I have a workflow based on Adobe Bridge, which helps me organizing files to great extent without   [...more...]]]> As I shoot in RAW, I work a lot in Adobe Bridge and ACR. Most of my PP works (which is not much) are taken care of by ACR. I adjust most of the things in ACR – like, exposure, white balance, crop, colors etc. But, for certain works (like removing blemishes from face or adding some effects), I do visit PS quite often.

I have a workflow based on Adobe Bridge, which helps me organizing files to great extent without any other software like LightRoom or so. I will share that sometime, but, I recently discovered something new which I like to share with you, friends.

In PS, I work on Adjustment Layers only – in very rare cases I work directly on the main image layer. After my work in PS, I export the file in HQ JPEG, which serves my purpose. But, what hesitates me is to save the PSD file, as it becomes huge – 50mb or so. At the same time, I also do not like to let go the hard work that I put in in Adjustment Layers and masking them out in PS. So, for some images, which ‘I’ think important, I save the huge PSD files.

Though I know that storage is not expensive now-a-days, but, I personally feel backing up files at online storage destinations are safer. Huge PSD files are difficult to upload at online storages, as you understand.

This is what I do to save PSD files (with all my adjustment layers) in small sizes:

1. I open a JPEG file (edited in ACR) in PSD and work on multiple adjustment layers in PS till I’m satisfied.

2. Then I add a blank layer on the top of the Background layer – normally the main photo layer. (At this stage, you might like to save your PSD file, so that you come back if you make any mistake in this process.) (Check the size of the saved PSD file! It should be around 50MB with a 12MP HQ JPEG image.)

3. Then delete the Background (photo) layer (unlock it to delete, if it’s locked). So, at this stage, I have a blank layer and multiple adjustment layers on the top of it.

4. Now I go to Window -> Layer Comps. The Layer Comp pallet opens. I click on the “Create New Layer Comp” icon (looks like a white square) located the bottom panel of that pallet.

5. On the new pop-up window, I give it a name (whatever) and check all boxes saying Visibility, Position and Appearance. I normally keep the comment field blank, but if you wish, you may. The pop-up window gets closed and in the Layer Comp pallet a new Layer Comp with whatever name I gave, appears. I make sure that the new Layer Comp is selected.

So far so good.

6. Next I go to File->Scripts->Layer Comp to File. I select the same destination as my photo file, I select the file type as PSD. Make sure to check “Selected Layer Comps Only”. I also check “Include ICC Profile”, so that the PSD file will also carry my metadata like keywords etc. I uncheck “Maximize compatibility” – because it just increases the file size and is meant for open PSD files in other applications, which is not my intention.

Voila!

Now, when I go to my folder and check the size of the PSD file exported with Layer Comps, it’s only 1 MB or so!

Well, what does that Layer Comp PSD file do? It just includes the layers with its masks. As they’re adjustment layers, most of the pixels of those layers are blank. The masks are in B&W. That’s why the file size is so less.

You may also SAVE the same format as a PSD file, but, the file size will be little larger than exporting like this.

Now, how does it help me?

As I export the Layer Comp PSD file to the same folder as my image, I group that with my image file in Bridge.  I include the ICC profile, so the also includes the metadata like keywords etc.

At a later date, if I need to work on that PSD file again, I open the PSD file. It opens with layers but without the photo. No big deal. I import the related JPEG photo in the PSD file, and put it below the Adjustment Layers. I get back the same look!

You may save different Layer Comps for different compositions to separate PSD files.

This procedure helps me a lot, because now I can backup my PSD files along with my image files online.

Hope this helps you too!

However, the saving in PSD file size won’t work if you are merge layers with the original image, because your base image now gets changed from the JPEG image that you imported. If you have to merge layers, then do the operations and merge it first – save it as JPEG – then import it again, work on adjustment layers and follow the same procedures.

Please share, when do you need to merge your layers which cannot be done in adjustment layers?

Thanks for reading.

Hasselblad. The lowest current model – H4D-40 costs about Rs. 9 lakhs ($18,000) as of today, that too only for the body, without lenses. It’s a 40 megapixel medium format camera, exceptional image quality and blah blah. I don’t own this yet, I’m waiting for a Rs. 1 crore wedding photography contract to buy this. Just kidding. But the answer is correct to the very commonly asked but confusing question – what is the best camera?

