Freebie Friday has a nice ring to it, right? It would have made for a compelling title but we didn't want to keep you waiting till Friday for your freebies just for the sake of a nice-sounding title. Yes, we are an impatient bunch when it comes to freebies. Our earlier post on freebies was wildly popular – obviously, everybody loves freebies. So we, at Light Stalking, decided to indulge our readers once more in freebie fantasy by sharing links to fabulous free stuff. We've scouted the whole wide world of web to put together 14 more cool freebies for you that include photography eBooks, online guides & courses and software presets. We hope you like them.
Photography E-Books
Good Photos in Bad Light, by Darwin Wiggett
We've all gone through situations where bad light played a spoilsport in our photography trip, or so we thought. You don't have to worry about it any longer because Darwin Wiggett, in this eBook, gives you plenty of tips and techniques that you can learn to create great photos in bad outdoor light.
Explore Flickr, by Thomas Leuthard
Flickr's Explore is a double edged sword. On one hand, it brings tons of views and activity to your photos, and on the other hand, it makes you want to see all your photos on Explore, for the very same reason, almost to the point of making you addicted to it. A celebrity in his own right on Flickr, street photographer Thomas Leuthard shares some tips to get your photos on Explore.
Set Up Your Own Photoblog, by Nancy Messiah
Photoblogging requires you to have a knowledge about a wide range of areas, from hosting your site to getting traffic to it. This eBook by Nancy Messiah tackles the topic in a comprehensive manner with attention to specific details about getting your site running and everything that you need to keep in mind.
A Photographer's E-Guide to Making Sharp Photographs, by Scott Bourne
While it's true that image sharpness should not be the ultimate gauge of a photo's merit, it should also be remembered that sharper images can have a much higher impact than their blurred counterparts. In this eBook, photographer Scott Bourne gives you tips to get sharper images and avoid blur.
Street Photography, by Alex Coghe
Street photographer Alex Coghe shares everything he has learned through these years in this eBook. A really comprehensive guide on street photography, it gives a first hand account of how to approach street photography and get better, with some really insightful tips coming from his experience.
Online Courses and Guides
Ditch Auto: Start Shooting in Manual
In this course at Udemy, photographer Jerad Hill teaches you how to move from Auto mode to the more powerful Manual mode. With better control over the picture-taking process, Manual mode enables you to use settings that would perfectly capture how you vision a scene.
If you are among those who utilize Apple Aperture for editing and managing your images and would like to get better at it, this live course is for you. Course instructor Sara France will teach you the tools, tips and tricks that will enable you to use Aperture like a pro. The course runs on May 29-31, 9AM-4PM (Los Angeles time).
Short Guide to Landscape Photography
A beginner’s guide aimed at helping you create beautiful images of the world around you. The guide will cover: elements of composition, leading lines, shadows and highlights, diminishing contrast, scale of known objects, use of a focal point, color temperature changes and much more.
Photoshop and Lightroom for Photographers
If you are looking for a one stop shop for learning Photoshop and Lightroom, this Udemy course has to be it. With lots of tutorials on specific tasks that cover photo retouching and techniques in Photoshop and Lightroom, professional photographer Yanik Chauvin will cover it all to enable you to easily edit your photos.
Short Guide to Travel Photography
Looking for some quick photography tips for your next trip? With this guide, you will learn how to find great subjects in a new place, what to know before you go on a trip and how to photograph people during your travels. There’s many more tips too.
Software Presets
Lightroom Preset – Fall Color, by Lightroom Killer Tips
If you have a collection of fall images that you need to quickly transform into colorful and vibrant ones, this preset by Matt Kloskowski will do the job for you. To know more about the preset, click here. Check more free presets by Lightroom Killer Tips here.
Lightroom Preset – Instant B&W, by Preset Love
There's a magic in black and white and when done correctly, the images can captivate the audience. This preset by Preset Love will beautifully transform your photos to black and white. To know more about the preset, click here. Check more free presets by Preset Love here.
Nothing beats a perfectly done portrait post-processing that brings out the character of the person. While that may be an overstatement of sorts, this preset certainly tries to give your portrait photographs those subdued tones, and emphasizes facial features.
onOne Software has once again rolled out its popular program Perfect Effects 8 for free. You may want to quickly grab the opportunity before it features a price tag again. You can use it as a standalone application or as a plugin with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, or Apple Aperture to utilize some amazing effects to add to your photos.
Before we bid farewell to this freebie fiesta, I will leave you in Scott Kelby's company. Do watch this inspirational video to see what makes him tick when he's photographing.