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Friday, December 31, 2021

Photo By Kathryn Black

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Horned Lark in the Snow” by Kathryn Black. Location: Waterloo State Recreation Area, Michigan.

“Part of a flock of horned larks, snow buntings and lapland longspurs migrating in late winter,” describes Black.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Thursday, December 30, 2021

Photo By Yvonne Baur

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “The Snow Tree” by Yvonne Baur. Location: Bryce Canyon, Utah.

“I headed to Bryce Canyon during a snow storm,” says Baur. “There wasn’t much to see as everything was socked in fog and snow. Then I saw this ponderosa pine and the snowdrift just in front of it and knew I found my perfect shot of the day.”

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Photo By VW Barnes

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Etendre” by VW Barnes. Location: Colorado.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Photo By Kathy Laverdure

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Red Fox” by Kathy Laverdure. Location: Quebec.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Monday, December 27, 2021

Photo By David Connel

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Ice Forest” by David Connel. Location: Near Haines, Alaska.

“While snowshoeing outside Haines, Alaska, I found this view of a forest covered in ice as far as the eye could see,” explains Connel.

Exposure: 1/320 sec., f/8, ISO 250, 24mm.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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What season is your favorite to photograph scenics? Each has its pluses and minuses with regard to weather, light, crowds, highlights, etc. Summer provides comfortable temperatures, so even at higher latitudes, it’s warm and comfortable. Spring brings a plethora of wildflowers and the land signals its rebirth of vegetation and life. Autumn is extremely special as yellows, reds and oranges adorn hillsides and forests in rainbows of warm-colored hues. And then comes winter. Most people’s immediate reactions are it’s cold, gray, barren, windy and they can’t wait until it’s over so spring can breathe life back into the ground. While these aspects may be true, it’s also a time when many positive cold and snowy landscape photography opportunities await the motivated landscape photographer.

Winter is actually a fantastic time to create scenics. It will get cold, but today’s high-tech clothing that’s designed to be worn in layers regulates your comfort and keeps you warm. With each layer of clothing you add, you’ll look like you gained weight, but who cares? It’s not like you’re out trying to find a future spouse. You’re not the subject of the photos, so it’s not important. The photographer’s concern is the beauty of the landscape. A well-insulated pair of boots in conjunction with gaiters keep your feet warm and dry as will a good pair of heated socks. Battery-powered glove liners are essential if your fingertips are sensitive to the cold as they will succumb more easily than other parts of your body. Carbon fiber tripods don’t retain cold as much as aluminum ones, so be sure to get ahold of one. Wrap some insulating pads around each leg and you’re good to go. It’s also a great season to consume a large cup of hot chocolate and wrap your chilled fingers around the warm mug! So no whining—head into the field for some cold and snowy landscape photography.

My business tagline is “It’s All About The Light” and the light in winter is special. The sun stays low in the sky, and a low angle is more photogenic, and its good characteristics are longer-lived compared to summer. The higher the sun, the less appealing it becomes. The landscape is more appealing when it’s illuminated with long shadows and controlled highlights. Because the winter sun tracks closer to the horizon, the window of time to obtain good pictures is extended. This is a benefit as it increases the window one can shoot during each morning and evening session. Another positive aspect about the light is the sun rises later in the morning and sets earlier in the evening. Your “workday” is significantly shortened, you get to sleep in later so wake-up calls aren’t as painful and you get to eat dinner at a normal time and relax a bit in the evening. 

Photographically, many aspects of great landscape photography that apply during any other season hold true in winter. Your best images will be made close to the hours of sunrise and sunset. Predawn color can be magnificent as the underside of winter’s clouds can go electric in color. The first light that’s found on a crisp, clear winter morning is intense in illumination and color. The stronger the light, the deeper the shadows. Be cognizant of highlights on snow and be sure to adjust your exposure compensation accordingly. Use your blinkies, or blinking highlights playback screen, to make sure you don’t blow out the fine detail in the delicate whites of the snow and ice. With regard to exaggerated contrast, be sure to play shadows off the highlights to create three-dimensionality and prevent mergers of similar tones. By all means, exploit the contrast, but also be cognizant of where darks and lights fall on top of each other.

