We’ve quickly got used to AI improving the AF performance of our digital cameras. And now, increasingly, when it comes to further enhancing resultant shots in AI-powered image processing software, including the likes of Evoto AI and Luminar Neo. I’ve recently had a go with the latest iterations of both and one thought struck me.

It feels like cheating.

It also feels like relinquishing control, as the AI tools make visual decisions that – while producing perfectly acceptable-looking results – aren’t necessarily mirroring the decisions I would personally have taken, or the edits I’d have made. Am I happy getting generic results, rather than authentic expressions of my identity?

That said, there’s no denying I can get results a whole lot quicker – and I can imagine professionals, facing an edit of hundreds of images from a portrait or wedding shoot, will be tempted to batch process. It’s not like their clients are going to know that they had help from an AI toolkit.

However, in asking AI to make creative calls on our behalf, do we run the risk of becoming less creative ourselves – and downright lazy?

The tried-and-tested mantra for any jobbing photographer has always been to ‘get it right in camera’, as the primary way to avoid spending hours cleaning up or adjusting images in Photoshop.

If now, with AI, I can get similar-looking – or certainly ‘good enough’ – results in seconds, where’s the motivation to go the extra mile at the outset, or get exposure and depth of field spot-on, while my subject is still in front of my lens?

The counter-argument, of course, is that with such programs promising to speed up our workflow and help us avoid tedious, repetitive tasks, photographers will have more time to devote to the ‘fun’ part of taking the pictures. Or even less fun things, such as filing company accounts with the taxman.

I guess it all comes down to whether we see AI image editing software as a method to maximize our hard-earned skills and take our visual expertise up a notch – after all, it pays to have a decent image to work with in the first place – as well as a timesaver. Or whether we view it as a sticking plaster, or crutch, to make good our own deficiencies or occasional errors.

Perhaps exposure to too much ‘AI slop’ is rewiring our brains and encouraging and excusing our own photographic sloppiness. Or, more positively, is what photographers are wrestling with now more akin to the transition from film to digital, when we potentially ended up with many more ‘keepers’ because we could quickly see the result?

Whether we’re producing images au naturel or aided and abetted by AI, I think what matters most is still our personal judgement. If the result looks great then it’s a keeper, however I’ve reached that stage. If it looks crap, then I’m still reaching for the ‘delete’ button… whatever the robots are suggesting.

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For the longest time, learning photo editing has gone hand-in-hand with learning photography. But I just came across an interesting statistic hinting that a majority of adults actually prefer unedited photographs.

According to research by Getty Images’ VisualGPS, 65% of adults globally prefer brands that use real, unedited photos in ads.

My first thought: Finally. My second thought: Why am I spending so much time editing when a majority actually prefer an authentic look anyway?

The photographs used to advertise brands have been gradually shifting towards a less edited approach. For example, brands like Aerie have been leaving models unretouched since 2014. Dove launched a campaign using a variety of body types in 2004, banned excessive Photoshop in 2021 and vowed never to use AI models in 2024.

But while the move towards real skin and real people to represent brands has been happening gradually over the last decade, I think AI may be the final push.

The photos that I come across in my feed with too-perfect skin has me immediately suspecting that the photograph isn’t a photograph but an AI-generated image. Too many of them aren’t AI at all, but over-edited photographs.

Yes, AI is getting so good that it will generate skin that actually has texture. But nothing makes me scroll past a portrait faster than one with plastic skin.

The increasing number of adults who prefer non-edited photos caught my attention not just as a photographer, but as the mother to a pre-teen daughter. I’m so glad that I’m starting to see fewer photos of impossible perfection (I’m looking at you, terrible skin-smoothing smartphone filters!)

As a portrait photographer, I prioritize flattering light over intense Photoshop editing. Soft light will make the skin appear smoother while leaving in some natural texture, whereas hard light will overexaggerate pores and texture. I still do a light retouch but, especially in the era of AI, my editing style leans towards a natural look.

Notably the statistic comes from Getty, a stock image platform that has been vocal in its lean towards more authentic imagery. The statistic also focuses on brand photography, and doesn’t necessarily mean that portrait and wedding clients may prefer the same thing.

But between the pushback against AI and the rise of retro film cameras with imperfect but authentic images, I think it’s time for photographers to reevaluate their editing style.

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Photoshop can now rename and organize layers, resize projects, or swap out a background with a simple text prompt. On June 18, Adobe launched an AI agent across several Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop and Premiere, allowing the long-standing editing programs to carry out multi-step processes with a text prompt.

The AI Assistant inside Photoshop and Premiere is rolling out beginning today, June 18, in public beta after Adobe previously teased that the feature was coming back in October during Adobe Max.

Photoshop’s AI Assistant was previously only available as a beta feature in Photoshop Web, the browser-based photo editor with a more limited number of tools. I tested the AI Assistant on Photoshop Web, and at times it felt like an overenthusiastic intern, but the experience left me with the impression that the AI assistant could perhaps one day handle the more boring photo editing tasks.

That’s exactly what Adobe is trying to do with the public beta rollout of AI Assistant across several Creative Cloud apps. Inside Photoshop, for example, the AI Assistant can carry out the process of resizing photos for different formats and platforms and even rename and organize layers.

In a demonstration, Adobe showed how the AI Assistant could also proofread graphic designs inside Photoshop, looking for more than spelling but factual inaccuracies as well.

Inside Premiere, the AI Assistant can help video editors organize assets into bins, batch rename clips based on their content, and add markers. Creators working with multiple camera angles of the same scene can also ask the AI to sync the time codes on those files and stack them inside the timeline.

When I tried the earlier beta version inside Photoshop Web, the potential to let the AI carry out more tedious, repetitive tasks felt like a modern AI take on Actions, the Photoshop tool that records your editing steps so that it can repeat them on another image – only the AI doesn’t need you to manually carry out the steps first.

But, the other feature that struck me about the Photoshop Web version of the AI Assistant is that it could also be used as a learning tool. When I asked the chatbot how to do something, it showed me the steps and where the tools were located – the AI Assistant doesn’t necessarily have to carry out the full edit for you.

When I tried that early AI Assistant back in March, the AI had some flaws and limitations. When I asked it for help editing flyaway hairs, for example, the chatbot removed the entire person – but at least apologized for doing so.

As a public beta, I suspect there are still some refinements left to do on Photoshop’s AI Assistant. But, one of my chief complaints was that using the AI bot was often slow – I’m hoping the rollout to the fully fledged Photoshop that isn’t 100 percent reliant on an internet connection will help create a faster experience.

Photo and video editors will be able to test out the AI Assistant as the feature rolls out on public beta.

The June 18 announcements also include news that Adobe is bringing its Creative Agent into Google Gemini. Like the tool already inside ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot, the upcoming change will allow Gemini users to ask the AI to carry out a task using Adobe software, such as doing simple photo edits.

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VSCO is best known for its mobile editing app with film-inspired presets, but the mobile photo editing powerhouse will soon have its own desktop app for pro-grade photo editing. On Wednesday, June 17, VSCO launched Studio Pro on iOS, with a desktop version of the photo editor set to arrive before the end of the year.

While VSCO Studio Pro is available to download beginning today on iPhone, the app will eventually lead to a desktop photo software by the same name, which VSCO expects to launch for macOS sometime in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The new software comes alongside news that VSCO is working on an all-in-one subscription that mixes editing software with client gallery delivery and online portfolio tools for pros, a result of the company’s acquisition of Tave and subsequent launch of VSCO Workspace.

VSCO Studio Pro carries on several of the tools that VSCO is known for, including its film-inspired presets. But unlike the well-loved VSCO, Studio Pro is designed for editing entire photo shoots.

The new app can edit as many as 100 photos at once using one-tap batch edits based on VSCO’s popular film-inspired presets.

Photographers will also have a handful of traditional tools for adjusting the photograph, such as sliders for exposure, contrast, tone, and white balance. Like the presets, these tools can also be synced across multiple images in batch editing.

The app will also introduce a tool called Style Match, which takes a reference photo – such as one the photographer has edited previously – and matches the new photo to that style.

When editing is finished, photographers will be able to share to VSCO Galleries with one tap.

The original VSCO can work with large numbers of photos by copying and pasting edits or saving recipes, but the new software is designed to move through large sets of images faster, while maintaining visual consistency.

The young software, however, has a handful of notable tools missing, including crops and curves, but has plans to add additional tools down the road.

That list includes tools like aspect ratio, crops, auto leveling, clarity, bloom, halation, and curves. Support for RAW file formats and directly importing from a camera’s SD cards are also forthcoming options, along with the ability to cull photos by assigning each one a star rating.

While the mobile app, as it stands now, feels like a VSCO tailored towards large photo shoots, if the company does add pro must-haves like RAW support, direct memory card import, culling, and advanced editing tools, the new program could eventually become a competitor to key photo editors such as Adobe Lightroom and Capture One.

VSCO says that it is intentionally sharing the iOS app without those features in order to gather early feedback from photographers as it builds up the mobile app and eventually expands the app to desktop devices.

Like the original VSCO, VSCO Studio Pro appears to take on a free-mium price point, allowing users to download and use several tools for free, while a $13 / £13 / AU$20 / CA$18 monthly or $60 / £60 / AU$100 / CA$80 annual subscription unlocks more options. The app is available now for iOS from the App Store.

The VSCO Studio Pro will be part of VSCO’s upcoming suite of tools that packs several commonly used pro tools into one annual subscription. VSCO Studio One will include the editing software as well as VSCO Workspace, a tool for pro photographers to organize and book clients, VSCO Galleries, and AI Lab, among others.

VSCO One will include everything from editing to invoices and galleries to business education resources. Set to launch in late June 2026, VSCO One is expected to have a $499 annual subscription cost. International pricing has not yet been announced, but that converts to about £372 / AU$705 / CA$700.

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Adobe Lightroom can now turn photos into videos using generative AI. The feature, coming as part of a long list in the June 2026 update, gives photographers who forgot to capture video an option to generate B-roll-like footage. However, the tool is only the second Lightroom tool to require generative credits – and the first native Adobe tool in Lightroom to use the credit system.

The update is part of a long list of Creative Cloud June 2026 updates across Lightroom and Photoshop, as well as video tools Premiere and After Effects. Among the photo features, Lightroom’s assisted culling leaves beta, and Photoshop gains the reflection removal tool from Adobe Camera RAW.

Lightroom desktop: generate video from photos

Inside Lightroom on desktop devices, the new Generate Video option will generate an AI video using either Adobe Firefly or Google Veo, using the photo as a starting point. The option is located by navigating to the top menu and selecting Photo, then Generate Video.

That brings up a pop-up that suggests a prompt like “add subtle motion” or “slow pan,” as well as a text field for typing a custom prompt. A drop-down menu allows users to choose from a four, six, or eight-second video.

While Generate Video is far from the first generative AI tool to come to Lightroom, the update is only the second Lightroom feature to use generative credits and the first native Adobe tool to do so. Previously, only the Topaz Gigapixel Generative Upscale used Generative Credits inside Lightroom; Adobe tools like Generative Remove do not currently consume credits in Lightroom.

Some generative credits are included with certain subscriptions, but after that requires purchasing additional credits. The Creative Cloud Photography Plan 20GB includes 100 credits a month, the Lightroom Plan 250, and the 1TB photography plan 1,000 credits a month.

The pop-up generative video box will show creators how many credits the process will consume and what the remaining balance is. That credit amount changes as the different options are adjusted – shorter videos, for example, will consume fewer credits.

Lightroom Classic and Lightroom: Assisted Culling

Lightroom previously gained Assisted Culling, a beta tool that helps photographers weed out the bad shots with tools like checking for focus and ensuring that both eyes are open. Now, that feature is migrating out of Early Access, which is Adobe’s term for a beta feature. The feature is rolling out to both Lightroom and Lightroom Classic.

The Assisted Culling tool will also now recognize faces and give each face a score as to whether or not the eyes are open and sharply focused, a tool designed to help go through photos with more than one person.

The update also offers more filters to give photographers more control over how they want the photos sorted and how strict the culling process is.

The Library module in Lightroom Classic will also allow users to filter photos that use generative AI or need AI settings to be updated, similar to the program’s ability to sort photos by things like shutter speed or what camera took the photo.

Select Subject has improved with a detail slider, which allows creators to refine the masks’ edges to improve accuracy around fine details like hair.

Lightroom updates also include AI sharpening using Topaz Labs’ Noise Aware and support for RAW files from the Sony A7R VI.

Adobe Photoshop: Reflection Removal

Adobe’s reflection removal tool from Adobe Camera RAW is now moving into Photoshop territory. Like the feature in ACR, the AI-based tool detects and removes reflections in photos shot through glass.

Unlike in ACR, Photoshop’s version of Reflection Removal will make the adjustment as a layer, allowing creators to go back and fine-tune later on, which creates a non-destructive edit.

Photoshop’s Remove Tool can now use on-device generative AI, allowing the tool to work without an internet connection.

The updates rolled out on June 15 across Adobe’s photo tools, alongside updates to Premiere, After Effects, and Illustrator.

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If you've been scrolling social media lately, you've probably seen the 'pixel stretch trend' all over your feed. If you don't recognize it by name, this trend does exactly what it suggests: it stretches a slice of pixels from a photograph to create a dynamic sense of motion – and even leading lines.

This isn't the first time the pixel stretch trend has done the rounds on social media. It first surfaced back in 2008, then it appeared again about four years ago. Now it's back a third time, thanks to Gen Z, and if you want to get in on the trend all you need is a photo editor like Photoshop.

It helps to have an image where your subject – specifically its color palette – is distinct from the scenery, as the effect will be far more pronounced than if the subject blends into the background.

The pixel stretch trend works with everything from landscapes to street photography, provided there's a sizeable subject or object to work with. I'm going to use one of my portraits for this example, which I'll edit in Photoshop – but the principles are the same whichever app you're using.

How to do the pixel stretch trend

1) Separate your subject

Use whatever tool does the best job or that you're most comfortable using. Photoshop's Select subject button does a pretty good job, but feel free to go freehand, use the Magnetic Lasso Tool or anything else that gets the job done. Once you've selected your subject, hit Ctrl+J on a PC or Cmd+J to duplicate it as a new layer.

2) Create a pixel strip

On the background layer, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to create a thin strip down the edge (or close to it, if the edge of your subject is uneven). Then hit Crtl/Cmd +J to duplicate it to a new layer, which should be sitting beneath the subject layer you created in step 1. If you want to, you can repeat this process on the same or different parts of your image.

3) Stretch your strip

Hit Ctrl/Cmd +T to activate Free Transform, which will give you a bounding box with transform points around the strip. Click and hold the middle point and simply drag it to the edge of the image to stretch it out. (You might need to hold the Shift key while you do this, if dragging this point stretches the subject in all directions.)

4) Switch to Warp

For some images – such as those with a flat or geometric subject – a simple, straight pixel stretch might be all you want. But to create dynamism, there's more to the process. While in Free Transform mode, click the icon indicated in the image above to switch into Warp mode. Alternatively, with your stretched pixel layer selected, go to Edit > Transform > Warp.

5) Warp 9, engage!

Now you can get creative! Using the anchor points you can drag, stretch and twist your stretched pixel strip. There are no hard and fast rules here; your shapes can be subtle or spectacular. The only thing to bear in mind is keeping colors or other characteristics in line with their source points on your subject, to support the illusion that its individual pixels are being stretched from their origins.

6) Complementary stretches

If you're adding more than one pixel stretch element, make sure that they complement one another – or, at the very least, that they don't clash. You can use them to create leading lines, to help guide the viewer's eyes around the image, and you can even use the Dodge and Burn Tools to lighten and darken the image to create more depth and dimension. Just experiment and see what works best. Have fun!

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I honestly believe that 1/500 sec is the best shutter speed in photography. There, I said it.

In a world where cameras are now packed with more modes, menus, stabilizers and computational wizardry than ever before, I still think the humble 1/500 sec shutter speed remains the perfect setting for almost everything.

Of course, photography is built on choices. There are times when you need to drag the shutter for movement, times when you want 1/2000 sec for fast sport or wildlife, and times when a tripod and a long exposure are the only answer.

But for everyday photography, the kind that most of us actually shoot day in and day out, I don’t think there is a better balance than a shutter speed of 1/500 sec.

For me, 1/500 sec sits in the perfect middle ground. It is fast enough to freeze most normal movement, whether that is people walking, children playing, street scenes unfolding, animals moving or a subject that simply will not stay still.

It gives you that feeling of control, where you know that the frame is going to be sharp without having to overthink every single movement in front of the lens.

At the same time, this shutter speed does not punish you too heavily when it comes to light. Go much faster and you quickly start starving the sensor, especially if you are working in changing conditions, indoors, under shade or with a slower lens.

