We are extremely delighted to host an interview with lighting master and creative professional photographer John Cornicello.

John Cornicello has been involved in the photography industry since 1979. He started out as a photo assistant in New York and later moved to Seattle Seattle and has been a home studio based portrait and headshot photographer ever since.

Throughout his journey, he had a chance to cross paths with some of the great photographers of the 70s and 80s. With over 40 years of experience in the photo industry, we are sure there is a lot you can learn from John through this interview.

John Cornicello has been very passionate about teaching photographic concepts from basic camera functions to lighting theory and practice.

Read along to know more about his photography journey and honest conversations with none other than Portrait photography master John Cornicello.

 

1. You have been working on interesting projects like “The chair Project” and “Covid mask project”. We would love to know more about it.

The chair project started about 6 or 7 years ago. Pretty simple. I bought an old chair at a rummage sale and did a self-portrait in it.

When I posted the selfie people started asking to be photographed in the chair. A few hundred people ended up in the series which expanded when I got an egg chair about 4 years ago. I have suspended that project since Covid.

However, I did start a new project photographing people with their masks. This came out of the isolation of Covid and the need or desire to have safe interpersonal interactions. I have photographed around 80 people for this series.

 

2. You have already published your first ebook. How has been your experience writing the book?  

The writing and assembling of the book have been great. I have some background in typesetting and design that made that all easier for me. The struggle has been in promoting the book. Photowoah has been instrumental in helping get the electronic version out into the world.

 

3. How did your interest in photography begin? 

I have had a camera in hand since being a young child. My dad had a Kodak Duaflex that I often used. Then I had some Polaroid cameras like the Big Swinger. I sometimes used an 8mm movie camera, too. I would build model cars and take really bad photos of them.

In high school, a friend worked in the camera department of a large store and suggested I get a real camera. Then I joined the school camera club and learned about darkroom work developing film and printing. That got me to be more serious about photography and started my journey.

 

4. You also worked as an instructor and a lighting technician at CreativeLive, can you tell us a bit about your experience?  

CreativeLive came about at just the right time for me. I had been working at Adobe for many years running their online community forums. I wasn’t doing a lot of photography at the time, though the introduction of digital was drawing me back in.

I heard about these online photo classes and that they were accepting people to come to the studio to be an audience.

I jumped at that opportunity and was at CL any chance I could (weekends and using vacation time). 

I suggested that I could help them as a photo assistant and it grew from there. At CL I got to meet so many great instructors and got to be friends with many. Many of them became subjects in my Chair photo series. 

The first class I taught on my own was how to photograph fireworks. And soon after that, I did a class on working in a home studio. All the while I kept helping out the other instructors, too.

 

5. What kind of work are you shooting currently?

With Covid, I have turned to doing more still life photos and composting things in Photoshop. I have also started a series of photo conversations. I have shut down my photo business and am semi-retired. I am teaching for Photo Center NW in Seattle. Time will tell what happens after the pandemic. I plan to keep taking photos as long as I can.

 

6. What are some of the tips and tricks of portrait photography that you’ve learned over the years? 

Simplicity. Use one light if you can. If you want two lights, still try to do it with one. Portraiture is more about relationships than equipment. Learn your “soft skills.” Plan things and make for the best shooting situation you can. People skills will beat technical skills in portraiture.

 

7. You have captured some stunning fine art nude shots. What was it that attracted you to this type of photography?  

I am not sure where that started. I do know the first nude session I did was with a friend of a friend in college. I think I still have one print from that session.

It wasn’t until many years later that I started working with the figure again. Right out of school my emphasis was on still life and product photography.

Somewhere along with the line people started finding their way into my photos. And then I took a couple of workshops that included some nude/figure assignments. Then it came back to the people skills mentioned above.

After one workshop the instructor came to me and told me that the models had all commented to each other how they enjoyed working with me over the other photographers. It comes down to respect and fun. Don’t be “that guy.” Be professional and courteous. But also make for a fun environment.

 

8. What is your essential camera equipment? 

That is an interesting question. I have a couple of “desert island” options.

Of course, there is the camera. I have been a Canon user since 1974. And you need a lens. 85mm, 100mm, or 70-200 and I am good.

I want light. Right now that is an Interfit Badger Unleashed. And a modifier. That would be a 60-inch Photek Softlighter or a 2×3 softbox. That is enough to do many of my photos.

