Inspire yourself! Give yourself a photography assignment.

Same ole, same ole when it comes to what you shoot? It can get pretty boring going to the same parks, the same streets, seeing the same crowd every day. Don't you wish you could just pack up and go on some vacation to an exotic place and give yourself a fresh backdrop?

If you are like me (and most people), you probably aren't in a position to do so at a drop of a hat. But, you can still get excited about being in your own neighborhood.

Give yourself a photo assignment!

Assign yourself a daily, or monthly project to give yourself a reason to "wake-up" your photography creativity without having to buy an expensive plane ticket.

Planning a photo assignment is not as hard as you think.Give yourself the title "photo-journalist" and  plan a day to tell a story of your surroundings. Go to your local museum that you've been to hundreds of times before and this time tell a story with your photos.

Another way to assign yourself a project could be as easy as picking a theme for your walk. You might decide to shoot only patterns for the week. Shooting different textures, pick a color, or try only shooting dogs at your local parks.

Thinking up project ideas can be just as fun as doing them!

Consider bringing along a photographer friend for added inspiration. If you want to be apart of a bigger group, try some online group projects such as the 365 day project if you want to commit to an every day project. There is also the 52-week project.  Only make these commitments if you know you can have fun with them. After all, we don't want it to become a "job".

Do you get the idea of creating assignments for yourself? It's a way to see with new eyes and fall in love with your surroundings all over again.

Have fun with it!

Discover the Secrets of Beautiful Portrait Lighting!
 Portraits Lighting The Shot

Click here to visit Digital Photography School.

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Really Easy Retouching with Adobe Photoshop Review

Want to get essential retouching skills without the hassle?

I admit, I hate editing. Well, not really "hate", but when I have 300 wedding photos to go through, it's a hassle. I really like to make sure each photo is at it's best, whether it's of the beautiful bride, or the wedding cake.
So, retouching is a great option to quickly remove distractions and make them look more natural, but can it be done without looking plastic like?

When you’re already pressed for time, you can’t afford to waste weeks learning something that you could pick up in an evening.

In steps Really Easy Retouching  by Laura Lim.

Find out more here...

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How to lighten dark under-eye circles.
• The best tool for removing minor blemishes, fast.
• Remove scars, scrapes and stray hairs.
• Smooth uneven skin without making it look like plastic.
• A simple way to decrease shine on skin.
• Whiten teeth as much or as little as you want.
• How to give eyes extra sparkle and really grab your viewer’s attention
• Remove distractions – even major ones, like trash or signs!

Dark circles

How to slim down chins, arms, waistlines and have it still look natural.

Create a composite image from multiple photos (i.e. how to swap people’s heads!) – this is a life saver when you’re photographing groups!

Layers, panels and masks – when and how to use them.

My philosophy on retouching – what to leave, what to retouch, and how far to go with it.

A simple trick that’ll help you make sure your retouching looks natural.

Essential Photoshop® shortcuts so you can retouch fast.

Tips on saving your retouched files.

The hardware that’ll make retouching even easier

Chin thinning

 It’s a skill every serious photographer needs to have.

Retouching is like magic. With just a few subtle changes, you can boost the look of your photos, your subject’s satisfaction, and your sales.

Head swapping

Really Easy Retouching is in digital download format, so you can start learning right away. The tutorial comes as a .zip file with 12 HD .mp4 videos that work on both Macs and PCs. Download them and they’re yours to keep forever! They’ll always be there for a quick refresher, or to play while you do your own retouching.

Get the tutorial now for just US$24.95!!

Best of all, this tutorial is going to make it so easy for you to learn. Retouching is the kind of thing that you need to see in action, if you’re going to understand how to use the tools to improve your images. And with Really Easy Retouching, you’ll get just that – a guide that shows you, step-by-step, how to fix all of the common retouching problems you’re going to come across.

This tutorial was created with Adobe® Photoshop® CC, but the techniques also work with Photoshop® CS6!

Now, you can skip the waiting and the frustration, and get the retouching skills you need, fast. With Really Easy Retouching, you get exactly what you need to retouch common problems quickly and naturally. No needless extras.

Imagine it. By tonight, you could have the skills you need and have time left over to test them out on your own photos. And seriously, when you see how easy it is to retouch, you’re going to be itching to get started.

As always, there is a 30 day money back guarantee!

Using Colors Effectively in Photography

As with all photography you must always think before you shoot an image. Make sure you take  time to ponder what you intend to achieve. Color can be an important part of how a photo will turn out. Decide how you want to include color and how to use it. 

Using one color

Use this technique to achieve a bold photo. When you isolate a color, you create images that are bold and dramatic. Get closer to the subject to make the color the focal point. 

Color is as much a part of visual communication as composition or light – but you need to learn to see and understand it. 

In this photo, I wanted his blue shirt to be bold and stand out as the focal point of the photo.

         

                                                     (my submission for Blue Monday)

Be careful of light

Light can change the how look of a photo. A cloudy day can make colors more enriching, while morning light can give a warmer look. Be aware of light quality when deciding when you want to shoot.

Want to learn more about color? 

In Captivating Color, a gorgeous, 48-page ebook, by award-winning photographer Mitchell Kanashkevich shows you how to see color—and use it to create stunning photographs.

It’s a book that will show to how to use color to ignite your photographic creativity.

Is Captivating Color for You?

Yes, if you want to:

• create striking images that evoke strong emotions
• capture photos that “speak” to the viewer
• grasp the full potential of any photographic moment
• master the use of color during the shoot
• apply post-production techniques to create truly compelling images.

  Not only that – this eBook has 6 practical exercises to go away and DO to help you implement what you learn.

Order  for only 10.00!







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