I talk a lot here about Shadow Hacking, exposing better in camera zones and beyond. But today I was to show you something that almost no one is using in Lightroom, Raw, and Capture One. Recently I made a video about the least-known secret in Photography. Now I’ll show you a way to edit exposure beyond the slider. Learn more about exposure and shadow in my Shadow Hackers Live class and grab some free presets From Natural HDR and Filmist. #1 Don’t think of Exposure as a slider. Thinking more like you’re in the darkroom gives you a more complex view of how exposure works and relates to contra ..read more

Scanning film for natural film color is not as easy as it seems and most of the labs are sending you scans that won’t look like your film. So what the best and cheapest scanning method (at least for 35mm) and how does film affect our non-film photography every day? Good scans will change your digital photos also! I’ve scanned pretty much every way and it can be hard. In today’s video, I’ll show you my new favorite way to scan 35mm film and how you can use it to make better colors from your digital camera. This is exactly what I used these better scans for in the Filmist 2.2 film presets updat ..read more

We say gear or new tools don’t matter, but sometimes they kick our inspiration into high gear and that does matter. I bet you’ve felt this too. Photos being too perfect was the topic of today’s Pro Photo Podcast so go listen in the background. 1. What is modern pictorialism A blur like in these birds gives a natural emotion but the photo is still natural after my edit in BlackRoom. A new camera is exciting and gets us shooting. But sometimes simple things do that better. There’s a lot to be learned from history that we usually ignore. And the deep shadows drawn by pictorialist photographers a ..read more

Photography Podcast Host: Gavin Seim. Leave a comment below, or talk about this week’s episode here on the Shadow Hunter Facebook group. Also, don’t miss the next Shadow Hackers Online Workshop for Free. Pictorialism, Ai, and making photos honest again! Landscapes and even war-torn news images are being faked constantly and you don’t even know. Cameras make near-perfect photos and more so every day. But is that what a photo is all about? Get Gavs Filmist 2 film presets even if you don’t shoot film. There’s a free pack you’ll love too. Midjournay can now generate the same face across multiple ..read more

White balance in photography is not what it is marketed as to sell white balance gadgets for photography. But White Balance is not the same on RAW and JPEG Play around and you will see how simple photography white balance can be. You can also get my FREE film presets and Elegance masks here. You are the real White Balance. Today’s session was great for this because the light changed fast and was very mixed. But in the real world, this is usually the kind of photos you have. I’ve talked about white balance before here but I felt like we need another visit. Photos end up lesser when we focus ..read more

Today’s video has been over a year in planning. Because I wanted to show you how powerful this is and how to use any camera in Xpan Mode and change your perspective. Xpan Panaormaics are expensive. Unless you make a digital Xpan See the Xpan frame guide at the bottom. I edited everything with Filmist 2 Presets for an authetic film feel. Share your Xpan crops on the Facebook Shadow Hunters Group The Secret to Digital Xpan Panoramics. Anyone with any photo app can crop a pano. The secret to a digital xpan look is to commit and shoot that way in camera. The lines are fine. But the more blocke ..read more

The use of layers and masks in Lightroom and Capture has been getting better every year. But until now there was no speed masking in Capture One. Today that changes and bothers C1 and LR to get mask updates from Elegance 4. Using the latest Speed Masks, even in Capture One. Get Elegance 4 here. This is a free update if you own V4 (log in here). V4.8 also includes the Capture One Styles in the download. Just install them like any other style pack. The secret to perfect masks every time. Today’s video looks more at Capture One because we’ve all been waiting a long time. But you can do all th ..read more

Black and white looks easy, but is hard. So what’s the best way to edit black and white in 2024? I’ll show you, but there are a couple of levels and you want to be comfortable with both. Fast edits or detailed art black and white edits. How about both? In the video I use Silver 5 presets, BlackRoom actions, and Emulsion 4. You can also create your own versions of these processes manually. Just make sure you have something. I’ve spent decades trying nearly every black-and-white method. Many claim to be a new approach or the best. But what you’ll see in today’s video is that it’s more about ..read more

Luma masking is powerful but often complicated in RAW. I go to Lumist for deep edits. But Lightroom and Capture One have powerful masking tools and today we take control of those. I included my preset of this in Natural HDR 4 and it works in Lightroom and Capture One. Download the latest version (login here) if you don’t have the preset “Xmod – HDR Magic Mask”. I call this the Magic Mask because it gives you fluid control. But like magic, it’s hard to do right. So today we’re going to simplify the mask tool that’s often difficult and for that reason not used like its Ai counterparts. The c ..read more

But when I did the recent Natural HDR 4.1 update I wanted a video not about how to use the presets so much as how to create beautiful HDR Photography. Not your Grandpas HDR! HDR mode presets, Shadows, and highlights. HDR Photography! Tone is not what people think and neither is HDR so I’m finally making a video to put an end to the confusion. This is how HDR will change how you see tone and shadow practically in 2024. Download my free HDR presets here and the free Filmist sampler pack here to use these ideas right now. Also don’t miss my next free Shadow Hackers LIVE workshop. Don’t Expose ..read more