Shadows in snow will appear blue as they absorb hues in the sky, so be aware of your white balance. In shooting RAW, this can be tweaked in post-processing. Be on the lookout for sidelight as texture is greatly emphasized. If you get to thermal areas or any other areas where steam appears, seek out backlight for drama. And, certainly, don’t overlook large animals as they exhale backlit CO2—it’s extremely dramatic. Dress warmly so you can stay out in the field as you never know what you’ll get. If you’re prepared for the elements, you just may capture some once-in-a-lifetime cold and snowy landscape photography.

Visit www.russburdenphotography.com for information about his nature photo safaris to Tanzania.

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Sunday, December 26, 2021

Photo By Garry Everett

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Winter Light” by Garry Everett. Location: Yosemite National Park, California.

“A snowstorm showing some respite to let the sun break through the clouds as it moved down the Yosemite Valley,” describes Everett.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Saturday, December 25, 2021

Photo By Archie Tucker

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Christmas Portrait Grand Canyon” by Archie Tucker. Location: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Friday, December 24, 2021

Photo By Craig Bill

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Frostbite” by Craig Bill. Location: Texas.

See more of Bill’s photography at CraigBill.com.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Thursday, December 23, 2021

Photo By Beth Young

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Sequoia Fog” by Beth Young. Location: Sequoia National Park, California.

“Walking the trails through the Giant Forest among the most massive trees on earth in the ethereal mist and the snow was like being in a dream,” says Young. “All throughout the forest, the effects of decades of prescribed burning were evident, with clumps of juvenile sequoia seedlings establishing themselves after fire.”

See more of Young’s photography at www.optimalfocusphotography.com.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Photo By Siu Lau

Congratulations to Siu Lau for winning the Spooky Shots Assignment with the image, “Fly Through.” Lau says this image of a crow flying through an open forest was taken near Spruce Run Reservoir in New Jersey.

Be sure to check out our current photography assignment here and enter your best shots!

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Photo By Sharon Ramer

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Is it Winter Already?” by Sharon Ramer. Location: New Hampshire.

“Early snow in autumn has this chickadee wondering where fall went!” says Ramer.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Screen shot of Lightroom's Slideshow module.

Figure 1. Sharing your work doesn’t begin and end with exporting individual images. Think about sharing sets of images or portfolios with Lightroom Classics Slideshow and Book Modules.

These days, social media has become the most popular way for photographers to share our work. It’s an addicting feedback mechanism that has allowed artists to build audiences in new and exciting ways. I also suspect that most of us use similar sharing workflows. Speaking generally, I’ve picked a resolution for my JPEGs that I use for almost all the images I export out of Lightroom, I use a watermark when appropriate, throw in a little output sharpening, and that’s the bulk of what I do. Sound familiar?

Still, there are additional applications to consider and other reasons for sharing. For starters, not all imagery is intended to be shared as individual photographs. In fact, many of you may shoot for a project, essay or theme where your images are intended to be presented as a portfolio. Some of you may want to present your work in front of a live audience, to clients who have hired you for a job, or to individuals interested in sifting through your work to buy prints. Sharing your work can, and should, go beyond simply exporting for “likes” on social media.

In this final installment on sharing your work with Lightroom Classic, I’ll walk you through the basics of alternative ways to showcase your best images. If you’ve been following along, you know we’ve gone step-by-step through how to export photos from Lightroom Classic, what formats to choose and why, how to resize, how to sharpen, set your resolution, add watermarks, and even automate the whole export process. Now we’ll wrap this series up with a discussion of how to create slideshows, export videos from those slideshows and export PDF portfolios using either the Slideshow or Book Modules.

Exporting From The Slideshow Module

Slideshows are a versatile way to present portfolios of work for all kinds of applications. You can create slideshows with small sets of images and manually move from one slide to the next, or you can create slideshows with large portfolios where the images move quickly and automatically along a timeline that can synchronize to music. You can include captions, filenames and watermarks. You can control the color of your slideshow’s backdrop or even have a tonal gradient behind your images.

The list is long, and there are plenty of options to stylize, but that’s not all. You can export your slideshows as videos that can be uploaded to your website, YouTube, Vimeo or anywhere else that hosts videos. You can even export your slideshows as PDFs that your clients can browse through in full-screen mode on their computers or devices. Let me walk you through the Slideshow Module to provide a feel for the many options available.

Screen shot of Lightroom's slideshow settings.

Figure 2. To stylize your slideshow presentation, you have seven panels on the right side of the module.

