1. Understand IPS Vs. Shoot And Burn

When it comes to maternity photography pricing, there are generally two different models: the IPS (In-Person Sales) model and the “Shoot and Burn” model.

The IPS model starts with a low sitting fee, i.e $50-$200, and all digital files, prints, wall art, and albums are sold independently. There are variations to this, such as offering limited prints, print credit or limited digitals with the sitting fee. Generally, this model relies heavily on a streamlined sales process that conveys the client the value of printed products and having them purchase those products from you immediately after the shoot. You can find more in-depth information on this topic in our S3: Shooting Stories That Sell Workshop in Premium.

On the other side, you have the shoot and burn (or “shoot and share”) photography pricing model. In this model, the fee includes the photo session as well as a disc,  flash drive, or online gallery loaded with all of the images from the shoot.  Whichever route you choose, there’s definitely a market for each pricing model.

2. Don’t Switch Maternity Photography Pricing Models

If your clients are used to a shoot and burn model for other photo services you offer, you probably need to stick to it. Otherwise, switching up pricing models will likely make the client feel they’re being pressured into buying something that they don’t really want or need. It’s okay to make the initial switch from one pricing model to the other across all of your photo services, but understand that you may still have some pushback from return clients after the switch.

3. Understand the Cost-Based Approach For Minimum Pricing

When determining your prices, be sure to factor in all of your costs, including the time you put into preparing your gear, driving, setting up, post-producing, and more. Also, and this is important, be sure to factor in taxes and operating business expenses. The last thing you want is to underestimate your time and expenses and then get a surprise tax bill when tax season rolls around.

Use these costs, along with your estimates of revenue and the number of shoots, to estimate your annual income.  Does this number meet or exceed your needs and goals?  If not, you may need to increase your package pricing and/or find ways to cut your costs.

4. Understand that Photography is a Luxury Good

Photography, as a product/service, is a luxury good. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, photography sits along the top of the pyramid among other self-fulfilling needs, quite a distance away from basic needs like food, water, shelter, etc.

This is important to understand in terms of creating an experience that adds value to the base product you offer, which is photos of your clients. Clients may not need your photos, but with careful research and planning, you can design an experience that conveys value and shows how your photos will improve your clients’ lives. Helping your clients find value in your product will also help to justify your prices.

5. Create A Target Market Persona

Before you can design a client experience and set your maternity photography pricing, you need to know who your ideal client is. You know she’s expecting a baby, but what else do you know about her?

When imagining your ideal clients, consider the type of cars they drive, the clothes they wear, the foods they eat, and the activities they engage in for fun. This fictional persona will allow you to take a close look at your target market’s brand preferences and examine how those brands are reaching your target audience. What you’ll find, more often than not, is that other brands are selling an idea of how their products lend themselves to their target audience’s ideal lifestyle (how they’ll feel driving a specific car or how they’ll look wearing a particular jacket, carrying a designer hand bag, etc.).

Use this information to help design the perfect experience for your client.

6. Do Your Competitor Research

One way to help determine your pricing is to look at what your competitors are charging for their maternity photography services. The key here, however, is distinguishing between your direct and indirect competitors so that you can arrive at a more accurate price range.

To help identify your direct competitors, consider how difficult or easy it is to differentiate between the maternity photography styles in which both of you shoot. Do you both shoot dramatic portraits against elaborate studio backdrops, or does one of you tend to shoot in a more bright-and-airy outdoors style? Those who shoot in a similar style within the same genre of photography are direct competitors. If the only thing differentiating your service from that of your competitors is price, then it’s likely most clients will choose the cheaper option.

Once you’ve identified your direct competitors, you can also perform a S.W.O.T. analysis to compare your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses with yours and then make adjustments to make your business stand out as the go-to in the maternity photography genre. What you’re mainly looking for in this analysis is to see where your business stands in terms of your product quality, web presence, SEO, and content marketing. If you’d like to download our S.W.O.T. template, you may download it for free by subscribing to our newsletter below:

7. Understand Your Opportunity Costs

It’s easy to overlook opportunity costs, but identifying them can help ensure you’re on the right track with the pricing model and rates you’ve chosen. To determine your opportunity costs, compare the amount of money you expect to earn from your chosen maternity photography pricing model against the potential earnings from other types of shoots.

For example, if you’re making $1,000 for an engagement session and only $500 for a maternity session, you might consider increasing the price for your maternity sessions, even if that leads to fewer bookings.  Of course if you have plenty of room in you schedule for both, you might not change your pricing; but if your lower maternity photography revenue is preventing you from getting your higher engagement session revenue, adjust prices accordingly so you’re getting compensated equally for your time.

8. Present Value In All Pricing Packages

After you’ve determined your costs and set revenue goals for your maternity photography services, you can create pricing packages that will allow you to meet your goals while also presenting value to your clients, no matter which package they choose.

When pricing your packages, beware of price relativity. You’ll notice in the image above, we’ve presented three packages. If we only offered a single option (let’s say package two, our desired sell), some potential clients might find the package too expensive and they may look elsewhere without getting to know more about your services. However, with multiple pricing options, what once seemed too expensive (package II) may not seem as such when placed next to an even more expensive option (package III). Plus, there will be a percentage of clients who do choose the most expensive package, so it’s beneficial to offer that option as well.

Conclusion

While pricing can prove tricky with so many variables to consider, there are clear steps you can take to arrive at a functional, profitable price. Here’s a quick recap of the photography pricing tips we shared in this article:

• Understand IPS vs. Shoot and Burn
• Don’t switch pricing models
• Use the cost-based approach
• Understand that photography is a luxury good
• Create a target market persona
• Do your competitor research
• Understand your opportunity costs
• Present value in all pricing packages

You can find in-depth information on the technical aspects of shooting maternity photos in our Maternity Photography Workshop. To dive deeper into the business side of things, don’t miss our Complete Photography Business Training System, available now in Premium.

