FREE Vignettes and Edge Darkening Presets for Lightroom 4

Matt Kloskowski just posted these free Lightroom 4 presets. These are great for edge darkening in light, medium and strong. He also includes a link on how to install and organize your presets in Lightroom. What a guy!

Download them here:

http://bit.ly/UMUyfR

How to Achieve a Clean, Bright Edit

iheartfaces posted this tutorial on how to edit for a clean, bright photo. Sisters Stephanie and Tammy are the photographers behind Luminosity Photography and Design who wrote this great article. They give the settings used on their sample image then describe step by step how they edited it in both Lightroom and Photoshop. They crop, adjust the White Balance, set exposure, contrast and vibrance. then they use the luminance tab to even out the skin tones in Lightroom. Then bring the image into Photoshop for cloning or patching out blemishes. they show how to bring out the eyes, then make the image pop using a curves adjustment layer. 

As a bonus, they also give steps used to create a beautiful black and white edit. 

This tutorial is amazing! 

check it out:

http://bit.ly/Nnpgax

How to Apply Makeup to a Model Using Photoshop

This article was written by Rachael Towne and posted in Lightstalking. She gives a step by step tutorial on how to apply makeup using Adobe Photoshop. She includes an image that you can download and follow along with her adding skin smoothing, contouring, glow, lipstick, eye makeup, eye brightener, eye shadow and darken lashes. Each of these techniques are handy to have and she makes it easy to learn!

http://bit.ly/W104fu

How to Create A Christmas Lights Bokeh Backdrop

I heart faces just posted this great tutorial on how to create a beautiful bokeh backdrop of Christmas lights, written by Amy Boyd of Amy Elizabeth Photography. She describes step by step how to set up and shoot including settings and sample images. This is a great article and just in the nick of time for the holidays!

http://bit.ly/TzV5Ay

How to Photograph the Moon

Lightstalking posted this article by Mike Panic on how to photograph the moon with 10 great examples.He shares his recommendations for using a tripod, long zoom lens, shutter release cable, best type of camera, ISO, aperture settings, and shutter speeds. The ten example images he shares are beautiful and inspiring!

http://bit.ly/TrgrzL

How to Create Animated GIF's for Your Blog

I heart faces featured this tutorial by Nicole Hansen on how to create animated GIF's. Also called cinemagraphs, they are a great way to bring more interest to your blog. 

By using 10-20 continuous photos, and Photoshop, this will give an animated feel to your site. She gives a step by step description of how to add this cool feature to your blog!

http://bit.ly/UsZ0lZ

Restore Heirloom Photographs

Photographer Christine Drescher wrote this article posted at shootsmarter.com on how to restore old family photographs. She demonstrates in a video how to fix backgrounds and brush out flaws in old photos. 

Check it out here:

http://bit.ly/V0nrDQ

Long Exposure Photography Interview

Looking for something a bit different to try? This interview with photographer Vassilis Tangoulis discusses long exposure photography. It's written by Andrew S. Gibson who is a writer and fine art photographer.

It's part of a series of interviews discussing long exposure photography. He gives some beautiful examples and answers some interesting questions. This article was inspiring and helpful in getting those creative ideas flowing!

http://bit.ly/TeEqor

Tips for Better Indoor Photos Using Available Light

Popphoto posted this article written by Peter Kolonia describing how Dutch molecular biologist Erik van Hannen shoots indoors using only available light. He gives some great ideas for techniques that help accentuate a room's character and color. http://bit.ly/PPK0h2

How the New Facebook Algorithm Affects Your Photography Page

MCP Actions posted this article by a guest writer. It covers a lot of information! Facebook is such a necessary tool for photographers, yet they keep changing. There's been lots of moaning and groaning, but most of us just want to know how to move forward. Social media is a big chunk of how we interact with, and find new clients. Photographers want to shoot, edit and shoot some more. It's a headache to put time into a social media campaign only to find it missing the mark.

That means we may have to rethink how we market ourselves. This information should help you understand how to get your work in front of a larger audience.

http://bit.ly/QkfddE

How to Create Photography Slideshows that Captivate Your Audience

Jason Row wrote this article posted at Light Stalking. He gives general tips for producing great slideshows. He describes how to create a story by carefully choosing your images, timing, and engaging your audience.

