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I Want To Show You Some Photography Lessons That I’ve Learnt In These 19 Photos
From the very beginning, I knew I wanted my photos to stand out in an eye-catching and artistic way. So you can imagine my frustration when my photos came out dull and uninteresting when I simply snapped a photo with no thought as to what I was doing.
So I got to work learning everything I could, mostly from YouTube and Google, on composition, color, lighting, exposure, storytelling, and postprocessing with tools like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
It's been about two and a half years since I started and I still have so much to learn. But I am very happy with the results I'm starting to get.
My process now is to use the knowledge I've taught myself to use composition, lighting, storytelling, and exposure when shooting and then color and exposure corrections and more storytelling in the postprocessing by adding or taking away elements in the photo that add to or take away from the story.
I look at each photo like it's a canvas. Once I take the photo it's like the first sketch. Then I add life to it by literally painting over it to create the piece of art I had in my mind.
A lot of people will say "you're not a real photographer because you use Photoshop", and maybe that's true. But that's ok because I don't really consider myself to be a photographer anyway, I consider myself to be an artist.
I believe in always continuing to learn and improve. And I love to teach what I've learned.
So if you would like to learn how I edit my photos, I have recorded myself editing all of the photos in this article on my website and explaining my workflow.
Also, follow me on social media to see more of my work.
More info: philliphaumesserphotography.com | Instagram | Facebook
This post may include affiliate links.
I have absolutely learned more in the last 4 years, and I will continue to learn. We should never stop learning new things or seeking to better our understanding of what we do. That’s why I teach what I’ve learned, because I learn even more by teaching it, and I love that others are learning as well. I’ve really been paying close attention to light, how it affects an image and how to find the best light. I’ve also been focusing on poses more, as well as having an overall cleaner image. I want my images to be a work of art, not just a snapshot.
I’m assuming you mean what are the things to look for that make a great photograph. Again, light is everything, it will make or break your image. I start there. I look for soft light, early mornings or late evenings are the best, but if you have to shoot at midday, try to find the soft light in shadows and shaded areas. This is because you don’t want your subject to be overexposed with harsh light or distracting shadows. Colors are also important. If possible, use color harmonies to make your image stand out. Also, the pose is important. You don’t want a boring subject just standing there with their hands straight to their side looking at the camera.
It’s easy to get absorbed in the sea of what needs to be learned. What camera is right for me? How to use that camera? What lens should I use? Do I need a flash? How do I edit my images? What software should I use? The list goes on and on. That’s why I’ve created my free photography course to help answer those questions and get you where you want to be as soon as possible. You can learn it all on your own like I did, but it will take years and years. I wanted to create a shortcut to get straight to the answers and save others all of that time.
The first again needs better lighting not a complete change of seasons
The skill is great in this picture, but in my opinion I like the original more. The snow takes away a little bit to much from the three main focus points.
I picked up a camera in 2015 to start documenting the lives of my children. I didn’t realize at the time where it would take me. An art form should never end, in my opinion, unless you're in it for the wrong reasons. I love what I do and I love continuing to learn about what I do, but if you’re just in it to make money from it, then you will have no desire to learn or get better and will eventually burn out.
My free course is getting old. I’m actually in the middle of revamping it to include what I’ve learned in the last 4-5 years. The old course still has great content and is still relevant, but I wanted to make it even better. Beyond that, I have also started an online academy where I invite you to look over my shoulder and ask questions as I work on my projects.
The after is excellent, especially as the baby reached for the buttercup !!!
You're off to a good start. Some of your originals are better than the edits. Some of your edits are very yellow. I started out making this mistake myself which is why it really stands out to me. Great eye for framing things and very clean originals.
I agree! I was expecting something else entirely
Load More Replies..."I am an award winning self taught natural light photographer" How can you claim to be a "natural light photographer" when the light in these photos is anything but natural? The originals are generally great but are too dark; the "afters" are overwhelmingly fake looking.
Most of the originals only need more lighting. Some of the second ones are better but the backgrounds are blurry or the seasons have changed.
Yes, I have said as much in my comments !!!
Load More Replies...I'm sorry, but I much prefer the before in all of these pictures. Most of the "after" shots look false and almost photoshopped. I much prefer when a picture looks natural and not staged.
I agree. The befores need a little tweaking, but the afters are just unnatural.
Load More Replies...Some of them look improved, with better lighting and more color, but some of them look to fake for me to like them. Otherwise I think you are super awesome and talented!
