What Makes a Photo Good?

Is this photo any good?

I’ve been taking and sharing photos online for about 15 years. I’ve written about photography on this blog for well over 10 years. I have created over 1000 tutorial videos on Youtube, talking about how to craft an image to make it look good.

But what actually makes an image good?

It’s a question I get fairly often. Someone will send me an email (or leave a comment on some social media site) asking me to take a look at their photo, give them feedback, and tell them if the photo is good. I don’t mind the requests, and frankly I am honored that someone would ask for my input, but I never feel like my response is what they expect. 

I assume they are hoping for some confirmation that their shot is in fact good, or for constructive feedback about some technical or artistic “thing” that would improve it. But that is not what I respond with.

Let me explain why.

Photography is an enjoyable pursuit for all of us (or at least I hope it is). It’s something we do to get creative, or to freeze moments in time, document life, or possibly even to make a living. I’m sure we all have our reasons for pursuing this craft. It’s an artistic pursuit overall, but of course there are some “rules” about how to take and edit a photo, to ensure that it is a good one.

Here are a few “rules” that I can think of off the top of my head (and yes there are plenty more):

• Composition is king - consider the Rule of Thirds, etc

• Lighting is (quite obviously) key as well

• Make sure the subject is obvious: avoid excessive clutter and distractions

• Get your camera settings right

• Does the photo tell a story in some way?

• Don’t over-process the image: too much color or detail looks cartoonish

So does a good photo have to adhere to every rule? Can’t you break the rules? Hey this is art, why are there rules to begin with? Isn’t this all about self-expression?

Here’s what I think: if you like the photo, then it’s a good photo. It doesn’t matter if it follows the rules. It’s really that simple to me.

I have taken plenty of photos that do not adhere to these rules, and yet there is something about them that I really like. Maybe it reconnects my mind to a great moment somewhere. Maybe it reminds me of someone I hold dear. Maybe it’s as simple as reminding me how much I love a particular place. Or quite possibly, I just like the photo “because”. It doesn’t really matter why though - I just like it, and that is enough for me.

My tastes may vary wildly from yours, which is ok. I’ve had plenty of people leave comments about my photos, indicating what they would do different with the image, which would make it better (in their opinion). But it’s not their photo - it’s my photo.

If I like it the way it is, then it’s a good photo to me. I don’t care if a stranger likes it or not. Do you really care? Deep down, does it really matter?

If you like it, doesn’t that make it a good photo? No one else can possibly understand the meaning that you may have attached to the image, or know the depth of feeling that being in that place at that moment meant to you. It’s too personal for anyone else to grasp from just looking at a photo.

And yes, I get that we all have egos and want to hear that we are good at this craft. It makes us all feel better when we get positive reinforcement. But whether someone likes it or not does not change how I feel about it. If I like it, I like it.

So that is what I always tell people when they ask me if their photo is any good. I ask if they like it, and if they respond yes, then I tell them it is a good photo. What difference does it make whether it appeals to my tastes or not? Who am I to judge? I have no idea what that photo means to you. I wasn’t there when you took it, and I can’t possibly fathom what sort of feelings or emotions or memories that image may bring up in you. And I certainly don’t know your “because”. It’s not mine, so I am not emotionally invested in it.

Asking if a photo is good is so subjective that I don’t think it matters. If you like it, it’s a good photo. Don’t you think? Shouldn’t we please ourselves first? This is art, and more specifically, this is YOUR art, so do what you like. And if you like it, it’s good. 

What about that photo above? It’s garbage, right?

That photo above is behind some store in south Austin, if I remember correctly. There is nothing technically good about it - nothing. There is not a beautiful composition at play here. It’s way over-processed. It’s a cluttered and distracting scene. I shot it with an old iPhone 6 back in 2014, so there were no camera setting adjustments made - I aimed and touched the screen as I walked by. There’s no story here other than it’s a dirty, grungy, back alley.

And you know what? I still love this photo, despite all that. It has no real meaning to me, but I like it “because”. It was a snap, as opposed to a planned, well-thought out and professionally executed photograph. But it resonated with a lot of people. When I posted it on Flickr years ago, it hit Explore and has been viewed almost 25,000 times now. And why? I have no idea, truthfully. But something about it caught my attention, and apparently caught the attention of others. In other words, it was “liked” by quite a few. Is it good? Who knows. I don’t really care. But I like it, so I guess that makes it a good photograph.

