Where Is Professional Photography Headed?
Advanced photographers give special consideration to what should occur in the camera at the moment of capture and what will be accomplished in image-editing software afterwards.
Creating natural looking photos that live up to the vision of the advanced photographer requires consideration for what should occur in the camera at the moment of capture – and what will be accomplished afterwards in image-editing software. The combination of these two aspects of photo craft achieve the highly differentiated “signature” of leading pros. In a competitive marketplace, well-developed skills in both areas make all the difference.
Lighting and dynamic range
Advanced professionals establish lighting, framing, background and exposure in a specific way in camera, in order to establish the right starting point for their after capture work with Photoshop. Check out the work of Ryan Szepan at Shutter Stops Photography and see the results for yourself.
Quality and after capture time management
A Wacom pen enables you to retouch and blend with pressure-sensitive control over tool size and opacity with the feeling of working directly on the image. This provides for a much quicker and more natural-looking result.
Risk management
Some shots and image set-ups lend themselves to a risk-managed approach. The photographer knows that adjustments and enhancements can be made later with the benefits of a Wacom pen and the right software. For example, an action shot that is difficult to set up and depends on daylight and sky may only offer one chance to get it right. If controlled blur is desired to establish the action, you may err on the side of sharpness knowing that you can add motion blur after the fact. Using Photoshop to add motion blur that transitions naturally is very difficult to accomplish without the benefit of pressure-sensitive pen control in combination with Adobe’s motion blur filter.
Artistic options and alternatives
If clients are looking for artistic options and alternatives, a pressure-sensitive pen provides many options for hand tinting, painting, adding backgrounds, and/or blending art and photo skills.
See for yourself
Explore the sports photography of Joel Grimes and see how he creates drama in his skies and background, with textures and combined bracketed exposures. Gain insight into some of his more advanced Photoshop techniques that achieve stunning results.
Breathe in the expansive vistas captured by Colby Brown and learn how he teases out the details in one image while painting with light in another.
See how renowned wedding photographer Catherine Hall’s use of her Intuos5 allows her to focus her retouching time on the artistic instead of the technical issues. “There’s a disparity between what the camera can see and what your eyes see,” she points out. “I’m always trying to bring the image back to what your eyes can see.”
Which Wacom is right for you?
All the pros remind us that time is a critical component in retouching. There are no shortcuts, but Wacom aids in productivity gains while helping to assure the highest standards in image quality.
As in other creative disciplines where Wacom pen tablets are used, professional photographers are teaching us something new every day. Invest in a tool that helps you do more in less time and that you can rely on as software and digital editing techniques continue to evolve. Try a pen tablet from the Intuos line, or step up to direct pen-on-screen workflow with our Cintiq interactive pen displays.
A quick overview to using a Wacom tablet or interactive pen display with Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4. Discover dozens of tools that take advantage of the pen pressure and tilt sensitivity of Wacom professional products.
Wacom Tablets with Photoshop and Lightroom