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I'm a traveler, adventurer, moviegoer, gamer and hiker. A scalpel-wielder during the day and a photographer at other times. I live in the UK with my wife, son and our 2 cats - Franky and Benny! I like to point my camera at stuff especially landscape, buildings and interesting things I came across during my travels.
Welcome to Fotographee! I'm honored to have you as part of the community.
I truly believe that anyone can produce awesome images without expensive photography gear.
My mission here is to show you how to transform your images from straight out of camera to a piece of art that you can be proud of. Whether you shoot with your smartphone, a point-and-shoot camera or a DSLR, it's your camera skills and editing techniques that matter.
"You don't take a photograph, you make it" - Ansel Adams. This is why will always hear me say "create" images instead of "take" photos.
If this is your first time here, I know it can be overwhelming to figure out what this is all about. This page is therefore created to guide you.
All you have to do is follow the steps below to get started!
Happy shooting and stay creative!
The XDR blog
STEP 1:
What Is This Blog About?
Fotographee is a photography blog with its main focus on image editing. You may have already noticed I publish very little about camera equipment because I believe you don't need shiny expensive cameras to create good photographs.
My aim with this blog is to share my journey with you - how-to tutorials, tips and techniques that help you to be more creative in your photographs.
You might have also noticed I published a lot about how to create natural looking HDR, or XDR as I called it. There are also a whole lot of tutorials on exposure blending and luminosity masks...that's because these have changed how I approach photography. I believe in these techniques and I hope it will inspire you the same way it has inspired me.
So, what the heck is XDR?
It stands for eXtended Dynamic Range. It's essentially the same as HDR but with a new name.
Why?
Because HDR has such a bad reputation (just google it and see it yourself!). However, it has evolved in the past few years where people are starting to use exposure blending instead of relying on tone-mapping. The results are a lot more natural and the process of creating HDR images is more fun!
The name XDR is to give HDR a new life...plus it sounds cooler! (right?)
But wait...what does that have to do with image editing?
An image needs editing whether it's XDR or not...which is what this blog is about. How much editing should you apply to an image?
Well, that's the million dollar question, right?
Ever wondered how to transform a photograph this way?
The image above is just to give you an idea what you can learn here. At the end of the day, your edit can be subtle or heavy depending on your style.
There's no right or wrong. It's up to the artist, you, to decide.
For the first timer
STEP 2:
Be Part of The Community
The blog is updated regularly with new articles and tutorials. There are a few ways to keep in touch and stay up-to-date with what's happening.
First, subscribe to be part of the community to explore the art of digital image editing to transform your images with creative techniques. Plus, you'll also receive The 4-Step Editing Framework: How To Create Images With More Impact Ebook to help you get productive in editing without spending more time. Your email address will NEVER be shared and you can unsubscribe anytime with a simple click...what have you got to lose?
I also post current news in photography and articles that you might find useful to improve your skills on my Facebook page. If you like what you see, please "Like" the page so that any future posts I publish will appear on your Facebook news feed.
I'm also on Twitter and I tweet about my new blog posts, so do check it out too 🙂
If you want to see what I'm up to, you can also find me on Instagram. This is where you'll see all my photos. Remember to say hi, don't be shy!
Want to know more about me? You can check out my about page.
The best of Fotographee
STEP 3:
Browse Through Our Popular Posts
Ok, enough with the introduction!
Time to check out what you're here for!
The best way to start is with my all-time popular posts! These are the tutorials that are visited most frequently by photographers like you.
All-time popular posts on Fotographee:
For HDR enthusiasts:
If you want to know how to create realistic, natural looking HDR images with tone-mapping, here are some tutorials you might be interested:
Tired of tone-mapping? Want to learn how to create XDR with exposure blending? Here are some tutorials for you:
Luminosity masks:
Maybe you have heard about luminosity masks, maybe you're trying to understand how it works.
Luminosity masks is a powerful selection tool that allows you to create highly targeted selection with seamless self-feathering.
Most people find it heard to learn at the beginning, so here are some tutorials that will help you master the basics:
Image editing techniques:
For general topics in image editing, here are some tutorials you might find helpful:
Level up your skills
Next Step:
Kickstarting Ebooks
Are you ready to invest time and effort to get better results?
These entry level ebooks are written to help you take the next step in photography.
Photography Basics Made Easy
The first book everyone needs. Now made extremely easy!
Dissecting Histogram
Master the only tool you need to get the right exposure consistently every time.
The XDR Blueprint
Step-by-step blueprint to create natural looking HDR images with exposure blending.
