer to the surface for an enhanced perspective. This scene already has natural depth so we end up with this beautiful bokeh.

Tip #5: The Power of Perspective

This is one of the benefits of having such a small camera and lens. I flipped the phone upside down and got down close to the sand. I took the images as the waves came up.

Notice the difference between the perspectives. The image on the left taken from a normal height and the image on the right from below.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. Your phone is a powerful device that can take incredible, high-quality images, especially when paired with the camera and features in Adobe Lightroom Mobile. From the app’s cloud-based catalog to its editing features and stunning camera, Lightroom Mobile maximizes the capabilities of phone photography.

Lightroom Mobile Presets | Tutorial from Import to Export!

February 17, 2023June 3, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

Want to learn how to start getting Lightroom-quality editing on your phone? Look no further! We’ve created two jam-packed tutorials on how to use Lightroom Mobile presets and edit like a pro, all from your phone. You can now add our best-selling Visual Flow Modern Pack directly to Lightroom Mobile and use our lighting condition-based presets on the go. Follow along in these video tutorials to learn the process from start to finish!

Video: How to Add Presets to Lightroom Mobile

In this video, we’ll walk you through how to install mobile presets on your phone. Unfortunately at this time, Adobe hasn’t given us a way to automatically install presets when going into mobile, so it’s a manual process. If you are one of our desktop users then your presets for mobile are installed automatically with your desktop software but if you’re mobile-only then this video is for you.

1. Download Lightroom Mobile App

The first step is just to get Adobe Lightroom onto our phones. It Is available in the Apple App Store or Google Play for Android users. It’s actually completely free to download and use! There are a few premium features but you’re not going to need those features when it comes to importing your own Lightroom Mobile presets.

2. Create Lightroom Mobile Preset from Edited DNG Files

Now that you’ve downloaded and installed Lightroom Mobile onto our device, import the DNG files for each preset. Each image has all of the settings saved into it, so when you import that image into Lightroom, you can save the Develop settings out as a new preset. Once you’ve imported multiple presets you can group them together and rename them accordingly.

Video: How to Edit Using Lightroom Mobile Presets

At this point you have the presets installed and when you load Lightroom mobile they should be present and available to you. In this tutorial, we will be using Visual Flow Modern mobile presets but feel free to use the presets you just imported or ones you’ve created to fit your style.

After capturing your image, load it into Lightroom Mobile then head to the Presets tab and apply the preset of your choice. For this image, I selected Soft Light because of how the image was shot. From there all we need to do is adjust exposure to taste and make any color corrections in white balance if necessary. That is where the free capabilities end in Lightroom Mobile but if you have the paid app then the options are limitless! You can click the Selective tab to open up a world of possibilities using the gradient tool and local adjustment brushes.

If you’re looking for more ways to enhance your mobile photography and editing skills make sure you check out our Creative Photography 101 course. It was designed to only use your phone to capture and edit images!

Anywhere Challenge: The Model Chooses the Photoshoot Location

February 21, 2024May 31, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

We’ve teamed up with Adorama to bring you a series of photography tutorials called “Master Your Craft” to be featured on their Youtube Channel. Subscribe to see more of our videos on their channel that covers all things photography-related from lighting and posing to editing to help you hone your skills and master your craft and don’t forget to check out our playlist to watch the entire series! In this video, the model chooses our photoshoot location and I’ll be working with what I have to get a great portrait!

Video: Anywhere Challenge: The Model Chooses the Photoshoot Location

One aspect of photographing on the go is keeping an eye out for great locations. However, I turned the tables this time and gave Brandon, the model, the chance to pick the photoshoot location for me. I had with me the Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 15-35mm, as well as a Profoto A10. The challenge is to work with the location of his choosing with the gear I had and create a great and unique photograph.

Finding the Photoshoot Location

Brandon picked out a small tunnel in between buildings. Immediately, I saw great leading lines, symmetry, and a great backlight from the background. When I find locations, I try to see how I can use the features that are already existing. To build the look of our image, I switched over to the wide Canon 15-35mm for this shot. I’ll also be following the C.A.M.P. framework.