---

NOTE:

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with asking someone for feedback and input about your images. We have all done it. You may get some insights about techniques you could wield on an image that would help you produce a higher percentage of keepers in the future. You may learn something about editing that changes your approach a bit, or even impacts your style. You may learn a key compositional tip that pays dividends forever. That’s all useful. But that is very different than asking for a subjective judgement on your image. I feel each image we take is personal to us in some way, and thus appeals to our unique tastes in some way as well. No one else will get it the way we get it.

Also, this does not apply to client work. Obviously we need the client to like what we are hired to create for them. 😀

On1 Photo RAW 2024 is Coming This Week!

On1 Photo RAW 2024 is Coming This Week!

I have used On1 Photo RAW for several years now, and of course I make tutorials about it on my YouTube channel as well. For a while now they have been providing teaser videos about upcoming changes and feature additions to the product. I have been testing this new version for a while and it’s really solid. And, it’s going to be available this week!

If you don’t have it yet, you can get it here (aff link):  https://on1.sjv.io/3PRvYd 

There are a lot of things to talk about with this new version, but here are a few that I think everyone will be really pleased with:

• Brilliance AI

• User Interface improvements

• Fast performance all around

• Enhanced Layers panel

• Enhancements to Keyword AI

• Text can be added as a Layer

I just released a video showing off some of this cool new stuff, which you can find below. In particular, I cover Brilliance AI in the video and demonstrate how it works. It’s really a great idea and it is well-implemented as well.

Brilliance AI automatically adjusts a photo based on what it detects the image needs. In addition, it creates Local Adjustments with masks for each region of the image it identifies. This simplifies the editing process and speeds it up as well. 

I think everyone is going to be really pleased with On1 Photo RAW 2024 and I will be making additional tutorials covering the product. Thanks!

Free Landscape Presets for Luminar Neo

Would You Like Free Presets for Luminar Neo?

I have just created a new, free preset pack in Luminar Neo, crafted specifically for landscape images.

I love shooting landscapes, and I love editing landscapes. Both are super enjoyable to me. I’m assuming that every photographer loves to take photos, but I have heard lots of folks mention that they don’t really enjoy the editing part. I love to edit photos. It’s super relaxing and fun for me. But, to each his/her own, of course.

One thing though that can help you get an edit done more efficiently is to use a preset. It’s just a pre-organized collection of filters, all bundled up into a one-click solution. To be fair, I recommend using a preset as a starting point on your edit, simply because a preset can’t possibly look perfect on every image. It always needs some customization. But, using one can jumpstart your creative flow, or get you close to your final edit in a single click.

I’ve been busy making these presets for a while, and I was actually planning a whole bundle around landscapes, but I am going to postpone that for now. I have a lot of things that I am working on, and need to focus my time and attention on those items.

Part of that bundle was going to be this preset pack. I could add this to my store and charge for it, but as a token of my appreciation, I am offering it up for free instead. I love this community, and love to give back, and since you all do so much for me - well, I wanted to do something for you, too.

Sound good? Ok, great. :-)

The only thing you have to do to get this preset pack is to subscribe to my newsletter. And by the way, when you subscribe, you get access to several other free things too: an additional Luminar Neo preset pack, a couple of short ebooks, some free overlays (skies and textures), and even some LUTs.

It’s basically a bunch of free creative assets to help you make better looking photos. Subscribe below and get started making beautiful photos!

I Simplified My Gear and It's Fantastic

Too much stuff in the old camera closet?

I’m just going to go ahead and say it: I like gear. It’s true. I like camera gear, I like buying camera gear, and I like having camera gear. But admittedly, over the last few years, I accumulated too much of it.

Like many photographers, I decided to experiment a bit during the height of the pandemic. For me, that meant trying different focal lengths in the field. Since I wasn’t really traveling anywhere, I was pretty much just shooting around the city where I live (Austin). And I like shooting in cities, but had gotten a bit tired of shooting the same old things in the same old ways.

Thus, I decided some new lenses were just what the doctor ordered. Nothing like a completely different focal length to switch things up, right?

