This image (left) of a barn in Foresta, Ca - right next to Yosemite NP - greatly benefits from the inclusion of the fence line in the foreground.  Using hyperfocal distance and the rule of thirds, this FG element leads the viewers eye to the barn.  Without it, the FG would seem empty with just the grass.      For the same reasons, the Sidestep Canyon image taken in the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument in Utah - is strengthened by the FG rock, caught in late afternoon light.  Again, it adds an interesting element that leads the viewers eye into the image.  Without these FG elements the viewer would bypass much, if not all, of the FG.  In both these examples the FG elements add either a contrasting texture and color (fence line) or shape and color (rock).  Once you look at the images try and imagine them without the FG elements, don't the images seem empty and less interesting?      Beyond improving the composition, FG elements also establish a level of sharpness in the image that is implied throughout the photograph.  Since I'm focusing (using Hyperfocal Distance) on the fence and the rock, and not the main subjects - the barn and the large hoodoo - they are technically not as sharp.  They are within the "zone" of DOF created by the F-stop I'm using.  Since the point of focus is always sharpest, the FG element serves as the entire photographs foundation, or level, of overall sharpness.  It implies that the entire image is that sharp.

     In this image of sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park, the FG elements are the smaller pine trees.  They serve to frame my giant sequoias and add a great counterpoint of size.  However, in this image the point of focus was the middle, large sequoia tree - not the small pines.  This image was taken at F16 and I knew the DOF would cover the small pines.  Again, imagine this image without the FG element - the small pines - with the sequoia tree going into the ground ... dull.

     Finally, FG elements in wildlife photography tend to place an animal in its environment.  The two examples below show this.  This is an effective technique.  Instead of applying DOF to the image with small F-stops, I'm simply using large F-stops and allowing those elements to blur in an attempt to control DOF and make my subjects "pop" from their backgrounds.

 

     No matter how you apply your FG elements their use will improve both the composition of your image and the perceived sharpness in the image.  It would be difficult to look through the blurred pine branches and sagebrush and perceive that the animals are not in sharp focus.  So the bottom line is to use FG (foreground) elements whenever possible.  While it usually requires extra work the results are worth the effort.
 

     Yokohl Valley is a beautiful example of the foothills of the Sierra Mountains with rolling oak woodlands, mixed grasslands, and wildflower covered hillsides.  Traveling east on Highway 138 past Visalia look for a small paved road to turn off to the right - that is marked with a Yokohl Drive sign.  It is just a couple of miles past the traffic light at the Hwy 198 & Hwy 65 intersection.  Yokohl Drive is a popular bicycling and jogging road as it climbs in slowly in elevation, going southeast a dozen miles before finally crossing a pass and descending into the community of Milo.  The valley is about 30 miles south of the Sequoia National Park entrance.

     Much of the valley is inaccessible due to the ongoing cattle ranching operations and other private homes, but views from the road are impressive.  Groves of sycamore trees and oaks provide homes for many bird species, including many raptor species.  I've seen mule deer, wild pigs and turkeys, as well as coyotes and bobcats in the valley, some easily photographed from the road.  Dense fields of wildflowers flow through the meadows and along the roadway in spring.

 

     The drop down menus in Photoshop all show commands, and they show the shortcut keystrokes to those commands if available.  In this example the areas in red show the various shortcut keystrokes to the particular commands they are associated with.  For the Levels Dialog Box to open, a necessary tool in adjusting images, the normal clicks would be to click Image, click Adjustments, then scroll to and click Levels - while the shortcut to the Levels Dialog Box is simply  Ctrl + L.  A few seconds difference, but over dozens of images that time adds up.

 

     The list of photoshop shortcuts is impressive, and too lengthy to learn them all.  All of Photoshop's shortcut commands can be found under Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.  Here is a link to an Adobe PDF File showing all of Photoshop's default shortcuts:   Photoshop Shortcuts PDF.  There are always tricks.  To open a new file you can go to File > Open, you can use the shortcut Ctrl-O, or you can simply double-click on an empty area of the background working space - three ways to perform this common task.

     Also, you can create shortcuts of your own by opening the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog box by going to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.  In the example below, I changed the Brightness / Contrast which has no shortcut in the default settings, and made the new shortcut |
Ctrl-K.  The default Ctrl-K I never use, so I changed it to the Brightness / Contrast dialog box.



     The process is simple. (1) Open the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog box as described above.  (2) Click Image > Adjustments, then highlight Brightness / Contrast.  (3) In the Shortcut column click in the empty space in the Brightness / Contrast row, a box will open up for you to type in the new shortcut.  (4) I used Ctrl+K, as circled above.  Hold down the Control Button and click K.  A warning will pop up saying that shortcut is being used and tell you where the other shortcut is.  (5) To save your changes click on Accept, as circled above.

     Now, there is one final step.  Save your workspace so the next time you open Photoshop all your changes will be shown.  Go to Windows > Workspace > Save Workspace and when the dialog box opens, make sure the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus boxes are checked.  If you already have a saved workspace, just give it the same name and it will overwrite it.

     One last tweak.  Go to Edit > Menus and change the colors on the menu items you go to often so they are more visible and easier (and quicker) to choose.   Notice in the first screen capture image there is no shortcut for Brightness / Contrast, and in the capture below there is.  Simple.
 

     TOOL PRESETS

     Creating Tool Presets is a way to have custom tool settings saved and ready to be selected quickly.  Below is a screen capture of the Tool Preset Dialog Box showing some custom crops that are linked to selecting the Crop Tool.  If I select the Crop Tool, these tool presets are shown in the dialog box if the "Current Tool Only" box is checked.  Otherwise, all too presets are shown.
 

Using the Crop Tool as my example (quickly accessed by hitting the letter C), I've created a dozen or more different Crop Tool presets, all with their own tool settings.  Now, instead of choosing the Crop Tool and entering the tool settings (such as width, height, and resolution) all I need to do is click on the Tool Preset button (shown here by the location of the cursor arrow) and select one of the saved Crop Tool presets.      If I find myself using the Crop Tool often with a new set of specific settings I can just click on the New Tool Preset Dialog Box button and give those settings a descriptive name to help me remember them in the future.     All the tools can have presets.  Enter the ones you commonly use.  I use the Eraser Tool (E) often with the Opacity setting at 18%, when I'm replacing people's closed eyes and I need to blend the new eyes is.  I use the Custom Shape Tool (U) with an Arrow selected and the color red as my fill color.  I've saved it as a preset, as the many red arrows in this newsletter show.

 When used together - Tool Presets, Shortcut Keys, and Actions - processing/editing images is much quicker and easier.  Also, learning about these simple techniques increases your understanding of the software and reduces the fear some people have about using Photoshop.  I tell folks in my seminars that using Photoshop to process/edit their images will do more to improve their photography than the next lens they feel they need.  Be smart and work quickly, make Photoshop a software program that you customize to your needs.