 

9.  You had a chance to cross paths with some of the great photographers of the 70s and 80s. Can you name a few photographers that inspired you?

Yes. Irving Penn, Arnold Newman, and Jay Maisel immediately come to mind.

 

10. What changes have you seen in your industry over the past several years? 

I don’t know. The more things change, the more they remain the same. 

But on the lighting side of things LED technology is getting better. Mixing stills and video is driving that. But I still prefer studio flash for its versatility.

 

11. Teaching photographic concepts is your passion, what do you love the most about this process?

Seeing the students’ expression when something they have struggled with becomes clear. 

 

You can check out John Cornicello’s ebook “Anatomy of a Studio Portrait” here.

Grant Collier, a professional landscape photographer, has captured some of the most mesmerizing shots of the northern night skies and numerous stunning landscapes. We were extremely fortunate to get in conversation with photographer & author Grant Collier.

In this interview, Grant Collier talks to us about his most favorite places and his love for sculpted sandstone rock formations and canyons from the Colorado Plateau.

Grant Collier also shares some incredible tips on how you can plan your night shoot in extremely cold places like Alaska.

Grant Collier also shares his writing experience as an author of more than 11 photography books. 

Read along for some candid conversations with Grant Collier. We are sure you’ll love reading it as much as we loved conducting it!

 

1. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got your start in photography? 

I went to school at Pomona College near Los Angeles and was planning to double-major in economics and astronomy. However, I was required to take one fine art class, so I begrudgingly enrolled in a photography class. I couldn’t get too excited about shooting the smoggy scenes of LA, so I decided to take a trip to Moab over fall break. I stumbled upon some really good lighting and weather conditions and came away with some half-decent photos. After that, I became addicted to photography. Once I graduated from college, I decided to start taking then-and-now photos using images shot by my great-great-grandfather in the late 1800s. He was an early pioneer photographer in Colorado and Scotland, so I guess photography is in my genes. I found a publisher to print a book of these photos called “Colorado: Yesterday & Today” in 2001. I later started my own publishing company and eventually released a sequel to this book called “Colorado Then & Now.”

 

2. People get awed by your night sky photographs. Is there any photographer who inspired your art? 

David Muench was a big inspiration. When I took up photography in 1993, the internet barely existed. So I couldn’t look through images of hundreds of great photographers like you can today. Instead, I found several of Muench’s big coffee-table books at a bookstore and would spend hours poring over the photos. Jerry Uelsmann always inspired me as well. His ability to blend multiple images in a dark room, long before Photoshop, was remarkable. My work doesn’t remotely resemble his, but he’s inspired me to experiment with different techniques. That’s probably reflected more in some children’s books I’m currently working on than in my calendars or landscape photography books.

 

3. You have photographed some beautiful landscapes in Arizona and wildlife in Colorado. Which is your favorite type of landscape to photograph?

I usually only photograph wildlife if I happen to see any while out shooting landscapes. I’ve never really had the patience to get up before sunrise and sit and wait for wildlife to show up. As for landscapes, I do love the sections of Utah and Arizona that lie within the Colorado Plateau. The sculpted sandstone rock formations and immense canyons are unlike anything else on this planet. However, if I had to choose a favorite location, I’d go with Iceland. There are just so many things to shoot there, including ice caves, glaciers, seascapes, waterfalls, mountains, the northern lights, and the occasional erupting volcano. I’ve only spent a few weeks there, but 4 or 5 of my all-time favorite images were shot there.

 

4. What is your go-to camera gear?

I now use a Sony A7 III for most of my night photos and a Nikon D850 for most of my daytime photos. I also frequently use an ultra-wide 14mm lens. However, I’ve never been much of a gear junkie. I believe you can get great photos with any camera. I have a few big stitched images on my website that were taken with an iPhone, along with some star trail photos taken on a $20 film camera. That being said, good camera equipment is more important for most night photography, in order to reduce noise and increase detail.

 

5. What’s one landscape you are dying to photograph?  

There’s a bunch of scenes I’ve found on Google Earth that I want to photograph from the air with my DJI Mavic 2 quadcopter. I’ve done a lot of aerial photography with this drone in recent years, in part because I can’t hike much anymore after two spinal fusions. Since I’m running low on new places to shoot from the side of the road, the drone lets me find new scenes that I’ve never shot before. In fact, it lets me find perspectives that nobody has shot before, which is hard to do anymore from the ground. Some waterfalls and glacial rivers in Iceland are among the top places I’d like to shoot from the air. I didn’t have a drone during my first two trips there, so I hope to return someday. However, I’ve only been shooting aerial photos in Colorado and Moab, Utah during COVID.

