Both Luminar 2018 and Aurora HDR 2018 received updates recently that checked off some items on my personal wish lists, including native file saving (for Windows) and 16-bit TIFF exports. [Sean]
From Skylum/Macphun:
Luminar 2018 v.1.1.0
This free update brings the following new and improved features to improve your Luminar editing experience:
WINDOWS USERS
MAC USERS
How to Update
This free update brings the following new and improved features to improve your Aurora HDR editing experience:
WINDOWS USERS
MAC USERS
How to Update
The update is completely free to all Aurora HDR 2018 users, just launch the application to get it.
Purchase Links:
While the subject is always very important, the background usually consumes a significant portion of the frame and that means it too is important.
One background option is to blur it away and the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens is a master at that task.
Still, bull elk are very large animals and even 600mm f/4 does not completely erase the background when the entire animal is comfortably in the frame.
At long environmental portrait framing distance as seen here, the background is going to be recognizable.
Another great option is to utilize brightness to separate the subject from the background.
Having a subject in direct sunlight and the background in complete shade is one of my favorite wildlife photography situations.
An evenly-patterned background often works well.
In this case, the distant evergreen forest provided that option.
For this image, the combination of long focal length, wide aperture, distant background, strong brightness difference and evenly-patterned background all work together to make the bull elk stand out and look good.
It was nice of this large, frost-covered bull elk to stop at the top of a small ridge, turn his head and exhale into the early morning sunlight for me.
I did not have time to get closer to this rutting bull before he went over the edge on his way to find cows.
That meant I simply had to accept the framing available at the time and that was not bad at all.
The entire frame was good and with the ultra-high resolution Canon EOS 5Ds R behind the lens, I had a lot of options available for cropping.
I struggled to select the one to share and eventually opted to modestly crop the image to show the elk larger in the frame.
A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.
From Adobe:
The goal of this release is to provide perpetual customers additional camera raw support, lens profile support and address bugs that were introduced in previous releases of Lightroom. You should only update to Lightroom 6.14 if you are currently holding a license to our perpetual product.
Please note, there will be no additional updates after 6.14 for the perpetual, standalone version of Lightroom. You can check out this blog post for more information when this was announced earlier.
As always, new cameras are supported for legacy versions of Lightroom, Photoshop, Bridge, After Effects, and Photoshop Elements through the free Adobe DNG Converter.
For native camera raw support and ongoing updates with new features try out Lightroom Classic or Lightroom CC. These features include color and luminance range masking and the new auto. This along with other future imaging and performance enhancements are automatically included with a membership.
Find the latest available downloads of Lightroom 6 here. If you have a Creative Cloud plan of any type, you do not need to purchase Lightroom 6.
You can also find the new cameras and lens profiles that are now supported with 6.14.
Thanks!
Download: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.14
The Sony a7R III page has been updated with a close look at image quality and an especially close look at the very interesting new Pixel Shift feature.
The Sony a7R III is available for order at B&H | Amazon | Adorama.
From Canon USA:
Canon Cinema EOS C100 & EOS C300
Cinema EOS C100 (with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF Feature Upgrade applied) Firmware Version 2.0.9.1.00 and EOS C300 (with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF Feature Upgrade applied) Firmware Version 2.1.9.1.00 incorporates the following corrections:
Download:
Canon Cinema EOS C100 (with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF Feature Upgrade applied) Firmware Version 2.0.9.1.00
Canon EOS C300 (with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF Feature Upgrade applied) Firmware Version 2.1.9.1.00
Canon Digital Cinema Camera EOS C300 Mark II / EOS C300 Mark II PL Firmware Version 1.1.0.1.00 incorporates the following fixes and enhancements:
Download: Canon Digital Cinema Camera EOS C300 Mark II Firmware Version 1.1.0.1.00
Canon ME200S-SH Firmware Version 1.0.2.1.00 incorporates the following enhancements:
Download: Canon ME200S-SH Firmware Version 1.0.2.1.00
B&H carries the Canon EOS C100, Canon EOS C300, Canon EOS C300 Mark II and ME200S-SH.
