Photoshop Editing-Heathrow Policeman

Following on with the 'Workshop' theme here's a short video to show how I edit certain photographs using photoshop.

The video itself runs a 2x Speed so that you can see the process in 'quick time' but over the next few days (having been convinced by my buddy A.J. Wood) I'll put together a series of short tutorial videos as well so that you can follow along at a normal pace.

To watch the video in a larger window you could always visit my YouTube Page.

Enjoy.



ps> I intend (diary willing) to be posting videos on a fairly regular basis showing some Photography & editing techniques that I regularly use, so if there's anything you'd like to see or would just like to leave a comment, then please feel free to pass it on.

More iPhone Applications for Photographers

Anyone who knows me is more than aware of how much I love using my iPhone to take photographs on an almost daily basis and with the ever growing number of applications being made available through the iTunes App Store editing and sharing them gets easier and easier. Two applications that I've been getting alot of use out of lately are Photoshop.com and Strobox.

Photoshop.com Mobile as the name suggests is Adobe's contribution to editing applications for mobile phones and with a price tag of 'FREE" it's a must have.


As you'd expect it's an incredibly easy App to use offering all manner of editing tools such as Exposure, Contrast, Soft Focus and a number of 'one click' Special Effects. Be warned though...it's addictive. You can download it direct from the iTunes App Store here.

* To give you an idea of the kind of editing you can do with Photoshop.com Mobile here's a 'before' & 'after' photograph I took using my iPhone of the nose cone of Concorde which took about a minute.



Strobox is as it says, an App for sharing Lighting Diagrams.


For regular followers of this blog and for those who've attended some of the InSight Workshop 'Testers' over the past few weeks I'm sure will agree that my drawing skills leave alot to be desired when it comes to lighting diagrams, so this great little App has been very well received. An incredibly easy App to use, you can create lighting diagrams by placing all sorts of objects (camera, softboxes, people and so on ...) and save them to show others or even email them all from within the App itself and again with a price tag of 'FREE' for any photographers out there who use lighting diagrams it's a must. You can download a copy from the iTunes App Store by clicking here.

Enjoy ;o)

Goodbye 2009; Hello 2010...

Well that's it folks...as we say goodbye to 2009 we venture into a new decade with the arrival of 2010. So, how was your year? Did you manage to fit everything in? I've said it before on the blog more than once but are the years going by faster or what? Or is that I've got less friction as 'up top' thins out just that little bit more??

Anyway, 2009 has been quite an eventful year in both a personal and business sense so I thought I'd take this chance to write a few lines and mention just a few things from the past 12 months:

Zack Arias - OneLight Workshop
* During November I got the opportunity to fly out to Atlanta, USA to spend time with Zack Arias on his OneLight Workshop.


Zack is an amazing 'teacher' who just keeps on going until you can take no more. I think we finished just before 2am on the final day having been at it from 9.30am the previous morning; a truly unforgettable experience for a whole host of reasons not least for the generosity of Zack & his wife Meghan.


Visionmongers by David DuChemin
Just had to mention this book! This is the bible of 'how to' when it comes to running a photography business. Seriously I could go on and on, even dedicate a entire blog entry to this book but all I will say is that if I had to throw out all the business related material I have and could only keep one...this would be it! Check it out here on Amazon.

Most memorable Photo Shoot of 2009:
Hands down this has to be the 'Trash(ish) the Dress' Project with Dave & Michelle Caton-Richards which ended with Michelle waist high in the River Thames wearing her Wedding Dress on a freezing, and I mean freezing cold November afternoon. If you missed it you can see some of the photos and a 'behind the scenes' video by clicking here.


Other Stuff:
Moving into 2010 there's alot of 'stuff' in the pipleine. I'm real excited to be working with San Francisco, USA based 'LiveBooks' who are designing us a brand new website.


One of the big learning points for me during 2009 has been not to 'skimp' out when it comes to a website and to go to the professionals.Without doubt there have been a few missed opportunities during the past 12 months because of having a website that just wasn't 'working' for me as it should have been. Thankfully that's now being rectified so I'm real excited to see how the new site will be received. Talking of the 'web' we've also got a completely new blog coming in the near future, so I'll be sure to keep you posted re the progress there.

InSight Workshop
We're working hard behind the scenes on the new Workshop which I plan to launch this Spring.


We've already run a couple of testers with a number of photographers for honest feedback, and this has been incredibly useful. I've got another couple more testers running this month and then we'll be working on finalising content, workbook, locations etc...

In conjunction with the Workshop I plan on getting stuck into doing more videos alternating between photography tips/techniques that I use and editing techniques using Photoshop / Lightroom. I want to keep the videos short (3 minutes-ish) so that they cover one quick tip on a regular basis. You can check out some of the videos we've already published on my YouTube Page by visiting http://www.youtube.com/glyndewis Oh, and we're also looking at starting a newsletter to keep you informed on what's going on, tips & techniques and so on, but I'll let you know more about that at a later stage.