Well, perhaps I went a little overboard because I ended up getting a lot of lenses over the last few years (this actually started before the pandemic though - the pandemic just made it a bit worse). And in full disclosure mode, these were not top-of-the-line expensive lenses. These were 3rd party lenses that were very affordable, so adding quite a few over time didn’t really sting the old pocketbook.

But when it came time to go shoot, I ended up being confused about what to bring. My old favorite, which I know I will love shooting with? Something new that I bought recently and need to try out? Something that I rarely used but I have had for a little while? And how do you really get good with a lens unless you shoot with it a lot?

You see, I like the idea of having choices, but honestly having too many choices is a bad thing. It leads to confusion, and inexperience with some of the lenses, and that’s not good. And I had something like 12 lenses sitting on my shelf. It was getting ridiculous! So, I decided to simplify.

I am an avid Sony shooter, and since I have no plans to change that, I decided to sell a bunch of that other stuff and stick with Sony (I also sold a couple of barely-used Sony lenses). Their cameras are fantastic, and their lenses are amazing.

This all coincided with the recent release of their new 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II wide angle lens. I had the v1 and loved it, and used it all the time (especially for landscapes and broad cityscapes). But the new version is smaller and lighter, and since it is probably the lens I use the most, I wanted to upgrade.

But I also was interested in their new-ish 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II midrange zoom as well. I had the original f4 version of that lens years ago, and used it a lot back then, but sold it years ago and have been using a variety of lenses in its place. I went back and forth between their 20-70mm f/4 lens and also their 24-105mm f/4 lens (I had acquired both, so yeah, I guess all my lens purchases weren’t inexpensive 3rd party options). And both are great lenses, it’s just that I wasn’t using them quite enough, and they didn’t quite cover me in every situation.

Neither one of those ever felt like it was exactly what I wanted, mostly because they are both f/4. And I don’t mean that from a snobby point of view, but rather a practical one - I just like to wander and shoot handheld a lot of times (especially in cities), and often in lower light. I just need the f/2.8 for that more often than not. And the 24-70mm zoom range is nearly perfect for me, most of the time.

So I unloaded about 8 lenses, acquired the two new Sony lenses mentioned above, and haven’t looked back.

Now I am down to 6 Sony lenses and feel great about it. Here’s my current lineup:

• 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II

• 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II

• 14mm f/1.8 GM

• 20mm f/1.8 G

• 24mm f/1.4 GM

• 35mm f/1.4 GM

That’s it. Well, that may still be a lot, but I do love prime lenses and it’s a lot less than I had a few weeks ago LOL.

The only thing that may be missing is something like a 70-200mm lens. I honestly don’t have a need for much beyond 70mm most of the time (I tend to prefer a wider view, most of the time), so next time I feel like I need that I may just rent it. I rented their 100-400mm for Iceland back in August (had to capture puffins!!) and it was perfect for that. Renting would certainly be cheaper! Plus, then I don’t start accumulating more lenses that end up just collecting dust around here.

I want to actually use what I have, instead of just look at it.

And that is a key point here. I want to be really comfortable with my lenses, and know how to use them in various situations, without having to think about it. When you have 12 lenses, you just can’t really master them all. I prefer to have a few solid choices that are amazing, and use them frequently vs just have a nice collection of stuff sitting on a shelf. Sure it looks pretty, but what’s the use of them just sitting there?

So I’m going to try and stick with this lens lineup for a while. They are all amazing lenses, fantastic quality and all that. And they more than cover what I shoot 99% of the time. Feel free to ask me in about 6 months and see if I am sticking to it!

p.s. I have all my gear listed on my gear page (and it’s now updated) if you want to take a look: https://jimnix.com/gear

---

This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything using these links, I make a small commission which supports this site and my free tutorials on Youtube. Your cost is the same regardless of whether you use my links or not. It's a free way to support all the training I provide. I appreciate your support.

Presets vs LUTs in Luminar Neo

I’ve recently gotten several questions about presets and LUTs, mostly about trying to understand the difference between these two tools. So as I tend to do, I made a video about it. I also created a chart that shows all the differences, and you can download a copy of it if you join my newsletter (plus you get some Luminar presets and more - all for FREE!).

https://jimnix.com/newsletter

Both tools are excellent, although I feel they are built for different uses. I use both in my editing at times - sometimes it is one or the other, and sometimes I use both on a single image. It just depends on the look I am trying to achieve.

