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...

Above: Te Anua, New Zealand shot on Canon 1DX F22 1/1000th sec, using Canon 24-105mm F4L series lens Do you ever get frustrated because you can’t create the kinds of images you see in your mind’s eye? When was the last time you took a shot and looked at it and thought “that’s exactly what I wanted, 100%.” The more you know, the less you know. When I first started taking photos my level of image satisfaction was the following: Beginner: Jubilant celebrations Every time I managed to shoot an image that was properly exposed +/- 2 stops. Or I managed to get the eyes in a portrait kinda sharp. When I remembered how to turn the camera on and change the ISO without consulting the manual. Lighting: High fives all around Every time I managed to light an image that was properly exposed +/- 2 stops. The flash fired...

“To live a creative life we must first lose the fear of being wrong.” – Joseph Chilton Pearce Above: Havana, Cuba shot on iPhone 6 and processed in Lightroom.

Have you ever noticed banding or streaks in your images, especially in areas where there are plain backgrounds like blue skies or plain coloured walls? This banding is caused by too much jpeg compression and can easily be avoided. In this tutorial I’ll show you how the amount of jpeg compression you choose to export your images will influence how your images appear in print, and on the interwebs. Press play below to watch.

Above: Cartagena, Colombia shot on iPhone 6 and processed in Lightroom Have you ever felt intimidated to share your work because you thought everyone else in your photography group, online community or class was better than you? Are you frustrated by the fact that you are not grasping photography concepts or your work isn’t developing as fast everyone else seems to be? “Comparison is the thief of joy.” When I was seven, my dad bought me a bike. It was the most beautiful bike I’d ever seen. It was powder blue with a white seat and white grips on the handlebars. I rode that bike everywhere. On the weekends I’d clean and polish the chrome and grease the chain. Riding that bike was my happy place. Then one day one of my best friends got a bike for his birthday. His bike was a beautiful red racing bike with gears,...

“I have been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I have never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” – Georgia O’Keeffe

Remember when you were at school, and you used to put your name in your pencil case? Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to put your name on your own version of Lightroom? In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to personalise your workspace with a name or a logo. Click play below to watch.

Above: I spotted this abandoned house and vintage bike near Te Anua, New Zealand. Photographed using my Canon 5DMK111 and 16-35mm lens @16mm F16 @1/250th sec processed using my Cuban Cigar Lite preset. My TV binge-watching has hit an all time low. Last year I consumed television like a raw vegan crossfitter with only pure content sourced from the highest quality suppliers. I watched documentaries, high brow and high-quality dramas. Sadly like all good raw vegan crossfitters I fell off the wagon and for the last two months, I’ve been stuffing my soul with the TV equivalent of Cheetos and Krispy Kremes. My fave show at the moment is the Australian version of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. It’s like a cross between Big Brother and Survivor. Watching the show last night got me thinking, what if one day I had to pack up and move to...

Above: I’m always amazed by just how much detail can be rescued from the shadow areas in an image. Have you ever taken a shot using flash where the flash didn’t fire or you’ve been in a rush and underexposed the image? Yeah me too! It’s a real bummer because these are often the shots we wished turned out. I’ve been playing around a lot with the contrast and shadow sliders in Lightroom and have discovered a way to rescue these images. Have a look through your archives and see if you have any shots with similar exposures and test it out. The technique is fairly basic and a good introduction to understanding contrast in images. Click here to watch tutorial.