This is a great way to use your creativity and technical skills together!

http://bit.ly/WVgfOK

How to Fix the Five Most Common Pet Photography Mistakes

This is a great article written by Jamie Pflughoeff  posted at MCP actions. It tells how to fix the five most common pet photography editing mistakes and how to avoid them. Honestly, some of these tips are so helpful that they could also apply to many other types of photography. She describes the mistakes with a photo example, then tells how to correct it in both Photoshop and Lightroom. 

A great read!

http://bit.ly/S0Xpjn

"Learning How to Focus"

This article by Bill Jones was posted at the Photo Argus blog about learning how to focus. There's so much to consider when shooting that we often take focusing for granted. This article covers all the basics and gives tips for any situation. 

http://bit.ly/QJLK9u

"Introduction to Light Painting in Photography"

Another fun post to experiment with! This is about light painting and it was posted at iheartfaces. Written by Kara Wahlgren of Kiwi Photography, this tutorial gives tips on painting, or drawing with light. She gives 5 easy steps and then examples of how to do it. Some of her ideas involve using off camera flash, sparklers and dusk. This is just the kind of trick that adds the "wow" factor to your work and gets the creative juices flowing.

 Check it out here: http://bit.ly/XKlEpL

A DIY "Rig Shot" For Adding Motion to Photos

It's always fun to try new tricks with your camera. This is a great post by Peter Kolonia. He gives step by step instructions on how to set up a rig shot, which is used in automotive photography that shows speed and motion. He explains what lens to use, backgrounds that work well, and the right exposure for best results. 

This was posted at Popphoto:  

http://bit.ly/QBOnKs

More Tips on Photographing Fall Foliage

Christopher O'Donnell wrote this article at the Photoargus blog. He gives great tips on photographing fall foliage that you may not have tried yet. There are loads of fall images being posted this time of year, so if you're looking for something to make yours a bit different, these tips might help. It's always good to get out and just shoot! 

 http://bit.ly/Rp8SJV

Podcast Interview with Douglas Kirkland

Documentary photographer Matt Brandon posted this podcast interview with legendary photographer Douglas Kirkland. Sometimes it's good to just relax and be inspired by someone who is both amazing and successful.Take the time to listen; it's really quite enjoyable!

http://bit.ly/Vo1uEN

"How to Create a Ghostly Portrait" at iheartfaces

iheartfaces just posted this tutorial by Wendy VonSosen. She gives before and after shots and explains how to create a ghostly effect. A fun trick to try just in time for Halloween! 

http://bit.ly/XsQQd7

Tips For Sharing Your Photography on the Web

This is another good article at Digital Photography School with lots of ideas about sharing your photography on the web. Written by Anne McKinnell, it makes some good points about how to share, who to share with, and where to share. She helps with tips on selecting images for your online portfolio, creating a web gallery, sharing or selling and lots more!

http://bit.ly/T0WCOb

12 Ways to Capture the Colors of Fall by Peter West Carey

Digital Photography School posted this article by Peter West Carey on how to photograph the colors of fall. Peter is a world traveling professional photographer and writes the free series "31+ Days of Photography Experiment. 

http://bit.ly/QrEorl

Adjust Individual Colors Easily in Photoshop Elements

Erin at Texas Chicks Blog and Pics just posted this great tutorial on how to use the Photoshop Elements Hue and Saturation adjustment layer. She describes how to change the hue of a color, saturate or desaturate all or part of an image, and how to lighten or darken individual colors. She uses screen shots and her own images to help illustrate the steps, making it super easy! 

Check it out here:

http://bit.ly/Xjtsij

5 Ways to Increase Your Business During the Holidays

Pretty Presets ran this post by Anna Gay about increasing your business during the holidays. She has some good ideas and then some things to consider about implementing them. It may seem early, but it's easier to think about it now, that to put it off until the pressure's on! 

Check them out here:

http://bit.ly/RoO0BP

Scott Kelby World Wide Photowalk

There's still time to sign up for the annual Scott Kelby World Wide Photowalk! This is always a fun event, and a great way to meet other photographers in your area. 