Check out today’s tutorial video and let me know if you have any questions!

Pre-dawn in Grand Place, Brussels

When I travel, I always try and get up before sunrise to get out and shoot, if possible. It can be hard, but it is always rewarding, and I always return with images that I am happy with. Especially in a big city, those early morning hours are perfect for capturing scenes that would otherwise be completely full of people.

Today’s photo is a perfect example of this. I was up and out shooting at around 5:30am in Brussels some years back. I wandered into Grand Place, their amazing and beautiful city square, and had it essentially to myself.

Any other time of day, this place is swarming with tourists, but way before dawn it was quiet, empty and perfect!

Enhancing Details in Luminar Neo

Interested in getting photo tips every week or so? Join my newsletter and get this goodness sent straight to your email inbox. You also get a preset pack for Luminar Neo absolutely free when you join! Enjoy and thanks!

https://jimnix.com/newsletter

---

Enhancing details during an edit can have a huge impact on the image. In fact, I consider Detail to be one of the 3 key tenets of image editing (the other two being Light and Color). I may talk about that in more detail at a later time. But, as with Light and Color, I truly believe you have to be rather careful with it. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Try Structure AI. It’s a great tool and my favorite one for enhancing details. It’s also human-aware, so you can try it on portraits without crunching up someone’s skin.

2. I notice that Structure AI also slightly brightens the area where it is applied, so keep that in mind when using it.

3. I use Structure AI negatively all the time (slide it to the left instead of to the right), which smooths out details and makes it more soft and dreamy. This works great on skies and water.

4. Use the Details tool itself. I use this one less often, but on certain subjects it really helps. There are sliders for Small, Medium and Large Details, but most of the time I am happy just using Medium. Whenever I try out Small, it feels like it gets really overdone, quickly. Experiment and see what you like.

5. Regardless of which tool you use, consider masking the adjustments into specific areas. If not, the entire photo can end up looking a little crunchy and over the top. Certain things in a photo look good with enhanced detail, and other things do not. Hence the use of masking - a key skill in photo editing.

The image below is a great example of this technique. I used Structure AI to increase the crispness of the bridge stonework and the teahouse. Then, I used Structure AI again, but negative this time, to help smooth out the sky and water.

Sunset edits in Luminar Neo

Interested in getting photo tips every week or so? Join my newsletter and get this goodness sent straight to your email inbox. You also get a preset pack for Luminar Neo absolutely free when you join! Enjoy and thanks!

https://jimnix.com/newsletter

---

Ah, sunset - that lovely time of day when soft light and warm colors come together to create a little magic in the air. I just love photographing sunset, don’t you? 📸

However, I think you have to be careful with the colors, because if you “over-edit”, the intensity can overwhelm the rest of the scene. Here’s a couple of ideas:

• First, do all the light adjustments you want to do (I always start with Develop Raw and then use Supercontrast second).

• Do minimal color adjustments in Develop Raw (that is, be careful with Temperature, Tint, Saturation and Vibrance).

• Although it is tempting to jump straight to the Golden Hour tool inside of Landscape (in the Essentials section), I recommend using it later/last. It can really bump up those warm tones and overwhelm the edit.

• Try Toning. I generally leave the Hue pretty far to the left and just move up the Saturation slider until I like the look. This is just in the Highlights section. I rarely do much in the Shadows section.

• Try Color Harmony. Brilliance/Warmth as well as Split Color Warmth are excellent, but my favorite is Color Balance. Again, in that tool I stay mostly in the Highlights section, where I experiment with the Cyan-Red (towards Red) and Magenta-Green (towards Magenta) sliders. Sometimes I will also go into the Shadows and test out the Yellow-Blue (towards Blue).

• Don’t use too many color tools. Sunset shots often just need a little bump, so if you use several tools to enhance color, it can get out of control quickly.

Here’s an example photo. I started with Develop Raw and then Supercontrast. Then, I used only Color Harmony to get the colors looking how I wanted them to look (I used Brilliance/Warmth, Split Color Warmth, and Color Balance too - all in just slight amounts). It’s beautiful and colorful, without being overwhelming (at least to my eyes). If I added Golden Hour to the image, it would be oversaturated.

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Luminar Neo 1 Year Anniversary! (Plus my Favorite Updates)

Luminar Neo 1 Year Anniversary!

