Nicolesy

Free Lightroom Preset: Summertime

Nicole S. Young — Sun, 26 May 2013 22:21:19 +0000

I recently teamed up with Mosaic to offer another free Lightroom preset! This preset is great for your holiday images, and it works in Lightroom 4 and 5. Here’s the link to download it for free.

And, be sure to check out more of my very-affordable presets over in the store: http://store.nicolesy.com

It’s Never Too Late

Nicole S. Young — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:45:27 +0000

“Silver Falls State Park” in Silverton, Oregon
Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 40mm lens, 4 sec at f/16, ISO 100

In just a few weeks we pack up and move to California (Bay area) to relocate for Brian’s new job at Google. I’ve lived in a lot of places over these past five years, from Monterey, California to Salt Lake City, Utah, then Seattle, then Portland, and now back to California. It’s somewhat sad that I have started to become accustomed to this constant state of movement and change, something I’ve been desperately trying to avoid after separating from the US Navy in 2007.

It’s pretty apparent that I have lived in and visited some beautiful places, but it wasn’t until recently that I knew I should start taking advantage of what I have in front of me as much as possible. I was always a “photographer” in the sense that I enjoyed it as a hobby, but I was also wasting some amazing opportunities to photograph the world around me. Then, in 2006, I discovered the world of stock photography while living in Hawaii, an endeavor which is now a large part of my income, but I had tunnel-vision and only photographed images I thought might have a chance at selling. Unfortunately that did not include landscapes, and so my collection of beautiful Hawaiian scenic photographs is pretty much nonexistent. The same goes for my time in Monterey, and then again in Utah. I was not a landscape photographer, or so I thought, and I was often blind to the amazing photographic opportunities that were staring me right in the face.

Then, just a few years ago, everything changed.

I’m not exactly sure what it was, or if it was a combination of little things grabbing my attention, but I finally decided that it was time to start photographing landscapes. I had a bunch of beautiful photographs in my portfolio, but most of them consisted of people and food, images that, for the most part, I was unlikely to print and hang on my wall. I had also just acquired a 10-stop ND “Big Stopper” filter, a piece of glass that allows you to drag your shutter for a very long time (several minutes, in fact). This is a great tool to use when photographing certain landscapes, such as waterfalls and running water, so part of playing with my new toy was to seek out opportunities to use it. And then, I fell in love.

If you follow my feed on Google+ or Facebook, you’ve probably noticed that most of what I share is some type of landscape scene, with the occasional food photograph making an appearance from time to time. I finally realized that I need to really take advantage of my surroundings and and not take it for granted; as often as possible I would go out with my camera, usually with friends, but I never let an opportunity pass me by. I thought I would live here in Portland for as far as I could see into the future, but my time here was cut short, just like nearly every other place I’ve called “home”. I am so I’m glad I didn’t pass up the chance to photograph one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived.

There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll find beauty in California to photograph, and I guarantee I won’t take my time there for granted. I doubt I’ll ever find forests filled with mossy trees as green as they are in Oregon, or be able to drive a short 30 minutes to a secluded waterfall with gorgeous surroundings, but instead I’ll find new beauty on new adventures … and I cannot wait to go searching for it.

For more inspiration, check out my new eBook: The Inspired Photographer

New eBook: The Inspired Photographer

Nicole S. Young — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:28:43 +0000

I am so excited to announce the official release of my brand-new eBook, The Inspired Photographer. This eBook is my way of helping YOU find the one thing you hope to maintain as an artist: inspiration. Here’s a quick blurb from the description:

We all want to be inspired, do great things and keep up our momentum of creativity, but we can’t always pull it out of thin air. Oftentimes inspration flows like a raging river, where ideas and energy never seem to end. But then there are those dreadful days, weeks, or even months when the river runs dry and inspiration is not to be found. Something—or someone—needs to give a little push in the right direction to get those juices flowing again, and who’s to say that someone can’t be you? …

The book is for all levels of photographers and comes in three formats: PDF, ePUB and MOBI. For more information on this eBook, please head over to the Nicolesy Store.

And, for a limited time, use the discount code INSPIRATION for 20% off this eBook!
Discount code expires on May 23, 2013 at midnight (PST)

If you’re interested in a review copy of this eBook, please contact me for consideration and include your publication/blog information.

Perfect Inspiration: Lightroom & onOne Software

Nicole S. Young — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:10:14 +0000

I have a new video up over on the onOne Software website, you can watch it above … and don’t forget to head over to the onOne Software website to download the preset (for free!).

For a limited time, us the discount code NICOLESY for 15% off any purchase at onOne Software.

Free Lightroom and ACR Preset: Cherry Blossom

Nicole S. Young — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:05:00 +0000

Spring is here, and the flowers are blooming! To celebrate I just created and added a brand-new FREE preset to the Nicolesy Store … head on over to download it! There are also a few other freebies in there as well, so help yourself :)

This preset works in both Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6, installation and usage instructions are included with your free download. Enjoy!