But at 1/500 sec, you still let in enough light to keep things sensible. You can usually keep your ISO under control, maintain a good aperture and avoid that slightly desperate feeling of pushing every setting just to make the exposure work.

That is why I think 1/500 sec is the shutter speed that offers the best performance-to-practicality ratio in photography. It gives you the security of speed without the compromises of going too fast. It protects you from camera shake, helps stop subject movement and still enables your lens and sensor to breathe.

For anyone who wants one shutter speed to live on, especially for travel, street, family, documentary, lifestyle and general photography, this is the one.

Modern cameras have made us believe that we need to constantly adjust everything, but sometimes simplicity is the real power move. Set your shutter speed to 1/500 sec, adjust your aperture and ISO around it, and just shoot.

You will spend less time worrying about settings and more time looking for the image, which is exactly where your attention should be.

I know some photographers will disagree. Some will say that 1/250 sec is enough, while others will argue that you should always tailor your shutter speed to the subject.

Technically, they are right. But emotionally, practically and creatively, I still keep coming back to 1/500 sec. It is the shutter speed I trust, the one I rely on and the one I honestly believe most photographers could use for 90% of their everyday shooting.

So yes, while every shutter speed has its place, if I had to choose just one, it would be 1/500 sec every time. It freezes life without killing the light, it keeps images sharp without making the camera work too hard and it gives you the best balance between freedom and control.

For me, that makes it not just a good shutter speed, but the best shutter speed.

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Jordi Koaltic is known for eye-catching visual effects created in camera – but the viral content creator with millions of followers will soon share insight into striking visual effects in a free workshop in New York City and livestreamed online on June 10.

Jordi Koaltic – a collaboration between brothers Jordi and Arnau Puig – is a content creator and photographer team known for simple in-camera creative effects. The brothers share what the camera tricks look like behind the scenes, where they have amassed more than 20 million followers on TikTok and more than seven million followers on Instagram.

The upcoming workshop comes from a partnership between Jordi Koaltic and the US camera retailer Adorama. While Koaltic will collaborate on content, workshops, and podcasts throughout the year, the partnership kicks off with an in-person workshop at Adorama’s flagship store on June 10 from 5 to 6 PM.

Photographers not local to New York can also learn from the viral creator as the event is livestreamed to Adorama’s YouTube channel.

The workshop, Jordi Koaltic Creative Portraits with Light & Motion, will cover how to create simple, repeatable visual effects using in-camera tricks rather than Photoshop or AI editing.

During the one-hour workshop, Koaltic will walk through two creative setups live: one for light painting portraits and one for using screens, glass, and other reflective surfaces to create in-camera effects. Adorama says the workshop is designed for creators who want to create “high-impact imagery without relying on heavy post production, CGI, or AI-generated visuals.”

The event is free, but those wishing to attend are welcome to reserve a spot and find more details on Eventbrite. The workshop will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

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Lightroom Classic’s Lens Blur tool uses AI to achieve something rather remarkable, inferring depth and distance in a two-dimensional image. It’s designed to offer a digital simulation of the kind of shallow depth of field you get from very wide lens apertures.

It’s not just a stylistic decision but a compositional tool, too, because it can help separate subjects from their backgrounds so that they stand out more clearly with fewer distractions.

Early versions of this tool tended to struggle with areas of background seen through holes in the main subject, but as this tool has evolved with successive versions of Lightroom it has become much more capable. Here’s my guide to the main features of the Lens Blur panel, what they do and how they work.

Focus range

This is the central tool in this panel. After Lightroom’s AI analysis, it presents the distance range in the image from closest (left) to farthest (right).

Within that range it displays a bounding box, which Lightroom thinks represents the key subject in the scene. You can accept and work with this as it stands, but you can also drag this box left and right to change the ‘focus distance’ and you can also drag on the left or right handles to adjust the near and far focus distances.

It’s easy to adjust this sharp focus range manually, but it’s not always easy to improve on Lightroom’s initial estimate!

Blur Amount

You can use this slider to adjust the blur in out-of-focus areas, and you might find that you need to keep coming back to this adjustment as you make other changes (to the focus range, for example). It’s easy to get carried away, but it’s important to keep the results realistic.

Blur can backfire if you push it too far! In our sample image, the degree of background blur could easily make the motorcycle look like a model shot from close up

Bokeh shapes

Bokeh is a characteristic of lenses that can be replicated surprisingly well digitally. With this tool, though, the differences between the different bokeh shapes (such as circle, bubble, hexagon, ring, cat eye) are not always easy to see, so it’s up to you how long you want to spend on this.

Bokeh shapes show up most clearly with out-of-focus specular highlights or light sources in the background

Auto / manual subject detection

When you first use the Lens Blur too, Lightroom will attempt to identify the key subject automatically. These days it rarely gets this wrong, but there may be times when you want to shift the focus to a subject or area in the background rather than the foreground, so this is how you do it.

Visualize depth

You can generally see pretty clearly how the Lens Blur tool is focusing and defocusing different parts of the image, but if you need a little help, check this box. It adds a color-coded overlay to the image, which illustrates different distances and defocus amounts with different colors.

Focus and Blur tools

You’ll find these in the ‘Refinement’ section at the bottom of the Lens Blur panel, and you can use them to manually paint in or paint out areas of sharp focus. (Lightroom uses ‘focus’ to mean objects or distances in sharp focus.)

This is all done with a simple manual brush tool, but that’s fine – if you do need to alter the depth mask and subject selection, it’s because the AI hasn’t got it quite right and needs the skill and judgement of the human eye.

Do pay attention to the Size, Feather and Flow sliders. Very often you’ll be trying to blend in the focus adjustment subtly, building up the effect gradually rather than trying to achieve pixel-perfect masking

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While you can file playing marbles at school in the same memory drawer as hopscotch and riding around on your chopper bicycle, they do make a great subject for an abstract macro project. Don’t worry about braving cobwebs and setting off your dust allergy by scrabbling around in the attic looking for them, though.

For some reason they are plentiful and cheap on Amazon, or even some toy shops if you can still find one. The big question is what type to get and why? You can get some with interior swirls and colors, but they can be distracting and less abstract than clear ones.

My suggestion is to look for those devoid of interior design, but ranging from completely transparent to ones with a range of colors. You’ll also need some colored, reflective card and perhaps some additional light to introduce color and highlights and also help with the reflections.

It’s worth starting with the clear marbles first, arranging them on top of your reflective card, with a card at the back to bounce light back into the scene. Unpack your macro lens and focus on one of the marbles at the front of the scene that leads into the rest. You should show some empty space in the foreground because the light reflections will appear there as well.

Setting it up

1. Camera position

It’s a very simple setup because it’s a macro shot, it’s just a case of getting in close enough. The more interesting element is arranging the marbles so that there is a key marble, and that there is space for reflections and others in the background.

2. Key light

This is the main light, which is set to a color temperature of 5600K along with the camera. Yes there’s window light, but it’s not as dominant as this light. I also decided to leave the curtains open, so that the shape of the window was reflected in the marble and because it also registered as more blue in color.

3. Box of marbles

It’s up to you what you use, but marbles without an interior pattern – being clear or colored – give a more interesting, abstract result with better reflections. Try different types, though, to see what you like. It’s also interesting to combine different colors of marbles with the color of the secondary light.

4. The background

For some shots with clear marbles I used this red, reflective card and also set the color of the light on the right to red as well. Then I tried the light with blue. The other combination was to used gold card for a more neutral effect, blue-colored marbles and a blue light to the right.

5. Secondary light

This was here to add highlights and additional reflections. On some of the shots it was red, on others it was blue. With the key light being set to 5600K, that’s why the white balance on the camera was manually set to 5600K to ensure this color registered.

Step by step guide for shooting macro marbles

It’s all about colors, depth of field and the types of reflections and highlights you can create.

01 Setting up for color

If you’re intending to use colored lighting in your photos, then you need to pay attention to the white balance setting on the camera so that it doesn’t attempt to filter it out. The key light was 5600K so, to get the color of the secondary light to register, the camera white balance was set manually to 5600K.

02 Release or timer

After a few shots it became evident that a narrow aperture was going to be the order of the day, which meant a low shutter speed. Even though the camera as on a tripod, it’s safe to either use software or a camera remote to fire the shutter. Or use the self-timer like here, setting it to five seconds, giving enough time for movement to cease.

03 Metering options

As there are some very bright highlights on the marbles from the lighting, one option was to use Highlight Metering to minimize them and then restore the shadows in post. This worked, but I found that I preferred center-weighted metering – which created larger hotspots but, when the focus of the camera was on the surface of the marble, the hotspots became more blurred.

04 Camera settings

In the end I used manual focus because the AF would pick out the reflections, rather than the surface of the marble. I used aperture priority mode so I could cycle through various apertures and upped the ISO to 200 just to lower the chances of camera shake, even with using the timer.

Aperture – How much depth of field do you get?

Well the answer to that on a 105mm macro lens is not very much. At the widest aperture, which worked out at something like f/4.8, there was only a few millimeters of depth of field. If you look at the example, it meant that the edges of the key marble were completely out of focus and the clear marbles in the background virtually disappeared.

A choice of f/11 produced more depth and made the background visible, but still not enough for an entire marble (which was about 10mm in size).

Before you go....

To shoot close ups like this you need a macro lens, some modern LED lighting and a decent tripod.

Color Grading is widely used in video editing to create a consistent look across a series of clips, but it’s now common to find color grading tools in photo editors too, like here in Lightroom Classic. Color grading works by splitting the image up into three tonal regions – shadows, midtones and highlights – and then adjusting the hue, saturation and luminance values for each to produce a range of cinematic or atmospheric effects.

Color grading is carried out using individual ‘color wheels’ for the shadow, midtone and highlight regions, and quick and intuitive control points for adjusting the color shift. It might look complex but it’s actually quite easy to do, and if you create a color grade you like that you want to re-use in the future, you can save it as a preset. Many Lightroom presets are based around these color grading tools.

3-way adjustment

You choose how the color wheels are displayed and adjusted using this set of buttons running across the top of the Color Grading panel. In the 3-way adjustment mode currently selected, you can see and adjust all three color wheels at once – the one you’re currently adjusting is highlighted while the others are greyed out.

This is a quick and simple way to work if you already have an idea how you want the image to look and you need to adjust shadows, midtones and highlights to get it.

Shadows, midtones, highlights

You can use these buttons to adjust the shadows, midtones and highlights color wheels individually. This is useful if the effects you want to achieve uses only one of these tonal ranges, which is not uncommon.

You can use the shadows color wheel to add a deep, rich color to the darker tones

Adjusting the midtones only will preserve neutral shadows and highlights

Global adjustment

You might just want to apply an overall color shift, and the global adjustment option is the way to do it. It’s also the simplest way to add a color grade to a photo.

Color wheel

This is the heart of Lightroom’s color grading tools, and it uses a draggable control point to adjust hue and saturation. Initially, this will be at the center (neutral) position in the color wheel, and you then drag it towards the edge in the direction of the color you want to apply. You can drag the control point around the wheel, not just outwards. The further you drag it towards the edge, the stronger the saturation of the color tint.

Hue control

You’ll see another control point on the outside of the color wheel showing the hue you’ve selected. You can move this control point around the outside of the color wheel to change the hue. It might look as if it’s doing the same job as the main control point, but in fact it adjust the hue only, not the saturation, and it allows much more precise control – especially when the main control point is very close to the center and small movements have big effects.

Luminance slider

The control wheel only allows you to adjust hue and saturation, but the luminance sliders let you change the brightness of the shadows, midtones and highlights too.

Try reducing the luminance for the shadows to make them richer and deeper

Increasing shadow luminance can create an attractive vintage ‘matte’ effect

Blending

BLENDINGIf you are using different color values for the shadows, midtones and highlights, they blend together progressively for a natural-looking color transition. This slider lets you adjust this blending effect to be more abrupt and pronounced or smoother and less visible.

Blending adjustments can be quite subtle but they are still worth experimenting with

Balance

Normally, your shadows, midtones and highlights adjustments will get an ‘equal share’ of the tonal range, but you can use the balance slider to push the effect of your shadow adjustment further into the tonal range, for example, or bring your highlight adjustment further down into the midtones.

The balance slider make quite a difference to the way an image looks, but also introduces another variable that complicates things – you might find it simpler just to tweak the look with the color wheels

Lightroom Classic’s Distraction Removal panel can easily get overlooked. But rather than spend time manually cloning out dust spots or unwanted passers-by with the cloning and healing tools or AI Remove tool, take a look at the Distraction Removal panel first.

It uses AI to automate tasks you might previously have done manually – so no more brushing, no more object selection, just one-click fixes for three common photo-editing scenarios.

Remove mode

This is the mode you need for any image retouching or object removal jobs in Lightroom. The top panel, just called ‘Remove’, is where you’ll find the regular Heal, Clone and AI Remove tools.

The Heal tool has always been useful for blotting out sensor spots, while the Clone tool is still best for pinpoint image repairs where you need to copy nearby details under full control over the size of the repair, the source area and the brush properties.

Distraction Removal

This is the second panel in the Remove mode and it has three sections: Reflections, People and Dust. These are normally collapsed, so if you select one the others shrink back to just the title, but we’re showing them all open here.

Between them, these three Distraction Removal options cover a lot of the everyday retouching scenarios that photographers are faced with.

Reflections

Have you ever photographed a display through a shop window or display case but had the picture ruined by reflections? This tool will automatically find any reflections in your photo – no need for any manual masking – and will subdue the reflection while magically revealing the objects behind the glass.

Like many of Adobe’s AI tools, this sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t – but when it does, it’s like magic

People

This tool tackles a problem faced by every travel or architectural photographer: the scene is filled with passers-by. It would take an age to remove everyone in this shot manually and there are few ‘clean’ areas to clone from – but the ‘People’ Distraction Removal tool does an amazing job, identifying practically every figure then removing them almost invisibly.

This is another tool where you just have to try it and see. I have another shot of the same scene from a slightly different angle where it didn’t work well at all, mainly because it couldn’t figure out complex stepped railings and other irregular objects in the background.

People masking

As soon as you open the People panel, Lightroom will scan the image for people and highlight them with a red mask overlay. All you need to now is hit the Remove button and Lightroom will erase all these people from the scene.

Don’t worry if the mask doesn’t follow the outline of people closely – it’s using surrounding regions, not just the figures themselves.

Keeping people in

The People tool will highlight people and groups of people with a red mask overlay – but very often this is not one mask but several, so that you may see a series of mask ‘pins’ dotted around the image. You can select these individually and delete them if you want to keep these people or groups of people in the scene.

If you are selecting some people for removal and others to keep in, it’s probably going to be easier to use the regular tools in the Remove panel.

Dust

The Reflections and People tools are attempting to achieve complex adjustments that sometimes work well and sometimes don’t. The Dust tool, though, is so effective that you can forget about manually blotting out sensor spots and use this instead. It will even show you spots you hadn’t seen with the naked eye.

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Lightroom Classic’s masking tools use a combination of AI subject recognition and regular brush and gradient tools to offer huge scope for local adjustments and enhancements. But you can get even more control by using masks in combination – in other words, with ‘sub-masks’.

There are many situations where this can be useful, but our sample image shows a very common one – where you want to darken a sky progressively towards the horizon but without darkening any buildings or other objects that jut up into the sky.

In our example, a linear gradient produces the right gradual darkening but would also darken the building. A sky mask would darken the whole sky, right down to the horizon without any natural gradation in tone.

But by ‘intersecting’ a sky mask and a linear gradient, we can get a gradual tonal gradation that affects only the sky. Our cheat sheet shows the location of the key Lightroom Classic masking controls.

Masking mode

To create and edit masks in Lightroom Classic you need to swap to the masking mode. This panel will give you a list of mask types to choose from. When you choose one, it appears in the Masks panel which opens out to the left of the tools sidebar.

Main mask

The Masks panel will show the area affected by your mask as a tiny thumbnail. Each new mask you add to your photo will appear as a new thumbnail. Any or all of these masks can include sub-masks.

Sub-masks

Every mask will have at least one sub-mask. If you’ve just used a single masking tool it will still appear here. Sub-masks become important if you want to combine or edit the masks that Lightroom has created.

Sky mask

To demonstrate this powerful ‘intersect’ command we’ve started off with a sky mask and used the adjustment tools in the right sidebar to darken it. This produced a very ‘flat’ adjustment that didn’t look natural. This is a common issue with sky masks if they are used on their own.

Sky masks identify sky areas very well but don’t offer any natural gradation towards the horizon.

Linear mask 'intersected'

The ideal way to darken a sky progressively is with a linear mask, but these are indiscriminate in that they darken everything at the top of the frame whether it’s actually part of the sky or not.