From Sony:
This utility updates the camera firmware to version 1.01 and provides the following benefits:
B&H carries the Sony a7R III Mirrorless Camera.
From the B&H YouTube Channel:
Masterful light isn’t necessarily about being complicated…it’s about control. Chris Knight shares some of his favorite ways to shape one light to achieve stunning results from some classic techniques as well as some surprising new ones. Learn to make light work for you to achieve your vision in the simplest ways possible and make your images come to life.
B&H has a vast selection of lighting gear.
Just posted: Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Lens Review.
The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Lens plays a crucial role in serious and professional photography kits based on the Sony E-mount cameras.
The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Lens is in stock at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX.
Here is a winter photography tip for you: Go underwater!
Going underwater may not sound like something you want to do in the winter, though destinations close to the equator may be sounding very inviting right now.
Your local aquarium may be a much more realistic pseudo-underwater destination that can provide great entertainment, good education, comfortable temperatures and of course, interesting photos.
My nearest aquarium is the National Aquarium located in Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland.
My youngest daughter and I spent an enjoyable day exploring the many exhibits together and wisely, she took a book along.
Some of my primary photo subject were in the Jellyfish Invasion exhibit and Mikayla found time to get a little reading done while waiting for me there.
To go with this post, I've created a list of 6 Aquarium Photography Tips.
Read the tips, grab your gear and go visit your nearest aquarium.
The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens is a great general purpose lens and it worked very well at this location.
A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.
From the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom YouTube Channel:
B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.
B&H has the new iMac Pro available for preorder.
The lowest-end iMac Pro features a 3.2 GHz Intel Xeon W 8-Core processor, 32GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD and costs $4,999.00. The highest-end iMac Pro available features a 2.3 GHz Intel Xeon W 18-Core processor, 128GB of DDR4 RAM and a 4TB SSD and costs significantly more – $13,199.00 – but thankfully, shipping is free.
Oneida Falls is one of my favorite waterfalls in Rickett's Glen State Park (or anywhere) and it is easy to get nice images prominently featuring it.
But, this falls also makes a great background.
Wide angle lenses are ideal for making a foreground subject appear large relative to a distant background subject and that is what is going on here.
The very small foreground waterfalls are close to the lens and Oneida Falls is in the distant background.
The final wide angle result is that they all share a similar size in the frame.
Getting the camera in close to a waterfall presents another issue – water splashing onto the lens.
When using wide angle lenses and narrow apertures, water drops become very obvious in the image and their results can be very difficult to remove during post processing.
As usual for photographing waterfalls, I was using a circular polarizer filter and this is one scenario where a nano-coated CPL filter earns any additional cost required for that feature.
The low adhesion properties of the nano coating meant that the water drops were easily removed with a simple squeeze of a Rocket Blower.
I simply blew away the water drops before each photo capture and captured enough photos to ensure that I had the shot well-covered.
Another reason to take multiple pictures of especially small or medium-sized waterfalls is because the waterflow is typically varying slightly.
The change is usually only slight, but slight is enough to change the splashing characteristic of the water and sometimes one frame will be preferred to the others.
Especially for perfectionists, the multiple images may create a selection challenge for later.
It is always better to have too many good photos than to miss the one you really wanted.
The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Lens is a superb option for landscape photography.
This day was a little late in the season for ideal fall foliage, but I was quite pleased with my take home from this daytrip to RGSP.
A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.
As a kid, Christmas morning is an event you look forward to months in advance, with excitement and anticipation building to a climax Christmas Eve making it difficult to sleep. But once morning comes, all that anticipation turns to joy and amazement as the presents under the tree are surveyed. Following are a few tips for maximizing your Christmas morning photography.
1) Grab your wide angle prime lens or an f/2.8 max aperture general purpose zoom.