Composition

At the widest 15mm, the bright background created a great backlit that led us to Brandon in the center. However, Brandon was under-lit and I wanted to hide the bright hotspot in the background.

By coming in closer, I was able to block the hotspot as well as the distractions at the end of the tunnel. I also got low, angled up, and posed Brandon crouching down.

Ambient Light

I loved the deep shadows in the tunnel and on Brandon so I set the settings at 1/200, f/4, and ISO 100. I then needed to add light on Brandon’s face to bring him out into the scene.

Modify/Add Light

I positioned the light in the direction of Brandon’s face.

I added my Profoto A10 with a grid and a MagMod MagShoe to prevent the light from spilling all over the place. Then, I positioned the light on Brandon at camera-right and set the power low enough to add just a splash of light on only Brandon’s face.

With some subtle tweaks, I was able to capture a great shot.

Photographing the Final Image

photoshoot location remove shadow — A plate image allows us to remove any distractions in Photoshop.

I noticed a shadow on the wall behind Brandon that was produced by the flash. To remove this, I took a “plate shot” of the exact frame without the flash and painted over the image with the flash.

photoshoot location final image — VF Presets > Modern

We worked our pose and captured this final image.

Conclusion

I encourage you to try letting your model pick your photoshoot location! The key of the challenge is to look out for very specific features of the location that you can utilize for a unique composition, especially in new and unexpected places. Doing this challenge without any prior planning keeps your creative eye active and is a great skill to tune in.

For more tips on location lighting, check out our Complete Lighting Course on the SLR Lounge Premium Channel.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

The Journey to International Success with Jerry Ghionis

February 21, 2024May 27, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

On Think Stupid Simple, we had with us Jerry Ghionis. Jerry is a Las Vegas based photographer and educator whose work spans multiple genres including wedding, portraits, fashion, and commercial. Having begun his career in Australia, Jerry quickly rose to prominence with his own highly successful photography studio before moving his life to America where he continued his legacy servicing top tier international clients and creating an expansive library of educational content. To date, he has garnered numerous prestigious accolades including Grand Master of WPPI and AIPP, and has helped countless photographers build successful businesses and brands.

In this episode, we’ll be going into a deep dive about his early days in Australia, how he navigated his way to prominence and international success, and shares his mantra and philosophy toward photography as a whole.

About the Podcast

If you haven’t heard, we’ve launched a new podcast called Think Stupid Simple. It’s a place to have authentic long-form conversations with inspiring individuals across all walks of life. The goal is to uncover the stupid-simple truths that can help us all lead happier and more successful personal and business lives.

Tune in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for a new episode!

How to Listen and Connect

➜ Visit our Website: https://thinkstupidsimple.com/
➜ Listen on Spotify: https://thinkstupidsimple.com/spotify
➜ Listen on Apple: https://thinkstupidsimple.com/apple
➜ Listen on Spreaker: https://thinkstupidsimple.com/spreaker
➜ Listen on Google Podcasts: https://thinkstupidsimple.com/google
➜ Listen on Youtube embedded below or click here to subscribe

Full Episode on Youtube

Excerpts from the Episode

If you’re short on time, check out this excerpt from the episode where we talk about the effective ways to build a network of collaborators and creatives within the industry.

Learn more about Jerry and his education on his Instagram and Website. For more episodes, be sure to subscribe on your podcast platform of choice.

Lightroom Fundamentals: Adobe Lightroom vs Lightroom Classic

May 26, 2021May 26, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

We’ve teamed up with Adobe to bring you a series of tutorials. In this video, we’ll be focusing on the similarities and differences between Adobe Lightroom vs Lightroom Classic and the new workflow possibilities that the cloud-based ecosystem opens up. You can download Adobe Lightroom here.

Video: Adobe Lightroom vs Lightroom Classic Fundamentals

If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between Adobe Lightroom vs Lightroom Classic, then this video is for you. They each serve a different purpose and I’ll take you into my workflow to demonstrate how I like to use both of these apps and show just how versatile and powerful they are.