Quick Tips for Black and White Landscape Photos

Of course, general landscape photography tips still apply. Only this time, we’re focusing on key traits for capturing the landscape in black and white. To start, some scenarios will work better for black and white landscape photos vs capturing them in color. For example, certain scenes offer a wider range of tonal values than others. Here are just a few basic tips to keep in mind when heading out to capture your own black and white landscape photos.

Tip 1: Look for Interesting and Dynamic Compositions

Black and white photography can highlight the contrast, shapes, textures, and lines in your landscape images. Therefore, it’s essential to look for compositions that have strong visual elements (patterns, silhouettes, leading lines, negative space, etc.) that will stand out in black and white. Try to create a sense of depth and foreground interest to make your images more compelling.

Tip 2: Consider the Lighting for Black and White Landscape Photos

The way light falls on a landscape can create dramatic or subtle black and white images. For instance, harsh, direct light can create deep shadows and bright highlights that add depth and texture to an image. Alternatively, soft, diffused light can produce more even tones and subtle contrasts. Experiment with different lighting conditions to find the best one for your scene.

Tip 3: Experiment with Different Exposures

As we’ve mentioned, the contrast between light and dark tones plays a crucial in black and white landscape photography. Therefore, it’s essential to adjust the exposure to create the “right” balance between the highlights and shadows. Try to expose for the highlights and then darken the shadows in post-processing to create a more dramatic effect.

Tip 4: Use Filters when Capturing Black and White Landscape Photos

Filters can help you manipulate the contrast, tonality, and mood of your black and white landscape photos. For example, a red filter can darken the blue sky and create a more dramatic effect, while a yellow filter can brighten the green foliage and create more contrast. Experiment with different filters to see which one works best for the landscape you’re capturing.

Tip 5: Edit with Purpose

Post-processing is an essential step in creating stunning black and white landscape images. Use your favorite editing software to adjust the contrast, brightness, and tonality of your image to bring out the best in your subject. However, be careful not to over-edit or manipulate the image to the point where it becomes unrealistic or artificial (unless that’s what you’re after for whatever reason).

The more you begin to understand the differences between color vs black and white landscape images, the more you realize why some photographers prefer shooting in one style over the other.

Black and White Landscape Photos from Instagram to Inspire You

Let’s get started!

Chuck Kimmerle: Website | Instagram

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Watching the incoming tide

A post shared by chuck Kimmerle (@ckimmerle) on Feb 1, 2020 at 6:33pm PST

Richard Walker: Website | Instagram

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After my early morning bluebell shoot at Dockey Wood last weekend (see previous upload) I had a nice stroll around Ivinghoe Beacon where I stumbled upon this little fella sprouting out of the side of the hill. The early morning clouds were stunning and I could see right away that this would work in black and white. www.richardwalkerphotography.co.uk www.facebook.com/dkiphotography #blackandwhite #tree #lonetree #clouds #hill #ivinghoebeacon

A post shared by Richard Walker Photography (@richardwalkerphotography) on May 5, 2016 at 6:03am PDT

Michael Kenna: Website | Instagram

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#michaelkenna #huangshan #china

A post shared by Michael Kenna (@michaelkennaphotography) on Feb 2, 2016 at 11:11am PST

[Related Reading: How to Create Incredible Black & White Images in Lightroom]

Jeffrey Conley: Website | Instagram

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This print, "Falling Water", is one of the most recent photographs to be included in my upcoming exhibition. The photograph is from a trip to Iceland a few months ago. I can't wait to get back there again! – This is a newly printed 21×25 inch platinum/ palladium print. I've been incredibly busy in the darkroom for the last couple of months- getting ready for a large exhibition of my work entitled "Reverence" at @peterfettermangallery in Santa Monica, California. The opening reception is this coming Saturday, December 16th from 4:00 – 7:00pm. Please join us if you are in the area! The exhibition runs through March 10, 2018. – I am also pleased to announce that my second book, "Reverence", published by Nazraeli Press, will be released in January, 2018. Many exciting things going on! More to come… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #gelatinsilverprint #platinumprint #selfportrait #platinumpalladiumprint #platinumprint #alternativeprocess #darkroomphotography #darkroomprint #blackandwhitephotography #analogprint #everydayisearthday #stayandwander #aov #exploretocreate #CreateExplore #bwphoto #artofvisuals #exploreeverything #adventurethatislife #abstractrealism #abstractart #whyihike #film #iceland #icelandwaterfall #minimalist

A post shared by Jeffrey Conley (@jconleyphoto) on Dec 13, 2017 at 4:37pm PST

[Related Reading: 10 Famous Street Photographers to Follow]

More Black and White Landscape Photos

Conclusion

I hope this collection of black and white landscape photos will help inspire your next adventure, whether you’re hitting the road or taking a walk. If you’ve never tried capturing black and white photos (or capturing color photos for the purpose of editing them as black and white photos), I highly recommend you give it a go. Fortunately, modern digital photographers have the benefit of shooting in color (ideally using the RAW file format) and choosing to convert the image at a later time, so it’s a win-win.

If you’re interested in diving deeper into your photography education, be sure to check out our Premium subscriptions, which offer streaming access to over 30 workshops, training systems, and more.

You can find SPARK here on Kickstarter until Thursday, September 7, 2023.

