10 Photography Quotes Everyone Should Know

The post 10 Photography Quotes Everyone Should Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Guest Contributor.

Quotes by photographers such as Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Imogen Cunningham might seem old and dated, but in my view, they’re more relevant – and necessary – than ever before.

So in this article, I share my absolute favorite photography quotes, including plenty of classics covering creativity, improving your photos, working as a photographer, and even photo editing.

In this age of social media, it’s easy to get so focused on likes, shares, and followers that we forget about what really matters. Read through the following quotes. Learn from the masters. And let them explain what this beautiful craft called photography is all about.

1. You don’t take a photograph, you make it. – Ansel Adams

This quote is an Ansel Adams classic, and for good reason. If you want to take great photos, it’s important to be fully aware of what you’re doing.

Thanks to the power of memory cards and modern digital cameras, it’s easy to shoot hundreds, even thousands, of images over the course of a few minutes. But as Ansel points out, good photography isn’t about randomly firing a camera. Instead, it’s a conscious creative process.

So don’t shoot without thinking. Instead, work consciously to include key elements, exclude the extraneous, and create a worthwhile image. As you photograph, ask yourself: What is it that’s special about this scene? What do I want to record? What do I care about?

2. Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. – Henri Cartier-Bresson

How many photos have you taken up until now? One thousand? Five thousand? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand?

In Cartier-Bresson’s view, you have to shoot for months or even years before you can start capturing outstanding images. He puts the benchmark at ten thousand photos, though in the digital age, it might be more like fifty thousand or even a hundred thousand files (depending on your personal shooting habits).

Regardless, Cartier-Bresson’s quote is all about the value of growth. See your first few years with a camera as a learning experience. Enjoy yourself, but don’t take your photos too seriously. Over time, your images will start to improve. If you put in the effort and continue to work hard, you’ll eventually become a great photographer.

3. Beauty can be seen in all things. Seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. – Matt Hardy

This photography quote is from a more contemporary shooter, Matt Hardy, whose commercial and nature photos are breathtaking.

We often don’t see beauty in the world until someone points it out. But the task of a photographer is to identify the beauty that exists right under our noses, compose it into an artistic photo, and then show it to the world.

So take a look around you just now, whether you’re at your computer, out with your smartphone, or lying in bed. Can you see something in a new way? Can you see the beauty in your surroundings? If not, then keep looking. Eventually, you will!

4. Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times…I just shoot at what interests me at that moment. – Elliott Erwitt

Do you carry a camera wherever you go? You should! And it doesn’t need to be a heavy DSLR, either; an APS-C mirrorless camera, a point-and-shoot camera, even a smartphone – any of them will let you capture images on the fly.

After all, when the world is your canvas, you should always have your tools on hand. Who knows what you might see when you’re out for a casual stroll, a countryside drive, or a shopping trip?

5. Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham

Some photographers – especially beginners – reach a point where they think they’ve made it. They believe they’re the best of the best, and they’re totally and completely satisfied with the images they’ve taken.

Odds are, however, that they still have a long ways to go.

So never be fully satisfied with what you’ve done. Never stop photographing. It’s likely that your best photograph has not yet been captured. Always strive to improve!

6. You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper. – William Albert Allard

We’re always looking for reasons why our photos aren’t good enough. Maybe we don’t have the latest camera. Maybe we don’t have the longest or sharpest lenses. Maybe we can’t travel to far-flung locations.

But this kind of thinking is self-defeating. If you believe that you can’t be great, then you never will be. Instead, make an effort to be optimistic. Believe that you can take great photos – if you work hard enough.

After all, Henri Cartier-Bresson used a film camera with the same lens and the same shutter speed. He didn’t need the newest digital equipment to take stunning photos.

Plus, we all have access to certain subjects not accessible by anyone else. Ask yourself: What can I photograph that nobody else can? Consider your house, your friends’ houses, your workplace, and any other place that only you might photograph. Then bring out your camera and see what you can capture!

7. If I saw something in my viewfinder that looked familiar to me, I would do something to shake it up. – Garry Winogrand

Once you’ve taken a few good photos, it’s easy to get caught in that trap of capturing the same shot over and over again.