This is where an ‘intersected’ sky mask and linear mask can achieve what’s needed – a progressive darkening of the sky with other objects in the foreground left untouched. The linear mask achieves the gradual tonal adjustment, while the sky mask restricts it to the sky alone.

Gradient sub-masks remain editable, e.g. you can move them around even if they’ve been ‘intersected’, added or subtracted from the mask.

Add/Subtract buttons

The Masks panel can look pretty busy, especially if you have all your masks expanded to show sub-masks too – so how do the Add/Subtract buttons fit in? In fact, they apply to the main mask you’ve selected. When you use them, they add new sub-masks. They do not apply to sub-masks.

Adjustment tools

Keep in mind that Lightroom’s local adjustment tools apply to the main mask. Any sub-masks you create simply change the area covered by the mask. These sub-masks do not have their own adjustments. If you need to create a new set of adjustments for a different part of the image then you will need a new mask.

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Exposure is the single most important factor in photography – followed closely by composition. I mean, you can line up the greatest composition in the world, but if you’ve under or overexposed the image beyond saving, that composition means nothing. This is precisely why I don’t get the overbearing – dare I say sycophantic – obsession with manual exposure.

I will hold my hands up and say that the photography press has perpetuated the myth that ‘going manual’ is somehow a serious photographer’s right of passage. And goodness knows, the way it gets talked about, you’d think by flicking the switch you’d immediately ascend, be blessed by the photography greats, and return to Earth as a walking-talking light meter.

The manual myth

But here’s what nobody is telling you; the act of simply switching to manual mode will not improve your photography. If you’re not prepared, it’ll make it worse. If you switch to manual exposure and haven’t mastered both the exposure triangle and your camera’s controls, you will only increase your chances of underexposing or overexposing your images. And that’s when you’re not completely missing the moment because you’re inadvertently thumbing the aperture command wheel, when you should have been thumbing the shutter speed command wheel, or you were attempting to widen the aperture only to accidentally narrow it.

You wouldn’t promote a karting champion straight to F1, so if your camera is perpetually set on auto, the last thing you want to be doing is switching to manual mode because the internet told you to. And don’t give me: “Well, in the film days it was all manual and we just had to deal with it,” because there’s a reason the Canon AE-1 was so popular and that reason was shutter priority.

Priority modes

If you don’t know what a priority mode is, think of it as manual mode light. Most cameras nowadays have two priority modes: shutter priority and aperture priority. The former allows you to directly control the shutter speed, leaving the camera to automatically set the aperture and the latter allows you to directly control the aperture, leaving the camera to automatically set the shutter speed. In both instances, you can choose to allow the camera to automatically set the ISO or control it manually.

The beauty of these priority modes is that they allow you to retain your creative agency. Need to control the depth of field? Aperture priority allows you to do that. Want to freeze fast action? Select shutter priority. And should the camera adjust the opposing setting as far as possible, you can alter the ISO or adjust your chosen priority setting to compensate.

Plenty of professional photographers rely on priority modes. Especially those working in environments where they need to react quickly. But they are also the perfect jumping-off point for photographers looking to breach the confines of auto mode or P modes, without completely loosening the reins.

Am I saying that you shouldn’t use manual exposure mode? Absolutely not. Manual exposure is still the only way to maintain complete control over your settings and in the hands of a skilled photographer, it’s unmatched. It’s also the preferred setting for disciplines such as landscapes and architecture, where you can generally take the time to tweak your settings without fear of missing the moment.

Just don’t get caught up in the manual mode hype. Free yourself from the confines of auto mode by selecting a priority mode. Manual mode will come, when you’re ready.

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Earlier this year I wrote about the development of a rather unusual camera accessory claiming to be the world’s first light-meter integrated watch and from today, Increment Labs’ LMW-V1: Light Meter Watch Kickstarter is officially live. Billed as “the first purpose-made watch for photographers,” and “the only watch to feature an integrated light meter,” the Light Meter Watch is designed to take the guessing game away from film photography.

But before I talk more about this product’s concept, I think it’s important to note that I haven’t seen or tried it in the flesh. And, as with all Kickstarters, there is a degree of risk involved for backers because you are buying into an untested product. That said, Kickstarter is a fantastic platform for allowing start-up ideas to become a reality and it was made for a small project like this.

Back to the product itself. I’d actually argue that a light-meter watch concept is more relevant now than ever before. That might seem like an odd statement, what with the heyday of film long behind us, but the recent film resurgence came at a time when very few film cameras were still being made. Beyond the Pentax 17 and Kodak Ektar H35/H35N, new film cameras are still hard to come by.

Because of this, many film photographers are turning to vintage film cameras to get their analog fix. This is relevant because not all vintage cameras have built-in light meters and it’s not uncommon for those that do to feature light meters that either do not work or have degraded over time. The light meter then – which was pretty much extinct outside of professional photo studios – has had a little bit of a resurgence. What better time to wear one on your wrist?

One burning question I had originally was whether the light meter would meter reflective or incident lighting (or both). It’s since been confirmed that the Light Meter Watch will measure reflective light (at a 45-degree angle) only and while it would have been nice to have the two options, I think this makes a lot of sense. Reflective metering measures the light bouncing off a subject, while incident metering measures the light falling onto the subject.

The former is measured from the camera’s shooting position, while the latter is measured right by the subject and angled towards the light source. While an incident reading is more accurate, a reflective reading is more practical. And indeed, a camera’s built-in light meter is reflective and for an accessory that’s designed for photographers out and about with their film camera, this is by far the more useful of the two.

Already, the LMW-V1: Light Meter Watch’s goal of £28,875 is well over 2/3 of the way to completion, with just over £23,000 pledged at the time of writing. The goal must be reached by June 4, 11:22 am (BST) for the project to be successfully funded. There are four rewards to choose from. A total of 800 backers will be able to take advantage of the Super Early Bird (300 units) and Early Bird (500 units). These both come with the LMW-V1 and a rubber strap for £119 and £129, totalling 36% and 30% off the £185 MSRP, respectively.

What’s proving most popular at the time of writing is the Limited Edition: Black LMW-V1 (300 units exclusive to Kickstarter) priced at £143. The biggest saving is achieved when ordering the LMW-V1 Bundle (300 units), which includes both the standard and Black LMW-V1, along with a Milanese strap and a black leather strap.

No matter the reward, you can also select from optional add-ons, whereby you can upgrade the watch’s body to stainless steel, order a travel case, and choose from a range of straps. Should the Kickstarter prove successful, shipping is expected to start in Q1 of 2027.

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There is something wonderfully sobering about hearing a great photographer speak honestly about the craft.

Not in the polished language of camera launches, exhibition notes, or carefully written monographs, but in the plain, almost brutal truth of someone who has spent a lifetime chasing pictures.

In a recent interview with Leica, street photographer Matt Stuart said something that has stayed with me: “I have one second worth of success in photography, maybe 500 max good pictures.”

You can watch the full interview below:

That line stopped me in my tracks, because if someone like Matt Stuart, one of the finest observers of everyday life with a camera, can reduce his entire photographic success to a handful of moments, then what chance do the rest of us have? Or perhaps more importantly, why are we all holding ourselves to such impossible standards?

As photographers, we are constantly surrounded by greatness. We look at the work of Matt Stuart, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, Robert Frank, Elliott Erwitt, Joel Meyerowitz, and all the other giants of the medium, and we see only the finished frame.

We see the decisive moment, the perfect composition, the humour, the sadness, the poetry, the split-second geometry of life arranged in a way that feels almost impossible.

What we do not see is the missed shot, the badly timed frame, the wrong exposure, the days where nothing happens, the rolls of film or memory cards filled with photographs that are, to put it kindly, nothing special.

And yet we compare ourselves to the masterpiece, not the process.

That, I think, is where so much of the damage happens. We look at a photographer’s life’s work and judge our Tuesday afternoon walk against it. We take a camera out for an hour, come back with nothing gallery-worthy, and somehow convince ourselves that we have failed.

I have done this more times than I care to admit. I have walked with a Leica around my neck, hoping that the world might offer me something worthy of a wall, a book, a gallery, or, at the very least, something that makes me feel like I am getting closer to the photographers I admire. More often than not, I come home with a handful of frames that are fine, maybe even good, but not quite the thing I had imagined.

And that is the trouble with photography. The picture in your head is often far better than the one on the contact sheet or screen.

Henri Cartier-Bresson is often quoted as saying that you are lucky if you take one or two good pictures a year. That sounds almost ridiculous in an age where we can shoot thousands of images in a weekend, edit them instantly, share them immediately, and receive some kind of response within minutes.

But perhaps he was right. Perhaps the real measure of photography is not how many frames we make, but how rarely the truly great ones arrive. The photograph that stays with people. The photograph that does not need explanation. The photograph that seems to contain more than the thing it depicts.

Because the more I think about it, the more I believe photography is not just about skill. Skill matters, of course. You need to understand light, timing, composition, exposure, distance, gesture and instinct. You need to know your camera so well that it becomes almost invisible in your hands. But after all of that, there is still something else. Something out of your control. Something that happens in front of you for a fraction of a second and then disappears forever.

Luck is a word photographers often dislike because it sounds as though it diminishes the craft. But I do not think it does. Luck only rewards the person who is there, watching, waiting, and ready.

The great photographers are not great because they are lucky once; they are great because they keep turning up in the hope that luck might pass by again. They place themselves in the path of possibility. They develop an eye sharp enough to recognise the extraordinary inside the ordinary.

That is where I think we, especially those still trying to find our voice, can be far too hard on ourselves. We expect every outing to produce something meaningful. We judge our work against books, exhibitions, and legendary names, forgetting that even the masters spent most of their time failing. Beautifully failing, perhaps, but failing all the same. Photography is built on failure. It is a lifelong exercise in nearly, almost, not quite, and try again.

I feel that deeply in my own work. I want, as I think many photographers do, to make images that feel worthy of being seen beyond the screen. I want to create photographs that could sit on a gallery wall and not feel out of place. I want to make work that says something, even quietly, about life, people, place, or time. But that desire can become a burden if I let it. It can make every frame feel like a judgment. It can turn the joy of looking into the pressure of producing.

And photography, at its best, should begin with joy. The joy of seeing. The joy of wandering. The joy of noticing a small human moment that most people would walk past without a second thought.

Not every photograph has to be great. In fact, most photographs will not be great. That does not make them worthless. They are practicing. They are visual notes. They are proof that you were looking.

Perhaps that is the lesson hidden inside Matt Stuart’s wonderfully honest remark. Maybe success in photography really does add up to seconds. Maybe a lifetime of work is not thousands of perfect images, but a tiny collection of moments where everything aligned. The right light, the right subject, the right gesture, the right photographer in the right place at the right time. And if that is true, then perhaps the standard is not unachievable after all. Perhaps we have simply misunderstood what the standard is.

The aim is not to make a masterpiece every time we pick up a camera. The aim is to keep looking, keep learning, keep failing, and keep being ready for the one second when the world arranges itself in front of us.

That thought is oddly freeing. It reminds me that I do not need to measure every frame against the masters. I can admire them, learn from them, be inspired by them, but I do not need to punish myself for not being them.

Their greatness was not instant, constant, or effortless. It was built through years of walking, waiting, missing, doubting, and occasionally, just occasionally, finding the frame.

So perhaps we should all be a little kinder to ourselves. Perhaps up-and-coming photographers, professionals, enthusiasts, and anyone chasing that elusive “good picture” should remember that the greats were not great every day.

They were simply devoted enough to keep going until the good pictures found them!.

And maybe, if we are lucky, if we keep our eyes open and our cameras ready, we might get our own one second of success too.

Should you edit your photos? Yes or no? How long is a piece of string… What I’m trying to say is that there really is no single right answer. It all comes down to what you want to achieve with your images.

As someone who hates being in front of a computer, and who, for the most part, dislikes the highly unnatural extent to which many photographers edit their photos these days, I always lean toward minimal editing when it comes to non-professional work.

But as someone who also uses photography in a professional capacity – and wants that work to look professional – I’m willing to slog through hours of touching up in Lightroom.

I don’t particularly enjoy editing; in fact, I’d go as far as to say I truly dislike being in front of a computer, regardless of the task. But I want to ensure my clients see why they paid me instead of taking the photos themselves.

The great thing about taking pictures for yourself is that you set the creative vision and the standard your photos must meet. Don’t feel like burning your eyes out comparing 10 versions of the same frame? Then don’t do it.

I think a lot of photographers forget this, especially as posting on social media puts your images out to the whole world, which can make it feel like a global audience of photography experts is judging them.

In fact, if you truly hate editing – which I’m sure many photographers do – then why not build your identity around “no-edit” photography? You could probably build a following online with other “lazy” photographers who just want to bask in the strength of their compositions without worrying about color theory or fiddling with sliders in post-production.

Who knows, if you stick with it long enough and develop a strong eye for composition, your “straight out of camera” work might even attract clients.

Although, take that with a pinch of salt. 99% of the time, the way to gain traction as a professional photographer is through editing. Making the leap from amateur to professional requires a good eye for composition, regardless, but in the internet age, most viewers probably care more about the final edit than the scene itself.

Going back to my earlier gripe about the flood of overly edited images we now see, these have unfortunately set a kind of new photographic standard. So as much as I hate to say it, you’d better get good at making your photos “pop” if you want to earn a living with your camera today.

But it’s not just about adjusting hues to “harmonize” the color palette and then boosting contrast and saturation. Editing is a skill developed over time, and there’s a big difference between a well-edited image and an overcooked 16:9 mess.

As for avoiding the slog of editing, I’m not sure there’s a shortcut to developing your skills. Like any ability, it requires repetition, which comes with spending time in your post-production software.

However, I’m not against using AI to save time by applying edits in bulk. A lot of people disagree with this and, from an environmental perspective, I understand why. But there’s no denying that the biggest downside to editing is that it involves so much repetitive, admin-like work, which AI can handle with a few clicks.

In my view, as long as you don’t outsource creative control to AI and only use it to apply a vision you’ve developed yourself, there’s no issue with tools that help batch your editing style. If the AI isn’t doing anything you wouldn’t have done manually, then you’re just saving time—and possibly making the process more enjoyable. At least for me it does.

So, should you edit your photos? If it brings you pleasure or you’re aiming to become a professional, then absolutely. But if you don’t enjoy it and no one’s judging your pictures, then why bother? It doesn’t make you any less of a photographer—it just means you might never be seen as a serious one.

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Tone Curve adjustments are a very powerful way to modify the tonal range and contrast of your photos. The basic principle is simple – you drag on the curve to change its shape to alter the brightness of different tonal regions, from the shadows on the left to the highlights on the right. However, Lightroom Classic’s Tone Curve panel has hidden depths which are easily overlooked but make it a much more powerful and intuitive tool. Here’s a guide to the key features…

Parametric Curve

This is an alternative way to make curves adjustments. Instead of dragging control points directly on the curve, which can sometimes be a bit imprecise, here you get sliders for the Highlights, Lights, Darks and Shadows so that you can adjust these tonal regions individually. Adjustments made with one slider will ‘push’ slightly into the others in order to maintain a smooth tone curve.

• Try boosting the Lights slider to add brightness and sparkle to flat looking images
• Try reducing the Shadows slider to add depth and contrast to an image

Adjust tool

Click on this tool to activate it, then click and drag up or down on any area or object in the image to adjust its tone value – you’ll see this reflected in the tone curve. This is a good way to target specific tonal values and objects only.

• You can use this tool to increase the contrast between two similar tonal values. Click and drag on one area to lighten it then click on the other and drag down to darken it

White point and black point

You can drag the white point to the left if the image histogram doesn’t quite stretch to the right-hand side and you can drag the black point slider to the right to meet the left edge of the histogram. Lightroom Classic does not have a separate levels adjustment, but this does the same job.

• For a faded analog ‘matte’ look you can drag the black point slider upwards so that the darkest tones in the image don’t quite go to a solid black

RGB color curves

Normally you would work with the combined curves adjustments to adjust all three color channels in the image at the same time. However, you can also edit the red, green and blue color channels individually to create a huge range of color shifts and effects.

• Using RGB curves to adjust colors can get confusing. Try the Color Grading panel instead!
• If you want adjust individual colors, you need the Color Mixer panel, especially its Point Color mode

Curve shape

To change the shape of the curve, just drag on the line or click to add a control point which you can then move around to reshape the curve. You can add as many points as you like but things can quickly get messy, so try to keep it simple.

• A classic ’S-shape’ curve will add midtone contrast to a photo without clipping the shadows or highlights. Use on control point to lower the darker tones and another to raise the lighter tones

Curve presets

This little drop-down menu is easy to miss but very useful if you find yourself making the same curve adjustments again and again.