So, let’s get back to   [...more...]]]>

Hasselblad. The lowest current model – H4D-40 costs about Rs. 9 lakhs ($18,000) as of today, that too only for the body, without lenses. It’s a 40 megapixel medium format camera, exceptional image quality and blah blah. I don’t own this yet, I’m waiting for a Rs. 1 crore wedding photography contract to buy this. Just kidding. But the answer is correct to the very commonly asked but confusing question – what is the best camera?

So, let’s get back to reality. Any full-frame DSLR can produce exceptional results. A full-frame is the size of the image sensor (the negative of digital camera) which is equivalent to 35mm film. However, DSLRs with smaller image sensors, like, APS-H or APS-C are enough to produce decent results to satisfy most of the clients. There are lots of technicalities to explain these formats. The primary advantages of a full-frame camera are the capability of capturing larger area and better sharpness. These are essential, when you are going to print in big sizes like 20″x30″ and above.

Depending upon the creativity and depth of practical knowledge of the camera, wedding photographers can produce stunning results using non-full-frame DSLRs. These cameras are mostly referred to as semi-pro cameras. These cameras are lighter than full-frame cameras. So, it becomes easier for the wedding photographers to roam around and work for 8 to 10 hours continuously during wedding ceremonies.

But, point-and-shoot and mobile phone cameras are definitely not suitable for professional wedding photography. The sensors of these cameras are much smaller, whether or not they are of high megapixel. Because of the smaller sensors of these cameras, the depth of the images are too less for good quality printing, though many of them are quite okay for web presentations. Other major disadvantages of p&s cameras are their inability to capture the mood in low light areas and most of them do not allow to fix external flash. There are many other points too, but I guess you were not asking for that.

So, in a nut-shell, though full-frame cameras would be more desirable, cropped-frame DSLRs would be able to produce decent results to satisfy most of the clients’ needs, depending upon how well you use it and what lenses you attach. .

It’s about how well you create photographs – the angles, the moods, the actions and the moments. It’s about how you use the light. It’s all about whether or not your photographs carry some stories, some emotions, somethings that matter…so that they become memorable. When all these are met, who cares for the quality of the camera or its price?

Why is it a problem? That’s because everyone can now point and shoot. And to be honest, not all of those photographs look bad to most of the eyes on the screen. Another big problem is the term ‘megapixel’. It’s understood by the majority that the more megapixel your camera has, the   [...more...]]]> Days have changed. Hardly anyone (excepting the legends) take photographs in film camera. Digital cameras are everywhere and with everyone (thanks to mobile phones). That’s a serious problem indeed!

Why is it a problem? That’s because everyone can now point and shoot. And to be honest, not all of those photographs look bad to most of the eyes on the screen. Another big problem is the term ‘megapixel’. It’s understood by the majority that the more megapixel your camera has, the better quality picture it can produce. But, it is not correct. It depends upon the sensor of the camera. But, who cares?

These reasons have reduced the value of talented professional wedding photographers, who do not come cheap.
But, in every wedding you will find photographers who are paid (well, you may call them ‘professional’). Why? Mostly because of two reasons: (a) they posses flash guns which can reach far away and (b) they can take the trouble to provide you nicely (or gorgeously) designed printed albums.

Thank God! Flash guns do not come cheap and most point & shoot cameras do not have sockets to put external flash guns. Forget about mobile phone cameras – many do not have built-in flash too! Designing pages for printing albums is a tedious job and one needs to be comfortable with photo editing / designing software. All the people like to have their wedding albums with them forever. These two reasons saved wedding photographers.

But, what do you expect to get by hiring a professional wedding photographer apart from the above two reasons?

1. Better photos - not just by its technical quality, but also by its artistic quality. Talent is something, which works here. Talent makes the photographs different. On each wedding photography assignment, the talent gets polished. Nobody attends the number of weddings for photography, than the wedding photographers.
2. Stress-free Wedding – you do not have to bother whether the photographer is there at the right time to click the right moment or not. Professionals note down everything beforehand. They have the experience of attending weddings and make sure that they capture every important moment.
3. Friendship remains – your friend (who maybe also photographying your wedding) will always remain your friend. Because even if some of your friend’s photos go wrong, there won’t be any hurt feeling.