 

6. You have captured some of the most beautiful shots of the northern lights. What is it about this phenomenon that inspires you so much?

Since I’ll be releasing a calendar on the northern lights in 2022, I think I’ll just use the text I wrote for the back cover to answer this question: “Ancient cultures believed that the northern lights were created by the souls of the departed in the heavens. When one witnesses the aurora borealis in person, it is easy to see why. The ethereal lights dance across the night sky with such a hypnotic rhythm that they seem to be alive. Science has since taught us that the northern lights are created by charged particles from the sun colliding with molecules in our atmosphere. However, this in no way lessens the feeling of awe and reverence that they inspire in people the world over. One sight of the northern lights can reawaken our youthful sense of wonder and renew our appreciation for this small planet that we call home.”

7. The night sky shots from Alaska are mesmerizing. How do you prepare before going for a night shoot?

Preparing for a night shoot in Alaska is a lot harder than most night shots. For most night shoots, I just need to make sure I have the right lenses, a jacket, and a flashlight. However, when I was in Alaska in February, it was about -10F every night. So I used a base layer of merino wool and tried to get at least two more layers of clothing over every part of my body. I brought plenty of hand and foot warmers, heated gloves, and NEOS overshoes. I also stored my camera in the trunk of my vehicle to keep it cold before shooting. Taking a camera from a warm room to a cold environment can cause the lens to fog up. Sometimes, I also attached hand warmers all around the camera lens to prevent it from fogging up. I also had to bring a lot of fully-charged batteries, as they die much faster in the cold. Finally, lots of caffeine was useful to stay up all night, hoping the northern lights would eventually appear.

 

8. You have been an author of 11 photography books, can you tell us a little bit of your experience writing these books?  

I think it’s now up to 16 books if you include my four children’s books. I guess I need to update my bio :). I’ve been collaborating on several children’s books recently with my girlfriend. I take the photos for them and write the text. She draws all of the animals and people, and I use Photoshop to blend them into my photos. With my back problems, I haven’t been able to spend nearly as much time taking photos lately. So this allows me to reuse existing photos in a different way, and it’s nice to have a new challenge. As for my photography books, I started my own publishing company in 2004 in order to have complete control over my books. I had to learn how to design the books and prepare the photos for offset printing. There was a big learning curve for that. Writing the books has also been a big challenge, but it’s something I enjoy doing. One of the more challenging books was “Collier’s Guide to Night Photography.” There’s a lot of new things you need to learn to get good quality night photos, both when taking the images and processing them. So, trying to make it easy to understand, while also including many advanced techniques, took a lot of writing and re-writing. Fortunately, it’s been well-received, and I was able to release a 2nd edition of the book recently.

Introduction

No matter how good a photographer you may be – or how top-notch the photographic equipment you may have, there is always something you feel there’s missing when it comes to regular, everyday photos.

It is in these circumstances that HDR photography has come to the fore, wherein there is a whole new level of zeal and zing injected into your photos!

Without getting into too many technical details, suffice it to say that HDR photography (with HDR standing for High Definition Range) refers to a series of photos taken across multiple light and exposure levels (hence the use of the word “range” in the term).

Now, intuitive, capable software is required to make this magic – and Aurora HDR does precisely that!

After all, at the end of the day, you need competent yet easy software for the job, which is exactly what Aurora HDR is all about!

Background

Aurora HDR comes from Skylum (previously known as Macphun), a company which has made its mark for offering outstanding photo-centric applications that do their job perfectly while being particularly easy on the learning curve.

Aurora HDR 2019 is the latest and by far the best version of this software, after the previous year’s equally capable iteration, Aurora HDR 2018, which incidentally was recognized by Apple as the ‘Best Mac App’.

Is Aurora HDR for me?

Frankly, Aurora HDR is for anyone with a passion for vivid photography that stands out from the crowd.

So, if you are someone who:

• Is tired of run-of-the-mill, grainy photos which we are all subject to (and tired of!) ad nauseum!
• Would like to produce photos that create a “Wow” reaction among viewers.
• Likes color and a special vividity in their photos,

Then Aurora HDR is definitely for you!

