Dear Google You Finally Hooked Me
Dear Google It has taken you a while, but you have finally worn me down. After many years of resisting your tentacles, I have succumbed to your lure. And now…
A Practical Start To Finish Edit Using Nik Collection 9 Color Efex
“Biggest ever update” for Nik Collection 9. I love what DxO have done with the latest Nik Collection. Yes. I know you’ll be thinking I am biased because I am…
Don’t Follow The Rules Of Photography
I don’t follow the rules of photography. Well, I guess the rules of photography are not really rules. They are more guidelines. So don’t follow the guidelines of photography. Be…
Too Much YouTube Can Damage Your Health
Too much YouTube can damage your health! Don’t just take my word for it. Google it. Type in “Too much YouTube can damage your health“. More to the point, watching…
When It Comes To Shooting JPEGs Only…
I haven’t got any staying power! I’ve already given up on my JPEG project. Just a month ago, I put up a case for shooting JPEGs only – but the…
DxO PureRAW 6 Doesn’t Fit My Workflow
Unfortunately, because DxO PureRAW 6 doesn’t fit my existing workflow I am trying not to get too excited about it.
That may seem like a silly thing to say (I am prone to say silly things from time to time), especially as DxO PureRAW 6 is good – very, very good in fact, in my opinion.
A Case For Shooting JPEG Only
Shooting JPEG only was never front of mind for me because I had bought into the “always shoot RAW” school of thinking from the first day I had a camera…
Be A Tourist In Your Own Backyard
Sometimes it takes something really special to make you get off your butt and go and be a tourist in your own backyard. In my case that something special was…
My 2026 Creativity Action List
In my first story for the year I told you that I don’t make New Year Resolutions, but that I had, however, made a creativity action list at the start…
Welcome to 2026 -and Happy New Year
Welcome to 2026, and a belated Happy New Year to you all! I don’t do New Year Resolutions mainly because I know from past experience I never keep them. However,…
CCD Sensors and Film Like Images – Part 2
This is my last story for 2025 – and it is totally different from any other story I have posted before.
In what way is it different?
Well, for want of a better description this is a very informal collaboration between myself and Brian Small of Alberta, Canada.
Do CCD Sensors Create Film-Look Images?
Do CCD sensors create film-look images? Or is it just an Internet myth?
My latest acquisition – a cheap and cheerful Nikon AF-S 18-55mm kit lens to mate with my new, old Nikon D3000 arrived a couple of days ago. On first glance it appeared to be “as new”, such was the quality of the cosmetics, but alas, the lens was wobbly inside the barrel.
Urban Exploration
Urban exploration – or any exploration – has been off the agenda for me for several months now due to my limited mobility. I haven’t talked about it much here…
I Just Bought A DSLR For Under $100
I just bought a DSLR for under $100 – an old Nikon DSLR for under $100! And I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. Spoiler alert: : When I say…
The Dark Side Of DxO FilmPack 8
Every now and then I come up with an idea for a story that makes sense, but once I start writing, and several tangential storylines later, it doesn’t seem to…
Has DxO Photolab 9 Just Got Better?
Has DxO Photolab 9 just got better than its predecessors? With the introduction of AI masking, and a raft of other new features, has DxO Photolab 9 just got better…
Film Simulation – Positive or Negative?
I’m going to talk about film simulation a little further on in this story, but I’d like to begin on something totally unrelated. I’m always on the lookout for New…
In Pursuit Of My Own Photography Style
Whether consciously or subconsciously I have been in pursuit of my own photography style ever since I bought my first DSLR about 13 years ago. Eighty-thousand or so digital images…
Where Is My Next Photograph Coming From?
A question I seem to ask myself quite a lot these days is – “where is my next photograph coming from?” It’s not that I am not motivated to go…
Don’t Ignore Your Holiday Snapshots
Learning to not ignore your holiday snapshots is something that I would recommend, and I’ll get to the why shortly. But first a wee recap on where I am currently…
Borders And Watermarks
Borders and watermarks – and taking myself too seriously. In the shower this morning, I began thinking about borders and watermarks, and whether I should use them on my photographs….
One Camera Two Lenses
A while back, I wrote that I would adopt a commonsense approach to my photography by opting to use just one camera and one lens, the idea being that restricting…
What Is DxO PureRAW 5?
A collection of rambling thoughts about DxO PureRAW 5 I find it is actually easier to explain what DxO PureRAW 5 is not – rather than what it is! It…
Create A Retro Look Photo With Photolab and FilmPack
When I first tried FilmPack 7 back in October 2023, I felt I didn’t need the full version for my own personal use. After all, if I wanted photographs with…
A Good Eye For Photography
“You have a good eye for photography” the woman in the camera shop told me after she saw some of my early photos posted on line. It might sound rude…
Aspect Ratio As A Creative Tool
It is often said that the best way to become a better photographer is to invest time in making images, rather than invest money in gear. I wholeheartedly agree, however,…
DxO PureRAW 5 Will Be Available On April 15, 2025.
