This one's short and sweet. If you've picked up some presets and want to start using them, here's how to import them quickly and easily into both Lightroom and Camera Raw. I go through the process in each so you can see exactly where to go and what to click, which means you can have your presets installed and ready to use on your photographs in no time.
This is a recording of a YouTube live broadcast where I went through my complete desktop set up. I'm often asked about the kit and hardware I use every day for photography, creating content, live streaming and Zoom calls, so here I go through the lot. That's everything I use that makes editing, both photography and video, along with streaming, so much easier, and how it all comes together on my desk.
You can see all of the kit I go through over on my GEAR page.
*Note … this article contains Affiliate Links
I love my RØDE Wireless GO II microphones but just over a year ago I (temporarily) moved away from using them for 2 main reasons …
The Clip
No Charging Case
I ended up buying the DJI Wireless Microphone set which like the RØDE comes complete with 2 x Transmitters, 1 x Receiver BUT also a magnetic clip AND a charging / storage case.
Well, it’s the fact that you can mount the transmitter so much easier onto your clothing.
With a standard clip you need a lapel for it to hold onto which is fine if you have one, otherwise you need to clip it onto your neckline / collar if you’re wearing a T-Shirt.
The problem doing this is that as you move your head a little, your chin / neck can rub against the transmitter.
Having a magnetic clip means you can put the magentic block on the inside of your clothing and the transmitter on the outside, attaches to it and you’re good to go.
This along with the charging / storage case you would think would make the DJI Wireless Microphones my go to, however I’ve never been happy with the audio quality from them.
The microphones seem to have quite a bad ‘noise floor’ in my opinion (and others I’ve seen) and this gets even worse when you increase the gain, which you need to do. This ends up with you having to do extra processing on the audio to improve it in Adobe Audition, and even then the audio just never sounds as good as the RØDE.
So very recently whilst browsing the RØDE website looking at some new products (RØDE NT1 5th Generation Microphone and the RØDE Caster Duo) purely by chance I ended up scrolling through the Accessories section and that’s when I stumbled upon this … RØDE MagClip GO Magnetic Clip attachment for the RØDE Wireless GO II and Wireless ME …
This is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for; in fact I’d even drawn up a sketch of the very same and was going to get in touch with RØDE to see if they would make something like it, but it turns out they already have and it works a treat!
All you have to do is to slide the metal sleeve over the clip on the Wireless GO II and then use the the magentic block just as you would with the DJI WIreless Microphones to attach anywhere on your clothing.
Fantastic!
Now you might be thinking … “ Why not just stick the transmitter in your pocket and use a Lav Mic? “
Well there’s a couple of reasons …
Convenience. Having to feed a cable through your clothing so that you can have a Lav Mic, is well, a pain in the a$$. The cable can get caught on clothing as you move, you have to keep taking the transmitter out of your pocket to turn it off and on inbetween recordings and all of this just makes it less user friendly and again being honest, less desire to use them. Just being able to quickly place the transmitter on your clothing and be up and running is so much better!
A decent Lav Mic isn’t cheap. These transmitters are superb. The audio quality is outstanding so I don’t want or need to have to buy an extra Lav Mic to fit into them if I don’t have to. Plus the quality of the transmitters being as good as they are I wouldn’t want to use a cheap Lav Mic; that would be like having a VERY expensive lens and putting a cheap ND filter on the front of it.
The MagClip GO works so well and makes these great little microphones even better, and at around £15 I totally think it’s worth it.
Needless to say, I’m back using my RØDE Wireless GO II’s and VERY happy.
Oh and the charging / storage case … watch this space 😉
Adobe released an update to Lightroom Mobile for iOS in July 2023, taking it from version 8.4.0 to 8.4.1. The main thing it brought with it was Early Access Preview, along with a much improved editing tool bar and workflow. This is a quick run through, under a minute long, showing what the update brought and how the changes to the tool bar make editing on your phone that bit smoother.
