learning lightroom

I took it upon myself this week to learn Adobe Lightroom after my co-workers told me how it could really speed up my work flow. I used Lightroom briefly in the past before but never really stuck with it because I felt too comfortable with Photoshop. Right now though I've got a rush job to finish and time is very tight so I needed to take some desperate measures in order to ensure that I finish in a timely manner. I went and downloaded the free trial  and got to work. It took a bit of initial getting use to as I'm not just using Lighroom to simply edit photos, but the edits need to have the look I like to go after that I consistently achieve with Photoshop. 

After a three days of editing on Lighroom I think I can safely say I've got the hang of it. I am by no means an Lighroom expert, but I'm comfortable enough to get what I'm after with it. I still use PS in conjunction with Lighroom as there are just some things that are much easier in PS. In Lighroom I can finish a standard edit in fewer actions as compared to PS with a very similar result. However I love Photoshop for when I really dig into an edit such as in the case for portraits or headshots. The process is like polishing a diamond for me. 

This is a topic I'm sure I'll revisit in the future as I really need to push my efficiency and workflow, however I'll leave it at that for now. 

-w

night time explorations

After working seven days in a row due to a somewhat conflicting schedule I got together with Alex and Randy to do some night time shooting around Granville Island. It was good to get out and take pictures, especially after being inside all week and its always fun to visit the island after spending four years at school there. The whole intent of the shoot was to try out this method of zooming in/and/or out during an exposure to get some neat lines with the light. Although a fun experiment, I felt that my strongest shots from the night were from other endeavours. Perhaps it was just the wrong environment to try it in, though I'm sure I'll give it another go in the future. Here are some shots from that night.

*shoot notes

Dont even have to ask, the car picture is heavily edited. The Lamborghini also had an N sign on it.

I find with most night photography, there is a lot of colour spill and casts that were unwanted. A good technique I've found is just a desaturation mask, that way you still can keep a bit of the colour to make it look more natural.

All photos were taken with my cheapo $20 travel tripod and a $10 wireless remote to trigger the shutter. No need for fancy gear!

westin bayshore bridal shower

Continuing where we left off last week, my friend Anita asked me if I would be interested in shooting her sister, Amy's bridal shower. I agreed immediately only to think to myself after, what on earth do they do at bridal showers? After some googling and talking with my female co-workers I figured out what it was all about.

The day came less than a week after I found out about it on an exceptionally hot July day. I was almost certain I walked in that day with sweat running down my forehead and recall being so sticky I couldnt even squat all the way down. The event took place at the Westin Bayshore in a specious private room with wonderful large windows. I had to make quick work of all the decor and environment shots before Amy came in for the big reveal. The rest of the day was filled with lots of delicious food (home made macaroons, what!?) gift opening, and toilet paper dress making. I wish all the best to Amy and her fiance Mike for their wedding in September!

The balloons are actually made by Amy herself! Check out her company at http://confettiandco.ca/

*shoot notes

I was so glad to have those large windows filling the room with light! There was a little bit of mixed lighting going on from the rooms lighting, which luckily was very dim. Despite this, they did have their effect, casting a bit of blue with my white balance which was a little tricky to fix.

Dont forget to have fun! It can show in your photos.