DxO PureRAW 5 Is Just Around The Corner This is a first for me in that this is the first time on my blog that I have talked about a…
Black-and-White Conversion using Photolab 8
Black-and-White Conversion using Photolab 8 . I have been lucky enough to have been provided complimentary copies of Photolab 8 and Nik Collection 7 by DxO. I am also fortunate…
One Camera One Lens
One camera one lens is not my new philosophical, inspirational or creative approach to my photography. It is just my new common sense approach to my photography. Prior to swapping…
5 Reasons Why I Bought A Nikon D7500
Yes – you read that right – I bought a Nikon D7500 – not a used model, but a brand new Nikon D7500. And I love it! Released in mid-2017,…
Black and white Photos Converted With Nik
In his 1970s song, Kodachrome, Paul Simon sang that “Everything looks worse in black and white“. So with that in mind, I set about trying to prove him wrong with…
Snapshots From The Road
Back in August, I wrote a story about why I had deleted On1 Photo RAW from my computer. Three months on from then I have done a 180-degree about-turn and…
Who Is DxO Viewpoint 5 For
When I was sent my complimentary copy of DxO Viewpoint 5 a couple of weeks before its official release on October 15th, I was quite excited as it was the only one of DxO’s photo processing products I had never used.
10 Steps To Remove Elementor from a website or blog
It’s not very often that anyone spends a weekend working on a reasonably complex project and when it’s done they hope that nobody will notice the results.
Is DxO PhotoLab 8 A Game Changer?
DxO PhotoLab 8 has officially been released today. But is it a game changer with its new, and improved features?
On1 Effects – Less Is More
I’ve been semi-housebound lately as some damage I sustained to my right hip in a fall a year ago has flared up and has prevented me from getting out and about to take photographs.
So instead I have spent my time revisiting my love-hate relationship with On1 Photo RAW 2024, and in the process decided that with just On1 Effects, less is more.
AI and The Olympus Trip 35
What do AI and the Olympus Trip 35 have in common? Well – nothing really, but please bear with me and read on. Maybe it’s because I am part of…
Your Google Drive is almost full
Your Google Drive is almost full… My Google Photos/Drive account has been accumulating thousands and thousands of photos, all automatically uploaded, over the last few years. Most of the photos…
5 Great Things About The MacBook Air M3
Shortly I’ll share 5 great things about the MacBook Air M3 after having been using mine for a while now, but first a bit of background. A few months ago…
It’s Easy To Install Nik Collection 7 As Plugins To On1 Photo RAW
DxO describe Nik Collection 7 as being “the essential plugin suite for Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and more.” And I won’t argue with that. But have you ever wondered how to…
A Quick Look At Nik Collection 7
Having just arrived home after being on the road in our motorhome for the best part of 5 months I was very keen to get stuck into a couple of…
DxO Photolab 7 – 15 Fine Art LUTs
As I haven’t posted any stories for a while, I decided to spend some time “under the hood” of Photolab 7 so to speak to lean a little bit more…
Learn To Love Your Own Photos
Do you often look at other photographers’ work- whether on the web or in magazines or books? AND…compare your own photos with theirs? When it comes to assessing our own…
Is It Okay To Shoot In Auto Mode?
Have you ever wondered when is it okay to shoot in auto mode – whether setting your camera P-mode, or Auto, or in the case of my Panasonic – iA…
Breathe Old Life Into New Photos
I bet you found your way to this story by searching for “how to breathe new life into old photos”. What you’ve found is a story about how to breathe…
My Love-Hate Relationship WIth On1 Photo RAW
I have had an ongoing love-hate relationship with On1 Photo RAW for several years now. Seven years in fact – well it’s really eight years as the relationship started with…
Classic Analog Photos In The Digital Age
DXO FILMPACK 7 – CLASSIC ANALOG PHOTOS IN THE DIGITAL AGE (Updated 1 November 2023) For those of you with a love of classic analog photos in this highly digital…
DxO Photolab 7 Is Here – Is It The Best Yet?
The wraps are off DxO Photolab 7. In my opinion, as an amateur photographer, this is the best version of Photolab yet! And it has only taken me a few…
Learning To Love Black And White Photography
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of websites and blogs offering tips and tutorials about shooting black and white.photography – what works, what doesn’t, how to see in black and…
The Great Wave, Greymouth 2023
One of the most famous examples of Japanese art is called The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. It is a woodblock print produced by Katsushika Hokusai in 1831. No – the…
5 Ideas To Help Break Out Of Your Photography Rut
Stuck in a photographic rut? So you’ve found yourself lacking motivation with your photography lately. It’s not uncommon. It’s happened to all photographers at some time I’m sure. So how…
Ilford HP5 Plus 400 In A Minolta Dynax 8000i
Some time ago I was lucky enough to be gifted an elderly but still functional, Minolta Dynax 8000i fitted with a 35-80mm zoom lens. This camera brought back many fond…
