In a previous post, I detailed my method for using BitTorrent Sync to automatically transfer the Lightroom Classic catalog on my laptop back to my desktop while still on the road. A couple things have changed since the day I wrote that. Read More
If you have been paying attention to photography-related social media lately, you may have heard that Adobe has made some changes to their Lightroom family of programs. Depending on who you listen to, it’s either no big thing or a sign of the apocalypse. I’m here to tell you that it’s neither unless you use Lightroom without a Creative Cloud subscription. Let me lay out the changes and my opinion on them. Read More
I posted a new tutorial about using Lightroom with BitTorrent on my main photography site. I have since heard from the folks at BitTorrent telling me they really enjoyed it and will be featuring it on the BitTorrent blog in January.
Keep your eyes open for it.
Imagine you’re a photographer. Okay, that was probably the easy part.
Let’s say you’re going on a long vacation and bringing your trusty DSLR, a couple of your favorite lenses, and a pocket full of memory cards.
Two things are relatively certain. One is that you are not going to stop to edit your photos in Lightroom in the middle of your vacation, especially not if you are traveling with family. The second certainty is that you’re to going to return from said vacation bone-tired and, after unpacking, the thought of going through several hundred RAW files will terrify you, and your vacation photos will sit, unprocessed and unseen, for days, their existence clawing at you until, wracked by guilt, you finally sit down and start feeding your cards into the computer.
I can’t promise to eliminate the problem, entirely. Read More
I just recently upgraded to Lightroom 5 after only a month with Lightroom 4. I upgraded to version 4 right after 5 was announced because I heard that version 5 didn’t run on Windows Vista and my main computer was still stuck with that operating system. Then I remembered I had a Windows 7 upgrade disk on my shelf, so I said “screw it,” and got the free upgrade from Adobe.
Since I’ve only recently moved from Lightroom 3, part if this will include my impressions of features that were new with version 4 as well as the new parts in 5. Read More
I think there may be a bias among photographers with some experience, but maybe not as much as a working professional, that one progresses from full automatic as a beginner, through the program modes like aperture priority, until one reaches the level of a Jedi Photography Master who shoots in manual mode all the time.
Not exactly, but it is true that shooting in manual mode requires some confidence in one’s ability to use a camera. In reality, however, the seasoned pro will use whatever works best for each situation.
In some cases, manual mode may not be easier than aperture or shutter priority, but it will be more reliable. Read More
I find it some of the hardest photography and the most challenging photography I’ve ever done. It’s a real challenge to work with the natural features and the natural light.
So you’ve got a new camera! Or… you got a used one. Or… you pulled the old one out of the closet. Or… A friend gave you theirs because they can’t figure the damn thing out, which is not filling you with a lot of confidence but you’re willing to give it the old college try.
There are three parts to knowing how to really use a camera for something more than alcohol-fueled “selfies” at the bar with your BFF. These are the differences between photography and “taking pictures.” For the latter, any camera left on automatic, or just a mobile phone, will do. You’re reading this because you’re interested in photography as a creative pursuit, and in mastering your camera as a tool for this pursuit.
So, this idiot French photographer managed to snap some grainy, blurry photos of Kate Middleton’s royal hooters. Congratulations. Read More
Ok, assuming that you know where on your computer you want your photos to go, it’s time to get down to business and get those photos into Lightroom.
Lightroom Import Screen
I have found that not only is copying the photos directly from the camera to the computer much slower than using a card reader, but I’ve often found it to be kind of flakey and unreliable. Since, most new computers come with a built-in gazillion-in-one card read, this is a no-brainer.