Lightroom Classic

If you’re an enthusiast or a pro, Lightroom Classic is the version you’re likely most familiar with. For those that are new, Lightroom Classic is a catalog-based system that’s stored locally. This means that the images in your catalog are on your local hard drive or computer.

My ongoing “Perpetual” Lightroom Catalog holds all of my best images since I started shooting. I keep the catalog and all the images on an external USB-C SSD drive because it’s fast and portable. This way, I can take my catalog with me wherever I go.

Upon first opening Lightroom Classic, you’ll see the previews of Lightroom “referencing” all the images I’ve imported. It’s important to note that the images are not stored within the catalog. The catalog is simply referencing the image from its original location on your computer or hard drive.

Rewind: Mobile Portraits from Capture to Edit Using Adobe Lightroom Mobile

At the top, we can see the different modules. The Library is where we organize and cull our images. Develop is where we’ll likely spend most of our time and edit our images. I spend most of my time in these two modules. When it comes to organizing and editing, Lightroom and Lightroom Classic are virtually identical.

Lightroom Classic is designed for a high-volume workflow. For example, I’m a wedding and portrait photographer. This means that on any given client session, I’m capturing hundreds or thousands of images. As a result, it makes sense to keep those files local rather than try and upload them to a cloud.

Lightroom

Upon opening Lightroom, you’ll see the main library of images. Here, we can organize our images and rate them or flag them as we would in Lightroom Classic. However, Lightroom is a cloud-based system. That means that all the images you see are stored on Adobe’s cloud through your Adobe-ID. This way, you can access the same images on your phone or tablet.

The edit panel in Lightroom features essentially the same tools as Lightroom Classic. Lightroom will even sync your presets from Lightroom Classic so you can have all of your tools wherever you are. However, one misconception is that Lightroom Classic is a desktop application and Lightroom is for mobile which is not the case. The primary difference is where the software sources the original images from.

Other great features on Lightroom are Learn and Discover. Under Learn, you’ll find other creatives and adobe partners like myself who have created full interactive tutorials inside Lightroom.

Under Discover, you’ll find complete edits submitted by the community. These edits show all the settings used to get the image to the final product and you can even download the settings as your own presets. Lightroom is not only an amazing editor, but it has also become a powerful learning tool.

My Personal Workflow

I’ll walk you through my high-volume workflow. These are images I’ve taken at weddings, events, family portraits, and engagements. You can imagine the number of photos captured on any of these types of photo sessions will be in the hundreds-thousands.

1. Loading Through Lightroom Classic

I first load my images through Lightroom Classic. There, I’ll cull through and select my keepers and edit using the batch editing tools.

2. Sync Selects to Lightroom

I’ll select my top images for my ongoing portfolio. I create a new collection in Lightroom Classic and select “Sync with Lightroom.” Once it’s synced with Lightroom, I can access the images from anywhere. This is perfect for marketing from social media to sharing teasers with clients.

3. Editing in Lightroom

After the images are synced with Lightroom, I’ll begin editing my selects. Note that on Lightroom, I won’t be editing high-volume projects. These edits also synchronize between Lightroom and Lightroom Classic so any changes will be automatically updated and accessible from either platform.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this video/article on the differences between Adobe Lightroom vs Lightroom Classic and how you can use both to maximize your workflow. They’re both equally powerful and versatile editing tools for any level photographer. Be sure to give them both a try and learn how you can integrate both platforms to make the most of your own workflow!

Next Level Portraits for Social Media With Luminarᴬᴵ

May 26, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

In this video, we’re using Luminarᴬᴵ to turn a plain mobile photograph into next-level portraits that are ready to shine on social media. Make sure you download Luminarᴬᴵ (you can use the code SLRLOUNGE for $10 off!) to edit with me!

