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!

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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.

New contributors join returning favorites in another beautiful collection, presented in the clean, gallery-inspired format that lets each photograph shine. This issue features a stunning cover image from Paul Kober, plus Seven Questions with Paul Kober, an interview by Scott Kelby about Paul’s photography, creativity, and life beyond the camera.

You’ll also notice two additions inspired by suggestions from our Masters community: Instagram handles, making it easier to follow the photographers whose work you enjoy, and award highlights recognizing our members’ achievements, including Guru Award winners.

Congratulations to all 47 photographers featured in Volume 3. We’re proud to share your work!

View the flipbook, download the PDF, or order a printed copy from our Blurb store. And if an image catches your eye, share the magazine with someone who loves photography as much as you do.

The post Just Released: AURÉ Magazine, Vol. 3 appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

And for the Wildlife Photography Conference 2026, we’ve brought together an incredible team of instructors who know what it takes to capture those moments in the wild when you don’t get a second chance. These are photographers who spend time in the field, know their subjects, and bring their own styles, specialties, and experiences to the conference.

And there’s a lot of ground to cover.

Over three days, you’ll learn about everything from reading animal behavior and photographing birds to working with challenging subjects, creative in-camera techniques, wildlife as fine art, and editing your images for more impact.

That variety is one of our favorite things about this conference. You’ll get different perspectives and approaches from photographers who have spent countless hours doing this work in the field, and you’re bound to pick up ideas you’ll want to try the next time you head out with your camera.

And, of course, you’ll be learning alongside a whole community of photographers who love wildlife photography just as much as you do. Ask questions during the live sessions, chat with other attendees, share ideas, and enjoy three days with people who get just as excited about a great wildlife shot as you do.

Join us online December 7–9 and watch live, or catch anything you miss later with replays available for a full year.

The post Meet Your Instructors for the Wildlife Photography Conference 2026! appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

We cover some editing fixes, including straightening buildings in one click and using masking tools you might have missed. But we also spend time on things like choosing your best shot from a bunch of similar frames and organizing your travel photos so you’ll know where to look for them a few years from now. There’s also that yellow AI warning. If you’ve been wondering what Lightroom wants you to do about it, we’ll clear that up, too.

If you’ve ever spent too long organizing or wrestling with an edit, this is a good one to watch. Knowing which tool to reach for can save you a lot of trial and error. I tell you more about it in the short video below. You can check out the class and watch a full lesson for free here.

The post 10 Things You Need to Be Doing In Lightroom appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Working through viewer-submitted wildlife, street, landscape, memorial, and cityscape photos, Erik demonstrated how he uses Lightroom to solve real-world editing problems. One question guided many of his decisions: where do you want the viewer’s eye to go?

From there, he used cropping, Lightroom’s AI masking tools, white balance, vignettes, Dehaze, color grading, and selective adjustments to strengthen subjects, minimize distractions, and help each image tell a clearer story. Erik and Dobson also looked at blown highlights, distracting edges, and flat light, discussing what could be fixed in Lightroom and what couldn’t.

That last part is an important one. Lightroom gives us some incredibly powerful tools, but sometimes the best editing decision needs to happen before you ever press the shutter.

Watch the replay below and see how Erik approached each image from start to finish.

The post This Week on The Grid: Lightroom Editing with Erik Kuna appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

Vanessa starts with the legs and works through the hands, waistline, shoulders, and face, showing how each adjustment helps build a flattering pose. She also explains how to choose a lens that complements your subject and work with lighting, from a simple reflector to off-camera flash. Once the pose is in place, she adds movement to bring some variety to the portraits and show off the dress.

All of the examples are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs, so you can see the results of her posing and lighting choices as she makes them. If you photograph weddings, there’s plenty here to put to use at your next shoot. You can watch the first lesson for free.

Watch It Today!

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One idea kept coming up throughout the critiques: a strong edit should help control where the viewer looks. Erik and Dano shared tips for cropping out distractions, working with light, finding stronger shooting angles, and sometimes discovering a much better “photo within the photo.”

There were also plenty of useful editing techniques to pick up, including selective sharpening, dodging and burning, gradients, and vignettes. One live edit showed just how much a simple crop and carefully placed vignette could change the composition and bring attention back to the subject.

It’s a great reminder that you don’t always need a complicated edit. Sometimes a few thoughtful adjustments in Lightroom are all it takes to make an image work. Watch the replay below.

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

Smart telescopes have changed that.

In his new class, Erik Kuna introduces you to these compact, all-in-one devices that can find, track, focus, and stack your deep-sky images automatically, all while being controlled from your phone or tablet. Many even come in under $1,000.

Erik explains how smart telescopes work, what kinds of subjects they’re best at photographing, and just as importantly, what they’re not designed to do. He also walks through what to consider when choosing one based on the kinds of deep-sky objects you want to photograph.

Then it’s time to head outside. Erik takes you through your first night with a smart telescope, from getting everything set up to capturing and editing your images.

If you’ve been curious about deep-sky photography but weren’t sure where to begin, this is a great introduction to just how accessible it’s become. Watch Erik tell you more about it in the short video below, and then check out his full class.

Watch It Today!

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