Posts by Robert Rodriguez Jr
How the Lightroom Catalog Actually Works
Lightroom Classic is an incredible tool—but only if you understand its foundation: the catalog. And despite using it every day, many photographers still treat it like a mystery box. Let’s clear that up. The Catalog Is a Database, Not a Container The catalog doesn’t hold your image files. It stores information about them: That’s it.…
Read MoreCanon PRO-1100 Printer Review: As Good As Desktop Printing Gets
I’ve owned a lot of printers over the years from both Canon and Epson, but one of my all-time favorites has been the Canon PRO-1000. It’s been a dependable workhorse, and I’ve made a lot of prints with it—both for myself and for students in my printing workshops. So when Canon announced a successor, I…
Read MoreWhy I Switched Back to Mac: My Experience with the Mac Mini M4 Pro
I recently upgraded my computer to an Apple Mac Mini M4 Pro. It’s easily the best computer I’ve ever owned—both in terms of size and performance. Below, I share my experience upgrading, the challenges I faced, and my overall thoughts after using it daily for the past four months. Time to Upgrade I’ve been an…
Read MoreWhy Practice Alone Isn’t Enough
As a photographer, educator, and lifelong learner, I’ve spent years exploring how people grow creatively—what leads to lasting improvement, not just surface-level results. One idea that has shaped both my personal practice and the way I teach is the concept of deliberate practice—something I first encountered in the book Peak by psychologist Anders Ericsson. Deliberate…
Read MoreMastering Lightroom Catalogs: Why One is Better Than Many
Managing your Lightroom catalog can feel overwhelming. Should you keep everything in one catalog or split your images across several? This is one of the most common questions I get from photographers, and from my experience, the answer is clear: a single catalog is almost always the better choice. Why a Single Catalog Works Best…
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