Good Luck!!

Yep, I’m excited…I’m so excited about having my image on the cover of Outdoor Photographer in June I decided to have a giveaway (see below image)!!! The June edition is out on stands now so check out your local stores or check out OP Magazine from here.

Download a pdf with info about the work by clicking on the image below:

Outdoor Cover for June 2012

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Win a gift certificate to one of my favorite places to shop!! amazon.com!! Just go to your Facebook, Twitter, Blog or Flickr account, and post the following:

Celebrate Janice at SJP @sullivanjphotog for the June cover on OPMag/ @outdoorphotomag win a $20 gift card/ @amazon at amazon.com

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. PST on Wednesday, May 23rd.

The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or password accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You have four chances to win but you must post each link as a different comment to have multiple chances to win – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed.

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. GOOD LUCK!

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So are you interested in Tips & Lessons on Photography? Check out my other Blog here! I just posted some great videos on how to export images to Photoshelter and an amazing Plug-in to keyword your images fast!! Also, if you would like to be a guest author see below on how to Contribute.

Contribute:

Do you have a photography technique or tip to share? We would love to here about it.

What We Are Looking For:

- Tips and tutorials for photographers of all levels.

- Tips on Macro & Close-up photography but will look at other techniques.

- Tips on post production technique.

- Articles should be at least 450 words long.

- All articles would have to be your original work.

- All supporting imagery needs to be either your own photography or images under the creative common license.

Exposure:

In exchange for accepted articles you will get a bio section at the bottom with info about you and a link to your portfolio or other website you would like. Posts will also be added to Facebook & Twitter.

How To Submit:

If you are interested in contributing please send your article ideas to me from here

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Thank you Outdoor Photographer for the Cover!!!

June has been such an amazing month for me! I’m excited to announce that I am also in the Tips section of Popular Photography!! I really enjoyed working with them so yep, when I post that info I’ll have another giveaway!!

I’m loving JUNE!!!

Cheers,

Janice Sullivan

Owner of Sullivan J Photography

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UPDATE:  We have a winner!!!!!  See details here.

Today I would like to show you a short tutorial  on how I export my images from Lightroom to Photoshelter.

My last post was about using a plug-in in Lightroom to keyword your images and today I’d like to show you another plug-in to add images to your galleries in Photoshelter. It’s so nice to have one area via Lightroom to do many things. If you have time I also posted several videos on how to make an ugly image into a beautiful one using the Nik software products and Lightroom.

For those of you that don’t have a Photoshelter account click on their banner on the right side of this blog to receive a discount. I recommend them for many reasons but here is just a few:

1. Keep archived images on their server.
2. Easy download for your customers.
3. They have a variety of website designs to choose from.
4. Sell your images on-line.

Jeez, they should hire me to advertise for them, lol!! But seriously, I am recommending  them because I feel that they are great company and you would be happy with their services.

Yep…have a bit of a frog in my throat.  The weather here in Southern California has been hot, cold, hot, cold, etc….

Cheers,

Janice Sullivan

Owner of Sullivan J Photography

Related articles

• Keyword PlugIn for Adobe Lightroom (sullivanjphotography.com)
• Photography Business: PhotoShelter Publishes The 2012 Photo Business Plan Workbook (prweb.com)
• Social Media for Photographers: New Free Guide to Building Facebook Fan Pages by PhotoShelter (prweb.com)

Keyword Plug-In from Janice Sullivan on Vimeo.

Using this keyword plug-in with Adobe Lightroom will give you more time to photograph instead of being in front of a computer typing keywords for all your images!

I really enjoy the interaction with photographers and others that enjoy photography so please feel free to comment or send me an email at janice@sullivanjphotography.com.