Video: Next Level Portraits for Social Media With Luminarᴬᴵ

In today’s fast-paced social media culture, our photographs need pop in order to catch the viewer’s attention as they scroll through their feed. With today’s tech, we can do just that with minimal gear and great, intuitive software. Luminarᴬᴵ provides a plethora of editing features such as sky replacement without all the complexity. Paired that with their easy-to-use workflow and you can level up any social media portrait. I’ll be walking through how I edited this image I took with my iPhone 12. Before we begin, be sure to download the exercise file and follow along as I edit!

Luminarᴬᴵ Sky Replacement

I like to start with the biggest changes first, so we’re going to jump right into the edit with the Creative Sky Replacement. Luminar provides a wide array of skies to choose from and their automatic masking is extremely accurate.

I selected this sky because I liked the subtle clouds and the sunset lighting. I mirrored the sky to match the lighting in the image and I refined the mask to better blend with the photo.

This feature also provides a panel to “re-light” the original scene to match that of the sky. Playing with these dials will allow you to fine-tune the lighting conditions in the background or even your subject.

I made some final tweaks in the Sky Adjustments panel and you can see the before and after here.

Applying the Basic Adjustments

In the Lighting panel, I slightly raised the temperature as well as raised the highlight, shadow, white, and black values. In the curves, I pulled the end of the shadows slightly up and pulled the brightest whites slightly down for a subtly grayed-out image. I then dialed the Structure up to bring back mid-tone contrast and detail.

Tweaking the Colors

In the HSL panel, I decided to edit the Saturation first. I brought back the saturation in the sky and toned down the excessive yellows. I also toned down the oranges in the skin tones. This helps enhance the complimentary colors. I then toned down the excessive greens in the palm trees. In the Hues, I wanted to enhance the complimentary colors. I tweaked the oranges and yellows to the reds while I pulled the greens and cyans towards teal. I then shifted the blues toward purple.

At first, I turned the vibrance down, but I revisited it after dialing in the HSL. I turned down the saturation while kicking the vibrance back up to let it play with the new colors from our HSL adjustments.

Refining the Image

I apply the AI Accent as one of my last adjustments to let it affect the image over all our other adjustments. I then added a subtle vignette with these settings above. The vignette helps pull the attention right to our model’s face by darkening the surroundings just the right amount.

Lastly, I adjusted the Details. I slightly softened the skin by lowering the Small Details. Be careful with this dial as going too much can make the skin look plastic. I then adjusted the medium and large details carefully for a nice sharpening effect across the entire image.

Final Touches

I made the final touches in the Creative panel. Then, I added the effects Dramatic and Mystical. I was careful not to overdo them as you can see that they can have undesirable effects if turned all the way up.

Before & After

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video and saw just how powerful Luminar is for editing next-level portraits. The tools are intuitive and the AI-based effects and adjustments are stunningly precise and realistic. The entire interface is easy to navigate and is perfect for photographers looking to level up their photos without the hassle.

Make sure you download Luminarᴬᴵ (you can use the code SLRLOUNGE for $10 off!) to save the settings seen in the video and create this street portrait Luminar preset for yourself!

Top 3 Lightroom Brush Presets for Retouching

February 21, 2024May 24, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

We’ve teamed up with Adorama to bring you a series of photography tutorials called “Master Your Craft” to be featured on their Youtube Channel. Subscribe to see more of our videos on their channel that covers all things photography-related from lighting and posing to editing to help you hone your skills and master your craft and don’t forget to check out our playlist to watch the entire series! In this video, I’ll be showing you my top three Lightroom brush presets for retouching.

Video: Top 3 Lightroom Brush Presets for Retouching

Editing can get stressful and complex, especially for event photographers where it’s common to have hundreds of photos to edit per job. Adobe Lightroom is a powerful but complex tool for editing photos, and to help streamline the process, we created the Visual Flow Retouching Toolkit. These are intuitively made to simplify your workflow with ready-to-use settings and tools. The toolkit is an essential part of my process and I’ll show you my top three Lightroom brush presets I use to edit my own photos.

