Hello my friend,

Every great landscape photograph is the result of dozens of small decisions. Where you stand, what you leave in or out of the frame, and whether you notice that one small detail before you press the shutter can make all the difference.

That’s exactly what this edition of The Morning Blaze is all about.

Inside, you’ll find my latest videos on the photography rules I followed for years, the simple 10 second checklist I use before every shot, and one of my favorite photo editing tutorials that covers 90% of the editing basics in just 15 minutes.

Before you dive in, don’t miss the free 10 Second Landscape Photography Checklist below. Download it to your phone so it’s always within reach while you’re shooting. It’s the exact checklist I use in the field to catch small mistakes and consistently create stronger landscape photos.

As always, thanks for being here.

Mark

📺 MY NEW VIDEOS

Photography Rules I Followed for Too Long

When I first started learning landscape photography, there were a handful of rules I never questioned. I followed them because they were repeated so often by photographers I respected that I simply assumed they had to be true. Over time, those rules became habits, and those habits shaped the way I approached photography for years. But when I look back through some of my favorite images today, many of them break the very rules I worked so hard to follow. In this video, I’m sharing five photography rules I followed for years, why I believed them, and why I no longer think they’re nearly as important as I once did.

Don't Press The Shutter Until You Check This

Have you ever gotten home from a shoot, opened a photo you were excited about, and immediately spotted something you should have seen in the field? A distraction near the edge of the frame, a missed focus point, or a composition that could have been stronger with a small adjustment. In this video, I’ll share the simple routine I use before every landscape photo to help catch those mistakes before pressing the shutter. It’s a checklist I’ve refined over years of photographing landscapes and teaching workshops, and it only takes about 10 seconds to run through in the field.

📋 FREE 10 SECOND CHECKLIST

Ever get home and realize you missed something? Before you press the shutter, take 10 seconds to run through this simple checklist. Download it to your phone so it’s always within reach while you’re shooting. It’s the exact checklist I use in the field to catch small mistakes before they become missed opportunities.

Download the free checklist here ⬇️

​The 10 Second Landscape Photography Checklist.pdf​

🔓 VAULT FAVORITES

90% of Photo Editing Basics in Just 15 Minutes

There's a ton of information surrounding tips, tricks, and techniques regarding how to edit photos, but the basics can be summed up rather quickly. And the basics are the foundation of any good photo editor, but also the most important part of it all, as the basics are where most of the heavy lifting occurs and the rest is just polishing all the small details. In this video, I'll review the editing process I go through on all my landscape photos in an effort to provide you with a framework you can follow to not only help you stay organized, but to also ensure nothing is missed.​​

📖 GOOD READS Beyond Wide Angle: Conquering Landscape Photography Regardless of Conditions Have you ever found yourself trapped in the allure of a wide-angle lens, hoping for those breathtaking, expansive landscape photos? I certainly have. It's a journey, a struggle even, that many of us have faced in our pursuit of capturing better landscape photographs. For years, I believed that grand vistas were the pinnacle of landscape photography. But, how wrong I actually was. When I first started out, I'd trek to stunning locations, armed with my trusty wide-angle lens, ready to capture the world in all its glory. However, more often than not, I'd return with a series of lackluster images—repetitive compositions with uninspiring skies. What was I missing? Truth be told, to pull off a great wide angle landscape photo, you need optimal conditions. Since your field of view is so large, things like a cloudless sky can create a major obstacle. So when ideal conditions aren’t available, what do you do? Photographing the Light: It wasn't until I shifted my perspective that I began to see the light—quite literally. Instead of solely focusing on the grand scene before me, I started to pay attention to the nuances of light. Those fleeting moments of contrast and illumination became my new muse. Imagine standing at the edge of a rugged coastline, the morning sun casting golden rays upon the cliffs, or wandering through a dense forest as sunlight filters through the canopy, painting the forest floor with dappled patterns of light and shadow. These are the moments that breathe life into our photographs, infusing them with depth and emotion. >> Read More​