Photography Archives - Terry White's Tech Blog

October 10, 2023October 23, 2023

New Lightroom and Lightroom Classic Features Released at Adobe MAX 2023

Hey everyone, I wanted to share some news many of you have been anticipating and waiting for. Today, Tuesday, October 10, at Adobe MAX in LA, Adobe has released new versions of Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Lightroom on Mobile, and Lightroom on Web.

Here are the highlights and main new features:

Local Storage in Lightroom

Available on Lightroom only

This is a major change for Lightroom that many users have asked for. With Local Storage, you now have the choice to store and work on your images and videos in Lightroom’s cloud, OR now you can choose to work locally. Working locally means clicking on the Local tab and immediately accessing your local drives and network storage. You can click on any folder to see its images and videos. You can click on any locally stored photo or video and immediately start editing it without first adding it to Lightroom or syncing it to the cloud. The Local tab is essentially a file browser. If at any time you decide to sync your photo/video to the cloud to back it up and have it available on all your devices, you can click the Copy to Cloud button. The photos/videos will still be stored locally in your folders, but a copy with the edits will be synced to the Cloud. You’ll have the option to continue working locally and sync any future edits that you make.

HDR Optimization

April 17, 2023April 18, 2023

How to Store and Backup Your Photos Like a Pro

Now that my network upgrade is complete (see my Networking gear guide here to see every item I put into my new server racks), it’s time to focus on something I’ve been putting off for way too long. It was time to replace my 2012 Mac mini Server and Drobo 5D. During the COVID-19 pandemic Drobo went M.I.A. They had no products in stock, and it was reported that calls were largely unanswered.

While my Drobo and Mac mini running Mac OS X Server Sierra 10.12 was working fine, I knew I was living on borrowed time. I feared that getting a replacement would be difficult or impossible if my Drobo had some mechanical failure.

Time to upgrade to a NAS (Network Attached Storage)

I had been researching solutions from Synology and QNAP. As much as I pride myself on being tech-savvy, it wasn’t easy trying to distinguish which one was better and which product in their respective product lines would be best for me.

March 29, 2021March 29, 2021

Arkon’s NEW Clamp Stand for DSLR Cameras

Tech Image Shot with the Arkon Clamp Stand

Photographing a subject straight down from the camera’s point of view can be harder than it sounds. Tripods and ballheads are designed to allow you a capture nice steady shot in either portrait or landscape view. With a ballhead you can easily swivel the attached camera 360° while tilting it up, down and sideways. Even if your ballhead allows you to point the camera straight down you’re likely to see the legs of the tripod in your shot.

Arkon solved this problem for DSLRs, Mirrorless, Smartphones and Tablets

My Nikon D850 is the heaviest body I own. I have my 28-70mm f/2.8 lens attached with an optional Oden Ballhead

The NEW Clamp Stand for DSLR Camera, Tablet, or Phone is an arm that attaches to a table or desk and let’s you shoot straight down without the actual stand being in your shot. Arkon has several mounts and arms for smartphones and tablets, but most of those aren’t suitable for bigger cameras due to the weight of a DSLR/Mirrorless and the attached lenses.

This new Clamp Stand for DSLRs is designed from the ground up to hold bigger devices. It extends up to 29.5″ tall (from the clamp on the table) and extends out to 27.75″. This gives you plenty of clearance to photograph your subject without the stand being in the way.

On the end of the arm there is a standard 1/4-20 screw/mount which is found on the bottom of just about all cameras. They also include a phone holder and tablet holder for mobile applications.

How well does it work?

February 19, 2021February 19, 2021

It’s Friday! Time for my Photography Masterclass

It’s Free! Today I will be in studio and doing a LIVE shoot to contribute images for sale on Adobe Stock. I’ll walk you through the steps from start to finish to get your images online for sale and to potentially make money from your photography while you sleep.

I will be live Friday, February 19, 2021 at 8AM PT/ 11AM ET. You can watch here for free:

If you want to catch up on previous episodes, here’s a playlist of every episode since day one.

January 18, 2021February 13, 2021

Join me at the Kelbyone Travel Photography Conference

I’m really hoping that we can get back to some form of travel this year. I really miss traveling and shooting. With that in mind, there’s a great way to start off 2021 by learning some new skills from the best instructors at the Kelbyone Travel Photography Conference. This two-day online conference is a must for anyone interested in boosting their travel photography skills. I hope to see you there. You can register here.

Also be sure to check out my Travel Gear Guide for this Conference here.