All professional photographers were amateurs at some point of time. So, if you are not having a professional camera, there’s nothing to worry about. You can watch a talented wedding photographer working and learn something from him.

While wedding photography has gained tremendous respect in developed countries, but, it’s not the same in   [...more...]]]> Is wedding photography an Industry in India? As per wikipedia, Indian weddings are a Rs. 80000,00,00,000, ie, Rs. 80,000 crore industry, and it grows by 25% every year.  Mostly all the weddings are photographed. So, even if wedding photography gets a share of 1% of wedding industry, it is worth Rs 800 crore business a year. Then, definitely it deserves a status of an industry.

While wedding photography has gained tremendous respect in developed countries, but, it’s not the same in India yet. It’s because of the primary reason: most of the wedding photos are still limited to pre-planned and some traditional poses that need a very limited talent or creativity to click. Photos of mostly all Indian marriages look alike. People here still think that there’s no scope for creativity in wedding photography.

But, things are changing. Many highly talented educated people of different streams of professions – from MBAs, to engineers, to medical professionals, apart from those who are also academically qualified in photography, have now engaged themselves  in wedding photography full-time.

Since last decade, the trend of wedding photography has changed drastically. Wedding photography today is more towards capturing moments and moods than capturing  statues.  Instead of moving the subject and keeping themselves at a standstill position, photographers are now moving to that angle to capture candid moments realistically and artistically. They kneel down, lie down on the floor, stand up on the chair or even climb up the ladder to get that golden angle.

Wedding photographers of today treat bride-grooms as celebrities of the day. As there’s nothing to bother about the numbers of captures because of digital cameras, photographers take as many photos as possible of the movements of the wedding couples. The goal remains to make them look at their best, to turn their fantasies into reality.

To attain this quality, great deal of artistic talent and attention to details are required behind the camera. Great talent is also required  for post-processing editing skills. In the name of retouching the photographs, many photographers make the couple look plastic and unrealistic. Balancing the photographs perfectly while editing, so that they look natural but attractive, is another talent required.

Capturing candid and journalistic photos along with some mixes of traditional family photos is now the trend in wedding photography, which is now followed by ace wedding photographers of India. Albums of such photographs make a wedding day memorable for years after years. Wedding day function is for few hours, but the photographs stay forever.

Thankfully, today’s young couple of India  now demand artistic wedding photographs and have started to appreciate the talents behind the camera.

Thanks for reading.

I ask you, can you tell me in what position your right toe is now? Do you note that you are blinking little faster when you are reading this? Are you listening to all the sounds around you? Do you know exactly how are you feeling now?  Tell me…

Being in conscious means, being in the present. Most of   [...more...]]]> Are you conscious now? You say, yes! I say, no!! I say again, do you want a proof? You say, okay, go ahead.

I ask you, can you tell me in what position your right toe is now? Do you note that you are blinking little faster when you are reading this? Are you listening to all the sounds around you? Do you know exactly how are you feeling now?  Tell me…

Being in conscious means, being in the present. Most of the time our minds are either in the past or in the future – very rarely it remains in the present. We spend most of our present time thinking about our past experiences or future desires. In this process what we miss, is the present moment. Our future is dependent on the actions that we take at present. But, we spend our present doing unproductive things.

All the spiritual leaders have talked about being in the present. All of them asked to explore the inner self. But very few described actually how to do that. Actually to explore the inner self, one has to be in the present. (Hey! Don’t think that I’m a spiritual leader or anyone like that. I’m just sharing some of my experiences with you!)

The key question is, what’s happening now – around me and within me. What all that am I seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling now. Most imporantly, what am I thinking now and how am I feeling now? Try this for five minutes. Take one sense at a time. Just note it down its activity. Don’t take any action. Don’t judge the feeling – whether it’s good or bad, pleasing or displeasing. Just take a note.

Note down your mind’s thinking. Where is it? Is it in the past or in the future? Pull it back in the present and ask – what am I thinking now? Don’t curse your mind for thinking something in the past or in the future. Just note it down – it was in the past or future – but now it is in the present. Use all your five senses as radars for noting down the present status around you using your mind. Just be in the present. When you be in the present, you are conscious. Take a note of your current status. Unless you know your current status, you cannot take a proper action for the future.