There are seven panels on the right side of the Slideshow Module, as shown in Figure 2. You should get familiar with these panels to stylize your presentation. Going from top to bottom, first is the Options panel with its three sub-panels. Each sub-panel has its own checkbox to activate it. You can Zoom to Fill Frame, add a Stroke Border to highlight the edge of your photos, and Cast Shadow on the border to add some depth to the edge.

Next is the Layout panel. The sliders in this panel allow you to control the margins between the edge of your image and the edge of the canvas. You can create a border around your images that you can add color or a color gradient to, or you can fill the frame. On the bottom of the panel is an Aspect Preview where you can change your canvas from Screen to 16:9 and 4:3. Do note that 2:3 is not an available option, and most people shoot 2:3 or 35mm format. So, even if you zero out all the sliders with a 2:3 aspect ratio image, you will never be able to fill the canvas with that image. If that’s a must for you, you’ll have to crop your image to one of the available aspect ratios. I’m baffled why Adobe doesn’t offer this option, but such is life. Lastly, there’s a checkbox at the top to Show Guides, but I suggest leaving that unchecked as it adds lines to your canvas.

Screen shot of Lightroom's Overlays panel.

Figure 3. The Overlays panel allows you to choose between a variety of overlays such as Identity Plate, Watermark, Rating Stars and Text Overlays.

Third is the Overlays panel, which consists of five subpanels, as shown in Figure 3. You can add an Identity Plate. You can add a Watermark that will appear on all the images in your slideshow. You can overlay the Rating Stars that you have set for your images. You can add custom text, and you can add drop shadows to that text.

Following is the Backdrop Panel as shown in Figure 4 below. Here you can add background colors or color gradients to your slideshow’s canvas. To add a gradient, you’ll need to select a background color first. Next, create a Color Wash tone and then control what side of the background that color shows up on by playing with the Angle slider. If you don’t want a gradient, simply leave the Color Wash checkbox unchecked. If you leave both the Color Wash and the Background Color boxes unchecked, the default color is black.

Lightroom's Backdrop panel.

Figure 4. The Backdrop panel allows you to control the color of your background, or you can add a background image.

The Titles panel allows you to add title slides to the beginning and the ending of your slideshows. As handy as this panel is for the typical slideshow, there are many instances where it doesn’t work well, so I personally don’t use it. For example, some slideshows you create to run automatically, and they may have slides moving too quickly for a slide you want your audience to read and take in. Considering you have no control over how long the title and ending slides linger, fast-moving slides then mean fast-moving and unreadable title slides. Additionally, I have a company logo and much prefer adding an image with my logo to the slideshow. Of course, you also don’t have control over how long a logo lingers, but I have a hack for that. If you right-click on a logo slide (Windows) or Control-click on a slide (Mac) to bring up the contextual menu, you can create a Virtual Copy of your image. So, instead of just rolling through one image of a logo, roll through two, three, four or however many you need to create the timing you desire (see Figure 5).

Illustration of creating your own logo for slideshows.

Figure 5. When you are running slideshows automatically, Lightroom-generated title slides don’t always cut it. Instead, I add my logo as its own slide in the show and create virtual copies, so it stays on screen longer than the rest of my slides.

The last two panels are the Music and the Playback panels. The Music panel is simple. Just hit the + symbol and select a music file from your computer. You can add up to 10 tracks. How that music plays with your slideshow is set in the Playback panel, as shown in Figure 6. This panel begins with the choices of Automatic or Manual. By choosing Manual, you can manually advance your slides from one to the other.

Screen shot of Lightroom's Music panel.

Figure 6. The Music panel is simple. All you need to do is click on the + symbol and find the track or tracks you want to add to your show. You can add up to 10. The Music panel is simple. All you need to do is click on the + symbol and find the track or tracks you want to add to your show. You can add up to 10.

If you want your slideshow to run automatically, just hit the Automatic button. Working in Automatic mode (Figure 7) offers an option to synchronize your slides to the music you selected, or you can fit your show to the same music. What’s the difference? Let’s say you have music that lasts 1 minute, or 60 seconds, and you have 20 images in your slideshow. If you Fit to Music, then Lightroom Classic will automatically set the Slide Length slider for you. Alternatively, if you Sync Slides to Music, then Lightroom Classic analyzes your music and advances the slideshow to the cadence of the music you’ve selected.

Screen shot of Lightroom's Playback panel.

Figure 7. A lot happens in the Playback panel. You can control your music tracks, how long your slides play, the duration of the transitions between slides and much more.

