Hello my friend,

This week's edition revolves around one simple idea: paying closer attention. To the quieter scenes we often overlook. To the tools we use every day. And to the timeless ideas that continue to shape great photography.

I'm also excited to finally share my only Smoky Mountains workshop of 2027. Spring is one of my favorite times to be in the mountains, and with several spots already spoken for, I don't expect openings to last long.

As always, thanks for being here. - Mark

📺 MY NEW VIDEOS

You Slowly Stop Seeing This

After spending the last few weeks photographing the massive peaks and dramatic light of Patagonia, I found myself unexpectedly drawn to something completely different back in the Great Smoky Mountains. Quiet fog drifting through trees. Soft light. Small moments most photographers would probably walk right past. And it made me realize something that I think slowly happens to many of us over time as landscape photographers. The more we chase epic conditions, dramatic light, and visually overwhelming scenes, the easier it becomes to overlook the quieter moments that often create the deepest connection to photography.

"Lightroom" Finally Added This

Lightroom masking has come a long way over the past few years, but there has still been a few limitations that always felt just slightly incomplete… especially when it came to shaping color inside local adjustments and creating smoother transitions around difficult edges like trees, mountains, and skies. In this video, I’m diving into a couple new masking tools Adobe quietly added inside of Adobe Camera Raw that completely change the way I approach local adjustments and photo editing.

🚀 NEW 2027 SMOKIES WORKSHOP

Spring in the Smokies only happens once a year, and so does this workshop. This will be my only Smoky Mountains workshop of 2027, and with only a handful of spots remaining, I wouldn’t wait too long if it’s on your photography bucket list.

🔓 VAULT FAVORITES

Even the World's Best Photographers Can't Deny It's Results

There's a lot of noise out there, people telling you what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, and that's not what this video is all about. Rather the advice in this video is the single best photography tip that made the biggest improvement and impact to my photography over the past ten years. And not only that, in this on-location video I take you along on a trip in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and photograph some of the best light I've ever seen!​​

📖 GOOD READS How Shooting Less Can Improve Your 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. >> Read More​