Eduardo is one of those distinguished visual storytellers who’s regularly asked to speak at events and workshops worldwide. That’s because he’s an inspiring educator who’s mastered his editing process – plus he’s very dedicated to helping fellow photographers enhance their own creativity.

Eduardo recently traveled to the Middle East, where he took 2,000+ images, and needed to bring that number down for an online gallery on his PhotoShelter website.

Some of his golden rules for both the online portfolio and physical books to show to clients are to get a second opinion, make friends with the “delete” key, and the 1% rule: only include 1% of all photos you took in your final story.

Check out the video recording of this hour-long webinar for more great tips on Lightroom rating and sequencing workflow, as well as quick tips on how to improve your image quality with the ColorChecker Passport, white balance, and custom camera profiles.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Follow Eduardo Angel on Twitter @EA_Photo and his blog.

Aaron is the Founder and President of Phlearn, the #1 Photoshop site that publishes free episodes to help creatives learn Photoshop and photography techniques. He’s also a very talented photographer specializing in conceptual photography.

In the live demo, Aaron goes over his approach to non-destructive retouching, exposure and color correction, blemish removal, and how he uses dodging and burning to create definition and drama in his portraits.

Click here to download Aaron’s favorite retouching brush for Photoshop. (You may need to right-click and save the file. Installation instructions are included in the download.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Phlearn’s Photoshop and photography videos – there’s over 450 free tutorial episodes!

Note: This video is best viewed in full screen (click the arrows in the bottom right corner of the video) and after an introduction, Kristina starts her demo at the 6:35 mark.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kristina has made this quick action for Photoshop available for download!

Instructions to download the action

Please use these instructions to download and install the action. If you have any questions, please contact Kristina.

Mac users

PC users

1. Press the “Control” key on your keyboard and then click this link.

2. Select “download linked file”.

3. Find the .zip file in your Downloads folder.

4. Double click the file to unzip it, and save the correct version (CS5 or CS6) somewhere you’ll remember.

5. Open Photoshop and click on the little arrow button on the top right corner of the Actions palette and select “Load action”.

6. Look for the .atn file you just saved when the pop up file browser comes up.

7. Once you’ve found the file, select “Load”.

Using the action

In Photoshop CS6, the action should select the Skin Tones automatically. After you run the action, edit each of the new layers as Kristina outlines in the video. The Photoshop CS5 is slightly different. Since the Skin Tones options doesn’t exist in the Select -> Color Range menu, Kristina chose to select “highlights” from the Select -> Color Range menu. This might not work as well for subjects with darker skin – if this is the case, simply use the  Eye Dropper tool to select the color range that works for your subject.

Check out Kristina’s Fashion Retouching DVD for more tips!

In this intensive video training, you’ll discover the techniques that Kristina uses in post production for fashion and advertising photography. The video contains over 5 hours of brand new sharp video.

Use the promo code “sheltercafe” and save 20%!

Get the DVD here: www.photoshopcafe.com/video/products/Fashion_Retouching.htm

If the idea of organizing your archive seems daunting, and you keep telling yourself you’ll do it “one day”, think of this: getting (and staying) organized is key to running a successful photography business.  You can take great images, but if your work is in disarray, something will inevitably fall through the cracks, especially if you’re scrambling to find images when your clients need them fast.

Here are 5 ways you can spring clean your image archive. Some may be more time consuming than others, depending on what state your current archive is in, but they’re all equally important.

1. Follow the 3-2-1 rule

Backing up your work is arguably the most critical thing on this list, so do it first. The 3-2-1 rule says:

• Keep 3 copies of your images (one primary and two backups)
• Keep files on 2 different media types (such as hard drive and CD/DVD)
• Make sure that at least 1 copy is stored offsite (i.e. online)

There are tons of cloud storage options out there – popular options include Google, Amazon ,Dropbox, and (plug!) PhotoShelter. The benefit is that most are built to be easily searchable, assuming you have your image metadata organized.

