Make Your Mark with Masking in Lightroom Classic

With the new year approaching, I finally found time to explore more of what Adobe has released in Lightroom Classic. So what’s all the hype with the new masking feature? Much like the addition of the Auto-Mask added in the brush panel, there is a new innovative and more accurate method called Range Masks. Instead of your mask’s edge being analyzed for hard edges and somewhat similar tones, you have more control in choosing the range of Color and Luminosity. Like many of us, we fear Photoshop because of its complexity and inefficiency with hundreds of images. In this article, I show you how to keep things simple, how to move fast and, above all, how to create quality edits.

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Turning Stressful Weddings into Glamorous Experiences

Having photographed hundreds of weddings over almost a decade-long career, I can say that weddings are not glamorous. They’re supposed to be, right? But they just aren’t. In fact, weddings are more often marked by behind-schedule makeup artists, self-important “church ladies,” overbearing mothers, insensitive toast-makers, impatient guests, inconsiderate Uncle Bobs and clumsy electrical technicians. Here are three steps you can take before, during and after every wedding this year to give your couples a more glamorous experience.

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Tips for Finding Your Work-Life Balance

As the year comes crashing to a close, I feel like I’m trapped in one of those old movies where the hands of the clock are spinning. And if you’re like me, at some point you look back over the year and think about what you accomplished—the highlights and the low spots—and you start thinking about the year ahead.

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Zig When They Zag

As we sit here at the end of the year, I am focused on dominating in 2018. What are you focused on? If you are like many other businesses, you are about to miss the entire first quarter of the year because you have procrastinated yet again. Now is the time to start thinking about the year ahead and putting together a plan of attack so that you are not scrambling the entire year to hit your goals. Let’s take a quick look at some of the things you can do now to set yourself up for success in 2018 and keep your competitors off balance as they try to keep up with you and your explosive business.

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5 Tips for Better Bridal Party Images

We wedding photographers place a lot of emphasis on our portraits of the bride and groom on their wedding day. That’s because large prints of these shots are in high demand by couples. But all wedding photographers agree that there are other parts of the day that are extremely important to capture. The bride and groom choose those closest to them to be a part of their bridal party, and the wedding day is a great opportunity to showcase the connections between the bride and groom and those close friends and family members. Here are five tips that will help you create amazing images of your bridal party.

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5 Social Media Marketing Tips for Better Sales

One of the most powerful reasons customers decide to spend money is because they find enough value in a product. The reverse is true for a customer who does not find enough value in a product, and therefore will not spend money. The perceived value of a purchase needs to be equal to if not more than the dollar value spent. This is why two photographers can sell the same product from the same lab at prices thousands of dollars apart. Creating value for a client can come in many forms, and when it comes to the value in the artwork we provide them, we must begin creating that value before their first phone call or email. This happens via social media.

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The Photographer’s Copyright Filing Workflow

Like many of us, I have had my images stolen, copied or used without my permission. It makes us all angry and left with a feeling of helplessness, but I have learned how to protect myself from thieves. I’ll show you how you can protect yourself as part of your workflow—and even how to get paid for such infractions.

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How to Avoid Facebook Blackout

This month, Facebook is testing a plan to move all nonpaid Page posts away from the newsfeed. The Guardian reported that tests by Facebook (in six countries outside the U.S.) caused a devastating 60 to 80 percent fall in user engagement on business Pages. A story on Medium.com described the change as “death to small businesses.” It certainly could be . . . if you don’t know how to adapt. Here’s everything you need to know to avoid the impending blackout before it hits your business.

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Finding Your Fit: Lightroom Classic or Lightroom CC?

As a photographer with a workflow built around Adobe Lightroom, the major changes released back in October 2017 got my head spinning. This industry is full of surprises, and we have to move forward instead of staying stagnant. Do these changes affect my efficiency, and am I paying more for a product I have to have? Before we jump to conclusions about Adobe taking us down a rabbit hole of lackluster enhancements, let’s talk shop. What the hell is going to happen to desktop-oriented Lightroom as we know it today?

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