Ask Jim

Every month, Jim will answer a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine. If you have a question you’d like Jim to answer, please drop him a note at photos@jimzuckerman.com.

Q: Jim . . . I took this picture on the campus of Louisiana State University in the middle of the day. The sun was very harsh so in Adobe Camera Raw I moved the highlights slider all the way to the left and the shadows slider all the way to the right to help deal with the contrast. Is there anything else I could have done to make the lighting more attractive. I don’t think the lighting is terrible, but it’s not beautiful, either. Miranda Ortiz, New Orleans, Louisiana A: No, there is nothing more you could have done. You did everything exactly as I would have. I’m sure this looks a lot better than what came out of the camera. In Photoshop, you can’t change the direction of light, and you can’t take patchy, midday light and turn it into beautiful sunset light or even diffused light. So, you did the best that could be done. §