You can also control the length of time you can show each slide, how long it Crossfades between slides, the Audio Balance between the Music and the Video, Pan and Zoom, whether or not you want the show to repeat or show images in a random order automatically, and, finally, the Quality of the show.

Previewing & Finalizing Your Slideshow

Once you’ve stylized your slideshow to look just the way you like, there are a few paths you can take. At the bottom of the side panel are Preview and Play buttons. Why are there two options? The Preview button is great for seeing a quick preview of your slideshow without the need to wait for the whole show first to render. For example, if you’re playing with the settings and want to test how things look before rendering your whole show, the Preview button offers a low-res version to see how things are working first. Once you’re satisfied with the look, hit Play.

Exporting Slideshows As Videos Or PDFs

In addition to simply playing your slideshow, you can also export your slideshow as a video or a PDF. First, look to the lower left corner of the Slideshow Module’s user interface. There you can find two buttons: Export PDF and Export Video. Clicking on Export Video will launch the Export Slideshow to Video dialogue, as shown in Figure 8 below. Starting from the top of the dialogue, you can name your new video and add keywords or Tags, which will help people find your video through Google searches if that’s of interest to you and you’re posting your video on the web. Video Preset is where you set your video’s resolution or quality. For better or worse, you can only create videos as large as 1080p. Unfortunately, there is currently no 4K option.

Screen shot from Lightroom's slideshow export options.

Figure 8. You can export your slideshow as a video. Click on the Export Video button in the lower left corner of the Slideshow Module to launch the Export Slideshow to Video dialogue.

Pro Tip: If you intend to create a slideshow that will be exported as a video, note that all the exportable resolutions have a 16:9 aspect ratio except the 640×480 option, which is 4:3. Do keep that in mind when you are stylizing your slideshow in the Layout panel. As mentioned before, you can set your canvas’ aspect ratio in the Layout panel.

Screen shot of Lightroom's export to PDF option.

Figure 9. To export your slideshow as a PDF, look to the lower left corner of the Slideshow Module and click on Export PDF to launch the Export Slideshow to PDF dialogue.

If you click on Export PDF, you’ll launch the Export Slideshow to PDF dialogue, as shown in Figure 9. The top part of the dialogue allows you to Save As a name of your choosing, enter Tags to help with searchability on Google, and determine where you want your PDF saved on your computer. With the remainder of the dialogue, you can configure the settings for your PDF. You have a Quality slider, a checkbox to show full screen Automatically, and the ability to set the height and width of your final export.

The Quality slider is something I would suggest to use as needed. I tend always to leave it at 100% unless I have a specific need to reduce the size of my final document. If I do need a smaller document, and I can’t reduce the size by adjusting the width and height in this dialogue, then adjusting the Quality can help.

The option “Automatically show full screen” is kind of self-explanatory. I almost always use it, and it makes for a very nice cinema-like experience for your audience when they open the PDF. Without that box checked, those receiving your PDF will have to manually switch to viewing the portfolio full screen on their device.

When choosing the height and width of your PDF, note that there is a dropdown menu for Common Sizes to choose from. However, these sizes are all 4:3 aspect ratios, so do keep that in mind. Most of you, I suspect, shoot 35mm format or a 2:3 aspect ratio. Thus, if you want your background canvas’ aspect ratio to match your images, then you’ll need to add a custom number to those boxes.

Sharing PDFs From The Book Module

For a more polished look to your PDFs, visit the Book Module instead of Slideshow. Obviously, creating and printing books is another great way to share your work, and the Book Module is an easy way to create all kinds of looks and styles for your printed masterpiece.

Screen shot of Lightroom's Book settings.

Figure 10. Multiple options are available in the Book Settings panel.

Without walking you through the whole module, just look at the Book Settings panel in the upper right corner of the user interface, as shown in Figure 10. Starting with the Book dropdown menu, you can choose between creating a layout specifically for a Blurb Photo Book, Blurb Magazine, Blurb Trade Book, PDF or JPEG. Next, under Size, you have an assortment of different aspect ratios and sizes to select from. You can create layouts with as many images as you like, creating large or small portfolios, and the stylistic possibilities are just as endless.

Doing the actual export to PDF is simple. If you’ve first selected to create a Blurb Photo Book, Blurb Magazine or Blurb Tradebook, and you’ve chosen a Size for your book, then you simply look to the bottom left corner of the Book Module’s user interface and click on Export Book to PDF. There is no further dialogue for you to configure sizes or quality of output as that’s already done ahead of time in the Book Settings panel. Simply name and save your PDF, and you’re done. Alternatively, if you’ve first selected to create a PDF, then look to the lower right corner of the user interface to Export Book to PDF.