Aurora HDR UI

A complex UI is unlikely to work for most, even if you have had your way around photographic applications.

In this case, we find an intuitive UI, similar to Lightroom, with an added element of sophistication.

Alongside, there are Photoshop-like touches added to the UI such as masks, layers, as well as blending modes, all of which work towards making your job as easy as possible.

Software Intelligence

Besides the tools on offer as well as the overall UI, you need software that has its own level of dynamism.

That is exactly where we have consistently noted Aurora HDR to be truly remarkable.

Two aspects particularly stand out on this front:

• A Quantum HDR Engine™
• AI (Artificial Intelligence) powered Tone Mapping Technology

Together, these aspects work on thoroughly analysing your pictures to eventually merge them in the smartest way possible.

Tools Exclusive to Aurora HDR

The overall capabilities of Aurora HDR are visibly enhanced, thanks to tools that are exclusive to the software. These include:

HDR Smart Structure

This tool is essentially an AI driven smart slider to give you vivid details in your photos, free of undesirable noise or halos.

HDR Clarity

True to its name, this smart tool works on enhancing clarity in your photos, including specific portions that you may choose (and not necessarily the whole photo).

HDR Denoise

This clever tool not only recognizes noise in your photos but removes them too.

One-Click Retouch

A unique facet of Aurora HDR is the way pictures can be retouched with just a single click.

Below, is an image – with a series of dynamic visuals of the same image below it.

We have taken this directly from the Aurora HDR page on Skylum.com.

 

While the visuals to the bottom are not clickable here – as they are on the source page, they give you a good idea of the way Aurora HDR works.

With just a simple click, you can infuse life into your pictures – that too in so many unique ways!

Proof of the Pudding – ALWAYS lies in the Eating!

Yes, this adage has always been true for so many unique situations – and it is no different in this case too!

Below, we showcase two different “Before” and “After” images, that clearly showcase the difference made by Aurora HDR.

Before Aurora HDR worked its magic!

The “aftereffects” of Aurora HDR!

Images Courtesy – Iurie Belegurschi 

Source Link of Images – Aurora HDR 2019 Review (photographytalk.com)

 

Below, we showcase two images of the Sydney Opera House, again as “Before” and “After”.

You will distinctly notice the difference made by Aurora HDR!

Conclusion

When it comes to HDR photography, there is probably no other program that comes close to Aurora HDR in terms of its overall capabilities.

At PhotoWhoa, we have always striven to guide and assist you on your photographic pursuits – with our free Photoshop overlays being an excellent example.

On your Aurora HDR purchase too, you can save big here!

We are glad to host this fun interview with famous portrait photographer Frank Doorhof.

In this video, you’ll get a sneak-peek into his life as a portrait photographer. We are sure you will enjoy watching this interview as much as we loved hosting it. Catch the complete interview below for some heart to heart conversations with Frank Doorhof.

Frank’s love for photography sparked long ago when he was a kid. He was always drawn towards photography. Capturing photos with a film camera mesmerised him. In this interview, Frank shares a back story of how he got his first film camera and later got more drawn towards videography.

Frank Doorhof also talks to us about how one could perfectly tell a story through a single moment captured in a photo instead of a video. This was the reason he later continued capturing stills instead of videos. His first digital camera was a Canon-10D which he mostly used for capturing action shots of birds, animals, and sports.

Frank Doorhof shares an interesting story of how he got into model photography. It was a local photography club where he had to choose model photography as a topic for his assignments. He never thought he would, but ended up enjoying model shoots more than he had imagined. From someone who loved capturing action shots to capturing model portraits, it’s a story worth listening to. In this interview, you will also understand the importance of proper lighting for photoshoots.

From managing his computer company and later having his own photography company, Frank’s journey is really inspiring. No matter whether you are a beginner or an expert photographer, Frank Doorhof shares some of the most important lessons he has learned in his career and we are sure you will find it worth your time. So come along, let’s learn from this portrait photography genius.

You are a passionate photographer. You love taking thousands of shots and the editing part also excites you. Even if you have to go through hundreds of photos to make all the shots look exactly as you want them. It’s your job and your passion.

So far so good. But I know there is something you dislike about this whole process and that is… (drum roll) photo cropping. I know, it’s daunting having to use all those tools and time to get that nasty phone out of that otherwise outstanding portrait or having to crop that girl out of a stock photo because you need to use her for your website banner. Just the thought of all those details (yes, you guessed it, I am referring to all that tiny hair) makes you want to bail.

