Tim Grey is regarded as one of the top educators in digital photography and imaging, offering clear guidance on complex subjects through his writing, speaking, and training.
When I import new photos into my Lightroom Classic catalog, I assign a red color label to every single image. This key step in my workflow takes no effort at all, because I use a metadata preset to add the color label to all photos being imported. But this simple step greatly improves the effectiveness of my workflow for managing photos.
The reason for assigning a red color label to every photo I import into my Lightroom Classic catalog is very simple. I use that red color label to identify images I have not yet reviewed yet.
Every photo I import needs to be reviewed, so they all get a red color label. Once I have reviewed a batch of photos, I remove the red color label, leaving behind star ratings to define my favorite photos.
With this workflow, I always know which photos I haven’t yet had a chance to review. This happens quite often when I’m traveling, with long days and lots of photography, so the red color labels help make sure I don’t miss out on reviewing photos from one of my trips.
You can learn more about the workflow I use to manage my photos in Adobe Lightroom Classic, including the use of red color labels as a key part of my workflow, in my “Real-World Organizational Workflow” course that you can find on the GreyLearning website here:
New York City has been my home for almost nine years now, and during that time I’ve gotten to know the city quite well. I’ve found that each neighborhood offers something a little different, and around every corner there are photographic possibilities.
If you would enjoy photographing the iconic scenes and hidden corners of New York City, then I invite you to join me for an all-inclusive five-day photo workshop experience in the “City that Never Sleeps”. We’ll photograph impressive skylines, interesting architecture, fascinating street scenes, and unique people.
For all of the details of my New York City Photo Experience Workshop in 2020, please visit my website here:
I recently made some changes to my organizational workflow that revolves around Adobe Lightroom Classic, focused on helping ensure I always review every photo after a trip or outing. As a result, I’ve produced a completely updated video course that outlines my overall workflow.
In “Real-World Organizational Workflow” you’ll be able to take a virtual look over my shoulder as I go step-by-step through my workflow. You may decide you want to use the same workflow, or you may want to make some changes that suit your specific needs. Either way, this course will help you streamline and optimize your workflow for managing photos in Lightroom Classic.
For all of the details about this new video course, please visit the GreyLearning website here:
I have been visiting the remarkable landscape and homesteads of the Palouse region of eastern Washington State for more than a decade now, typically spending three or four weeks in the area each spring. In all that time, I am still excited about the wonderful photographic opportunities and local experiences this area provides.
I am therefore very happy to announce that I will once again be leading two all-inclusive field photography workshops in the Palouse region in 2020. Registration is now open, so if you’d like to join me you’ll want to act quickly. All of the details of this unique field photography workshop can be found on my website here:
I get a lot of questions from photographers, especially via my Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter (http://timgrey.me/greylists). Lately, many of those questions have focused on Adobe Lightroom Classic, and so in my latest presentation as part of the GreyLearning webinar series I focused on those questions.
You can view a recording of the full webinar presentation on “Questions and Answers on Adobe Lightroom Classic” on my Tim Grey TV channel on YouTube here:
I recently returned from an extended trip that had me traveling all the way around the world with just one lens. In my latest presentation as part of the GreyLearning Webinar Series I shared the top lessons I learned during that unique trip.
You can view a recording of the entire presentation on my Tim Grey TV channel on YouTube here:
A little bit of planning can help you create better photographic images, and that is especially true when you want to employ the sun or moon in your photography. I’m pleased to announce a new course in the GreyLearning library that will help you plan great photos incorporating the sun and the moon, using a tool called The Photographer’s Ephemeris.
The Photographer’s Ephemeris is an app available through a web browser or mobile device, which enables you to plan photos based on the position of the sun and moon. Whether you want to include the sun or moon in a photograph, or you simply need to know the direction or availability of sunlight, The Photographer’s Ephemeris can help. And my new course will help you make the most of this helpful tool in your photography.
The lessons in my new course will guide you through the use of The Photographer’s Ephemeris, along with additional tools. Along the way you’ll learn how to plan photos based on the timing and position of the sun and moon.
Even better, you can use coupon code “moonlaunch” to get $5 off the course during our launch special. For more details (and to have the discount included automatically) follow this link to the GreyLearning Website:
It is often said that a long lens will “compress” a scene, making near and far objects appear to be closer to each other. In actual fact, it is not the longer lens focal length that is compressing the scene. What actually causes this compression is moving the camera further away from the subjects you are photographing. I can demonstrate this with a few images.
This photo was captured at a lens focal length of 100mm:
The Brooklyn Bridge photographed at a lens focal length of 100mm.
Standing in the exact same position, I then zoomed in to a focal length of 400mm to capture this photo:
The Brooklyn Bridge photographed at a lens focal length of 400mm.
If you examine both of the above images, you can see that the relative sizes of the two key objects (the lamp and a tower of the Brooklyn Bridge) remain the same in both photos. That is because I stood at the exact same position for both photos, only changing the focal length to zoom in. In other words, changing focal length only cropped the scene, not compress the scene.
To help make this concept a little easier to understand, I have created a composite with the 400mm image resized to match the applicable area of the 100mm image, highlighting the area that the 400mm image represents. Here is that image:
The inset image captured at a longer lens focal length from the exact same position simply reflects a cropping of the image captured at a shorter lens focal length, with the inset image aligning with the area identified by the red box.
Next, I walked closer to my subjects. As I walked, the apparent size of the lamp increased relative to the tower of the bridge in the background. I was reducing the apparent compression of the scene by moving closer to my subjects. Of course, because I didn’t have a ladder and couldn’t hover, the lamp appeared in a higher position relative to the tower of the bridge. But that is an issue of parallax, not compression. You can see the change in relative size for the two objects in this photo, which happened to be captured at a lens focal length of 118mm:
Walking closer to the subjects, the lamp now has a larger relative size compared to the tower of the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. The lamp appears at a higher position because of parallax.
To be sure, when you change your distance to the subjects you are photographing, you may need to change your lens focal length in order to maintain the same framing for the scene. But it is your relative distance to the scene that causes a change in apparent compression of the scene. The lens focal length is merely cropping that scene to achieve the desired framing.
This issue has been the subject of several questions recently in my Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter, and so I hope this blog post helps to provide something of a “final answer” on the subject.
Today’s presentation as part of the GreyLearning Webinar Series focused on what I consider to be the top critical tips for working with Adobe Lightroom Classic. In effect, these tips represented the information I wish all photographers understood before they started using Lightroom as the foundation of their workflow for organizing and optimizing their photos.
You can view a recording of the entire presentation on my Tim Grey TV channel on YouTube here:
Today I’m taking a little break from work to celebrate my birthday. I’m also offering some special discounts on courses from my GreyLearning library.
If you’d like one-on-one help directly from me to help you optimize your photography and workflow, you can get $300 off my “Premium Access” bundle by using coupon code birthday300 during checkout, or by using this link to get started with the discount applied automatically:
If you’d like one-on-one help for three months to help you get your Lightroom Classic catalog back in order, my “Lightroom Cleanup One-on-One” bundle is available for $100 off by using coupon code birthday100 during checkout, or by using this link to get started with the discount applied automatically:
And finally, you can 25% off any individual course you’d like by using coupon code birthday25 during checkout. You can view all courses available in the GreyLearning library here:
