This car photograph was taken on location, and in this video I show how I retouched it step by step using Lightroom on an iPad. The whole edit relies on masking, which is incredibly powerful and useful for isolating certain areas of the image so you can work on them on their own. By building up adjustments area by area, you can transform the photograph and really make the car pop.
Now primariy I’m a Portrait Photographer however this past few weeks, for the fun of it, I’ve been experimenting with my iPhone to see how it would fare when taking pictures of my car … both still and moving.
So a few weekends back I met up with friends in South Wales and headed to Crickhowell; an area I’ve photographed in before when working on this Harley image …
For these car photographs I was using my iPhone 15 Pro Max along with …
Polar Pro iPhone Case
67mm Filter Adaptor + 67mm Circular Polarising Filter
ReeFlex Pro Camera App
The circular polariser is the car photographers secret weapon because of how effective it is in reducing / removing reflections in the car windows and on the bodywork …
I used the ReeFlex Pro Camera App purely so that I could use shutter speed and ISO to lock in the exposure that I wanted.
Here’s the ‘out of camera’ result …
Here’s the final retouched image which was done using Lightroom Desktop.
I also added a long exposure effect to the clouds using a technique in Photoshop which works really well however now I want to do the shoot again and capture it all ‘in camera’ using a long exposure app like ReeXpose or EvenLonger 😃
I also tried some panning shots and did get some results, however the ratio of keepers to rejects was very low.
I was trying to do this using the ReeFlex App and a Neutral Density Filter on the front of the iPhone so that I could lock in an exposed photographed at 1/30 second. However, the ReeFlex app at the time I did this did NOT have burst mode. This meant I was having to try to capture a single frame as I panned with the car passing at no more than 30 mph.
Here’s an edited result of what I managed to capture …
Later having shared this image online I spoke with a friend of mine who is a Professional Car Photographer. It was great to hear that he was impressed with the results expecially considering they were from an iPhone but he also gave me some settings that he and other pro car photographers use to capture a moving car.
My friend told me that moving car shots often see the car travelling at no more than 20 mph and that they also use a shutter speed of around 1/15 sec or 1/20 sec … but ALWAYS shoot in burst mode.
So armed with these settings I set about finding a pro camera app that would allow me to manually dial in the shutter speed but that also had Burst Mode; and the app I turned to was MOMENT.
I’ve yet to use the app in a planned car shoot however when in Germany a couple of weeks back I was waiting for a friend to pick me up and whilst waiting near a fuel station forecourt I attached the Variable Neutral Density Filter to my iPhone using the Polar Pro Case and Adaptor, and set the shutter speed using the MOMENT app.
I then simply took a burst of panning shots of passing cars as they negotiated a roundabout and drove away, which from my position would have meant them travelling around 20 mph.
Here’s some of the results …
So, yeah I’ve been very impressed with how the iPhone has dealt with this and the results I’ve managed to get.
Lots more experimenting and fun to be had!
In this live broadcast recording I chat with professional photographer Marco Ter Beek about lifelong learning and creative growth. We discussed why it's so important to keep being a student if you want to grow, how that helps you find inspiration and stay creative, and how it ultimately leads to creating work you can be proud of. It's a conversation about the mindset behind the photographs as much as the photographs themselves.
Marco’s website: https://marcoterbeekphotography.com/
Marco on Instagram: @marcoterbeekfotografie
The Photoshop Creativity Virtual Summit 2025 ( FREE / VIP PASS): https://glyndewis.krtra.com/t/iswIrbktY9a4
The Fear Bubble by Ant Middleton: ( LINK ON AMAZON )
You don't need anything complicated to blend images together realistically in Photoshop. In this video I show how a very simple use of a brush, with a few basic settings, can blend images so convincingly that you can create a completely new background and composite your subject into a new scene. It's a straightforward technique, but once you've got the brush set up, it makes a real difference to how believable your composites look.
This is the recording of a live broadcast where I chatted with photographer and Photoshop artist Kirk Nelson, also known as The Pixel Pro. Kirk's work is all about creativity without limits and visual storytelling, and during our conversation he explained how he creates his fantasy art composites and how he produces the special effects in his images, giving a real insight into the thinking behind his work.
Kirk’s Website: the pixelpro.com
50% OFF Courses, Overlays ans Bruashes in Kirk’s Store using code: friendsofglyn
Kirk’s Store: thepixelpro.com/shop
Kirk’s link for a FREE PASS at the Photoshop Creativity Virtual Summit:
https://bit.ly/pixelpro-creative
Eric Pare ( Light Painting ): https://www.youtube.com/@Ericpare
Eric Pare Store: https://lightpainting.store/
AI has changed a lot about how we work in Photoshop, but it isn't always the best option. In this video I expand the same image in different ways, starting with Generative Expand and then comparing it with tools that have been in Photoshop for years: Content Aware Fill and Content Aware Scale. I show how to get the best results from Content Aware Scale, and then how to take things further for an even better result, which might surprise you when you see how well the older technology holds up.
Recently I was back with friends in the studio to take a portrait for what was to be a new image in my ongoing Warrior series …
So in this post I thought I’d share some of the Behind the Scenes including the inspiration, sourcing the clothing and props, lighting and background …
The inspiration for this image came purely by fluke when posting on social media and seeing the below motivational digital art poster having been shared …
Whenever I see images online that I like and inspire me I always take a screen shot and save them in a Private “Inspiration” Album in my iPhoto Library for reference later on just incase I plan on a photo shoot.
For clothing, a few days beforehand we headed to Maroigold Costumes in Cardiff who provide clothing to the TV and Film Industry. I’ve used clothing and props from here several times in the past; more recently for the Viking pictures of my friend Simon ‘Foxy’ Fowler and before then when I took portraits of my friend Anthony and Make Up Artist Sarah in 1940’s attire … to mention just a couple.
With our friend Gerwyn set to be the model for this Warrior photo shoot, we all ( Ian, Anthony, Gerwyn and myself ) met up at Marigold, and in a short space of time managed to find eveything that was needed …
As for the props ( the sword ) this was intentionally not sourced as I wanted to combine the Photo Shoot and Retouching with the use of AI ( more about that in a moment ) but with everything sorted it was then studio time …
Lighting for this was kept clean and simple with one light high up behind Gerwyn to provide light on top of his head and shoulders and an additional light in front and slightly off camera axis to create a little bit of shape to the light ( highlights and shadows ) rather than being square on to him lighting him evenly.
Also on the floor in front of Gerwyn i placed a silver reflector to bounce a little fill light into the shadow areas to reveal a little more detail.
As I was using constant ( LED ) light for this shoot, setting up was really simple because of the WYSIWYG ( What You See Is What You Get ).
To know that the reflector was positoned correctly to bounce light into Gerwyn’s face, he just needed to look at it and if he was seeing a bright spot on the reflector we were good to go.
Camera: Sony A7RIV
Lens: Sony 24-105mm G f/4
Lighting: 2 x Westcott L60-B LED Constant Lights
Modifiers: 2 x Westcott Rapid Box Switch Medium Octa
Reflector: Westcott 2-in-1 Silver / White Reflector
I was also tethering into CaptureOne on my iPad Pro 12.9” which I had set into ‘Calibrated’ mode to give me a more accurate look at the files captured with regards to light levels and colour.
If you don’t know how to calibrate your iPad, check out this short video that I put together …
Focal Length: 70mm
Shutter Speed: 1/40 sec
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 3200
The L60-B LED directly behind Gerwyn on the boom arm was at 80% Power ; the L60-B LED directly in front of Gerwyn on the boom arm was at 50% Power.
Here’s a look at what was captured during the photo shoot; all very simple with just a few tweaks to the angle of wooden ‘stand-in’ sword and Gerwyn’s positioning …
For the background I was recommended a location called Triscombe Stone near Bridgewater in Somerset, UK so in the week since the shoot I dropped the postcode in my SatNav and headed off …
When photographing the background I set the tripod to the exact same height that it was when I photographed Gerwyn in the studio. This was made very easy to remember because it just meant opening out the 3 legs but not extending them …
I set the same focal length on the lens and focused on the ground at a point that was approximately the same distance from the camera as Gerwyn was during the studio shoot.
