The Digital Photo Guy

Lightroom Makes BW So-o-o Easy

OK, I admit it, I’m a little slow at times. My friend, Rob Sheppard, suggested a BW webinar a while ago but I couldn’t get enthused due to previous (bad) attempts at BW. I just didn’t want to spend any time learning. Well, I should know better because Rob is Editor-at-Large for Outdoor Photographer, one of the oldest photography magazines. He had suggested using Lightroom and I was still in the process of learning LR and didn’t want to take on anymore at the time.

Recently, feeling somewhat competent with LR, I turned my attention to BW in LR. Wow! It’s much better than the clumsy BW tools I’d been using. Granted, it’s been 45 years since I tried my hand at BW so my eye isn’t as well tuned to the nuances of BW as I’d like. Still, I really like some of my first attempts. LR makes it so easy to unscrew an adjustment if I screw it up.

Adding icing to my new found interest in BW, the Epson 3880 I bought a few months ago prints beautiful BW. It has three shades of black so the tones are as smooth as a newborn baby’s butt.

If there’s enough interest, I may fire up the BW Webinar idea again with Rob Sheppard. Let me know via the comments section.

Canon T3i and Wireless Flash

 Last week, I conducted a Flash in a Flash Workshop at Deer Park Winery. The student was using a brand new Canon T3i that I had recommended when she upgraded from an Olympus E500. I was impressed just reading the specs on the T3i but I was even more impressed when I actually got to use it. The T3i compares very favorably with my Canon 7D except in a few areas that probably won’t matter to most hobbyists.

Best of all, the T3i has wireless flash, just like the 7D. If you’re wndering, “What’s the big deal with wireless flash,” you’re in for a treat. How would you like to position your flash off camera without nasty, messy cables? How would you like true, honest-to-goodness E-TTL in a two, three, four or more flash setup?

If you have or are thinking of buying a Canon T3i, contact me for my Flash in a Flash Workshop. It will make your flash photos jump right off the page.