Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

How I succeeded at event photography the first time


Recommended Posts



  • Replies 11
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Great article! Good job on mentioning the catchlight, that's an overlooked and important observation. 

I've been primarlily a people photographer, you have really nice shots with open eyes and smiles. That's not as easy as one might think, it's timing. 

Knowing when to shoot is paramount, you are always a split second away from a blink. 

 

Your AI driven software doing the heavy lifting is awesome. As I get to know more about it, a good share of those features are implemented in the File > Process Multiple Files in Photoshop Elements 2021, probably even more in 2022. Cull the not-so-good shots, automate adjustments on the winners. Elements has a re-size option in Process Multiple Files and you can direct the finished images to any folder you want. After proessing the full size printable images you could go back and automate another folder of web sized images too, lickety split. 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. I think a lot of people photography is engaging and creating a fun experience. I joked around with them, we had conversations, and just had fun. 

 

Catchlights make the eyes lively. Much better that way, in my opinion.

 

ImagenAI (or Imagen) seems magical. They're not presets. It's truly processing the image. Very nicely done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

Thanks. I think a lot of people photography is engaging and creating a fun experience. I joked around with them, we had conversations, and just had fun. 

 

Catchlights make the eyes lively. Much better that way, in my opinion.

 

ImagenAI (or Imagen) seems magical. They're not presets. It's truly processing the image. Very nicely done.

I haven't seen how they organize Imagen. Adobe labels things but they are not presets in the sense that they respond to different images differently. If you process a dark overly green image with Auto Smart Fix (just for instance), it will correct for color and lighten the image. If you process a light overly red image with Auto Smart Fix, it will darken it and adjust for red.

 

AI, not a preset but it needs to be classified with a title since there are a variety of different AI options like Auto-Levels and Auto Color Correct which do not do the same thing to every image or the same thing at all. More choices but the same end result maybe...

 

Is Imagen a compilation of possiblilities? Click one button and it adjusts what it detects needs to be adjusted? If so, I'd say the difference is that the options in Elements are essentially equivalent in terms of how they work but different in the sense that you can choose to just run AI on one aspect or you can run a gamut, depending.

 

I'm not sayng one is better than the other, I'd have know more about both programs to come to that conclusion.

It does sound like they both do batch processing, which is super cool. Click, go to something else, come back - done!!! 😁 

 

And I haven't seen or tried Elements 2022 which might have more AI. I'm certain AI is going to be a part of photography from now on, it's just too practical!!

 

Years ago I shot a 4 states plus Canada ice Skating competition, on spec (sell images to proud parents online). I shot from 7pm to 9:30 pm Friday night and from 9am to 9:30pm on Saturday. 

Ate lunch while shooting, had over 6,000 frames when I was done. Then I had to go through all of those, sort out the better shots, process them and post them to our web portal. 

Made about $600, better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick but not by much. Imagen or Elements would have saved me hours!!!!!

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

 

 

Is Imagen a compilation of possiblilities? Click one button and it adjusts what it detects needs to be adjusted? If so, I'd say the difference is that the options in Elements are essentially equivalent in terms of how they work but different in the sense that you can choose to just run AI on one aspect or you can run a gamut, depending.

 

 

No, it's more like you batch-process a lot of photos after it learns your preferences and styles (or someone else's since it comes with templates). It's learning and adapting to a particular style, and does an amazing job. You can read about my experience with ImagenAI here. I've got several before and after photos, showing what it did.

 

https://photofocus.com/software/can-you-professionally-edit-100-photos-in-five-minutes/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd have to use it to compare. I don't have Lightroom and really haven't figured out a substantial use for it yet. I don't shoot enough to justify it.

I guess we are both happy using what we have, I've processed lots of pix of items for sale, mainly resizing and a bit of levels correction. 

I try to crop in camera. I do miss my old Canon G9, it died but the macro capabilities on that camera were very good - if you can show customers all defects then returns are few and far between. 

 

So it's kind of Biizarro World compared to "normal" photography. I want to show the defects in my items rather than smooth them over. 

The models from the last 2 shoots I did are sisters with nearly flawless skin so other than a minor color tweak there isn't much needs done for the most part. 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use Photoshop because it's what I've always used. I developed a rapport with it. Thankfully, it's arguably the most powerful and flexible software out there. When they went to a subscription model, I seriously considered using something else. However, I decided to stick with it. Since I get LR with the subscription model, I've begun using it too...because, why not? That has steadily become more and more useful to me as they continue to improve it. But I do still like to put the finishing touches on it with Photoshop just because that's what I am used to doing. But all those photos that I share in the article were done with Lightroom only (with ImagenAI, of course). 