2. Scan any negatives

If you still have old negatives lying around the house, it’s time to scan them to digital. If you’re shooting film, then you should also be scanning. Depending on your needs and budget, film scanners are available for as little as $54.99 or as much as $24,995.00. Note that some photographers find only the pricier models can do justice to 35mm slides and negatives. B&H has a roundup of film scanners here (see the “Converting Film Negatives, Prints and Slides to Digital Files” section). There are also a number of scanning services that will provide you with high resolution scans for a reasonable price. Our Co-Founder Allen reviewed Scancafe a few years ago.

3. Pick a folder and naming structure (and stick with it)

Once you cross a certain threshold, grouping all your images into one folder called “archive” isn’t going to cut it. Create an organized folder structure, and stick to it every time you add new images. A lot of photographers like to create separate collections for each client or portfolio. Do something similar with individual image file names, whether you include the date, the client or topic (e.g. nature, wedding, fashion), keep it consistent across all your files.

For example, “James & Lisa’s Wedding” or “Fine Art Landscapes”. Then they group related images into galleries, and nest them under the appropriate collection. So you might have “Reception” under “James & Lisa’s Wedding” and “Seascapes” under “Fine Art Landscapes”. The nesting structure makes it easy to quickly locate images.

Another common organizational strategy is by year. Depending on your shooting volume, you might sub-categorize by month (and even day!).

4. Add or update your metadata

In an ideal world you’re adding keywords to your metadata as soon as you upload your images. Sometimes we skip this step in our workflow when we’re pressed for time, but accurate, detailed metadata is helpful in organizing your archive. Many archiving systems made for photographers let you search by IPTC metadata fields. Metadata that’s properly keyworded also helps improve your images’ SEO.

Many cameras will allow the automatic inclusion of some metadata like copyright. And software like Photo Mechanic can add metadata in batch upon ingest. Save yourself future headache by using these tricks now.

5. Refresh your portfolio

You should really update your portfolio with new imagery every quarter (if not monthly since frequency of updates to your website is yet another SEO signal), but if you haven’t already, take this as a kick in the behind to do so. Swap out last year’s images for ones that reflect the type of work you hope to get from clients. Your online portfolio should be relatively easy to edit on your own (at least in terms of removing and adding images to your portfolio site); print portfolios might take more time to edit and create, but it’s a good exercise to review the latest additions to your archive and select the best of the best.

Check out photo consultant Jasmine DeFoore’s tips for getting organized and building a better portfolio.

Photo by John Hall

The biggest thing

“I had a flash website. It was just a portfolio, it didn’t have a blog, and it wasn’t giving me any SEO love. I knew I needed to completely redo my website architecture from the ground up,” Niall tells us. After performing a massive amount of research on the subject, Niall was sold on WordPress for its blogging capabilities, and Graph Paper Press, who builds designed themes for WordPress blogs, for the look and feel. But he knew he needed something more robust on the back-end — a platform that would allow him to archive all his work as he uploaded it, allow him access to these files whenever he might need them, provide him with a simpler image delivery system, and more. When Niall learned about PhotoShelter, and the fact that a PhotoShelter account/website could be seamlessly integrated with WordPress and Graph Paper Press, he knew he needed to look no further. “Just the fact that my PhotoShelter site mirrors and echos my Graph Paper Press design — I think that was the #1 selling point for me,” says Niall. “The ability to just have this really cool, custom, totally seamless website…that was the biggest thing.”

An individual image from Niall’s PhotoShelter archive on display on his integrated website.

The “Listed on Website” section of Niall’s Image Browser, which houses all of the collections he displays in the “Image Archive” area of his website (below).

