Understanding the creative aspect of lens aperture
Shallow depth of field provides subject isolation and sets images captured with dedicated digital cameras apart from those captured with smartphones.
We all learn in Photography 101 that the aperture setting is a physical property of the lens, and you can vary its size to control the amount of light entering your camera. Usually, we think of aperture as it relates to the rules of exposure.
Back when I was shooting film and early digital cameras, it was considered ideal to have a “fast” lens (meaning one with an aperture of f/2.8 or wider). Why? because with limited ISO options (remember film rarely was faster than ISO 800 and early DSLRs got noisy in a hurry above ISO 400), a fast lens meant you could shoot hand-held in dim conditions without a flash.
Today, ISO no longer limits most photographers. Sure, images are still cleaner and have greater dynamic range at a camera’s base ISO, but you can shoot above ISO 6400 these days pretty much with impunity. That means you have much more creative latitude to choose the aesthetic of your shots by varying the lens aperture.
Create a custom Identity Plate for a personalized look in Lightroom Classic
People often ask me how I changed the fonts in the Lightroom module menus. Here’s a simple way to customize the fonts and colors in your own Lightroom Classic catalog.
Whenever I give online classes or teach a workshop using Adobe Lightroom Classic, a common question I’m asked is “how did you change the fonts in your Lightroom toolbar? The trick is to use a custom, personalized Identity Plate. This video will show you how to do it!
Please join me live online on Friday, January 7th at 10am US Mountain Time for an interactive look at my favorite ways to get the most out of Adobe Lightroom Classic. All registered participants will receive a downloadable video replay of the class.
I’ve been using Adobe Lightroom Classic for nine years now, and in this session I’ll be sharing some of my favorite tips and tricks for getting the most out of this powerful software. From customizing the Lightroom interface to optimizing images for social media, this class offers something for Lightroom users of all levels.
Use Lightroom Classic to create meaningful photo file names automatically during import
Your camera automatically names image files using the convention: DSC_1234 (or similar). The problem with this naming format is that when your frame counter hits 9999, it rolls over and begins again at 0001. This means that over time, you’ll end up with many images on your computer all sharing the same filename. That can create headaches over time, especially if you’re trying to locate specific images on your computer outside of Lightroom.
In this video, I’ll show you how to rename your images upon import using Adobe Lightroom Classic. The convention I use combines my initials (JPO) with a sortable date (YYYMMDD) and then the frame number from the original image. This technique only works if you’ve set the date correctly in your camera. The advantage of this technique is that if you’re looking for images on your computer, each file will have a unique name that includes date information to help you locate it. Once you’ve set up a file renaming template in Lightroom, you can use it to rename images that are already in your Lightroom catalog.
Fix a weak sky using Lightroom Classic’s Dehaze Slider
Fix a sky in Lightroom with the Dehaze slider.
I was out photographing landscapes the other morning at Garden of the Gods, and the sky was just not great. Fortunately, I capture all my photos in raw format and make sure that I expose as to not blow out the highlights. Turns out, there was definition in the sky, but I had to bring the image into Lightroom Classic to fix it. I used the Dehaze slider and local masking to pull it off:
Fix your weak sky with the Dehaze tool and local masks using Lightroom.
