📨 Join 56,000+ Photographers enjoying The Morning Blaze - my free, online photography publication where I share photo tips, tutorials, & inspiration I’ve gained throughout my journey from beginner to professional Landscape Photographer.
Share
📸 The Long Exposure Trick Nobody Teaches You!
Published 4 months ago • 3 min read
Hello, my friend!
I’ve been having an incredible time in the Smokies, capturing mountain streams & sweeping vistas during my two spring workshops. These events sold out fast last year, and I wanted you to be the first to know—we’re bringing them back in 2026!
I hope you find some useful information in this edition of The Morning Blaze and as always thanks so much for reading & sharing. Have a great weekend! - Mark D.
Great Smoky Mountains
📺 MY NEW VIDEOS
The Long Exposure Trick Nobody Teaches You (No Filters Needed)
You don’t need expensive ND filters to shoot beautiful long exposure photographs. In this video, I’ll show you how I capture smooth, dreamy landscapes using nothing but my camera, the right light, and a few simple settings. I’ll walk you through exactly how I set up my shots, the best times and conditions for filter-free long exposures, and why a polarizer is the only filter I still consistently use. If you’re looking for an easier, lighter way to create stunning long exposure images without spending a fortune on new gear, you’re going to love this one.
Presets are No Match For This New Lightroom Tool (You'll See Why)
Lightroom’s Adaptive Profiles just changed the game, and in this video, I’ll show you why I believe they’re better than most presets. I’ll walk you through a full landscape photo edit using the Adaptive Color profile and compare it directly to Adobe Color and other popular options. If you’ve ever relied on presets to speed up your workflow or to achieve a consistent look, this hidden tool might completely change the way you edit.
Ready to photograph the Smokies like never before? Our sold-out spring workshops return in 2026 with two chances to join a small group of passionate photographers for an unforgettable mountain adventure! Be sure to check out these links for all the workshop details 👉 Workshop 1 and Workshop 2
There are a ton of skills, techniques, and best practices one can embrace in order to improve their photography, but there is one skill in particular that I've found difficult to master yet produces the greatest results. I guess the saying "nothing great comes easy" is perfect for this photography skill because it won't contribute to an overnight improvement in your photography, but if you put in the effort over time this will eventually be a game changer for anybody - I know it has for me.
Mastering Sharpness: Essential Tips for Crisp Landscape Photography
Have you ever returned from an incredible adventure, bursting with excitement to see the stunning images you captured, only to find them disappointingly soft and out of focus? If so, you're not alone. In this article, we'll dive into the nitty-gritty of achieving razor-sharp landscape photos.
Focus Mode: The Foundation of Sharpness
First off, one of the fundamental aspects of achieving sharp images: focus modes. It's crucial to select the right focus mode for the job. While autofocus continuous may be ideal for fast-moving subjects like wildlife or sports, for landscape photography, autofocus single could be your best bet. Avoid the frustration of missed focus by ensuring your camera is set to the appropriate mode for static subjects - like mountains & trees.
The Impact of ISO on Image Quality
While it’s tempting to crank up the ISO in low-light situations, excessively high ISO levels can introduce unwanted noise and worst of all soften the details in your images. Keep your ISO in check, understand the limitations of your camera, especially when shooting landscapes where every detail matters.
Embrace the One Over Focal Length Rule
Now comes the biggie, shutter speed—the unsung hero of sharp photography. Adhering to the one over focal length rule can work wonders for handheld shooting. Whether you're wielding a wide-angle or telephoto lens, matching your shutter speed to your focal length helps minimize camera shake and ensures crisp, blur-free images. Example of this in action - using a 50mm lens, set your shutter speed to at least 1/50th of a sec >> Read More
🤓 PHOTO NERDS
📸 The 1st photo took 8 hours to expose!
👁️ The human eye equivalent f-stop is f/8.3 in bright conditions and f/2 in darker conditions.
✨ INSPO
"If you can't feel what you're looking at, then you're never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures." Don McCullin
"Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like." David Alan Harvey
🌳 FINAL WORD
I want to thank you for subscribing to The Morning Blaze. A great deal of effort goes into each edition and I hope you find it helpful.
I'm always looking to improve, do you have any feedback you can provide? Is there anything you wish was here, that isn't?
If you have something you'd like me to know, just hit reply on this email.
📨 Join 56,000+ Photographers enjoying The Morning Blaze - my free, online photography publication where I share photo tips, tutorials, & inspiration I’ve gained throughout my journey from beginner to professional Landscape Photographer.
Hello, my friend! Lately, I’ve noticed how different the light feels in the early morning—softer, lower, almost like it’s whispering that change is coming. It’s subtle, but if you’re paying attention, you can feel the shift. These quiet transitions are some of my favorite times to photograph, and even more so, to pause and just observe. I hope you find some useful information in this edition of The Morning Blaze and as always thanks so much for reading & sharing. Have a great weekend! - Mark...
Hello, my friend! 🍁 Can you feel it too? The building anticipation as we inch closer to the most photogenic time of the year? I’ve been counting down the days to autumn’s return—the crisp mornings, golden light, and vibrant foliage that transforms even the most ordinary landscapes into something magical. It’s hard to believe we’re just a few weeks away from that familiar seasonal magic. If you’re anything like me, you’re already dreaming of flannel layers, foggy forests, and those fleeting...
Hello, my friend! I just got back from my summer workshop in the Dolomites—and what an experience it was! Another incredible trip with an outstanding group of photographers. The Dolomites have quickly become one of my all-time favorite places to photograph, and this trip only deepened that feeling. Below is a selection of new work from the journey—I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it. I hope you find some useful information in this edition of The Morning Blaze and as always thanks...