Category: Product Review

Product Review: Stellar Phoenix Recovery Software

March 1, 2018

Recovery begins with admitting we were wrong

As professional photographers we don’t like to admit it. We don’t talk about it much, but it happens. It happens to all of us. It’s the “Oops I Formatted Again” or the “Where did my file go” moment that we all dread. If you are in this business long enough you will accidentally delete or format files at one point in your life but luckily there’s Stellar Phoenix Recovery to the rescue. Before I tell you how great this product is, let me tell you how NOT great my day was last week.

As a busy commercial photographer and studio owner in New Orleans I maintain a healthy mix of active shooting, studio management, and self-promotion. I am constantly trying to update my online presence and social media with new videos and photography that tell the story of my business.

Staying competitive on Magazine Street means keeping it clean, and documenting your work.

This weekend I took the time to paint the floor of my studio windows and gave them a coat of fresh white paint. My studio is located on Magazine Street, a very busy and competitive commercial area and I need my brand to be seen in the right way. After the paint dried I put my old Rollieflex on a tripod and arranged a window display to be proud of. This was a perfect moment to snap some high res photos of the display for a new social media post. The sun was perfectly shining behind my logo and the often busy Magazine Street was void of cars and people! I couldn’t believe it, finally a moment of peace and clarity to showcase my studio in the best way!

After I took some photos of the front of the shop I got a call from a client, and then the day took over. Later on in the day my first headshot client came in and was in a rush so before I started shooting, I formatted the card that was in the camera, forgetting about my window box photo shoot from earlier! I have never seen my studio look so good, and the conditions were PERFECT! Damn!

Stellar Phoenix Recovery Software to the rescue!

Never fear, I had Stellar Phoenix Recovery loaded on my Mac and went to work recovering the files. The interface for Stellar Phoenix is so easy to use, and when I launched the application I pressed the big blue button to start scanning my Secure Digital card for the lost files. Stellar Phoenix begins the scan, trying to find my files, and although I only shot about 10 files, it began finding images I had deleted from previous shoots! I was impressed at how fast the process took and how easy it was to recover my important files.

After the scan, the application showed me files from my formatted card and I easily navigated to the exact date I shot my window display. The software is very easy to read and I immediately was able to select the files I wanted and recover!

My business is run successfully on the security and safety of my photographs. My files are a direct investment into my business and my future and I feel more confident about my future when I have Stellar Phoenix Recovery on hand for the times I need them! What are you waiting for…here they are! https://www.stellarinfo.com/mac-photo-recovery.php

PRODUCT REVIEW: VLOG reviews Sleeklens.com Lightroom Presets and Adjustment Brushes!

February 13, 2017

Product Review

I was recently contacted by the marketing folks over at Sleeklens.com to see if I wanted to try out some of their Lightroom presets and brushes. I have to be honest with you, before Jane contacted me, I had only downloaded and used one Lightroom preset and was very green about the brushes presets. In my business as a freelance photographer in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, I am constantly editing jobs that are VERY different in shooting style, thus are different in the way I edit and deliver.

I Photograph so that I can edit like my clients see…

I always want my deliverables to have a certain “realness” about them. I want my clients to feel that they saw that same thing I did, but in the end there’s a certain magic about it. I edit sparingly, and try not to let the “hand of photographer” show through my edits. So when I was downloading Sleeklens brush presets, I was skeptical. But real soon after playing around with each adjustment brush that I dialed in, I realized that I could easily dial back, or push further the effect in a way that was creative and comforting. I recently worked on a photograph for New Orleans drummer and improvisator Marcello Bennetti where I used a few Sleeklens presets and brushes. Lucky for you, I recorded that workflow! Enjoy this VLOG of my Lightroom workflow of a portrait of Marcello using a few Sleeklens presets! And by all means…check out their great BLOG at https://sleeklens.com/photography-blog/

The Sleeklens bundle comes as the ultimate solution for anyone looking to edit images in Lightroom and caters for absolutely anything you need for your work. Whether you are editing Portraits, Landscapes, wedding photos, HDR or anything else, the Lightroom Collection consists of everything necessary for all photography styles. The collection is a complete compilation of all of their Lightroom presets and brushes thus giving you massive tools at a great price. As such, you can achieve more with the complete collection without spending much money in the process.

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