This is the recording of a YouTube live broadcast from Thursday 20th July 2023, where I go through the complete mobile workflow for a dramatic stormy sea photograph. It starts with the capture on my iPhone and then moves through all of the editing steps in Lightroom and Photoshop Beta, including how I made use of Generative Fill AI along the way. It's the whole process from start to finish, so you can see how a phone capture can be taken all the way to a finished, dramatic image.
One of the results I captured yesterday with my iPhone during the storm down at Lyme Regis.
I love how photographs instantly transport you back to the where, when, what and who.
Taken with my iPhone 14 Pro Max
This one will always remind me of the two of us laughing like excited children as the waves from the incoming tide pounded against The Cobb wall and then towered above us and crashed down. Yes we got soaked (one of us more than the other) but it was so much fun.
Dedication … right there! Strong winds, big waves on the incoming tide and this one was giggling like a good ‘un as a BIGGIE came crashing over The Cobb and swallowed her up … and all to help me take some photographs 😍
*Taken with my iPhone 14 Pro Max using the ReeXpose App by REEFLEX set to a 0.5 second exposure.
Edited in Lightroom Mobile and Photoshop Beta.
*If you’re interested, I have the kit I use (which in this case addition to my iPhone was a tripod and the BEST Mobile Phone Grip I’ve ever used) over on my GEAR / KIT PAGE
This one blew me away. I was playing around experimenting in Photoshop one evening and discovered that Generative Fill AI in Photoshop Beta is able to change furniture, even furniture that has people sitting on it. Here I show it in action, swapping out the furniture while leaving the people in place, and how it blends the result in perfectly in a matter of seconds. It's a great example of just how much this technology can do.
This isn't a review of the Sony ZV-E1. Instead, it's a look at the three reasons I think it's Sony's best and cheapest full frame camera, and why and how the technology inside it makes it, in effect, a shrunken FX3. That same technology also means you don't need a gimbal, you don't need external microphones and you don't need an assistant, which for anyone filming themselves makes a huge difference to how simple the whole set up can be.
If you work on images on your computer, then accurate colour, brightness and contrast from your display is vital, so this is my step by step guide to getting display calibration right. I go through the whole process using BenQ's Palette Master Ultimate software, but the settings I use translate to other displays and other calibration software too, so it's worth following along whatever you're working on. At the time I'd also just moved to the BenQ SW272U, which has a redesigned interior with a faster processor that makes the calibration process 50% faster, a matt screen that reduces reflections and glare, a screen hood and a wireless hot key puck.
Check out the NEW Palette Master Ultimate Software … ( LINK )
I’ll be posting a video very soon about my new display which is the BenQ SW272U which has a completely redesigned interior with faster processor making the calibration process literally 50% faster , a matt screen which redices the effect of reflections and glare , screen hood , wireless hot key puk and although it might not seem like a big deal, actually is … a fake leather material on the stand so you can place items on it without them sliding off.
In the mean time, here’s a link for more detials about the display which despite being brand new with new technology, is a way more affordable option than the larger SW321C … ( LINK )
I write this post as a diary entry so that I can look back in it in years to come and remember a great few days away with a great friend, and getting the opportunity to spend some quality time together to chat … and I mean really chat.
• • •
So this past weekend (Friday thru Sunday) I headed out on a Road-Trip around areas in North Wales with my great friend Brian Dukes.
We’d been speaking about doing this for quite a while, and so a few weeks back finally managed to put a date in the diary and before we knew it, we were heading off.
First stop took us from Cardiff where we’d left my car at another friends’ house, Anthony Crothers, then on to Abergavenny for some dinner and finally to Builth Wells for our first stop-over.
We didn’t arrive until around 9.30pm so after an ‘interesting’ greeting from the owner of the B&B (our fault for being so late) we headed out for a quick drink and then it was lights out for an early start the following day.