• To save a curve preset, make your curve adjustments first and note the menu now shows ‘Custom’. Open the menu, choose the Save option at the bottom and name your new preset.

Lightroom Classic has powerful options for black and white photographers, even without delving into the masking tools for dodging and burning. Unlike color photography, where you can often use image straight from the camera, black and white relies on a little extra work in the digital darkroom. Images shot in black and white modes on the camera typically benefit from some careful contrast, clarity and color mixing adjustments to really bring them to life. So here are some key tools in Lightroom Classic to help achieve that monochrome mastery.

B&W button

This simple button at the top of the Basic panel switches the Develop tools from regular color editing to monochrome. The key difference is that what would normally be the Color Grading panel now swaps to the B&W panel, where you can apply the same color mixing tools to your black and white images that feature in Photoshop’s Channel Mixer and B&W adjustment layers.

• You could convert color images to black and white simply by reducing the Saturation value to zero, but B&W mode is designed specifically for this kind of work

B&W panel

This displays eight different color ranges which you can adjust and ‘mix’ to create your black and white conversion. When you reduce the value of a color it comes out darker in the black and white image; when you increase the value, it comes out lighter. To make blue skies darker and foliage lighter in landscape shots, for example, you would reduce the Blue value and increase the Green.

• If you apply larger adjustments, trying shifting adjacent color sliders slightly in the same direction to blend in the adjustment more subtly
• Look out for edge effects around objects if you apply too strong an adjustment to darken blue skies, for example
• The Adjust gadget can save you a lot of time. Just select it then drag up and down on areas of the image to darken or lighten those colors

Tone adjustments

These work in the normal way, but you’ll find you can often push the Contrast and other values further than you would with color images. Black and white is more forgiving of extreme adjustments, which can often add to the graphic impact.

• By all means use the histogram display at the top to check for clipping, but you can often afford to lose more highlight and shadow detail than you can with color

Presence sliders

The Presence sliders need to be used with a little care when you’re working on color images, but in black and white you can afford to go wild. As a medium it’s already more dramatic and theatrical than color, and the Texture, Clarity and Dehaze sliders can really add to the impact of an image.

• The Texture slider is good for adding micro-contrast to details in the image
• Use the Clarity slider to make objects really stand out and give a lift to flat-looking images
• The Dehaze slider adds drama to skies and gives darker tones a lift too. In color it can often add too much color saturation, but in black and white that’s not a problem!

Profiles

It’s easy to overlook the Profiles in Lightroom Classic, and while the default Adobe Color and Adobe Monochrome profiles will do a decent job, it’s definitely worth clicking the Browse button to look through all the other profiles available. Lightroom comes with a selection of bespoke B&W Profiles which all deliver a unique ‘look’

• These profiles are not like presets. They are like a kind of pre-processing step that doesn’t involve the editing tools at all

Effects panel

The Effects panel has two great tools for black and white photographers. The Post Crop Vignetting tool adds subtle corner shading to increase the contrast in your photos and add a framing effect to aid the composition, while the Grain effect offers a very realistic simulation of actual analog film grain.

• You can get into the nitty gritty of the Grain Size and Roughness sliders if you like, but for quick and convincing results you can leave them at their defaults and just use the Amount slider

I’m a massive fan of the black-and-white landscape photography that helped bring the artistic genre into the mainstream, especially from the likes of Ansel Adams. His black-and-white work truly embodies the phrase “composition is king,” and I think the lack of color makes you hone in on this.

But there's another historic photographer whose name is less well-known that I think more landscape photographers should know: Galen Rowell.

Sometimes, even the black-and-white works of the great Adams leave me wanting more. It’s certainly not related to the way his images are composed. In fact, I’ve spent hours studying his frames, as I think every landscape photographer who takes the craft seriously should.

But for photographers like myself who wish they could see those same striking scenes in color, I think you'll find inspiration in the work of Galen Rowell.

Rowell (1940-2002) was a landscape photographer who published in major outdoor magazines, most notably National Geographic, and his excellent color stills inspire a real sense of adventure. While I absolutely love looking at Adams’ work, it just doesn’t feel as immersive as when I admire Rowell’s.

For me, landscape photography is all about depicting the raw beauty of nature, and black-and-white photography just doesn’t do this to the same extent as color.

Granted, things like textures, leading lines, and layers in the scene are probably even better pronounced in black and white, but color images give me a sense of how it would feel to be standing where the photographer was.

I’m not saying Rowell composed better images than Adams. On the contrary, Rowell was greatly inspired by Adams, even being dubbed the “35mm Ansel Adams.”

Rowell’s landscape photography, which often featured mountains, was seen by some as a modern evolution of Adams’ traditional monochrome approach. Born nearly 40 years after Adams, Rowell's gear of choice was typically a portable 35mm SLR, like the Nikon F5. "Ninety percent of my best life's work could have been made with a manual body, a 24mm lens, and a telephoto zoom in the 80-200mm range," he once wrote.

Interestingly, there are at least 3,500 color stills that Adams created, mostly on commercial assignments throughout the 1940s and 1950s, primarily with Kodachrome. However, he often found the process lacked the creative control and precision of black and white, calling it an “out-of-tune piano.”

Adams’ color photos aren’t that easy to come by, as the originals weren’t published until 1993, when a small selection was included in that year’s edition of his book, Ansel Adams in Color, which you can still buy. Of course, you can find digitally remastered color versions of his famous black-and-white shots all over the internet.

I find it fascinating that Adams saw color photography as a frustration rather than the gift it has been in enabling such rich and emotionally inspiring landscape photography. I wonder if he would’ve felt the same had he discovered photography in the digital age, when color was already the standard and black and white a niche.

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Instagram’s new “flash look” filter quickly went viral on social media – but not without its controversy. The new filter quickly went viral for the retro look, but some users reported the AI-generated filter drastically changed their face and even ethnicity.

The viral Instagram flash filter mimicked the retro flash look with harsh shadows and film-like colors. The filter briefly disappeared from the app's options but has since returned.

The filter isn't among the usual carousel of Instagram filters. Instead, the viral Instagram flash filter was a “Create with AI” option located inside Stories and Effects that uses AI to re-generate the photo with the popular retro look.

While the filter quickly went viral, some users reported that the tool appeared to change ethnicity . I tried it out myself, and it certainly created a retro look, but it also changed my eye color from blue to green, serving as a reminder of one of the pitfalls of using generative AI.

The Instagram flash filter went viral for all the wrong reasons – while some loved the look, others realized the shortcomings of AI-generated imagery, including portraits that no longer looked like the person in the photograph.

But here’s the thing – I’m a photographer, and I think the retro flash look is actually one of the easiest flash effects to create, even if all you have is a smartphone. While using flash to mimic natural light or create dramatic portraits takes time, practice, and expensive lighting set-ups, the direct flash look is as simple as just turning the built-in flash on.

The look that the viral Instagram filter comes from is based on the look of 35mm film compact cameras, which were consumer cameras and not complicated options geared towards professionals.

Getting the retro direct flash look in camera has just one key step: Turn the flash settings to always on.

How to get the viral retro flash look on a smartphone

On a smartphone, tap the lightning bolt icon to turn the flash to “Flash on” or “Always on.” (On an iPhone, tap the advanced settings menu icon next to the flash icon, then tap the flash option until “Flash On” pops up.)

A smartphone flash isn’t always super powerful, so the retro flash look is easiest to recreate indoors and in limited light than outdoors on a sunny day. Move the phone physically closer to the subject rather than switching to a zoom lens, as getting in close will create those dark shadows. The rear-facing flash is also the strongest, so this effect doesn’t work very well with the selfie camera.

Pro tip: If the flash look isn’t strong enough, try lowering the exposure. Taping the screen, then drag the sun slider to make the image a bit darker.

That creates the harsh shadows, but you’ll need to open a photo editing app – or apply one of Instagram’s filters – to finish the look with the retro film-like colors. Once you have taken a photo with the flash on, then just open an image editor and apply a retro preset – VSCO is my favorite for retro filters. The free VSCO camera app is also great for controlling the flash on a smartphone and adding other film-inspired effects.

How to get the retro flash look on a mirrorless or compact camera

A compact camera or a mirrorless camera can create an even stronger retro flash look, as the flash on dedicated cameras tends to be even stronger. If your camera doesn’t have a built-in flash – which is becoming more common on high-end and compact mirrorless cameras – you’ll need to add a hot shoe flash. But, even a cheap flash can mimic the direct flash look.

For the retro look, go into the camera settings and set the flash to always on. You don’t want to use auto flash because if the scene is bright enough, the flash won’t fire at all.

If you’re using a hot shoe flash, just power the flash on and leave it on auto and unmodified.

While flash modifiers are often key to getting a specific look, for the retro flash look, you want an unmodified flash – don’t add a diffuser or tilt the flash to bounce off the ceiling. Aim the flash right at the subject with no modifiers; this creates those harsh shadows.

In most instances, you won’t even need to take the flash off auto mode, as most auto flash modes tend to create those harsh shadows. But if the flash isn’t harsh enough for the retro look, use flash compensation to increase the power of the flash.

Finally, open the images in your favorite photo editor and apply a retro preset to finish the look with colors like the 35mm film the AI preset is inspired by.

I love the retro flash look – but frankly, I think using AI to get a retro look feels like an oxymoron. Using energy-hungry AI to get the look is silly when it’s as simple as turning on the flash and using a retro, non-AI filter to modify the colors.

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Today is Earth Day, and the thing that’s on my mind is how much water the AI-powered features in my photo editing software use.

In fact, this has been on my mind for some time as, earlier in the year, the UN announced that we have entered an “era of water bankruptcy,” which got me thinking about how, especially as a landscape photographer, my photographic passions affect our home planet.

I know that using some of these features consumes water, but I don’t know which ones nor how much they consume. But this is only one half of the issue because, if I wanted to find out this information, it would be far from easy, and this is a major issue, in my view.

See, pretty much none of the companies behind the major editing software tools including, but among others, Lightroom/Photoshop (Adobe), Luminar Neo (Skylum), or Capture One (Capture One A/S) publish any kind of pages dedicated to explaining how thirsty these features are.

Sure, they’ve got information touching on this buried in sustainability policies, or you could try deciphering the stats in scientific studies that try to quantify AI water usage, but, practically, who’s going to do that? Even if you wanted to, it would be so time-consuming.

Admittedly, it's not easy for these companies to precisely explain how much water a click of a button uses. Cloud-based AI features often run on infrastructure owned and managed by major cloud computing service providers such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, and it's these companies' servers that consume water to cool mechanisms that stop their data centers from overheating.

In 2025, Google said that a single query to Gemini uses roughly 0.8 oz (25 ml) of water. Of course, this doesn't directly correlate to using an AI feature in editing software, but it at least gives us an idea of the impact using AI in our workflow has, especially when you multiply it by the number of people around the world using such software.

However, more certainly needs to be done to at least give photographers like you and me a better insight into the environmental impact of our editing choices. Admittedly, I’m a huge fan of tools like Lightroom’s generative remove, which allows me to get really creative without having to run photos through Photoshop or use a bunch of different masks to achieve the same effect.

But I know that with a click of that button, water has been slurped up by a data center somewhere, perhaps unnecessarily. And when I consider the reports that have been coming out of the US in particular over the past couple of years about how local residents are now complaining about data-center-related water issues, I’d like to be better informed in order to decide, if, in fact, I want to use the AI feature at all, or dial back my editing.

There is an upside to all this, though, as what I’d consider to be the most helpful AI-powered editing features are mostly run by your computer and not cloud infrastructure in a data center. Tools like spot removal, masking, sharpening, and noise reduction – essentially, anything that doesn't require generative work – are typically run by your machine's CPU and GPU, which is great as I use these all the time.

Of course, using any digital device requires electricity, which produces its own set of environmental challenges, but at least using these AI-powered features doesn't also come at the cost of water needed for server cooling.

Either way, this speaks to my overarching point of a lack of communication from the companies behind photo editing software. I had to dig through tons of information and, admittedly, used an AI platform to help me compile all of this information.

Surely the likes of Adobe, Capture One, and Canva (the creators of Affinity) should have this information clearly displayed, or even build infographics into their software.

I don’t know… I just know that when you consider that, by 2027, AI is projected to consume half of the UK’s total water usage, and this will surely only grow, then even photographers need to be mindful of how they use the technology, regardless of how minuscule the impact of clicking a button may feel.

But again, in order to make these decisions, we need to be informed by the companies whose products we use in our creative workflows.

So, to all of the companies behind editing software, as a photographer who wants to use your tools, but who also wants to know how thirsty your tools are, please be more transparent on this, and please keep striving to develop AI features that run locally rather than on the cloud.

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I switched to one lens and zero expectations on a travel assignment. My pictures haven't been this honest in years.

I have a confession. For years, I've been telling readers and workshop attendees to shoot with a single prime lens. Learn to see at one focal length, I'd say. Use your feet, not your zoom. Understand what 35mm or 50mm actually looks like before you start accumulating glass. Sound advice, I thought. But in all honesty, I wasn't really doing it myself.

In fairness, when I started out in the 1980s, most of us had no choice. You got one lens because one lens was all you could afford – typically a 50mm (the nifty fifty). And you learned to see within that frame, to move your body rather than twist a zoom ring. You learned to anticipate where a picture was before you raised the camera to your eye. Then, over the years, the kit bag got heavier, and the seeing got lazier. I suspect I'm not alone in that.

It took Sigma Imagining to call my bluff. They asked me to shoot with their 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens for a couple of months. Not a focal length I would have gravitated towards, if I'm honest. A touch too wide, I thought. But within a week or so something shifted. I stopped worrying about what I couldn't frame and started paying attention to what I could. My eye adjusted and I started using my feet.

After that experience, I found myself reaching for my Fujifilm GFX 50R with the GF 45mm f/2.8 (roughly a 35mm equivalent) almost exclusively. It just stayed on the camera. I liked knowing exactly where I needed to stand to realise what I was seeing, without fiddling or second-guessing.

So when Fujifilm released the GFX100RF with its fixed 35mm lens (a 28mm equivalent), it felt like something had been made specifically for the way I now work. Everything I needed in a smaller, lighter package that freed me to do what I love most: wander. The flâneur had found his groove.

Here's what nobody tells you about working with one lens. It doesn't limit your photography. It limits your indecision. And indecision, far more than any lack of equipment, is what kills most pictures before they're ever taken. So try it. One lens. Leave the bag at home and just walk until you get your eye in.

Canva has just announced a raft of expansions to its Professional Suite, but as a photography expert, it’s the seemingly smallest release that caught my eye: integrations between its Affinity creative software and both Capture One and DaVinci Resolve. That means the latter two pieces of software now support Affinity’s proprietary .af file type. And if you ask me, that’s a much bigger deal than it initially seems.

This integration will make it easier than ever to work between Affinity and Capture One and/or Affinity and DaVinci Resolve. And let’s not forget, Affinity is the best Photoshop alternative on the market, and Capture One is the best Lightroom alternative on the market; buddy them up with seamless file transfer makes them an even more viable alternative to Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom than ever before.

And while Capture One is admittedly rather expensive, Affinity balances the scales by being (almost) completely free. I thought Affinity and Capture One combined to deliver the best Adobe alternative workflow for photographers on the market before, and this news has only bolstered that opinion. The DaVinci Resolve integration won't be quite as ground-shaking for most creatives, but it’s still big news, made all the more interesting by Blackmagic’s news this week that DaVinci Resolve 21 is debuting stills compatibility for the very first time.

Canva's headline announcement is that its professional motion-design software, Cavalry, which Canva acquired earlier in the year, is now free. That’s right, Cavalry is taking a leaf out of Affinity’s book in that its full range of features is now free to use.

On the subject of Affinity, Canva has revealed that over five million users have adopted the free-to-use design suite since its Canva relaunch in October 2025. It’s getting a boost, too, with AI-powered assistance courtesy of Anthropic’s Claude AI, said to automate time-consuming tasks.

Finally, Canva has launched Brand Systems within Affinity. This allows users to build branded elements such as logos and photos within Affinity and publish them directly into Canva’s Brand Kit. Brand Kit is designed to help creatives retain control of branded assets, where approved assets are housed in one place for other teams to access, allowing for greater control of asset use and branding consistency.

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We all love to look back at our best shots. The ones that nailed the moment, the ones you're genuinely proud of. The ones that went from the picture in your head to the back of the camera. Still, I'd argue you learn far more from the ones that didn't work — if you're willing to actually look at them.

We live in a culture of highlights. Social media, photography groups, even the way we talk about our work — it's all curated. Nobody posts the shot where they forgot to change their white balance from tungsten before stepping outside. Nobody writes a caption saying "I loved the light here, shame I completely missed focus." We celebrate the wins and quietly bury the losses.

That's a mistake.