Creating Art Is Not Enough

I presume we are all familiar with that old question about the tree falling in the forest. If it falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? To think of it another way, what is the value of sound, if it’s not perceived? Comparatively, what is the value of art if not shared?

That doesn’t mean sharing art is easy, as it requires taking risks. Sharing demands that you reveal who you are as an artist, how technically inclined you are, your sense of style, and your ability to use your camera as a tool to translate your voice. These are all very personal things. To share, you must be, on some level, vulnerable in front of your friends, family, peers, colleagues, clients and strangers.

Here’s something else to consider: There is no reward without risk. I suggest being vulnerable. Put yourself out there. If you do, you’ll get feedback. You’ll gain insight into what parts of your work people connect with and which of the images you’re creating have impact and begin to understand how others are interpreting what you’re trying to express through your work.

And as we’ve touched on in this article series, we have so many ways of doing that today. From websites to social media, the slideshows you create, books you lay out and the PDFs you export, the myriad options available today offer a profound set of choices to connect with audiences and show our work to clients in ways never before possible. The more you do it, the more opportunities you’ll have to grow and evolve your craft.

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Tuesday, December 21, 2021

We had so many incredible submissions to our weekly assignments over the past year. The slideshow below features the winning image from each assignment. Check it out for inspiration, and then get ready to enter our assignments in 2022!

[See image gallery at www.outdoorphotographer.com]

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Photo By Kevin Cass

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “How Big Of A Drop?” by Kevin Cass. Location: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

“Jack Pilot skis off a rock pillar in the Grand Targhee backcountry, giving a human scale on just how much air he is flying through on a gray day in Wyoming.”

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Monday, December 20, 2021

Photo By Robin Black

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Winter Fugue” by Robin Black. Location: Yosemite National Park, California.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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When lack of motivation dominates your creativity, reach down inside and think about the fact that the only direction you can move is forward. When things can only get better, celebrate it. Let a smile dominate your face. Cheer the end of an inactive period because things will get better! Here are a few things to try to help you stay motivated in photography. 

One Way Out

Dead ends are synonymous with running into a wall and not being able to move forward. What’s beautiful about a dead end is you can choose to make a U-turn to get back onto the main road. You’re not stuck at a roadblock. You’re not surrounded by traffic. You’re not waiting for hours at a red light. Put your photo car in reverse or initiate a U-turn.

So what can you do to break the cycle? To begin, revel in the fact you’ve been down as a whole new aspect of photography will get discovered. Celebrate the fact you’ll create new and exciting images. Celebrate, because once you get back on the road, you may hit another dead end, which will lead you to even more celebrations!

Alter Your Perspective

If you’ve been photographing for any length of time, you’ve developed given ways to hold a camera, view the scene, discovered go-to lenses and many other things you often repeat. It’s time to deliberately alter one or two of your standard ways to procure a photo. Break away from the obvious. The idea is to walk away with something new and refreshing rather than just get back on the saddle. Your favorite lens? Leave that one home and attach something different. Height? Make all your photos from a kneeling position or from a prone position or from on top of a wall. The idea is to change the angle from where and how you’ve photographed in the past to find something new, exciting, different and stay motivated in photography.

New Formula

When your standard and “safe” photographic rule says A + B = C for a given situation, try using a D in place of A or B. For all your past wildlife portraits, the only time you’d press the shutter is when the eyes made direct contact with the lens. While this is a good and proper rule to follow, begin to concentrate on more than one animal at a time and make headshots of them interacting. Watch for highlights in the eyes. Watch for a coy glance. Add in a third head if another subject enters. How about a backlit silhouette of an animal that has a unique head shape? Press the shutter even if you think it may not work. The idea is to develop a new formula to spark your creativity. If it doesn’t work, delete the file.

Simply Have Fun

Think back to the day you put your brand-new DSLR up to your eye and made your first image. The LCD came to life and your adrenalin strongly pumped. It’s time to shine new light on your newfound photo journey. Don’t get caught up in apertures, ISO, shutter speeds, motor drive, etc. Put the camera on full automatic and treat it like a sophisticated point and shoot.

