CalevPhoto

Why Photoshop Sucks

Well, it doesn’t actually suck, but I am constantly annoyed by the number of people who believe that mastering Photoshop is the gateway to better pictures.  They rush to find the latest plugins that will perform some kind of magic and read tons of books from the latest Photoshop masters on how to improve otherwise boring photos.

Too often I see requests on how to salvage a photo in various forums.  In my opinion, it is simply not possible to salvage a photo.  It is possible to improve a photo, but if you feel the need to salvage it the truth is your photo simply sucks.

One of the key differences between true pros and amateurs is pros understand that some of their photos suck, and live with it.  Rather than trying to bring back a photo from the dead, they focus on improving their skills so they don’t need to worry about it the next time.

Another difference is pro photographers will not waste their time taking a photo of something with the hope that they will be able to salvage the photo later.  Sure, a stray pole or piece of garbage is easy to clone out.  However, if the lighting isn’t right or the view just not that interesting, they won’t bother with the shot.  One thing I have found out is understanding when not to take a picture is just as important as understanding when to take one.

So the next time you look at a picture and are hoping that you can ‘save’ it, just give up and let it go.  Instead, consider why the picture sucks.  What could you have done better?  That way, the next time you will be able to improve.  In this way, you will find yourself slowly getting better as a photographer, rather than spending hours in vain rescuing a photo and remaining in mediocrity.

Introduction to Microstock Photography – Shooting and Worfklow

In general, I expect most of you already know how to use a camera.  However, there are some aspects of shooting a photo that I believe you must pay specific attention to when shooting photographs that potentially will be sold as microstock.  First, RAW is your best friend.  When I first started I shot only in JPG, then switched to RAW after the advice of some coworkers.  Once I started shooting in RAW I never stopped.  Today, I always shoot in RAW+full JPG.  While this does fill up my hard disk easily, this also means I do not need to post process every picture – just those that I feel are worth it.  RAW gives much more flexibility in terms of changing the exposure (to a limit) and white balance.

Always account for camera shake either by using a tripod together with a remote release and mirror lock, or use a high enough shutterspeed.  The rule of thumb is to use the reverse of the camera lens – so a 400mm lens should have a shutter speed of 1/400, but with today’s lenses that contain IS and various optical tricks there are often exceptions to this rule.  Still, keep your shutterspeed high if you are not using a tripod.

I always try to stay at ISO 100, even on the Canon 5D.  With some of the newer cameras capable of better high ISO handling, you may be able to go higher without risking the possibility of requiring noise reduction.

Finally, always check for blowouts when taking shots.  These will almost always cause your image to be rejected.  Proper exposure will often fix this but sometimes you may need a diffuser or need to create an HDR.

Now on to the workflow

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