But Garry Winogrand wasn’t satisfied with such an approach, and you shouldn’t be, either.

Instead, act like Winogrand. If you find yourself taking the same type of shot repeatedly, do what you can to shake things up. Take a few steps in. Take a few steps back. Move to the side. Switch to a wider lens. Go telephoto. Figure out what you can do to make the photo different!

Sure, the result might not turn out great, but at least you tried. And with enough experimentation, you’ll start creating images that are consistently original.

8. I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good. – Anonymous

Sometimes, it’s interesting to hear the story behind a photo. After all, a story can provide valuable context and help you see the photo in a new light.

But in most cases, a photo shouldn’t need a story to back it up. It has to speak for itself!

It’s useful to keep this in mind as you shoot and edit. If you come upon a composition that requires significant explanation, then maybe it’s better to move on – or, if you have the option, to change something about the photo.

9. Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. – Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams, a full-time photographer and an absolute genius with the camera, didn’t expect to get more than 12 great photographs each year. So how could anyone expect more?

To be fair, Adams was a landscape photographer, which is a notoriously slow and finicky genre. Maybe a veteran portrait, street, or event photographer could do better.

Still, you can use Ansel Adams’s expectations to set your own. Look back at your photos from the previous year. See how many good shots you took. Expect to find 12 at the most – and if you have more, consider it a victory!

10. It can be a trap of the photographer to think that the best pictures were the ones that were hardest to get. – Timothy Allen

This is a problem faced by many photographers, beginners and professionals alike. It’s easy to confuse the images that took the most work with the images that are actually best. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen that way; sometimes, the best photos will be hard to capture, but other times, they’ll take very little effort.

So how do you deal with this issue? One approach is to wait before looking at your photos. Let yourself forget about all the work that went into specific images, then come at the files with a neutral eye.

Another option is to take a quick look at all your photos, then go away for a while before looking again. When you come back to the computer, you may see elements you didn’t notice previously, and you’ll hopefully have an unbiased mindset for photo viewing.

Essential photography quotes: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know 10 key photography quotes – and you’re hopefully feeling inspired.

So memorize the quotes I’ve shared. Read them carefully. Think about the deeper meanings.

And see what you can produce!

Now over to you:

Which of these quotes are your favorites? Do you have any additional quotes that you think everyone should know? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Check out more of Hákon Ágústsson’s work at PhotoQuotes.com and www.Imageree.com.

The post 10 Photography Quotes Everyone Should Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Guest Contributor.

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10 Easy Tips for Gorgeous Rainbow Photography

The post 10 Easy Tips for Gorgeous Rainbow Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

Rainbows make amazing photographic subjects – but capturing a rainbow in all its glory can be surprisingly difficult. For the best shots, you need to:

1. Find a stunning rainbow
2. Select the right settings
3. Arrange a beautiful composition
4. Apply careful post-processing

It’s enough to make anyone overwhelmed – but don’t fret! In this article, I explain everything you need to know for amazing rainbow photography, including handy tips to improve your compositions, pick the right settings, level up your post-processing, and more.

So if you’re ready to learn all the secrets to photographing rainbows, then let’s dive right in!

1. Find a beautiful rainbow

If you want to capture stunning rainbow photography, then – obviously! – you’ll need to find a subject.

This is often the hardest part of the process; in many locations, rainbows are a relatively rare occurrence, and when they do appear, it’s often completely out of the blue.

Rainbows are formed when sunlight is refracted by water, so you should look out for rainbows when you have two elements present:

1. Falling/spraying water droplets
2. Bright sunlight

Therefore, keep an eye on the sky when a storm is approaching or just wrapping up. You can also look for smaller rainbows around waterfalls, fountains, and even sprinklers.

Note that rainbow visibility also depends on the angle of the sun. You won’t ever see a rainbow when the sun is high in the sky (e.g., at noon in the summer in many latitudes). Specifically, the sun must be at an angle of 42 degrees or lower (relative to the earth) for a rainbow to be visible, so it’s often futile to search for rainbows in the middle of the day.

Instead, make sure you head out at least a few hours from high noon (and before or after storms). Make sense?