Another major piece of the puzzle for Niall has been the SEO education PhotoShelter has provided him. A more learned and experienced SEOer these days, Niall attributes much of his success getting found online to PhotoShelter’s myriad of tools and guides on the subject. “PhotoShelter was with me from the ground up when I got serious about photography and my website, and I actually learned a lot about SEO through the advice I got from you guys,” Niall tells us. “I’m now super focused on SEO and proud to say — and this would not be possible without the WordPress architecture paired with PhotoShelter — that I bounce between page 1 and page 2 for the keywords I’m really going for right now in a Google search…such as music photography in San Francisco, or family photography in San Francisco, I’ve been #1. And I’ve been getting a lot more random organic inquiries from internet searches, sometimes through an image search. I actually just got an ad campaign with a major company because they found my music pictures online, through my PhotoShelter account first.” Niall makes sure to pay extra close attention to any field on the PhotoShelter back-end denoted with the little green “SEO” tag as these are the areas that can very directly affect one’s placement in Google searches — the “on-page factors” any photographer with a website should be keeping front of mind. “Honestly everyone I talk to is impressed with my knowledge of SEO,” says Niall. “I just tell them they should all be doing this!”

The green SEO tag displays next to any field on the back-end that may directly affect Niall’s SEO.

 

Brand consistency

While things like word of mouth, in-person visits, and consultations are still at the very top of the list for Niall’s business, he knows that without his blog, his design, and all of the tools and possibilities PhotoShelter has afforded him, he wouldn’t have been able to express his brand as consistently as he has over these past few years. “When I first started out I was just looking for a solution that displayed photos really well and was really good on the backend,” says Niall. “Now some of my biggest clients have found me on the internet, and that’s because I’m out there with this website. You guys helped me do that.”

Donald Pettit has called the International Space Station home for over 370 days, and in that time he’s captured some of the most mind-blowing photos of space – and Earth – we’ve ever seen.

Photo by Donald Pettit/NASA

Photo by Michael J. Treola

Donald – who’s known around the Internet for his YouTube videos featuring him doing everyday things like drinking coffee and playing with yo-yo’s in space – epitomizes many of the characteristics of a modern day genius: he’s at once quirky and brilliant, and seems not find a statement like, “hard drives tend to fail in space” as amusing as the rest of us do.

This past September at Luminance 2012, Donald gave us an inside look into what it’s like to take photos in space with his 10+ top-of-the-line DSLRs and lenses.

Click here to view the embedded video.

On stage, Donald talked about life in the Space Station, pointing out that it’s much easier – and more fun – to get shots of the crew coming from different angles than the traditional, lined up group portrait (thanks zero gravity!).

This astronaut also appreciates the artistic side of space. Did you ever consider what certain environmental factors would look like from space with infrared photography? When NASA stopped flying film in 2002, Donald convinced them to let him remove the IR blocking filter in a Nikon D3S so he could capture the deep reds of the Ganges River Delta and turquoise sentiment caused by reefs in the Bahamas – which can only be seen in the near infrared.

Photo by Donald Pettit/NASA

He explains one of the most challenging aspects of photographing in space: reflections. “You have to work hard to get rid of these reflections, particularly if you’re taking pictures at orbital nighttime,” he says. “I call this my turtleneck.”

Photo by Michael J. Treola

Donald shared more extraordinary photos from space, including an HDR shot of an aurora made from bracketing multiple exposures, star trails streaked with multiple lighting storms, cities sprinkled with light bulbs, and other events we will never get to see from Earth.

Curious how he managed these shots? Check out the video to learn about the complex nature of photographing in space and why Donald believes that photography is essential in recording scientific nature – and human experience.

• Composing a photo with U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s head on top of Southern politician John Calhoun’s body.

• Squeezing two of the Great Pyramids of Giza together to fit National Geographic‘s vertical magazine cover.

• Placing Olympic ice skating rivals Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan on the cover of New York Newsday, soon after an attack on Kerrigan by an associate of Hardin’s husband.

• Darkening OJ Simpson’s mug shot for the cover of TIME magazine to make him appear more menacing (the original was used for the Newsweek cover).

• Removing a cigarette from Paul McCartney in the Beatles’ famous Abbey Road album cover.

