by Michael Frye | Nov 6, 2015 | Announcements
Oaks in an autumn snowstorm, Yosemite; from the 2013 Yosemite Renaissance exhibit
This is a quick post to let you know that the deadline for entering the 31st annual Yosemite Renaissance competition and exhibit is approaching on November 15th. You can find out all the details and enter online here.
This is a great organization and competition, and the opening reception (next February 26th) is always a really fun event. The competition is “intended to encourage diverse artistic interpretations of Yosemite.” I’ve been honored to have my photographs accepted into the Yosemite Renaissance exhibit a number of times, and always felt I was in good company with many wonderful artists in each show. The photograph above was in the 2013 exhibit.
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by Michael Frye | Oct 7, 2015 | Announcements, Digital Darkroom
Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide
PDF ebook with video tutorials
103 double-page spreads
14.95 for a limited time, after which it goes up to 27.00
FAQ
Here it is! The latest update to my ebook, Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide, is now available. This new edition is revised and updated for Lightroom 6 and Lightroom CC, and includes two new examples and videos demonstrating how to use the most significant new features – the HDR Merge and the Panorama Merge.
Of course this new version still has all the features that made the first edition so popular. First, you can download the original Raw files used as examples in the ebook, and then follow along with each step yourself – just as if you were attending one of my workshops.
Second, when you purchase the ebook you get exclusive access to ten videos demonstrating different aspects of Lightroom’s Develop Module, like using the Adjustment Brush, Spot Removal Tool, and Point Curve, advanced retouching in Lightroom, the new HDR Merge, and much more. It’s great to read about a tool or technique; it’s even better to watch a demonstration, and then try it yourself on the same image.
And third, there’s the PDF ebook itself. This includes eight examples, where I take you step-by-step through processing each image in Lightroom. You’ll get to see my workflow in action, with a variety of images – high contrast, low contrast, color, black and white, HDR merge, and panorama. You’ll learn many specific techniques and tips, but perhaps more importantly, you’ll gain insight into the decision-making process that so many photographers struggle with. How much contrast is enough? How far can you push the saturation without making the image look garish or fake? What’s the right white balance?
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by Michael Frye | Sep 24, 2015 | Announcements
Curious deer, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
I just sent my prints to the G2 Gallery in Venice, California, for their upcoming exhibit, “Off the Beaten Path: Views From Yosemite.” This looks like a wonderful show, with photographs by Alan Ross, Robin Black, Art Wolfe, Franka Gabler, Ian Shive, Clyde Butcher, Marc Muench, and many others. They chose two of my Yosemite wildlife images for the exhibit, Curious Deer, and Coyote in Snow. The show runs from September 29th to November 15th. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it to the reception on October 3rd, but I’m sure I’ll be missing a fun event. If you’re in southern California I hope you’ll have a chance to check out the show or attend the reception. You can find more information and see some photographs from the exhibit here.
— Michael Frye
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by Michael Frye | Jun 17, 2015 | Announcements
Redbud reflection in the Merced River (part of the portfolio)
I’m honored to have a portfolio of my images, plus an in-depth interview, included in the latest issue of Photograph digital magazine from Craft & Vision. Regular readers have probably seen most of the images in the portfolio before, but it’s nice to view them all together, and I thought the questions the interviewer asked were interesting and thought-provoking.
There are three other portfolios in this issue – a fascinating and diverse collection. I enjoy looking at different kinds of photography, and especially liked Jordan Manley’s portfolio, as it blends elements of sports, photo-journalism, and landscape in an artful way.
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by Michael Frye | Apr 30, 2015 | Announcements, Reviews
Swirling mist from Tunnel View, Yosemite. The new HDR Merge in Lightroom 6/CC did a great job with this high-contrast scene, producing a natural-looking result, and doing it with a completely non-destructive workflow.
After months of rumors, last week Adobe finally released Lightroom 6 and Lightroom CC. When I saw the list of new features, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for improvements to Lightroom’s retouching tools, and to the Adjustment Brush. It would be nice to add a curve to only part of an image, for example, and the Auto Mask function of the Adjustment Brush has long needed improvement.
Changes to the Develop Module
Alas, Lightroom 6/CC offers only small improvements to the Develop Module, like the ability to move and copy Adjustment Brush pins, and to modify Graduated Filter and Radial Filter selections with a brush. Nice, but hardly earth-shattering.
There is, however, a new, unadvertised feature of the Spot Removal Tool that I stumbled upon, and find rather useful: you can now place new cloning or healing spots over old ones by hiding the tool’s circles. Press the H key to hide or reveal the circles (the Tool Overlay). Though this seems like a small thing, the ability to add cloning or healing in layers, one step on top of another, is vital for any serious retouching job, and a significant improvement to Lightroom’s retouching capabilities. (There was a workaround in previous versions of Lightroom, though rather an awkward one: you could place a new spot outside any existing ones, then drag it over an existing spot. The new implementation is much better.)
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by Michael Frye | Mar 21, 2015 | Announcements
Moon rising above the Valley, Yosemite National Park
— Michael Frye
