3 best alternative to your favorite application

As a photographer, I was evolved in and around Photoshop and eventually, Lightroom helped me to get the job done. As the market saw a drastic shift from analogue to digital so it did experience the upcoming software ranging from Capture one pro, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro to Cinema 4D and more. All the above-mentioned share one thing in common, a heavy subscription annual or monthly fee, a standard procedure to ensure a check over soft tool piracy.

One of the realities of any artistic profession is it doesn't provide a stable source of income. As a photographer or a graphic designer/illustrator buying the much-needed equipment (computer, graphic tablet and more) is itself quite heavy on the pocket and leaves much less to spend on the added expense of software. That is the sad reality of the capitalistic world we live in.

I wish no disappointment to the aspiring artist and here I am glad to share a few and the best substitutes of the many software you will need to move along in your journey.

To note: The below-mentioned software is by no means are completely free of cost. Their one-time fees and occasional donations will not only help you to move ahead in your life and it does support the system/organization which lets you do what you wish to do. Above all, they are far cheaper than the monthly | yearly subscription. Every software, by all means, are competitive in their own nature and you are free to choose as per your requirement.

SPONSoR FREE ARTICLE

Photoshop | Lightroom | ILLUSTRATOR| IN-DESIGN

Adobe shifted their fee structure from one-time license to yearly subscription based on the nature of the user (to fight the piracy issue they kept facing from time to time). It is still an expensive tool to have. They may offer a friendly subscription plan for the students as long as one is a student formally.

1.

Affinity Photo is one of the best alternatives I personally own and must say it does the job done as good as Photoshop itself and as like any other it will evolve. It's a one-time fee model for lifetime usage, which are as low as *4499 INR and *1799 INR for your personal computer and iPad respectively (50% discount is available as and at the moment I publish this article) makes it very profitable in a long run.

Pros:

The needed key shortcuts are almost similar to Adobe, if you are familiar with Photoshop you will not feel much to add to your existing vocabulary.

*The frequency separation is much faster than the traditional format in Adobe yet it does need a little manual handling for better results.

It gives Industry-standard results one professional will desire.

Cons:

I was personally not impressed with its bunch editing tool and I hope it evolves with time, though It has a Develop persona which does a good job when editing a Raw image at a time.

Lack of GPU or a Graphic card can make the experience poor.

Creating 3D models is not a part of the software making it solely for photo editing, digital painting and creative manipulation.

Affinity also offers the best alternative to Adobe Illustrator and In Design

LINK https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/

2.

LUMINAR: An upcoming AI-based photo editing tool.

It is a good place to start if you are interested in photography and is not looking to take it as a profession though wish to enhance your travel images to post them as per your need.

Cons: It is a hybrid software for Snapseed users. There is a lack of much needed manual control as compared to Affinity or Photoshop.

I will personally not suggest it to professional commercial advertising photographers.

One can easily get lured by its features and can get misguided in terms of understanding and educating itself about quality aesthetics.

LINK https://skylum.com

3.

CAPTURE ONE PRO: A perfect alternative to Lightroom or Adobe Bridge for those who work with RAW images. A professional tool for professionals.

LINK: https://www.captureone.com

AFTER EFFECTS | ADOBE PREMIERE | FINAL CUT PRO

They are among many of the leading video editing software. Very recently Final Cut Pro from Apple announced their shift to yearly subscription from their previous one-time model which let me add it to the list.

If you are a motion graphic student or an aspirant like myself and looking for something which does the job done as good as the above, DaVinci is the best replacement and happy to share it is indeed faster than above.

DAVINCI RESOLVE: An absolutely free version provided by Blackmagic available at their official site.

It does a perfect job for video editors, aspirational colourist and sound engineer.

1.

DAVINCI RESOLVE STUDIO: A paid version giving you access to many of its features which is an amalgamation of all the above mentioned (photo editing, colouring, sound editing, motion graphics, 3D model integration.

LINK https://www.blackmagicdesign.com

The best alternative for those professional filmmakers and mixed media artist.

2.

WONDERSHARE FILMORA: A good alternative for YouTubers and enthusiastic film editors and makers.

LINK https://filmora.wondershare.net

CINEMA 4D | MAYA | Z Brush

A 3D modelling software can be expensive and it does demand more in regards to GPU, Hard Disk space, RAM and more. I recently started using Blender and it has been a blessing and safe to say it works perfectly well with my I MAC 2016 model.

BLENDER: is a free & open-source application and has only one version to choose from, yet this application attracts the hobbyists, professionals or studios that have all the features into one program.

Whether you are a fashion, food or product photographer, 3D modelling is a 21st-century reality and one should update and get know-how is much needed if you wish to sustain in the industry for long. 3D software gives you a different dimension and possibilities are endless, execution is homemade and results are of international standard.