Dodge & Lift Brush
Skin Smoothing
Intensify Iris

Before we begin, be sure to download the exercise files here. The image we’ll be editing was shot on a Fujifilm GFX-100 and is quite large. Be aware that applying brushes can get slow on certain systems. Let’s begin!

Lightroom Brush Preset #1: Quick Dodge & Lift

This brush paints light into any shot that needs brightening. You can see the settings on the image above to see exactly what it’s doing. This brush is great because it retains contrast and color as the exposure is lifted where the brush is applied. Use Alt-Option-Drag to strengthen or lessen the effect.

lightroom brush presets luminance mask — The mask limits the effect to only the highlights.

The power in this brush lies in the Range Mask function. Flip it to Luminance and limit the effect to just the Highlights. Lastly, smooth out the edges of the mask. By limiting the effect to just the highlights, we’re able to pull more focus on the model’s face.

Lightroom Brush Preset #2: Skin Smoothing

Digital cameras often over-sharpen the textures in the image, particularly the skin. When that’s the case, this brush is my go-to for smoothing the skin while retaining the necessary details.

Paint the effect over the skin to reduce the texture, clarity, and haze. It also decreases sharpness and adds noise to retain some texture.

I’m careful to leave out the lips, eyes, and eyebrows from the mask. Those areas are better when we retain the texture.

Lightroom Brush Preset #3: Intensify Iris

The eyes always take the spotlight of any photo, so it’s important we make sure they pop. This draws the attention right to our subject and makes for a powerful composition. This brush raises the exposure and contrast using the settings above.

Notice the exaggerated details in the iris and the catchlights. The difference is huge. For more control, apply the Lightroom brush preset for each eye on separate layers.

Before & After

Dial in the settings I’ve provided and be sure to save them out as your own presets. The differences in your images can be huge just by applying these simple presets.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. Presets and brushes are crucial for any photographer looking for a more efficient and precise workflow. Be sure to visit Visual Flow for the Retouching Toolkit for the full pack of brushes. Also, you can check out the Visual Flow Presets. These are lighting-based presets designed and extensively tested to work for specific lighting conditions.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Which Photography Genre is Right For You?

May 20, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

If you’ve questioned whether or not you’re in the right photography genre, chances are you aren’t alone. With the knowledge of how to use a camera comes the responsibility of taking on multiple genres of photography, or so we’ve been taught to think. What if we narrowed our focus and pinpointed a genre that best fits our abilities and personalities? Our close friends at Fstoppers released a new tutorial ‘The Well Rounded Photographer’ which inspired me to create this guide for those looking to find a path to stick to when it comes to a specific photography genre.

Video: Which Photography Genre is Right For You?

This guide is broken into three sections to help you select a genre that best fits your needs. The goal is to focus on one genre and avoid burning yourself out of creativity or, worse, resenting the art of photography.

Are You a People Person?
Do You Thrive in High-Pressure Situations?
Technical or Intuitive?

Before we get there, I want to start with what I think is the most fundamental tip here. And that is don’t base this decision off of simply money. Too often I see photographers jump into a specific area because they see that that genre earns them more money and they are enticed by those numbers. If you make your decision based on money, you’re going to pick a photography genre that doesn’t match who you are. Instead, if you choose an area of photography that doesn’t match your personality and values, you’re not going to be able to stick with it long enough to actually command that type of dollar. You need to stick with a genre for 5-10 to develop your skillset and network. Your thought process needs to shift – money needs to be the byproduct of what you’re going to do.

Once you’ve gone through the guide and answered these questions to your best ability, you’ll have more of a solid understanding of where your skills are best suited and which photography genre fits your style. You will benefit from this if you are brutally honest with yourself as you dive into these questions.

1. Are You a People Person?

This brings me to question number one, are you a team-oriented people person? Genres like wedding or commercial photography are highly team-oriented jobs. You have to be a people person and learn how to navigate relationships. Too often I see wedding photographers become wedding photographers for all the wrong reasons (money and notoriety). They end up feeling stuck in a profession that doesn’t align with their value system.