There is nothing wrong with using Photoshop or any photo editing tool. Only arrogant snobs reject the art of image enhancement using PS. Unfortunately, much of what is posted here looks...well manipulated and hardly natural. It's interesting that you label yourself an "artist" yet seem not to recognize that learning the craft/science is what separates the true artist from the wanna-be. It surprises me that you would call yourself a "natural light photographer" when almost everything here screams unnatural. Image making is all about knowing how light behaves and how to utilize that knowledge so that the resulting image is natural and beautiful. By all means, master Photoshop, but first learn how to create the best, most natural image and then how to enhance, not recreate the image using the crutch of PS.
So love the use of light, the depth that light added or shaded, adds to these pictures is so great, such stunning work. Awesome job!
Please read what he wrote instead of lashing out, if you just look at the pictures yes it is misleading and you don't understand his view on things, if you read though you'll know what he does, why, and what he wants to share etc
Congrats on finding the dodge and burn tools and the saturation settings.
Sorry, but this is not lessons learned. This is "How I Use Photoshop." You have a great eye for framing up a shot. You need to learn how to adjust your ISO and shutter speeds in different lights. A polarized lens (or filter) along with reflectors when shooting will help create more natural 'natural light' photos as opposed to using PS to over correct things. There is nothing wrong with using PS. I'm just not a fan of overediting my photos.
I have to agree with the majority here. Though most of the after photos are pretty good, one or two even amazing, the amount of PS required kind of…negated the original picture itself. Call yourself an artist, and I have no problem with it. PS is an art form and takes quite a bit to master. However, a natural light photographer should not be a title you use; it is misleading. Kinda like, super white teeth or Botox.
Oh, you do good work. People love to have photos like this to display in their homes. Did you know that even Ansel Adams edited his photos? He didn't have PS, but he developed his own film and adjusted contrast to make it a better photo. I have prints of his work. Really admire him.
These aren’t even separate photos. They just photoshopped them. Waste of time.
clearly reading the words was also a waste of your time as you didn't...
Load More Replies...I agree! I was expecting something else entirely
Load More Replies..."I am an award winning self taught natural light photographer" How can you claim to be a "natural light photographer" when the light in these photos is anything but natural? The originals are generally great but are too dark; the "afters" are overwhelmingly fake looking.
Most of the originals only need more lighting. Some of the second ones are better but the backgrounds are blurry or the seasons have changed.
Yes, I have said as much in my comments !!!
Load More Replies...I'm sorry, but I much prefer the before in all of these pictures. Most of the "after" shots look false and almost photoshopped. I much prefer when a picture looks natural and not staged.
I agree. The befores need a little tweaking, but the afters are just unnatural.
Load More Replies...Some of them look improved, with better lighting and more color, but some of them look to fake for me to like them. Otherwise I think you are super awesome and talented!
There is nothing wrong with using Photoshop or any photo editing tool. Only arrogant snobs reject the art of image enhancement using PS. Unfortunately, much of what is posted here looks...well manipulated and hardly natural. It's interesting that you label yourself an "artist" yet seem not to recognize that learning the craft/science is what separates the true artist from the wanna-be. It surprises me that you would call yourself a "natural light photographer" when almost everything here screams unnatural. Image making is all about knowing how light behaves and how to utilize that knowledge so that the resulting image is natural and beautiful. By all means, master Photoshop, but first learn how to create the best, most natural image and then how to enhance, not recreate the image using the crutch of PS.
So love the use of light, the depth that light added or shaded, adds to these pictures is so great, such stunning work. Awesome job!
Please read what he wrote instead of lashing out, if you just look at the pictures yes it is misleading and you don't understand his view on things, if you read though you'll know what he does, why, and what he wants to share etc
Congrats on finding the dodge and burn tools and the saturation settings.
Sorry, but this is not lessons learned. This is "How I Use Photoshop." You have a great eye for framing up a shot. You need to learn how to adjust your ISO and shutter speeds in different lights. A polarized lens (or filter) along with reflectors when shooting will help create more natural 'natural light' photos as opposed to using PS to over correct things. There is nothing wrong with using PS. I'm just not a fan of overediting my photos.
I have to agree with the majority here. Though most of the after photos are pretty good, one or two even amazing, the amount of PS required kind of…negated the original picture itself. Call yourself an artist, and I have no problem with it. PS is an art form and takes quite a bit to master. However, a natural light photographer should not be a title you use; it is misleading. Kinda like, super white teeth or Botox.
Oh, you do good work. People love to have photos like this to display in their homes. Did you know that even Ansel Adams edited his photos? He didn't have PS, but he developed his own film and adjusted contrast to make it a better photo. I have prints of his work. Really admire him.
These aren’t even separate photos. They just photoshopped them. Waste of time.
clearly reading the words was also a waste of your time as you didn't...
Load More Replies...