2. Use a narrow aperture for a sharp scene

The best rainbow photos tend to feature a sharp rainbow in the background and a sharp foreground, so it’s important you adjust your camera settings to ensure you have lots of depth of field. (Depth of field refers to the window of sharpness in your photo; in rainbow photography, more depth of field is generally better!)

Start by setting your camera to Manual mode. Then dial in a relatively narrow aperture – such as f/8, f/11, and beyond – to achieve plenty of depth of field. You’ll also need to carefully focus about a third of the way into the scene, which will maximize sharpness by keeping both the foreground and the background in focus.

Note that a narrower aperture will let in less light, so to produce a bright image, you’ll need to compensate by boosting your ISO or slowing down your shutter speed. I’d recommend against raising your ISO, as higher ISOs produce image-degrading noise. Instead, lower that shutter speed, but make sure you follow my next tip:

3. Never forget your tripod

As you now know, you’ll generally want to use a narrow aperture and a slower shutter speed for the best results. Unless the light is strong, you’ll often need to drop the shutter speed to 1/80s or below – which will lead to blur due to camera shake if you try to shoot handheld.

That’s where a tripod comes in handy. Mount your camera to a sturdy tripod, and you won’t need to worry about lowering your shutter speed to 1/80s, 1/30s, or even 5s. That’s why I encourage you to always travel with a tripod!

In fact, because rainbows often appear so suddenly, it’s a good idea to keep a tripod in the trunk of your car. That way, if you see a rainbow on the horizon, you can bring out your camera, whip out that tripod, and get a sharp, well-exposed photo.

Plus, even when you have enough light to photograph handheld, a tripod can still come in handy. It’ll force you to slow down your shooting process, and as a result, you’ll be able to find gorgeous compositions that you might not have noticed otherwise.

4. Use exposure bracketing to prevent clipping

Even if you carefully select a good aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, correctly exposing your rainbow photos can be tricky. On the one hand, you need to ensure that you capture plenty of detail in the foreground. On the other hand, you need to ensure that you capture plenty of detail in the sky.

But because the sky is so much brighter than the foreground, cameras – especially older cameras – can struggle to retain detail in both the dark foreground and bright sky areas. They’ll clip the scene, which means they’ll produce blown-out highlights or pitch-black shadows. And as you can probably guess, this does not look good.

So what do you do? How do you retain detail in both the foreground and the sky of your rainbow shots?

One option is to use a graduated neutral density filter, which will darken the sky while leaving the foreground untouched. It’s a fine strategy, but ND grads can be pretty expensive, plus they can be somewhat inflexible when working with certain soft-edged subjects. That’s why I prefer a more versatile alternative:

Exposure bracketing.

With your camera mounted on a tripod, simply capture one image that includes plenty of detail in the foreground, one image that includes plenty of detail in the sky, and one image that falls in between.

You can do this in a few different ways, but if you’re working in Manual mode, just start with a fast(er) shutter speed (for the sky shot), then lower it a stop or two (for the mid-level shot) and lower it again (for the foreground shot).

Then, when you get back home, blend the three images using your favorite post-processing software (it’s easy to do in Lightroom or Photoshop). Your final file will include plenty of detail in the sky and in the foreground.

5. Pay attention to the background

A rainbow isn’t a solid object. Therefore, for the best results, you must photograph in front of a background that helps the colors stand out. A too-bright or busy background will detract from the rainbow, and the viewer may even fail to take notice.

Ideally, you should aim for a darker background (think dark clouds, dark rock, or mountains) that’s as uncluttered as possible. Note how the dark colors of the cliffs serve to enhance the rainbow colors in this next image:

Of course, it’s not always possible to swap out a bad background for a good one when you’re out shooting, but you can often change your angle to get a better result. Another option is to zoom in (either with your lens or with your feet) and focus on just part of the rainbow – that is, the part that’s in front of a good background.

6. Include eye-catching foregrounds

While capturing a rainbow against a mountain or dark sky certainly looks nice, after a while, it can feel a little…boring. Instead, why not take your rainbow photos to the next level by combining a powerful foreground with a beautiful sky?