So we've plenty to be getting on with and I'm guessing there's going to be quite a few late nights coming my way but hey what's the worst that could happen? ... lose my hair?

What have you got planned for the new decade and what are you going to be working on? Dare I ask what your 'New Year Resolutions' are? I'd love to hear so feel free to post a comment, drop me an email or get in touch through FaceBook or Twitter.

Happy New Year & Thankyou for your friendship and support during 2009

Photoshop Tutorial-The Screen & Multiply Blend Modes

I thought for the second instalment of 'Photoshop Tutorial' videos I'd show you a technique that I use on a day to day basis before uploading images to the web. It's a technique that makes use of two of Photoshop's layer blending modes, namely 'Screen' & Multiply' to remove black or white in a layer, and is so quick if you blink you'll miss it.

Anyway check out the video attached to see how I use this technique to help speed up my workflow:



To see more of my Photography & Photoshop videos you can check out my YouTube Page by clicking on this link.

Enjoy ;o)

InSight Photography Workshop - 2nd Test Phase

We managed to squeeze in another tester/mini InSight Workshop last Saturday; this time over in Windsor, Berkshire on what was a rather chilly day to say the least. I'm beginning to think I should publish a 'HEALTH WARNING' for those photographers that come along to the next one cos I seem to have an uncanny ability to pick days when it's pouring with rain or freezing cold; still it's character building I guess...lol


As it was so cold and really quite slippy under foot, the majority of the workshop was held in one area, but a place that gave us plenty of scope to try out all sorts of different shots. Our model for the afternoon was my good friend Danny Bartlett who for those regular readers of the blog will remember from previous photo shoots:



Once we'd spent a few hours out shooting we headed back indoors to warm up and grab a drink and just chat generally about what we'd covered and it was great to get all sorts of feedback from how the afternoon went and suggestions for what to include next time. Stan Coetzee, one of the guys who'd come along and who is very new to photography actually said that he'd never thought he'd ever be able to take photographs like he had done today; to hear that was the icing on the cake...a great end to a really enjoyable day.

I'm going to be running a couple more 'testers' during January 2010 in preparation of going 'live' with the Workshop in late February. One of the Workshops is being held down in West Wittering on the 31st January which is now full, but I'll be publishing the other date for January very soon, so if you'd like to attend keep checking back here on the blog or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

Speak soon ;o)

Corporate Photography - Imperial College, London

Last week I was at the Imperial College, London taking photographs of a Dr Patrick Naylor: Director of Postgraduate Studies at the College specialising in 'sound'.


When we first met up to discuss the 'shoot' Dr Naylor did begin to explain some of the equipment that he uses to me but he must have noticed the glazed "you've lost me" expression that enveloped my face; still, I did ask more about the iPhone prototype he's working on that has six speakers built into it...nice!




Having worked on the 'must have' corporate shots and got them 'in the bag' we then worked on a few fun ideas that we'd had over coffee, such as working at the laptop and one that included a composition/montage of several 'Dr Naylor's' in the main lecture room:


Disclaimer: Any resemblance of Dr Naylor's poses to those of actual students is purely coincidental...honest


Technique:
For the 'laptop' shot I put 2 pieces of white A4 paper over the computer screen and fired a single Nikon SB800 which was hidden out of sight onto it; this mimicked the light which would come off the computer screen. Another SB800 was placed camera left on it's lowest power setting and aimed at the back of the computer to light it up otherwise it was too dark and just blended into the black background.

The lecture room composition was put together by fixing the camera in position on a tripod and then photographing Dr Naylor in several different positions. Dr Naylor was lit by a single bare Nikon SB800 which was moved around for each shot being careful to keep it the same distance away each time. Ending up with about 7 photographs they were then blended together in Photoshop using Layer Masks.

Enjoy ;o)

Adobe Community Expert Nomination - Speechless!!!

Update: I've just received notification from Adobe that I am now an Adobe Community Expert. HUGE thanks got to A.J. Wood from Media Cats for even thinking of nominating me and a big thank you to everyone that's sent messages through Facebook and Twitter...You guys rock!

It's not often that I'm left speechless, but this morning I gotta admit that's how I found myself; and the reason...I've been nominated for the Adobe Community Expert Program 2010. Here's a link to explain what this is all about but also, here's a copy of the nomination sent in by A.J. Wood who runs Media Cats; a very successful Digital Media Training Centre in Dallas, Texas:


When I think of an Adobe Community Expert, I think of a group of professionals coming together to share their experiences & talents. I also think about the type of person who has the knack for relating to other people, and generally loves sharing what they know without all the pomp & circumstance. I think of Glyn.

