Watch the recording of this LIVE Broadcast as I chat with Photographer and HDR Guru, Greg Benz and discover the How, What and Why to create and display STUNNING High Dynamic Range Images.
Greg Benz Website: www.gregbenzphotography.com
Greg Benz on Instagram: @gregbenzphotography
Web Sharp Pro Software ( Create + Display HDR Images ) : ( LINK )
Dodging and burning in Lightroom is easier than you think!
In this video, I walk you through how to use masks and brushes to enhance your photos with subtle adjustments and bring portraits to life!
You’ll learn how to:
✅ Brighten highlights and deepen shadows for a natural look
✅ Use masks for precise control over specific areas
✅ Work with Lightroom’s brush tools to fine-tune your edits
⏰ Chapters:
00:00 - Why Dodge & Burn?
00:14 - Old Method
00:34 - Dodge Brush Mask Settings
02:34 - Dodge\Lighten Highlights on Face
05:57 - Depth + Dimension Explained
06:20 - Burn Brush Mask Settings
09:32 - Before/After
In this video I show how to balance color and contrast in Adobe Lightroom using the VERY USEFUL Refine Saturation Slider.
✅ How contrast adjustments influence colors in your photos.
✅ How to keep colors vibrant and natural.
Whether you're just starting out or have some editing experience, this might be something new or something you've forgotten about but is a great way to adjust tonal values of your images but maintain colour integrity.
⏰ Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:48 - Luminosity Blend Mode
01:30 - Desaturate
02:17 - The Refine Saturation Slider
Watch the recording of this LIVE Broadcast as I chat with my friend and Photographer Brian Matiash (Adobe Lightroom Team) and discuss using Mobile devices for Photography.
Should I continue doing so in 2025? Lenses and Filters for Mobile, What I’ll be using my Sony Mirrorless for, What do I make of the OM1 MK2 and a whole lot more ...
Brian Matiash Website: ( LINK )
Brian Matiash YouTube Channel ( LINK )
Glyn’s Lyme Sunset Picture + Edits in the Lightroom Community: ( LINK )
NOTE
If you’d like any of your images to be considered for one of my ‘LIVE RetouchingBradcasts’ simply create a Collection (Lightroom Classic) or an Album (Lightroom Desktop) and Share it with me at gadewis@mac.com making sure that you set permissions to Edit and not just View.
Watch the recording of this LIVE Broadcast as I chat with London Based Photographer and Director, Ron Timehin and discover not only how he does what he does but also discuss the POWER of Personal Projects and working with Big Brands and Well Known Public Figures.
Ron Timehin’s Website: ( LINK )
Ron Timehin on Instagram: @rontimehin
London Fog Book on Amazon: ( LINK )
There’s no better way to kick off the New Year than doing something you love, and for me, that means grabbing my camera, which in this case was my iPhone, and heading out to take some photographs; and this January 1st did not disappoint with a stormy high tide.. How could I resist?
My wife Anne, who’s as much of a storm lover as I am, joined me to not only keep me company, but she also helped capture some behind-the-scenes footage, which added to the fun of the morning.
We headed down to The Cobb ( Lyme Regis) and straight away it was a WOW moment!
The waves were crashing hard against The Cobb sending water shooting high into the air like fireworks. The sound was thunderous, the kind of deep, powerful roar that makes you feel alive just being near it.
I knew where I wanted to head to … the only issue was getting there; the lower part of The Cobb to the side of the Aquarium. The problem here was that water was crashing and pouring over The Cobb wall into the Harbour like a giant Ice Bucket Challenge ( remember that??? ) , however I’ve learned my lesson and now travel with full wet weather kit in a bag in the boot of my car.
Still, even though I was weather-proofed it meant timing the run to perfection to avoid the weight of the water crashing down on me … which I’m rather proud to say I managed to avoid.
Weather like this always fills me with excitement BUT that said you do still need to have your wits about you. No photogbraph is worth putting yourself and others at risk. I never want to be THAT guy!
Once at the side of the aquarium I was able to photograph the small beach area behind it and still be safe, protected by a wall and railing. I managed to get the composition I wanted, grab some shots but then the wind seemed to pick up a bit more. So, I decided enough was enough and timed a run back to Anne ( who was near the RNLI Station ) without getting hit by any waves breaching The Cobb Walls.
Actually on this, I’d heard some time ago that waves come in 7s and it did see to be the case. Running there and back I initially counted 7 clear waves breaches and then ran and managed to avoid getting soaked so, clearly there’s some truth in it; if not and it was pure fluke, I’m getting an extra Lottery ticket this week 😃
As for my iPhone, I used the native 0.5 ( 14mm ) lens and the native Apple Camera App set to Apple ProRaw. The image was edited using Lightroom Mobile on my iPad Pro.
So now I’m up and running; first photograph and print of 2025 is ‘in the bag’ 😃
After walking around a bit more, grabbing some extra shots and some video footage, it was time for breakfast at our favourite spot … Town Mill Bakery.