A foreground subject serves several purposes. It can add interest, it can draw in the viewer, and it can complement the sky. It can also balance out the composition, and/or it can lead the eye straight toward the rainbow in the background. In other words, if you can include a foreground subject, you should; the results are almost always great!

Now, you might be wondering: What kind of foregrounds work in rainbow shots?

You can use pretty much anything you can find, but here is a list of common foreground subjects:

• Lakes
• Puddles
• Streams
• City buildings
• Street signs
• Road paint
• Fallen logs
• Crashing waves

One tip: Before you settle on a composition, scan the foreground carefully for distractions. Then do what you can to remove them (by adjusting your position, your focal length, or your camera angle).

7. Carefully determine your composition

I’ve emphasized the value of including a powerful foreground and a rainbow-enhancing background, but it’s also important to consider other key aspects of your compositions. In particular, pay attention to:

• Rainbow positioning. How you position the rainbow (and the rest of the landscape) within the frame can make or break the shot. Compositional guidelines like the rule of thirds can help you arrange the rainbow and the horizon line to create a balanced result.
• The rainbow endpoints. The rainbow will hit the “ground” at two points. These are natural areas of interest, so it’s essential to position them carefully within the frame. You may want to zoom in to emphasize one point of contact (and exclude the other). You might also want to change your own position so an endpoint lines up with some other object in the scene.
• Your focal length. If you have the time and the equipment, I encourage you to experiment with different focal lengths. Wide-angle lenses work great for rainbow photography and will produce some wonderful vista shots, but don’t forget that zooming in on a part of the rainbow (using a telephoto lens) can also lead to spectacular results. Look to emphasize points where the rainbow intersects with other objects or the ground.

8. Look for multiple rainbows

If you see one rainbow, you may be able to find a second – or at least another layer of rainbow that arcs over the first. If you can include both in the frame, you’ll often create extra interest, but be careful; you don’t want your composition to become too messy.

So before you back up to include that second rainbow in the frame, ask yourself: Will it actually add to the composition? And if the answer is “No,” consider excluding that second rainbow from the shot. Focus on making the more visible rainbow the focal point of your composition. Sometimes, less is more!

9. Try adding a polarizing filter

Polarizing filters help remove reflections and haze from the scene, and this can be hugely useful when shooting rainbows. So if you have a polarizer, try bringing it out, pointing your lens at the rainbow, and rotating the filter. See how it affects the resulting image.

In my experience, adjusting a polarizer will create different levels of color saturation, contrast, and reflections. This can help the rainbow stand out more, which is pretty much always a good thing.

A couple of items to note, however:

1. You can buy lots of cheap polarizers on websites like eBay, but they’ll often degrade image quality and cause optical issues. I’d really encourage you to invest in high-quality products. Yes, they may cost a decent amount, but they’ll also give you the best results.
2. Polarizers do reduce the volume of light hitting your camera sensor. While tripods are important for standard rainbow photography, if you’re going to be working with a polarizer, a tripod is absolutely essential.

10. Make sure you spend time post-processing

It’s important to get your images looking as good as possible in the field…

…but even the best photographers spend time post-processing each and every image they share. Why? Because post-processing has all sorts of useful applications. With a bit of editing, you can:

• Make the main subject stand out
• Emphasize (or deemphasize) certain colors
• Bring out detail throughout the scene
• Remove distracting elements, such as trash

In particular, I’d encourage you to use a basic editing program like Lightroom to boost the rainbow’s colors (try pushing up the saturation or even enhancing specific colors using the HSL panel). It’s often helpful to push up the contrast, and if you have the time, experiment with the tonal sliders (such as the Shadows and the Highlights).

Pay attention to your image’s exposure, and make sure that the sky and the foreground seem relatively balanced. You can use a graduated/gradient filter to darken the sky or brighten the foreground as required.

And if you enjoy post-processing, try to take your shots to the next level! Do some dodging and burning, add a vignette, and test out some color grading. See what you can create!

Rainbow photography: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know how to photograph rainbows – so you’re ready to head out with your camera and capture some gorgeous rainbow landscapes.

Just remember to use the right settings, carefully choose your composition, and don’t forget that tripod. With a bit of practice, you’ll be creating amazing shots in no time at all!

