Hello my friend,

Every once in a while, I like to revisit an older photo and ask a simple question: What would I do differently today? It’s one of the easiest ways to see how much your photography has evolved, not through dramatic changes, but through the countless small decisions that come with experience.

In this edition, you’ll find a comparison between a beginner edit and how I’d approach the same image today, my latest thoughts on back button focus for landscape photography, a guide to understanding white balance, and a look at how PureRAW 6 can help improve image quality before you ever begin editing.

As always, thanks for being here.

Mark

📺 MY NEW VIDEOS

I Ignored This RAW Editing Step For Years

I've heard photographers talk about DxO PureRAW for years, but I never really understood what it did or why so many people used it. As someone who does almost all of my editing in Lightroom and Photoshop, I've never been interested in adding extra software to my workflow unless there was a clear benefit. So over the last few weeks, I decided to test DxO PureRAW 6 on some of my own landscape photos to see if it could actually improve the quality of my RAW files before I started editing. Rather than focus on features or marketing claims, I'll show you the results and let you decide for yourself.

I Think I Got Back Button Focus Wrong

Back button focus has become one of the most recommended camera settings in photography, especially for landscape photographers. But after using it for years, I started wondering whether I was using it because it actually improved my photography, or simply because I thought that’s what “serious” photographers were supposed to do. In this video, we’ll talk about where back button focus came from, why it became so popular during the DSLR era, how modern mirrorless autofocus systems have changed things, and why many landscape photographers may be making focusing far more complicated than it needs to be.

🔓 VAULT FAVORITES

Pro vs Beginner Lightroom Editing (everyone should try this)

If you happen to be in a rut with your photography, unhappy with your rate of improvement, I'd highly recommend going through this exercise. It's difficult to see how much we've progressed when all you see is where you're currently at with your photography. And, in this video, I re-edit one of my favorite landscape photos from when I was a beginner and compare the results at the end in order to determine how far I've come with my own photo editing skill set. ​​

📖 GOOD READS Understanding White Balance: A Comprehensive Guide for Photographers Are you finding it challenging to achieve the “perfect” white balance in your photographs? You're not alone. Even seasoned photographers often grapple with the complexities of white balance correction. In this guide, we'll delve deep into the nuances of white balance, offering valuable insights and practical tips to help you conquer this essential aspect of photography. The Significance of White Balance Before we dive into the intricacies of white balance correction, let's understand why it's so important. White balance refers to the adjustment of colors in an image to ensure that whites appear neutral and colors are accurately rendered. Different light sources emit varying color temperatures, leading to color casts that can distort the true colors of your subject. Consider this: sunlight bathes your scene in warm, orange tones, while shade lighting imparts a cool, bluish tint. As photographers, our objective is to neutralize these color casts, allowing us to faithfully represent the scene's true colors and capture its essence. Exploring White Balance Correction Methods 1. Leveraging the Eyedropper Tool One of the most commonly used methods for white balance correction involves utilizing the eyedropper tool in editing programs like Lightroom. By selecting a neutral area in your image - such as a white or light gray surface - you can effectively adjust the white balance. Experiment with different areas until you find the perfect balance that accurately represents the scene's colors. >> Read More​