Hi {name},

Welcome to Lenscraft in Focus for October 2021.

When I looked in the diary and saw that it was time to write this month’s newsletter, I could hardly believe it. The month had flown by without me doing any photography in September. But then I remembered this trip and image.

I’m not sure how I managed to forget this as my arms still itch and show the insect bites 2 weeks on. But other than you can’t see the insects swarming around me, this image doesn’t quite depict reality. Whilst I shot it using an ultra-wide-angle lens, I’ve also altered the perspective. If you want to see the original, how I shot it, and how I made the changes, I explain everything in this YouTube video (https://youtu.be/ANz1X48zXq8).

As well as the video, this month’s newsletter includes other tutorials and articles I’ve published. There’s also an interesting mix of things that caught my attention in September and a great photographer you might not know.

I hope you enjoy Octobers newsletter.

Robin

New Lenscraft Content

Here’s a list of new/revised articles and tutorials published on Lenscraft over the past month.

From Around the Web

This month, I’ve discovered a few things that you might find useful or interesting.

New Software Releases

This past month has seen a lot of new software releases. As I write this, On1 Software has released On1 Photo RAW 2022, Exposure Software has launched Exposure X7, Tony Kuyper has launched TK Actions 8; all of which I use. I haven’t had time to look at the latest releases, so I don’t want to jump the gun with an early review. I also know there are a few other packages that will be updating soon, so keep an eye open for the launch deals. I hope to share some reviews in future newsletters.

The Worlds Most Creative People

I read a great article about creativity the other day. Whilst it didn’t dig deep into the detail, I recognised some of the points and times in my own life when everything in my photography improved. When I hit these creative streaks, I really enjoyed taking photos and it felt like my photography worked.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90676271/the-worlds-most-creative-people-have-this-one-thing-in-common

I think that the simple ideas in this article can tell us a lot about how to develop ourselves as photographers. There is admittedly an element of luck if you measure success with external validation of your work. But if you only want to satisfy yourself, this may be the way to achieve it.

Photography News

If you are a member of a UK camera club then you will likely already know about Photography News. It’s a monthly Photography newspaper, edited by one of my photography heroes, Will Cheung. As well as doing a great job as editor of the newspaper Will is a brilliant photographer and has been for many years. You can read the latest edition of the newspaper with this link.

https://online.bright-publishing.com/view/827094357/

If you like it, visit the photography news website where you can subscribe to their newsletter so that you don’t miss future editions.

https://photographynews.co.uk/

Thirty Seconds to Smile

If you have 30 seconds to spare and want something to make you smile, you need to see this page.

https://www.creativeboom.com/news/comedy-wildlife-photo-awards-2021/

NFT’s Have Me Scratching My Head

Since I turned 50 a few years ago I often find myself bewildered by the behaviour of some people and their “fads”. I see historic patterns repeating and when I make the point of how they ended in the past, I often hear the reply that it’s different this time. Strangely that’s what people said last time and the time before.

And so, it is with NFT’s. If you don’t understand them, this article is a good introduction, although in my opinion it presents a biased view.

https://www.dpreview.com/articles/8170416871/nfts-what-they-are-and-how-they-will-impact-photography

As I say, it could be my age, although at least I understand the technology behind NFT’s (that’s more than many can say). What troubles me though isn’t the technology, rather it’s how people are acting irrationally because of it in the scramble to make money. Would you swap your house for a small, pixelated image?

Interestingly, if you want to sell your work as an NFT, many platforms require you to be recommended by an existing NFT “artist” who likes your work. Could this be why most of the art that’s for sale has the same look. It would be nice to see some “real art” on there.

Banksy, if you are reading this you know what to do.

Photographers You May Not Know – Albert Dros

Albert Dros is a young (compared to me) award winning Dutch photographer and Sony Global Ambassador. As Albert says on his website “I am addicted to landscape photography and capturing the beauty of the world.” and I think it shows strongly in his work.

I would encourage you to visit his site and spend some time browsing the galleries. The Landscape and Cityscape sections are particularly impressive. The only point I would mention is that seeing so many great images together cause them to detract from each other. I found it much more enjoyable to click on the first image to enlarge it and then work through them one at a time. My eye then had something to focus on and my brain could make sense of the stunning work.

Well worth a visit.

https://www.albertdros.com

There is also a good photo editing demonstration by Albert on the PhotoPills YouTube channel. It’s a couple of hours but the editing is worth watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROL107uPVWY

Books & Course News

Latest book and course news.

Mastering Photoshop Layers

Last month I mentioned that my revised (completely rewritten) Photoshop Layers book was on track for an October 2021 release. The good news is that it’s still on track and that I hope to send out an email with the details later this month. If you’re interested in the power of Photoshop layers keep watching for the email.

Until next month, stay safe and keep clicking your shutter.

Robin Whalley

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