• Doctoring an image of smoke rising from buildings in the Lebanese capital after an Israeli air raid by a Reuters photographer to show more intense smoke and more buildings that in the original.

This list is just a fraction of instances collected by photo forensics technologists, Fourandsix, as part of their overview of photo tampering throughout history. Interestingly enough, Foundandsix Technologies is actually making its business off the proliferation of photo manipulation, developing software that will enable you to determine the authenticity of images.

“We’re not out to demonize photo manipulation,” says Kevin Connor, Founder and President of Fourandsix and a 15-year veteran of the team that builds Photoshop-branded products at Adobe. “In the next few years we plan to introduce more tools to enable more in-depth analysis of images. We want the Fourandsix name to be synonymous with photographic truth.”

Keep in mind that photo manipulation applies to everything from that funny photo of a cat you saw on Facebook to images from a security camera presented in court. “Our mission is to provide the tools that allow our customers to find the truth contained within every image,” says Kevin. And as Kevin also points out, this distrust of photography predates digital cameras (hello, famous Ab Lincoln portrait!).

While determining the authenticity of a photograph is a well known problem, just how much does it matter? That’s the question Kevin will address in his talk at Luminance, PhotoShelter’s conference this fall addressing photography, business, and culture.

“Can photos still be trusted?” asks Kevin. “The fun comes from figuring out how to apply [photo manipulation] research to provide a meaningful solution. As people have become more familiar with how much photographs can be manipulated…that special status that photography once enjoyed has faded away.”

Want to hear more from Foundandsix Technologies and our 20+ other organizations that help consume and define photography? Get all of Luminance’s ticket and pricing information here.

While most color management and printing tutorials are dense and boring, Martin makes the process more inviting. You’re left feeling motivated to calibrate your entire workflow – so that you too can achieve the highest quality output.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Martin’s other top tips included:

• The monitor calibration “myth”: too-bright monitors is #1 reason that people think their prints are too dark – but it’s the other way round! Learn at what percentage you should generally have your monitors set at.
• Calibrate in-camera: take control of the color by shooting the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport during your shoots – you’ll then be able to create a camera profile in Lightroom or X-Rite’s ColorChecker Passport software, and apply them in Lightroom or Adobe Camera RAW.
• “Expose to the right”: half the data is recorded in the first 10% of the histogram – capture the best possible quality pixels here.
• Color management is key if you use multiple camera bodies: create the same look from each camera – crucial for producing and printing the same color, and for your overall workflow.

The audience also had a lot of great questions for Martin on color management and professional printing. Below are a few of the most common, with Martin’s personal responses: 

1. I have a 27″ iMac and a 15″ Macbook Pro. I use the i1 Display Pro on both computers, but the color profile that is created looks very different between the two computers. How can I make them match up so I can view the same image on both devices and have them look the same?

As you say profile, in the singular, I first want to note that you need to profile each display separately. One profile won’t work for both monitors. I’m sure you already know that, though, so my next suggestion would be to try different combinations of options, like turning Ambient Light Smart Control off if it’s on, and vice versa. I’ve known monitors to be way out with one setting, and then perfect with another.

It’s difficult to say exactly which will work for you without seeing the software you are using, and available option, but trying different combinations usually results in finding your perfect settings. Also, do ensure that you set your display Brightness based on a measurement of your ambient light, if you want to print images that look similar to your display.

2. For those of us who have some financial constraints for a monitor, are there other monitors you recommend?

I’ve heard good things about HP, Dell and NEC monitors. As with anything, buy the best you can afford within reason, as you get what you pay for, but most displays these days will give good results. If photography is the main use of your display though, I do suggest looking for antiglare screens, as the glossy screens can make your images look punchier than they really are.

3. Why is an 18% grey card not sufficient for camera WB calibration?

Because setting a WB and camera calibration are two totally different things. If all you want to do is set the WB, an 18% grey card is just fine. A ColorChecker Passport though will enable you to create a camera profile to remap the colors in your images to more accurate colors, which gives you an excellent base to start your digital workflow from.

