Blog
Does it work for THIS type of photography?
One of the most common questions I get asked about luminosity masking is: “will it work for [insert type of photography]?" Portraits, landscapes, night photography, real estate, bird/nature photography… the list goes on. I always give the same answer. Luminosity...
Masking around branches (without creating blending halos!)
Here’s a shot I took at Cradle Mountain in Tasmania on my first visit a few years ago. This area is one of the most well-known not just for photography, but hiking and general outdoorsy stuff too. And for good reason! It’s simply stunning. I was in the area for 4...
Why Photoshop is like a NY deli sandwich
One of my favourite memories of New York when I visited there in 2002 is stumbling across Carnegie Deli (on 7th ave). Walking through the front door the first thing that hit me was the atmosphere. Everything about the place from the jam-packed walls full of photos of...
RAW files coming out dull?
Ever had a photo that looked bright and colourful on the back of your camera, only to open the RAW file and discover all that goodness has mysteriously gone walkies? Or if you’re a Lightroom user, for a second or two after you open the image for the first time it...
The 3 levels of exposure blending
There are lots of ways to do things in Photoshop, which is great because it’s so flexible. But not all are created equal. Sometimes, the simpler and quicker way will work just as well as a more complicated alternative. But a lot of the time you might just need to go...
How many hidden gem photos have you written off too soon?
When you’re scrolling through a new batch of freshly-taken RAW files on your computer, picking out which ones you’ll edit... It can be easy to miss those “diamonds in the rough”. The nature of RAW files being so flat and dull makes it easy to be discouraged when you...
5 ways to dissolve your Photoshop Block
Have you felt this before?Back from a shoot, you open up a new pic in Photoshop for the first time... excited to see the magic of what you saw with your own eyes, re-produced on-screen. Only there’s a problem. Your camera gave you a dud. The RAW file looks nothing...
How to inject a sense of scale into a photo
It’s a complete accident/coincidence, but there’s been a “daytime” theme to the shots I’ve shared this last few days. Which is cool, because it demonstrates that it’s not the end of the world if you can’t shoot during the golden hours. That said, it still helps...
Looking for light
Sometimes a little touch of light sprinkled in the right spot can really make a shot. Like this one I took of Mount Cook in New Zealand. As the sun was going down way off to the left, there was a mountain range casting shade over the lake and most of the shoreline....
Upon Reflection
Thought I’d share this reflective photo from New Zealand with you today. This derelict jetty can be found somewhere around half way along the road between Queenstown and Glenorchy. Sonia and I were excited to stumble across it on a random "scenery stop”. It’s always...