After breakfast we made our way to Devils Bridge Falls situated in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains, Mid Wales.
A famous location attracting tourists year round, armed with mimimal kit consisting of just our iPhones and Tripods (although I was carrying more kit for filming) we made our way down the seemingly endless steep steps into the depths.
The effort was well worth it though when we got to see the waterfalls which with all the greenery on the surroundings trees and plants, looked stunning.
We followed the route around the base and back up the other side, stopping occasioanlly to take some photographs and grab some video content with my 360 camera.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
10 second long exposure using the ReeXpose App
A great cardio and leg workout and a great first location and a great start to the Road-Trip!
After a spot of lunch at the Hafod Hotel (well worth a visit) which is directly opposite the entrance to Devils Bridge Falls, we then set off towards Bangor, passing through some incredible scenery en-route including the Abergwesyn Pass.
DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mini 3 Pro
Having arrived at the hotel for our 2nd night stop, The Slate, Bangor (which was fabulous) we quickly checked in and then headed the short journey to the Menai Suspension Bridge.
I kept saying it all weekend, but wow, we were so incredibly fortunate with the weather being as good as it was and with there being some incredible clouds too.
We walked across the bridge and made our way down to ground level below the bridge and found a very well positioned grassed area for taking photographs.
It was so good being there with no concern of time or schedule and just hanging out with a friend, taking photographs and capturing video content.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
60 second long exposure using the ReeXpose App
We were both using the ReeXpose and ReeHeld long exposure apps on our iPhones, which definitely contributed to the whole experience being so relaxing not having to carry or think about so much additional kit … just incase.
Having captured all we wanted, it was then back to the hotel for a quick freshen up, a delicious dinner (Brian had Fillet Steak and I had Surf n’ Turf which set off the hotel fire alarm) and then the short drive over Britannia Bridge and onto Anglesey.
I’d been wanting to go here for a few years to photograph the Twr Mawr Lighthouse; a location that has been photographed thousands upon thousands of times … but not by us and certainly not by us with our iPhones.
The walk across the beach to the lighthouse takes about 40 minutes and would be great to do at a steady pace, but we definitely had our marching boots on so we could be sure to get near the lighthouse before sunset which was just over an hour away.
The lighthouse and where its situated is as stunning as I was led to believe. WOW! So incredibly peaceful with only the sound of the sea and the many varied sea birds in the area.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
30 second long exposure using the ReeXpose App
There was unfortuantely a little bit too much low cloud shielding the setting sun from casting warm shafts of light across the landscape, but despite that we were both really pleased with what we saw and captured, and hey … there’s always next time.
Having covered several hundred miles and been to some spectacular scenery along the way, it was time to head back to the hotel and relax, chat, have a cold drink and as we did, enjoy watching Guns n’ Roses LIVE on TV from Glastonbury 😃
The next morning after breakfast we then started making our way slowly back towards Cardiff, but en-route stopping off at a few places so as to take in as much as we could and just enjoy friends spending quality time together.
First stop was to Betws-y-Coed which is somewhere I’d spent quite a bit of time as a child doing activities such as orienteering, rock climbing, canoeing and so on, and being there brought back so many great memories.
The weather, although still fabulous, wasn’t really ideal for photographs so we both just ‘went with the flow’.
After maybe a couple of hours we then headed on to Aberdovey through the outstanding Snowdonia National Park, stopped over in one of my favourite places, Aberaeron to grab a drink and a light snack at the Harbour Master, and then continued making our way back to Cardiff … our final destination where we then met up with friends, Anthony Crothers, Ian Munro and Gerwyn Williams for a meal together celebrating Ian’s recent success in the Natural World Bodybuilding Championships.
So that was it; our 2 ½ / 3 day Road-Trip that was over in flash, or so it seemed.
Great fun. Great memories.
Roll on the next Road-Trip!
© Glyn Dewis 2026