Just go out, make photos and have fun. Don’t worry about the technical aspects. Lay down on the ground to find a new angle and don’t worry about what others think. Point the camera without looking through the viewfinder. Deliberately move the camera during the exposure to create a desired effect. Don’t worry about a single technical aspect. Enjoy every shutter press and laugh while you make every new photo. Reconcile that every press of the shutter needn’t provide a masterpiece. Keep moving forward to find new ways to stay motivated in photography. 

To learn more about this subject, join me on a photo safari to Tanzania. Visit www.russburdenphotography.com to get more information.

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Sunday, December 19, 2021

Photo By Ryan Cairl

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Starry Explosion” by Ryan Cairl.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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Saturday, December 18, 2021

Photo By Kathleen Wasselle Croft

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Vermilion Lake Sunrise” by Kathleen Wasselle Croft. Location: Near Banff, Alberta.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

The post Photo Of The Day By Kathleen Wasselle Croft appeared first on Outdoor Photographer.



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Friday, December 17, 2021

Photo By Max Foster

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Enlightened” by Max Foster. Location: Texas.

“Morning light breaks through the fog and illuminates the Spanish moss and cypress in the bayou,” describes Foster.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

The post Photo Of The Day By Max Foster appeared first on Outdoor Photographer.



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Thursday, December 16, 2021

Photo By Thomas Nicholson

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “On the Prowl” by Thomas Nicholson. Location: Serengeti National Park.

“A lone cheetah wanders through a dusty Serengeti National Park in search of its next meal,” describes Nicholson.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

The post Photo Of The Day By Thomas Nicholson appeared first on Outdoor Photographer.



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Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Photo By britainandrew

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Eagle Tower Milky Way” by britainandrew.

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including AssignmentsGalleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

The post Photo Of The Day By britainandrew appeared first on Outdoor Photographer.



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A view of the Watermark Editor in Lightroom Classic.

Figure 1. A view of the Watermark Editor in Lightroom Classic.

They say sharing is caring. They say that a candle loses nothing as it shares its light with another candle. They say that even though sharing requires trust and faith and a willingness to take risks as one reaches out to others, the connection one derives from sharing makes it all worth it. Bearing all that in mind, “they” are likely not considering the value of intellectual property. If you’re a photographer, share…but watermark as you go.

In part two of this article series on Lightroom Classic tools and tips for optimizing your images for output and sharing, we went through many of the settings in Lightroom’s Export dialogue but couldn’t quite get through all of them. Here in part three, we’ll pick up where we left off and cover the Output Sharpening, Metadata, Watermarking and Post-Processing panels, as well as how to create custom user presets and execute multi-batch processing. You can follow along by opening the Export dialogue in Lightroom Classic. To open it, select an image and then go to the File menu and then to Export.

Output Sharpening

Fortunately, there’s not much to consider in the Output Sharpening panel in the Export dialogue. This panel isn’t where the real sharpening happens, so to speak. So, don’t let this panel’s limited features discourage you. This panel is supposed to recreate the sharpened look you create in Lightroom’s Develop module and in the Detail panel. That’s where you sharpen first to make the edges and detail of your image look the way you want it to look. Thus, the first phase of sharpening in the Develop module is referred to as Input Sharpening, and the second phase—and the name of this panel—is called Output Sharpening.

Abobe Lightroom Sharpening panel.

Figure 2. The Sharpening panel consists of two dropdown menus. One selects the intended medium for your export, and the second determines how much sharpening will be applied.

Output Sharpening is applied to your image based on what size you’re exporting it as and, to a lesser degree, what you’re exporting your image for. The panel itself only offers a couple of choices. Once you’ve checked the Sharpen For box, as shown in Figure 2, the first dropdown menu allows you to choose between whether you intend to view your image on a Screen, on Matte Paper or on Glossy Paper. Next, you can choose between Low, Standard or High amounts of sharpening to be applied to your image. It’s as simple as that.

My only suggestion here is to stick with Standard sharpening. You’ll know after you’ve exported it if your image needs a little bit more or a little bit less, but if you’ve done your Input Sharpening well, Standard almost always seems to do the trick regardless of what image size you’re exporting.

Metadata

The Metadata panel offers control over what types of metadata you attach to your images upon export. Looking at Figure 3, you can include Copyright Only, Copyright & Contact Info Only, All Except Camera Raw Info, All Except Camera & Camera Raw Info, and All Metadata.

Adobe Lightroom's Metadata panel.

Figure 3. The Metadata panel offers control over how much or little information you want included with your files upon export.

