Capturing the beauty of the Earth in a colorful and captivating way.
Weekly Newsletter 6 Week of November 16-22
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Jeffrey's Weekly Newsletter
Week of November 16-22, 2020
Weekly Recap
Hi *|FNAME|*!
I hope you're doing well this week! It's been pretty busy for me. In terms of photography, apart from editing more from the Smokies, this week, I was able to launch my Etsy shop, For the next 6 days, everything storewide is 10% off. I'm also excited to announce that I've released my soft proof Photoshop actions bundle as well as my guide for prepping your images. To summarize in Lehmann's terms, each photo lab's printer has a specific color space. My actions will apply that printer's color space to the image and tweak it to match it to your original image, prepping it for printing. There's a ton of big news this week! You'll find the download links below.
I started to fill my grid with Autumn images this week. Check out these three shots from my adventures in the Smoky Mountains.
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One of the shots that I noticed and had to take while in the Smokies, this is the perfect shot to start up the Fall grid. While hiking in the layers of mountains, I spotted a single, lone, red tree out in the distance. It stuck out noticeably. Above, light rays were quickly moving cascading its glow on the landscape like moving spotlights. After waiting some time, the light hit the tree and illuminated the vibrant colors. The vivid reds shone like fire against the foresty, dull greens, like a magic tree. There isn't much to this composition. I think anyone competent enough would be able to take this. Most of the magic comes from the light and the color contrast editing.
Fall Trickles
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The Smokies is filled with tons of trickling creeks in its various forests, providing a soothing and rhythmic sound to anyone hiking. I've always loved calm, flowing bodies of water. The air around always feels fresh and there's always a therapeutic feeling when I'm deep in the woods by a water source. For this shot, I focused on the rock in the center for my composition. A half-second exposure speed was enough to drag the movement of the water. The creek itself acts as a leading line, leading the eyes up. Another aspect I was extremely impressed with was the color contrast. Deep, vibrant orange leaves on the bottom contrasted by lush, plentiful, sprawling greens at the top. If hadn't noticed these colors before, you'll definitely realize now, with me pointing it out, that they play a major role in making this shot interesting. A soft Orton effect with some sharpening from frequency separation achieves that dreamy, yet clean look.
Rays Through the Leaves
One of my favorite shots from my first trip in the Smokies, it's on the same hike as the first shot with the single red tree. Light rays were moving quickly and I immediately spotted a vibrant green tree. Observing the rays' movements, I knew it was only a matter of time before the light hit the tree. In compositions, shapes and colors are more important than the object itself. Focus more on the object as a whole rather than as the object, if that makes sense. Don't notice an element like a tree or the mountains or the bush as a tree, a mountain, or a bush. Notice the shapes, the colors, the textures, and how they come together. The vibrant greens and reds, the textures in the leaves, the layers, and the shapes they make. It'll make shooting a lot easier. I never knew why I had a talent for photography until I learned this fact about myself this week. It's so true. In a split second, I immediately focus on shapes, colors, and textures over anything else. I look at the negative space and how to fit everything together. That being said, notice how the reds in the bush are at the bottom, stretching all the way to the left. the subject, the tree, has a vibrant green color which is directly opposite from red on the color wheel. It's slight left to the bush and the reds from the bush help bring out the greens. The light rays are in the center and the blues form beautiful layers and shapes, complementing the green. The light rays add life to the image and with a brisoce light technique, I was able to really them out.
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Photographer of the Week
This past week's Photographer of the week was Chris Terstegge, also known on Instagram as @terstegge!
One of the coolest astrophotographers I’ve ever met, Chris molds dreamy, dramatic, and colorful together to create his works of art
Going through his grid is like going on a wonderful trip filled with vibrant colors, bright lights, and vivid cosmic objects
With his astrophotography at a level that I can only dream of reaching, this Bay Area 21 year old is sure to impress
Check out last week's Photographer of the Week
Cody Conk (@jurij_pelc)
Gifts This Week
As stated above, here is the LINK for both my printing guide and photoshop actions to help you with your printing. Learn and understand the different color and ICC profiles used by various labs, soft proofing, and how to prepare your image file for printing.
An Interesting Thing I did this Week:
After learning about the publishing of the final book of the Percy Jackson series, I started reading the books again, from the beginning. It's been over 10 years since I first read the Lightning Thief and reading PJO again after all those years brought about so much nostalgia. Hooked on a children's series at 22. Just goes to show you how good Rick Riordan is. I'm now on the Lost Hero and will be reading through The Trials of Apollo. Personally, I prefer Percy Jackson over Harry Potter any day. If only they did the movies justice. Hopefully, the TV series will be better. Either way, I'm enjoying books and audiobooks more than movies or TV. Leaves a lot more for the imagination.
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Plans for Next Week:
Happy Thanksgiving week! I'll be doing tons more editing. I've got a lot in store for you guys.