Video

Meet the Maker

MIOPS, the company behind SPARK, is well-known for creating innovative camera products, and SPARK offers further evidence to support that reputation. Onur Celik, CEO of MIOPS, shared his thoughts on the product’s upcoming release: “We are thrilled to launch the Kickstarter campaign for SPARK, our revolutionary camera companion. SPARK brings professional-level features and versatility to iPhone photography, allowing users to unleash their creativity and capture stunning images and videos. We believe SPARK will empower photographers and videographers, taking their craft to new heights.”

Features

Dubbed “the ultimate camera companion,” SPARK stands ready to transform how we use our smartphones as cameras. Designed with ergonomically friendly contours and DSLR-like buttons, SPARK works seamlessly with a wide range of iPhone models, and it comes loaded with features.

Free Snap – Pro Camera App

In addition to producing SPARK, MIOPS also created the Snap – Pro Camera app, which will be provided for free to all SPARK users. With this app, you can get the most out of the photo and video capabilities that SPARK offers, which we’ll briefly touch on below (and you can learn more about on the Kickstarter page). It’s worth noting that MIOPS has also noted that they are currently in the process of finding ways to integrate SPARK with other photo and video applications as well.

MagSafe Mount

The included MagSafe Mount (with an added sticker for those whose phones need it) makes it easy to quickly attach your phone to the SPARK and adjust the shot orientation between vertical or landscape positions.

Camera Control

One of the things we care most about when using smartphone cameras, especially as photographers, is being able to control our camera’s exposure settings and other elements that affect our shots. Without this control, we’re left to shoot every scene as is, which minimizes our creative input. The DSLR-like buttons featured on the SPARK accessory make it easy and convenient to quickly dial in ISO, white balance, and focus, among other settings, so that we capture photos that reflect our artistic vision.

Crowd Removal

Photographing popular locations can prove difficult when crowds compete for attention with your intended subject. SPARK’s Crowd Removal feature can save you tons of time in post and minimize the time spent waiting for just the right moment when the crowd dies down. Using innovative technology developed by MIOPS, the Crowd Removal feature automatically detects and removes people and moving objects from your photos. Just be sure to take along a tripod, scout the location for the best composition, and then let SPARK do its thing.

Long Exposure

Who doesn’t love a great long exposure photograph? It quickly elevates landscape imagery, especially when capturing motion in the light trails of passing cars at night or the rushing waters of waterfalls and river rapids. With SPARK, you can quickly adjust your exposure settings for longer durations and take creative control of the scene.

Lightning Photography

If you’ve ever tried to photograph lightning, then you know how challenging it can be. With SPARK, consider the challenge accepted. SPARK’s integrated light sensor works to “detect the subtle nuances of ambient light, including the dramatic and elusive lightning strikes.” No other specialized equipment is needed. Whether you fancy yourself a stormchaser or you’re capturing landscapes at night, you can now easily use your smartphone to capture amazing imagery that would’ve previously required more gear and hard-earned experience.

Other Features

You’ll be pleased to know that SPARK also includes the following features:

• Photo Stacking
• HDR Imaging
• Burst Mode
• Zebra Stripes
• Live Filters
• Remote Triggering (via Apple Watch)
• MagSafe Mount
• Intuitive Interface
• Much More!

Kickstarter Pricing and Benefits

The early bird specials are already sold out, but you can still save 10% with the SPARK Kickstarter Pack, which comes out to $109 + shipping. This option is selling quickly, so pick one up sooner than later to take advantage of these savings. The regularly priced Standard Pack is set at $129, and you can add a Travel Kit (1 x Travel Pouch, 1 x Wrist Strap) for $19.

Shipping

Global shipping is available for a standard rate of $15. Shipping will be charged during the post-campaign survey, and the item’s price doesn’t include any additional duties and taxes that may be applicable based on your local importation laws.

Conclusion

The unique control and user experience that SPARK brings to iPhone photography, especially at the modest asking price, makes it a solid addition to any photographer’s arsenal. It’s also compact enough to make it easy to take along; otherwise, what would be the point? If you’d like to support the SPARK Kickstarter campaign and secure your own camera companion, visit the SPARK campaign before Thursday, September 7th. If you’ve never used Kickstarter before, or you’re wary of backing this project on that platform, it’s worth noting that MIOPS has run several successful Kickstarter campaigns for products like MIOPS Smart+, Mobile Remote, Capsule360, FLEX, and Capsule PRO. In fact, this campaign has already met its fundraising goal and will definitely come to market.

Let’s get started.

Video: Three Simple and Creative One-Light Street Portrait Lighting Setups

Gear List

Here’s the gear we used for this tutorial. The reason we prefer using this gear has everything to do with its size and portability, as well as how easy it is to use. Also, it all easily fits into a single, basic camera bag. Of course, use whatever gear you have available.

• Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Camera
• Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM Lens
• Profoto A2
• Profoto OCF Beauty Dish
• Profoto Clic OCF Adapter II
• Profoto Connect Pro
• Profoto OCF Speedring
• Manfrotto Nano Stand

Let’s get right to it.

Street Portrait Lighting Setup #1

We decided to kick things off in an alley. While they might not be glamorous, alleys provide a great deal of depth and unique, natural light shaping. Also, if you’re lucky, you might find water running down the alley that you can use for reflections (which we take advantage of in this one-light portrait setup).

Composition

Using the C.A.M.P. Framework, we started with composition and placed our model in the center of the alleyway. Framing the image this way gave us a nice highlight in the background where the sky drops directly into our subject. Next, we positioned the camera low to the ground, just over a nice patch of water, so that we could see our subject in the reflection.

Lens choice plays a role in establishing your composition as well. We used a 28-70mm f/2 lens, but we’d recommend going with a telephoto lens if you have one. An 85mm or 70-200mm zoom will give you more compression and a nice, smooth bokeh to help separate your subject from the background.