Hello friends! As you probably know, I use Luminar Neo all the time and absolutely love it. I can quickly and easily get a beautiful result with my edits, and have fun doing it. It’s an amazing product and that is why I make so many videos about it. 

Skylum Software is celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Luminar Neo, and they have an amazing special offer which I will outline below. If you don’t yet have this app, now is a great time to pick it up! Plus, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel and get a TON of free training on Luminar Neo.

If you want to click through and check out the offer, click here: https://bit.ly/3K3RMEM or just see the details below.

Luminar Neo also picked up two major industry awards this past year:

• TIPA Award: Best Imaging Software Enthusiast

• Red Dot Award: Interface and User Experience Design

Luminar Neo has clearly had an amazing year since launch, and I truly believe the best is yet to come!

---

Luminar Neo Special Offer: check it out here https://bit.ly/3K3RMEM

Start: February 15, 2023

End: February 28, 2023

❯ Annual Explore subscription - $99 (119)/year + 1 year free + Creative Anniversary Collection

❯ Monthly Explore subscription - $9.95/month + 1 month free + Creative Anniversary Collection

❯ Annual Pro subscription - $119 (149)/year + 1 year free + Creative Anniversary Collection

❯ Monthly Pro subscription - $14.95/month + 1 month free + Creative Anniversary Collection

❯ Luminar Neo Lifetime purchase - $149 (199) + Magic Light extension for free + Creative Anniversary Collection

---

My Favorite 2022 Updates to Luminar Neo

I also wanted to share some thoughts on the evolution of this product. It has grown and matured considerably in the past year, adding new capabilities and features that continue to expand the power of this amazing platform. They delivered 29 updates and added 7 professional extensions. This alone is exceptional, but when you consider that they are based in Ukraine and having to deal with all of that, it is truly amazing. I have so much respect for their commitment to Luminar under these circumstances. And of course I am super happy that they all continue to remain safe.

For me, there were 5 updates/adds to the platform that really got me excited. It was hard to narrow the list down this much, but these really stick out to me as exceptional, useful, and very powerful. (Also note that throughout the year, there were many improvements to performance, new camera support added, updates to tools, etc.) While all updates are great to have and always welcome, I find that these 5 are the ones that have been most useful for me.

My Top 5 Updates:

1. Mask AI - this amazing masking tool uses AI to identify up to 9 different objects in a scene, and automatically create a mask for it. This gives you fantastic control over your edits so you can be targeted and specific in achieving your creative vision. Talk about a time saver! I love this feature and use it all the time.

2. Unlocked presets - when Neo first came out, the presets were a “black box”, meaning it would just apply all the edits in the preset to the photo without allowing us to see the filters/tools that were in the preset (or be able to adjust them). When they unlocked presets, this all changed in a hugely positive way. Now you can refine presets for better overall results, as well as customize and save your own. This was huge for me, and probably you as well. And as you may know, I do like presets quite a bit. Check out my Luminar Neo Preset MegaPack if you are interested!

3. HDR Merge - it’s no secret that I love HDR photography, and HDR Merge is my favorite extension. It’s one I use all the time and I absolutely love the results. I will be sharing a lot more about what I am doing with HDR Merge soon. Stay tuned for news coming to your mailbox soon! If you haven’t yet subscribed to my newsletter, you can do that here. You also get a free Luminar Neo preset pack for subscribing!

4. Sync adjustments - this allows you to edit one photo and then copy those adjustments to another photo. This is super handy when you come back from a shoot and want to ensure your edits stay aligned to your vision for the shoot. Makes it easy to keep things consistent!

5. Additional extensions: Focus Stacking, Noiseless AI, Supersharp AI - I have and use all the extensions, but these three are quite popular and useful and allow you to save money by doing all of this inside of Luminar Neo, instead of having to go to another tool. This also lets you focus your time and effort on going deep with Luminar so you can really master it and get fantastic results.

I have covered a LOT of things in my Luminar Neo videos, but if you have a specific request, please let me know. I can add it to the list of possibilities and perhaps it will get turned into a future training video!

It was an amazing 2022 for the Skylum team, and I look forward to more growth of the Luminar Neo platform in 2023. Thanks to the Skylum team for all their focus, determination, courage, resourcefulness, bravery and commitment to us. I know it has been a challenging year for them and I am quite inspired by them! 

