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Jake Hicks Photography Techniques Archive 2016
Colour Toning in Photoshop - Why, When & How
When is the best time during your post pro workflow to add your colour toning? Why do do we bother applying cloud toning and what is the best way to apply it? Full insight given here.
Refining a Classic Beauty Lighting Setup
In the past Ive shot a few beauty shots with a start bright white light behind the model usually with a softbox. This refined (in my opinion) beauty setup still achieves a strong sculpting look without the blowing out of highlights.
Adding Warmth Back into Skin with Photoshop
Sometimes when you shoot portraits in a stark white environment like a studio you will often find that the skin tends to look a little cold in tone. This simple and quick technique enables you to add some natural earth back into the skin.
Optical Slaves - Why you Need Them
In this article I look at why you should always have a couple of optical slaves in your camera bag. There are going to be times where your radio slaves let you down on location due to locational infrastructure like heavy metal work and electrical interference. Enter the optical slave.
Using White Balance as a Creative Modifier
When using nothing but gelled lighting in a shoot there is no longer a "correct" white balance temperature to a shot. In this article I look at how we can use this to our creative advantage.
First Play with the New Bowens Strobes
As a Bowens lighting ambassador I had the opportunity to have an early hands on play with their latest Studio and Location strobes.
Creating Foreground Bokeh Lighting Tutorial
A look at a lighting setup to create some foreground bokeh in your images with a simple(ish) studio setup.
An article explaining the differences between radio flash triggers and infrared flash triggers and when and where to use them. Plus a quick review on the very affordable Godox flash trigger.
Get Google to Tell You When Somebody Steals Your Photo
A technique that will take you less than two minutes to setup but will alert you when people steal your photos. I use a real case situation when a company has stolen my shots to sell phone cases and I found out about it almost instantly.
Reading the Light - How shooting with gels can improve your white light photography
I get that gels aren't for everybody (although you're probably lost if you're here to be fair) but gels can be a learning aid as much as anything else. In fact gels are so unforgiving that they will quickly and easily show you where you might be going wrong with your white light photography. I take you through one of my edits to show what to look for.
The New the Old and the Vintage - Nikon's "Best" and "Worst" Zoom Lenses compared
In this article I look at the difference between Nikon's reputed "Best" and "Worst" zoom lenses on a practical level and I look at the images they produce from one of my gelled lighting shoots.
I am very proud to say that after being an avid listener to This Week in Photo for over 6 years I was interviewed by the legend himself, Fredrick Van Johnson. In this video interview Fredrick and I discuss my style, where I began and what the future of coloured gels holds :)
Set a Light 3D Software Review and Showcase
I've received a lot of questions asking what software I use to create my lighting diagrams in the articles I write. In this article I put together an in-depth video review of the software as well as a showcase of some of the features while I create one of my tricker lighting setups whilst using Set a Light 3D. The video also includes discounts codes for Jake Hicks Photography viewers who are looking to get a copy.
In a recent email I was informed that somebody was using my images to potentially set up photoshoots with young models. Upon further investigation it also appeared that this person was requesting pre-shot photos of the model in her underwear before he could confirm the shoot. In this article I outline some of the things young models should watch out and how to spot a fraud before it's too late.
KEEPING Perfectly Lit Gelled Backgrounds
In a previous post we look at how to perfectly light our gelled background. The reality is that it's quite easy to achieve, the problem real comes when you want to add other lights to the setup and you don't want to ruin that perfectly lit gelled backdrop. We look at the key things to keep in mind before you start.
Creating the Perfect Gelled Background
A look at the three key things to keep in mind before you set up your perfect gelled background.
Using CTO & CTB Utility Gels for Creative Effect
Sometimes you don't want to drown an image in colour and there are times when you just want to add some interest to a shot with colour whilst still using natural tones. In this article I look at how you can use Utility Gels like CTO and CTB conversion gels and a simple one light setup to do just that.
Quickly and Easily Remove Harsh Highlights in Photoshop
How to remove harsh highlights in Photoshop in a simple step by step guide. This technique allows to locally adjust and reduce highlights without affecting or loosing detail in the shadows.
Adding Analogue Grain to a Digital Image to Reduce Colour Banding
A quick and easy Photoshop technique that looks at adding analogue style grain back into our digital images to reduce the colour banding that is often present when we upload our files to online services like Facebook.
First Look at Lensbaby Twist 60
A first look at the brand new Lensbaby Twist 60 lens. In this mini hands-on review I look at how the new Lensbaby lens stacks up against a standard lens in terms of look but also how its 'swirl' effect compares the Lomo Petzval 58 effect.
Finding the People Who've Stolen Your Photographs
In this article I look at the company Pixsy and how they can find your stolen images online in a matter of seconds. They then offer to take on the copyright infringement case for you leaving you to do what you do best, take pictures not writing emails to corporate lawyers.
Quickly Remove Dust and Hairs from Clothing in Photoshop
A super quick and simple way to remove the tiny pieces of fluff, dust and hairs from the dark coloured clothes in your fashion and portrait shots using Photoshop.
Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Lens Review
I finally received my Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Lens after I backed the project via Kickstarter last year. I quickly got a model shoot organised and put it to the test. It's an interestingly tricky lens to use but I think the hard work pays off. Take a look at my results and thoughts here.
Gelled Fill Light - A Lesson in Refinement
A look at a fairly popular lighting setup but with a few tweaks and of course with the introduction of gels. I also look at a few tweaks that may well be overlooked by most but can make a surprising difference to your shots.
Maximising the Colour in your Coloured Gel Shots
To celebrate the announcement of my first Post-Pro Workshop I put together this article on how I use Photoshop adjustment layers to maximise the coloured effect of gels with our relatively flat and muted Raw files.
Most Effective Single Light Setup I've Ever Used
A full guide on how to achieve one of the most effective lighting setups I've ever used. This setup certainly won't break the bank either. Craft knives at the ready!
Using a Projector in Your Photoshoot
I go over how to incorporate a slide projector into your photoshoot. I talk about the pros and cons of using both analogue and digital projects as well how to add additional lights to enhance the shot even further.