Every moment is a junction – leading to so many optional paths to take for the future. Selecting a path is a decision of ours. Whatever the obligations or compulsions may be, we,  knowingly or unknowingly take a decision to select a path. There is no scope for a blame game. We must take responsibility of our every past acts, which is the result of our present situation. But the future is dependent upon what action – which path – we take now. Take the responsibility of your future, because your future is only yours.

Nothing is permanent in life. Nothing remains forever – whether its a success or a failure, a happiness or sadness, a richness or poverty. It is about how well you stretch or squeeze your current status. If it is one of the five negative emtions I talked about in my previous article ‘Be Selfish’, try that it remain for as little time (but, don’t suppress) as you allow. Similarly, stretch your happiness as much as you can. I will tell you how to stretch happiness in an another post.

All these manipulations of stretching and squeezing are possible by you  and only when you are in control of yourself. You can do that only if you can take a note of your current status, look for the optional paths of that moment and take a right path. You can do anything to yourself – take you to the success or ruin you. The option is yours.

When you start practicing being in the present by just noting down what’s happening around and withing you using your five senses, you’ll find that all the five negative emotions are vaporing away. Our minds cannot be empty. If the negative emotions are gone, it gets filled up with positive emotions, like, joy, love and happiness.

It’s a great fun. It releases any kind of tension and relaxes you. Try doing this for five minutes a day in the beginning. You can do as many times as you feel like. The more you do, specially when you are stressed or tensed or in the affluence of any of the five negative emotions,  the more you are filled with joy.

This is just the beginning of getting benefits of being in the present. There are lots more. But that I will discuss in a separate post.

Thanks for reading.

Surprised, right? Okay, let me explain.

We normally hate selfish people. We tell our children to not to be selfish. Generally a selfish person is a mean-minded person whom we all try to avoid.

So, how do we identify selfish people? They always seek help of others at the time of their needs and never help others if they do not have any self-interest in it. Many times, for safe-guarding their self-interests, they even put others in   [...more...]]]> Not me, it’s said by Lord Buddha.

Surprised, right? Okay, let me explain.

We normally hate selfish people. We tell our children to not to be selfish. Generally a selfish person is a mean-minded person whom we all try to avoid.

So, how do we identify selfish people? They always seek help of others at the time of their needs and never help others if they do not have any self-interest in it. Many times, for safe-guarding their self-interests, they even put others in trouble – be them their friends, families or colleagues. Bad people, right? Right.

What we generally mean by being selfish is thinking about our own ‘benefits’ at the cost of others. Here, ‘benefits’ mean mostly materialistic benefits – like making a big profit in business by cheating people, getting a promotion in a job by unethical means etc. etc. You know what all I mean.

Then how come Lord Buddha asked people to be selfish?

A saintl like him could not talk about materialistic gains. He meant about being spiritual selfishn. Whatever we do, that is either a good act or a bad one. And, nobody else knows that better than us. But, many times we suppress our minds’ alerts and go ahead with our deeds for material gains.

Whenever we perform a good act, we release positive vibrations. We release just the opposite – negative vibrations – when we perform a bad act. When we release positive vibrations, we attract visible and invisible positive forces around us. Similarly, when we release negative vibrations, we attract negative forces.

It’s not that we should not make a good profit in our businesses or try to get promotions in our jobs. It’s about, how we do it. Is their any greediness while doing that? Is it by cheating or suppressing others’ rights? If yes, negative vibrations are generated – not only by ourselves, but also by the people whom we cheated or suppressed to get our job done. And negative vibes never do a good job.

So, whenever we do a ‘selfish’ act by generating negative vibes, we are not actually doing good for ourselves. That is not selfishness, that is, in fact, foolishness.  There are five negative feelings: lust, anger, greed, infatuation, pride and jealousy. If any of these senses are active while doing an act, negative vibes are generated.

Lord Buddha asked us to be selfish – in true sense – to do what actually is good for ourselves, and stop doing foolish acts.

Most of the times, we are not able to identify our feelings while doing an act. That is because, we are not ‘conscious’ enough. But that requires a separate post.

Thanks for reading.