4. Do you need to make a full-size print in order to make a useful profile? Can you make a smaller sized print and still get in the ballpark?

The prints that you make for profiling are usually of a patch set printed on US Letter (8.5 x 11″) or A4 paper size, so they don’t need to be big. I showed two pages being printed together in the presentation, but this is because I was printing with roll paper.

For test prints of images, by all means print smaller to begin with to see how the colors are shaping up, and then make your final print at full size. Image can look a little darker when printed smaller, but it will give you a good idea of any screaming issues to fix. Make sure you check for and remove any sensor dust spots before printing large too. This has the major reason for my reprints in the past, so I go over prints at 100% checking for dust spots before printing now.

5. What are your preferred papers for printing?

My favorite papers for printing are Breathing Color‘s Optica One for matte, and if I need a more glossy paper, their Baryta coated Vibrance Rag is amazing. I also use their Lyve Canvas a lot for gallery wraps. These papers all have incredible color reproduction and very deep blacks, even the matte papers. We will probably be demoing Lyve Canvas and maybe some other papers during our Pixels 2 Pigment seminar tour. Also, use the code MBP20 for $20 off your first order if you decide to pick something up. Breathing Color are amazing!

Martin’s Craft & Vision ebook, Making the Print, has been converting photographers from around the world to frustration-free, happy printers. Now in this live webinar, Martin will share the best secrets from his ebook. Martin is also embarking on a world tour, Pixels 2 Pigment, where he’ll be holding weekend workshop seminars in major cities in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Japan. For more information and to sign up for the seminar, visit www.pixels2pigment.com.

Increasing number of hotels start offering photography packages

What’s more stressful than trying to relax and enjoy your vacation while simultaneously trying to photograph it all so you have ever-lasting memories? That appears to be the dilemma facing luxury travelers these days, as more and more hotels and resorts start offering sessions with photographers to document their trip. A resort on the Caribbean island of Antigua and the Four Season in Bora Bora offer a two-hour shoot with a pro for couples, while Walt Disney World has been selling a $350/hour “Enhanced Portrait Session” since 2010.

Photo by Helene Havard/Videographer Sadry Ghacir filmed Shira and Chuck Badger at the Four Seasons Resort in Bora Bora.

Vacationers appreciate having “one less thing to worry about,” reports The Wall Street Journal. ”They just want to enjoy the destination without anyone [in the family] being responsible and having to worry about missing a shot or a memorable experience,” says Rob Veden, manager of private luxury travel at Abercrombie & Kent. (via online.wsj.com)

Some freelance and wedding photographers argue it’s a great additional source of revenue. What do you think – would you take a gig shooting romantic couples in Bora Bora?

How to save enough money for a Canon 5D Mark III

If you’re not looking to add to your revenue by photographing vacationers anytime soon, PhotoShelter member and nature photographer Greg Basco has some tips for how you can save enough to buy a Canon 5D Mark III (and Nikon D800 for that matter). The Canon 5D Mark III is selling for a hefty $3,500 while the Nikon D800 is a mere $500 cheaper at $3,000.

The Canon 5D Mark III

Before diving into the deep end and spending your retirement money, Greg suggests asking yourself three basic questions:

• Does this new gadget/product allow me to do things I couldn’t do without it?
• Are those things I could now do going to make a difference in the quality of my work and thus my income?
• Is there a cheaper but equally or sufficiently good alternative to the new gadget/product that would still allow me to do what I want now and in the future?

If the answer’s yes, Greg has some advice on places you can save a little cash. Take all his tips to heart and you’ll end up saving yourself $3,941! Read more.

Contest: Photograph for The Photo Brigade

Editorial and corporate photographer Robert Caplin started The Photo Brigade community to serve as a resource for freelance photographers to showcase their work to a larger audience and raise awareness for photographers who might not have otherwise been noted. Now Robert is teaming up with LUCEO photographer Matt Eich to invite photographers to submit their best documentary photograph for the chance to win big prizes.

