I was recently photographing burrowing owls in eastern Colorado during a rainy few days, so of course I put on my rain cover to protect my gear. Pro level lenses and bodies are well sealed against the elements, but they are not waterproof. I really like that Nikon has eliminated the popup flash on the Read More
Nikon AF-P 70-300mm F4.5-5.6E
I’m always on the lookout for new Nikon lenses. They just keep getting better, sharper and lighter, so updating our lenses happens on a regular basis. One lens that has been a hit with many Nikon shooters was the 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G, a low cost zoom with excellent performance. This lens was sharp, and costing around Read More
Improving Creativity
I just returned from one of my favorite locations to photograph, Patagonia. I have been visiting this area for 25 years, and it continually inspires me on many levels. Inspiration is a good thing when it comes to developing your creativity. Everything seems new and fresh, and you energetically go about photographing new and interesting Read More
Hyperfocal Distance; Getting the most depth of field
I’m en route to Patagonia, one of my favorite destinations. The landscape photography there is absolutely stunning; turquoise lakes with snow-capped peaks in the distance are the norm. I’m bringing my trusty 24mm 1.4, one of the best wide angle lenses Nikon makes. And I am going to want to get the best depth of Read More
Lightroom Magazine
I’ve worked with KelbyOne for many years, including doing frequent stories for their publications including Lightroom and Photoshop User Magazine. These publications are loaded with great tips on post processing, lighting, photography and gear. I highly recommend giving KelbyOne a try for a month if you are not a member. For less than the cost Read More
Elinchrom ELB500 first look
I just returned from teaching a lighting class in Las Vegas, and I was able to get my hands on the ELB 500 for the class. I think Elinchrom makes the best strobes in the business; their packs shine in all conditions and withstand years of hard use and abuse. They stand above in a Read More
Quick tip: Photographing snow
I am still pouring over images from our trip to Alaska last week, and I had the chance to photograph dog mushing on multiple occasions. A few times we had snow falling during the shoot, and it reminded me of a few questions I often hear on workshops. First, do you need to worry about Read More
Best lens for Northern Lights
I just returned from a week of shooting northern lights in Alaska. Cree and I went up to visit friends and explore some new areas around Fairbanks for future northern lights trips. We had a fantastic time staying in remote cabins, catching up with friends (we used to live in Alaska) and eating a Read More
Battle of the 300mm lenses
Since both my wife and I are photographers, we have a lot of lenses. We tried the idea of ‘sharing lenses’ until we both saw the same incredible eagle photo and we only had one long telephoto lens. So we have doubles of a few of our favorite lenses, including the venerable 300mm. This focal Read More
Which VR mode?
If you are like me, you probably own a variety of Nikon lenses spanning many years of production. I think my oldest lens is a 50mm F1.8D; whatever happened to those great lens distance scales and focus marks? One thing you might notice is different VR choices for your lenses. Looking through my lenses, I Read More