Ambient Light

We set our ambient light on the lower side (1/1000, f/2, ISO 50) to preserve more details in the image and help our subject pop against it just a bit more when we add our off-camera flash.

Modify/Add Light

To light the scene, we used a Profoto A2 in a Profoto OCF Beauty Dish, which really acted more like a softbox. We opted for the white variation, but really, when you’re shooting outside during midday, the silver variation might typically be the better choice because it will get more light onto your subject. The upside of using the white variation, however, is the softer light it delivers. We placed the light onto a Nano stand and used our backpack like a sandbag to help weigh down the lighting setup. If you do this, please know that you’re doing so at your own risk.

As for the light placement, we positioned the light off to the side of our subject, almost so that it stood perpendicular to her in relation to our position.

Pose and Photograph

Take advantage of your setup and direct your subject into multiple poses to get more variety for the session. We recommend doing this for all of these techniques.

Before and After

Here’s a side-by-side of the images before and after we added flash.

As you can see in the images above, adding a kick of flash gave us a nice amount of light direction and generally made a world of difference vs if we had captured this portrait using only natural light.

Street Portrait Lighting Setup #2

This second technique is one of our favorites to use when lighting and shooting solo.

Composition

Starting again with composition, we liked the way the building drops into the scene and creates an interesting perspective, which we captured at a wider angle (28mm). As for our subject, we placed her on (or close to) the left third of the frame, which you’ll see below.

Ambient Light

We set the exposure toward the brighter side in order to get more of a commercial vibe with almost a natural look, but with a bit of polish and extra light.

Modify/Add Light

When we took this shot using only natural light, we lacked sufficient light direction on our subject’s face and body. That’s why we added flash. In particular, we used a Profoto A2 in a beauty dish and placed it onto a nano stand. Instead of opening up the legs of the stand like we did for the first technique, however, we used the stand as a boom to hand hold our light source.

How can we hold the light like this and capture the shot when shooting solo, though? Easy. We set the automatic timer on the camera to capture the shot. Be sure to give yourself enough time to position the light after triggering the countdown when using this technique. You don’t want the camera to fire instantly. Two seconds worked in this scenario.

As far as light placement, we placed the light close to our subject’s face for a softer, flatter (yet still more directional than a natural light or on-camera flash) look. It’s always a good idea to capture a plate shot without the flash in the frame so that you can quickly edit it out in Photoshop.

Natural vs Dramatic Portrait Lighting: Always Light with Intention

As a reminder, it’s important to remember to light your subject and scene with intention. If you want a more natural looking image using flash, set your ambient exposure brighter and use less flash power. If you want to create a more dramatic look, lower your ambient exposure and increase your flash power.

Pose and Photograph

Street Portrait Lighting Setup #3

For the third setup, we found a brightly colored mural in an alleyway. The thought process for choosing this spot involved the idea that using a beauty dish to light the subject against a colorful backdrop would create a great, natural vignette around our subject.

Composition

We kept the composition simple and placed our subject in the center of the frame up against the colorful mural.

Ambient Light

Our baseline exposure knocked out most of the ambient light and left just enough shadow around the edges to still see what we’re photographing.

Modify/Add Light

Similar to the previous technique, we used a Profoto A2 in a beauty dish, which we boomed out on a nano stand. We positioned the light almost directly over the subject.

Pose and Photograph

Instruct your subject to switch up the pose with each pop of the flash and capture a variety of shots.

Conclusion

We hope you found these street portrait lighting setups helpful. With highly portable and easy-to-use gear like the Profoto A2 and related accessories, it’s easier than ever to flex your creativity and capture amazing portraits on the go, even when you’re shooting solo.

Video: Natural Light Portraits with Flash

When it comes to flash photography, a lot of photographers mistakenly assume that flash can’t look natural. Of course, this simply isn’t true. In fact, we can show you, step-by-step, how to make your flash photography look as though you only used natural light. The “secret” lies in understanding the balancing act between flash power and ambient exposure.

Tips for Balancing Natural Light and Flash Photography

Prioritize the Light 

When you’re looking for the right balance between the ambient light and your flash, a good way to start is to dial in your camera settings using only the natural light first. This will set the foundation for the lighting that you will build upon with your flash. When you do add your flash, it will serve a fill light.

Note: Regarding your camera settings, most cameras have a maximum sync speed of 1/250th. 

Match the Light

In general, you want to match the artificial light with the natural light. So if the ambient light is soft, you’ll want the light coming from your flash to be soft as well. If the light is hard, you’ll want the same from your flash to keep the look of your image consistent.

This is where light modifiers come into play as they give your greater control of the light coming from your flash. When you do add your flash, start with your power settings low and increase it only if you need more.

Understand the Effect of Light Source Size

The larger a light source is the softer the light it will produce. Conversely, a small light source will produce a harder light. Generally, softer light, which is more flattering light, is used for women while a harder light is more suited to men. But, depending on your preference, feel free to break this rule once you’ve mastered this lighting balance and discovered the vision for your photo shoot.

Recommended Gear

Review our gear recommendations below to see what you’ll need to practice these techniques.

• Camera
• Lens
• Manfrotto Nano or Any Other Stand
• Off-Camera Flash
• MagSphere 2
• MagShoe 2

C.A.M.P. Framework

Anyone familiar with our site will recognize the C.A.M.P. Framework (Composition, Ambient Exposure, Modify/Add Light, Pose and Photograph). Put simply, we follow this sequence as we work through portrait sessions. You can learn about it in more detail in this article.