To find a walk near you, follow this link!

http://worldwidephotowalk.com/

What to Wear for a Photo Session by Savor Photography

If you're a portrait photographer, you are probably often asked by your clients for advice on what to wear for their sessions. Personally, I know what looks good, but I'm no fashion queen! It's hard to describe what works, but clients really depend on us for advice. Also, some people just do better with visuals. This article by Rachel Durik at Savor Photography is extremely helpful. She describes how to pick out a theme, how to complement each other, and where to shop. 

See her post here: http://bit.ly/Oi0T38

How to Read and Use Histograms

Darlene Hildebrandt wrote this article at Digital Photography School about using the histogram. She tells what it is, how to read it, and what we can learn from it. There are great tips on getting your exposure right in camera and making that your goal!

http://bit.ly/RFZwLA

"Bringing out the Big Glass- The Pros and Cons of Professional Lenses"

Lightstalking just posted this article on the pros and cons of professional lenses by Jason Row. He gives some insight into the many things to consider before deciding on purchasing lenses. This is an easy read; something to enjoy without getting too technical. http://bit.ly/SEN6Ra

Photography Experiment; Sun Stars

Peter West Carey is featuring "31+ Days of Experiments" on his blog. He has some great ideas worth checking out.This article was about playing with your aperture to get sun stars. It's really simple, and sounds like a fun effect to try!   
http://bit.ly/RA7hCB

85 Fascinating Photography Links

Toad Hollow Photography  posted this amazing list on LightStalking.com. 
He includes tutorials, reviews, great photography sites and then some interesting blogs worth checking out. This is truly a comprehensive list that will keep you busy for awhile. If you're taking a break and want to spend some time just looking and being inspired, this is so worth the time!

http://bit.ly/V5VhMo

Photoshop Elements 11 Review and Comparison

Amanda at Everyday Elements is a genius at PSE. She teaches and writes great tutorials for every level. 

She gave a great review on PSE 11 where she explains some of the changes between PSE 10 and 11 including color, panel locations, feather, blur filters, liquify, ACR, actions panel, and adjustment layer icons. 

There are also some issues with customizing the workspace, and there's a video included that points out the changes and how to customize your panels.

If you're thinking of purchasing or upgrading, it would be helpful to read this first!

http://bit.ly/QbHG1r

"Great Light, Easy Light" a New Book!

"Great Light, Easy Light" by Kevin Clark has just been released and is now for sale at Craft and Vision. This is a 64 page guide with diagrams for one, two, and three-light setups. We all strive for more natural looking light, with our subjects looking less "lit". You can find the recipes and formulas for how to do it here! This e-Book is an amazing value at only $5, and is written for all levels of photographers. Check it out here! Click here to visit Craft And Vision.

7 Ways to Make Extra Money with Your Photography Business

This article by Jamie Swanson at the Modern Tog offers 7 ways to earn extra money with your photography. You might have already thought of some, or maybe not. 

It's always good to consider all your options! 

Check them out here:

http://bit.ly/SnRAe5

7 Tips on How to Become a Food Photographer

Blaire Ring is a guest writer at MCP Actions. 

She wrote this interesting article on tips for becoming a food photographer. She helped me think about what kind of photography I enjoy, and that's very liberating! 

Her tips are actually practical for promoting any type of photography. 

Check them out here: 

http://bit.ly/VNc44J

Mastering the Brush Tool in Lightroom

Pretty Presets have amazing custom brushes to use in Lightroom, but it's not safe to assume everyone can use them. Lightroom comes with a few already built in, and they are one of their best features. They add so much to your editing options that it will really save you time if you take a few moments to get the basics. 

This article explains how to erase, using the "auto mask" box, what the "pins" do, sliders, and how to keep it simple with so many overwhelming options.

Here is a step by step tutorial to show you the way!

http://bit.ly/OpzTA7

Using Curves to Make a Backlit Photo Pop

Professional editor Mandy Blake just wrote this article on using curves to make backlit photos pop. She was featured at iheartfaces for their "Before and After" tutorial. She shows how to do it in three easy steps using the curves adjustment tool in photoshop. We all have the same problem of finding perfect backlighting, but end up with our subject underexposed with muddy skin tones. Read this article to help edit that problem and make your images pop!

http://bit.ly/Q0PpO2

Free Download; Vintage Swirls for Graphic Design

Rita at the CoffeeShopBlog just posted this free offer for three vintage swirl design png files. They can be used for storyboards, headers, website design, or greeting cards. She gives everyone permission to use them personally or commercially. 

