As they worked through the images, Scott and Erik shared some great reminders about composition, light, and knowing when a simple crop can make a big difference. Scott also demonstrated how adjustments to white balance, color, and exposure can help strengthen a photograph without getting carried away with the editing.

Of course, there’s only so much Lightroom can do. Sometimes the real problem is a distracting background, poor light, or a missed moment that no amount of editing can bring back. Scott and Erik discussed how to recognize those situations and what photographers can do differently next time.

They also took a quick look at some of the latest Photoshop features announced at Adobe MAX, including Relight, Enhance Edge, and new before-and-after comparison tools.

Watch the replay below for the critiques, editing tips, and plenty of ideas to try on your own photos.

The post This Week on The Grid: Blind Photo Critiques & Better Lightroom Edits appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Lightroom Classic 16.0. You can now use a depth mask on a photo even if it didn’t have depth information to begin with. So if you want to darken the background without touching the foreground, you’ve got a new way to do it. There’s also color grading inside masks, AI-powered blemish removal, and some new Glow effects. Terry gives you a look at iPad tethering in this one, too.

Lightroom Desktop 10.0 and Lightroom on iPad. Desktop gets tethering to the cloud or a local folder, plus a workspace you can set up with some of the keyboard shortcuts you already know from Classic. There’s also a Favorites panel where you can keep the sliders you reach for all the time. Terry walks you through those and shows you how tethering works on the iPad.

And a little Photoshop bonus. Terry shares his five favorite things in Photoshop 2027. The one that caught my eye is the Remove Tool update. Take out a lamp and Photoshop can take out its shadow and reflection, too. That’s three things I’d usually have to clean up.

Thanks, Terry!

The post Big Lightroom Updates Today (and Yes, You Can Tether to Your iPad!) appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

In National Parks: A Photographer’s Guide to Planning Any Park, Erik Kuna shares how he works through those decisions before a trip. He shows how he uses PhotoPills to plan where the sun, moon, or Milky Way will appear from a specific spot, and how he picks a backup location if the weather changes. You can try the same approach at a state park or somewhere close to home.

Enjoy a free lesson, then check out the full course.

Watch It Today!

The post How to Plan a National Park Photography Trip appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

For Lightroom users, there were some especially useful discussions about working with collections, managing images, and editing black-and-white photos. Scott and Erik covered what happens when you photograph in black-and-white using RAW and how Lightroom’s B&W profiles can help you apply a consistent look across multiple images without editing each one individually.

They also tackled noise reduction, Photoshop workflows, and getting sharper night sky photos. Plus, Scott shared a few lessons from his recent experience photographing the Blue Angels, including why practicing with birds in flight beforehand might have been a pretty good idea!

Scott also introduced KelbyOne’s new National Parks Series, featuring on-location photography courses from 10 incredible national parks.

Watch the replay below for the answers, tips, and a few good stories from Scott and Erik.

The post This Week on The Grid: Lightroom Tips, B&W Editing & More appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

In his new KelbyOne course, National Parks: A Photographer’s Guide to the Grand Canyon, Ramtin Kazemi takes you to both rims, from Cape Royal and Point Imperial on the North Rim to Pima, Hopi, and Shoshone Points on the South.

Filmed on location as the weather turned, the course also shows how Rammy approaches composition and exposure when fog fills the canyon, or the sun slips behind the rim. He covers panoramas that stitch cleanly and getting sharp photographs from a helicopter, too.

Whether you’re fitting in one sunset or planning a longer visit, there’s plenty here to help you put together your own trip. Watch Rammy tell you more about it in the short video below.

Ready to see the canyon through Rammy’s lens? Enjoy a free lesson, and then check out his full course.

Watch It Today!

The post Photographing the Grand Canyon? Let Rammy Show You Around appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

As they worked through the winning images, Scott and Erik talked about what made each photograph stand out. Great light and composition certainly played a role, but so did gesture, timing, color, and finding something unique in an everyday moment.

There are some great lessons here for Lightroom users, too. Before you start reaching for sliders, masks, and other editing tools, take a closer look at what’s already making the photograph work. A strong moment, thoughtful composition, and great light give you a much better starting point for any edit.

Scott and Erik also shared how this year’s Photo Walk helped support Springs of Hope Kenya before welcoming Kevin LaRue from SlickPic for a look at Open Portfolios, a new way to quickly turn your own photos into a complete portfolio website.

Catch the replay below to see the winning images and what made them stand out.

The post This Week on The Grid: What Makes a Winning Photo? appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

We had some really wonderful images submitted from walks all over the world, which made narrowing these down incredibly tough. I went through the entries, and after a whole lot of looking, discussing, narrowing down, and looking some more, I finally landed on our Grand Prize Winner, 10 finalists, and 10 honorable mentions.

So, let’s get to the photos!

Our 2026 Grand Prize Winner

Janice Tadoyo

In a quiet corner of an island home in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, sunlight and woodsmoke transform a simple morning meal into a striking glimpse of everyday life.

A huge congratulations to our winner! What a fantastic image and a very well-deserved win.

Our Top 10 Finalists

These are the 10 other images that really stood out this year. There’s such a great mix here, and I think they show just how much incredible photography comes out of Photo Walk day.

