The Photographer's Notebook

My post-processing workflow for every image I capture begins in Lightroom. I love Lightroom's cataloging and organizing system in addition to the straight forward and intuitive editing features within the program.  

I always learn something from watching other photographers edit. This week I want to share this clean and straightforward edit in Lightroom. In a matter of minutes, watch this featured image change from underexposed to bright and airy with a few simple tweaks. 

Watch me edit this image in the featured video from straight out of the camera... 

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...to the final Lightroom edit.

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If there is one single question that I've repeatedly heard throughout my photography journey, it is this one, "How do I find my style?" Finding your style as a photographer, specifically your editing style, is not something that's going to happen overnight. I think that style is ever-evolving throughout the entirety of your photography journey. There are, however, a few indicators that are going to help you solidify who you are as an artist as you go about editing your images in post-processing. The suggestions below can help you find your editing style.

1. Never compare or copy

The photography community is full of jaw-dropping talent. It's easy to feel less than the incredible photographer that you are when you are constantly comparing your images to someone else. Copying the work of other photographers is even more detrimental to finding your style because when you are copying, you are not infusing yourself into the creation of your photographs. 

As an aside here, I...

This week I'm thrilled to feature the talent of landscape, nature and travel photographer Jennifer Carr. Jennifer's images are filled with pretty, airy light and beautiful colour. Her images are inspiring, and I love how she finds beauty everywhere. Today, Jennifer is sharing her expertise with us on how to capture better seascape images.

"Thank you for sharing your knowledge and inspiring us Jennifer!"

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There is no doubt that spending time near the ocean is a relaxing and rewarding experience. Whether you are holding a cup of coffee, watching the sunrise, or sipping your favorite cocktail while the sun sets, the scene is typically a visual feast for the eyes. It’s a moment that you’ll want to sear in your memory bank forever, and there is no better way to do that than through photography. Here are five tips for capturing better seascape images.

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1. Capture Movement

By using shutter speed creatively, you can choose to...

Adobe Photoshop is an incredibly powerful post-processing program, and I am certainly no expert when it comes to using this program to its full potential. I am always learning new techniques within Photoshop that make my workflow faster and more efficient with just the right amount of creativity. I do, however, have some favourite post-processing techniques that I readily use within Photoshop. Here are a few of my favourite Photoshop techniques when post-processing my images.  

1. Spot Healing Brush tool 

The toolbar in Photoshop holds many valuable tools. When using the Essentials (Default) workspace in Photoshop, the toolbar automatically shows. If you ever accidentally hide this bar, you can reinstate it under the main menu > Windows > Tools. A checkmark should appear next to the word "Tools."

The spot healing brush tool works like magic! When I require small image touch-ups like removing unsightly spots or marks in my images, this is my go-to tool....

There are so many things to love about Adobe's Lightroom. It's a fantastic post-processing program that can infuse just the right finishing touches into your images. I use both Lightroom and Photoshop in the post-processing of my photos, but I always begin my workflow in Lightroom. Here are a few of my favourite tips and tricks that are specific to my Lightroom post-processing workflow.

1. White Balance

You should always aim for accurate white balance in-camera by using a preset or by manually setting a custom white balance for the type of light you are photographing. However, very often, the white balance in an image needs a touch of tweaking in post-processing. Lightroom makes white balance adjustments simple. Located at the very top of the Lightroom control panels is the Basic panel. There you will find the WB adjustment sliders. It's easy to tweak the temperature cooler towards blue or warmer towards yellow by pulling the slider in either direction. The same goes for tint. A...

Photography has some steep learning curves. As a new photographer, typically, the first thing you do is dive into the technical skills needed to operate your camera. Later, you realize that there's also a whole other side to photography. Learning post-processing techniques is not an easy process. But, don't feel defeated by the amount a photographer must learn! Photography is one big gigantic journey filled with uphill trails and meandering paths. That's one of the things I love about being a photographer. There's the neverending opportunity to learn and develop both technical and artistic skills. I think photography is a fun and exciting journey of self-development. Learning and exploring something new often comes with lots of mistakes. In this article, I want to share with you some of the common pitfalls I often see in post-processing. I hope that you'll be able to avoid these errors as you develop and fine-tune your post-processing skills!

1. Too much saturation 

Do you...

You are in for a treat this week! I'm thrilled to feature photographer, Lacey Cloud. Lacey has an incredible talent for wildlife photography, and I'm always in awe of how she captures such personality in her photographs! Today Lacey is sharing tips for photographing birds. I know that I'll be using these tips next time I have the opportunity to photograph their beauty.   

"Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, Lacey!"

Summer is the perfect time to have some fun learning more about the natural world, and if you can develop a new photographic skillset along the way, all the better! Start the season’s adventures with these five bird photography tips and enjoy the beautiful birds of summer through your camera lens.

1. Plan ahead

If you’re unsure of the species, you will be shooting, do a web search and find out what birds have been spotted at your location. eBird.org is an excellent resource and worth a look even if you think you know what your...

Summer storm season is just around the corner. I enjoy watching nature and her power, so it's always a treat to see a storm brew up and move through, as long as there's no destruction left in that storm's wake. Up here in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, a thunderstorm can pop up without much warning unload her furry and move on in a matter of minutes. I adore the drama in a good storm and have indeed chased my share of thunderstorms up and down the mountain highways. If you, like me, enjoy capturing a good mountain storm, remember these tips next time the weather turns dramatic. 

1. Be Prepared

A landscape photographer knows that she must prepare for all types of weather. Even on a sunny day, I never venture out without adequate supplies tucked into my backpack. My necessities include a waterproof rain cover for my backpack, a rain sleeve for my camera, a medium-sized, highly absorbent towel, an umbrella, mittens and a toque (that's Canadian for a winter hat).

During a...

Sun flare or, more technically, lens flare can be a beautiful phenomenon in photography. The type of light that creates flare is drool-worthy and almost every photographer I know becomes a little giddy around this type of light. Lens flare occurs when certain types of light enter into a camera lens and bounce around scattering and refracting. The scattering and refracting results in creative haze and artifacts (colourful geometric shapes) that show up in an image's exposure. Lens flare is an effect that many photographers love, as it infuses beautiful creative light into an image. I've put together a few tips for you specific to how you can capture images with beautiful sun flare.  

1. Backlight 

If you are looking to infuse your image with sun-drenched haze and geometric flare artifacts, then you will want to backlight your subject. Backlight occurs when light placement is behind your subject. You will be shooting directly into the light. When you...

The days are now noticeably longer, and spring is definitely in the air. That means a lot more outdoor playtime. I know that makes me, my children and our puppy very happy. With more time spent outdoors, there's bound to be trips to the park. I don't know about you, but my favourite piece of equipment at any park is the swing. I still like to hop on pushing myself up high into the sky. Oh, what a joyous feeling that is! These moments of flight are always freeing. I'm sure you agree. My children adore a swing too, even my teenager, and over the years, I've had lots of practice photographing my children on swings. I love the movement and laughter in every swing shot. Today I'm sharing my thoughts on how to go about capturing the perfect swing image. 

1. Use a fast shutter speed

Swings are in motion, and it's vital that you choose a fast shutter speed, or your joyful little subject is going to be a blurry mess in camera. Of course, your shutter speed will...