Hockley Photography

I’m actively trying to expand my photography skills and portfolio of “people” shots. In the past, I’ve tended to do “grab shots” of people, without much thought to lighting or composition and without much post-processing work. As I focus more on the people, I’m being more conscious of these factors, and thus far I’m pleased with the results.

click for Flickr view

This was shot on Friday at the Green Dragon in Portland. Interesting lighting, attention to composition, and conscious post-processing work to bring out the lighting results in something pleasing.

Capturing a picture in-camera is the first step in producing a finished photograph, but after the shutter button has been pressed there are any number of steps to create the finished product. Film shooters develop the film; digital shooters “develop” the RAW file. Either group needs to somehow catalog and store their work. As a photographer who exclusively works in a digital format, I enjoy reading about others’ post-processing workflow. As new tools are developed and released, a photographer needs to evaluate his or her workflow and make improvements when possible. I just made a big change in my system.

I’ve used IMatch as my cataloging system for a few years. Since purchasing my Canon 40D, I’d been performing RAW conversions using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software. I have Photoshop CS which I use for any significant retouching or editing. That system was function, but was slow. From camera to web (my most common output format), a photo would be touched by:

Even with some batch processing, when this process is multiplied by a few dozen or few hundred photos per shoot, it was slow.

A few months ago, after seeing and reading all about Lightroom, I decided that a switch would be a boost to my productivity and photo workflow. I knew that Lightroom 2 was in the works, so I waited until release before handing my cash to Adobe.

It’s been less than a month, but it’s the best $300 I’ve invested in my photography business.

My workflow now consists of:

For nearly all of my photos, the entire post-processing workflow is entirely within Lightroom. The keywording provides organization. The RAW conversion tools (the same as Adobe Camera RAW) are powerful and flexible. Lightroom 2 can export to JPGs, and through the use of plugins can send my photos directly to Flickr or SmugMug. The editing tools in Lightroom 2 including the gradients and adjustment brush are able to handle a lot of what was previously the territory of Photoshop.

I’m still a Lightroom newbie. I know that I haven’t yet figured out all of the power of the program. I’m learning new things every day both with how to use certain features and how to use them more efficiently. I’ve started keeping a random list of tips and tricks that I’ll publish at some point in the not-too-distant future, but if you’re a Lightroom user, what are your favorite and (relatively) unknown tools?

Last week I visited the Clark County Fair with my family. Of course I had my camera. It’s fun to capture carnival rides at night, but one challenge is including people in the shot where they’re in some sort of context with the situation, and not blurry due to long exposure.

click to view on Flickr

I’d like to think that I succeeded here, capturing folks in line for a ride, with two two ferris wheels in the background.

Last month I noted new photography restrictions at Burger King and noted I’d be voting with my dollars and not supporting their business. I’m now learning of another anti-photographer company which should be avoided: Heineken.

The details are emerging on this Flickr discussion thread but in short, Heineken used a bunch of photographs without permission. When confronted with potential legal action, Heineken sent an insulting response, which I’ll paraphrase as “we don’t think we did anything wrong, but here’s a couple dollars to make you go away.”

As an international megacorp, the folks at Heineken have a big legal department which would probably go after any infringers upon its brand; it’s a shame they’re insulting photographers when their own illegal use is noted. Best of luck to those who have had images stolen; I’d encourage photographers everywhere to vote with your dollars and avoid Heineken’s brands.

click for photo on Flickr

Some changes are coming to Hockley Photography’s online presence, which should mean (among other things) this blog will be updated more frequently.