The Joys of Luminar 4

So I've had a few months to test and try Luminar 4. Luminar 4 is my first Skylum product (I don't have Luminar 3).

I do quite a few portraits at work and I purchased (a deeply discounted pre-release) Luminar 4 mainly for portraits (it promised making my subjects' face slimmer, fresher and younger-looking, have better teeth, etc). Promises of better landscapes would just be a bonus.

I'm also lazy at reading instructions from Manuals and watching the introductory videos that go on after the software is installed. I prefer to dive right in and start clicking on buttons to see where they lead. At this point in my photography, I find that software from different developers share the same framework and have similar workflows. I believe that good software should be simple and intuitive.

My mindset is such that when I feel a need, I look into the software to fill that need. I don't go into the software to see what it offers and then make up a need so I can utilize the software. Software to me is not a solution looking for a problem. First, I have a problem, then I look for a solution to that specific problem. This is how I approached Luminar 4

In a word: EXCELLENT!

I highly recommend it, especially after the latest update. Skylum seems to be listening to its clients and releasing updates and improvements as fast as they can. For example, processing time is much faster now than the first release. Now if I can only figure out how to batch-process.

https://aperlust.com/ is an excellent source for updates and tutorials.

Sony Diaries #949: Fast and Wide Primes for Portraiture

Ask most photographers, amateur and professional (paid amateur?), what lens(es) they use the most for Portrait Photography and the answer is very likely the focal lengths ranging from 70-200mm. Perhaps 50mm for environmental portraits where the background is essential for describing the subject. Wider lenses usually don't enter into the equation since one loses shallow depth-of-field, subject becomes too small within the frame, and distortion becomes a factor.

The following photos will show that one can   negate the 3 "negatives"mentioned. Wide lenses can have more impact, a more "in-your-face" feel since by necessity, particularly for a 24mm lens, one has to shoot as close as 2 feet  away from the subject.

A few housekeeping items to remember: centre the subject, at least within the middle third of the frame, keep level to the horizon, and observe proper posing techniques to accentuate positive features (sparkling eyes), and deemphasize negative features (prominent noses). And as always with any portraiture shoot, elicit a spontaneous happy look from your subject.

Minolta 50 F1.7, shot at either F2 or F2.2

 Sigma 35 F1.4, shot at F1.6, F2

Sigma 24 F1.8 macro, shot at F2, F2.2

All photos shown full-frame, shot with a Sony a99, no cropping. Photographed for TrilliumWest Real Estate Brokerage, Guelph, ON.