The aperture when photographing the backgrounds wasn’t the same as in the studio; I went for f/9 - f/11 so that there was much more depth of field unlike the original f/5.6 … which is what Gerwyn was photographed at in the studio.
The background in the final image is made from 2 images that I combined together in Photoshop. The final merged background was then made wider using the Content Aware Scale function. Generative Expand and Content Aware Fill were not used because for this image they didn’t produce a desirable result.
I used the Selection Brush Tool in Photoshop to select the stand-in wooden sword with a little bit extra added so that when the sword was generated, by typing a simple “Medievil Sword” prompt into the Contextual Task Bar, it gave extra space for additional elements to be added such as the dome shaped decorative element on the handle …
Anyway I hope that’s useful / interesting to you, but also to let you know … all of the retouching steps creating the composite I’m going through in one of the classes I’m presenting at FREE the upcoming Photoshop Creativty Virtual Summit …
If you Register for a FREE PASS you’ll have access to this class for 48 hours from when it goes LIVE during the Summit Week. Also if you grab a VIP Pass you get to keep ALL of the content from all of the instructors PLUS I’ll be creating an additional video taking you through all of the Behind the Scenes showing the studio set up, lighting etc when capturing the photographs of Gerwyn.
With friends ( L to R ) … Ian Munro, Gerwyn Williams, Yours Truly and Anthony Crothers
Of course I couldn’t resist doing a print …
This one from my Canon Pro 300 using Black & White Mode onto Portrait White 285 Fine Art Paper from Permajet …
As always if you do have any questions, please make use of the comments section below and I’ll reply to you there.
Thanks for looking in,
Glyn
“This certificate is awarded for the instrumental action taken to save the life of another, who required urgent assistance after suffering a cardiac arrest”
The ‘journey’ started in South Wales on Wednesday 9th October 2024 at 5pm in the Car Park of the Three Cliffs Café overlooking a stunning coastline and what was to be one final coffee before the drive home after a great couple of days photography ; the ‘journey’ ended yesterday, Friday 21st February 2025 at the Wales Air Ambulance Base in Llanelli.
Honoured to receive this Award from NHS Wales and Save a Life Cymru but even more so, Incredibly Grateful and Relieved that it was presented to me by my dear friend Anthony
In a world where it can seem there is so much negativity, it is incredibly moving to see so many people whom you’ve never met before, people who don’t know you, pull together and show genuine love, concern and commitment to do whatever they can to help … and at the most serious and critical of times.
When so many would turn the other way and, for whatever reason, choose not to get involved, it is truly a wonderful act of humanity that there are those ordinary people who will do the extraordinary and step forward
By its very nature, the unexpected will happen when you least expect it. It might involve a stranger but it might involve a friend, a loved one and it could be YOU that fate calls on to step forward in some way.
No matter how scary, no matter how uncomfortable, no matter how much that little voice inside your head is telling you to not get involved … TAKE THAT STEP.
On October 9th last year … humanity well and truly stepped forward and I will be eternally grateful to one person in particular who despite his fears stepped beside me to help and was there for the duration doing what I was telling him and needed him to do.
There were others too that went above and beyond when they didn’t have to, but chose to, and to meet them again yesterday was wonderful and a day I WILL NEVER FORGET.
LOVE CONQUERS ALL … I’ve witnessed it. I’ve experienced it !!!
Anthony’s wife Elaine has also set up a JustGiving Page to help raise funds for the Wales Air Ambulance Charitable Trust where she explains a little more of what happened; you can check that out using this LINK
This is the recording of a live broadcast where I chatted with Mark Baber, The Photography Insider and Events Manager at London Camera Exchange, about the latest gear, news and events from within the photography industry. Alongside the gear and news, we talked through the kind of events London Camera Exchange runs, from experience days and hands-on sessions to workshops, and looked ahead to The South West Photography Show and The Photography Show 2025.
Most people think of Generative Fill in Photoshop as a way of adding objects, but it's also smart enough to match the lighting and shadows already in your photo. In this video I show how it blends new elements, such as hair, into an image while keeping the light, shadows and perspective looking realistic. I then put it to work on a Viking composite, including a different way of approaching the hair selection, so you can see how it all comes together on a more involved image.
© Glyn Dewis 2026