That being said, it all goes back to that same fundamental question: are you a team-oriented people person? If you answered yes, then you’re going to choose portraiture or team-based genres. If you’re not, you’re going to lend yourself more towards architecture, product, landscape, other areas that are a bit more self-dependent.

2. Do You Thrive in High-Pressure Situations?

Do you thrive in high-pressure situations? If the answer here is yes, then weddings or commercial-type work is going to be great for you. And when I say do you thrive in those environments, I don’t just mean complacency. Do you actually enjoy it and do those environments make you better at what you do? Because that’s what’s critical there. You have to not only be able to rise to the challenge, but you also have to actually enjoy the process.

So if you answered yes to question one and two then I would assume that wedding photography or commercial photography would be a good fit for you. You’re suited for these high-risk/high-reward areas of photography On the other hand if you answered no to question one and yes to question two, but you do thrive in high-pressure environments, I recommend venturing into product photography, architectural photography would be a good fit for you. Mike Kelly is a great example of this, he usually deals with one client at a time. He has a very technical, high-pressure job because of the client’s expectations. But the work that he’s doing doesn’t require involvement with a team and a crew beyond maybe one person, maybe two tops. So even if you’re not a team-oriented person, there are still photography genres that you can thrive in. That said, I would avoid things like wedding photography, or being on large commercial sets.

3. Technical or Intuitive?

Okay, so what if you said no to question one and two? There is still a wonderful space for you. I actually have quite a few product photography friends who do all their work in their homes. They are extremely technical and so they chose a niche that best works with their personality.

Which Photography Genre is For You?

I hope this framework has helped you better understand yourself and which areas of photography might be a good fit. Think longevity, the money is going to come so long as you can stick around long enough to differentiate the quality of your work. Build up your business and money will come as the byproduct. I honestly wish a tutorial like ‘The Well Rounded Photographer’ existed when I first jumped in the industry because what you really need when you first jump in is the knowledge, enough knowledge in each of these little areas to deliver a good product then you need to throw yourself into it. Go try it and see what sticks.

How to Fix It in Post in Lightroom

February 21, 2024May 18, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

Today’s incredible camera technology and software lends us the ability to fix poorly captured images after the fact. You can now take what once would’ve been lost and fix it in post into a beautiful and memorable image. Use this technique only when you don’t have the time or equipment to capture the proper settings on location. This bright and pastel look is the perfect vibe for photos captured on the go.

Before we begin, be sure to download the exercise file and follow along as I edit on Lightroom!

We’ve teamed up with Adorama to bring you a series of photography tutorials called “Master Your Craft” to be featured on their Youtube Channel. Subscribe to see more of our videos on their channel that covers all things photography-related from lighting and posing to editing to help you hone your skills and master your craft and don’t forget to check out our playlist to watch the entire series! In this video, I’ll be demonstrating how you can fix it in post in Lightroom.

Video: How to Fix It in Post in Lightroom

Behind-The-Scenes

The image is quite simple. My family and I came across a small patch of ferns on a family hike. I placed my newborn daughter, Josie, just behind the ferns. Then, I got down low and framed Josie against the bright patch of sky with the trees providing a natural vignette.

I captured this with a Canon EOS R6 paired with the 70-200mm f/2.8 RF lens. You can find the settings below.

Adjusting the Tones

Simply brightening the image causes a washed out image. They key is to bring the details back into the highlights. Rather than starting with the sliders, I’ll be starting with the tone curve.

Begin by pulling down the white point which turns the bright whites into a softer light gray. We’ll be doing the same with the black point by lifting it up to soften the shadows.

Then, pull the mid-tone highlights down, raise the mid-tone shadows, and pull the shadows down. This creates a strange tone curve that softens the highlights and reduces overall contrast.

Here, I restore the whites and blacks to the clipping point and lower highlights and raise shadows to bring back the details in the image.

Tonally, the image looks significantly better. We’ll be tackling color next.

