James Abbott

James Abbott

James Abbott is a professional photographer and freelance photography journalist. He contributes articles about photography, cameras and drones to a wide range of magazines and websites where he applies a wealth of experience to testing the latest photographic tech. James is also the author of ‘The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing’.

Articles by: James Abbott

Flash photography made easy: from simple shots to advanced techniques

By James Abbott published

It can seem complex, but our expect guide will help you master flash photography in no time.

Headshot photography: how to take a professional portrait

By James Abbott published

Discover just how easy it can be to take professional looking headshots.

Smartphones vs cameras: do you still need a DSLR?

By James Abbott published

Analysis Smartphone cameras are getting better all the time, so could they one day replace your DSLR or mirrorless camera?

Kit lens opener

Get the most from the kit lens on your new camera

By James Abbott published

Updated Armed with our expert tips and tricks you can get stunning results with the humble kit lens that comes with your DSLR.

The 5 best gloves for photographers

By James Abbott published

Our pick of the best gloves that will let you keep you shooting whatever the weather.

A closer look at Lightroom Classic CC's new features

By James Abbott published

Lightroom Classic CC is a familiar face with some serious improvements under the hood.

Why every photographer needs three tripods

By James Abbott published

Having a selection of tripods allows you to carry the most suitable, and portable, option at all times.

The A to Z of Photography: Histogram

By James Abbott published

The A to Z of Photography Understanding the histogram and how it relates to exposure will help you become a better photographer.

The A to Z of Photography: Gimbal

By James Abbott published

The A to Z of Photography Coming in two flavors, a gimbal is designed to keep your camera steady while it's being moved around.

The A to Z of Photography: Focal length

By James Abbott published

The A to Z of Photography When photographers talk about the focal length of a lens, what they're really concerned with is the angle of view.

10 Lightroom editing skills every photographer should know

By James Abbott published

Lightroom lets you edit, organize and share your images. Read our expert guide to help you get started.

The A to Z of Photography: Chromatic aberration

By James Abbott published

The A to Z of Photography Chromatic aberration, or color fringing, is a common artefact in digital images – here's what you need to know.

The A to Z of Photography: Bokeh

By James Abbott published

The A to Z of Photography Bokeh is a term you'll often hear mentioned in relation to aperture and depth of field. Here's what you need to know.

Manfrotto's motorized head takes the work out of shooting timelapses

By James Abbott published

The new PIXIPano360 makes it easy to shoot timelapses and panoramas with a phone, camera or action cam.

Phase One Capture One Pro 10 review

By James Abbott published

With tethered shooting, a library for all your photos and pro-grade raw processing, Capture One Pro 10 has a lot to offer.

CyberLink PhotoDirector 8 review

By James Abbott published

PhotoDirector 8 is like a third-party homage to Lightroom, but with some twists of its own.

The best cameras for kids in 2016

By James Abbott published

Buying Guide These fun and powerful cameras will help your kids and teens to get more from their photography, whatever their level of skill.

10 camera bag essentials

By James Abbott published

Must-have camera accessories that you should always have tucked away in your camera bag.

Why you should still use neutral density graduated filters

By James Abbott published

Despite being able to pull out more detail than ever from your camera's sensor, you can't beat an ND grad filter. Here's why...

Aurora HDR 2017

MacPhun Aurora HDR 2017 review

By James Abbott published

For Mac users wanting to create striking HDR images with simple one-click presets or more advanced manual control, this could be the app for you.

Raw editing masterclass

Raw Masterclass

By James Abbott published

Ditch JPEGs and shoot in raw. Discover how to get the best from your images in our raw editing masterclass.

LandscapePro

Anthropics Technology LandscapePro review

By James Abbott published

Offering a host of one-click effects for landscape images, can this software take the pain out of creating masks for localised adjustments?

Lightroom

What's new in Photoshop and Lightroom?

By James Abbott published

We take a look at what the key new features in Photoshop and Lightroom CC offer photographers.

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