Lightroom Total Immersion Bootcamp

I learned how to use the photo editing software, Adobe's Lightroom, about three years ago but really started to get into it last year, 2023.

Last March 2023, I attended a wide-angle photography and beginner Lightroom workshop at the Little Cayman Beach Resort where I learned not only underwater photography techniques but also how to use Lightroom.

This year, I returned to the same Little Cayman resort and took week-long intermediate/advanced Lightroom bootcamp led by Adobe ACE and underwater photography expert, Erin Quigley.

Prior to this workshop, I would process my photos using the Auto button and then dial down the different settings until I was satisfied with the look of the photo. I really didn't understand what the different settings meant, I really was just winging it 🤷🏽‍♀️.

By the end of the week, I finally understood what to look for and where to start! 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼

After uploading your images and before beginning the editing process, ask yourself these questions:

❓ Is the image too bright or too dark?
❓ Does the image have dominant and unwanted colors (too yellow, too green, too blue)?
❓ Are there areas in the image that need to be adjusted independently (subject too dark, background too bright)?

By answering the above questions, I was able to get into a workflow that made sense.

Here are my key takeaways:

💡 Use the histogram to adjust the tonal details of the image.
🌈 The color mixer panel provides more fine tuned color adjustments to your photos.
🤿 Masking is so powerful! I used all of the available masking tools in many of my photos and it really made my subjects pop 🎆.
🌪️ Get rid of backscatter first (using the BackscatterXterminator), then work on the tonal aspects of your image.

We also delved into Photoshop and I learned how to use the Generative AI tools to remove and add details to the photo. More about the ethics of AI in a later post 😟.

As a bonus, I understood how to better position my strobes to light up my subjects properly.

When shooting wide-angle, I realized that my strobes where positioned too low and I never understood why the resulting photos were too dark. The solution was really simple. Position your strobes above the subject. Take some test shots and without looking at the viewfinder, look at where the strobes light up the subject. Check the result in the viewfinder and adjust accordingly. This one piece of advice was a game changer for me 🤩!

For example, when I shot this barrel sponge, I was using a vertical perspective. Thus, I had both strobes way above my camera in the bark-at-the-moon position.

Prior to Erin's advice, I had both strobes above the handle sort of like at 11 and 1 o'clock which meant that the top of the sponge wasn't getting lit at all. In fact, Erin swam over to me and re-positioned my strobes. Ahh, what a difference 💪🏽!

When shooting small subjects, I learned how to use one strobe and get a more dramatic effect. Here's an example photo of a lettuce slug shot with just one strobe.

I also learned how to get a dark background by using the highest shutter speed and aperture which got me these two shots of a a basslet and damselfish while diving at the south side of Little Cayman. These guys were swimming so fast that patience was a virtue! And I lucked out 🍀!

Here's a shot of a Fairy Basslet a.k.a a Royal Gamma swimming upside down!

And another of a juvenile Blueback damselfish

If you want to take your Lightroom editing (and Photoshop) skills to the next level in a fun and encouraging environment, then this bootcamp is for you.

Check back at goaskerin.com for future bootcamps and other learning opportunities.