All in Editorial

Thoughts on Capture One’s Licensing Plans

Thoughts on Capture One’s Licensing Plans

Thomas Fitzgerald
Capture One, Editorial, Software

In this post, I express my frustration with Capture One (the company, not the software), regarding recently announced changes to their licensing model for perpetual licences that will take effect in 2023. I express disappointment with this change, as I feel that it makes perpetual licences unattractive and forces customers to switch to a subscription, which I previously criticised for being overpriced. I also feel that the company's timing of the announcement, after the upgrade cycle for Capture One 23 had ended, left some customers feeling duped.

How to make a cup of tea (not actually about making tea)

How to make a cup of tea (not actually about making tea)

Thomas Fitzgerald
Editorial

Many, many years ago (sigh) I did a course in Film and Video production run by the local government here in Ireland. It was only ever run once, but it was actually a great course, and I probably owe my entire career to that course. I learned so much from that and much of the experience still serves me today. But there was one class that I always remembered more than any other, and it’s an interesting story, and I wanted to share it, because I think there’s a valuable lesson in it for everyone.

A few updates - Future Website Plans and More!

A few updates - Future Website Plans and More!

Thomas Fitzgerald
Editorial, News

It’s hard to believe that it’s August already. Here in Ireland it’s technically Autumn now, and already you can feel the change in the air. And speaking of change, you may have noticed that I haven’t been posting very regularly recently, so I want to apologise. As well as being busy with client work, I’ve also been doing some thinking and I’m hoping to make some big changes soon, on the website and in a broader sense.

The Problem with Many Photo Editing Tutorials

The Problem with Many Photo Editing Tutorials

Thomas Fitzgerald
Technique, Editorial

Recently, I was trying to record a tutorial on editing landscape photography. In the end, I didn’t publish it because I felt that the edits I had done weren’t dramatic enough for people to watch. In fact, I even had that criticism about some of my editing tutorials before, that the edits I was making weren’t significant enough. This led me to realise the paradox of photo editing tutorials, especially on YouTube or other socially driven platforms. Unless you’re dramatically changing the image or doing extensive edits, people will find it “boring” and not watch or complain. But the reality is, in most cases, restraint will lead to better images.

Why I think the new Mac Studio is the perfect Creator's Mac - Thoughts on the New Mac Studio and M1 Ultra Chip

Why I think the new Mac Studio is the perfect Creator's Mac - Thoughts on the New Mac Studio and M1 Ultra Chip

Thomas Fitzgerald
Apple, Editorial

I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about an Apple announcement as I was this week after Apple’s March 2022 event. And all that excitement comes form just one part of the presentation: the announcement of the Mac Studio. For me, the Mac Studio is the ultimate Mac for what I do, and it is something I think many creators like myself have wanted for a long time.

The Importance of Photojournalism

The Importance of Photojournalism

Thomas Fitzgerald
Industry, Editorial

Over the past few years, or even the last decade, journalism has taken a real hit from the general public. Between prognostications that smartphones and social media would kill off the need for photojournalists, to attacks on journalism in general from political bloviators. But the awful events in Ukraine over the past week show that Journalism and PhotoJournalism are as effective and as important as ever.

Looking back on 2021 and forward to 2022. A Year in Photography Blogging

Looking back on 2021 and forward to 2022. A Year in Photography Blogging

Thomas Fitzgerald
Editorial

What a weird year it’s been. This time last year we were all delighted to see the back of a crappy 2020 and optimistic that the following year would be better. In some ways it was, but in others, not so much. I had hoped to see a return to some kind of normality in 2021 but instead we started the year in another strict lockdown, and from then on it was a rollercoaster of ups and downs.

Capture One 22 vs Lightroom Classic 11 – How do the latest versions affect your choice of photo editing application?

Capture One 22 vs Lightroom Classic 11 – How do the latest versions affect your choice of photo editing application?

Thomas Fitzgerald
Capture One, Editorial, Lightroom

One of my most popular Capture One posts on this website is the post entitled “Capture One vs Lightroom from someone who uses both”. I last updated this earlier this year, but since then, a lot has changed. With the release of Lightroom 11 which brings the new masking architecture, and Capture One 22 which adds Panorama stitching and HDR merging. This changes the dynamics of my previous arguments for each, and so I wanted to offer an addendum.

The Content Creation Paradox

The Content Creation Paradox

Thomas Fitzgerald
Industry, Editorial

If you’ve ever been involved in creating content for a consuming audience, and you’ve been doing it for some time, you’ve probably come up against the following conundrum:

“My content is getting stale, but I’m afraid that if I shake it up too much I will lose my audience”.

You see, there’s kind of a paradox when it comes to creating regular content….

A Quick Update

A Quick Update

Thomas Fitzgerald
Behind the Scenes, Editorial

You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t posted regularly in a little while, so I wanted to give you a quick update. I’ve been busy with client work, so I haven’t had time to write or blog for the past few weeks. So here is a quick update on what’s going on and what’s planned.

The Decline in the Quality of Photography and the Real-world Consequences

The Decline in the Quality of Photography and the Real-world Consequences

Thomas Fitzgerald
Editorial

It's easy to get caught up in various discussion online about all things photographic, both technical and artistic. Some of these discussions are useful, but many are frankly nonsense. Some of the photography tropes that have become accepted in some quarters are doing active harm to the art of photography. The biggest of these is the notion that quality doesn’t matter. I see this over and over again, and while I’ve discussed this before, and why it does actually matter, I wanted to talk about the non-abstract real-world effects of this. The quality of photography used in professional settings is declining, and it's leading to a drop in quality of magazines and books and other publications of all types (not just photography related.)

Instagram Weirdness and Possible Security Issues

Instagram Weirdness and Possible Security Issues

Thomas Fitzgerald
Misc, Editorial

Last week I started having some weird things happen to one of my Instagram accounts. Instagram suddenly started sending me emails for my “Streets of Dublin” Instagram account in Russian. At first, I thought it musty be a hack or someone had breached my account, but there is a whole thread on Reddit about it from people having the same problem.

Photography and Coffee, A Love Story

Photography and Coffee, A Love Story

Thomas Fitzgerald
Editorial

I like coffee. A lot. It’s probably one of my biggest obsessions after photography. I have about 10 different methods of making coffee, including three different coffee machines. I like all different kinds of coffee, and I’ll make a different type depending on the time of day and my mood. At this point, you’re probably wondering what any of this has to do with photography, but bear with me. It’s a bit of a journey, but we’ll get there.

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