Hi {name},

Welcome to Lenscraft in Focus for November 2022.

As I sit writing this, it’s just turned 5pm and already dark. Autumn has truly arrived here, and whilst the trees and moors have turned golden, it’s been wet most days. There was a brief time last week when the forecast promised a dry morning with mist.

Filled with enthusiasm for what promised to be a perfect day, I headed over to Bole Hill Quarry in the Peak District. Then around 20 minutes after arriving, there was a huge clap of thunder and the heavens opened. That’s when my weather app decided to update to forecast rain.

Despite the terrible conditions, I persisted and managed a couple of images that I liked.

This image was shot using my trusty Fuji XT3 and Fuji 16-80 lens at 30mm. It’s a tripod mounted exposure of 2.3 seconds at f/13.0 and ISO160. Despite this being shot well after sunrise, there was very little light around as you can tell from the exposure times. I then processed the RAW file using DxO PhotoLab 6 (more about that later) followed by some adjustments with the Nik Collection. The image has me feeling quite excited as we head towards winter. Whilst the weather conditions may deteriorate, I’ve often captured my best shots at this time of year.

As for the steps I’ve been building and mentioned last month, I almost finished them (thank you to everyone who asked).

I was two steps short of the top when I was stopped by a huge tree root. Although I’ve now removed the root with a lot of digging and an axe, I must wait for dryer weather. Let’s hope I have them finished by Spring.

As for the world of photo editing and photography, this is often the busiest time of the year. This past month has already seen the launch of Photoshop 23, a new version of Lightroom and Adobe Camera RAW 15. In addition, we’ve had the launch of DxO PhotoLab 6, Viewpoint 4 and On1 Photo RAW 23. You’ll find my articles covering some of these later in this newsletter, along with other interesting material.

I hope you enjoy it.

Robin

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 Internet

A selection of interesting photography related resources from the internet.

Photography Chronicle

I’ve shared the Photography Chronicle website in the past, as well as interviewing the founder, Paul Mortlock. If you haven’t visited the site recently, it’s expanding fast with many powerful photography projects. I found the “Abandoned” project particularly interesting.

https://www.photographychronicle.com/abandoned/

It reminds me a little of the work of Ed Freeman and his excellent Desert Realty and Western Realty images.

What Software Photographers Use

Someone recently emailed me a link to this article surveying photographers to understand what software they use. I found it interesting, so I wanted to share it with you.

https://shotkit.com/photo-editing-software-survey/

Gas & Glamour

I don’t know why, but I’ve always found myself drawn to images of the American Diner and classic American cars. This wonderful body of work by Ashok Sinha is typical of the images that I love.

https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/gas-and-glamour/

I’ve often thought about shooting a series of images of UK petrol stations after dark. They also have a look I find attractive, but I’m worried that I might be mugged for my camera gear or arrested. If anyone has managed to shoot a portfolio like this, please let me know.

Photographers You May Not Know – Tomas Havel

Tomas Havel is a landscape photographer from the Czech Republic. His work may not be to everybody’s taste, but there is no denying its excellence. Much of his work features beautiful landscapes and dramatic lighting, often with a human somewhere in the frame. Most of the image display what I would describe as hyper-realism and look almost too perfect to exist. It’s well worth visiting his website.

https://www.tomashavel.com/

Books & Course News

Latest book and course news.

Nik Silver Efex Pro 3 Print Edition

Thank you to everyone purchasing my new Nik Silver Efex Pro 3 book, and for the positive feedback. Several people have now asked if there will be a print version of the book. Whilst I hadn’t planned one initially, there were enough requests to make me decide to produce one.

I’ve worked hard on making this an easy book to use. I’ve used the largest binding size (11.5 x 8 inches) that I can. This has allowed me to use a lay out that I believe makes the book easy to read. The text is well spaced and uses an 11-point Arial font. This is slightly larger than many books, which should make following the examples whilst working on a computer much easier.

You can purchase a copy from Amazon at £19.99, $27.99, or similar in other currencies. This is the same price as my Silver Efex Pro 2 print book. Please be aware that the print version may not be available in all countries.

Mastering Selections & Masks in Lightroom and ACR

Back in August, I updated two of my books about working with Selections & Masks in Lightroom and Adobe Camera RAW.

It looks like my timing wasn’t the best, as Adobe has just released major updates to the way Masks and Selections work in both applications. I’ll therefore be starting work on updating the books again to cover the new features. Regretfully, I won’t be able to make this a free update on my website as the changes are too extensive.

Another Book Project

Alongside revising the books mentioned above, I’ve been working on a third which I’m approximately 50% of the way through. I can’t share more information at this time for reasons that will become evident, but I hope to have more news for the next newsletter.

Until then, stay safe and enjoy your photography.

Robin Whalley

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