Before you do, listen to this: the cure to all your cropping struggles has been found. It is called Cut Out 8 Pro and it’s here to help you out whenever you need it.

 

You need Cut Out 8 Pro in your life if you are: 

• A Photoshop artist
• A photographer – beginner or professional
• A designer – beginner or professional
• An advertising agency
• Passionate about photography

Use Cut Out 8 Pro to create: 

• Photography that sells: it can be wedding, portraits, landscape, you name it
• Inspiring montages
• Your photo portfolio
• Website banners
• Social Media content
• Many others

Just download Cut Out 8 Pro and you will see that not only will your photos look better in less time, but that you will also get to enjoy the process because you can get so much done in so little time.

But time is not the only major benefit of using this amazing tool. It’s also creative freedom. If until now, you felt that you were constrained to stick to certain photos or backgrounds, now the sky is the limit. You can crop all you want and use all the backgrounds you can think of.

You open Cut Out 8 Pro. What next? 

• You can select your photos from an album view easily.
• You have quick access to all tools.
• Get to cropping. You can crop even the smallest details like hair or fur.
• You get all the possibilities of layer technology.
• You get to enjoy a shorter computing time even for large images.
• EXTRA: You have access to 100 professional background images.

What’s amazing about Cut Out 8 Pro is that it allows you to edit freely both natural looking photos and fantasy scenarios. You can easily use it to cut something completely out of a wedding photo, for example. But you can also use it to position a girl into a fairy-like scenario.  

Check out the magic tricks you can do:

• Cut out individual objects per segment
• Inside/outside edge matting
• Stroke based matting
• Mask modification
• Lossless scaling
• Optimized automatic Edge Recognition algorithms
• Easily layer and swap between various backgrounds
• Use the enhanced Preview Mode for full control
• Accelerated computing speed
• Three Power-Cropping methods for a wide range of different types of motifs
• One-click image cropping with Chromakey Technology
• File Manager
• Tutorials and quick tips

Cut Out 8 Pro is compatible with: 

• Windows
• Mac

Make sure you have these systems requirements:

WINDOWS

• 10/8.1/8/7/Vista
• 32/64 bit
• Dual-Core Processor
• 2 GB RAM
• 2 GB HDD
• Screen Resolution 1024 x 768 Pixels
• Graphics Card: DirectX8-compatible
• 128 MB
• 24-bit colour depth

MAC

• OS X (10.11 and higher)
• 64 bit
• Intel Processor/G5
• 4 GB RAM
• 2 GB HDD
• Screen Resolution 1280 x 1024 Pixels

Get this photo cropping software that will change your life for good and start playing directly from Photoshop! Oh, did I tell you that you can work directly with RAW formats if you want? 

Don’t go before you put your hands on these must-have free photoshop overlays! You can use them as a background to play around with your new best friend: Cut Out 8 Pro!

We are glad to host an interview with famous landscape photographer Serge Ramelli, an honest, positive, and down-to-earth personality. He talks about his journey from loving art as a child to becoming one of the most successful professional photographers.

The man who shot some of the most incredible cityscapes of the iconic places around the world. Get a sneak-peek into his life before he pursued photography as a profession. Catch the complete interview below to know how Serge Ramelli made it big in the landscape photography genre.

As a child, Serge always wanted to be an artist. Before pursuing photography as a profession he worked as a vice president at his brother’s company but his passion for art never took a backseat.

In this interview, he also shared a little back story of how he got introduced to photoshop. Back in 2005, way before any quality digital camera’s existed, he was on a trip when one of his friends showed him the endless possibilities that could be created with Photoshop and that was the turning point in Serge Ramelli’s life that lead him into this amazing world of photography.

Serge took some of the incredible cityscapes of Paris for 5 years, and now has a huge collection of mesmerizing shots of this beautiful city. His passion for photography can be seen in each of his shots. His work has now been displayed in 100 art galleries across the world and has written 7 books.

This interview has been a heart-to-heart conversation with Serge Ramelli. He shared his fallbacks and rock bottoms and we are sure his story will inspire you in ways you can’t imagine.

Here’s a quote from this interview that’s worth mentioning.

“Food makes your body go, but as a human being your ambitions and dreams is something that makes your spiritual self grow.”

From struggling to make ends meet to becoming one of the most successful photographers, Serge’s journey is really inspiring.

