by Michael Frye | Dec 8, 2021 | Announcements, Digital Darkroom

Dogwood blossoms and sunset reflections, Yosemite. I used the Color Range and two Brush components in Lightroom’s Masking Panel to select and lighten just the dogwood blossoms in this photograph.
On Saturday, January 8th (10:30 a.m. Pacific Time) I’ll be hosting a live webinar where I’ll pick two or three images from members of our Education Center and show how I would process them in Lightroom – with special emphasis on using the new Masking Panel.
This webinar will only be open to members of our Education Center. If you’re not a member yet, you can become a member by purchasing one of my Lightroom courses. My latest course, Lightroom’s Masking Panel: In Depth, is only $15 until midnight on Friday, when the price goes up to $20. And my other two courses (Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide and Landscapes in Lightroom: Advanced Techniques) are also on sale for 15% off until Friday (click “Have a Coupon?” and enter the code MASKING15 to get the discount).
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by Michael Frye | Dec 4, 2021 | Announcements

Waterfall, North Carolina
I’ve always loved good photographic prints. Some of my formative years as a photographer were spent working at The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite, where I got to see, and even hold, beautiful prints from people like Ansel Adams, John Sexton, Charles Cramer, Alan Ross, Bruce Barnbaum, and Christopher Burkett, among many others.
In the early stages of my photography journey I felt limited by what I could do with prints made from my color transparencies (slide film). I saw amazing color prints from people like Chris Burkett and Charlie Cramer, but their processes were extremely time-consuming and difficult to master.
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by Michael Frye | Nov 25, 2021 | Announcements

Fogbow in a redwood forest, northern California
The Thanksgiving holiday is always a good time to pause from our daily routines and think about all the things we have to be grateful for.
For me, first and foremost, I’m thankful for my family and friends. I’m happy that our son is doing so well (he’s engaged!), and I’m especially fortunate to have been married to the same wonderful, beautiful woman for over 35 years.
And I’m extremely grateful for all the support I receive from you, my readers. Your comments and emails help make writing this blog fun, and keep me motivated and inspired. Thank you!
Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you all have a lot to be thankful for!
— Michael Frye
by Michael Frye | Nov 22, 2021 | Travels and Stories

Oak and maples, southern Utah. Wandering down a wash, I came around a bend and immediately noticed this patch of color. But color is never enough by itself; you have to find a way to organize that color into a cohesive composition. Luckily the yellow gambel oak provided a clear focal point to build a composition around. I used a long lens (168mm) to isolate the most interesting parts of the scene, and compress the branches into patterns of color. 168mm, 3 seconds at f/16, ISO 100, focus-stacked with Helicon Focus.
Claudia and I have had a busy autumn. We went to Yellowstone in early September, then made our way to Colorado and Utah in October, and just got back from the Oregon Coast yesterday.
I’ve made a lot of photographs, so it’s been a challenge to edit and process them all, and put them into cohesive groups. But looking back, one group of images that stands out to me is this one, of autumn color in the canyons of southern Utah.
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by Michael Frye | Nov 1, 2021 | Announcements

El Capitan emerging from clouds, Yosemite
I’m excited to announce that two of my photographs won awards in the inaugural Natural Landscape Photography Awards competition. The photograph above, El Capitan Emerging From Clouds, won first place in the Grand Landscape category. And my image of Stars, Mist, and Three Brothers (below) earned a “Highly Commended” in the Nightscape category.
Congratulations to all the winners and commended images! You can see all the award-winners here and here.
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