📨 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
🔥Think Your Photos Are Sharp? Try this Focus Stacking Trick!
Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hello, my friend!
🌼 Spring is in full swing - and I for one am really looking forward to it! Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons for photography, so I included two videos in this edition that I think will help with your upcoming adventures.
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.
👉 P.S. Due to popular demand, I’ve put together a Free Step-by-Step Focus Stacking Guide for you. Download it below, & feel free to reach out with questions.
New Work from the Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
📺 MY NEW VIDEOS
AUTO White Balance is Killing Your Colors (Here’s the Fix)
Auto White Balance might seem convenient, but it's killing your colors without you even realizing it. In this video, I’ll break down why auto white balance often fails and show you the best settings to achieve accurate, natural tones straight out of camera. In the second half, I’ll walk you through how to fix white balance in post-processing, sharing my go-to method for achieving perfect color accuracy with minimal effort.
Think Your Photos Are Sharp? Try this Focus Stacking Trick!
Struggling with blurry photos when you zoom in? Focus Stacking is the ultimate technique for achieving tack-sharp images with an extended depth of field, perfect for landscape photography, macro photography, and product photography. In this video, I’ll show you step-by-step how to shoot a focus stack series and blend it seamlessly in Lightroom & Photoshop for professional-level sharpness. You’ll also learn the biggest mistakes photographers make when focus stacking—and how to fix them to get razor-sharp photos every time!
✅ Be sure to download your free copy of the Focus StackingGuide & Practice Photos that accompanies this episode! 👉 How to Focus Stack (Step by Step)
Metering modes are one of those lesser spoken about things in photography - it wasn't until a few years into my career that I fully understood what they we're meant for. And, as with most things in photography, there's many different metering modes to choose from, Matrix, Center, Spot, Highlight, depending on what you're photographing. In this video, I'll walk you through a hands on approach that'll help decide which metering mode you should be using for your genre of photography.
I want to share an insightful experience that completely transformed the way I approach photography. As you know, overall improvement is always at the forefront of my mind, and this particular experiment truly pushed the boundaries of the way I approach my photography.
So, throughout 2023 I found myself slipping into a nasty habit that crept into my workflow. You see, despite years of improving my skills, I noticed a troubling trend – an increase in the volume of photos I was taking, coupled with a decline in so called 'keeper' images.
Determined to turn the tide, and always being up for a challenge - I embarked on a 30-day challenge to resolve this problem.
In this article, I’ll break down my experiment into four key stages: the problem, the cause, the solution, and of course, the results that left me pleasantly astonished.
The Problem
As we improve as photographers, it's natural to refine our craft and become more selective with our shots. However, I found myself trapped in a cycle of over-shooting, drowning in a sea of mediocre images. Despite my best efforts, the quality of my portfolio remained stagnant, overshadowed by the sheer quantity of forgettable captures which ultimately let to a nightmarish amount of culling once I returned home from a trip.
The Cause
Upon deep reflection, I traced this dilemma back to a subtle but significant shift in my mindset – the digital age had lulled me into a false >> Read More
🤓 PHOTO NERDS
🎨 Black & White photos help you see the story in the image by not distracting your eyes with colors.
🎈 The first aerial photo ever captured was created by french photographer, Gaspar Felix Tournachon, in 1858 who was a balloonist.
✨ INSPO
"A good photograph is knowing where to stand." - Ansel Adams
"When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice" - Robert Frank
🌳 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! 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...
Hello, my friend! Fresh off an unforgettable workshop in Patagonia—jaw-dropping views, a legendary group, and some truly wild weather! I loved it so much, I’m already sketching plans for a 2026 return trip. Back home, I’ve been diving into Lightroom’s new Adaptive Color Profile (the subject of last week’s YouTube video). If you missed it, I also put together a free companion guide that breaks down each color profile and when to use which —perfect for dialing in your photo edits. ✅ Grab your...
Hello, my friend! 🏔️ This edition of The Morning Blaze comes to you straight from the wilds of Patagonia! I’m in the midst of my fall photography workshop—a dream come true. While I don’t have any photos to share just yet (besides these two phone snaps), I’m soaking in the beauty and can’t wait to show you what I come away with. 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. 📺 MY...