What type of rainbow photography do you plan to do? Share your thoughts (and images) in the comments below!

The post 10 Easy Tips for Gorgeous Rainbow Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

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7 Tips for Breathtaking Racing Photography

The post 7 Tips for Breathtaking Racing Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jim Wise.

Looking to capture stunning images of race cars in action? You’ve come to the right place.

I love racing photography, and in this article, I share plenty of hands-on tips and techniques to level up your own photos. I explain:

• The best cameras and lenses for race car photos
• How to choose the perfect settings for sharp (or deliberately blurry!) shots
• Tricks for more creative images
• Much more!

So if you’re ready to start photographing race cars like a pro, then let’s dive right in!

1. Bring the right cameras and lenses

Racing photography does require a certain amount of equipment. Sure, it’d be great if gear didn’t matter, but when it comes to racing photoshoots, you’ll need specific cameras and lenses to capture plenty of detailed action.

In particular, I’d recommend grabbing a camera with impressive autofocus capabilities. These days, some models even offer vehicle tracking, but if you can’t afford the best of the best, that’s okay. Just make sure you get the highest-quality camera you can afford, learn to use it well, and do your best with what you have.

You’ll also want to carry at least one telephoto lens. A 70-200mm zoom will let you capture a variety of compositions; at 200mm, you can shoot car details, and at 70mm, you can photograph wider scenes. A 55-200mm kit lens is also a good choice, though the optics and autofocus won’t be as good.

If you can afford it, carry two cameras with you – one bearing a telephoto lens, then the second with a shorter lens for interesting wide-angle shots. (If you only have one camera, try to switch up your lenses every so often, but be careful not to miss any key moments in the process!)

2. Prefocus on the track

When you’re just starting out with racing photography, I encourage you to learn the ins and outs of your AF system. Find a fast-moving road, then practice focusing on cars as they go by.

Use this time to evaluate your camera’s autofocus capabilities. Some cameras offer amazing tracking, while other cameras are a lot more unpredictable. If you’re impressed by your camera’s autofocus, that’s great, and you can hopefully rely on it when you head out for your first real race car photoshoot.

But if you aren’t satisfied with your camera’s AF capabilities, then I’d recommend a different tactic. Instead of reacting to the cars, switch over to manual focus, prefocus on a spot on the track, and wait for a car to come into sight.

As soon as the car appears, you can press down that shutter button, and you’ll have an in-focus shot of your racer! I’d also encourage you to use your camera’s burst mode, which will increase your chances of getting the car in sharp focus.

Every track has an ideal racing line, so it’s likely that all the racers will speed through at the same location (unless they’re passing or being passed).

3. Try some creative panning shots

Panning is a technique that involves slowing down the shutter speed while moving your camera setup along with a car. And it’s a great way to produce racing photos that clearly communicate speed and power.

Just drop your shutter speed to around 1/30s or so – you’ll want to experiment here because the perfect speed changes depending on the car movement – prefocus, then follow a car as it moves across your field of view. Make sure you take plenty of photos as the car moves; even in the best-case scenarios, you’ll still end up with lots of missed shots.

When panning does work, it’ll keep the race car relatively sharp while blurring the background. If you capture some panning shots and don’t like the results, try photographing a few laps at different speeds, then check them on your camera’s LCD screen. Once you get the effect you’re after, shoot in earnest.

One more thing: You’ll need to find the right balance between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Since you’ll be using a slow shutter speed, you’ll generally need to keep the ISO at its base settings – otherwise, you’ll risk overexposing the shot. And unless you’re shooting in low-light conditions, you’ll probably also want to use a somewhat narrow aperture. It’ll prevent overexposure, and it’ll also give you a bit of wiggle room when focusing. (If your aperture is too wide and your depth of field is consequently very shallow, it can be difficult to nail focus!)

The key here is really just careful testing and checking. Don’t just set your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, then forget about them. Instead, adjust your shutter speed until you get a nice blur effect, then adjust your aperture and ISO until you get the depth of field and the exposure you need.

4. Bring additional support

I’ve talked about the camera and lenses you should bring to race track photography, but I’d also like to mention one more key piece of equipment:

A tripod or a monopod.

