From Camera Card or USB Connected Camera

Insert Camera Card into Reader or plugin USB Cable and connect to camera.

Run Lightroom and choose “Import” from bottom left.

You should see three areas, Left is the “Source” and will show any drives connected to your computer, select your camera card by clicking on it. It should be highlighted in White/Light Grey.

At the top of the Centre section you should see,

“Copy as DNG Copy Move Add”

Choose “Copy” and it will highlight as white text.

On the right hand side you should see another list of drives on your computer with the heading “Destination”

Select the drive and folder that you wish to use to store your images. I use and external drive but if you have large hard drives in your computer choose one of those.

I choose to store my images by date and would suggest that you go with the defaults in Lightroom, at least until you develop your own system.

You can change the organization on the right hand pane just under the heading of “Destination“, choices are “By Date“, “Into one Folder” and there is a checkbox “into subfolder“, you can add a folder name here eg: “Blackie’s Spit”. (Remember to change this folder on your next import, Lightroom will keep the folder name until you change it)

“By Date” gives a “Date Format” list that allows you to change the folder layout. Try a sample import when you first start using Lightroom and see what the folder structure looks like.

Once you have checked all three areas, Source, Operation, Destination then you can click the import button on the bottom right and Lightroom will copy your images to the folder and drive you specified.

There are other features of the right hand pane that you can set, you can change the names of the files as they are being imported and add copywrite information etc. Use these extra features with caution as they make changes to the files. These changes can be applied after import and I prefer to import the images as is and then do other changes later.

Example:

If you already have your images organized in some kind of folder structure.

“Photo Collection” is your folder name for where you store your images, it might be “MyPictures”, “Pictures”, “Photos” or any other folder name but it is where all your exiting images are stored.

Run Lightroom and choose “Import” from bottom left.

You should see three areas, Left is the Source and will show any drives connected to your computer, select your folder that contains your “Photo Collection” if you are starting a new Lightroom catalog. It should be highlighted in White/Light Grey.

At the top of the Centre section you should see,

“Copy as DNG Copy Move Add”

Choose “Add” and it will highlight as white text. Choose “Subfolders” if needed. It will show if all your photos are inside other folders within your “Photo Collection” folder.

On the right hand side you should see “File Handling” and “Apply During Import”

I choose “Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates“, if you may have files in your photo collection with the same names but different images then turn this off.

If you are not sure, turn it off.

Lightroom will read your “Photos Collection” folder and add all the images it finds to the catalog. (It does not move the images from where you put them, it just creates a catalog and small thumbnail so it can find the images when needed)

Note: Once you start using Lightroom to import and manage your files, DO NOT move them by hand. You can create new folders in Lightroom and copy or move images between them and Lightroom will create the real folders on your hard drive and perform the copy or move for you. If you create folders outside of Lightroom and move your images into them or between folders that are part of the Lightroom catalog, Lightroom does not know where the photos went and will flag them with an “!” in the corner of the image on the catalog. If you attempt to edit the image, it will tell you that it can’t be found.

If you accidentally create, delete a folder or move images between folders outside of Lightroom it can be fixed.

In Lightroom “Library” view, look on the left pane and you should see a section titled “Folders“. Select the folder containing the files/folders you moved, usually the main “Photos Collection” (insert your folder name).

Right click the folder and choose “Synchronize Folder”

Lightroom will scan through the folder and all subfolders and find the images you moved. It will suggest that it can delete missing images and import new ones. Just let it do it’s thing and you will have your images all in the right place with the “!” removed.

It does not move or remove the actual images, it just fixes the catalog to reflect the changes you made.

Of course if you did delete the images from the hard drive they will be removed from Lightroom.

Your Lightroom catalog can be thought of as a card catalog in a Library with the thumbnails as the cards.   Each one points to the real image (book) and tracks what you have done to the image.  It makes a list of all the changes you made to the image but it does not change the original,  if you export the image Lightroom will apply all your changes to the exported image.

This structure is why you do not want to move the images outside of Lightroom.   If Lightroom can’t find the image it does not know how to process it for export.

The changes you do in Lightroom are stored within the catalog itself.  Other external editors may change the original images so you should choose a Copy or a Copy with Lightroom edits when sending a file to external editors.

I hope this helps anyone that is struggling to understand Lightroom.  There are many videos on YouTube on organizing your photos with Lightroom, it seems to be the most confusing part of the system.

For our June 2016 Photography Tips, I have included below some recent articles on various photography topics.

GENERAL

Why Is Black And White An Excellent Way To Start Photography – Black-and-white photography is the place to start if you’re serious about becoming a better photographer.

Go back to the dark ages before digital. Dinosaurs ruled the Earth, and the equivalent of Adobe Lightroom was a small piece of card on the end of a wire.

The first thing beginner photographers would learn is to shoot, develop, and print a roll of black-and-white film. We can go back to those roots today to solidify our skills. – READ MORE

How To Find Your Personal Photographic Style – Finding your personal photographic style is something of a holy grail to photographers, yet seldom an overnight occurrence. Nor would you want it to be, as developing a style that is uniquely yours is one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of photography. For a lot of photographers, it is an ongoing, ever-evolving process, influenced by many factors. Some photographers find a single style that works for them, which they stick to and hone, while others might develop two or more dominant styles. – READ MORE

Why You May Be Failing To Reach Your Potential As A Photographer – There are a number of reasons why someone might not succeed at reaching their full potential, more than I can cover in this article, so please feel free to add to this list by telling us what obstacles get in your way. If you have solutions to someone else’s problem, feel free to offer up some advice, and help out a fellow photographer. – READ MORE

Seeing The World Through Clothslines – Padding through the tight cobblestone alleyways of Venice, it’s common to see clotheslines connecting one house to its neighbor. Drying machines are rarities in Italy, and women of these historic homes take great pride in the meticulous hanging of their families’ garments. There is a proper way to air-dry everything from linens and undergarments, and much can be learned about one’s neighbors simply by the skill and etiquette displayed during laundry day, when the fragrance of detergent commingles with that of the salty canal.