The shots that went wrong are the ones that actually taught me something. The technically perfect image that came out exactly as planned? I learned nothing from that. I just confirmed what I already knew. Or maybe it was blind luck, and I just guessed well without understanding. But the landscape where I misjudged the exposure and lost all the shadow detail? Sure boosting the exposure and noise reduction helped, but I paid more attention to my histogram after that. Lesson learned.

Failure has a way of making things stick.

There's a specific kind of learning that only comes from your own mistakes. You can read about depth of field until you're blue in the face, but the first time you nail focus on someone's ear instead of their eye in a wide-open portrait, something clicks. You watch the tutorial about metering in high-contrast situations, but it doesn't really land until you come home from a day out and find a sequence of otherwise lovely images with completely blown skies because of changing light. That stings enough that you remember it.

The key is actually looking at the failures, not just deleting them. Most of us cull quickly — anything that doesn't make the grade gets binned without a second glance. But there's real value in stopping and asking why. Was it technique? A wrong decision in the moment? Equipment, or just bad luck? Sometimes it genuinely is bad luck. But more often, if you're prepared to be honest, there's something you could have done differently.

It doesn't need to be a formal process. Just slow down before you hit delete and ask yourself what went wrong. That single habit will teach you more than most tutorials.

The other thing worth saying is that some of your best creative discoveries live in the failures. The Happy Accident. The motion blur you didn’t intend from a loose tripod that led to a love of intentional camera movement. The shot that was technically wrong but somehow more interesting than the "correct" version beside it. If you're too quick to delete, you miss these entirely.

The most renowned photographers still make mistakes, but move on quickly, and simply never show them. So don't be so hasty with the cull. Study the disasters first. They're not evidence that you're a bad photographer — they're evidence that you were out there shooting, trying things, pushing yourself. And they're quietly making you better, one mistake at a time.

DaVinci Resolve has a reputation for color-grading major Hollywood films – and now those same tools are coming for still photos. DaVinci Resolve 21 will support still photos, including organizing and culling, color editing, and node-based editing – and it’s part of the free version of DaVinci Resolve.

During a livestream event on April 13, Blackmagic Design unveiled DaVinci Resolve 21. The software update brings a long list of tools for video editors, but the software also jumps into editing for still photos. Along with giving photographers access to longstanding color tools, the update gives hybrid creators working in both video and stills one program that can edit across both formats.

BlackMagic Design says that the move brings Hollywood-level color tools to still photography, giving still creators cinematic color grading tools. Cinematic photos have been a rising trend on social media lately – BlackMagic’s move brings actual cinema color tools into still photos. That list of tools includes color corrections, curves, and qualifiers – and the support goes beyond color editing as well.

Adding photo support to the longstanding video program gives still photographers access to DaVinci Resolve’s color wheels and custom curves. The programs Scopes – which are like histograms for color, including channels, hue, and saturation – are also supported on still photos.

Photographers will also find the well-known sliders for adjustments like exposure and white balance within the long-standing video editor as well.

DaVinci Resolve uses a node-based workflow rather than the layers that are popular among mainstream photo editors. Where layers in Photoshop are stacked on top of each other, nodes are a flow-chart style set of adjustments. As Blackmagic explains it, "It’s possible to add nodes in series or parallel to build complex grades, apply different corrections to different parts of an image simultaneously and use shared nodes to apply the same look across an entire album of photos at once."

The list of photo features also includes the program’s Film Look Creator, which adds film-like effects, including halation, bloom, grain, and vignetting. Relight FX, which adds lighting effects in post, also works with photos, along with Magic Mask and Depth Maps, to adjust only a portion of the image.

The program’s AI-based tools will also support increasing resolution, lowering noise, and removing unwanted distractions. AI blemish removal is also available, along with tools for smoothing skin and removing dark circles under the eyes.

While DaVinci is known for its color tools, the support for photos also gives photographers and hybrid creators a free software option for organizing and culling images. DaVinci Resolve 21’s Media Pool supports still photos and includes tools for star ratings, setting a photo as a favorite, rejecting a bad shot, and color labels. Albums are also supported.

DaVinci Resolve 21 will support native RAW files from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, and Sony, along with the iPhone’s ProRAW format. The software will also support wired tethering to import images from supported Sony and Canon cameras into the software as you shoot.

The added support for still photos comes alongside a long list of updates for what DaVinci Resolve is traditionally used for: videos. That list includes AI-powered focal point adjustment, a search tool, and more.

One important thing is not changing with the latest update: DaVinci Resolve 21 is still free, with a paid Studio version housing the most advanced tools. The beta version of DaVinci Resolve 21 is available to download now directly from Blackmagic Design.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates and a full list of features coming to DaVinci Resolve 21.

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Who among us hasn't been bored at work? However, few people are bored enough to Photoshop their boss's face for a joke and run it by them to ask if it's okay to put it on the company website - before turning them into a meme.

However, that's what a guy called Lincoln McCoy just did in the US company he works for, VanDoIt (they build customised vans for everything from mobile clinics to SWAT teams).

He Photoshopped his coworkers' faces, giving them everything from huge foreheads to funny googly eyes and amusing eyebrows, occasionally also causing them to bald, using the Liquify tool.

He then sent them the photos, asking, "Hey, we're updating everyone's photo on the website. Good to go?"

There was definitely a gender split in the replies, with women caring far more about their appearance.

Chief Management Officer Brent Cline was positively thrilled with his forehead being, shall we say, embiggened, saying, "I'm absolutely good with that because it makes me look much better than normal."

CEO Jared McCauslin, whose forehead and ears had also been greatly enlarged, along with his shirt being opened to reveal a vast expanse of chest hair, mused, "Something is off with my forehead. Other than that I say good to go!!"

The COO, Daniel Crosby, whose eyes were closer and whose eyebrows had been knitted together into a unibrow, initially replied "Approved - thank you sir," before rowing back: "Wait... I just paid attention. Why do I look like a caveman???"

Director of Sales Kaylee Anderson's eyebrows were raised and her smile was extended. When asked, "You good with this photo of you?" she replied with multiple laughing emojis, "No, what happened to my eyebrows?" When Lincoln asked, "What do you mean?", she answered, "I look like the joker."

On seeing her distended face, CFO Sally Stefancik replied, "Who dat?"

Lincoln cheekily fibbed, "I searched your name online and found this as a headshot of you?"

Sally answered, "What in the world? Maybe my eyes, definitely not my mouth."

"That's odd..." Lincoln replied.

But it was Director of Operations Shayna Dieckmann who had the bluntest response to her eyes and teeth being enlarged: "Immediately no"!

Luckily Lincoln's colleagues all had a sense of humour and allowed him to turn their responses into a video, which was then uploaded to the company Instagram earlier this week, gaining over a million views. @AlphaFox popularised the video on X, captioning it "Editing coworkers' photos weirdly and asking them if it's okay to use [them] on the company website" with a crying emoji. At the time of writing, the post had over half a million views.

"I like how the men didn't really care," commented @sloopythesloop on X.

"Proof that women read what you’ve sent and men barely skim it," said @annemariemarcantel on Instagram.

Like I say, we've all shirked in the office, but risking getting fired by turning your Photoshopped CEO into a meme is wild. Looks like VanDoIt is a fun place to work.

I pay little attention to viral photography trends on Instagram, but I've spotted one might actually help you become a better photographer as well as photo editor: color hunting.

Color hunting is the name of the craze, and it’s a pretty simple one to understand: you go out looking for a specific color to make the focal point of your images.

People from all around the world are doing it and, what I like about this trend is that, unlike most Instagram photography trends, this one focuses on composition as well as editing.

I recently wrote a piece on how, for many people, composition is no longer king, so seeing a trend bring it back into focus, so to speak, is great.

So the gist of color hunting is to pick a single color and build your compositions around it. Subjects can be anything, from a passer-by wearing a bright jacket that’s exactly the color you’re hunting or a street sign with stripes of your desired hue.

But more than this, I think the key to color hunting, and what makes it a good trend to jump on, as far as trends go, is to focus on how the particular color enhances an already strong composition.

Take a vibrant yellow sunflower on a hot, sunny day, for example. The color works well here because it plays into the summer narrative. Alternatively, a dark blue car parked on a cold street corner would work just as well on a winter’s day.

Of course, you can get as creative with color hunting as you like. But, just like a strong edit doesn’t fix a poor photo, a stand-out color doesn’t either. So, seeing the color as more than just an eye-grabbing feature – as a part of the story of the image as a whole – makes for a better image all around.

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As a serious photographer, I will always stand by the age-old phrase "composition is king.” In my view, there will never come a time when anything other than the way a photo is crafted will stand as most important.

But when I put myself in the shoes of the average person who looks at photographs online, and I consider how the vast majority of images they see are taken by a layman with a smartphone, I wonder if the scroll-stopping factor of pictures these days is how they’ve been edited rather than how well they’re composed.

For me, digital technology not only revolutionized how we create photos, but also how we view them, and, subsequently, I think this has changed what the mark of a good photo is for the general public.

Previously, the average person would mostly be exposed to high-quality, well-composed images printed in magazines and newspapers, or hanging from gallery walls. Now, we have access to a bottomless sea of digital photos that demonstrate little to no understanding of compositional techniques.

So, if it’s not a well-defined subject, or a leading line, or the use of negative space, for example, that grabs the attention, what is it? In my view, it mostly comes down to how aesthetically pleasing the color palette is and how much the image ‘pops’ with contrast and saturation.

Of course, there are other factors, especially for images posted on social media, where the subject itself is often what keeps people lingering. But strong colors and contrast alone can evoke all kinds of emotional reactions in viewers.

I’d even go as far as saying that some contemporary professional photographers are guilty of prioritizing editing over composition, which further engrains what I think is a general view that the glitz and the glam added in Lightroom is more important than the scene itself.

I'm seeing a lot of images that show little in terms of photographic principles, but which show extremely well-honed editing skills. I don't think that is something we saw in the days of film photography.

Not that I was around to witness this, but with the post-processing firepower that we now have access to, of course, even some professionals would be distracted by this instead of mastering getting it right in camera.

For those who know what makes a good image, photographic composition will always be most important. And in the past, it probably was something similar for the average viewer, too.

Before the days of social media and mass access to photography, I can imagine more people in general being able to look at an image and pick up on the use of lighting or some compositional technique as being the reason why that photo ‘worked’.

But now we are so swamped with poorly-composed photographs that people are naturally drawn to the edit, and, I’m sorry to say, but, I feel like the careful thought I put into meticulously crafting a scene probably goes unnoticed the majority of the time.

I’m certainly not saying composition is no longer king. How a photo is crafted matters. But if you haven’t already, I think it’s time to accept that the edit can have a much greater impact than you want to admit.

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With the rise of AI photo-editing tools, we are in danger of not only losing the valuable skill of taking a “good” photo, but more worryingly, we’re at risk of thinking that this skill has become redundant. I’m not overstating my point, and it’s not because I “wish things would go back to the way they were.”

Let’s put things in perspective. Fixing photos in post has been a reality for as long as I can remember. If you get the white balance wrong in the camera, then Lightroom can fix that. If the exposure value blows the sky out, then bringing detail and colour back is easily done (assuming you shot in raw). And if a shot were time-sensitive and the crop not perfect, then just adjusting the crop afterwards is one of the easiest edits of all.

These types of changes seem pretty reasonable, and I don’t think anyone would argue against the necessity of them. None of them are adjusting the “truth” of what was present in front of the photographer, and viewers are not going to question the reality of the captured image. But that’s not what I’m talking about.

My concern is that AI editing tools have shifted photography so far into post-production that taking the photo matters a lot less than it used to. It appears that the fix-it-in-post attitude is now on steroids. With Generative Fill and AI Uncrop, it’s now possible to completely transform a subject, fabricate the environment, and even rewrite the lighting in the space.

All of this, and more, means that, for many creators, the photo is no longer the final product; it’s just the data input. Professional photographers can now train private AI models on their own archives and let AI apply their signature style or look automatically. This is the logical extension of downloading a LUT from the internet and applying it to your photos blindly.

This reliance on AI often goes well beyond color corrections, though. Recent years have also seen an increase in hybrid compositing. This is where a photographer takes a high-quality studio shot of a product or model and uses AI to generate a photorealistic environment that matches the perspective and lighting of the original. The photographer doesn’t need to leave the studio or even bother capturing a background plate.

I’m not saying we need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. A lot of AI tools can significantly enhance our workflows. Take AI upscaling, for example. Being able to increase the resolution of a photo or video has a lot of benefits, especially when it comes to large-format prints. But what about when that upscaling introduces detail that wasn’t there in the first place?

The ProScaler feature on the Samsung Galaxy S26 is evidence of this problem. Processing makes its best guess of what a low-detail area is and fills it in with what it thinks you want. But if we’re not too careful, we’ll end up delivering a fabricated photo with people present who weren’t there in reality.

I’m all for the evolution of photography, but what I’m concerned about is that we are in danger of becoming lazy photographers who no longer have to put in the hard graft of becoming better at finding and capturing the perfect shot.

This might not be a problem at this point in time, but looking ten or twenty years down the line, we might end up with a significant skills gap within the industry where no one cares about the art of photography.

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Your archive is full of them. Files from your first digital camera, 8MP shots that felt revolutionary at the time but now look soft and limited. You still hold on to them because the moment mattered, but cropping was never an option. Straighten the horizon and you'd end up with something barely usable for the web. Pull in tighter on the composition and forget it. 640 pixels of tears.

Super Resolution changes this. It's not magic, but it does allow you to make larger prints and crop much further in those older photos.

The feature lives in Lightroom Classic's Detail panel, using machine learning to quadruple your pixel count (and it can also be found in Adobe Camera Raw). That 8MP file becomes 32MP. More importantly, it means you can finally make compositional decisions in post that were impossible before. The wider shot you took because you couldn't get closer? Now you can crop in. That slightly wonky horizon you lived with because straightening would kill the resolution? Boom, fixed.

How it works

Open your raw file in the Develop module and find the Detail panel. You'll see Super Resolution as a toggle option. Click it, and Lightroom calculates the enhanced version. The process takes a few seconds, longer for older machines. Unlike the old workflow, this doesn't create a separate DNG file. The enhancement is applied non-destructively to your original raw file, saving drive space and keeping your catalog cleaner. The information is still stored within the catalog files, but you’re not creating the new file.

Once processed, you can toggle Super Resolution on and off without recalculating. Your edits remain intact whether the feature is enabled or disabled. This makes it easy to compare the enhanced version against the original without starting over.

For batch processing, select multiple images in Grid view, then enable Super Resolution from the Detail panel. Your settings sync across all selected files.

What actually improves

Super Resolution works best on sharp, clean files. Good glass, low ISO, proper focus. The algorithm can't invent detail that was never captured, but it can interpolate convincingly when the underlying data is solid. That landscape shot from your 8MP DSLR where everything was sharp? Excellent candidate. The high-ISO concert photo with noise and motion blur? Save your processing time. Perhaps in the future we might have Super Resolution and Denoise available for the same shot, but for now they are mutually exclusive.

The real test is cropping. Take that old file, enable Super Resolution, then crop to 50%. Compare it to what you'd get from the original. The difference is usable versus unusable. Even if you’re cropping to one quarter of the photo, you’re still back to the original 8mp, still fine for A3 or at a push A2 prints.

The practical reality

Super Resolution isn't going to turn your 2005 point-and-shoot files into gallery prints. But it might make them usable where they weren't before. It's particularly relevant if you're sitting on archives from early digital cameras that were perfectly capable but resolution-limited.

The sustainability angle matters too. Rather than constantly chasing newer bodies for more megapixels, you're extracting more value from files you've already shot. That 8MP file you took fifteen years ago suddenly has compositional flexibility you couldn't have predicted.

Try it on a few candidates. Open the Detail panel, toggle Super Resolution, see what's actually there. You might be surprised what becomes usable.

There's a particular kind of photographer who never quite finishes anything. Hard drives stuffed with half-edited shoots, a dormant portfolio, but an inbox full of replies from other photographers telling them what they think. They're not stuck… they're hiding.

Asking for feedback feels productive. It looks like engagement with your craft. But there's a difference between seeking genuine critique and using other people's opinions as a barrier between you and the scary act of actually putting your work out there. Most feedback requests fall into the second category.

The problem isn't the asking. It's the dependency. When you outsource every creative decision to someone else, you stop developing the internal compass that separates a photographer with a style from one who just takes technically competent pictures. Your work starts to look like a committee approved it, because it did.

Ira Glass — the This American Life guy — has a famous story about taste. His idea is that when you start out, your taste is already good. You know what great work looks like. The gap is that your own output hasn't caught up yet, and the only way to close it is to make a huge volume of work. Not to workshop it to death. Not to run every frame past a Facebook group. To make more of it. That gap closes through repetition, not reassurance.