Abdelrahman Sadek

A family in Damietta, Egypt, works together in shipbuilding from sunrise to sunset; their only source of income is a profession passed down through generations

Ahmed Fahmy

Alexandria – Domietta

Aya Salem

“The Hands of Tradition” — A portrait of resilience and everyday life, where weathered hands tell stories of hard work.

Charles Frank Caramihan

Made in-camera with multiple exposures, this photo brings camels, birds, and Doha landmarks together in one frame at Souq Waqif.

Colleen Logan

King Swallowtail very fleetingly alighted on Japanese Glorybower at the Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Ft. Pierce, FL. I chose this photo because I was drawn to the colors of “Fall,” which are rarely, if ever, seen in this part of Florida.

Cyrus Calubayan

Suspending himself between the window bars, a tired worker steals a sleep in a bright blue hammock. Supported by a rusted window frame, he kicks his sandals, rests his weary limbs, and catches a peaceful breath before the afternoon work.

Eser Opog, Jr.

Morning strides along Rio de Oro Boulevard in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, where urban life mirrors the signs of the street.

Froi Rivera

Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Michael Leonard

Italian Swings ride at the Cumberland County Fair in Maine.

Mohamed El Fattah

A Fleeting Moment in Frame.

Congratulations to all 10 of our finalists!

Our Honorable Mentions

We also had 10 more images we felt deserved some recognition, so here are this year’s Honorable Mentions.

Great stuff, right?

And One More Big Thank You

As much fun as the contest is, the thing I love most about the Worldwide Photo Walk is seeing photographers all over the world getting together and doing something good at the same time.

And you guys really came through this year. We raised 30% more in donations for the Springs of Hope Kenya orphanage than we did last year! Thank you so much to everyone who donated. That means a lot, and it’s going to make a real difference for the kids there.

A huge thanks also goes to all of our walk leaders who volunteered their time to make these walks happen, and to our sponsors Adobe, ON1, B&H Photo, Rocky Nook, and SlickPic for supporting the Photo Walk and providing some really terrific prizes.

And, of course, thanks to everybody who came out and walked with us this year. You’re what makes this day so special.

Congratulations again to our winner, finalists, and honorable mentions. I hope to see you all out there again next year!

Cheers,

-Scott

The post The 2026 Worldwide Photo Walk Winner, Finalists & Honorable Mentions appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

In his new course, Travel Photography: A Photographer’s Guide to the Oregon Coast, Rick Sammon takes you along Highway 101 from Haystack Rock to Bandon, with stops at Cape Kiwanda, Newport, Devil’s Punchbowl, and Cape Perpetua.

Rick works from more than 100 of his own photographs to explain his choices about composition and exposure, plus the tides, timing, gear, and safety considerations that go into a coastal shoot. Whether you’re bringing a mirrorless camera or an iPhone, the goal is to come home with photographs that capture how the place felt.

Watch Rick tell you more about it in the short video below.

Ready for a little coastal inspiration? Enjoy a free lesson, then check out the full Oregon adventure.

Watch It Today!

The post Photographing the Oregon Coast with Rick Sammon appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

If you’re a paid registered attendee, you’re eligible to enter. Just choose your best wildlife image, submit it, and you’re in! One image per person, so make it a good one.

Not only will your photo be featured in the conference gallery for fellow attendees to enjoy, but you’ll also be in the running for prizes from our sponsors. The winner will be announced live during the Conference Wrap-Up!

Time to Show Off a Little

Wildlife photographers know that there’s usually a story behind the shot. Maybe it involved getting up at an unreasonable hour, waiting around for what felt like forever, or simply being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

That’s part of what makes the conference gallery so much fun.

As the entries start coming in, you’ll get to see what photographers from around the world have been capturing. Birds in flight, big cats, backyard visitors, parents with their young, and everything in between.

So pick your favorite, get it entered, and then come back and spend some time checking out everyone else’s work. We can’t wait to see what you’ve been photographing!

Need a little inspiration? Check out the winner and finalists from our last Wildlife Photography Conference below!

How to Enter

If you’re registered for the Wildlife Photography Conference 2026, simply submit your favorite wildlife image using the button below. Your conference registration must be paid in full, and you must be 18 or older to enter.

Submission Deadline: December 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST

The post Enter the Wildlife Photography Conference Photography Contest! appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

One of the viewer questions tackled something Lightroom users often wonder about: when should you stay in Lightroom, and when is it time to head over to Photoshop? Scott shared how he decides which program makes the most sense for an edit and why Photoshop is still the place to go when an image needs more advanced cleanup or retouching.

That led to a look at some of Photoshop’s latest AI-powered tools, including Find Distractions, which can automatically identify and remove things like wires, graffiti, vehicles, and other unwanted clutter. Scott also demonstrated a simple non-destructive technique for bringing back anything the AI removes that you actually wanted to keep.

The conversation also covered which AI features use generative credits and why some of the tools photographers have relied on for years were already powered by AI long before we started talking about it quite so much.

If you work primarily in Lightroom but occasionally wonder when Photoshop would give you more options, there’s plenty to pick up in this episode. Watch the replay below.

The post This Week on The Grid: When to Use Lightroom vs. Photoshop appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.