Incredible Iceland

My favorite images from my Luminar Photo Camp trip to Iceland!

Back in November, my good friends over at Skylum included me as an instructor on their Luminar Photo Camp in Iceland. It was a week of fantastic photography and camaraderie with other photographers. We all walked away with great images and amazing memories - not to mention new friends!

Here’s a selection of my favorite images from the 2 weeks I spent over there. And while 2 weeks sounds like a lot of time - and in some ways it is - I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of taking photos of Iceland. It’s just an incredibly beautiful place and has a really strong pull for folks like me.

All of these images were captured with my Sony A7R3 and two of my favorite Sony lenses: the 16-35mm f/2.8 GM and the 14mm f/1.8 GM. These are fantastic landscape lenses and give me so much capability. And, I was using the Peak Design travel tripod too, in case you were curious. Small, light and compact - yet very sturdy. Works every time!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Join Me at the Visual Storytelling Conference!

Check out the Visual Storytelling Conference!

Hi Friends! I have the distinct pleasure of presenting at the upcoming Visual Storytelling Conference, which runs March 10-13, 2022. My session is entitled “Luminar Neo: Everything You Need to Know for Powerful Photo Edits”. My session is scheduled for 6pm EDT on Sunday, March 13, 2022.

I will be diving into several photo edits in this session (landscape, cityscape, portrait) and showing how you can take advantage of the powerful tools in Luminar Neo to make really impactful photos.

The best part? The conference is FREE to attend! Yes, free.

You can register at this link: https://visualstorytellingconference.com/jim-nix/

There are going to be a LOT of really fantastic sessions hosted by well-known photographers such as Elia Locardi, Rich Harrington, Frederick Van Johnson, Nicole S. Young, and more! Check it out!

While the conference is free to attend, there are also VIP Packages available that give you even more creative options with some really interesting and fun photography and videography tools.

The VIP Pass includes the following:

Streaming access to all VSC 2022 session recordings

Exclusive VIP raffle opportunities

Choice of 1 Product:

• Beauty Box (value $199)

• ON1 Effects 2022 (value $69)

• Mylio Premium 1-year subscription (value $99)

• AfterShoot 1-year subscription (value $120)

• Boris FX Collection (includes Sapphire, Continuum, Mocha Pro, Silhouette and Optics) 3-month subscription (value $500)

Want the full VIP Bundle? Become a VIP+ Pass Holder!

I look forward to seeing you there!

Luminar Neo is Here!

The day is finally here - Luminar Neo is publicly available!

Yes, the original announcement and pre-order period started in September 2021, which feels like a really long time ago (well, it is 5+ months, so yeah). But the day is upon us, and Luminar Neo is now generally available. As you might expect, I created a First Look video on my YouTube channel, which I will link to below. In the video, I cover what’s new, what’s coming but not yet in the product, what’s different from Luminar AI, and also what’s missing (in my opinion). Yes, I do think there are some things that are missing from this initial launch version. I do think they will be added, but I do not know when.

Don’t have Luminar Neo yet? You can get it here.

I have been using the beta of Luminar Neo for a few months now, and have found it to be both quick and stable (I am on a Mac). Considering all the new stuff that is still to come (Mask AI and Portrait Background Removal, most notably), I think it is and will continue to be an amazing product. But it’s not perfect.

Once all of the remaining, promised features make it into the product, I think this will be a very formidable one. I already use it all the time, and have no reason to expect that to change.

I have already been sharing a lot of videos about Luminar Neo, which you can find in this playlist on YouTube.

Some of the more popular videos include:

• Key Tips for Compelling Landscapes

• 7 Tips to Help You Prepare

• My Favorite Features, So Far

• Confused About Curves? This Will Help.

• Split Toning Masterclass

Hopefully those give you some ideas about how to get the most out of Luminar Neo!

And oh yeah, I have a TON of Luminar Neo videos that I am planning. So if it’s of interest to you, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel to stay up to date on all these things.

I’ll be there every week making tutorials for ya!

Change, Fear, and a Brand New Year

Some thoughts about what I hope to do in 2022…

I love when a new year comes around. It’s always a nice time to sit back and consider what you have done and what you want to do differently going forward. Sure, you don’t need a change in the calendar to do that, but it’s a nice symbolic time to do so. It just feels right to me. So, I have been spending the last few weeks thinking long and hard about my photography, and YouTube, and all that. This blog is my attempt to “get it all on paper” and share what I am thinking regarding my future direction.

