Hi {name},

Welcome to Lenscraft in Focus for July 2023.

Do you use your phone for photography?

If I’m honest, I don’t other than to take family snaps when on holiday. I’m still interested in smart phone photography though and it’s something that I want to do more of. To generate some ideas, I’ve been reading “Smart Photos: 52 Ideas To Take Your Smartphone Photography to the Next Level” by Jo Bradford.

Last week whilst in France, I began photographing the architecture with my phone, including this shot inside a church in Nantes.

It then wasn’t long before I found myself reaching for my phone more than my camera. I love how flexible the phone is for just taking a shot whenever you feel inspired. It’s a lot less messing around than using a camera and everyone ignores you. It felt quite liberating.

But don’t worry, I won’t be exchanging my cameras for a phone. I will however try to use my phone more in the future. I may even share a few articles about how I edit some of the shots.

I hope you like the church photo and enjoy the other articles I have for you this month.

Robin

The Best Book Format

I’ve recently received several queries relating to the PDF and ePub books on my website. Here’s the explanation in case it helps others.

ePub is a widely used format for eBooks. Most eReader software and devices can read it, and Amazon has now also adopted this standard. If you have a Mac computer, you will find you can open and read ePub files in the Books application. Windows and Android devices also have a wide range of applications available. If you search the internet, you will find dozens of free eReader applications, but you can also use the free Kindle software from Amazon.

The benefit of reading ePub files is that you can change things like font size and follow links internally as well as externally. What the format doesn’t support (easily) is printing sections of a book, which is what the PDF is intended for.

The PDF version I supply is ideal for printing pages that you want to keep or refer to regularly. Unfortunately, I can’t include links within these as my book publishing software doesn’t support it. The PDF standard also can’t correctly handle the page numbering used in books. As my books use this system, it means the printed page number doesn’t correspond exactly with the PDF reader. This isn’t however an issue when you print pages from the PDF.

When you purchase a book from my website, it’s best to select the “All” formats option. You can then read the ePub book using an eReader device or application. If you decide that you want to print a page or section (or even the entire book), you can then use the PDF version for that.

New Lenscraft Content

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

Thank You For Your Emails

Readers often write to thank me and say how much they appreciate my books. This is always wonderful to hear and very motivational, but there is another way to thank me, and it doesn’t cost anything.

When you enjoy one of my books and feel that it’s been helpful, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Even if you didn’t purchase from them, Amazon are still happy for you to add your review.

Leaving reviews on Amazon helps independent authors like me enormously.

Thank you.

Identifying Mistakes

Despite my best efforts, books never go out without a mistake or two somewhere in the text. I therefore want to say thank you for the people who take the time to email me with mistakes. If my proofreaders and I don’t spot the mistakes before publishing, they will never be fixed unless people let me know.

Whilst I can’t share individual names, I greatly appreciate everyone who highlights problems. This month there was an error spotted by two people in the eBook version of Mastering Adobe Photoshop Luminosity Masks.

In chapter 7, in the section “Painting Light Using a Luminosity Mask”, you are advised to move the right side of the Curve two squares to the left. However, when you check the accompanying screenshot, the right side of the Curve is moved up two squares (not left). The screenshot is correct, and the Curve should be moved up 2 squares.

This error only appeared in the eBook and has now been corrected. Anyone purchasing the eBook from my website should have now received an email to download the correction.

Thank you.

From Around the Internet

A selection of interesting photography related resources from the internet.

Inspirational Photography Magazine

I first shared this free magazine from Ken Koskela a few years back after a friend passed on the details. Following that, the new issues dried up and I forgot about it. I’m now delighted to see that Ken has published a June 2023 issue of the magazine. You will find the link to read it on his website below. As always, there are some interesting articles and of course, inspirational photography.

https://www.kenkoskela.com/page/2020-june-inspirational-photography/

Photography News 108

The latest issue of Photography News is out. This is a great newspaper for photographers everywhere and is published in the UK. You can read it online for free at

https://online.bright-publishing.com/view/689469910/

Nikon Non-Ai Campaign

Although this is a Nikon advertising campaign it caught my attention. It’s innovative, showcases inspiring photographs, and delivers a powerful message.

https://tomasnicolas.com/nikon-dont-give-up-on-the-real-world

Photography Career Tips

Are you interested in a career in Photography?

Lots of people are but few make it. In this article Chris Floyd shares some wonderfully simple and valuable advice. Be warned though, whilst the advice may be simple and anyone can follow it, few will.

https://www.creativeboom.com/features/celebrity-photographer-chris-floyd/

Photographers You May Not Know – Klaus Axelsen

I first found Klaus on Instagram and then followed the link there to his website https://www.kaxelsenfoto.co. The website is a great showcase for his wonderful work, and you can read more about his personal story there. I was particularly taken by his “Artwork of Nature” series. His compositions are excellent, but I also like that there is an honesty and consistency throughout his photography.

Books & Course News

Latest book and course news.

Mastering Adobe Photoshop Luminosity Masks

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who purchased my latest book explaining Luminosity Masks in Photoshop.

If you missed the announcement, the book is now available in both eBook and paperback formats. The eBook costs £6.99 and is available from my Lenscraft website, Amazon, Google Play, Apple Books, Smashwords, and Kobo. The print edition is only available from Amazon and is priced at £28.99, although Amazon has been discounting it in recent days.

The Easy Way to an Organised Photo Library

When I originally published this book, disappointing sales meant that I could only release it in eBook format. I’m aware that many people only read print books and don’t like eBooks, so I decided to try something different.

I’ve reduced the size of the book from my usual 11.5 x 8 inches to a more modest 9 x 6 inches. This has considerably reduced printing costs, allowing me to price it at just £14.99. You can find the book on Amazon.

Until next month, I hope you stay well and enjoy your photography.

Robin

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