 

 

Photoshop overlays are an absolute must-have if you want to make your social media posts stand out or add some magic to your photos. They are usually a texture or an image you add to a photo to alter the colors and add a special effect to the photograph itself.

Transparent overlays can make an average image look stunning in just a couple of clicks.

And the best part is that this tool is super easy to use – you don’t have to be a professional photo editor to incorporate transparent overlays and improve an image.

Having transparent overlays makes photo editing way quicker. You are free to move an overlay around as you wish and model it to fit the image without worrying about removing the background. While you can make the transparent overlays yourself, there are already so many of them online you can use right away.

With so many different transparent overlays to choose from these days, you might feel a bit lost. So the best thing you can do is get a collection of transparent overlays that suits you or your brand and start playing with Photoshop. We have selected some of our personal favorites, and you can read more about them below.

4 Elements

Just like its name suggests, these transparent overlays combine colors inspired by the four natural elements. They can completely change the mood of your image, giving it more warm tones where needed. These overlays are suitable for color corrections since they can lighten up the whole photo.

Alchemy

Alchemy is an excellent overlay if you want to make your photos more unique and special. The duo chrome abstract shape will enrich an image and turn it into a magical masterpiece. The transparent background comes in handy here because you can position the swirls anywhere within the photo.

Blue Lights

This incredibly versatile overlay can be used for social media ads, photoshop creations, or making your photos look ethereal. Blue Lights is an overlay with abstract blue smoke that elegantly swirls around. You can model it around a subject or create a whole new different atmosphere within the image.

Dark Magic

If you like Halloween and all things gothic, you have to try Dark Magic transparent overlays. With a self-explanatory name, they are perfect for adding a touch of darkness to your photography. You can make these overlays look like a ghostly demon, or even a black magic spell, depending on your vision and creativity.

Dragon

Do you want dramatic flair mixed with mysticism and legends? The Dragon overlay instantly makes every image look almost supernatural. Besides adding more texture to your photo, you can experiment quite a bit with these overlays to get the desired effect and bring the lighting to a whole new level.

Fairy

Accentuating the mood could be tricky sometimes, but Fairy overlay makes it super easy. The soft light and subtle effects create an atmosphere that is out of this world – just like fairies. Fairy transparent overlays are suitable for use on both outdoor and indoor photographs, depending on your vision and imagination.

Fire

Having a Fire overlay in your arsenal is an absolute must for every graphic designer or photo editor. You can do so much with these classic transparent overlays – from enhancing colors to creating different texture. Gorgeous results are almost guaranteed, depending on the layer blending mode you select.

Galaxy Waves

Even though Galaxy Waves overlay might look too abstract, you will be surprised to discover how versatile it is. It is almost obligatory for anyone interested in digital art since you can use it for various edits, especially for ads and social media. So if you are after a futuristic look, this overlay might be what you need.

Phoenix

Phoenix is the symbol of regeneration, and burning flames are closely associated with it. Whether you want to add some warm tones to your photos, or just fire, these transparent overlays should work well. You can adjust the size and position of the fiery details to suit the theme of an image.

Silky Rainbow

There is nothing better than adding a splash of color to your photos. The Silky Rainbow transparent overlays can give you that while keeping the image as elegant and smooth as possible. This light overlay will enhance your art and make it more noticeable.

Starlight

If you like experimenting in Photoshop and you are also obsessed with space, Starlight transparent overlays can come in handy when making intergalactic edits. The purple shades seamlessly blend with orange to create an otherworldly effect and make your image look like a masterpiece.

Sky overlays add a magical touch to photos which is simply unparalleled. That is the reason; so many photographers like you are constantly on the lookout for sky overlays which will provide a whole new element of charm to your photos.

But the question is which sky overlay to opt for?

Well, there is no clear cut answer to that. There are many captivating sky overlay options to choose from, all of which are enigmatic in their own right.

Accordingly, in this post, we share 11 of the most enthralling sky overlays out there which are sure to add a touch of magic to your photos, ensuring that they stand out in more ways than one.

• Dreamy Overlays

When you are looking for relatively simple yet attractive sky overlays, then dreamy overlays make an excellent choice. Perchance you happen to have images with rather low contrast, these sky replacement overlays would be especially suited. Ultimately, images with a punchiness – which you had always dreamt of, that truly bring images in landscape mode to life, is what you get with dreamy overlays.