Rita has a lot of talent, and even more heart!

http://bit.ly/Sg60Bt

How to Protect Your Photos with a Watermark

Jim from Improve Photography wrote this article on how to protect your photos with a watermark both in Photoshop and in Lightroom. This is a great tutorial and he gives full step by step instructions. His blog is full of other goodies too! 

Check it out here:

http://bit.ly/UpfW9h

Digital Noise; a Tutorial

Erin at Texas Chicks Blog and Pics just wrote this article about digital noise and how to deal with it. She gives a good description of what it is, how to avoid it, and how to reduce it in Lightroom. It's something all photographers have to deal with, so it's always good to read up on it!

http://bit.ly/Qq8v3F

5 Lightroom Tips You Can't Live Without

This is a free webinar taught by Amanda Padgett and posted by Pretty Presets. She gives some amazing editing tips and shortcuts that are invaluable for decreasing your time at the desk. She covers lots of topics. This class is very informative. Check it out here:

http://bit.ly/S33H4v

Master Lightroom 4's Local Adjustments

Popphoto posted this article by Debbie Grossman about using Adobe Lightroom's selective adjustments for greater control for creating effects on different parts of your image without using layers. She gives a run- through on how to work multiple zones of an image; it's amazing and so much easier than using Photoshop!

http://bit.ly/SKLfQW

Pumping Your Website to the Top with Smart SEO

Photography Schoolhouse has a new webinar series starting next Monday, called "Pumping Your Website to the Top with Smart SEO"

This is being taught by Kyle Brady, the owner of Alert 7 Marketing. He specializes in helping small businesses use the power of the internet to reach more clientele and increase profits. 

He will be giving tricks of the trade to help you learn 

Search Engine Optimization. (SEO) 

Coming next Monday Sept. 7, 2012 at 6:00 PM Pacific time.

http://bit.ly/TQ30gM

Free Green Grass Action for Photoshop and Elements

Amanda at Everyday Elements wrote a tutorial on how to make grass greener, and now she's offering a free action to download to make the job easier. It has two layers, so you can make it as green as you'd like. With fall closing in, this little editing action will come in very handy!

http://bit.ly/QStC07

How to Use Socail Media to Expand Your Photography Business

MCP Actions just posted this article written by Doug Cohen. He gives a quick overview of  using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin and Google+ for promoting your photography business.

http://bit.ly/NZA5WL

How to Add Directional Light to Your Images

Amanda at Everyday Elements not only wrote this tutorial on adding directional light to your images but also includes a FREE downloadable action to help you do it! She gives step by step directions with screenshots. It's easy to understand and helps give you an additional tip to your "magic bag" of editing tricks!

Thanks Amanda!

http://bit.ly/S7732l

31+ Days of Photography Experiments by Peter West Carey

Peter West Carey just started a great project called 

"31+ Days of Photography Experiments."

He's an amazing photographer who travels the world and shares his experiences and work through his blog. He really is an inspiration to improving your work and seeing the world through new eyes. He started a project to help photographers learn more about their cameras and how to see light in the world around us. Today's project is learning the ISO limits of your camera. 

Follow it here:

http://bit.ly/SAjH0j

Exporting Photos in Lightroom

Erin at Texas Chicks Blogs and Pics just wrote this post about saving photos in Lightroom. She explains all of the options and how to use them. Instead of just muddling through, this article can help you know what you're doing and speed up your editing time! She explains file naming, file settings, image sizing, output sharpening, metadata, watermarking, and post-processing. I love when people like her take the time to explain things that saves the rest of us time. Because time equals money, and the freedom to go out and shoot! Thanks Erin!

http://bit.ly/RKfLaG

Photography Brand Makeover

Join this free online event:  

Photography Brand Makeover with Sarah Petty and Erin Verbeck.

http://bit.ly/NZ3H0d

Creative Live is presenting this live workshop October 3-5. 

They will be offering strategies for branding, sales, marketing, graphic design and much more. 