Blender as like any other software mentioned above is absolutely free along with its updates and tutorials (must follow Blender Guru)

LINK https://www.blender.org/

___________***___________

These were my top 3 alternatives for photographers, Film Makers and Motion Graphic artist.

To add to the above it is always a smart idea to invest in a good processor, expanded RAM, install SSD hard drive and a dedicated GPU, graphic card to enhance the experience. Investing in hardware like Mac or Windows doesn't come cheap and is often advised to upgrade in instalments is better than donating it to the landfills.

Personally, I am been using I Mac past 5 Years now and my experience has not reached the mark where I will like to buy a new one rather I chose to update the needed parts externally. Macs are expensive but they are built to last a long way and I suggest not to get tempted with their many upgrades getting advertised quite often than before.

___________***___________

Hello,

I am Shovona Karmakar, an #advertising #commercial #photographer | #productstylist | #cinemagraph artist, presently based in #Mumbai, India. It has been a long long road to be where I am now and I sincerely feel it is very important to share whatever I have to offer. I have been fortunate to make a living out of my skill to be creative and have had worked with various national and international brands, corporate and agencies. Cadbury, TATA, Morningstar USA, Parachute, Future Generali to name a few.

Ping me for any work-related queries and will be happy to jump into the pool to make the much-needed party happen.

Thank you for reading!

www.shovonakar.com

shovonakar@gmail.com

Mumbai, India.

3 best alternative careers to commercial photography

It's 2021 and humanity has attained achievements that our parents might not have ever dreamed of. Said that we are living in an era that is a blessing and a disguise.

Myself being in the industry of traditional photography as an advertising professional and coming from an era of analogue photography which gradually shifted to digital and beyond in the past 15 years now (keeping in mind I started my journey in 2006), have gained the needed knowledge to share it with you all.

Every month, I do receive emails and DMs over my social accounts where people are looking for internships (5 major reasons why your emails are not effective). This reminds me how famous and lucrative traditional photography does still sounds to many. The truth is, traditional photography as a mode of earning a living is a dying business adding to it there are way too many people competing for the same thing. Commercials involved are being slashed and the bitter truth is that less and fewer authorities are concerned with quality, it is more about meeting the target to help raise their sales, welcome to The World of Imagery Business!

Now the question that arises is what are the best substitutes to Photography or how to add value to your present skill keeping the former as a base and how to make a living out of your Passion!

TO NOTE: These are mere alternatives, not shortcuts, they all involve years of dedication and similar efforts to reach out to the right people, market themself in the right manner and make a living out of it and the mentioned below do applies in small and big scale commercial movies but due to my personal lack of exposure in that industry the article is restricted to Print campaigns and Television Commercials.

1.

PRODUCTION

Executive | Assistant

(ONLY Still shoots and TVC)

Role: To organize and execute commercial assignments ranging from pre-production to post-production (stills and Television Commercials).

Expected Salary: Ranging from 5000.00 INR to 1,00,000.00 INR an assignment | Day | Month (It varies depending on the quality and quantity of assignments, whether you are a freelancer or In-house and the kind of experience you carry with yourself)

Mode of learning: Internship or apply as a fresher. There are no schools as such in India that helps you get acquainted with the basics though joining a production house and digital or mainline marketing agency is what I will suggest you get started.

Responsibility: An experienced producer can make and break a deal for any visual artist be it a photographer, director or the client itself. He/She is responsible to get the needed team under one roof (it involves Talents like a model, an actor, a makeup artist, a stylist, hospitality services, procurement of digital equipment and lights, studio or outdoor space availability, assistants or spot boys, sanitization services, travelling, lodging if needed, post-production artist and more depending on the need of the creative), at times a photographer, director, cinematographer and negotiate respective fees keeping the budget in mind.

Unlike film producers, you are not asked to invest in any and number of days to complete the project may range between a week to a month.

Additional Perk: You get to travel and meet a lot of people, Networking! haha...

2.

PRODUCT, FOOD STYLIST |

ART, prop DIRECTOR

(ONLY Still shoots and TVC)

If your parents think those extracurricular activities you did in your schools like drawing, painting, origami, planet making projects, science experiment, cooking and more was a waste, I guess one has to rethink. Every high budget and demanding project queries I have received and came across demands an art director.

Role: A person with experience in and around setting up a product or food in an aesthetic manner for the photographer and the director.

Expected Salary: It can range between 10,000 INR or a little less to 1,00,000 INR a day | assignment. The quality and quantity of assignment will determine the above and it also depends on how experienced you are.

Mode of Learning:

Food styling: If you are planning to get into food styling as a stylist or a technician, a course in and around hospitality, hotel management or home science will come in very useful.