Style isn't built through consensus. It's built through iteration — shooting, editing, posting, and doing it all again. You have to shoot enought photos so that patterns emerge. You start to notice what you're drawn to, what decisions you keep making, what your images have in common when you're not second-guessing yourself. That process only works if you actually complete the loop. Stalling at the feedback stage breaks it.

Your gut is more reliable than you think. After even a few years shooting, you know when an image works. You can feel it. The doubt that sends you looking for external validation isn't a sign that your judgment is unreliable — it's just fear wearing a sensible disguise. Calling it 'seeking feedback' makes it feel like due diligence. It isn't.

There's a place for genuine critique. A trusted peer who shoots differently to you, understands your intent, and will tell you something useful rather than something kind — that's worth a lot. But that's a conversation, not a crutch, and a small part of the process, not a gate you pass through before every post.

Progress in photography is personal. The only meaningful comparison is between where you are now and where you were six months ago. You already have the taste. Close the gap by making the work, trusting the eye you've spent years developing, and getting out of your own way.

The camera doesn't need a committee. Neither do you.

I’ve lost track of the number of hours that I’ve spent in Photoshop tackling tedious, boring tasks like resizing images and editing out powerlines and trash cans. But Adobe is working on a fix: An AI chatbot integrated into Photoshop that can tackle edits for you.

I tried the new Photoshop AI Assistant, which launched only in Beta and only on Photoshop Web earlier this week. While the chatbot did carry out a few pleasant edits for me, I was largely left with the overwhelming feeling that I had just worked with an overenthusiastic photo editing intern, from the chatbot not quite doing what I asked to laughable corrections to lengthy waits.

In short, I didn’t get the impression that professional photo editors should be worried about their future career prospects, at least for now. The AI Assistant was, at least, a much more flexible tool than the Photoshop built into ChatGPT that I tried. But, there are a few key areas where I think a Photoshop chatbot could be rather helpful in future renditions.

First, the AI Assistant is only rolling out to Photoshop for Web for now, which isn’t exactly a full version of Photoshop, and it also has difficulty handling larger, high-resolution files. Many of the new tool’s limitations lie just in the fact that it’s only for the web right now.

One of those limitations is that the web-based Photoshop feels slower than the desktop version. There were a handful of edits that I thought I could have already finished while the AI Assistant was still doing its thing.

The Photoshop AI Assistant works in two ways. First, you can click on parts of the photo and type in a prompt to adjust a specific part of the image. Or, you can talk to the chatbot in the dedicated AI Assistant sidebar.

I started out editing a landscape photo that I took with a film-inspired preset, exaggerating the purples. The AI Assistant scanned the image, then made suggestions, so even if I come into the program without an idea, it sparks some based on what’s in the image. The AI Assistant is eager to use generative AI, and in a few minutes, it added more glowing city lights to the scene and even a full moon (though the craters didn’t feel quite accurate, never mind that it wasn’t a full moon on that day).

Then, I moved on to trying to edit a few portraits. I asked the AI to help clean up flyaway hair, and instead it removed the entire person…twice. At least the AI owned up to the mistake both times, telling me “Oops, looks like the stray hairs AND the whole subject got zapped!” complete with emojis. The bot told me, “It’s really tough for me (and even for Photoshop pros) to accurately select just the stray hair strands.”

The overly enthusiastic hair selection wasn’t the only time the selection was off. When I asked the bot to help make the eyes pop, it applied the effect to the face instead, overbrightening and adding saturation that brought out the skin’s redness.

Because of those whoopses that I had to go in and manually adjust – and the slower pace of a web-based software – I was left with the impression that I probably could have just done it myself faster (and without wasting as many resources).

But, while I won’t be trying the AI Assistant again anytime soon, I was left with an impression that there are a few areas where such a feature could be rather helpful. After all, the AI Assistant is only in beta, which means Adobe is collecting feedback and still making changes.

The feature that impressed me the most is that you can use the AI Assistant in two ways: First, by asking “do it for me” questions, and second, by using “show me how” prompts. The latter prompt I can see growing into a tool to help novices learn the program directly inside the app itself.

The chatbot walked me through the instructions for several common edits, such as adding more background blur and adjusting color casts. Hovering over the blue text in the chatbot’s response highlights where the tools are located, so I’m not searching through different menus and toolbars. (This would, admittedly, be more helpful if Photoshop for Web had more in common with the fully fledged Photoshop, as some tools are in different locations.)

When I asked the chatbot to carry out those edits for me, I could also see them being completed on the screen in real-time, so it actually shows me what’s happening and leaves me with the layers and tools to make tweaks to those AI-applied adjustments. Thanks to the Cloud, I could also open those files into the real Photoshop for further tweaks, directly from my recent files.

The other thing that I feel the Photoshop AI Assistant could actually be useful for – once it irons out the beta kinks – is as a sort of replacement to the software’s Actions panel. The Actions panel allows photo editors to edit one image and save the steps in order to apply those same changes to another image. I feel like if the AI could watch me carry out one edit, then apply it to other images, the results would feel more customized to my style.

The Photoshop AI Assistant is only in beta and, while I can see it becoming a learning tool and replacing some tedious tasks, the chatbot has a way to go before it feels more like an assistant and less like an intern.

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I used to be the deputy editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and currently I exclusively own Nikon cameras. Suffice to say, I’m nutty for Nikon! With that in mind, I decided to devise a Nikon quiz for true Nikon fans, in a bid to sort the ‘Big Ns’ from the closet Canon nerds.

I certainly wasn’t left wanting for good questions – after all, Nikon can trace its history right back to 1917, well over a century ago. Although it wasn’t called Nikon back then… I’ll refrain from revealing the original name as it’s one of the questions!

It wouldn’t be until 1948 that Nikon would release its first camera, a 35mm rangefinder called… (another question). Things really took off in the 1950s (or was it the '60s?) with the release of Nikon’s legendary F-mount. The mount was so successful that it would spawn well over 100 camera models, head into space and remain largely unchanged for 60 years.

Today, Nikon sits at the forefront of camera technology with its first full-frame mirrorless system, the Z mount. And while it’s struggled to match the market share of Canon, Sony and Fujifilm in recent years, few camera companies boast a better heritage than Nikon.

So, if you’re a Nikon nerd like me, scroll down and take my quiz to prove that you’re a true follower of the Big N!

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If you’re shooting in manual mode but you still find yourself wrestling with your camera automatically changing the exposure, you need to check your ISO setting. If it’s still on auto, you’ve found the problem.

Auto ISO is a fabulous invention – if you are using auto exposure modes. What it does is adjust the ISO, shot by shot, to maintain a minimum ‘safe’ shutter speed to prevent camera shake even in really low light. You can specify the maximum ISO you want the camera to go to, and the minimum shutter speed you want it to use. It’s brilliant.

But if you don’t switch auto ISO off when you swap to manual exposure mode, something else will happen. The camera will keep adjusting the ISO to give you what it thinks is the correct exposure with the manual settings you’ve chosen. You’re in manual mode, but you’re still getting auto exposure, this time via the ISO setting. What the heck?!

This is especially annoying if you're doing any night photography in the city. You want manual exposure control and a low ISO for quality and long-exposure times to capture light trails. You don't want the camera to bump the ISO through the roof in search of a fast shutter speed.

ISO and the exposure triangle

These days, people talk about the exposure triangle, which consists of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Manual mode puts shutter speed and aperture directly under your control, but you also need to select a manual ISO setting to finish the job.

Really? It’s true. It’s easy to switch your camera to manual mode, but that doesn’t automatically set the ISO to manual mode at the same time. You have to do that with a separate button, dial, or menu setting. If you don’t, manual mode will only do half a job. It will let you set the shutter speed and the lens aperture manually, but it will still use automatic ISO adjustments to get the ‘correct’ exposure. You might think manual mode will give you full control over the exposure, but it won’t, as the camera is simply making decisions behind your back.

Some cameras even make a feature of this. Pentax’s TAv mode (Time and Aperture Value Priority) is found on the best Pentax cameras and is designed so that you can set whatever shutter speed and aperture you like, and the camera will use ISO to adjust the exposure (it’s more effective in low light, where the ISO setting comes into play, not so much in bright light).

For most people, the whole point about manual exposure is not just that you can change the shutter speed and aperture settings directly, but that you can control the brightness of the image at the same time. And for this to work, you need to set the ISO manually.

Personally, I don’t much like using ISO for shot-by-shot exposure control in manual mode. I think it just confuses things. I think it’s much better to choose an ISO setting appropriate to the conditions and then adjust the exposure using shutter speed and aperture alone. That already gives you plenty to think about, whereas one more exposure variable – ISO – just tips things over the edge. If you realise your ISO setting is wrong for the conditions, then sure, change it, but don’t treat it as a third exposure adjustment for every single photo.

So remember, true manual control requires choosing your ISO manually, not just your shutter speed and lens aperture. Otherwise, if you leave auto ISO enabled, you're just using a different version of auto-exposure.

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Why would you even need to think about exposure? Can’t the camera do that for you? It’s certainly a lot easier to let the camera work out the exposure settings so that you don’t have to, and there are probably countless photographers who’ve never done anything else and still come away with great photos. But not always.

Sometimes the camera captures a shot that’s too dark or too light, or you take a series of shots in the same surroundings, and each one has a slightly different exposure. This happens because the camera doesn’t really understand what it’s looking at, it doesn’t really know what you want, and every time you take another shot, it’s taking another guess at the exposure, even if it’s just your framing or where you’re pointing the camera that’s changed, not the lighting.

Cameras are incredibly good at analyzing light patterns and brightness levels, but do not have a brain to work out what they mean. Fortunately, you, the human behind the camera, do. This is why taking control of exposure is important, even in an age of multi-pattern metering and multi-mode auto-exposure options.

Reciprocity rules

Let’s start with the basic concept of ‘reciprocity’ in exposure. To keep the same exposure but with a faster shutter speed, you have to let more light through with a wider lens aperture. To use a small lens aperture for more depth of field, you need a slower shutter speed (a longer exposure time) to compensate for the lens passing less light through.

So in auto-everything ‘P’ or ‘Program’ mode, the camera works out a combination of lens aperture and shutter speed that’s an all-round compromise between shutter speed (stopping subject movement and camera shake) and lens aperture (a small enough aperture to achieve decent near-to-far sharpness).

If you want to control shutter speed or aperture directly because they are important creative tools for the kind of photographs you’re taking, you can switch to ’S’ (shutter priority) or ‘A’ (aperture priority) mode. You choose the shutter speed or aperture, and the camera adjusts the other one to compensate and still get the correct exposure.

These days, there’s a third exposure control – ISO. Back in the days of film, the sensitivity was fixed by the film you loaded into the camera. Now, with ISO controls, you can change the sensitivity from one shot to the next. ISO, like shutter speed and lens aperture, works on a system of doubling and halving. You can use a shutter speed twice as fast by doubling the ISO, for example. This is why higher ISO settings are so useful in low light – they let you shoot with faster shutter speeds to avoid subject movement or camera shake.

This is the so-called exposure triangle, and you can set your camera up to adjust all three exposure settings automatically or just one or two. That fixes the problem, then, right? Not really, because there’s another problem...

What camera meters don’t know

Cameras can measure the light in a scene in all sorts of clever ways, but still have to guess at what it means. To be fair, modern evaluative/multi-pattern metering modes are now so good that most of the time they are close enough to a decent exposure that you don’t need to worry about it.

But there are lots of things that even the most sophisticated metering system won’t know. It won’t know that wedding dresses are supposed to be white and need more exposure, and it won’t know that black cats are indeed black and need less exposure so that they actually look black.

Indeed, this is why the best light meters can still pull off a trick that in-camera light meters can't – with incident light readings, they can measure the light falling on your subject, not just the light bouncing back. White dresses and black cats? No problem!

Now, as a photographer (and being gifted with actual intelligence, not just the artificial sort), you know this. You don’t need a $500bn AI data center in Nevada to work this out. You can use the camera’s EV compensation control to adjust its automatic exposure setting to make the picture come out lighter or darker. But now you’re having to do more work to override an automatic system, which is surely halfway towards setting the exposure manually yourself.

Another problem is that the camera won’t know what you want the photo to look like. If you shoot a backlit portrait, it won’t know if you want your subject’s face exposed properly or if you want a dramatic silhouette. It’ll have to guess, probably choosing an exposure somewhere in the middle, which doesn’t really do either properly. It’s another situation where you will have to interpret and override the camera’s response to such a degree that you might just as well have done it yourself in the first place.

Enough problems yet? Here’s a final one. The camera will adjust the exposure every time you take a shot, even if nothing has changed in the lighting or the subject, except maybe you’ve moved slightly or adjusted the zoom setting. It has no memory of what it did for the shot before, and no idea that nothing actually needs to change.

This is the fundamental flaw behind all exposure metering systems. They are measuring devices that need interpretation. Sometimes you don’t need to interfere with the settings, but often you do. You can do this with the EV compensation dial or with the AE-L button, but either way, you’re having to step in and override what the camera was going to do.

There comes a point when surely it’s simpler to work out for yourself what the exposure needs to be, set the exposure manually, and leave the camera’s auto-exposure system out of the equation entirely. You can do this with the camera’s in-built meter by measuring and interpreting and applying the exposure yourself, or with a handheld meter, or by using experience or easy guides like the ‘sunny 16’ exposure rule for outdoor photography.

What manual mode does is hand back exposure control to you. Otherwise, you’re just riding shotgun with an automated exposure system and trying to make sure it doesn’t mess up.

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If you're looking for a cheap light meter, check out this TTArtisan Light Meter II review. And if you're looking to up your photography game, all you need to remember is “f/8 and be there” – here’s why Weegee’s timeless phrase is more relevant than ever.

In a recent Instagram Reel, a professional videographer has proven that Sony lens caps are not 18% grey, and should not be used instead of a color chart or grey card, exposing all of the gurus on the platform touting this malarky.

The video (embedded below) shows Chung Dha Lam, a cinematographer based in the Netherlands, holding an ALC-R1EM rear lens cap for Sony mirrorless cameras next to a color checker.

He clearly shows that it’s “not even in the same ballpark” as middle grey – and that influencers are sharing this false information “without doing their research”.

Middle gray, or 18% grey as it’s also called, is the tonality in an image that color digital cameras use as a basis for correct auto-exposure and white balance.

If you’re not familiar with this concept, then you’re probably wondering why the color is allocated a specific number. My colleague James has an explainer on what is 18% grey in his tutorial on how to use a light meter, but suffice to say that you can blame Kodak for this calculation!

Nonetheless, 18% grey is something that many photographers live by – which is what makes the myth of the Sony middle grey lens cap more than just an old wife’s tale, and actually a damaging lie.

If you’re working in tricky lighting, then you can use a color chart or an 18% grey card to correctly calibrate your camera’s light meter and white balance. Color charts and grey cards accurately display middle grey, meaning you can rely on them.

However, as the Sony lens cap is a much darker shade of grey, using it to calibrate your camera can lead to incorrect exposure and colors in images.

I don’t know where this myth originated, and neither does Lam, but it’s spread like wildfire recently through several photography influencers, and it’s even been posted in help forums on the Sony website.

So, don’t fall into this trap and ignore all this BS about the Sony rear lens cap being an alternative for a color chart or grey card.

We’ve got a cheat sheet for camera metering modes, written by actual experts, to help you further with this. I can’t say I pay any attention to 18% grey when I’m shooting, but it's definitely something you need to be aware of.

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Discover our take on the Sony A7 V, which our reviews editor, Gareth Bevan, says is the best Sony camera right now. And have a gander at the best lenses for the Sony A7 V to complete your rig.

Film photography is far from obsolete – and Mandy Izquierdo (aka Mandyleft) shows how to master it today.

The professional film photographer specializes in demanding genres like fashion and documentary. At The Photography & Video Show 2026, she will lead two sessions on the professional use of film, sharing workflows, equipment choices, film stocks, processing techniques, and scanning methods.

"I'll explain workflows and options, and answer practical questions about using film for professional projects," she says – a must-attend for photographers wanting to bring film into their modern workflow.

Mandy Izquierdo's talks

1) Building a film workflow that works for clients
Monday March 16 2026 – 15:00 - 15:30 – Analogue Stage

In this session, Mandy will take you through the complete process of using film for professional work. She'll cover how to choose the right camera format and film stock for a specific job, plan and budget for film shoots, and manage the process from exposure to delivery.

She'll also show different options for processing, scanning and editing, giving insight on choosing the workflow that best suits your needs.

2) How a collective can take your film photography further
Tuesday March 17 2026 – 14:00 - 14:30 – Analogue Stage

Would you like to help shape the future of film photography? In this session, Mandy will share the story of the community she founded - OnlyFilms.