Basic Composition for Natural Light Portraits with Flash

Regardless of the technique we’re trying to showcase, such as capturing natural light portraits with flash, we always want to pay proper attention to composition. To illustrate our point, let’s start with a basic walk-up shot.

The model and the sun both look great, but the scene as captured leaves plenty to be desired. We can do a lot just by changing our perspective. If you find yourself in a similar situation, try lowering the camera to hide unwanted elements in the background (like the road or passing cars) and shift your angle to more clearly frame your subject against the background.

Using the grass in the foreground adds depth to the shot and helps conceal the unwanted elements mentioned above. Now, let’s focus on lighting.

Dialing in Ambient Exposure

To capture convincing natural light portraits with flash, you have to dial in an appropriate ambient exposure. For natural looking light, keep your ambient light brighter in-camera and your flash power low. Do the opposite to create a dramatically lit image.

Modify Added Light

We can use a reflector to add or modify the light in this scene, but they have downsides. They require an assistant, they often make subjects squint, and they don’t work particularly well in the shade. Instead, as the title of this article suggests, let’s use flash.

Lighting Setup for Natural Light Portraits with Flash

In order to capture the images featured in this article, we placed the flash on a stand and positioned it at roughly a 45-degree angle off-camera.

Balancing Ambient Exposure and Light Power

As we mentioned, high flash power or low ambient exposure will make the lighting in the scene look more dramatic and less natural. See the example we created using a bare flash at full power below.

If you’re trying to create dramatic portraits, this approach will work. However, our goal involves creating natural light portraits with flash. For that reason, we need to adjust our settings accordingly and go with a brighter ambient exposure while using less flash power.

It also helps to diffuse the flash with something like the MagSphere 2, which helps bounce light around and while minimizing reflection or specular light. Here’s an example (below) of a portrait we captured using the MagSphere.

Now, we can slow our shutter speed to 1/1000 and lower our flash power another stop.

Here’s the same shot without flash.

Check out the side-by-side shots below, which feature a standard exposure without flash, with flash, and with flash and a brighter exposure.

Pose/Photograph

Once you have everything set up and dialed in, direct your subject into a variety of poses and capture more natural light portraits with flash.

Final Images for Natural Light Portraits with Flash

In short, Luminar Neo’s Panorama Stitching offers useful functions such as Mercator and Fisheye projections, in addition to the usual Spherical and Cylindrical projections. Also, one of the most unique features is the ability to create panoramas from any video clip in which you literally “pan” across a scene! There’s a lot more to discuss, so, let’s dive in!

What Is The Luminar Neo Panorama Stitching Extension?

Most photographers will be familiar with the Skylum suite of photo editing software, and Luminar Neo is their latest, most advanced, and most comprehensive app yet. This Panorama Stitching extension is exactly that– an extension that you can add to Luminar Neo.

As an extension, it automatically became available (on July 20th) to existing Luminar Neo Pro subscribers, which is a $99/year subscription. (Note: Skylum is currently offering a discount of just $49 for your first year of a Pro subscription.) You can also acquire this Panorama Stitching extension as a standalone package for $99, with Luminar Neo, however, standalone purchases do not become eligible for upgrades later, including additional extensions which are often priced at $49.

The Panorama Stitching extension fits in perfectly with the Luminar Neo workflow: Simply import your original images into your catalog, whether they are raw or JPG stills, or even video clips. Then, in the right-hand tab of the Catalog, look for the Panorama Stitching module, in the same place as other extensions such as HDR Merge. It is literally as simple as dragging and dropping your imagery to the extension, and hitting “Start”.

Note: If you don’t see Panorama Stitching yet, simply install it by clicking on the “Extras” (a puzzle piece icon) and looking for it in that menu.

Once you’ve entered the Panorama Stitching interface, you’ll be able to follow the easy steps to generate a final panorama image. The interface will then return you to your Luminar Neo catalog, and you can take the resulting panoramic image from there into the Edit module for further adjustments to color, dynamic range, etc.

How To Use Luminar Neo Panorama Stitching

As we mentioned, the process begins intuitively, just the same as you would begin your workflow for any image editing. Import the original images or videos into your catalog, and then drag and drop them to the Panorama Stitching extension.

NOTE: Before hitting start, you might want to check the initial options, for lens distortion & vignetting corrections, and ghosting compensation. You’ll find these options in a pop-up menu that is accessed by clicking on the three dots icon at the top of the extension panel.

From here, you enter a very simple yet powerful interface, where you get some pretty interesting options to choose from. The first step is to choose a projection or a stitching mode. You have the common options, Spherical and Cylindrical, which are excellent defaults for most images. Additionally, however, there are more options that may be better suited to certain types of subjects. Specifically, there is Mercator, Plane, and Fisheye.

The best way to explain the “Plane” blending mode is that it attempts to create a similar view to what you might get if you simply had a lens wide enough to see the whole scene, such as a 10mm or 12mm full-frame lens. In other words, the edges will be quite stretched, but straight lines in the image ought to remain straight. This makes “Plane” a great option for architectural imagery.

“Mercator” attempts to use a similar projection algorithm as maritime mapping does; that is, it attempts to minimize vertical “stretching”, keeping horizontal lines as straight lines. “Fisheye”, on the other hand, works well with any wide-angle images, and does an excellent job of balancing all types of lines, including diagonal lines which often get curved using other methods. (See below)

After you’ve chosen a projection method, but before you click “Continue”, you have a very important next step! That is, it’s time to “warp” your panorama, simply by clicking and dragging on the image, to make adjustments. This step is a powerful and unique step, and it requires a bit of practice to get things right. There is a crosshair overlay to help guide you, and it’s incredibly useful for flattening unwanted curves. What I learned in my experimenting is that you can warp the left and right sides of a panorama independently, allowing you to for example flatten a bit of a curve that is present on the edges by dragging the whole image left or right until the crosshair is at the edge, and then dragging up or down very carefully. If you hover your mouse far enough outside the image itself, you can also rotate the entire image too.