 

Interesting about showing defects!! In a funny way, a lot of us night photographers like showing defects on abandoned items. Largely because we love the patina and texture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

I use Photoshop because it's what I've always used. I developed a rapport with it. Thankfully, it's arguably the most powerful and flexible software out there. When they went to a subscription model, I seriously considered using something else. However, I decided to stick with it. Since I get LR with the subscription model, I've begun using it too...because, why not? That has steadily become more and more useful to me as they continue to improve it. But I do still like to put the finishing touches on it with Photoshop just because that's what I am used to doing. But all those photos that I share in the article were done with Lightroom only (with ImagenAI, of course). 

 

Interesting about showing defects!! In a funny way, a lot of us night photographers like showing defects on abandoned items. Largely because we love the patina and texture.

I often put a penny next to a ding or a scratch so a potential buyer has a good idea just how bad the damage is. 

A scratch on something white takes some experimenting to get an image that shows it. It's easy to make an image that hides it completely without resorting to any touch up in software. 

 

I've always used Photoshop too, I spent a little time with Painter beause it's fun but I haven't touched it in years. I have a nice Wacom tablet too but only really use the mouse. 

OK, I have an AI feature in Elements that is new to me and I LOVE it. I discovered it processing photos of models. 

In the drop down menu under Select, there is an option called "Select Subject". Click on that option in the menu bar and wait. So far it has selected the subject every time. It may miss or add a small thing or two but correcting a nearly complete selection is much easier than doing the whole process (there are different ways to accomplish this task). 

Somehow, it knows what the subject is and finds it. Yes, hair can be "complicated", it always has been and probably always will be. Other than that it does a fantastic job. 

Being able to quickly and easily adjust the subject and the background seperately is useful, I love it. 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Wacom tablet is a good call. I have trouble adjusting to it, for some reason, but I feel that's on me, not Wacom. 

 

Sounds like that's a great feature of Elements.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

The Wacom tablet is a good call. I have trouble adjusting to it, for some reason, but I feel that's on me, not Wacom. 

 

Sounds like that's a great feature of Elements.

I just about never use the Wacom and the pen. I originally started in photography to make images of things I wanted to draw. Drawing on paper with pen or pencil is somehow profoundly different than drawing on the tablet with the Wacom pen. 

I'm certain I could become pretty good at it if I had more practice but I don't take a lot of photos that need that level of work so it will probably sit around until I sell it someday. It's already obselete, I see just the tablets at thrift stores for $10-15. Not sure what a pen would cost, for an Intuos 3 probably not much. One of those great ideas that I don't seem to get much use out of unfortunately. 

 

Yes, Select Subject is fantastic. If I'd had it in the 90's it would have saved me weeks of my life by now!!!! So it goes...

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, with the increasingly accurate AI processing, it's becoming a little less important. For instance, if I use Lightroom or Luminar and select the subject, it does a very good job of masking the subject so I don't have to "paint" it with a brush like I used to do not so long ago. Then I make whatever adjustments I want to make (maybe slight brightening or sharpening or whatever) and I'm done. It works surprisingly well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

Also, with the increasingly accurate AI processing, it's becoming a little less important. For instance, if I use Lightroom or Luminar and select the subject, it does a very good job of masking the subject so I don't have to "paint" it with a brush like I used to do not so long ago. Then I make whatever adjustments I want to make (maybe slight brightening or sharpening or whatever) and I'm done. It works surprisingly well.

AI Selection tools are amazing!!!!! I'll have to look up Luminar, never heard of it. I've heard of Lightroom but never used it either. Just not enough time in the day, when I was working in graphics/printing there was always something needed to be learned and not enough time or $$$ to justify any of it so we did what we could. 

 

Sounds like Elements is using a similar codec to Lightroom but maybe less complex. 

I agree that it's fabulous to be able to do this swift accurate selection process. It's something I used to wish for, back in the days when Photoshop had 1 layer and all the way through to just recently. 

 

Such a massive timesaver!!!! I don't remember which of your threads I posted the image of the model peeping through the window at the ghost of herself but I selected the ghost model with Select Subject and only had to work on the shoes a bit. The problem area is that a part of the seat that was covered when the model was actually sitting in it, isn't covered when I layered the model over it and reduced the opacity. I figured most people would not notice and I'm not getting paid anyway... 😇

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...