 

• Lightning Overlays

If there is one pictorial aspect that can easily add an element of drama into images, that is lightning. It is for this very reason that lightning overlays are so eagerly sought after by photographers and photo enthusiasts alike.

Fun Fact: While the saying goes that lightning never strikes twice, with lightning overlays, you can have lightning striking innumerable times!

 

• Long Exposure Overlays

The idea behind long exposure sky overlays is to give an element of motion to still photos. Looking at them, one gets the impression that there is simply no end to the sky, with the subject itself being in a constant state of motion. Thus, the aspect of drama alluded to in the previous, ‘lightning overlay’ would apply in this case as well.

Think of long exposure Photoshop overlays as a means to incrementally enhance both the visual appeal as well as the long-term recall value of photos.

 

• Pastel Overlays

Pastel overlays typically add a touch of pink to the skies in your photos, although other similar shades are also an underlying possibility. Over time, as you use this particular sky overlay, you will find it tremendously useful for overexposed images.

Visual receptivity in images with a pastel overlay especially tends to be quite high.

 

• Romantic Overlays

Often, many of us end up scratching our heads, wondering what exactly is it that is missing in our images, only to ultimately discover that it is romance! Yes, that touch of love, that allure of a kiss, that glaze of togetherness…these are things which are often just not there in our photos!

Well, romantic overlays are the perfect solution in all such situations. If you are a wedding photographer, then romantic overlays are a virtual must!

 

• Rainbow Overlays

Why be limited as far as the colors in your photos go, when you can have the entire VIBGYOR spectrum, present in rainbows?

Well, rainbow overlays are Photoshop overlays that proffer a Rainbow in your photos, giving a genuinely magical touch to them. In case you have images amidst rain (especially after it has rained) these overlays are tailor-made for them.

The biggest charm by far with these overlays is the wide range of colors they manage to give to your photos.

 

• Stormy Overlays

Remember the drama we referred to in the case of lightning overlays above? Well, here we are going a step further by bringing in an element of tension into our photos.

As a photographer, you will simply love stormy overlays, especially since the resultant visual appeal is not only dramatic but also very tense (in an exciting way!).

Photographer Tip – All budding photographers may kindly note a tip coming from no less than the pros; rev up the contrast on your stormy overlay sky replacement photos. You will instantly notice a brilliant hue in their texture, while also giving them an unmistakable zeal.

 

• Sunset Overlays

While we all adore sunset photography, capturing such pictures perfectly often proves to be an ordeal even for the best photographers.

That is exactly where sunset overlays come to the rescue providing you with a wealth of Photoshop overlays with the sun gently wafting away.

Not-so-Fun Fact: Most sunset photos do not come out as well as we envision.

Super-Fun Fact: Sunset overlays do their magic brilliantly to ensure that your sunset photos ALWAYS stand out without exception!

 

• Night Sky Overlays

Among the numerous options of sky overlays that we have at our disposition, night sky overlays have a distinctive appeal of their own. This is especially true because they add life into what would otherwise quite likely be a dull image.

Not only that, often, night time photos come with limitations of low light. Night skies overlays help overcome such limitations with remarkable ease.

Disappointed with no stars in the skies? Don’t worry; night sky overlays will magically deliver stars in the skies for you!

 

• Dramatic Overlays

These are a set of sky replacement overlays that add a unique element of drama unlike any other, including lightning overlays mentioned previously.

In many ways, these enigmatic sky overlays combine many of the overlays that we have already covered above, with an extra touch of drama!

For instance, if you are looking for night skies with lightning in them or sunsets with rainbows, then dramatic overlays would be just the way to go.

 

• Northern Light Overlays

The Northern Lights – or Aurora Borealis as they are scientifically known as, are a unique constellation of lights seen in high latitude places such as the Scandinavian countries.

Now, while a lot of us yearn to capture these magical Northern Lights with our lenses, not everyone can easily get there. That is where Northern Light overlays really do their magic, ensuring that your pictures have the backdrop of Aurora Borealis in the skies.

Conclusion

Sky overlays add an unmistakable zest to your pictures which is simply unequaled. Explore this bundle of 1000 unique sky overlays to try your hands on.

Whether you are a novice photographer trying to learn the ropes of quality photography, or a seasoned professional looking to up the ante on your quality of output, sky overlays clearly make a world of difference!

Which of the sky replacement options we shared above, appeals to you the most?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below! 👇