So you guys have been seeing my tutorials using my SB-800s… I hope. 

And with my latest tutorial on fashion setups I used more than just the CTO gels that come with the SB-800. I used some blue, green and red one as well. So some of you have been asking me: “Hey, Yanik. Cool tutorials, but where did you get those colored gels from? I’d like some too!”

So I’ll tell you! Personnaly, I got mine at my local photo store in Montreal called L.L. Lozeau. I got 2 packs with hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of gels for roughly Continue Reading »

Ok, I feel like Santa Clause right now! The sun is out again (after almost a full summer of rain), I can swim in my river, take out my canoe and eat on my pick-nick table watching the chickadees and hummingbirds buzz around me. It just doesn’t get better than that! All I would ask for more is to share my lunch with David Hobby from Strobist, Joe McNally and Chase Jarvis. One day…. one day.

So as Santa, I’ll give you 3 shoot setups in one article! How’s that! All three were done in Calgary during my 2 week stay there. All 3 are very different in terms of setup and flash lighting so I thought they would fit nicely together. Ok, enough babbling! Let’s get to it. Continue Reading »

What would you like to learn about?

That’s the question I ask myself every few days. I really want to give you, my fellow reader, what you would most like to see. I want you to be a sponge and soak all my posts up!

So I’m asking you to take action! You’ll see on the sidebar menu a poll box. All you need to do Continue Reading »

You may or may not want to add a watermark on your images when posting them on the Web in public forums or Websites. You have to ask yourself why go through the trouble? For me, the question isn’t even necessary. Since I sell most of the images I post in public arenas, by respect for my clients buying my images, I add a watermark to reduce the risk of theft long term borrowing. I’ve been asked by many Yanik’s Photo School readers how I add a transparent watermark on my images using Photoshop™. You’ll see that it’s Continue Reading »

So, there I was. In Calgary the day before the workshop and I had been playing Rockband for roughly a week as the lead drummer. I played so much that I was getting blisters on my fingers . A bunch of 30 somethings recreating high school dreams of sex, drugs and rock&roll baby! And then I get a flash (no pun intended)!

“Hey guys! I just got an idea! Let’s get 4 of you all dressed up with whigs and stuff and bring the RockBand gear out in the street at sundown and get busy with Continue Reading »

For the “regulars” here, you’re probably wondering why my video tutorial wasn,t posted on Monday as usual. Well, I was driving back from a week long photo shoot up in beautiful Gaspésie! I hope you didn’t panic too much! 

Welcome to this Photoshop™ video tutorial on changing eye color. I got this request from viewers after seeing part 1 of my Portrait Makeover Series. There are many ways of changing eye color but this is one I like to use since it’s quick and easy. If you have other ways of doing this, please share them in the Continue Reading »

Here’s my first comprehensive article part of my Intro to Photography category. This article on the introduction to photography composition is actually a brief summary that’s part of my workshop called: “Introduction to Photography”.

Creating a beautiful photograph isn’t as difficult as one might think. Some people can instinctively compose their images without any knowledge of photography composition rules. Others might need a little help and think things through before it becomes second nature.

We’ll look at some basic composition techniques that will dramatically improve your images. By applying one or many of the following rules, your photos will go from looking amateurish to professional. You will also understand why some of the previous images you took Continue Reading »

This Photoshop™ video tutorial is all about adding a reflection to an object or person that is on a white background. The effect we’re after is to make it look like they’re on a shiny surface. This reflection effect can be done also on a black or any uniformed colored background. This type of reflection is popular with isolated objects in stock photo libraries. Enough rambling! Let’s Continue Reading »

I’m just starting to dabble a bit in various social media so I’m almost a social media virgin. A reader asked me if I was on Twitter and I wasn’t… yet. So I went and checked it out. It’s a nice little service that I think I’ll start using since some of you would prefer to be “Tweeted” instead of getting my updates via Continue Reading »

It’s now official. Yanik’s Photo School is now fully operational on it’s new host. The transfer went smoothly and I would like to thank my good friend and fellow photographer/webmaster/internet Gawd, Martin, for helping me iron out some last minute glitches.

I would also like to thank the gang at HostPapa (my new host) for answering all my questions with patience and a smile. One of the main reasons why I chose HostPapa, a part from great reviews, is the fact that they are powered by 100% certified green renewable energy sources. As I’m trying hard to do my part for the environment, this was important for me.

You’ll also notice our new URL! YanikPhotoSchool.com. It was just crying for its own identity!

A special thank you to you, my readers. If you experienced some downtime I hope it was minimal. A brand new video tutorial will be online on Monday!