You see, tripods and monopods will stabilize your camera setup so you can capture sharp images. They can also help improve your panning technique, and they often make for a more comfortable shooting experience (as you won’t need to hold up your entire rig all day long).

So which should you choose? Tripod or monopod?

Personally, I’m a monopod fan. They’re lightweight, plus they’re easy to carry around if you switch seats, move to another location, etc. Tripods are more supportive, however, so I encourage you to test out your different options and see what works best for you.

It’s also important to recognize that, if you’re photographing moving subjects, a tripod or monopod won’t keep your photos sharp on its own. Race cars move fast, so unless your goal is to do creative photography (such as the panning approach discussed above), in addition to bringing the support system, you’ll need to keep your shutter speed at around 1/1000s and above. Remember: If your shutter isn’t fast enough to handle the movement, it doesn’t matter if you have a perfectly stable camera!

5. Don’t be afraid to let the cars blur

In the previous tip, I discussed the importance of using a fast shutter speed to keep the race cars sharp.

But sometimes you don’t need to aim for a perfectly sharp shot. Instead, you should simply embrace the blur.

Carefully focus your lens on the spectators just behind the track, then slow down the shutter speed. Don’t drop it too much – you don’t want the spectators to blur – but a 1/250s speed or so should do the trick.

Then, when some cars zoom by, take the shot! The cars should blur, the spectators will stay sharp, and you’ll create a very unique image.

As with panning, make sure you experiment with different shutter speeds. Review your images frequently, and if you don’t get the results you’re after, keep tweaking until you do!

Note that this blur technique is useful for both daytime and nighttime racing (though if you’re working during the day, you may need to keep your ISO low and narrow your aperture for a sufficiently slow shutter speed).

6. Adjust your angle

Most race car photographers capture cars from their place in the stands. Yet if you want to stand out, it helps to mix things up!

First, consider potential high-angle and low-angle vantage points. Depending on the venue, you may be able to get down close to the cars and drivers. You may also be able to get up high, which always makes for interesting shots.

You can also get creative with a tripod or monopod; attach your camera to the head (make sure it’s secure), then hold it out over the track. Fire the camera using a remote release. With a bit of luck, you’ll get a unique shot that showcases the cars and/or the drivers from above:

You can also capture unique images by changing your camera’s tilt. If you hold the camera at a 45-degree angle and shoot cars as they go diagonally across the screen, your photos will have an interesting sense of speed:

Not every image you take needs to be ultra-creative, but if you can incorporate a few unusual techniques into each photoshoot, you’ll end up with a much more diverse portfolio.

7. Photograph the pit stops

I love to photograph pit stops; they always offer lots of action. Some race tracks even allow you to purchase a pit pass, which will give you access to the pit road and can make a huge difference to your images.

If you do obtain access to photograph pit stops, however, be sure to maintain your situational awareness. Every pit crew member has a job to do, and you definitely don’t want to get in their way; there’s the potential for serious injury for you and the crew members.

So pick the moment that you want to shoot, get on in, take your images, then step back so they can do their jobs.

If you own a wide-angle lens, use it for pit-stop photos. I like using a lens in the 16-35mm range, which offers a wider perspective and really ratchets up the sense of energy.

By the way, some forms of racing allow photographers to climb over the pit road wall (provided you wear a firesuit). This type of access lets you photograph pit-stop action up close and personal; in my opinion, it’s the absolute best.

You can even move around the car, which gives you the opportunity to capture the kind of race car images that most photographers will only ever dream of. But as always, maintain that situational awareness, don’t get in people’s way, and be aware of cars entering and exiting their pits.

Racing photography tips: final words

Race car photography can be challenging, but it can also be tons of fun.

Take advantage of the areas you’re able to access, and if you can afford it, buy a pit pass to get closer to the action. The camera equipment can be expensive, but learn to work with what you have, and upgrade your equipment when you can.

At the end of the day, just give it your best shot. As long as you remember the tips I’ve shared, I guarantee that you’ll capture some great images.

What type of racing do you plan to shoot? Which tips will you use? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 7 Tips for Breathtaking Racing Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jim Wise.

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Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Which Photo Editor Should You Use?