So here we are in 2025. I’m now really looking foward to the coming months as I plan to be visiting some other coastal locations across Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Wales ( West and North ) … and my thoughts are that I’ll be doing this with my iPhone to push it that bit more and see what I can get with such minimal kit.
I’ll keep you posted.
Happy New Year!
There’s something special about heading out with your camera (or iPhone as it was for me) when a storm is brewing. It’s that mix of excitement, unpredictability, and the chance to capture nature at its wildest and recently, I had the chance to photograph two big storms—Storm Bert and Storm Darragh.
First up was Storm Bert on the seafront at Lyme Regis with my good mate Steve Healy.
Lyme’s one of those places that looks stunning in any weather, but during a storm it really is next level.
The wind and rain was relentless, whipping around us as we walked along the seafront. The waves were smashing into the harbor wall, sending spray high into the air. At one point, I got completely drenched from the knees down (see photo below) by a rogue wave, but hey it’s all part of the fun, right?
I used my iPhone 15 Pro Max with the Lightroom Camera app, and honestly, it was spot on. The light was constantly changing, but using the phone to capture it was a breeze (no pun intended).
We took some time out for a bit of shelter and grabbed a coffee in the seafront Café, SWIM and it just so happened that on ther next table were a couple of people who had a dog, and well …
I couldn’t resist grabbing a photograph with my iPhone
I edited the portrait quickly in Lightroom on my iPhone and then showed the owners, who loved it and asked if I’d send it to them.
This again showed to me how powerful a mobile workflow is; being able to take a photograph and immediately edit it and sent it, I find so bloomin’ exciting!
A few days later, Storm Darragh rolled in, and this time, it was off to West Bay with my friend Brian Dukes.
If you know West Bay, you’ll know those golden cliffs are absolutely stunning, but throw in a storm and it’s a whole different scene.
Brian and I spent most of the time trying to keep our footing while scouting for the best angles but oddly the sea wasn’t as rough as we’d expected it to be and we actually spent more time on the other side of the harbor.
Here’s the thing about photographing storms: it’s not just about the pictures. It’s the whole experience—being out in the elements, feeling the wind batter you, hearing the roar of the waves, and just soaking it all in (sometimes literally!).
For me, it’s also about the people you share it with. Steve and Brian are brilliant company, and there’s something about laughing at each other while dodging waves that makes the day even better.
If you’re thinking of heading out to photograph a storm, do it. Just make sure you’re prepared (waterproofs are a must … as I have well and truly learned), keep an eye on the tides, and embrace the chaos. The photos are a bonus!
I’m really happy with the keepers from both Storm Bert and Storm Darragh but honestly, the best bit was just being there watching the storm do its thing.
Can’t wait for the next one. Bring it on!
In this video I go through a complete Portrait Retouching Workflow in Lightroom on my iPad …
Watch the recording of this LIVE Broadcast as I chat with Fine Art Photographer, Nikon Ambassador and Recipient of the Computerworld Smithsonian Award in Media Arts & Entertainment” Vincent Versace and discuss life as a Photograper, finding your style, the art of post production and more ...
Vincent’s Website: versacephotography.com
Vincent on Instagram: @vincent_versace
Vincent’s Workshops: versacephotography.com/workshops
Following on from the earlier article I wrote ( LINK ) showing the Behind the Scenes of a recent Viking Photo Shoot, I’ve now finished the 2nd image so thought I’d share it here for you to see …
This is a composite made using Photoshop and is a combination of several images comprising the original studio photograph of my friend Simon ‘Foxy’ Fowler dressed as the Viking, the Location Shot and several Sea Bird Photographs.
Here’s the studio photograph of Simon …
Here’s the location shot which is a part of the coastline at Three Cliffs Bay, The Gower, South Wales …
To make sure that I got the angle and height correct, when at Three Cliffs Bay, my great friend Anthony Crothers stood in the spot where I would eventually place Simon …
In the studio when photographing Foxy, my camera was on a tripod and at a height where the lens was in line with the top portion of his nearest thigh.
When on location photographing the background / scene, Anthony was stood on a rasied area of ground …
(Note: it looks precarious but actually isn’t … to the front of Anthony on the other side is a flat area that you can comfortably walk on)
… so to get the angle / height to look as though Simon was photographed higher than he actually was, the camera lens was level and aimed just below Anthony’s nearest knee.
Returning to some compositing has seen me now approach them in a different way especially when it comes to potentially time consuming cutouts such as hair anf fur.
My new workflow sees me leaving this part to the very end and getting great results in literally a fraction of the time …
This is something that I’ll definitely be going through in my Combining Old and New : Mastering Selections and Cut Outs in 2024 class in the upcoming ( FREE ) Photoshop Virtual Summit 6 …
If you’d like to see a larger version of both images created from this photo shoot, I’ve now added them into my PORTRAITS PORTFOLIO ( LINK )
Thanks for looking in,
Glyn
© Glyn Dewis 2025