Once you’re satisfied with the projection and any necessary adjustments, hitting “Continue” will take you to the next window which is a cropping interface. I usually just hit the “Maximize Crop Area” option, eyeball a 1:3 or 1:2 crop, and then click “Crop” to continue. I do wish there was the ability to dictate a specific crop aspect ratio; surely that will appear in an update to the extension…

The final interface is simply where you hit “Save” and create the resulting panoramic image file. Select whichever output options work for you! When you’re done, Luminar will create that file and save it in a new “Panorama Stitching” folder. Personally, I prefer to drag and drop that panorama back into its original folder, so that it is stored with the original frames, but having all your panoramas in one folder is really nice too!

Luminar Neo Panorama Stitching Extension Review | Pros & Cons

There are a lot of things that I’m really liking about Luminar Neo’s Panorama Stitching extension, and a few quirks that I hope are improved or fixed with future updates. Let’s get into all of that now!

Make A Panoramic Image From Video Footage

One of the coolest things about creating panoramic imagery with Luminar Neo is the ability to create a panorama out of videos! We all have lots of video footage in which we pan left or right to show a whole scene, yet we don’t always bother to capture still frames of each scene, or sometimes it’s just not even practical. Especially when there are moving subjects in a scene; this always creates complications.

That is where one of the most unique features, once again, sets Luminar Neo apart from the competition: the “Custom Object Composition” tool. If you are creating a panorama from a video, you have the ability to pause the video anywhere and select your subject. Luminar will then identify where the subject is in that scene, and make sure it is placed in that exact spot in the final panorama.

This is an incredibly useful tool, and I wish it was also available for stitching raw/JPG original frames together, too! That might be a very complex interface to add, however.

Create Action Composite Panoramas From Video Footage

Alternatively, what if you want to create an action composite image using the same footage in which a subject passes through the frame? As you can see above, all you have to do is pause the video multiple times and select the subject or subjects in each position you want, and, presto! This works fantastic for creating content such as anything related to extreme sports, or just any fun activity!

More Stitching Method Options VS Other Panorama Software

The other huge benefit of Luminar Neo’s Panoramic Stitching extension is the versatility and power of its projections when merging still images together. I had really good luck with the Mercator and Fisheye projection modes, and I will definitely be preferring Luminar Neo for some of my more advanced panoramic imagery.

Built-In Manual Warping

The learning curve for this feature is only steep for a very brief period, but once you get the hang of it you really appreciate it! Being able to make subtle adjustments to the different parts of a panorama, especially a very wide one, is very useful.

Honestly, now that I’ve played with this capability just a bit, I’ll be once again keeping Luminar Neo in mind for all my images with a strong horizon, or any other lines that need to be straightened.

TIF vs DNG Files

An important thing to note is that, while the “Editing” section in Luminar Neo is a non-destructive environment, it is creating TIF files, not DNG raw files (something which Lightroom does offer). This is not a huge drawback, because editing a TIF file in the Luminar Neo Editing environment still produces beautiful final results, and you have access to all of the tools that make Luminar so awesome, such as Enhance AI, Sky AI, and Structure AI.

Missing “Boundary Warp” and “Fill Edges” (Content-Aware Fill)

One final thing I should mention is that, for now, you’ll have to manually clone stamp in any missing portions of your image, if you’re working with “sloppy” original frames. Personally, I always overlap my panoramic frames by at least 50%, so this is almost never a problem. However, once in a while the optimal projection, combined with the preferred crop, can leave a piece of a corner missing, or just not fitting your desired crop…

The best solution I can offer is to turn off the “Maximize Crop Area” option, and crop the image for your creative needs or for a specific aspect ratio. Then, use the clone stamping tool afterward to fill in a corner or two.

Another feature that I sometimes appreciate in Adobe Lightroom is the “Boundary Warp” tool. It automatically stretches your image to fit a rectangular frame, and although it usually ruins your image if you drag the slider all the way to its maximum, it can be useful at a very subtle, minimal level. Having said that, the Luminar Neo manual warping is far more versatile at warping your scene to look “correct”, whether that is straightening lines or just balancing a sense of scale.

Conclusion | Luminar Neo Panorama Stitching Extension Review

All in all, Panorama Stitching has been one of the most-requested features of Luminar Neo users, and the folks at Skylum did not disappoint. The Panorama Stitching extension is powerful, versatile, and simple.

I would like to see some refinements in future updates, and hopefully, as their blending algorithms improve, the app will become capable of even more impressive results. Either way, with its seamless integration into the existing Luminar Neo workflow, which offers a catalog organization system and some of the most advanced photo & image editing capabilities on the market, we definitely recommend giving it a try for yourself!

Where To Purchase Luminar Neo Panorama Stitching Extension

Luminar Neo Pro subscribers can look for the Panorama Stitching extension in the “Extras” menu; it is a free download as part of the yearly subscription. (Note: if you are a new user, Skylum may occasionally offer a discount of just $49 for your 1st year of a Pro subscription.) Prices Luminar Neo and various extensions fluctuate between the U.S. and outside of U.S. (see below). See their pricing page for up-to-date prices.

A free 7-day trial is available to new Luminar Neo users as well. During this trial period you can test out all of the extensions.

Let’s get started.

