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We have tested lightroom’s new color grading tool – here is what we think

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In Lightroom’s newest iteration, Adobe has replaced the split toning tool with a brand new color grading tool. It is not only videographers who will benefit from a new and powerful color grading tool; it’s helpful for photographers. Landscape photographers have, for example, extensively use split toning to warm up highlights and add colder tones to the shadows.

I want to share a brief explanation of the various options the tool offers + reveal some hidden panels. I’ll also look at how hotkeys provide full control of the center points and knobs outside the color circles.

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Godox has killed off its A1 Bluetooth smartphone flash trigger

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The Godox smartphone flash and Bluetooth remote control unit, the Godox A1, has been discontinued. The Godox A1 was released in 2017 to quite some fanfare. It was the first device to really let smartphone users shoot images using the speedlights and strobes they already owned – Well, if you had an iPhone or one of a handful of select Android devices you could.

Since that initial release, though, and despite users constantly asking for better Android support, it hasn’t really seen many updates. And with the Bluetooth functionality now incorporated into the Godox X2T and Flashpoint R2Pro Mark II triggers, Godox has abandoned the original A1 entirely.

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Photocentra – taking a look at another photo sharing platform

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The photo-sharing platform Photocentra has been around a few years. A few weeks back, they reached out to me and asked if I could have a look, scout the platform and provide some feedback. They told me that they worked hard to improve the platform in order to reach a wider audience, so I said yes.  Their hope is to make Photocentra into an interesting alternative for those who are frustrated with the likes of 500px and Flickr.

I have used the platform daily lately. The images I upload look very nice on the site. It is even possible to enlarge them so that they cover the entire screen. I find that the platform is very fast and responsive. The layout is also very pleasing to the eyes.

Photocentra offers many pages where your images can be discovered and viewed. Your image starts out in All Photos. After the image has received a few ‘Recommendations’ it is also displayed in the Recommended section. If your work receives a sum total of fifty or more ‘Recommendations’ the image is considered Popular.

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Yongnuo just announced a new 35mm f/2 lens for full-frame Sony E mount

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Yongnuo has announced a new YN35mm F2S DF DSM lens for full-frame Sony E Mount cameras. It appears to not just be their existing 35mm f/2 for DSLRs with an extended barrel, either, but a completely new lens design. Whether or not it’s their own design or they’ve “borrowed” somebody else’s, I don’t know, but this one does seem as if it may be designed specifically for mirrorless cameras.

The lens is constructed of 9 elements in 8 groups including one aspherical element and one low dispersion element. The elements have a Nano-multilayer coating which Yongnuo says helps to improve light transmittance while suppressing ghosting and flare.

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How do you deal with these seven challenges as a wedding photographer?

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Photographers of all genres face many challenges and misconceptions about their job. In this video, Pye Jirsa of SLR Lounge shares seven common challenges you may have faced during your career, as well as some misconceptions people usually connect with wedding photography. Have you faced them too?

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This is how special effects artists made the muscle and “fat” suits for Bill & Ted Face the Music

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Many of us will remember the original adventures of Ted Theodore Logan and Bill S. Preston Esq., and their long-awaited third movie was finally released last month. There was quite a bit of makeup and effects for certain parts of the movie, though, as… well, this post will likely contain spoilers so I’ll save it for after the jump.

But this 9-minute behind the scenes look goes through the process of how special effects artists like Kevin Yagher (who worked on the first two Bill & Ted movies, countless others and is also creator of the original Chucky) built the muscle and “fat suits” for Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter for various scenes during their reprisal of those two iconic characters.

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2020 Weather Photographer of the Year winners prove that you can take stunning photos in any weather

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When shooting outdoors, most of us will try to go out when the weather is fine, searching for the perfect light. But you can take stunning photos in any weather and light: from scorching midday sun to a snow blizzard. This is exactly what winners of 2020 Weather Photographer of the Year prove us. The winning and shortlisted photos will leave you in awe, and they’ll make you go out with your camera even when the weather is terrible.

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You can become an owner of Ansel Adams’ famous photo for “only” $1 million

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If you’re a fan of Ansel Adams’ work and you have around a million bucks to spare, Sotheby’s is soon launching a tempting auction. On 14 December, a collection of over 100 Adams’ iconic prints are going up for sale. The absolute star of the collection is an early print of  1941 Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, created before the photographer edited the negative. Since it’s so rare, it’s expected to reach the price between $700,000 and a staggering $1,000,000.

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This stunning flight over San Francisco was captured entirely with the iPhone 12 Pro

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I’m not an Apple fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. Before the iPhone 3GS was released, I hadn’t owned an Apple product since the Apple IIe, and I haven’t owned iPhones in a few years now, either. But I have to say, this footage from aerial photographer and filmmaker Toby Harriman shot on the new iPhone 12 Pro is just gorgeous.

Toby was given the chance to test out the newly announced iPhone 12 Pro to see how the hardware handled the challenges of his typical shoots – which means shooting from a helicopter. So, that’s what he did, filming from the air over the beautiful San Francisco bay.

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Viltrox has released their EF-M 23mm f/1.4 and 33mm f/1.4 autofocus lenses for Canon EOS M cameras

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It’s not exactly news that Viltrox has been planning to expand its lens lineup, and two of the three new lenses designed for APS-C mirrorless cameras have now been released in Canon EF-M mount for EOS M mirrorless cameras.

The Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 STM and 33mm f/1.4 STM are both autofocus lenses with a wide f/1.4 maximum aperture and feature a rugged metal construction with a built-in USB port for firmware updates. Interestingly, they only seem to be available in silver, and not the typical black of the Sony E mount and Fuji X mount versions.

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