Glyn Dewis is a gifted individual who has taken his love of photography & Adobe products and turned it into a new career. When we met at Photoshop World years ago, he was still working as a police officer. He was quite the character, excited to be at PSW, taking in all the classes, just soaking up all the information. But Glyn is not the type of person to sit idly by.

In the years that have past he has continued to excel in his craft of photography & Photoshop work. He has quite a bit to share regarding Lightroom, and publishes video commentary on his blog. A person who understands the importance of community, he has led many photowalk outings, including Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk held this past July 2009. Glyn is constantly looking to improve himself & his work, and I admire his dedication & ambitions.

I highly recommend Glyn Dewis for the Adobe Community Experts program not only for his current expertise, but the potential & experience he will share with all of us and his community.

Saying 'thankyou' to A.J. for this nomination just doesn't seem enough and to be honest whether or not I'm picked is irrelevant. Of course it would be great to be successful following this nomination but to be put forward in the first place by someone I have alot of respect for not only as a person but also as a very talented and knowledgeable Instructor is a gift in itself.

Headshots & Promotional Photography - Tom Colley

I got to work with a young and very talented actor/musician recently by the name of Tom Colley for some 'headshot' and 'promo' work.


The shoot itself was all done out on location in Amersham, Buckinghamshire as opposed to a studio, which gave us alot more freedom and variety to the photographs we were working on.


Priority was given to the 'headshots' which we did in the covered Market Place that we used the week before when photographing 'Caroline' during one of our InSight Workshops.



Once we were all happy with the 'headshots' we then moved on to a number of different locations; some within walking distance and a couple that we needed to drive to. Having initially met up at midday, time played a big part in how the day progressed as at this time of year, we're losing light quite quickly from around 3.45pm however Tom being so easy to work with and having a good friend along to help move kit around meant that we were able to go through the 'shoot' at a good pace but without rushing.


To keep things simple I used just one flash/stobe at each location; a Nikon SB800 in the Market Place for the headshots and for a bit more 'clout' the Alien Bees when we were out in the open cos of the bright sunlight and it's this style of lighting I'm covering in my new Workshops. Talking of which, I'll be releasing a couple more dates for 'testers/mini workshops' in January 2010 before we go 'live' in February and I'll publish more details including what we'll be covering when the new website is launched.


In the meantime,
Enjoy ;o)

No day is ever the same...

One big thing I love about what I do is the variety; no day and no photo shoot is ever the same and lately this has certainly been the case. This past week has seen me photographing a woman in her wedding dress in the freezing cold River Thames to photographing a woman in a grave yard wearing an evening dress (the client..not me, I hasten to add).


Julia Reichel was one of the attendees at the first of the 'InSight' mini Workshop on the 29th November who at the end of the day asked to book me for a portrait shoot...but with a slight twist. Now, as a rule I like to plan each photo shoot by at the very least scouting out suitable locations but it didn't work out that way in this case because of the urgency of the job; i.e I had just 24 hours to meet up, shoot and supply the edited images.



Anyway..we met..I got the brief (to be photographed in a grave yard wearing an evening dress and looking slightly 'hungover') and we did the shoot.

See I told you there was variety in what I do...lol

Another day at the office ...

As a general rule November in the UK is not usually the time that you'd consider getting outside and into the water...let alone The River Thames.


Well, I guess 'rules' are made to be broken cos that's exactly what happened last week when Michelle & Dave Caton-Richards decided they wanted a 'trash the dress' style photo shoot. To be fair this particular shoot has been in the planning phase for some time now but due to a number of reason had to be put back a few times until it got to the stage when it was a case of "we're doing it now or not at all".


I photographed Michelle & Dave a few months back for what was Part 1 of this 2 part shoot; part 1 being in a car workshop, which you can check out by clicking on this link.


Part 2 of the shoot saw us down by, or should I say 'in' the River Thames in Shepperton, Middlesex but before venturing into the icy cold waters we took a few shots on a grass verge nearby. To be honest I was wrapped up like Mr Staypuft and was still feeling the cold so I've no idea how Michelle stood there in her wedding dress; I'm guessing the uncontrollable teeth chattering generated a bit of heat.


Anyway, having 'warmed' up on the grass verge we then made our way down to the now fast flowing and fast rising river bank for the 'trash the dress' shots. Thankfully Michelle's husband Dave is into all sorts of 'adrenaline junkie' type activities and had a variety of safety ropes etc on hand...just incase; and yes I'd checked the insurance policy small print before we stepped anywhere near the water :o)


I've attached a video so you can see the 'behind the scenes' footage but make sure you're wrapped up warm before you watch it..lol

Enjoy



ps> BIG thank you to Michelle's friend Sarah who helped me out by being a VAL (Voice Activated Light stand) for the 'grass verge shots and to Dave for braving the Thames and holding the flash in there too ;o)

pps> All the lighting techniques in these shots are covered in my new InSight Workshop so if you want to learn the 'how to' then drop me a line/email to find out more.