Elevate Your Drone Photography

Elevate Your Drone Photography

Author: Steve Brazill April 25, 2019 Duration: 46:20

I first met Colin Smith a few years ago at WPPI in Las Vegas. We were both at an after hours party and starting about podcasting and YouTube. Colin’s PhotoshopCAFE page has over 143,000 subscribers that watch his Photoshop and Lightroom tutorials, which are honestly some of the best you’ll find.  Mixed in with those lesson you’ll find his done photography.

A best-selling author, and award-winning digital, Colin is known as a pioneer of HDR photography and aerial drone photography. Colin is founder of one of the world’s most popular Photoshop resource sites, PhotoshopCAFE.com, which boasts over 30 million visitors, and he has been nominated 2x for the Photoshop Hall of Fame.

Colin’s skill set makes sense when you look at his background. He was formerly Senior Editor and Creative Director for a magazine, and has over 20 years of experience in the creative industry. As a commercial artist, his clients include Satcchi & Satcchi, Proctor & Gamble, Toyo Tires, Microsoft and several Hollywood entertainment companies.

Colin’s official affiliations include Adobe MAX Master, DJI expert and X-Rite Coloratti Master. He is a regular columnist for Photoshop User magazine, and has been featured in most major imaging magazines including, Computer Arts, Macworld, Advanced Photoshop, Photoshop User, Shutterbug, After Capture, PSD Photoshop, Photoshop Creative, Digital Photographer, Web Designer magazine and a host of others. He has also consulted such companies as Adobe Systems, Edison International, Apple and Disney Studios.

When it comes to his digital imaging work, he has been recognized with numerous awards, including, inclusion on Time Magazine’s 12 most beautiful photos of 2017, MacWorld Digital Design and 3 Guru awards at Photoshop World 2001 and 2002. He’s authored 20 books, including the best-selling How to Do Everything with Photoshop (McGraw-Hill/Osborne) and the award-winning Photoshop Most Wanted, as well as being prominently featured in the Hall Of Fame book, New Masters Of Photoshop and New Masters of Photoshop 2 (The only artist featured in both editions). His latest book is The Photographer’s Guide to Drones.

As mentioned above, Colin is a fantastic video educator, and as such is also creator of the PhotoshopCAFE series of videos. In high demand across the United States, Colin has presented his Photoshop techniques to photographers and graphics professionals across the nation. He’s been a speaker at such conferences as Adobe MAX, Photoshop World, WPPI, Imaging USA, PPE, creativeLIVE Photoshop week, Flash Forward, NVision, PIDE, DL Expo, Creative Suite Conference, Cre8, Create Chaos, Deviant Art Summit and many more. In 2012 and 2013 Colin was the featured speaker and producer of 2 Multi-City Tours (Route CS6 and Destination CC) Sponsored by Adobe.

Join PhotoshopCAFE’s founder, drone photography artist, and educator Colin Smith and me as we venture into HDR drone panos, on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Connect with Colin

Personal: photoshopcafe.com
YouTube: @photoshopCAFE
Facebook: @photoshopCAFE
Instagram: @photoshopCAFE
Twitter: @photoshopCAFE

Colin’s PhotoshopCAFE Video Servies

Personal: photoshopcafe.com/video


Steve Brazill hosts Behind the Shot-Video, a series that goes far beyond gear lists and camera settings. Each conversation is a deep exploration of the creative and technical journey behind compelling images. You’ll hear working photographers unpack the entire process-from the initial spark of an idea and the challenges of the location to the critical decisions made in post-production. This podcast sits at the unique intersection of art and practical technology, offering tangible lessons for anyone looking to improve their visual storytelling. Rather than abstract theory, these discussions provide a real-world look at problem-solving under pressure and the artistic choices that define a signature style. Tune in for honest, detailed breakdowns that reveal how memorable shots are truly built, layer by layer. It’s an essential resource for visual artists seeking both inspiration and actionable knowledge, all grounded in the lived experience of accomplished creators.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 200

Behind the Shot - Video
Podcast Episodes
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Duration: 1:05:22
One of my favorite parts of doing this podcast is that I get to discover and meet some amazing photographers, and L.A. based Nikon Ambassador Joey Terrill is a perfect example. We’ve all joked about a photographer we kno…
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I find guests for Behind the Shot in a number of ways. Sometimes it’s a referral from a friend, sometimes it’s a cold email I send after seeing an image I just need to know more about, and now and then it’s through a pho…
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Duration: 1:04:53
One look at the client list at the bottom of Paul Mobley’s About page and it’s quickly apparent that he’s one of the best commercial, advertising, and editorial portrait photographers working today. It’s a list of A leve…
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Duration: 1:01:51
Zoe Rain is one of those photographers in the rare group of artists that was born to do what she does. Some people can learn to become amazing artists, while others, people like Zoe, seem to have a natural gift for seein…