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David Williams: from diyphotography.net

David Williams

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Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

Articles by David Williams

DIYP reviews the Huion Kamvas Pro 24 (4K)

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The Huion Kamvas Pro 24 (4K) is the brand’s flagship model, and it’s a powerful pen display. This graphics display by Huion aims at the premium end of the market and compares with brands like Wacom and Xencelabs. My first thoughts were about the massive weight of this screen, (6.3kg), but once it was plugged in, I forgot all about that. Overall, I’m giving the Kamvas Pro 24 (4K) a solid 4.5/5, and here’s why:

Kamvas is not paying for this review, and they have no editorial say here, but they did send me the Kamvas 24 Pro (4K) to test-drive. When the e-mail arrived in my inbox, my mind wandered to what Huion is as a company. They’re more known for their budget-friendly side of the market.

Photographer uses AI to create a fake vacation, pranks his followers

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Welcome to a fascinating world where creativity and technology meld together. Photographers are generally fans of travel and digital art alike. The potential for developing stunning visual experiences is limitless in this era of ever-evolving artificial intelligence. Today, we set out on a unique journey that pushes the boundaries of reality. We tell the incredible story of how a fictitious trip to Finland was painstakingly planned utilising AI wizardry and some London plate shots. My apologies – I lied on my recent Instagram Story, which is on my highlights under the name ‘vAIcation’.

Comparing iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14 for astrophotography

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The best camera is the one you have with you, or so the old saying goes. That statement has never been more powerful than now. I recently took a break from Adobe MAX to hit the desert for a short adventure with Russell Brown from Adobe. I wanted to shoot some star trails with a mirrorless camera, the Nikon Z6, but I also wanted to put my iPhone through its paces. Here’s what happened.

Insta360 One RS 1-inch: changing the game in 360 low light photography

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The Insta360 One RS 1-Inch 360 Edition (here) is a game-changer in the world of low light photography. With its advanced technology, this camera is capable of capturing stunning images even in the most challenging lighting conditions. It’s not new on the scene, but I wanted to test it in challenging conditions. In this blog post, I’ll explain how this camera helped me shoot the northern lights in 360.

ON1 Sky Swap AI 2023 versus Adobe Photoshop Sky replacement

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ON1 have released their latest software, ON1 Sky Swap AI 2023, competing directly with the powerhouse that is Adobe. Sky Replacement has been a feature of Adobe Photoshop for some time now and uses Adobe Sensei, the AI engine in Adobe, to create a mask. It only seemed right that we put these two pieces of software head-to-head and play spot the difference. There’s a part of me that wants Adobe to come out on top but it seems they’re up against some tough competition.

The Xencelabs Pen Display 24 is silent, glare-free retouching tablet

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Xencelabs, a company that I really appreciate in the graphics tablets scene, just announced a new product: the Xencelabs Pen Display 24 Studio Series. This 24-inch graphics tablet display builds upon elements from their first generation of graphics tablets. The Quick Keys are still a prominent feature, but to stand out from the crowd, the hottest features include silent cooling and glare-free display. Xencelabs unveiled this product at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco today. Should we take this as a hint from Xencelabs that they are marketing predominantly toward 3D modeling, or is this a tablet for all creatives?

DIYP reviews the Vallerret Markhof Pro V3 – Winter Photography Gloves

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Staying warm in cold weather is essential for maximum creativity. The warmer you are, the longer you can stay out in the cold, maximizing on compositions and conditions. It’s important that you’re able to keep your fingers nimble and warm as your hands, along with your feet and the back of your neck, are where you lose the most body heat. Vallerret have a range of photography gloves designed to solve this problem and keep you going for longer.

Since their Kickstarter launch in 2015, Vallerret have been producing photography gloves based out of their headquarters in Norway. As a cold-weather photographer and northern lights specialist, these gloves solved a lot of problems for me. I previously had the original Markhof, and they were awesome, so when Vallerret asked me to review the latest model, the Markhof Pro V3, the answer was always going to be yes.

The future of photography is computational mobile phones – a case study

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Mobile photography has made huge advances in recent years. Time and again, we see great photos shot on mobile phones. We even see images #ShotOniPhone decorating large-scale advertising. The technological developments we see in smartphone cameras blow our minds each and every time. It’s not just about the phone manufacturers. It’s turning into a huge ecosystem. I’m going to break down a photo I shot recently in Lofoten, Norway, of Russell Preston Brown and explain my thoughts on the future.

how I went viral photographing strangers

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When you first see Dino, he’s quite an unassuming Italian gentleman armed with a camera. Let me assure you, though, Dino Serrao is someone whose photos you’ve seen before. His Instagram bio says that he’s ‘traveling the world to make an impact’, and he’s doing exactly that. I was fortunate enough to connect with Dino and ask him questions about what he does. Here’s his story.

Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens – Hands-On Review

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Astrophotography is the answer. The question is, “what does this lens excel at?” I’ve proven it by being able to use it to film the northern lights in real-time, paired with the Sony A7S III. I’ve also tested the L-mount version of this lens with the Sigma FP-L. I have to say that in both instances, I’m sufficiently impressed at base-level, but there’s so much more. This is the Sigma 20mm F/1.4 DG DN Art lens. Let’s dive in.

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