As Toby is on an adventure in Iceland with McKay Photography Academy there is no live show this week. Regularly scheduled live shows will return August 19th. Remember to follow Toby on Instagram @photorectoby and you can keep up with the journey and see everyone's photos with the hashtag #mckayliveiceland2015.

In Case You Missed It, Vlogs!

If you would like to catch up on Toby’s adventures and haven’t had the chance to see the videos and images yet they are posted below. Check out #3 especially as it has the announcement for the winner of the Yosemite trip!Toby’s Iceland gallery so far:https://lightroom.adobe.com/shares/0c8dc4569e854d8dab1c634b0a7c6e1d/albums/2bfd36f0fea0fd7c01e0ea5f586f5089https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqtrsl1LbtMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqQ7_a3wpz0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7sx8FSEHPY a7R Mark II Sample Fileshttp://photorec.tv/2015/08/iceland-trip-report-2-sony-a7r-mark-ii-sample-files/

News

Rokinon Announces Xeen – an Affordable Set of Cine PrimesRokinon is usually seen as the source for cheap lenses, which you get what you pay for, but they work fine enough. Now they’ve flipped the board and going for the $2,500 level lenses with a new set of cinema lenses in 24mm, 50mm, and 85mm. If anything it’s an interesting change and we should be seeing the lenses for sale starting tomorrow. Finding 50% Gray in a Photo for Better White Balance in PhotoshopWhile there are much easier ways to get white balance, using the curves layer allows for a nice way to fine tune the adjustment. Using curves helps when you have a 50% gray card photo to get the precise settings. Unfortunately having a 50% gray card shot isn’t always available or you don't have the time. This trick allows you to find the closest thing to 50% gray in your photo to get the white balance just right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0UncSBqn3kSenior Portraits, at Taco Bell?I guess the slogan in this case would be Quiero Fotos? Following on a bit of a joke Brittany Creech had her Senior Portraits taken at Taco Bell. Despite everything it breaks up the norm, made for a few fun shots, and even Taco Bell shared the photos. Another App to Crowdsource Wedding PhotographySo as an analogy for a wedding I was at last month everyone took photos on their phone but it took the bride and groom a month to get all the photos. In that case this app would do a bit of good as everyone’s photos get linked to an online album so people can see all the photos during the event. Unfortunately in the most likely case this is would make a wedding with one ‘Uncle Bob’ trying to take photos into a wedding with a dozen of them. Canon Ad’s to Get You Printing AgainPeople don’t print photos anymore. Which is a shame, but you might have seen Canon’s “Never Again” series of ads on TV lately. Fstoppers has linked all the youtube video’s to their article so you can see the entire set from the ad agency grey. With that get one for $50!You can pick up a Canon Pixma pro 100 from B&H for $50 at the moment. Use code PSWBH15 at checkout for $100 off and free paper on your purchase bringing it down to $300. With the current $250 rebate from Canon on the printer in the end you're down to $50. While normally these are a bit of a waste at $400 for $50 you can justify having it around as long as you have the room for it. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/893738-REG/Canon_6228b002_Pixma_Pro_100_Photo_Inkjet.html?BI=4773&KBID=5287Drone Vs. FishermanYet again I’m not surprised for another week we’ve got a drone story… A drone is photographing a fishing pier and one of the fisherman manages to cast his line into propellers. Luckily in this case the drone managed to limp back to the operator and didn’t end up in the water.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrzU-MMBGIMWe Knew It Was Coming: Drone Has a near Miss with an Airbus a320 AirplaneDrone story x2! This time someone thought it'd be a good idea to fly a drone around a airport in Israel, specifically over the runway. Monday afternoon a plane in the process of landing had a drone pass in-front of it within 75-100 meters. The airport never did catch the operator but there's a reason this is Illegal in the US as its dangerous and risky for everyone involved.

Astrophotography

Look up! Not now, at night silly. The Perseid meteor shower is this week so try to get a shot. The peak time will be between tonight at 9:30 p.m. EDT and 10 a.m. tomorrow. Get a shot? Send it in and we’ll post them up next week for the mish mash.  Remember check out Toby's link below for your guide to shooting the stars. Nat Geo - See Shooting Stars Galore as Meteor Shower PeaksPhotographing the Stars - Quick Guide

Instagram

Toby’s Winnerhttps://instagram.com/p/5c9MlUEs1F/Toby’s Honorable Mentionshttps://instagram.com/p/6FYIXmDgyj/https://instagram.com/p/6FKy1rwDsDChristina’s Winnerhttps://instagram.com/p/6ShAfjKK_Y/Christina’s Honorable Mentionshttps://instagram.com/p/6FWY88KS55/https://instagram.com/p/6BBtI_EtXO/As the last two weeks have been a bit specific on topics for the next challenge we’ll open the criteria a bit. The next challenge will be color based and your target is Blue. While the sky would work try to be creative and think out of the box, such as the “something blue” from a wedding. Join the fun on instagram and challenge yourself to go out and get a photo! Just remember to tag your photos so we can see them with #PRTV and  #PRTV_Blue.P.S. with all the english folks, and nerds on here, I expect at least one Tardis.

Tip of the Day

When printing photos compared to seeing them on screen they will seem darker in comparison because they are not backlit. When printing it is best to raise the photo’s exposure by a 1/3 stop which is quite easy in Lightroom. In the library module exposure adjustments are relative, not absolute, meaning they raise the setting by a 1/3 instead of setting it to 1/3. It's an easy way to raise each photos exposure without having raise each photo manually to export for printing. To save the original photos settings select your photos to print and make a new collection with virtual copies. When making a collection select your photos and make a collection as normal but check 'Make new virtual copies’ and click create. This duplicates your selection with virtual copies so you're not affecting the exposure of your original photos.

McKay Photography Academy

Join us in New Zealand! Well more exactly Toby, Christina, and the McKay Academy. You get a great vacation, photography trip, mentors, and great company. See unique places with hands on learning to take the best photo possible on your journey. One spot left for the New Zealand trip, sign up now!Find out more at mckaylive.com and on Facebook at McKay Photography Academy & Vision Culture

Patreon

This article is brought to you by YOU! Join us on patreon and with your support get access to exclusive lightroom videos, behind the scenes shots, a support forum on Facebook, and easy access to Toby (and Me) for all your photography questions. We’re happy to help you find the right gear – camera, lens, accessories and teach you to be a better photographer.Find out more today at http://photorec.tv/support/