Lightroom Presets From Former Life.Church Photographer
May 29, 2024
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Former Life.Church photographer, Benjamin Suter, shares insights on photo editing in Lightroom, covering exposure, white balance, and skin tone preservation. He offers custom presets for free download. Topics include emotional philosophy of editing, capturing essence of scenes, and mastering Lightroom adjustments.
Start with adjusting white balance and tones before moving to color adjustments in photo editing process.
Honor diversity in skin tones by making subtle adjustments to preserve authenticity and respect in editing.
Use vibrance and saturation sliders subtly to enhance colors in images, avoiding overediting and maintaining natural feel of the scene.
Deep dives
Photography Editing Process with Benjamin Suder
Benjamin Suder, a former life church photographer, shares his editing process starting with adjusting white balance, tones, colors in Lightroom. He emphasizes starting with white balance and initial tones, then moving to basic color adjustments and tone curves. Suder discusses the importance of editing based on how a photo feels, aiming to capture the emotion rather than the exact look of the scene.
Importance of Skin Tone Preservation in Editing
Benjamin Suder emphasizes honoring the diversity of skin tones in his editing process. He discusses the challenges of accurately representing darker complexions and mentions subtle adjustments in HSL sliders to preserve skin tones authentically. Suder highlights the sensitivity required in editing to ensure that the subjects are portrayed truthfully and respectfully.
Enhancing Vibrancy and Clarity in Photos
Suder explains the importance of using vibrance and saturation sliders subtly to enhance colors in images, particularly in dynamic lighting conditions like stage photography. He touches on the risks of overediting and the need for a balanced approach to preserve the natural feel of the scene. Suder also discusses the role of clarity and texture adjustments in achieving the desired visual impact without compromising the authenticity of the photos.
Enhancing Photos with Tone Curves and Color Grading
You can elevate your photos by using tone curves to adjust shadows and highlights, creating a unique 'S-curve' for better contrast and color depth. Additionally, color grading tools like adding warmth to shadows and cool tones to highlights can enhance the overall look of the image. Utilizing calibration tools for teal and orange looks, as well as masking to add intrigue and manipulate lighting effects, can bring out the desired style in your photos.
Efficiency with Presets and Post-Processing Techniques
Utilizing presets can save time in photo editing, allowing for quick adjustments like exposure and white balance to enhance images efficiently. Adding noise to black and white photos can create texture and provide an artistic touch, covering potential imperfections and adding character. Strategic use of black and white editing can navigate challenging lighting situations and offer variety in your image galleries, providing a range of creative options for your church photography projects.
Today we’re welcoming back to the show, for the second time, former Life.Church photographer - Benjamin Suter. We get to follow along a live demonstration of his photo editing process. We'll cover exposure, white balance, sharpening, grain, and preserving skin tones under stage lighting. Plus, he shares his custom presets, available as a free download in the show notes.
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Show Notes:
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- Adobe Lightroom: https://lightroom.adobe.com/
- Benjamin J Suter Presets: https://benjaminjsuter.com/presets
- Pro Church Tools Presets: https://prochurchtools.com/presets
