Welcome to The Photo Video Guy. I share training, ideas, opinions and tips to help you make better photographs and videos.
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What you will get in this tutorial is a simple, repeatable, three light setup that you can use anywhere with only a little set up time once you have your configuration recorded and that will deliver superb and consistent results. If you have a conga line of shots to make, the set up doesn't change, and so you can focus on the human skills necessary to bring out the real person.
Read MoreLet’s examine some options in external storage for your irreplaceable images and videos
Read MoreI was recently approached by the Partnership Manager at DESIGNEVO to take a look at their web based logo maker. They offered me the full tier use if I would do a review. I share this in the spirit of full disclosure, no other benefits were offered to me. Let's take a look at what it delivers.
Read MoreBackgrounds can be a real challenge for a photographer or videographer. If we are shooting in ambient light, what is there may not be optimal. A busy background detracts from the primary subject, or there may be elements that just don’t fit, and while you can use content aware fill in Photoshop to remove these things, we do not yet have that capability in video editing that is easy to do. In this article, I want to explore some options.
Read MoreI've recently been approached by a number of folks who like using portable hard drives for travel and for their photo libraries for their laptops who have been unable to prepare the drives with an Apple file system and partition. Here's the fix.
Read MoreUsing AUTO ISO can be a huge benefit when you have to work quickly, or when you find yourself in a situation where you just aren't sure where to start. This Quick Tip video explains the concept and the why
Read MoreThere is always confusion about the relationship between Guide Number and Watt Seconds (joules) when talking about flash. In this Quick Tips video, I try to provide some education on the differences and why you might use this information when making a flash purchase.
Read MoreThere's a lot of information about HDR on the web, and even more HDR images. In this Quick Tip video, I take you through the basic capture techniques, and then import the images to Adobe Lightroom and use it's built in HDR function to make the HDR image for final editing in Lightroom.
Read MoreWe all want to improve as photographers. And, the cameras that we have available to us today, provide services unimaginable twenty years ago to help us do so. But as with all things, there are multiple perspectives to a view, and I've learned through experience, that with advanced automation has come a loss in understanding of how to meter shots effectively. Time to think more clearly about metering.
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A few months ago, a regular reader suggested that I start doing Quick Tips videos. I happened to be doing some testing on the Blackmagic Design Micro Studio Cameras, and shot four videos. I then promptly forgot about them and only edited one. This is it and it covers a very fast introduction to the topic of dynamic range. It's not super in depth, but it will get you up to speed pretty quickly. Enjoy and if you like the video, please leave a message in the comments.
Over the last couple of weeks, I've run into a series of questions from folks pertaining to white balance and colour temperature. There is some confusion apparently around equating the two and I think that this is worth a conversation.
Read MoreLet's be honest. None of us creatives want to work for nothing. We get annoyed when a prospect spends a lot of time learning from us, and then gives the business to some dork who will do the job a little cheaper and with a lot less skill. Now consider who and where you get your photo and video gear from.
Read MoreAs you may know, I provide support and moderation on some different photography forums, and as often comes around, the subject of grain and noise has appeared again, and as is common, the subject is accompanied by an ocean going freighter filled with bullcrap, pseudo science and completely wrong so-called "facts".
Read MoreThere's a school of thought for street photography that basically says "hide and be sneaky". I understand the root of this attitude, the idea being that you will get more authentic images and perhaps more of an emotional charge from sneaking shots of people.
I hate this. The world has changed in the time since I started photography. Where in the past, you could walk around with a camera making images and no one cared, today people are much more concerned about being observed and their actions tracked. That worrying about a single person with a camera when you are tracked by innumerable surveillance cameras that you don't see is, to be blunt, a bit wacky, seems immaterial. People are rightly concerned about privacy and about how their image may be used. You may have heard of this thing called the Internet. Truth and it are not necessarily entwined.
Read MoreExposing to the right is a process to maximize the data that is captured in your images. It is a workflow process best suited to shooting in RAW with the understanding that some post processing will be required. It also gives you more latitude than your default exposure will deliver in most all cases.
Read MoreSpot Metering has a lot of power, but used incorrectly results in often disastrous images. In this tutorial, we will learn to use it properly and for maximum effectiveness
Read MoreIt'stime to review the concepts of this subject again. When it comes time to make photos ready for print there remains a lot of misinformation that's causing frustration amongst photographers.
Read MoreWhy do we stick to standard cropping ratios? Why don't we crop more of our images? Let's explore these and other questions together.
Read MoreOff camera flash is the first step in managing light yourself. It’s a significant step where you are the boss and no longer a slave to the ambient light, and it’s a major step in becoming a better photographer.
Read MoreFor some AUTO ISO sounds like heresy. For others, it's a valued tool in the toolbox. Explore this article to see how AUTO ISO might be a worthwhile addition to your photographic arsenal.
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