From its beginnings as a small group of film photographers, Mandy will discuss how it has grown into a space for collaboration, events, podcasts and dialogue around analogue photography.

Sharing her vision for where OnlyFilms is going, from learning and sharing to professional development, Mandy will invite you to join her, and discover how collaboration can strengthen your creative voice, and offer a rich source of contacts and opportunities.

Find more information on The Photography & Video Show website

• The Photography & Video Show 2026: everything you need to know
• Get 20% off tickets of your tickets with our exclusive money-saving code!

Gear + Insights

I don't use digital cameras in my photographic work, although I have recently purchased a digital camera specifically for scanning film, trying it as an alternative to flatbed scanning.

I develop and scan my black and white film myself, and I spend a lot of time printing in the darkroom, which is a very important part of my practice.

The cameras I use most are the Rolleiflex 2.8, Canon EOS-1V, and Pentax 6×7, although I also work with 4×5 using my Zone VI large format camera.

I'm also a bit of a camera collector and enjoy learning through experimenting with different film cameras.

In terms of contemporary tools, I work with studio flash and also enjoy shooting Polaroid and Instax, which I actively use in my projects.

I regularly organise exhibitions to show and share my work, and I have experience leading community photography projects, as well as organising and delivering workshops and events for film photographers.

I am currently organising an event for filmmakers and film photographers in collaboration with The Garden Cinema in London, which will take place on February 20.

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With the Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year upon us, firework events will illuminate the night sky across the world from February 17. And while many of the biggest and brightest displays will take to the skies across Asia, incredible fireworks celebrations will be popping off across the West, too.

I like to think of fireworks photography as a specialist form of light painting. And while a fully manual camera and a sturdy tripod will enable you to capture the best fireworks images possible, the best camera phones are becoming incredibly adept at handling the unpredictable lighting conditions of a fireworks displaytoo.

Heck, if you’re lucky enough to own the Nikon Coolpix P1100, it even has a dedicated ‘fireworks show’ mode setting.

So, whether you’re thinking of saying goodbye to the Year of the Snake and seeing in the Year of the Fire Horse in New York, London, Sydney or elsewhere, here are my top tips for cracking fireworks photography.

Fireworks photography: Lenses

It might make sense to think of fireworks photography as low-light photography, since it usually happens at night, but fireworks are bright. As such, you don’t need a ‘holy trinity’ zoom or a super-fast prime; you can capture lovely fireworks images with a kit lens if you have to.

If you’re lucky enough to own a large selection of glass, you can choose the focal length that best suits your vision. If you’re photographing a sprawling display against a city skyline, you can opt for a wide-angle lens.

However, telephoto lenses may come in handy for displays that are further away or if you want to crop into the scene and focus more on the abstract patterns created by the fireworks. If you still can’t decide, then take a standard zoom lens as a middle ground.

Fireworks photography: Composition

When composing fireworks, you can attempt to frame the fireworks or frame an attractive scene and then allow the fireworks to populate the frame. The former is more suited to those with a longer lens who want to fill the frame with fireworks, while the latter is more suitable for locations with additional interest.

For example, if you’re photographing a display over a historic building, you could frame the building first and allow the fireworks to then populate the frame.

The challenge in either scenario is that you can never be entirely sure where the fireworks will be. As such, it’s always worth pulling back from your composition slightly to leave a little more room than expected. You can always crop if you need to, but you can’t ‘uncrop’. And of course, you can continuously refine your compositions during the display.

Arguably, the most photogenic locations to capture fireworks are directly above bodies of water. This enables you to balance the frame by capturing not only the fireworks, but their reflections in the water. A good tip for more inconsistent displays is to capture multiple identical frames and blend a few together using the best photo-editing software.

Fireworks photography: Focusing

There’s no point trying to focus on the exploding balls of light themselves as your autofocus system won’t be able to keep up. Instead, you’ll need to switch to manual focus and either set your focus ring to infinity (look for the ‘∞’ symbol) or prefocus on an object in the distance.

Alternatively, you can focus on an object on the same focal plane as the fireworks. If you’re using a wide-angle lens, you can approximate the hyperfocal distance by focusing a third of the way into the scene or employ double-distance focusing.

If you're prefocusing, make sure you switch to manual focus (if you haven't already) after you've locked your focus onto your desired point. Otherwise, you'll inadvertently end up engaging the autofocus when you fire the shutter button. (Note, this won't happen if you're using back-button focus.)

Fireworks photography: Exposure

Switch to manual mode and set your aperture to f/8 and your ISO to 100. This will give you a good base to work from, so you can tweak your settings accordingly. When it comes to the length of your exposure, you’ll want to experiment.

Exposures from one to ten seconds tend to work well, but you can experiment with longer exposures, too. The longer the exposure, the larger each explosion will appear, while potentially increasing the number of fireworks captured as more are launched into the sky.

While bulb mode is rarely necessary due to there being ample light, it can be used to activate the shutter upon a firework launching and then manually closing the shutter once it’s ended.

Whatever method you choose, you’ll need to keep a keen eye on the playback screen to ensure you’re getting balanced exposures. You can always increase your ISO or open up your aperture if you need to gather more light, or lower your ISO or narrow your aperture if you’re getting overexposed images.

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Hands down, my favorite accessory for on-camera flash is the MagMod Sphere diffuser – so when I saw the brand’s newest Kickstarter, my interest was instantly piqued. The MagMod MagStand is a light stand with a rapid setup, modular monopole, compact design, and dedicated accessories – and I’m geeking out about it.

Light stands are usually fairly basic, but MagMod is bringing a few unusual features with its entry into the category, starting with the quick set-up. The MagStand unlocks all three legs in one motion. Height adjusts by pressing a button on one of the telescoping sections – the stand automatically locks the height when released, no knob tightening required.

Above: See the MagStand in action in this YouTube promo video

While the stand has a handful of features for faster setup, MagMod says that the focus of the stand is stability. The legs have a wider 42” base to help hold lights more securely by lowering the center of gravity. Each leg also has two feet instead of one.

That wide base won’t work in every scenario, however, so the MagStand legs can also adjust to a base as small as 16 inches wide. Channels cut into the three legs allow for adding on accessories, and the rapid-mount weight looks a lot more convenient than sandbags (though the brand notes accessories are still under development).

The stand can also be removed from the three legs to use as a lighting monopole. The stand also has a weight hook built in.

Like the brand’s flash modifiers, the MagStand is magnetic – this is for connecting two light stands together when folded, so that you don’t have to make two trips to carry them.

The MagMod MagStand is built with anodized aluminum and comes in two sizes, a nine-foot option and an 11-foot option. When folded, both stands are designed to fit into a standard-sized checked luggage, with the nine-foot version folding down to 32.75 inches and the 11-foot to 37.75 inches (and you can get them a bit smaller if you separate the monopole from the base).

I haven’t been this excited about a light stand since I discovered the auto-deploying legs on the Cheetah Stand. I’m a bit disappointed there’s no auto deploy here, but the MagStand looks to add stability and versatility. Deploying the legs still looks fast, but also like it requires two hands. But I love the idea of not having to twist knobs every time I need to adjust the height. I’m always having issues with wind and stability, so I’m also intrigued by the wider base and future weight accessories.

Like with several of MagMod’s previous launches, the MagStand is launching on Kickstarter. All Kickstarter projects come with risks, but the MagStand has already surpassed its original funding goal.

Crowdfunding pricing starts at $145 / £107 / AU$204 / CA$197 for the nine-foot model and $160 / £118 / AU$225 / CA$217 for the eleven-foot option. The Arizona-based company will also ship to the UK, Canada, Australia, the EU, and Mexico; however, taxes and VAT are not included in the pricing.

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Arthur ‘Weegee’ Fellig sits within the pantheon of photography greats for his incredible photojournalism and street photography. He also sits within the mind of almost every photographer in the world for coming up with arguably the most broadly applied imaging advice ever. I am, of course, talking about the photography quote: “f/8 and be there.”

Where, when, and even if Fellig was really the originator of that photography quote doesn’t matter. I can think of few photographers whose MO fits this golden nugget of advice better than Weegee, and it’s become a phrase that street and documentary photographers – beginners and pros alike – have lived by for decades.

He may as well have said it, and that’s good enough for me.

So why do I think it’s more relevant now than ever? Well, mostly because of the low-fi revolution. By that I mean the resurgence of film photography, the popularity of filmic filters such as Fujifilm’s Film Simulations, the return of the compact camera and the backwards embracing of characterful (dare I say real?) imagery.

I’ve talked before about how it feels like image quality has surpassed the point of oversaturation, resulting in a yearning for the visual aesthetics of yesteryear. Think about it, sensors keep getting bigger, optics keep getting crisper and camera tech keeps redefining dynamic range, low-light shooting, camera shake and more.

And that’s before you consider the buckets of AI slop that photography now has to contend with. We live in an age where some photographs don’t even look like photographs any more, and even the ones that do are digested cynically for fear of being an AI-generated imposter.

As such, I’m noticing technically proficient ‘picture-perfect’ photography less and being drawn to photos that look like photos all the more. I’ve always thought that the sentiment of “f/8 and be there” isn’t too dissimilar to Henri Cartier-Bresson’s sentiment when he talked of the decisive moment. If the decisive moment is what you’re capturing, “f/8 and be there” is how you capture it.

In just four words, Weegee managed to imbue generations of photographers with the means to ready their camera for action and observe the space in which they are operating, providing them with the best chance of capturing that decisive moment. And for many photographers, that’s enough to go home satisfied.

In a world where camera tech has reached the point of saturation, photographers are forced to fight against the rising tide of AI slop – or defend their work from AI allegations – it can feel like we’re losing our grip on the reality of photography. Thankfully, Weegee is there to remind us that, in actual fact, photography doesn't have to be any more complicated than “f/8 and be there”.

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Take a look at the best quotes about photography for more pearls of wisdom. Interested in capturing the decisive moment? Here's how to get started in street photography. And for those looking for a new everyday camera companion, here's the best camera for street photography. Plus, I had no idea Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber was made from a vintage camera flash.

As a lifelong Michigander, I’ve taken my fair share of snowy photographs. But the one trick that I use to make snow pop in all my photos is actually the easiest one to do, whether you are using a 100MP mirrorless camera or a smartphone: Find a dark colored background.

I find falling snow nothing short of magic – enough so that I’ve intentionally scheduled portrait shoots for when snow is expected to be falling. I use a number of different techniques to get the snowflakes to really pop in my photos, from a wide aperture to turn snow into bokeh to even dragging out off-camera lights for extra pop.

But the hack that makes the biggest difference in capturing falling snow is one that anyone can do, even if you don’t own a flash or have no idea what the word aperture even means: Find a background with dark colors.

Take a look at this photo and all the out-of-focus snow that turns to lovely white bokeh.

Now, take a look at this photo that I took in the same snowstorm, less than three minutes after the first image.

Notice the difference? In the second photo, you can’t see the snow falling. You can see the snowflakes caught in her hair, but otherwise the second photo doesn’t look like it was taken during snow fall at all.

That’s because the second photo has a completely white background. There’s no contrast, so you can’t see the white snow falling from the sky.

In the second photo, I took the photo from a higher angle, and while the result is a lovely pose where you can see a single snowflake on her cheek, the snow blanketing the ground creates a light-colored background. I still love the second photograph, but it doesn’t show the magic of the falling snow.

If you want falling snow to really pop in a photograph, adjust where you are standing so that the background is dark colored. The contrast will help those falling snowflakes to pop. Consider both what’s behind your subject and whether or not getting shorter or taller will bring the background with darker parts of the scene or not.

Finding a dark colored background can be a challenge if the snow is sticking to not just the ground but the trees. Take a look around your location and see if there are any darker colored objects that can make up the background, from trees to the side of a building.

No, carefully considering the background isn’t the only trick that I use to make snowfall pop, but it’s the simplest trick, and it makes a dramatic difference.

More tricks for taking photos while it’s snowing

• Use a telephoto lens or a longer focal length. The background compression that a telephoto lens has will exaggerate how much snow is falling from the sky. Using a smartphone? Try the longest lens your phone has, if there's more than one.
• Play with aperture. A wide aperture will make snowflakes appear larger, turning them into beautiful bokeh balls. Narrow apertures will make snowflakes look smaller, but keep more detail and texture in the snowflakes – so try a narrower aperture if you want to identify individual flakes falling from the sky.
• Comfortable with off-camera flash? Try backlighting the snow. Just like with rain, a bit of backlight can help snowflakes pop.
• Make sure your gear is protected. Shooting in the snow is just like shooting in the rain, only with an added layer of cold. If you are not using a weather-sealed camera and lens both, use a rain cover while out in the snow to avoid moisture ruining your gear.

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Sometimes, limiting yourself is the most liberating thing you can do. It’s a paradox that I’ve come to embrace: creativity thrives not in endless possibility but often within boundaries and limitations. For someone who considers themselves fairly free‑spirited, that might sound counterintuitive, but in my experience, limitations often release rather than restrict imagination.

Recently, I set myself a task that combined photography, mindfulness and a touch of masochism: to take one photograph every five minutes on a long walk. No skipping frames, no deleting, no second chances. Whether the moment seemed “worthy” or not, every five minutes I had to stop, look and press the shutter.

The route, a 6-mile (10km) stretch through the southwest English countryside I know well, should have been familiar territory. Yet by forcing myself into this pace and routine, it became something altogether different. The tyranny of my self‑imposed timer pushed me to notice.

I kept my setup deliberately simple: one camera, one lens, handheld. In this case, a Nikkor 24‑70mm f/2.8, usually hovering around the 50mm mark. The light was flat and grey, the kind most photographers might write off as uninspiring, but that was part of the point. Each image had to be an honest document of that moment, not something epic and awe-inspiring.

By the end, I had roughly 50 frames, one every five minutes for about three hours of walking. From that pool, I edited down to 24 images that worked together as a sequence. Collectively, they map not only a journey through place but also through my perception. In a sense, it’s just an exercise, but an invaluable exercise that reminded me that photography is about paying attention, being present, and engaging with the world as it unfolds.

What struck me most was how this simple rule shifted my mindset. It forced a deeper kind of seeing. By the end, I found myself less worried about the end result and more attuned to the small, exquisite details that are so easy to miss when you’re rushing toward a subject or chasing the light.

I finished the walk, feeling my creative muscles stretched in the best possible way. I’d recommend this ‘exercise’ to any photographer: set some rules, step outside, and let the boundaries lead you somewhere new. You might surprise yourself with what you discover.

Everyone loves to moan about photography clichés, but there's a reason they became clichés in the first place - they just work!

Here are five techniques so overdone that they’re a cliché. Despite that, they deserve a permanent place in your toolkit.

1. The Golden Hour Glow

Yes, everyone shoots at golden hour. That's because the light is genuinely gorgeous and flattering. Instead of avoiding it to be different, master it. Learn to work with backlight, side light, and that magic blue hour transition. Your audience, clients and even your ego, will thank you for it.

2. Lens Flare

Everyone's trying to avoid it, but sometimes that sun star or deliberate flare adds intense atmosphere and a sense of place. From J.J. Abrams to commercial product photography, controlled flare creates mood and emphasises the light source. The key is control – knowing how to create it when you want it, not just accepting whatever your lens gives you. If you’ve missed it, great tools like Boris FX Optics allow you to create your flare after capture.

3. Bokeh Backgrounds

"Shoot wide open" gets slagged off endlessly, but shallow depth of field is a fundamental tool for isolating subjects. The real skill isn't avoiding bokeh – it's knowing when f/1.8 versus f/5.6 serves your image better. Master the full aperture range. I’m very guilty of shooting at f/8 in studio, when I could just use an ND filter to help tame the light power for a more dreamy look. I do use High Speed Sync with outdoor flash to get creamy backgrounds, which has a beautiful look, better than the normal f/16 you’d need with flash outdoors.

4. Leading Lines

Roads, paths, fences converging to your subject - yes, it's Photo 101. It's also how we see as humans.. We follow lines naturally. Instead of rejecting this technique as basic, study how the masters use it subtly - in architecture, street photography, and landscapes. Add these to your photos along with your normal tools to master it for yourself.

5. Black and White Conversion

"Just shoot it properly in color" misses the point entirely. Black and white isn't a fix for bad colour - it's a different language that emphasises form, texture, and tonal relationships. Every serious photographer should be fluent in both color and monochrome. By doing more conversions, you start to understand where black and white is the better choice.

Using these clichés doesn’t make you a hack or a pro. Knowing why and when to deploy them is what makes you a better photographer.

Photographic clichés become extremely useful tools when you understand what makes them effective.

In macro photography, one of the biggest challenges in learning how to control focus at extreme magnifications. With depth of field measured in millimeters, even the most mesmerising subjects can quickly fall apart without the right technique.

