Blog

This week I thought I’d share a real time edit of this image I photographed whilst visiting a laundry in Kochi, India. Click play below to watch the video.

Above: Image Gina Milicia

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” (Vivian Greene, 2006)

So you’ve found the perfect location, organised models and then at the 11th hour you get a call:

“Hi it’s Mother Nature, I’m sorry but Sunny Day has the flu and can’t make it into work today. I can send Storm as a replacement, Torrential Rain is also available, and Drizzle can be there in five.”

Do you cancel the shoot or does the show go on?

How do you make the most of a shoot when Sunshine and Blue Skies call in sick?

Unless you live in Yuma, Arizona, or Aswan, Egypt chances are you will have a location shoot threatened or canceled due to rain or inclement weather. Sometimes it’s okay to raincheck (see what I did there?) but what should you do in situations when the day and time of a shoot can’t be changed? You know, like when you’re photographing a wedding or event or location portrait shoot?

“If Plan A isn’t working, I have Plan B, Plan C, and even Plan D.” – Serena Williams

It’s always a good . . .

“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” – Farrah Gray

Above: Fisherman, Cebu, photographed on Canon 5DMK 111 and 24-105mm lens using off camera speedlight and 50cent plastic modifier.

A good photo gets noticed but will be easily forgotten, a good photo with a great story becomes memorable.

There’s heaps of great advice on the interwebs these days about how to get your images noticed. Getting lots of views and likes is the secret to success right? Well yes, having lots of people looking at your work is great, but it’s not enough and here’s why.

What’s the point of being noticed if nobody remembers your images or who took them?

Great photography stands out. No argument here but there are thousands of award-winning amazing photos posted online each day. How can anyone possibly compete with so much beauty? The short answer is you can’t. If you’re trying to stand out by having the most technically gorgeous photo in the world you are fighting a losing battle. Beauty is forgettable, so is being the best or technically most proficient.

Beauty and talent can make a dazzling impact, just watch a beautiful young woman walk into a party and notice how everyone stops to stare at her or the . . .

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.” Vincent van Gogh

Above: Image Gina Milicia

How to change composition overlays in Lightroom CC

The default crop overlay setting in Lightroom is the rule of thirds which is very handy but did you know you can change the overlay to include:

Above: Fibonacci                                                 Above: Golden Ratio

Above: Golden triangle                                     Above: Grid

Above: Aspect Ratio

To change the overlay

Shortcut  “R” takes you to the crop overlay

Shortcut “O” to toggle through the different crop overlays

Shortcut “Shift O “ to change the orientation of the overlay.

Press play to check out my demo below.

Above: Kochi, India, photographed on my Canon 5DMK111 with 24-105MM Canon L series F4 lens.

I read a lot of emails and social media posts from discouraged newbie photographers about how crowded the photography market is and how hard it is to get a break. Sadly it’s true. It’s jam packed at the entry level.

Everyone and their dog is a photographer these days.

So why the increase? I blame the Oxford dictionary and all the other dictionaries for this new phenomena.

The Oxford dictionary defines a photographer as follows;

Photographer

A person who takes photographs, especially as a job.

This means that anyone who takes photos is a photographer – it doesn’t need to be a job – that’s a bonus.

So anyone with a smartphone that photographs their lunch or takes selfies showing off their six pack #blessed is a photographer right? Well, no wonder there are so many more photographers in the world today. It’s never been easier to become one. Anyone with a camera is a photographer.

Yesterday my dog knocked my phone, and it accidently took a photo. My dog is also a photographer.

The girl I sat next to at . . .

“I make art to show my soul that I am listening”  -Unknown

Some images really lend themselves to a softer look. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a soft pastel look to your images using Lightroom CC.

Press play below to check out the video.

Above: Australian entertainer Red Symons, photo by Gina Milicia

I’ve got a mate called Dave (name changed to protect the innocent). Dave is all about the shortcut. Whenever we go anywhere together, he always has a quicker way to get there.

Daves shortcuts always involve cutting across car parks, doubling back through a maze of one-way streets and various detours.

I’ll admit we usually save a few minutes, but I’m not a fan. The quick option  involves intense concentration, and there have been more than a few occasions when the alternative ended up being a “long” cut because of roadblocks, or we got lost in the maze of “turn left, go right, double back and turn right.”

I like my travel to be in a straight line with minimal detours. I want to enjoy my trip and not have to focus on the next left turn. What’s the point of saving a few minutes if you arrive at the destination frazzled and exhausted?

When I was first learning about photography, I was more like Dave. I wanted to know the quickest way to get to the other side. I didn’t care how many detours, left turns . . .