One thing that Johnny Jet is known for, besides the great deals, is taking some incredible snapshots of his travels. And anyone who follows his Twitter and Facebook knows that he loves taking beautiful pictures.
Just imagine what kind of amazing photos you could take if you had the proper tools. With this week’s contest you’ll be able to!
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 allows you to easily manage, edit, and track all of your photos. The leading software for digital photographers, Lightroom 4 offers some amazing updates that have never been available from Lightroom before. You are able to keep track of where your photos were taken with the new map module, and making keepsakes has never been easier with the photo book creation tool. Lightroom 4 helps you create gorgeous coffee table quality books with your very own pictures inside.
How: We want your photography tips! Leave a comment below with your best tips for taking stellar pictures, or tell us your favorite feature on Lightroom 4! Include your name and an email address. All official contest rules apply. Contestants must either subscribe to Johnny’s newsletter or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
What you’ll win: You’ll get the latest version of the renowned Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 (retail $79.00) as well as a Blu-ray copy of The Greatest Places, a film originally shot for IMAX theaters that features seven of the world’s most geographically incredible locations, to help inspire you!
When: The last day/time to enter will be on Tuesday, November 6th at 6pm PT. The winner will be announced Thursday, November 8th and be contacted by a JohnnyJet.com representative.
Treat your zoom lenses as if they are primes, choose a focal length and stick with it. Best advise I was ever given.
Stop what you are doing right now. Quit reading how-to articles online. Quit shopping for that new lens, new body, new flash, etc. The only thing that is going to make you a better photographer is to get off your couch, go grab the gear you have now, and get out and use it!
If you are running low on inspiration or ideas, if you have used your gear to its limits, mastered it, and are ACTUALLY being held back by it, then it’s time to sit back down and go back to reading or shopping.
1) Learn and understand the often overlooked and forgotten exposure triangle (shutter speed, aperture, iso), and take some tuning shots before a shoot to make sure you have everything setup right.
2) Act confidant and people will think you know what you are doing.
3) Patience and proper planning will get you opportunities few other things will.
4) When shooting group photos and counting down to when you will shoot, pull the trigger halfway before your final number and the number before (ie: when counting to 3, pull at 2.5). People tend to be more relaxed.
5) You can never take too many photos, only too few. It is better to take the shot and decide you not like it later, than to not take it, and regret it later.
6) SHOOT. IN. RAW. Especially if you do post processing in things like Photoshop, Lightroom, GIMP, etc.
7) Carry your manual with you until you know every aspect of your camera like the back of your hand.
8) Learn and remember your sync speed when dealing with strobes.
Your feet are the best zoom.
Shoot in RAW in all situations to create the best looking images possible. If you have to transfer your images immediately, shoot in RAW+JPG.
always carry a camera.
When photographing without tri/mon-pod try breathing in, then on exhaling half-way through hold your breath and take the photo. Gives added stability.
If you’re taking photos while traveling, go look at some postcards. Now, take a photo you wouldn’t see on those postcards, because there’s a good chance those photos are stock photos or have been taken over and over by others. This tip helps with trying to figure out how to look for a unique photo in a tourist hotspot.
My top tip is to offset your subject – not always putting it in the center of the frame can make for a more interesting photo.
(As a second tip that was given to me by a professional photographer – let your feet do the walking … that is, get as close as you can to your subject rather than using the lens to get closer.)
Despite what Johnny has said, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 is neither easy nor intuitive. It was designed for a photographer’s mentaility, not an illustrator nor designer. It can do 80% of what Photoshop CS6 can do but in a different way. The unexperienced user or winner will need to spend time and money to learn half of what the program can do. Tough? Yes, but not difficult if you have structured teaching in front of you, and you will be able to do a lot of “darkroom” magic that is so rewarding. Having said that, what I like most about LR is that I can “paint” using a brush, enhancements such as exposure, white balance, brightness/darkness, sharpness and many others to certain areas of the photo to make the total picture better than when I originally saw it. If you have a cell phone or an expensive DSLR, the picture can always be made to look better. The fire hydrant, the power line across the photo, the odd person that doesn’t belong can all disappear with a little work that would have taken hours a decade ago with a film camera. In short I have a lot more control over what the photo should have looked like.
Sound like I already own LR. Sure, but you need to know what can be done outside of the camera. So if chosen please donate to a local photography class in a high school or adult education.
And if I tweaked anyone’s interest I have book referrals if you are computer literate and want to take the next step with this software. A NAPP member (National Association of Photoshop Professionals), but just a hobbyist and traveler like most of you.
Always shoot from a different perspective than eye level.
For landscape shots on overcast days, focus on the sky to set the aperture/shutter speed, then shoot the landscape. Then adjust for brightness and saturation on your computer.