The post Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Which Photo Editor Should You Use? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Which editing program is best, Affinity Photo vs Lightroom? It’s a tough choice; while both of these software packages can be used to edit photos, they feature plenty of significant differences.

Lightroom is perfect for cataloging your images, making color corrections, and basic editing. Affinity Photo, on the other hand, has no cataloging function – but it’s great for color correction and both basic and complex image editing. Both programs have the capacity to work with RAW files non-destructively (in other words, your original image files remain unaltered when you edit).

So which program should you buy? That depends on your budget, your level of experience, and your editing needs. Below, I offer an in-depth comparison that looks at performance, editing tools, pricing, and more!

Affinity Photo: Overview

Affinity Photo is a powerful editing program that offers dozens of tools and non-destructive RAW editing – all for an outstanding price. It also features high-level layer editing (much like Lightroom’s more advanced sibling, Adobe Photoshop) and is perfect for both photographers and graphic designers.

Pros

• Non-destructive RAW editing; also offers complex, multi-layered raster image editing
• Vast selection of tools
• Well-designed layout
• Can be used to edit vector image files
• Inexpensive one-off price

Cons

• No image cataloging functionality
• Not yet available for the Android mobile platform

Adobe Lightroom: Overview

Adobe Lightroom is a comprehensive program that combines basic editing and advanced file management. In Lightroom, you can organize your images into Collections, add ratings, and search for files based on metadata. You can also do in-depth image processing (including tonal and color adjustments), and you can speed up your workflow via one-click editing presets.

Pros

• Easy to navigate
• Has a vast collection of tools
• Incorporates image cataloging
• Available for all popular platforms

Cons

• No layer-based editing
• Subscription pricing
• Adobe apps run continuously on your devices even when you’re not using Lightroom

Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Ease of use

Neither Affinity Photo nor Lightroom is impossible to learn, even for an absolute beginner – but both programs are complex and require lots of study and practice before you can use them well.

I used Lightroom for many years before I ever touched Affinity Photo. At first, I found the Affinity Photo interface challenging to navigate, not because it’s poorly designed, but because it is very different from Lightroom’s interface (which is what I was used to).

If you’re starting out and have no experience with Affinity Photo or Lightroom, neither should be much more difficult to learn than the other – at least not if you want to do basic editing. In my experience, the key to learning any image editing software is to take your time. Find some good tutorials by presenters who are easy to understand. Eventually, you’ll learn Affinity or Lightroom, and you’ll be ready to do some beautiful editing.

Note that Lightroom technically offers two different layouts, depending on the software you use. Lightroom Classic’s interface is driven by functionality, while Lightroom CC’s interface is sleeker. They’re essentially the same program, but with different interfaces and cloud connectivity, so I encourage you to look at both options and see which you prefer. (Affinity Photo only has one available interface.)

Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Performance

If you’re already editing with Adobe software, you may be aware that it uses a significant amount of your device’s resources. Even when Lightroom isn’t open on my computer, there are 17 Adobe processes running in the background. And when Lightroom is open, it creates an immediate drain on system resources. 

Affinity Photo is also relatively resource-intensive, though the two programs do have different system requirements. For instance, Affinity Photo requires 2 GB of RAM whereas Lightroom requires at least 4 GB. And the storage space required by Lightroom Classic is far greater; Lightroom needs at least 2 GB of hard drive space, while Affinity Photo needs only 670 MB.

In other words, Affinity is an easier program to run.

But bear in mind that image-editing software is pretty much always resource-hungry. If you have an older computer, you’ll notice a heavier drain on the system; new software is generally designed to work with newer hardware. So if you have an older laptop, you may struggle to use Lightroom, even if you have the required 4 GB of RAM. You really need a higher-spec computer if you need to manage lots of photos and/or plan to do complex editing.

Personally, I’ve noticed little performance difference when doing basic edits in Affinity Photo and in Lightroom Classic – but just because the programs run well on my computer doesn’t mean they’ll run well on yours.

Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Photo organization capabilities

Lightroom is – at least in part – a catalog system for organizing your photos. Affinity Photo has no such functionality; if you want to manage image files, you’ll need to purchase other software.