Product styling: As of now there are no courses available in India which can help you with the same. I will suggest involving yourself in small workshops and courses available in your city by the very underrated aunties, didi, bhaiya or even a carpenter and more.

Attending workshops in and around various craft related skill helps you get your base strong. It can range from paper art, interior styling, water-colour painting, tabletop styling, wall painting and whatever which move in and around space.

Giving yourself a project to run, a blog | vlog over various platforms helps you to learn and reach out to people at the same time. SKILLSHARE and YOUTUBE comes incredibly useful.

It is always a good way to assist someone or a production house (not an agency in this case) to gain access to the must need knowledge of how to deal with people and other business-related aspects.

It is always a great idea to keep visiting store and places which showcases and sells | rent it out props and more.

INSPIRATION: PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | DECOR MAGAZINE | AMUSEMENT PARKS AND EVENTS.

Responsibility:

As I mentioned above in general an ambitious project always demands an art guy who helps me to bring the concepts into reality.

If you have come across those mouth-watering food commercials and surreal spaces like Alice in wonderland, an art director or a stylist are the people involved in BTS

He/She will even be asked to set up composition as small as a plate on the table, to design a blank space into an ever-living guest bedroom. It can involve skills from procurement of props like cutlery, background, furniture, appliances and more.

You are also responsible to transport the needed and bring it back to the vendor.

3.

CREATIVE and DIGITAL MANIPULATION artist

(ONLY Still shoots and TVC)

There is a huge difference between photojournalism and commercial arts. They both fulfil the need to create an urge in the mind to do something both in the form of buying a service or product or influence one to make the world a better place to live.

Commercial business is the art of turning your dreams into reality, sadly the reality is far away from our imagination hence we all need to seek help from applications to stitch it all up for us. That is how and why professional retouchers and manipulation artist comes into the scene. If you have wondered about models flying in the air with many things around, fear not it is not any magic moment but a pure form of digital manipulation or if we come across a beauty campaign with skin so smooth and flawless that it is indeed not anywhere close to reality.

Role: He/She/It needs to be well versed with editing | manipulation applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, After effects, Final Cut Pro, Cinema 4D and many more photo, video editing software along with other CGI wonders. (3 best alternatives to your favourite and expensive graphic software)

Expected Salary: It is one of the most lucrative business to be in and the best way to enhance your photography skill. A person can expect to earn 1500 INR to 30,000 INR and more per image or concept.

On average, a person can deal with 10 images from a campaign to 100 images for a stock service.

Mode of Learning: To add there are no good institutes in India at present and the ones there are not valid from an educational point of view. Which will leave you to be a self-learner and in case your pocket permits you can opt for something abroad (a wise decision).

There are many quality online platforms available to gain access to the information needed at the comfort of your space. Please check the links below (they do provide both free and subscription-based membership)

PHLEARN, DOMESTIKA, LYNDA, BLENDER GURU and the best YOUTUBE (It is free and I personally feel there are so many talented people sharing the best of education)

It is better to invest in the best graphic system configuration like RAM, Graphic Card, SSD and a good graphic tablet if you can afford it (I personally own Wacom and iMac).

As like above, you are not needed to assist someone, though productive feedback is critical and takes you a long way. Social media platforms are the best place to share and promote your services.

To note: Always use images with complete rights to work with and sharing the before and after with your viewer helps you gain the much-needed brand trust.

Responsibility: It is one of the most stressful jobs to have besides it can be quite lucrative too. Timelines are very short and changes can be endless unless you don't charge for something more than agreed on. You can be involved in aspects as minor like correcting colour balance and removing minor details to beauty retouching, cleaning up and manipulation and creating a 3D environment to set the protagonist into it. The automobile is the most demanding sectors to be a part of.

Video editing is a vast industry that is just more than stitching the clips. It does range from sound editing, colour correction, rendering, graphic overlays and CGI | Greenscreens and more.

___________***___________

As we come to the end of the article, a few heads up!

In all the above situations, there will always be a time constraint and having things confirmed in a pre-production meeting over a contract or mail leads to a minimum of confusion and changes if need on the day of the shoot. One is indeed responsible to be in touch with the head of the creative (agency, client, photographer, director) and the producer to be on the same page.

For all the Indian residents: Mumbai has been the epitome of the entertainment industry even before the independence and it is one of the best places to get your journey started, though never underestimate the other upcoming sectors like Tollywood, Trollywood and more. To add opportunities exist all over the world and if you have access to work overseas don't be scared to take a chance.

To sum up it all, they all require years of practice along with good presentation skills both online and offline, which will lead you to get connected to the right people. The above goes hand in hand if you are a photographer or planning to be one.

TO NOTE: If you are wondering in case I can share few details about production houses and agencies, sadly I cannot take any guarantee hence mentioning anything can be misleading. I will request you to kindly look over Google and connect them to know more about vacancies and opportunities. Good Luck!

___________***___________

Hello,

I am Shovona Karmakar, an #advertising #commercial #photographer | #productstylist | #cinemagraph artist, presently based in #Mumbai, India. It has been a long long road to be where I am now and I sincerely feel it is very important to share whatever I have to offer. I have been fortunate to make a living out of my skill to be creative and have had worked with various national and international brands, corporates and agencies. Cadbury, TATA, Morningstar USA, Parachute, Future Generali to name a few.

Ping me for any work-related queries and will be happy to jump into the pool to make the much-needed party happen.

Thank you for reading!

Why we never stop evolving

Evolution is an important aspect of we as being humans. Charle's theory of the survival of the best leads to evolution and there is something which keeps hitting me back since my high school we "Discover" we don't "Invent". My high school English teacher once narrated the theory behind and it is just deep-rooted in my brain since then.

The article is not about the fight between discovering and invent, I just thought to clarify my side but both participate equally in the ongoing process of moving the life ahead. I was chatting with one of my acquaintances over Facebook and realized how people have a strong belief in life that will move on may whatever be the circumstances. I am writing this article as the lockdown is ongoing and myself sitting in my studio apartment thinking very hard what to do next?

This article is going to be self-centric and I hope it gives you enough ideas to do what you can do. I am a freelance commercial photographer, a cinemagraph artist, and a product stylist and I guess I have enough roles now to play and earn around it. To add I have always had an interest in being a model cum actor but every audition came with a disappointment and I eventually realized my appearance is not exactly Indian market-centric or else, well whatever may be the reason I was always displaced and canned at the last moment. I eventually stopped giving any in front of the camera changes and stuck to being behind and It has helped me a lot to survive and lead a life I wished. "The dip" by Seth Godin later helped me to understand that hitting the wall is not worth it if it's not even creating a crack. Anyway, moving on to my evolution, I started as an editorial photographer for an online magazine which later leads me to have a full-fledged portfolio of portrait and people and eventually got hold of more and finally an advertising campaign setting my foot into the advertising world.

I before proceeding to my so-called brief journey want to state the realistic aspect that all the factors came into space due to the lack of options, scarcity lead me to take chances and evolve.

As I got more product-related assignments, lack of budget and the client being open to ideas I tried my hand over product styling and lead me to act as one and helped me to earn a little extra on the side.

As a cinemagraph artist, I did a few potential campaigns but market was very skeptical hence it never became a big hit for myself.

I tried, and I still try to give a try to every opportunity and however I am hesitant to things I have never tried before I personally believe there is always a start.

I have picked up some of the bestselling self-help books and every book teaches us an aspect of hanging on and prolonging the desire we wish to be, some taught me to leave things the way they are and not to commercialize every aspect of my existence.

I love to dance and I love working out but I have never thought to earn from it cause they are the source of my happiness and personal development and a way to let people know what I am apart from my work. Cooking is my other way of self de-stressing and something I have found deep disappointment is dating someone. Every initial conversation does start with something promising but ended up on an abrupt note and it eventually pushed me to seek therapy. I recently loved the fact that I came out with my issue of depression and depressive episodes and my intellectual sessions have helped me to understand that I need to break free the norms I thought will not be acceptable by the society, in-fact opening up the way I am in person and on a subconscious way has helped me to connect more to people and portray the aspect of being more approachable.

Seeking therapy is not making me cuckoo but I guess we all need and seek some kind of non-judgemental guidance to evolve and evolve for ourselves.

Evolution is not just self-centered but even when we wish to fill a gap or curious or just there is a scarcity which needs to be met, the very present time is one of the epitomai of times in the history which is in the making if and when we find a way to fight the very Corona. When we don't know but I know things will not be the same globally and evolution will be on its peak to seek a solution for any future mishap if any on the way.

As an artist, as a human, as a loved one to one and as whoever we are and we are everything at ones, to be honest, we all seek to improve ourselves.

We will not stop or pause because it is not in the DNA and it is too easy to say sitting in my cozy apartment but with due living a life of 30 years I know what I am talking. I have not stopped seeking a way to evolve in my work and my thought process and it will not end as long as I am alive. We all are seeking a better tomorrow and we all are seeing to be in a better place.

We cannot escape evolution even if we seek minimalism and we will deter to be better in it day after day.

---

Hii, I am shovona, a freelance commercial photographer who resides in the economic hub of India, Mumbai. As an artist, I undergo the above almost every day and I am here to support others to let them feel cool about anything happening in life.

Feel free to contact me for any portrait, corporate, food, product photography related queries or just drop a hi! at

shovonakar@gmail.com

#commercialphotographer #portraitphotographer #productstylist