A Quick Story about my Photography
It was February 2020, and I was in Iceland. I was there for the very first Luminar Adventure, and my role was to teach some Luminar classes and to assist attendees in the field. The “official” guides for the tour were all SUPER FAMOUS photographers with huge followings: Iurie Belegurschi, Albert Dros, Daniel Kordan, Serge Ramelli - these guys are BIG TIME. And then there was little old me.
One of the things we did each day was editing sessions hosted by the guides. This is mainly what I was there for, and I figured it would be pretty simple for me to demo Luminar. After all, I’d already been using it for a long time and had made countless videos about it. I felt super comfortable doing these demos, even in front of these famous photographers.
But when watching these pros edit their landscapes, I realized something: they were using masking to control their edits WAY more than I was, and in very inventive ways, too. And guess what? Their results were better, even though I knew Luminar inside and out.
Of course I was using masks, but admittedly my use was pretty basic. These folks were using masks a LOT, and for things that I had never even thought of. It was eye-opening!
I realized right then that I needed to dive deep into how to craft stunning images. I began immediately to focus on becoming more advanced and creative in using masks, as well as optimizing how I use other tools, which order I use them in, and more. In short, I started to THINK more about my edits - not just start editing.
I learned a LOT that week from some amazing photographers, and to this day I continue to explore new, creative ways to use masks and other tools to control my edits, and of course I love to help others do the same.
So what happened?
Luckily, my sessions went well and of course I loved hanging out with all the attendees and shooting in Iceland. It was an amazing trip.
But the best part was what happened next.
A few years later, we were back in Iceland for another Luminar Adventure, and one of those world famous pros came up to me after one of my sessions and said “Jim, you’re editing has really come a long way in the last couple of years.” That made my day. Heck, it made my year. I have so much respect for this photographer, and that was all the motivation I needed to make sure I continue on this path.
That’s how I got here. I’ve learned so much from so many people, and I love to pay it forward in hopes of helping you all achieve even better results. I’ve had a lot of help along the way, even when I didn’t realize it.
That’s what my new landscape editing mini-course is all about: an opportunity for you to quickly advance your landscape photography editing to a new level. I will share my best ideas, tips, tricks and insights to help you get the most out of your edits.
This course is now available, check the link below for details. Thank you!