Lightroom is a great way to handle large image collections. You can group files within catalogs, and you can have as many catalogs as you like. I find that the larger the catalog, the slower the software performs. So you can speed things up by using smaller catalogs (though switching between catalogs isn’t so convenient!)

Lightroom makes it easy to browse and select images for editing. And because Lightroom also offers editing tools, you won’t need to open the files in another program. There are also plenty of handy features, like being able to compare two or more selected images side by side. Keyword management in Lightroom is decent, but it’s not as efficient or well-managed compared to other cataloging software.

If you use Affinity Photo, you’ll need to either do cataloging in desktop folders (which I do not recommend), or you’ll need to grab another program with digital asset management capabilities. When I started using Affinity Photo, I researched image cataloging options and settled on ACDSee Photo Studio. It’s easy to use, it’s inexpensive, and I find it pairs well with Affinity Photo.

Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Editing capabilities

Editing in Lightroom is effective, but it’s far more limited compared to Affinity Photo. In Affinity, you can do pretty much everything you can do in Lightroom and so much more.

For instance, Lightroom doesn’t offer layer-based editing, and you cannot combine multiple photos to create composites (unless you’re producing panoramas or HDR images). Affinity Photo is a more comprehensive editor; it allows you to work with multiple layers, and you can create composites to your heart’s content.

Lightroom does offer plenty of basic editing tools, all of which are non-destructive. You can make exposure adjustments, add contrast, do color grading, work independently with different hues, apply crops, and correct perspective distortion. You can also create and apply presets with the click of a button, and you even have access to a few advanced tools, such as an adjustment brush and subject masking.

But Affinity Photo can match pretty much all of these tools, and in my experience, many of them perform better in Affinity than in Lightroom. Affinity also lets you work with multiple images at once, use masks, apply filters, and more. (And depending on your workflow, this can be non-destructive.)

Affinity Photo makes adding text to images easy, and you can open and edit vector files with Affinity Photo (but not in Lightroom). So if you frequently download vector illustrations from stock websites, Affinity is the way to go.

Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Pricing

At the time of writing, you can purchase Affinity Photo for $54.99 for Windows and Mac OS. If you want the iPad version, it’ll set you back $19.99. Note that you’ll only need to make a single payment – there are no subscription plans – and that Serif, the Affinity Photo publisher, discounts the software by up to 50% at times.

Lightroom, however, cannot be purchased for a one-off fee. Instead, you’ll need to sign up and buy an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. At present, you’ll pay $9.99 per month for the Photography plan (which includes Lightroom CC, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and 20 GB of cloud storage).

Affinity Photo is the more cost-effective photo editor. If you do the math, you’ll see that you’ll pay more for six months of Lightroom than a lifetime of Affinity Photo. Lightroom has no end to the monthly payments; with Affinity Photo, you pay once and continue to receive upgrades for free.

If you like Affinity but want the image cataloging features Lightroom provides, there are a variety of solutions, some of which are completely free (such as RawTherapee). And you can always hope that, in the future, Affinity Photo will incorporate cataloging tools.

Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Verdict

So which is best, Affinity Photo or Lightroom? Honestly, while both programs have their pros and cons, I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other. The two editors are well-built and packed with features.

If you’re already using one of the editors, switching to the other will take some time and effort. Though if you’re a Photoshop user, then switching to Affinity Photo may not be that hard (the two programs do have a lot of similarities).

I’ve used Lightroom for many years. I don’t like the subscription model – I think it is exploitative – I’m so familiar with the workflow that I continue to subscribe. (Also, I need experience with various programs if I want to write articles like this one!)

Personally, I think Affinity Photo is a great alternative to Lightroom. You get much of Lightroom’s functionality (minus the cataloging capabilities), and you get plenty of Photoshop-level features, too. That’s why, for all but the most advanced photo editors, Affinity Photo is a great, cost-effective program. You can use it to perform all the editing tasks you can imagine, and if you pair it with image cataloging software, you’ll end up with a far less expensive solution than Adobe Creative Cloud.

Which program do you plan to use, Lightroom or Affinity? Why? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Affinity Photo vs Lightroom: Which Photo Editor Should You Use? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

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