TOPAZ LABS B&W EFFECTS 2 FULL REVIEW – UPDATE 2017

Topaz Labs B&W Effects 2 Full Review, an in-depth review of what I consider the best black and white converter on the market

2017 UPDATE

This is an updated and enriched version of the very popular Topaz Labs B&W Effects 2 Full Review, I wrote a couple of years ago. It is a complete evaluation of my main black and white converter and the plugin I use the most in my work, together with other Topaz Labs plugins, as Topaz DeNoise (the best denoiser I have ever worked with), Topaz Detail (a great sharpener), Topaz Clarity (an addition to Topaz Detail I use when I need more clarity and punch in the image), Topaz ReMask (the best mask and selection creator that can save you hours of editing in Photoshop).

I consider Topaz collection the most advanced and complete set of plugins on the market today and I use many of the plugins it comprises when working on my photographs.

Note: I make a demo on how to use of Topaz B&W Effects 2 at my workshops.

I am working with the Topaz Labs Collection and especially the B&W Effects 2 plugin for a few years already and the experience was always great. The Topaz software helps me a great deal in creating my fine art black and white photography and it simplifies a lot the workflow I’m using. I couldn’t take it out of my workflow without making my life much harder. Since I have such a good experience with the Topaz Labs software, and the B&W Effects especially, I’d like to share with you my impressions updated now after working with the plugin for some years already.  Besides my impressions, since this collection is really worth it, I will also share a discount code for 15% off for any Topaz plugin or the entire collection. How to get it? Continue reading →

ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE TILT-SHIFT LENS

This tutorial is an essential guide to the tilt-shift lens, a study of the tilt-shift lens, or architectural lens, as it is also called.

This tutorial constitutes a fragment from the extensive tilt-shift lens study I present in the book From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography – Architecture & Beyond, a book I wrote with co-author Joel Tjintjelaar and that you can find on our webstore at the link above. You can find the entire study in the chapter “The Tilt-Shift Lens as Main Tool in Architectural Photography”. Also hands-on demonstrations and explanations with case studies on how to use the tilt-shift lens in architectural and long exposure photography, together with more other resources and tips you can find in my video tutorial Long Exposure, Architecture, Fine Art Photography – Creating (en)Visionography  that comes with a  black and white processing ebook.

What Equipment and Software I Used

The fine art architectural images shown in this tutorial have been shoot with a Canon 5D MKIII camera, a Canon tilt-shift lens TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L II, using neutral density filters Formatt-Hitech ProStop IRND, and were processed using Photoshop, Lightroom and Topaz B&W Effects, DeNoise, Detail and ReMask.

The two most popular tilt-shift lenses for architectural photography: the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L II and Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L

The Tilt-Shift Mystery and Charm

There is a certain mystery around the tilt-shift lenses among those who have not used one yet. At the same time I can notice among many photographers a sort of awe combined with inhibition when it comes to talk about this lens and especially when it comes to shoot with it. From what I see around me, this is the least understood lens among the DSLR lenses and the one that is the most underused, meaning that it is used by many well Continue reading →