Don't miss it!

Elizabeth Halford's "Starting Your Business" Vlog Series

Elizabeth Halford is an amazing photographer and teacher. She is an inspiration and has a wealth of knowledge that she's willing to share. This is the first of a ten part vlog series that she did that covers many aspects of starting a photography business. She covers defining what "professional" means, branding, pricing, insurance,  your website, building your portfolio, opening for business and so much more. This series also includes an interview with Zach Perez and is sponsored by Pretty Presets. 

Watch part one here:

http://bit.ly/QqW0UH

Correcting Perspective in Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom posted this video tutorial on You Tube showing how to correct perspective in Lightroom. Any time we shoot tall buildings, no matter how beautiful, they tend to come out looking a little distorted. This is a 4 minute video showing how to correct it.

This not only saves time, but helps rescue some photos that might not have been usable otherwise...

http://bit.ly/SnL3a1

Simple and Cost Effective Ways to Advertise Your Business

Anna Gay at Pretty Presets wrote this article on 6 cost effective ways to advertise your business. She also gives some good points on why they could boost your services, your skills, or your clientele.

http://bit.ly/OqxJeX

"About Me"

Since starting this blog, I've been researching and posting everyday. When I pulled back, I noticed I hadn't even written an "About Me" page! So I finally took the time to do it. I've set up a standing page for it, here: http://bit.ly/Tihdmt

but if you want to give it a quick glance, here it is!

I am a photographer. From the moment I picked up my camera, I wanted to learn more about composition, editing, marketing, SEO, equipment, lighting, creativity, and even bookkeeping. I wanted to learn more about studio photography, landscape, portrait photography, boudoir, and stock photography.

Basically, I just wanted to take more professional pictures.

I ended up with my bookmarks full, a million tabs open at once, and photoshop tutorials running all day. I also had both adobe photoshop and Lightroom open at all times. I was exasperated! It was impossible to spend that much time at my computer and still be able to shoot!

Other photographers asked me where I was getting all of my information. I started gathering up a list of the websites I follow, then I noticed it was constantly growing. It occurred to me that I could just start a blog and share with everyone from one place. I also thought it would be nice to send people to the sites of all the wonderful photographers and artists that have helped me along the way; win/win!

Some of my fellow photographers send me links to posts as they find them, so when I say "we" at Photography Resources, it includes all of of us. I check out each and every article before I post it. My goal is to search through all the information out there, and then offer it here, in one place.

I post something new at least once a day, so please bookmark me, or subscribe to this blog. It will save you lots of time! Good luck in all that you do!

Setting Custom White Balance on Your DSLR

Ed Verosky did a video tutorial on setting your custom white balance. It's so much more fun to learn by watching rather than reading a bunch of technical text. He keeps it interesting!

http://bit.ly/NRavgo

Posing Tips

No matter how experienced of a photographer we are, we all experience a "posing block" from time to time. This post from Digital Photography School has 21 samples for posing women. This article gives simple illustrations rather than just words. I found it much easier to store them to memory this way. At the bottom of the post there are links to previous articles in their guide series of more samples for posing women, men, children, couples, groups and weddings! The information here is just invaluable!

http://bit.ly/OX0p0q

Organizing Actions in Photoshop

Amanda at Everyday Elements wrote this post about how to organize your actions in Photoshop. She gives a  great tutorial and even a video to help you get it right! 

Thanks Amanda!

http://bit.ly/Q3ZE9d

Cropping in Lightroom by Pretty Presets

This article is from Pretty Presets about cropping in Lightroom. Gayle from Mom and Camera wrote this post which describes the different options and how to use them. This is a great time saver, especially if you switched from Photoshop to Lightroom and are still trying to figure it out!

http://bit.ly/TfOmiC

A Tutorial on Smoke Photography

Isabelle Lafrance just posted a tutorial on how to shoot smoke photography. She's an amazing artist and has some interesting ideas on creating beautiful art with her photography. She gives a list of items you'll need, camera settings, and a step by step description on how to edit the images in photoshop. These kind of images would be great to use as stock, art, or to do just for fun!

http://bit.ly/TiFwz5 

7 Tips for Getting Tack Sharp Photos Every Time

Jim Harmer just posted this article giving 7 tips for sharper photos.