Color Correction

I noticed that the greens and yellows are blown out with hints of blue that don’t need to be there. Rather than starting with the vibrance/saturation sliders, I’ll start with HSL. The goal is to group the colors together. I’ll start with the hues by pulling the red and orange toward the pink to negate the excessive green. Then, I’ll push the yellows, greens, cyans, and blues toward to teal.

Using the saturation sliders, I’ll reduce the yellows and greens as well as the blues. Lastly, I’ll brighten the greens and yellows.

To wrap it all up, I warmed up the entire image using the white balance slider and with some final tweaks, we end up with our final image.

Fix it in Post Using Presets

This look is based on our Pastel Presets from Visual Flow. Be sure to save the settings out as your own preset if you like how it looks. Whenever you create your own presets, I recommend basing them on lighting conditions. I’ve created Visual Flow using a patented system of identifying lighting conditions. The result is a simplified and consistent workflow. After selecting the preset, I just raise the exposure, white balance, and tweak the contrast.

These presets are tuned to many specific lighting conditions. By using these presets, I can have an entire wedding edited within a day.

Conclusion: You Should Fix it in Post

I hope this article/video provided more insight on how much flexibility you have in post production. Just be sure to shoot in RAW to retain as much information as possible. RAW images provide plenty of latitude to fix it in post and give your image the same bright pastel look.

For more comprehensive tutorials, check out our Mastering Lightroom course from our Premium Content library and be sure to visit Visual Flow for the entire collection of lighting based presets.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Video: Mobile Photography Lighting Tutorial With the New Profoto Camera App

Scene #1: Smoke Grenade

Scene #2: Black & White Portrait

Scene #3: Hallway

Conclusion

Video: The Minimalist Challenge: The iPhone Portrait Edition

The Minimalist Challenge

What Not To Do When Taking an iPhone Portrait

Image #1: Grungy Scene

Editing the Photo

Image #2: Black & White

Editing the Photo

Bonus Tip:

Image #3: Natural Reflector

Editing the Photo

Conclusion

Video: Adobe Lightroom Mobile: 5 Tips For Better Landscape Photography

Adobe Lightroom Mobile

Tip #1: Compose Using the Grids

Tip #2: Adjust Exposure Compensation

Composition Tips

Tip #3: Capture DNG Raw

Composition Tips

Editing the DNG Image

Tip #4: Choosing the Right Lens

Tip #5: The Power of Perspective

Conclusion

Video: How to Add Presets to Lightroom Mobile

1. Download Lightroom Mobile App

2. Create Lightroom Mobile Preset from Edited DNG Files

Video: How to Edit Using Lightroom Mobile Presets

Video: Anywhere Challenge: The Model Chooses the Photoshoot Location

Finding the Photoshoot Location

Composition

Ambient Light

Modify/Add Light

Photographing the Final Image

Conclusion

About the Podcast

How to Listen and Connect

Full Episode on Youtube

Excerpts from the Episode

Video: Adobe Lightroom vs Lightroom Classic Fundamentals

Lightroom Classic

Lightroom

My Personal Workflow

1. Loading Through Lightroom Classic

2. Sync Selects to Lightroom

3. Editing in Lightroom

Conclusion

Video: Next Level Portraits for Social Media With Luminarᴬᴵ

Luminarᴬᴵ Sky Replacement

Applying the Basic Adjustments

Tweaking the Colors

Refining the Image

Final Touches

Before & After

Conclusion

Video: Top 3 Lightroom Brush Presets for Retouching

Lightroom Brush Preset #1: Quick Dodge & Lift

Lightroom Brush Preset #2: Skin Smoothing

Lightroom Brush Preset #3: Intensify Iris

Before & After

Conclusion

Video: Which Photography Genre is Right For You?

1. Are You a People Person?

2. Do You Thrive in High-Pressure Situations?

3. Technical or Intuitive?

Which Photography Genre is For You?

Video: How to Fix It in Post in Lightroom

Behind-The-Scenes

Adjusting the Tones

Color Correction

Fix it in Post Using Presets

Conclusion: You Should Fix it in Post

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