Cheers,

Janice Sullivan

Owner of Sullivan J Photography

Related articles

• Video Tutorials for Photographers: Fixing an ugly image into a Beauty. (sullivanjphotography.com)
• Adobe releases Lightroom 4 — at half the price (news.cnet.com)

WordPress sent via email a bunch of my old posts???  Oooops!!  Sorry

Well…I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Cheers,

Janice Sullivan

Owner of Sullivan J Photography

It’s interesting how much things have changed in the photography world since I started this blog. It seems like as soon as I’m comfortable with my camera, software, etc…something new comes out and I want to purchase it! Can I win the LOTTO! I’m addicted to the latest and greatest goodies out there! I was taught using film photography in college. It was sooo much fun but now I’m all digital. When I started this blog I only used Photoshop, but now I use Photoshop, Lightroom & all the Nik software programs with a variety of plug-ins.

With all that said I have just added Video tutorials to my blog, this way you can learn from a visual side.  These 5 videos are steps on turning an ugly photograph into a beauty.  We don’t always have the time to take a white balance, set up the tripod, meter the area, etc… so here are steps for you when you just don’t have the time to make a perfect image from the camera.

Hope you Bookmark my blog so you can check the videos out at your leisure & if you want to receive a tutorial once a month you can add this blog to your email…look to your upper right and click on Follow this Blog via Email.  Always feel free to comment or email me at janice@sullivanjphotography.com.

Below is the before and after images so you can see where we start and where we will end.

To view with better clarity click on link below videos.

First Video:

First Step on Fixing an Ugly Image to a Beautiful Image from Janice Sullivan on Vimeo.

Second Video:

Second Step on Fixing an Ugly Image into a Beautiful one. from Janice Sullivan on Vimeo.

Third Video:

Third Step On Improving an Ugly Image into a Beauty from Janice Sullivan on Vimeo.

Fourth Video:

Fourth Step Fixing an Ugly Image into a Beauty from Janice Sullivan on Vimeo.

Fifth Video:

Fifth Step on Fixing an Ugly Image into a Beauty from Janice Sullivan on Vimeo.

Not only did I want to share my new videos but I also want to express that just because you didn’t get that perfect image from the beginning…don’t trash it.  Fix it!

I want to thank Phyllis on LinkedIn…she believes this is a dried Thistle    Thank you Phyllis for taking the time to comment! 

Cheers,

Janice Sullivan

Owner of Sullivan J Photography

Today I would like to talk about some other alternative lighting techniques that work well with macro photography.

So let’s get started…

One of my favorite tools is the flashlight, yep!  They are great for Macro work.  There are so many fun flashlights out there for you to choose from. I personally use Streamlights but if you feel that they are too expensive try Maglites, see below: the mini is wonderful for macro work, click on the photo for a better look.

Remember, if you’re photographing in RAW format you can manipulate the white balance and change the color of your picture. If you want to have your photo true to life then so be it, or if you’re looking for a more dramatic look then play with your white balance. For more technical info on color temperature click here. I found this wonderful article discussing light & color in photography on Photography.com that you can also read. I highly recommend that you do read these articles because it will help you understand the tech side of lighting.

The photographs below were shot with a small Streamlight.

With the photograph above I am holding the flashlight above and to the right of my camera. Look at your camera’s exposure level the first time you use your flashlight and adjust the f-stop & shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure.  You may need to play with the exposure levels a bit depending on how close/intense the light is to the subject. On the picture below I focused the light high above the flower to give it a softer look and to have the stem pop right were it meets the flower, my focal point.  These flower images haven’t been totally post processed.  I just want to show you how the flashlight hits them.

Another fun thing to shoot is water drops…

I found a wonderful article for you to read up on before you start your macro mode on water drops, just click here to read. You will need your flash and either continuous lights or strobes for this. My photographer friend said that you can try this outside with a reflector under your glass tank and a white cardboard behind the tank to achieve a good exposure, but I was in my studio so I used my flash and two hot lights, at least that’s what the lights used to be called before fluorescent light bulbs were around, lol! Ok I used continuous lighting.  First let’s talk about continuous lighting. Shortcourses.com has information on this.

The kit below is an awesome set! It’s small for macro and all ready for you to work on. The Plexiglas can add some creativity to your shots, you have an instant backdrop and you can also set your lights under table to diffuse the light for more fun creative shots. You can purchase this kit at B & H or you can purchase the equipment individually, if you don’t have the money now for a kit.