Christmas morning festivities will generally play out in your living room or den, places where a wide aperture (f/1.4 - f/2.8) will be advantageous for obtaining action-stopping shutter speeds while avoiding the use of flash or noise-inducing high ISOs. Using wide angle focal lengths will allow you to capture subjects as well as their surroundings to best document the seasonal cheer and decor.
If you don't have a wide angle, f/2.8 max aperture (or wider) lens, then use [preferably bounce] flash to achieve action stopping shutter speeds while keeping your ISO low. Note that you may want to gel your flash with a 1/4, 1/2 or full CTO (orange) if the room is lit with warm, tungsten bulbs so that the color of the light emanating from your flash matches that of the ambient light in the room.
2) Capture video as well as still photos.
One of the greatest aspects of today's DSLRs and mirrorless cameras is that they can be used to capture high quality video as well as stills. And since most of Canon's recent cameras feature Dual Pixel CMOS AF, creating high quality videos has never been easier, so don't miss the opportunity to create a video highlight reel of the morning's events by capturing some video clips in addition to stills.
And if you own a 70D/80D or higher-level camera, you can make the process of capturing video clips easier by setting different exposure and camera settings via your camera's Custom Mode so that you can quickly switch between photos and stills without missing a beat.
3) Set up a timelapse camera in the corner of the room.
Want to be part of the fun instead of behind a camera all morning? Set your tripod up in the corner of the room (possibly with a second camera if that option is available), use manual focus and manual exposure variables and set your camera's intervalometer to capture a timelapse sequence of the morning's events. With a "set it and forget it" approach, you are free to join in while capturing the entire family as the fun unfolds.
As Christmas day rapidly approaches, there will be many tasks calling for your attention. Having the photo plan ready well in advance means that the capture of your important memories will not be sidelined. Starting creating your plan today. That may include purchasing or renting gear in the time that remains before Christmas. Check out the site's index for a list of relevant reviews to help get the most out of your Christmas Day photography.
From Adobe:
Today we’re proud to release updates to the entire Lightroom CC ecosystem, including for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and the web, as well as updates to Lightroom Classic CC and Adobe Camera Raw. We’ve added support for new cameras and lenses, and added some great new features.
New Auto Settings, powered by Adobe Sensei
Auto has been completely reworked to create better results, every time. Using an advanced neural network powered by Adobe Sensei, our artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning platform, the new Auto Settings creates a better photo by analyzing your photo and comparing to tens of thousands of professionally edited photos to create a beautiful, pleasing image. The new Auto is available ecosystem wide, including in Lightroom CC, Lightroom CC for iOS, Lightroom CC for Android, Lightroom CC on the web, Lightroom Classic, and Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).
The December update includes other great features across the ecosystem:
Lightroom CC on Desktop
Android
In addition to the new Auto described above, we added the following to Lightroom CC on Android:
iOS
In addition to the new Auto described above, we added the following to Lightroom CC on iOS:
Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw
In addition to the new Auto described above, we’ve made a refinement to the Color Range Masking tool. Based on your feedback, we’ve made it easier to remove individual sample points. You can do this by holding down the Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) key while using your mouse to select the sample point.
Lightroom Classic CC also now supports tethered capture with the Nikon D850 camera.
An update to Lightroom 6 for perpetual licensed customers for new camera support will be available on December 19th.
We’ve excited about the December update, and can’t wait to hear your thoughts and feedback.
B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.
From the Adorama YouTube Channel:
David Bergman (@davidbergman) is a New York based music and sports photographer. He has been Bon Jovi's official tour photographer since 2010, documenting the band on stage and on the road in more than 30 countries on 6 continents. Bergman has also toured with Barenaked Ladies, Lilith Fair, and Gloria Estefan, and worked with celebrity clients including Drew Carey, Avril Lavigne, and Joss Stone. With 13 Sports Illustrated covers to his credit including his image of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees raising his son over his head after winning the Super Bowl, Bergman has covered numerous Olympics, World Series', Super Bowls, NBA Championships, and Stanley Cup Finals.