Tips for Optimizing your Photography and Workflow
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:
https://www.greylearning.com/courses/tpe?coupon=moonlaunch
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:
Standing in the exact same position, I then zoomed in to a focal length of 400mm to capture this photo:
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:
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:
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:
https://www.greylearning.com/bundles/premium?coupon=birthday300
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:
https://www.greylearning.com/bundles/cleanup-one-on-one?coupon=birthday100
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:
As you may be aware, a decision last year by the U.S. Supreme Court requires companies to collect state sales tax for online sales based on the state the customer resides in. But B&H Photo now has a way for you to get a credit for those online purchases: The new Payboo Card from B&H Photo.
With the Payboo Card you can get an immediate credit in the amount of the sales tax when you make a purchase from B&H Photo. That means you are still technically paying the tax as legally required, but that B&H Photo will essentially refund that sales tax as a credit on your Payboo Card account. It is a clever workaround that means you can save on every order.
Even better, the sales tax credit can be earned for in-store purchases in addition to online sales.
You can get more details about the new Payboo Card from B&H Photo here:
In my latest presentation in the GreyLearning Webinar Series I addressed the process of deciding which lenses to bring with you on a given photo trip or outing. I discussed the various factors to consider, as well as an approach I use when trying to decide which lenses to put in my bag and which to leave behind.
You can view a recording of the entire presentation on my Tim Grey TV channel on YouTube here:
Adobe temporarily changed the pricing plans displayed by default on the Adobe.com website, causing many photographers to worry that the price for the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan was about to double. Fortunately, at least for now, there is nothing to worry about, and the $9.99 price can still be found here:
https://timgrey.me/photoplan10
As you can see in the image below, the Photography Plan was showing a price of $19.99 per month rather than $9.99 per month. However, that doesn’t actually represent a doubling of the price for the Photography Plan. Rather, the $19.99 price includes the upgrade to 1TB of cloud-based storage, rather than the 20GB that is included with the $9.99 subscription rate.
Of course, it is altogether possible that at some point the $9.99 subscription option (with 20GB of cloud-based storage) will be removed, so that only the $19.99 option (with 1TB of storage) will be available. But so far that is not the case, and photographers can still get the Creative Cloud Photography Plan for $9.99 per month here:
I was recently on a trip where I was traveling extremely light, which among other things meant I didn’t bring a tripod. Then, after departing on this trip, I realized there was going to be a total lunar eclipse in a few days, and I certainly didn’t want to miss that. Fortunately I had my “Red Pod” bean bag camera support, which enabled me to get the shot.
One of the best features of the Red Pod is that it has a built-in 1/4″ camera mount. You literally screw the bean bag directly onto your camera using the same mount you would otherwise use for a plate for a tripod. This provides a secure platform for your camera that is pliable enough to adjust your camera to a variety of different positions.
I’ve found the Red Pod to be tremendously helpful in a variety of situations. In fact, I’ve now given my Red Pod a permanent spot in my camera bag, to make sure I always have it with me to provide good camera support even if I don’t have a tripod with me.
You can get more details about the Red Pod here:
I recently made a change to my workflow for reviewing photos, which in turn will help ensure I’m always able to find my favorite photos when I need them. I shared this change in the context of my full workflow for managing photos in my “Finding Favorites” Workflow presentation as part of the GreyLearning Webinar Series.
You can view a recording of the entire presentation on the Tim Grey TV channel on YouTube here: