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This Tiny Camera Fixed Something I Broke
Published about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hello my friend,
There's one lesson I wish I had learned years earlier because it would have changed the way I approached photography from the very beginning. In today's edition, I'll share what it is, why it matters, and how a single shift in perspective can lead to stronger images almost immediately.
Along the way, you'll also find a new editing tip, a behind-the-photo breakdown, and a few additional resources I think you'll enjoy.
As always, thanks for being here.
Mark
A brief moment of extraordinary light from the Faroe Islands.
📺 MY NEW VIDEOS
This Tiny Camera Fixed Something I Broke
Four years ago, I tested the Fuji X100V, enjoyed every minute with it, and then sent it back because I couldn’t figure out where it fit into my photography. I regretted that decision for years. So after spending 12 months trying to find the new X100VI, I took one to the Faroe Islands to finally answer the question: would I buy it, or make the same decision all over again? This isn’t a traditional Fuji X100VI review. It’s a story about the friction that can slowly change our relationship with photography, especially when something we love becomes our job. Through Highland cows, colorful villages, and unpromising landscape conditions, this little camera helped me create photographs that otherwise wouldn’t exist and reminded me that not every image needs a purpose beyond the joy of making it.
Lightroom Finally Fixed This Annoying Masking Problem
Adobe’s August Lightroom update finally addresses one of its most annoying masking problems: hard, unnatural edges that can make an otherwise good adjustment look obvious. The new Edge and Feather controls give you much greater control over how smoothly a mask blends into the rest of the photograph. In this video, I demonstrate the problem, explain why the usual workarounds often fall short, and test the new controls on real landscape photographs.
How I Focus Stack for Perfectly Sharp Landscape Photos
One of the most common struggles when using a wide angle lens for landscape photography is trying to get your entire scene in perfectly sharp focus from the foreground to the mid-ground and all the way out to the background. The main issue here is when you focus on something in your foreground and your background ends up out of focus, then you focus on your background and your foreground ends up out of focus - so what do you do? In this video, we review a simple yet super powerful technique for landscape photography called Focus Stacking.
I've been 100% all-in on landscape photography for 10 years. During these years, I lost my corporate job in the financial marketing space, subsequently built a business solely around outdoor photography, made numerous mistakes along the way, learned more about photography than I ever thought possible, created an online photography publication with over 59,000 readers, and most importantly, edited thousands of landscape photographs. In this article, I’ll share with you the defining moments of my photographic journey in hopes you’ll be able to progress faster in yours.
1. Embrace Shoshin: The Beginner’s Mindset
The term "Shoshin" is a Japanese Zen concept that means "beginner’s mindset." As we progress in any field, we tend to become know-it-alls. The more you learn, the more your mind closes off to new ideas. When you're a beginner, your rate of improvement is rapid because you're a sponge, absorbing every bit of information. Embracing the beginner’s mindset, whether you’re new to photography or have been doing it for decades, is one of the best things you can do to continually learn and grow. >> Read More
2. The Power of Perspective
We all see the world the same way, with our eyes at the top of our heads. This common perspective makes photographs taken at eye level look ordinary. By shifting your perspective—getting lower to the ground, higher up, or moving to the side—you create unique and intriguing images that stand out. Experiment with different angles to capture the world in ways that people don't typically see.
3. You Can’t Find Your Creative Style
Many photographers spend years trying to find their creative style. The truth is, you don’t find your creative style; your creative style finds you. This discovery happens through repetition—by taking countless photos and editing them over many years. As you do this, you'll naturally identify what works for you and what doesn’t, leading to the development of your unique style. >> Read More
🤓 PHOTO NERDS
📸 The word camera originates from the Latin word "camera obscura" which translates to "dark chamber"
🎥 The Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 1700 mm f/4 is the world’s heaviest lens for civilian use weighing in at a whopping 564 pounds..
✨ INSPO
"Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees." -Paul Strand
"Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like." - David Alan Harvey
🎨 MY EDITING WORKFLOW
If you've ever wondered how I consistently transform flat RAW files into the finished images you see on my YouTube channel and social media, the Landscape Editing Blueprint walks you through my complete workflow from start to finish.
Learn how I approach light, color, contrast, and composition to create cleaner, more intentional edits with confidence.
📨 Join 59,000+ 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, In the last edition, I promised that today I would take you inside The Art of Shaping Light. I also shared a two page before-and-after breakdown showing how I shaped the light in a single photograph. More than 6,300 of you downloaded it. That response confirmed just how many photographers want to create greater depth and direction without making their edits feel artificial. If you missed it, you can still see the four decisions behind that edit here. That challenge is at the...
Hello my friend, Last week’s poll put numbers behind something I’ve noticed for years. 41.8% of you said the most difficult part of editing a landscape photo is making it feel more three-dimensional, while 29.4% said it’s keeping an edit natural. Together, 71.2% of you selected what I believe are two sides of the same problem: How do we create more depth without making the photograph look overworked? Depth doesn’t come from brightness alone. It comes from the relationship between light &...
Hello my friend, One of the easiest ways to weaken a landscape photograph is to brighten too much of it. We see a dark foreground, a shadowed mountain, or a dim corner of the frame and immediately reach for the sliders. Before long, every part of the image is asking for attention. But when everything stands out, nothing stands out. The result may be brighter and more detailed, yet the photograph often feels flatter, and the light that first caught your eye no longer has anywhere to lead you....