Beyond the dropdown, you have some checkboxes to consider. You can remove person or location info, and if you organize your keywords in Lightroom in hierarchies, those hierarchies can be preserved.

I always set my exports to include All Metadata and only check the box to preserve keyword hierarchies. But choose what works best for you. Of course, if you don’t want that info shared, don’t share it. I’m just part of the school of thought that all the metadata you attach to your files about copyright, contact info, location information and keywords are all added to the file for a reason, so why remove them? It doesn’t make the file any bigger. You’ll know if the info attached to your file is or isn’t meant for public consumption.

Watermarking

To watermark or not to watermark; that is the question. This is a debate that goes on and on in the photography world, and I’ve been on both sides of the fence on this one. Currently, I don’t watermark when posting stuff on Instagram or Facebook—but that’s admittedly a recent development as of just a few weeks ago. There’s logic on either side of the debate. Adding a watermark adds an extra layer of protection that can discourage people from sharing your image without asking. On the other hand, it can inhibit some people from sharing your image, which is counter to one’s goals on social media, typically speaking. And unless you have a big, distracting watermark on top of your photo’s subject, watermarks are pretty easy to Photoshop out.

Whether you like them or not, here’s how you begin to create and apply them. Check the Watermark checkbox and then open Edit Watermarks from the adjacent dropdown menu. Lightroom Classic offers a few preset options, but if you want to create a watermark, it’s best that you create your own from scratch.

Adobe Lightroom's Watermark Editor.

Figure 4. A view of the Watermark Editor, which consists of three settings panels.

Selecting Edit Watermarks launches the Watermark Editor, as shown in Figure 4. The user interface consists of a viewing window on the left where you can preview your watermark. Just below the preview is a text box where you can add text, and to the right are your three settings panels: Image Options, Text Options and Watermark Effects.

The initial choice you have to make is whether or not you want to create a simple text watermark or add a graphic logo. Both choices limit the available settings panels you can work with. For instance, if you choose to create a simple text watermark, the Image Options panel is of no use. And if you choose to create a graphic watermark, then the Text Options panel is disabled. The Watermark Effects panel is useful with either choice.

Pro Tip: To have your graphic watermarks look their best, make sure they have transparent backgrounds. Since your watermark needs to be a small, low-resolution file, Lightroom limits you to using either JPEG or PNG only. Since JPEG does not support transparent backgrounds, I suggest using PNGs.

Adove Lightroom Text options panel.

Figure 5. The Text Options panel is a simple text editor offering control over how to style your watermark’s font, align it, color it or add specific effects.

When creating a text watermark, the Text Options panel works like any word or character editor. As shown in Figure 5, you can decide which font to use, how to style your font, align it, color it or add specific effects. When creating a graphic watermark, all you need to do in the Image Options panel is hit the Choose button to navigate to your saved logo to import it into the Watermark Editor.

The Watermark Effects panel is critical to putting the final touches on your watermark. You can play with your watermark’s opacity, its size, how it’s inset from your image’s edge and where it’s anchored on your photo. For the size portion of the panel, I almost always have the Proportional radio button checked and then move the slider underneath to customize the size of my watermark to taste. For reasons I hinted to earlier, I prefer to create and use watermarks that are subtle and non-intrusive to the image’s aesthetics. In Figure 6, you can see an example of what I consider a large overbearing watermark versus what I actually use (or used to use) on my images.

Examples of watermarks in Lightoom.

Figure 6. If you decide to create and apply watermarks to your images, I suggest making them subtle, so they’re not ruining your image’s aesthetics.

Once you have your watermark created just the way you like it, you need to save it as a preset, so you don’t have to redo this each time you export. To do so, simply go to the dropdown menu at the top of the Watermark Editor and select Save Current Settings as New Preset. Next, name your preset, click Create, and then each time you export one or multiple images, simply select the template you created, and your watermark will be applied to all of your images.

Post-Processing

The final settings panel in the Export dialogue is the Post-Processing panel. This allows you to choose from a set of actions that Lightroom will perform after you’ve clicked on the Export button. Open the dropdown menu and choose between Do Nothing, Open in Finder (on a Mac, or Explorer in Windows), Open in Photoshop or Choose in Other Application. I usually use Open in Finder. That option opens the folder you exported to, so you get quick access to your export.

User Presets

An example of user presets in Lightroom.

Figure 7. My set of User Presets created for my various types of exports.

