Michael Clark Photography: November 2006

In this ever-changing world of digital tools, I have recently reworked my digital workflow using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. I chose Lightroom because of it’s intuitive and powerful controls as well as its user interface. I have found that 80% of what I do in post processing with careful shooting techniques can be done in Lightroom and can be done faster than using Adobe Bridge and Photoshop alone. Adobe Lightroom also has much more advanced image editing and RAW processing tools - allowing me to concentrate on the images. Because I teach workshops and seminars on digital workflow I have put my workflow into an 89 page PDF e-book which covers everything from image capture to output using Lightroom and Photoshop. The e-book sells for $29.95 and can be purchased at here. At $29.95 you basically get an advanced digital workshop in book form.

Nikon and Digital Photo Pro magazine featured Michael and his work in an advertorial in the November/December 2006 issue of Digital Photo Pro. The advertorial which appears on the inside back cover, also included an interview with some interesting questions such as “What turns you on creatively? What’s your dream photo assignment?” and “If you could have diner with an artist from any era, who would it be?” One of the technical questions asked in the ad was “What is your favorite camera feature?” My response was: “The D2Xs has many incredible features but the white balance eye (Nikon calls it the Ambient Light Sensor) on the top of the camera is one feature that I use all the time. In a few seconds I can create a custom white balance for the light I am shooting in by just pressing two buttons and pointing the camera at the light source. It is a great feature for all lighting scenarios but especially when shooting at last light and the color temperature is changing every few minutes.” Also featured was the gear that I used to capture the image - a Nikon D2Xs and a 17-55mm DX Nikkor lens. The ad featured an image of Melisa Collett shot in Diablo Canyon just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico on a route named “Evil” 5.10d/11a. My thanks to Nikon, Digital Photo Pro and to Eric Barth who shot the portrait image used in the ad.