Having grown accustomed to the (often wasteful) use of machine driers, American tourists to foreign countries are astonished by the colorful arrays of drying clothing. Indeed, there is a genuine artistry to the ways in which faraway residents care for their clothing. In Italy, laundry, called bucato, is particularly meaningful in the older cities, where wisdom is passed down from one generation to the next, usually by women. – READ MORE

How To Create Gorgeous Flower Images Using A Flashlight And A Reflector – In this tutorial, I’m going to share with you some simple and inexpensive ways to create beautiful flower images. You will learn to add light by using a flashlight and a reflector. If you add in some imagination and patience, you will soon be creating gorgeous flower images of your own.

In addition, you will gain insight about seeing light, and how and recreate it on your own. – READ MORE

100 Best Photographs Without Photoshop – Nature and humankind are both great artists, and when they join forces, amazing masterpieces can be produced.Today Bright Side has collected for you works in which the combined efforts of mother nature and photographic artists have captured magic moments showing the wondrous diversity of modern life and the natural world. – CHECK OUT THESE AMAZING PHOTOS HERE

COMPOSITION

5 Tips To Improve Your Background And Make The Subject Stand Out More – If you are looking for a quick, simple, hassle-free way to make your images pop more and stand out, this is the article for you!

You don’t have to be a Photoshop genius – in fact, this may help you spend less time in Photoshop. These simple tips can elevate the photos you take. If there was one element in many images I see that could greatly improve it, it would have to be this: backgrounds. An ugly or distracting background can easily reduce the impact of even the best subjects. A clean, un-distracting background will help improve your images and make your subjects stand out even more. The best past is, you wont even have to spend a cent to do this. – READ MORE

How To Improve The Impact Of Your Urban Images Using Lines – If you are struggling with getting your photos of cities and architecture to pop out, chances are that you are underestimating the power of lines in your images. Lines help you structure your images in ways that lead your viewers to look at different parts of the picture, and create interest in both your main objects and the surroundings. – READ MORE

5 Creative Compositions Tips From Huntington Witherill – Our new video is about mastering the art of visualization, and no one does it quite as uniquely as photographer Huntington Witherill. Witherill’s approach to composition is one he models after some of the greatest photographers of all time. He quotes Edward Weston when he describes visualization as “the strongest way of seeing.” As you’ll see in this video, his imaginative composition is inspired by photographer Minor White, who said “photograph things for what they are, and for what else they are.” This video is sure to get you creative composition juices flowing. – READ MORE

How To Photograph Modes Of Transportation – As a landscape photographer, shooting planes, trains, automobiles and other modes of transportation is not something I do very often! But I find that tackling new subjects and breaking out of my comfort zone is always beneficial and I think you will too. You’re bound to learn something!

For this theme, you are not limited to just planes, trains and automobiles; use your imagination to discover all kinds of vehicles, as long as they are (or at one time were) capable of taking you from point A to point B. This can be on the road or off of it, in the sky or on the water. They can be still or in motion, near or far. As long as it can carry people, it counts! – READ MORE

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Tips For Taking Family Photographs – Family portraits fall into three main categories: traditional family portraits, candid family portraits, and lifestyle family portraits. Most families have had their picture taken, but few have had a chance to have their portrait shot, because of the difference between the two. One is a quick snap, with little attention given to the technical aspects of the image; the other has more consideration given to how the final result should look.

It’s often said that a good portrait captures the personality of the subject(s), and that’s true, but what it also does is record the subject(s) in a way that’s different from other pictures they’ve had taken of themselves. By using a couple of simple techniques – anyone can move from the realm of ‘snapshots’ to discovering how to deliver distinctive family portraits. – READ MORE

5 Travel Street Portraying Photography Tips – Capturing an authentic image of someone on the street is not a very easy thing to do. To really capture their soul—an honest moment of someone looking straight into the camera and revealing themselves—that’s magic. Photographer Kenna Klosterman uses travel street portraiture to really connect with a culture and its people while she’s traveling. Here are her top five tips to connect with strangers and take better street portraits: – READ MORE

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

10 Expert Tips For Taking Photographs – Surrounded by the beauty of nature, many photographers experience a longing to capture those stunning vistas, towering mountains and waterfalls, decorated valleys, and quiet pools, alive with light and color. Unfortunately, after photographing landscapes, many photographers often experience a startling sense of defeat when the images turn out to be shapeless, emotionless and otherwise amateur in post-processing.

In this video, award-winning landscape photographer Antony Spencer shares 10 tips for landscape photographers looking to hone their craft and produce high quality work—including some composition advice to help infuse photographs with shape and feeling: – READ MORE

Using Sun In Your Images – Including the sun in your photos can be a creative way to capture different lighting in your images. But, the sun can also be a bit overpowering. Like any good composition, think about how and when to add the sun for the most effective impact.

Early morning or late afternoon, when fog rolls in, is a great time to add the sun. It will create a moody, silhouetted feeling much like what was captured in the image of the Atchafalaya Basin swamp below. The fog filters the sun reducing its bright hot spot to a manageable exposure. – READ MORE