Now that we’ve finally gone through each settings panel in the Export dialogue, let’s talk about how to make your export process a bit easier. The trick is in getting to know how to create User Presets. In short, User Presets are a way for you to take the settings you configure for any export and save them for future use. Notice in Figure 7, I have a set of User Presets created for all of my export needs. I created exports for high-resolution use, low-resolution use without watermark, low-resolution use with watermark for emails, and for RAW files.

Let’s create a couple of User Presets. We can create one low-resolution preset with a watermark and another without. Refer to Figure 8 below to see how I’ve configured my settings. To start, I set my Export Location panel to export to a folder titled “Exported Images” on my desktop. I’ve checked the Put in Subfolder check box, and titled my subfolder “LOWRES NO WATERMARK.” I then bypass both the File Naming and Video panels. As stated earlier in this series, unless there’s a specific reason to rename your exported files to satisfy the needs of a client or the rules of a contest, there’s more value in keeping exported files named the same as their source files.

Example of a user preset in Lightroom.

Figure 8. An example of settings I selected in creating a User Preset for low-resolution image exports without a watermark.

In the Image Sizing panel, I’ve set my Resize to Fit dropdown menu to Long Edge and my pixel resolution to 2,000. Again, as I stated previously, when defining the export size in terms of pixels as opposed to inches or centimeters, the resolution or PPI is not important, so I pay no attention to it.

Next, I’ve set my Output Sharpening to Screen and its Amount to Standard. The Metadata Panel is set to Include All Metadata. I’ve left the Watermark box unchecked and the Post-Processing panel to Show in Finder.

Once everything is set, I can save my settings. I’ll go to the lower left-hand corner of the Export dialogue user interface and click the Add button. A box appears to do this, and I name my preset like my folder, “LOWRES NO WATERMARK.” I then hit Create, and it’s done. I can now see a User Preset, and for future exports of this type, I can bypass the need to go through each panel and reconfigure my settings. I simply check the LOWRES NO WATERMARK preset and click Export.

Creating the next User Preset that’s basically the same—but this time with a watermark—is as easy as can be. I only need to make two changes to the LOWRES NO WATERMARK preset. In the Export Location panel, I change the name of Put in Subfolder to “LOWRES WITH WATERMARK.” Then I go down to the Watermark panel and choose my watermark preset. Everything else I’ll leave the same. Finally, I’ll click the Add button in the lower left corner of the Export dialogue user interface and, as before, name my User Preset the same as the folder I’m exporting to. In this case, the name will be LOWRES WITH WATERMARK. Done!

What should you do if you create a User Preset and realize you configured your settings wrong? Easy! First, select the User Preset with the wrong settings, correct them as needed, and then click on the name of the User Preset while holding down the Control key if you’re a Mac user. Or right-click if you’re a Windows user to bring up the context menu. Then, select Update with Current Settings (see Figure 9), and your User Preset will be all fixed.

Screen shot showing how to update a Lightroom user preset.

Figure 9. It’s easy to make changes to an existing User Preset with the contextual menu command Update with Current Settings.

Multi-Batch Exports

Believe it or not, we can make things even easier. If you follow my lead and create a set of presets to handle all your various output needs, you’ll be able to export an image collection in all your different formats and resolutions simultaneously.

To do a Multi-Batch export, first select an image or a set of images. Bring up your Export dialogue and then open your User Presets. In case you haven’t noticed it already, your User Presets come equipped with checkboxes. To do a Multi-Batch export, simply check all the presets you want to use; each export preset will be performed at the same time.

Lightroom's batch export panel.

Figure 10. The Batch Export panel allows you to automatically export a group of images multiple times using your selected User Presets.

The only difference with Multi-Batch exporting is that after you click Export, a Batch Export panel will appear, as shown in Figure 10. The purpose of the Batch Export box is to verify the Export To locations. If you have already incorporated such a destination in your User Preset, as we did earlier in this article, then no additional settings need to be configured. If you have not, then you can check the Choose Parent Folder checkbox at the top of the Batch Export dialogue and indicate which folder you want to export to—you’ll choose a destination with each preset individually. Ultimately, once you create a set of User Presets, Multi-Batch processing is inherently built-in, and your whole export workflow is basically automated.

So that’s a wrap on Lightroom Classic’s Export dialogue. It took us two articles to get through it, but that doesn’t mean we’re done talking about sharing. In the fourth and final article in this series, we’ll look at other ways to share beyond using the Export dialogue.

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