And if you like strobes…check out this kit:

To make the picture below, I used my continuous lights on each side of the water shot and used my flash above the drop with a ratio of 3:1. Chuck McKern has a great article, “Understanding Lighting Ratios” if you want more detailed info on ratios. I also suggest you read your manual that you received when you purchased your flash so you can play with the various ratios. Tooooo much fun playing with water!!

Water shot: F3.5 @ 1/250

I would like you to read this article by Urs Recher, posted on Digital Photo Pro on Light Lessons, focus on Image 6. Just remember the more research you do on lighting techniques, the better you will understand how to light your subject. Another excellent book on lighting is by Robert Morrissey, “Master Lighting Guide”, check it out at Amazon.

Today, I talked about my favorite light tool – the flashlight.  Play with them, you’ll have so much fun!! Below is another shot from a flashlight that I like.  Adding light just where I wanted gave this image a soft feel to it. This image was processed in Photoshop with layers, etc…but I’m sure you get what I’m saying and hope this inspires you to use a variety of lighting techniques to play with!

Cheers,

Janice

Related articles

• Macro photography tips with example photographs and images (sundayphotographer.wordpress.com)
• Macro-Photography 101: Equipment and Technique (greatmentor.net)
• STUNNING Macro photography!!! (cavalars.wordpress.com)
• Photography Frustration – Why I Need a Macro Lens (storiesnotstuff.wordpress.com)

If you have been reading the steps on, “How to Photograph Up Close” then you should know how to process your photographs and have some basic knowledge on macro equipment. Did you do your homework and photograph in natural light? Did you notice that the closer you got to the subject, the depth-of-field shortened (less in focus)?

As I mentioned before…Once I complete this series I plan to write full articles on this site.  For now to read more of this article click here!

deserts blooms

Thank you,

Janice

Related articles

• 10 Quick Tips for Professional Macro Photographing (sullivanjphotography.com)
• Koen Miseur: A Fresh Look at Depth of Field: Using foreground to achieve creative depth of field (digital-photography-school.com)
• Fun With My Macro Filters #2 (eoghann.com)
• How to Photograph Up Close – V: Digital Basics (sullivanjphotography.com)
• Photographing Insects and Other Small Creatures (nikonusa.com)

When you received your DSLR camera you most likely received software to fix your photographs. Before digital cameras, we would process our photographs in a darkroom. I had so much fun playing with the photographs back then. Because of digital photography, the craft has changed, I now process my files using Adobe Lightroom and to detail the photo I use Adobe Photoshop. I always photograph in RAW format. Shooting RAW gives you more flexibility to change your picture. I will show you later how to batch process but today is an introduction to correcting your photos with the CD/DVD you received with your camera, so let’s start…

To view the rest of the article click here!

Backlight using Natural light.

Just an fyi…after I have completed this series of Basic Macro Photographing techniques I have decided to keep this blog for my tips and lessons.

Thanks everyone that sent me emails on what they would like!

Cheers,

Janice

Again…to read on my Basic Macro lesson part IV  click here.

Happy Holidays to you all!!!

Sullivan J Photography

Cheers,

Janice

Related articles

• Macro Gadgets (sullivanjphotography.com)
• 10 Quick Tips for Professional Macro Photographing (sullivanjphotography.com)
• Macro Monday (maggiephotgraphy.wordpress.com)
• CLOSE UP (MACRO) Weekly Photography Challenge (digital-photography-school.com)
• Photographing Insects and Other Small Creatures (nikonusa.com)
• 20 Spectacular Macro Photography Examples (digital-photography-school.com)

Some of you may know by now that I’m working on my new blog site. I still post here the tips you can read about giving you the new link…so here you are. Hope you sign up on this new site to receive information on Lessons & Tips regarding photography.

Check out “Fun Gadgets for Macro Photographing”…would love for you to comment!!

Cheers,
Janice