He discusses focus, camera blur, lens design and depth of field.

He describes the problem and the fix in easy to understand language.

Thanks for sharing Jim!

http://bit.ly/QjbdXT

CoffeeShop Focal Zoom Action and Tutorial

Rita at the CoffeeShopBlog posted this amazing and easy to understand tutorial on how to create focal zoom action on your images!

She gives step by step instructions and also includes a free downloadable action for this effect. She's full of fun ideas and freebies, so please check her out!

http://bit.ly/PUUg2f

How to Choose a Print Lab

Annie over at Paint the Moon gives great advice on how to prepare images for print, and shows the results of different print labs. This article can save you lots of headaches and stress from trying to figure out how to choose a good print lab. 

http://bit.ly/RcHUT7

Free Storyboards!

Rita at the Coffee Shop Blog posted a new storyboard for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. These are great for printing or for posting on the web. These are a free download!

She's so generous!

http://bit.ly/ORpppR

10 Reasons to Shoot Portraits During the Golden Hour

Darren Rowse at Digital Photography School just posted this great article on why it's so wonderful to shoot during the golden hour.

He gives examples of each of the possibilities.

He shows examples of color, glow, highlights, silhouettes, lens flare,

clouds, landscape, monochromatic possibilities, rims of light and shadows.

Check it out here!

http://bit.ly/T1FDz4

RAW vs JPG

Amanda's article on raw vs JPG is now on the blog at 

Everyday Elements

She gives a basic overview of the two file types.

She shows examples and describes how they differ.

There's also a chart that shows what the file types and sizes look like in your camera.

This is a good article to help you understand, without getting too technical!

http://bit.ly/OBOAun

Free Collage Template Download

Beckie Kengle wrote this post for Everyday Elements

"Using Blog Collages to Tell a Story"

They are offering a free download for 4 collage templates!

These are great for bundling your photos to tell a story

or show a bundle of images.

http://bit.ly/TywTxB

5 Ways to Enhance a Boring Location by Anna Gay

This is an issue that could happen to any of us. 

You're hired for a shoot and when you  arrive at the location, it's a big disappointment. 

Anna Gay at Pretty Presets wrote this article with 5 ways to work around it.

The more tools we have in our little bag of tricks, the better able we'll be to think on our feet!

http://bit.ly/PoH9ax

Lighting Techniques; High Key and Low Key

Andrew Johnson gives an interesting explanation of two different lighting techniques; high key and low key.

He also tells how to get both looks.

Read it here at Pretty Presets:

http://bit.ly/PgI6Ay

How to Transition to a Full Time Photographer

Anna Gay from Pretty Presets just wrote this article on transitioning to full time photographer. She discusses finding your brand, specializing, and good questions to help you start formulating a plan!

http://bit.ly/QCikH1

How to Photograph the Milky Way

Jim Harmer at improvephotography.com just wrote an amazing article on how to photograph the Milky Way.

He includes a video and an explanation of his settings. 
His work is beautiful and the details he gives are complete.

http://bit.ly/RMqyDG

A New Way to Learn Photoshop Elements

Erin at Texas Chicks Blogs and Pics is going to be teaching a new Photoshop Elements class starting in September.

She'll be covering lots of topics including how to edit in Adobe Camera RAW, adjusting exposure, understanding layers, masks,

basic color correction, skin retouching, cropping and so much more!

http://bit.ly/P23R79

Photoshop Tips; How to Achieve a Clean, Bright Edit

This is a great article on how to achieve a clean, bright photo

using Photoshop. 
Step by step tips written by Stephanie and Tammy from 
Luminosity Photography and Design

Read it here from iheartfaces:

http://bit.ly/Nnpgax

Clean Edit Steps for Newborn Pictures

Amanda Padgett at Everyday Elements

just posted a great tutorial on editing for newborns.

Her tutorials are written for Photoshop Elements,

but are applicable  to Photoshop CS.

She gives a great explanation on adjusting hue/saturation,

skin smoothing, and under eye fix.

She also includes a video that shows exactly how she did it and why.

This is a great time saver for anyone trying to edit newborns!

http://bit.ly/SrR6Y9