That's exactly why professional macro photographer and educator Stewart Wood believes understanding focus stacking is a game-changer for anyone serious about shooting the tiny word.

Best known for his striking images of insects and spiders, Wood has built a loyal following by breaking down complex techniques into practical, real-world advice.

Ahead of his upcoming talk at The Photography & Video Show 2025, he shares his top tips for creating macro images with real impact. So, let's dive into his expert insights before seeing Wood live on stage this May.

Stewart Wood's talk

An introduction to focus stacking
Sunday March 15 2026 – 10:30am – Fundamentals Stage

Do you struggle with shallow depth of field when working at high magnifications? You're not alone! Stewart will show you how to transform your results using focus stacking. You'll walk away with the knowledge to apply immediately, ready to capture stunning macro shots, and unlock a whole new level of creativity.

• The Photography & Video Show 2026: everything you need to know
• Get 20% off tickets of your tickets with our exclusive money-saving code!

3 Top Tips

Tip 1: Use focus stacking to get more depth of field

In macro photography, one of the first surprises is how little is actually in focus. Even at smaller apertures, you might only get the eyes sharp, while the legs or body blur away. That's where focus stacking comes in.

Focus stacking is simply taking a series of photos where the focus point moves slightly each time, from the front of the subject to the back. You then combine those images into one final photo so more of the subject looks sharp. It's like building a photo out of multiple "slices" of focus.

This is especially useful for small subjects with lots of detail, like jumping spiders, beetles, and butterflies. Instead of choosing between sharp eyes or sharp wings, stacking lets you keep both.

The trick is to start simple. Pick a subject that isn't moving much, use a steady setup, and take a short stack first. Once you see how much extra detail you can keep in focus, focus stacking becomes a tool you'll reach for again and again, not to make things complicated, but to make your macro photos look the way your eyes remember them.

Tip 2: Stack when nature slows down (early morning and night)

If you want better focus stacks, the biggest upgrade often isn't new gear, it's shooting at the right time.

For live subjects like insects and spiders, early morning or night is usually best. When it's cooler, they tend to move much less. And when they move less between photos, your stack comes out cleaner, sharper, and easier to merge.

Early morning is great. Many insects are still "waking up", which gives you a little more time to capture the full set of shots. You might even get dew, which can look amazing, just watch out for droplets on eyes or fine hairs if you want a super-clean portrait.

At night, you get even more control. You can take your time finding a subject, use a torch to help you frame the shot, and then use flash as your main light so every frame looks consistent. If your stacks keep going wrong in the daytime, try changing when you shoot, it can make a bigger difference than changing any camera setting.

Tip 3: Speed wins (FPS beats perfection)

In focus stacking, your biggest enemy is time. Subjects twitch, legs shift, wind moves leaves and every extra second increases the chance your stack falls apart.

That's why I prioritize capturing the full stack quickly: the faster you complete it, the fewer alignment problems you’ll have later. Think of stacking like action photography, you're freezing a sequence, not crafting a single frame.

A practical way to improve your hit rate is to optimise for frames per second and consistency. Use a high-speed continuous mode and keep your exposure repeatable.

If you’re using flash (which I recommend for reliable, sharp images), switch it to manual and set it up to recycle fast, often that means lower power (for example 1/32 or below, depending on your diffuser and distance). Then use ISO to fine-tune exposure rather than pushing flash power so high that it can't keep up with your burst.

And don't be precious: take the stack, then take it again. Two quick attempts often beat one "perfect" attempt that fails because the subject moved halfway through.

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If you are into macro photography, check our guide to the best camera for macro photography and best macro lenses. We also have supporting tutorials like how to use natural lighting effects to introduce drama to your macro photography scenes, or 4 macro hacks for your camera, lens and phone.

"Keep your ISO low to avoid introducing noise." Is this the most misleading, harmful advice in photography? (I could make a similar argument for videography, but I'll save that for another day.)

I understand the sentiment, of course. Carelessly cranking the sensitivity isn't the most efficient way to exploit the exposure triangle. However, in dispensing this advice, I think we've demonized a) the ISO setting in general and b) the presence of grain in our images.

But look back at the work of the masters – the Capas and Cartier-Bressons – and what's the first thing you'll see? Grain. Usually a lot of it. Many of the greatest photographs ever taken are festooned with grain. So why are we telling stories about ISO like it's the boogieman?

This is a topic we discussed on a recent episode of our podcast, Bokeh Face. If you're interested in listening to us talk about images shot at high sensitivities (including at ISO200,000) I've teed up the discussion at the right timecode below:

Between preaching "best practice" when it comes to ISO and all the AI denoise tools flooding the market, it's no wonder we've got a whole generation of photographers terrified about having grain in their photographs.

But we've done grain dirty. So dirty that, when we explain the exposure triangle, we extoll the virtues of aperture and shutter speed as creative variables – but we never discuss ISO as a tool for creativity. It's the triangle's redheaded stepchild, whose only purpose is to prop up either of the "real" creative options.

This is a travesty. Increasing the sensitivity to introduce grain is as valid a visual expression as opening the aperture to blur the background or slowing the shutter to exaggerate motion. Here are some examples of portraits I've taken, where I introduced grain at the point of capture:

Perhaps it's because I come from a film background. The same conversations still took place there, of course – "Be careful about using film that's too fast or you'll get grainy images" – but it was a valid creative choice.

I've always loved Tri-X 400 specifically because it gave a crunchy, textured quality to my photographs. Heck, some folks (like my buddy Chris Niccols) went even crazier with film stocks like Neopan 1600. Grain wasn't simply a regrettable byproduct; these were intentional choices of shooting with intentional creative expression.

Street photography and reportage are so famous for their grain that it's practically part of the DNA of the genres. And I dare say that you can elevate the artistic expression of your photography by introducing grain when shooting on the street. Again, here are some of my own examples:

As I allude in the podcast, though, when it comes to digital photography, not all grain is created equal. Some sensors have a beautiful digital grain structure; cameras like the Leica Q3 Monochrom, blessed with a mono image sensor, not only render gorgeous grain, but can shoot at up to ISO200,000 with quite a filmic effect.

Other cameras, however, do not handle high sensitivities well at all. Push the ISO (or the Photoshop slider) too hard and you'll be met with aggressive, abrasive noise that's more like electronic vomit than something that evokes the texture of film.

So you need to know your tools, as well as the technique. But I do feel that the introduction of grain is a legitimate technique. And I'm not alone; some people spend a lot of time adding it in post, often scanning old film photos to emulate authentic grain structure. Heck, Nikon even added a grain filter in a firmware update for the Nikon Zf!

Next time you're trying to add an extra dimension to your photography, try cranking up that ISO setting. And if you haven't already, have a listen to what I said on the podcast and let me know if you agree or disagree.

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Typically, the best cameras for black and white photography produce very pleasing grain. A lot of grain addicts also speak highly of the best Fujifilm cameras, so give those a look as well.

There was a time when I was genuinely struggling to maintain critical focus with my Leica M2, especially in mixed, flat, or low-contrast lighting. On paper, aligning the two rangefinder images should be second nature, but in practice, it became frustratingly inconsistent.

I knew what I was looking for, I knew how the camera worked, yet I kept missing focus in situations where I normally wouldn’t even think about it. What I needed wasn’t sharper lenses or brighter conditions - it was simply more contrast in the viewfinder so I could clearly see when those two images snapped together.

The more I thought about it, the clearer it became that the problem wasn’t me. The Leica M2 is a masterpiece of mechanical design, but it was created for a different era, different films, and different expectations. Modern shooting conditions don’t always play nicely with an untreated rangefinder patch.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered an old trick I’d seen years ago - using a flash gel or Kapton tape to tint the finder and increase contrast. At the time, it seemed almost too crude to take seriously, but desperation has a way of sharpening curiosity.

So I ordered a roll of Kapton tape. It cost me just $4.99 / £4.99. When it arrived, I sat down for a few minutes, carefully measured everything, and applied it to my Leica M2. Many people only cover the small rangefinder patch window itself, but I quickly found that wasn’t enough for me. Instead, I chose to cover the entire viewfinder window, accepting that it would slightly alter how the world looked through the camera.

What surprised me most was how effective the result was. The viewfinder now has a subtle amber cast, but the rangefinder patch stands out as a clean, off-white shape. That tonal separation makes it instantly obvious when the images align.

There’s no hesitation, no squinting, no second-guessing. I now hit critical focus virtually every time, even in lighting conditions that previously caused me problems. The camera feels fast again, intuitive again, and most importantly, trustworthy.

Once I confirmed the method worked consistently, I fixed the tape in place properly - and I’ve never looked back. Yes, it seems a little funky from the outside, and purists might wince at the sight of tape on a classic Leica. But that small visual compromise has turned my M2 back into my main workhorse for film photography. Instead of fighting the camera, I’m working with it, and that changes everything.

This entire hack took five minutes of my time and cost next to nothing, yet it’s easily the best and cheapest improvement I’ve made in my photography in decades.

More than anything, it’s allowed me to enjoy shooting again, to trust my instincts, and to stay in the moment rather than worrying about missed focus. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters - not how pristine the camera looks, but how much joy it brings when it’s in your hands.

There’s a common joke in photography circles that the aperture priority on a camera's mode dial means “A for amateur." But here’s the thing: I’m a pro photographer, and I still use aperture priority mode on occasion. Aperture priority isn’t a mode reserved just for photographers terrified of manual mode – but there is a lesser-known setting that needs to be adjusted in order to use A (or Av) like a professional.

Aperture priority mode is a semi-automatic exposure mode on a camera that allows the photographer to control the aperture, while leaving the shutter speed in auto mode. That allows budding photographers to control the photograph’s depth of field – the key element that comes from the aperture setting – without going into full manual mode.

But aperture priority isn’t just for photographers learning manual exposure settings for the first time – aperture priority is also used by many advanced and professional photographers when they need to quickly adjust the exposure, or when the lighting changes frequently.

I’m a wedding photographer, and I’ve photographed many ceremonies where the bride was about to walk down an aisle that was partially in shade and partially in sun, a scenario that requires either rapidly adjusting the camera settings – or using aperture priority. Using aperture priority allows me to control the image’s depth of field, while still getting a properly exposed shot even when there’s no time to switch settings.

But there’s a trick to using aperture priority mode like a professional – and that’s making sure that the automated shutter speed isn’t going to create accidental motion blur. If you, like me, love aperture priority mode, then there’s another setting that you need to adjust on your camera: the minimum shutter speed.

Using aperture priority means that the camera will select the shutter speed for you (and the ISO, if you are also in auto ISO mode). But that can be disastrous if the camera selects a shutter speed that’s too low, creating motion blur and camera shake. Thankfully, cameras have a setting tucked inside the menu that allows photographers to determine how low the shutter speed can go when in aperture priority mode.

The minimum shutter speed setting is usually tucked in a camera’s menu under the ISO settings. That may seem like an unusual place for a setting that’s tied to shutter speed, but when using aperture priority, you can limit the shutter speed as well as the ISO range that the camera uses to balance out the exposure.

This setting prevents the camera from choosing a shutter speed that’s too slow, avoiding blur. For example, if I’m taking family photos with kids running around, I’m going to set the minimum shutter speed at 1/250 because I don’t want those kids to turn into a blur. The camera will then balance out the exposure with the aperture that I’ve selected and a shutter speed that’s 1/250 or higher. This is key to avoiding blur when using the semi-automated aperture priority mode.

If I’m photographing a stationary subject like a landscape on a camera with stabilization, I may be a bit more lenient on that minimum shutter speed and set it to 1/60. If I’m shooting sports without a flash sync speed to worry about, I may set that higher at 1/500. Exactly where to set that minimum shutter speed depends on your subject.

In aperture priority mode, I can also choose to set the ISO at a fixed setting or give the camera a range to play with. Similarly, I can tell the camera to avoid a high ISO, such as 6400 or 12800, if I don’t want too much grain in the final image.

One small word of caution, though – if the lighting doesn't work for the minimum shutter speed and aperture range that you've selected, the shot is going to be a bit too dark.

The minimum shutter speed setting is key to getting great shots using aperture priority mode and avoiding motion blur. The exact location of where this setting is depends on your camera model, but look in the menu for terms like “ISO auto setting” or “ISO Speed Settings” and then in the sub-menu look for something called the minimum shutter speed.

I don’t shoot with aperture priority mode quite as often as I did as a new photographer. But, when the light is changing faster than my reaction time, I won’t hesitate to use aperture priority mode – just as long as I have the minimum shutter speed setting dialed in.

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Dive into more manual camera settings with our guide to manual exposure. Or, read about the differences between the PSAM modes on your camera's mode dial.

Godox has launched a new all-in-one outdoor moonlight: AD800Pro. Designed for no-fuss location lighting, it delivers rapid recycle times and long battery life, while also offering versatile wireless control and TTL compatibility across major camera systems.

As its name suggests, the AD800Pro boasts an 800Ws maximum power output. This makes it Godox's most powerful monolight flash, with a high enough output to overpower bright sunlight.

At this power setting you'll get up to 300 flashes on a full battery charge, with recycle times being between 0.01 and 1.5 seconds. Power can be adjusted over a 10-stop range in 0.1-stop increments for precise lighting control. Several lighting modes can be selected, including a Freeze Mode that produces a super-short flash duration as quick as 1/35,710 s (t0.1), designed for capturing split-second moments like splashes, jumps and other fast motion. Stable Color-Temperature mode minimizes color drift as power changes, ensuring consistent color across the flash output range. High speed sync of up to 1/8000s is also supported, along with first- and second-curtain sync modes.

The AD800Pro can be triggered via a 3.5mm sync cord, or wirelessly using Godox’s 2.4GHz X wireless system. This provides reliable wireless control over long-distances using Godox's X-series transmitters. External 433MHz receivers can also be connected through USB-C for even more triggering versatility. Other features include an HD color screen, 16 color group indicators, and a 40W bi-color modelling lamp. Optional accessories like snoots, umbrellas and soft boxes can easily be attached using the Bowens-type front accessory mount.

The Godox AD800Pro all-in-one outdoor monolight is available to buy now, priced at $999/£911.

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I’ve been using Adobe Photoshop for more than 20 years, which feels like a lifetime in the world of digital photography. Over that time, it has become second nature - a constant in my workflow, evolving quietly in the background as my own shooting style changed.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t use Photoshop anywhere near its full potential, but every update still manages to surprise me with a clever new tool or refinement that reminds me just how powerful it really is. And yet, despite all that history, I’ve found myself seriously questioning whether it still deserves its place at the centre of my editing life.

The reason is simple: the way I actually edit photos day to day is far more modest than the software suggests. I try to get things as right as I can in-camera, whether I’m shooting digital or film, which means my editing is usually light-touch. Exposure tweaks, a bit of contrast, gentle curve adjustments, the occasional spot or heal when dust sneaks onto the sensor, and a crop if the framing needs tightening. That’s about it. Increasingly, I’ve realised that this kind of workflow doesn’t demand a sprawling subscription ecosystem - it just needs solid, reliable tools that stay out of the way.

This is where Affinity enters the conversation. The latest Affinity photo editor offers a full suite of image-editing tools that comfortably covers everything I actually do, and then some. Exposure, curves, retouching, cropping, layers, masking – it’s all there, alongside graphic design features that blur the line between Photoshop and Illustrator. Crucially for me, it also supports DNG raw editing, which means it can handle my files properly without compromise. On paper, at least, it ticks every box I genuinely need ticked.

What makes this feel like more than idle curiosity is the growing sense that my reliance on Adobe is largely habitual. I’m paying for depth and complexity that I admire, but rarely exploit. Affinity, by contrast, feels leaner and more purposeful – built for photographers who know what they want to do and just want to get on with it. For someone whose editing philosophy is rooted in restraint rather than rescue, that’s an appealing proposition.

That said, there is a hesitation I can’t ignore. At the moment, Affinity doesn’t offer the same kind of seamless, native app workflow across iPad, iPhone, and Android that Adobe Lightroom does.

I use Lightroom almost exclusively to edit images taken on my phone, and I do a surprising amount of editing that way these days, even from files taken from my camera too. Going cold turkey from Adobe would mean shifting all of that work back to a desktop or laptop – something that won’t bother many readers, but for me would feel like a definite step backwards in convenience.

And yet, the numbers are hard to ignore. Walking away from Adobe would mean a saving of around $240 or £240 a year – money that could be far better spent elsewhere. In real terms, that’s personal breathing space, or even something tangible like film photography supplies, which would translate to roughly 500 feet of film. So am I mad for even considering it, or is this a quietly genius move? Right now, it feels like a genuine crossroads between comfort and clarity – and I’m not entirely sure which path I’ll take.