Video: 5 Lighting Techniques for Better Wedding Reception Photos

Lighting Modifier Checklist

Here’s a list of the modifiers used in this video/article:

• MagBounce 2
• MagSphere 2
• MagGrid 2
• MagShoe
• MagGels (CTO)

Technique #1: Dark and Outdoors

When shooting outdoors in a dark environment, using direct flash with an on-camera flash unit may seem like the obvious solution, especially when there’s nothing to bounce the light off. The results, however, usually turn out to be less than ideal. Instead, dial in the ambient exposure in-camera and then modify your on-camera flash with a MagBounce. You’ll see that you can quickly go from this…

…to this:

To help you get started, use the following settings as a jump-off point and adjust as needed, depending on your specific scenario:

• Shutter Speed: 1/160
• Aperture: f/2.8
• ISO: 3200

Here’s another example of how we used the MagBounce to clean up the light on our subject in a reception tent that was heavily lit in blue lighting.

Technique #2: Directional Light

Whether shooting indoors or outside, we can take our flash off the camera and use directional light to really enhance photos of the speeches, toasts, or performances during a wedding reception. This lighting technique works especially well indoors when we might otherwise spread to much light with a light bouncing modifier and an on-camera flash.

Here’s an example of bouncing light indoors with an on-camera flash in which the excessive light washes out the ambient light and colors in the room.

Instead, with off-camera flash, we can take advantage of directional light for more dramatic results as illustrated in the following images:

Here’s how to do it.

• Place an off-camera flash onto a MagShoe and then onto a light stand.
• Place a grid (preferably a MagGrid 2) on your flash to minimize light spill and further control light direction.
• Position the flash off to the right near the corner of the dance floor, as shown in the graphic above.
• Shoot from the opposite side of the room. If you’re too close to the flash, it’ll look like you’re using an on-camera flash.

Because you now have the freedom to move around and still get consistent results with the lighting, be sure to do so.

Technique #3: Gel and Bounce

Wedding reception locations are known for using moody lighting with lots of colors you wouldn’t typically encounter during a regular indoor portrait session, from bright purples to deep reds and so on. Even a simple, warmly lit area can create mixed lighting issues if you don’t pay attention to correcting the white balance in-camera and with CTO (color temperature orange) gels.

In the photo above, we placed a full CTO gel on the flash and set our in-camera white balance to somewhere between 3600 to 3800 Kelvin to match the ambient color in the room. When it’s time to edit the photo, all you’ll have to do is click on the white balance dropper, select a neutral color in the scene, and then make any final adjustments as needed.

Check out these examples using a MagSphere and CTO gel for a softbox lighting look.

Technique #4: Backlighting with Grid + Sphere

Here’s another off-camera flash technique you can use to capture some beautifully backlit photos during the wedding reception.

Use the MagSphere to Wrap Your Subjects in Light

To wrap your subjects in light, use the MagSphere and follow these steps:

• Place the flash directly behind your subjects, maybe 5-10 feet back (adjust as needed)
• Position the flash somewhat low and point it slightly up towards the subjects

Here’s the result of using this technique:

Use a MagGrid for a Controlled Backlight

For a different backlit look with more controlled lighting, go with a MagGrid.

Follow the same steps you took for the previous look. The grid will yield different results from the sphere.

Technique #5: The “Statue of Liberty” (or Dance Floor Technique)

It’s time to jump onto the dance floor. For this technique, you’re going to have to strike a pose that looks somewhat like the Statue of Liberty, hence the name of the technique. To use this technique, do the following:

• Take the MagShoe off the stand
• Place a MagGel on the flash
• Hold the flash up and away in one hand, and use your other hand to operate your camera

You have a few different options for this set up. Each will use a slightly different modifier combo and all will give you different results.

Conclusion

We hope you found these five lighting techniques for better wedding reception photos helpful. Put them into practice right away and take your wedding reception photography up a notch.

Luckily, there’s an app for that. We recently stumbled across the Unscripted App for Photographers while searching for helpful resources, and this app delivers on multiple fronts. Whether you need creative inspiration or business tools, this app can help. What started as the world’s largest library of poses and prompts has expanded to include client management software (automated workflows, invoices, online payments, and e-signable contracts), customizable and password-protectable galleries, and a job board where you can list your services for free, browse open jobs in your area, and find more work. Alongside a growing community of photographers, we found that we could use the Unscripted App for Photographers on the go to streamline sessions, diversify our portfolio, and effortlessly run our business.

In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at this surprisingly powerful tool that comes wrapped in the convenience of a user-friendly app that you can keep on you +at all times. Here’s a list of ways to use the app to boost your creativity and business.

Tip #1: Add New Poses to Your Portfolio

In portrait photography, knowing how to pose your clients is key to finding success. After all, a high resolution, perfectly lit capture of an unflattering pose and expression is no more deliverable than a point-and-shoot smartphone picture.

The Unscripted App for Photographers provides thousands of posing options with new poses, directions, and prompts added weekly. This is especially helpful if you’re used to shooting only a specific genre (such as wedding and engagement photography) and you feel uncomfortable with posing families or other clientele. In that sense, the app provides a valuable resource for exploring new territories and offering additional services.

Tip #2: Become a Better Director with Easy-to-Follow Prompts

The more you get into photography, the more you realize that perfect posing relies on clearly communicating directions to your clients. Over time, you’ll likely build a repertoire of prompts and cues to give your clients to direct them into the pose you’re looking for. When you’re just starting out, however, it can be hard to know what to say.

The “Prompts” feature in the app will take the guesswork out of how to speak to your clients when posing them. For example, a popular family shot is one of the family holding hands and walking together, whether on a beach, in a park, or wherever. It’s one thing to say, “Okay, now let’s line up, hold hands, and start walking,” but where should they look? At you? At each other? Should they smile? And so goes the list of unknowns. Help put your clients at ease and give them clear instructions. Here’s a sample action “pose” and prompt from the app to illustrate my point.