Robert and Matt’s choice winner will have their photograph featured on The Photo Brigade’s website and Facebook page, as well as:

• A standard one-year PhotoShelter account valued at $329
• $250 Adorama gift card
• Two tickets to PhotoShelter’s conference, Luminance 2012 in New York City

There are also prizes for the runner-ups and people’s choice, so if you think you’ve got what it takes, submit your photograph for consideration! Learn more about the terms and conditions, and make your submission here.

Breathtaking entries from the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2012

Speaking of photo contests, National Geographic Traveler is hosting its 24th annual photo contest, which has extended its deadline for submissions to July 11. There are over 9,000 entries so far, some of which caught our eye:

Photo by Mark Paulda

Photo by Stefano Pesarelli

Photo by Mark Wallace

Photo by Hayley Barbato

See all the entries and get more information about how to enter here.

How to integrate a watermark without ruining your images

We’ve all seen images with an ugly watermark streaked across the center (maybe even in Comic Sans to really top it off). But what if you stopped thinking of your watermark as an image theft guard and treated it more like your personal signature?

Photographer Klaus Herrmann, who’s known for his HDR tutorials, advises photographers to think of the watermark as a well-placed signature that reveals information about the original artist if the image is stolen in any way. His intention is not for the viewer to even notice the signature right away. While his methods apply more for fine art photography, any photographer with Photoshop skills could mimic his ways (thought keep in mind you’d have to upload watermarked images to your website, which isn’t recommended if you plan to sell downloads directly to clients).

via farbspiel photography

Klaus outlines four basic steps to applying a “signature” to your images:

1. Create your signature template.
2. Select the right spot for the signature.
3. Apply  the correct perspective distortion to the signature.
4. Blend the signature with the rest of the image.

The tutorial offers more details step-by-step, so check it out here.

Thoughts, advice, and inspiration from Steve McCurry

Photojournalist Steve McCurry, who’s perhaps best known for his unforgettable Afghan Girl image, has spent considerable time in both Afghanistan and India over the years. In the following video, Steve goes through some of his favorite shots from that time and follows him through the streets as he speaks to what he thinks makes a great portrait.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Steve also did an official 20-minute interview with Al Jezeera’s Riz Khan, which covers his life and inspirations. His biggest piece of advice? Don’t forget to say hello. (via PetaPixel)

Live Webinar with Martin Bailey on Monday, July 9th @ 7pm EDT

Color management and printing are two areas notorious for causing photographers a lot of unnecessary headache. Even though photographers know that calibrated and profiled devices & systems are crucial for a successful, efficient workflow – color management guides have typically been excessive, needlessly complicated, and boring. Until now.

In this live webinar, co-sponsored by PhotoShelter and X-Rite, Tokyo-based nature & wildlife photographer Martin Bailey will demystify color management and printing to help you to get great results that both you and your clients will love.

Martin’s photography has been celebrated and sold all over the world, and now he’s here to share how you can easily calibrate your workflow – ultimately improving your business and putting you above the competition.

This webinar is a chance to get some of Martin’s tips firsthand, including:

• The importance of color management – starting with nailing exposure in camera.
• Calibrating your digital workflow, including using camera profiles and monitor calibration.
• Preparing your workflow for frustration-free printing.
• Marketing tactics that work for photographers who want to sell prints.
• And more!

Space is limited for this free webinar on Monday, July 9th @ 7pm EDT, so register today! Arrive early to secure your seat.

Martin’s Craft & Vision ebook, Making the Print, has been converting photographers from around the world to frustration-free, happy printers. Now in this live webinar, Martin will share the best secrets from his ebook. Martin is also embarking on a world tour, Pixels 2 Pigment, where he’ll be holding weekend workshop seminars in major cities in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Japan. For more information and to sign up for the seminar, visit www.pixels2pigment.com.