Hi {name},

Welcome to the Lenscraft in Focus September 2020 newsletter.

I have found an interesting collection of photography related articles and products to share with you this month. I’ve also published several useful (I hope) articles over the past month which you will find summarised in the “New Lenscraft Content” section below.

If you like landscape photography be sure to read “The Definitive Guide to Photographing Sunsets”. Someone once told me that I was incredibly lucky because I always managed to shoot the best sunsets. But this isn’t down luck as I explain in this article.

You will also find a few new articles delving into printing.  As part of this, I’ve completed a review of the fine art inkjet papers from Fotospeed. I’ve been printing with Fotospeed papers for many years now. My main paper for sharing prints at photography club presentations is Matt Ultra but for fine art prints its Natural Soft Texture. The Fotospeed range has expanded since I originally chose my papers, so I decided that it’s time to check if there is anything that I prefer now. It was an interesting exercise.

Fortunately, I also found a little time to venture out to photograph the heather on the moors. It’s been quite spectacular this year.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has sent in a “How to” question for my latest Affinity Photo book project. If you didn’t get chance to email me with your question, there’s still time.

I hope you enjoy September’s newsletter.

New Lenscraft Content

Over the past month I’ve focused on publishing new tutorials and updating old ones. Here’s the list of what you can find on Lenscraft.

From Around the Web

Here’s a collection of a few things that I hope you will find interesting.

New 64 Magazine

This is a new magazine launch that a couple of Lenscraft readers highlighted to me.

https://64magazine.co.uk/work

The magazine quality is excellent, and it has some wonderful photography. This is the first edition of the magazine which the publisher has free to download. If you like it, please take a moment to contact them and let them know. I think new initiatives like this need to be encourage or we will all lose out in the future.

The Cole Thompson Newsletter

I’ve shared Cole’s newsletter in the past. As well as featuring his great photography he often has interesting articles. This month he shared “Ten things I would never do again” which contains some real gold nuggets of photographic advice.

You can subscribe to his newsletter with the link below.

https://colethompsonphotography.com/newsletter/

There’s also a newsletter archive on this page (just below the subscription form) including the article I mentioned.

About Creativity

This one isn’t directly about photography, but I think it still applies. The article describes five key stages in the creative process. By thinking about these and trying to relate them back to how you photograph, we can improve our creativity. Personally, I had a few lightbulb moments when I stopped to consider my approach.

https://www.skillshare.com/blog/learn/stages-of-the-creative-process

New free DxO webinars in September

DxO has extended its line-up of free photography webinars. The schedule for September includes:

How to Tone Map and Merge Images with HDR Efex Pro and Adobe Photoshop

Presented by Dan Hughes

Friday, September 4 – 6:00 PM BST

REGISTRATION: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1590155906257606669

Creating Vintage Camera styles with Analog Efex Pro

Presented by PhotoJoseph

Tuesday, September 8 – 7:00 PM BST

REGISTRATION: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5047374506729927949

Top 5 Favorite Filters to Enhance your Landscape Photography with Color Efex Pro

Presented by Dan Hughes

Monday, September 14 – 6:00 PM BST

REGISTRATION: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/321108381571754253

Light, Color, Contrast: Using DxO PhotoLab 3 to Edit Nature Images

Presented by PhotoJoseph

Tuesday, September 22 – 7:00 PM BST

REGISTRATION: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4816069146083259917

Flower Portraits: Macro Photography Tips and Using the Nik Collection 3 by DxO

Presented by Kathleen Clemons

Hosted by Laurie Rubin

Wednesday, September 30 – 6:00 PM BST

REGISTRATION: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4578371224958739724

Colour Theory and Landscape Photography

Whilst browsing Ted Gore’s website (who I think is a wonderful photographer and artist) I came across this article. It covers the theory well but also includes practical suggestions about how to use the information.

http://www.tedgorecreative.com/blog/2016/2/8/imc0w2lc0ie6b1jtixfht4jgqyjvnu

It appears Ted published this a few years back, but I can’t understand why I haven’t noticed it before. This is an extremely useful subject to study and something more photographers (myself included) should learn about.

Photographers You May Not Know – Miles Morgan

This month it’s the turn of Miles Morgan, yet another Oregon based landscape photographer. I’m beginning to think Oregon is developing a monopoly on landscapers.

I first came across Miles work when I saw his shot of Mount Hood in Oregon covered in snow. You can see it in the “Cold” gallery section of his website. I didn’t know the photographer at the time, but it stuck vividly in my memory. Then a couple of days ago I saw the shot again but this time with his website details.

https://milesmorganphotography.com/

His website is filled with wonderful landscapes and worth visiting to browse the galleries.

Books & Course News

Latest book and course news.

New Affinity Photo Book Project

Following last months request for input to my new book project, several of you were kind enough to email me with things you would like to know about. If you haven’t yet emailed me with a question, please feel free to send it. I want to include as many “How to” style questions as possible and use these to dig deeper into Affinity Photo.

Until next month, stay safe.

Robin Whalley

Landscape Photographer & Author

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