I love creating photographs, and videos about making photographs. I’ve been actively taking and editing photos for about 12 years now, and actively making and sharing videos on Youtube for about 4 years. Both are just so satisfying to me. I enjoy the heck out of doing both of these things. They give me a chance to express my creativity and compel me to get out and just do something. These days, that’s something. The fact that anyone even shows up and watches my videos, or reads my blog, is just icing on the cake. I often find it hard to believe anyone would listen to me.

The Need for a Change

But I will admit that over the last year or so, I haven’t been out enough. Sure, I get out and shoot some here in Austin, but I haven’t really been out shooting enough, and of course the amount of travel I have done has been severely restricted, just like for everyone else. I have come to realize how much I enjoy travel. Sure, I already knew that I loved to travel, but when you can’t count on several trips a year like you could in the past, that has an impact on things.

I have mostly spent the last year or so (well, I guess more like 2 years now, but the last year it seems like I have been here even more) sitting here in my office, making tutorials and working. Nothing wrong with either, but admittedly I am tired of it. I need to stretch myself a bit more, creatively and physically. I need to move around, with or without direction. I need to go new places and get stimulated. I just need to wander.

I made a video recently where I talked about my plans for 2022. It’s below. It’s a good summary of how I am feeling, and what I am thinking.

In that video, I basically say the same things I just wrote about above. The net-net of that is this: I plan to get out more in 2022. Sure, we still have some restrictions and travel isn’t even close to what it used to be (and likely never will be). But, I can get out, and I can take you with me via video/vlogs. I don’t even need some big overseas trip. Heck, I can just go to a city within a few hours drive (or a short flight) and have a good time taking photographs. I can just go downtown here in Austin. For me, it’s the change of scenery that matters most.

In fact, we took a trip for New Years up to Colorado, and I recorded the below video there. It was my first attempt at this sort of vlog in a long while. I have done some of these in the past, but it has been quite a while and I will admit to getting a bit of “stage fright” about recording them. 

I am very comfortable sitting in my office and making tutorials, but going out somewhere public, recording a video and sharing some tips and thoughts while wandering somewhere else has been hard for me. I am always embarrassed to do so in front of other people, but I am going to force myself to get over it. I simply need a change. It was easy enough on that Colorado trip, because I was walking in the woods and only saw other people every once in a while. But I don’t live among desolate landscapes - I live in a city. And thus, I am going to have to get out and record myself taking street shots and cityscapes, and make something of it.

Imposter Syndrome

The other challenge I face is that I often have a bit of imposter syndrome when talking about photography, outside of editing tips. I am very comfortable with editing and “how to get things done” in the digital darkroom (especially with some of those key products that I make tutorials about). I use them enough that I feel like my opinions there are valid and hopefully useful, and I feel knowledgeable about them. I’ve just been doing that sort of thing for so long that I feel like I can “hold my own” in terms of discussing that on a video, or live with another photographer.

But with general photography knowledge, I feel like maybe I don’t know enough about it, or maybe I am not good enough to really share that sort of thing. It’s difficult to overcome that sort of feeling. I don’t have a lengthy background in photography, nor do I have any formal training. I literally picked up a camera about 12 years ago and started shooting. I have learned a lot along the way, mostly through trial and error and dogged persistence. But I am essentially self-taught, which means that I don’t know what I don’t know. And of course I don’t know “everything”. How can you, really?

But I do have some knowledge that I think is useful to a lot of folks, and that is what I plan to share. I don’t feel like I have to be an expert in everything about photography (who is?). I can hopefully help folks advance their art and have fun in the process.

Plenty of tutorials on tap for 2022!

And no, I am not giving up on tutorials. I still really enjoy making them. And yes I am going to continue making tutorials for the products that I love to use, namely Luminar Neo, On1 Photo RAW, Topaz and more. So no change in that regard. I simply plan to mix it up a little so I can satisfy my need to create in other ways. It keeps me from feeling stale, which is how I have felt for the better part of the last year.  