If your client continues to struggle with following directions, you can also use photo examples in the app to give additional guidance. Just pull up an example image and show it to your clients so that they can mimic the pose. There’s absolutely no shame in that.

Tip #3: Create a Moodboard Directly in the App

It’s helpful to talk to your clients beforehand about what kinds of poses and looks they’re interested in. One of the best ways to get on the same page and understand what your clients are looking for is to send them one of Unscripted’s ready-made questionnaires and ask them to collaborate with you on a moodboard.

A moodboard shouldn’t be confused with a shot list; instead, it’s more of a visual guide for capturing the look and style of imagery that your clients appreciate. In the Unscripted app, you can create a collection of poses and prompts within a feature called “My Photoshoots,” which basically keeps all of the information regarding your shoots in one place (see Tip #7 below for more details). And that is the beauty of creating a moodboard in the app. You don’t have to separate out the details of keeping your contact information in one place, your moodboard in another, and your session information in yet another location. Just put together a photoshoot in the app and then share it with your clients via text message or email. All they’ll need to do is browse through the galleries and click on the “+” over the images (see the example below), which will then populate the moodboard with their favorite images.

I recommend meeting with your clients before the shoot and reviewing the images they’ve compiled on the moodboard so that you can ask what it is they like about the images. While you may notice the lighting or pose, your clients might be focusing on something entirely different, like the editing style or the subjects’ wardrobe.

Tip #4: Use the Sun Tracker Feature to Help Schedule Your Outdoor Sessions

When you’re set to schedule a session, be sure to check out the sun tracker and choose the best time of day for the lighting you’ll need. The feature includes exact times for blue hour, sunrise, golden hour, sunset, and back around to blue hour again. You can quickly dial in the date and location of the shoot and the app will breakdown times and lighting conditions in an easy-to-read format.

If you’re shooting for a specific look, such as with golden hour lighting, be sure to consider the terrain of the location. In other words, in an open park with no mountains or tall buildings nearby (see the image above), you’ll pretty much get the full run of golden hour as listed on the tracker. However, if you’re shooting in a city location with tall buildings, you might have to plan ahead to shoot in a specific location where the sun will still be visible, as the length of time you have for shooting golden hour lighting may run shorter than that which is listed on the tracker.

Tip #5: Use Camera Settings Guide When You Need It

If you find yourself shooting in an environment that is less familiar, such as capturing a sparkler exit at a wedding after dark, it can be difficult to dial in your settings without experience. Wedding timelines are notoriously tight and offer little room to experiment, so having a feature that gives you a solid starting point for a range of situational possibilities, such as a sparkler exit, can prove exceptionally helpful. Other camera settings guides in the app include the following:

• Full sun
• Shade/Natural Indoor Light
• Golden Hour
• Blue Hour
• Candlelight/Reception
• Dancing/Dragged Shutter
• Flash Portrait

Tip #6: Use Educational Resources to Continue Growing as an Artist

When we seek inspiration, we often look to the work of those we admire or browse through curated “best of” collections. Or, perhaps we join photography groups to shoot alongside our peers on stylized or group sessions. These are great and recommended if you’re interested. One of the more overlooked and yet effective sources of inspiration, however, comes in the form of education. Most serious photographers are also serious about education, and they’re always pushing themselves to learn (and sometimes create) new techniques. Like several elements within the app, Unscripted’s Education feature is one that continues to grow to provide helpful tips and tutorials for photographers across all genres. The Education section currently contains several guides, podcasts, educational videos, and mini-courses on a range of topics, including the following:

•  Authentic Posing
• Understand Your Camera
• Light & Composition
• Business & Marketing
• Editing & Workflow
• Diversity & Inclusion

Simply pick a topic, such as Editing & Workflow, and then scroll through the list of available articles, guides, and podcasts. In the images above, you can see what each section looks like as you pick and choose topics and articles. The writing is concise and includes helpful tips and images to clearly illustrate the concepts being taught. Perhaps one of the best parts is that you won’t have to take out any loans to work through this curriculum.

Tip #7: Use the “My Photoshoot” Client Management System to Navigate a Shoot from Beginning to End

The “My Shoots” client management system inside of the app alone is worth the price of admission. It’s a super convenient way to store all of your shoot details in one place for easy tracking from beginning to end. The tools included within this feature, such as contracts, invoices, and email templates, will eliminate a lot of busy work from your schedule, let you focus more on the shoot, and support you through every step of the process. Personalize the available templates, create an automated workflow, and ensure everything is running smoothly with their done-for-you system.

From e-signable contracts and online payments to delivering your images in a way you’ll be proud of via Unscripted’s online gallery, the features you’ll find in the “My Photoshoot” tab are life-changing.

• Questionnaires, contracts & invoices, all sent to your client via a weblink
• Digital credit card processing via Stripe
• Pre-crafted email templates
• Booking info (date, time, location w/ a map, sun tracker info, posing & direction examples to add based on the client, etc.)
• Checklists
• Timelines

You can send each of the above elements directly through the app as well, further simplifying the process of sharing information with your clients.

Conclusion

You’ll find countless guides waiting to take you along the path to developing as a photographer, but they’re not all equally helpful. Some are too costly while others may come in at a bargain price but fall flat in content. Neither is the case with the Unscripted App for Photographers. The app is free to try and the features give you a formidable collection of tools that will allow you to level up your photography on both the creative and business side. Unscripted offers payment options (subscription or a one-off payment) to best suit your needs. Check them out here to find more information.