If you want to buy the cheaper frames, and don’t want to do your own matte cutting, what are you to do. Today out tip is how to simulate the matted look right in Photoshop.

A few notes on the video. You can take this much farther, maybe we’ll look at some of those options in a future video. Try adding a texture to your blank white layer. Maybe a watercolor paper look or even velvet. Play with the sliders in the inner glow panel to get thicker or thinner looking matte layers.

OK you’ve likely heard of lighter colors coming forward and darker ones going back. This is taught in art classes all over. There are a few other characteristics of light and dark to be aware of.

1. Light colors come forward. Dark Goes Back. So anything of lighter color seems to be in front of something dark in most cases unless there is some other visual indicator in the image. (eg. size, focus, etc)

2. People seem to look first at the light, their eyes naturally seek out lighter objects. So put your subject in the spotlight so to speak. That is where the eye will go naturally.

3. Just a tip white colored clothes will add weight whereas black or dark will seem to thin down. This is especially true if you are the only one in a white shirt and everyone else is wearing dark. So in case you are planning something, keep that in mind.

Light and Dark, Not just for Star Wars.

OK we looked at patterns before. If you are looking to dray the viewers eye somewhere. Find a pattern and then break it up at one point. So in this image we have all the golden color and the tallish vertical lines. Then throw in something to break it up, like a black bird. You can use this technique in many situations. Find a pattern and then throw in something to break up the pattern. Instant focal point. It’s pretty neat.

What’s the best camera in the world? My father and grandfather always would tell me this.

The best camera in the world is the one that’s with you.

The really expensive body, amazing glass, and thousand dollar tripod don’t do you any good at home in your closet, or in your trunk. You could take it one step further to say the camera with the lens cap on, with no memory card, etc is also uses-less to you if something happens. But for me, I always try to have a camera with me. It’s nice that my phone camera is decent and can be used for taking notes and recording history. I also keep a waterproof shockproof camera with me. So it’s rare that I don’t have something with me to make images with. You can’t take pictures without your camera so carry it with you.

Shadows are mysterious. You can hide things in shadow. Why then would they say shadows can define. Photographers sometimes get so caught up with looking for great light, that we forget to notice the shadow. It’s the shadows job to give us depth and dimension. Without the ever important shadow opposing the lights we would be working in a realm of flatness. So along with the great light, pay attention to the shadows. Where the shadows fall makes all the difference.

If you want to make great images you need great light. Where the light comes from doesn’t matter one iota, not even a little bit. What matters is how that light defines your subject. Sometimes you need soft directional light other times hard punchy light might do the trick. If you are looking to make some great images, find the great light, or change it, or make it with any of the light sources we have available to us.

If landscapes are often difficult to light artificially, I’ve heard of two ways to approach landscape work. Find a great subject and wait for the light, or find the great light and look for a subject. Both have their time and place. When you are in the great light, get out there and find a subject. If you find a great subject, visualize when you think the light will be great and come back. Go ahead and shoot it now, but plan to come back.

Photography is all about light, any light. When you find the light, use it.

Be interested in everything around you. Someone once said if you aren’t getting interesting images, go stand in front of more interesting stuff. I’ve always thought it was funny to have these road signs a million miles away from the pavement. Maybe there are a lot more people driving out here than I thought. I was very interested in the sky on this day and wanted to find something to go with it.

Sorry about the long delay, I’ve been away for a while and nothing happened as it should.

Leading lines can be anything to guide you into an image. Mostly we think of roads, trails, rivers. But it can be anything that your eye will follow. Tracks, Logs, a lighter or darker area. It can be converging lines of a room or banister. So have a look at the scene and see if there is something that can lead your eye somewhere.

This image would have been much better if the tracks were positioned to lead your eye to the horses or something neat. I wanted you to see how your eye can follow somewhat broken lines as well as the usual trail.

It is said that a pattern is interesting. There is another tip about patterns we’ll talk about later. But notice patterns as you wander about your day. We as people notice patterns so that we can see the changes. Mostly I like to shoot patterns and textures to possibly overlay or use as parts of other images or backgrounds for different layouts. It doesn’t take long to have a nice collection of patterns and backgrounds.

Visualize your image before or as you take it. Sometimes you can see multiple possibilities in an image. As you practice capturing an image and then processing it to look as you visualized it in your mind, you’re vision will begin to align with your technique and you will truly be able to see what it could come out like. You can see in black and white, HDR, or infrared as you practice and think about what it could look like. This doesn’t just apply when you have your camera and are capturing images. You’ll start to see these possibilities all the time in real time. You’ll look at a scene and see it in BW, HDR, Infrared, or with your favorite adjustments all at the same time. You’ll be a better image maker and will see the end as you make the image. So try to see the final print as you capture your images.