For me, I feel like it is about adding value for those who follow along. Sure, I can sit here and make editing tutorials all the time, but I need some variety and some different forms of stimulation, otherwise I am going to burn out on that. I have had a lot of folks ask me to share additional tips and tricks about shooting in the field vs just editing tips for the photos themselves. In other words, some tips about how to capture the image while out there. In order to do that, it requires that I get out and bring you with me. So that is on the docket for this year, and I am really looking forward to it. The recent video from Colorado has been pretty well received, and I’m grateful for that.

Expanding my creative skills

I am also looking at expanding in some other areas with my photography. I want to do a little more work with portraits, for example. No, I don’t plan to chase weddings gigs or official portrait sessions. But I enjoy going to events here locally (assuming there are some in 2022!) and taking portraits. It’s a nice change of pace from my usual subject matter, and stretches me in terms of better understanding lighting and posing, and more. And I always learn something. So hopefully I can get some of that done this year.

I also just picked up a small light panel and a light stand, and I ordered some Replica Surfaces photo backgrounds. I plan to delve into some product photography this year, too. This, like the portrait work, is just for fun and for my own education. But it’s another, different avenue to go down and experiment with. I am sure I will learn a lot about this stuff while trying it out. How else can I learn it, anyway?

So that’s a quick summary of my plans for 2022. I am actively considering some other avenues too, that I may delve into in a future post here, or in a video. But the main goal for me this year is to inject a little more fun into what I do. The last two years have been tough on everyone, including me. I miss getting out and going places. I’m going to do my best to make that different in 2022. Thanks for following along.

Oregon - Always Beautiful, Rain or Shine

I am just back from Oregon, and once again it was fantastic!

View fullsize

Sunrise in Manzanita, OR

As I said in a recent blog post here, I spent Thanksgiving up in lovely Oregon. It has been my favorite state for many years, and that feeling only increases each time I visit. I was in Portland for a few days, and then after that we were out at the coast. Regardless of the location, I always find something interesting to point the camera at.

While in Portland, I hit quite a few areas that I have previously just barely seen. I love shooting in cities, especially ones that I haven’t shot much before, and this was no different. While I didn’t get great conditions while in Portland (or at the coast, to be honest), I still came home with a bunch of new shots and I think quite a few that I consider keepers.

I haven’t really had time to go through them in depth yet - that’s something I will do this next weekend.

I also shot a LOT with my iPhone 12 Pro, which I also talked about here on the blog recently. That darn camera is pretty good, in fact it’s really good. I had no idea what I was missing until I got it. Now I can use it as a true 2nd camera most of the time, and the interesting thing is that I see compositions and views with it that I may never have thought of when using my Sony. It’s a joy to shoot with, and you can’t beat the convenience.

So all of today’s photos are iPhone shots. All are edited in Luminar AI (naturally). And of course I also posted these (and more) on my Flickr page if you want to see even more…

Now there’s just one thing left for me to do. Find another excuse to make a return trip to Oregon! I love it there!

Click any image to embiggen!

View fullsize

Cannon Beach

View fullsize

Downtown in Portland

View fullsize

Devil’s Cauldron

Manzanita, OR

Lake Oswego, OR

Portland, OR

View fullsize

Manzanita, OR

St John’s Bridge, Portland

Portland, OR

Luminar Black Friday Deals + News on Neo!

Hey friends, thanks for stopping by. Today Skylum announced a lot of Black Friday deals, which are outlined below. I also received some news on Luminar Neo. I will share all that below, or you can watch my video about it instead. Thanks for stopping by!

If you are interested in purchasing any of these BF specials, you can use the links below:

Preorder Luminar Neo - CLICK HERE

Get Luminar AI or a Bundle - CLICK HERE

View fullsize

As you can see, there are some GREAT deals on Skylum products.

If you are unsure about Luminar Neo, I have a full playlist about it on YouTube, which should answer a lot of questions. But keep in mind that although it isn’t out yet, you have a 30 day money back guarantee from the date of release. So you can buy now, and then decide later.

Also, there are some new visuals about Luminar Neo, which are exciting because they give us a good idea about what’s coming.

View fullsize

Relight AI is going to be awesome, methinks.

View fullsize

I imagine that automatic dust spot removal is going to be SUPER popular. It will be used on every image I edit, that’s for sure!

View fullsize

And of course, automatic removal of power lines will be amazing, too!

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions!