© Luis M. Cara Chardá

Judge

This month’s contest guest judge is photographer, instructor, and Sony Artisan Miguel Quiles.

Winner

About the winning shot Miguel said, “This one is the winner for several reasons. It’s a great image on many levels such as the pose, the expression, and the composition. The retouching work with Exposure is on point, too!”

We connected with this month’s winner, Luis. Learn a little more about him, below.

How did you get into Photography?

I’ve always had a passion for aesthetics and visual design. Throughout my life, I’ve been obsessed with observing my surroundings to appreciate details. There is so much you can easily miss if you’re not actively paying attention. I picked up a camera just before I was married, in late 2011. Most of my inspiration to take photos came through the influence of photographer and instructor Salvador Carmona, when he shot our wedding. Salvador recommended that I use Exposure for editing when I first got started.

What’s your favorite photography accessory other than your camera?

I religiously use a hoodloupe. It’s something I would consider a favorite accessory. If you’re not familiar with one, it’s a little viewfinder worn around your neck that helps you view the camera screen completely free of glare. I use it to preview my images in the field and for showing images to my clients. It works way better than blocking light with your hands.

What is the hardest part of your job?

Since photography is not my full-time thing, life balance is the single hardest part of the job. Juggling a full-time job, balancing time with family, and meeting the demands of photography clients is at times extremely complicated. Kudos to my awesome wife and amazing kids for dealing with me.

How has Alien Skin’s software changed how you process your photos?

I use Exposure as the last step in my workflow, it’s the scrumptious-looking cherry on the top of my final edited photos. My favorite preset is 669 Polaroid – Cyan Shadows. It complements the toning in the shadows and highlights that I add in Photoshop. Working with Exposure gives me much more flexibility to take the images where I want them to be. I couldn’t go a day without it.

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Learn more about Luis on his website, or follow him socially on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Runner Ups

There were lots of great-looking images shared last month, some of them are listed below in this article. Thanks and congratulations to everyone who submitted. These are amazing!

© Vera Conley

Prizes

Photo of the Month award winners receive a few choice items from Alien Skin Software. They get one of our super soft tri-blend t-shirts and all our photography software.

Monthly Theme

The monthly photo-sharing theme for April is Vivid. Enter the contest this month by sharing your best work for this topic before the first of May.
Stay connected with all of the submissions to the contest in the Exposure and Snap Art users groups on Facebook. The announcement posts are pinned at the top of the groups near first day of each month. And, there are friendly reminders of the group’s posting rules–which I encourage everyone to take a look at.