I just returned from another trip to Bosque Del Apache, and as one would expect the bird photography was fabulous. With thousands of cranes and snow geese flying overhead, I decided to run another test of the autofocus patterns using the D850. I do this test with every new Nikon camera I get since technology, Read More
Rating photos in the camera
On many shoots and workshops, the photography can be intense and heavy with gaps of down time in-between. Imagine photographing two grizzly bears wrestling for 30 minutes. You might shoot 500 images in that time. Then the bears get tired, and head off into the tall grass to sleep. Which leaves you sitting there for Read More
D850 Auto AF fine tuning
What happens when you use a 45MP camera with a 500mm F4? Any lapse in your technique shows up as slightly soft images! Honestly, this is user error more than anything. My 500mm F4 is razor sharp, and the D850 continues to amaze me on many levels including resolution. But one way to improve performance Read More
2017 Holiday Gift Guide
It is that time of the year, two weeks until holiday gifts are opened. Each year I give suggestions from inexpensive to expensive on some gift ideas for the photographer on your list. Many of my ideas come from experiences on workshops, seeing what lenses really work and what little gadgets help photographers in the Read More
Nikon D850
I have owned about every top DSLR Nikon has ever put out. Some models have performance bumps, other models are ground-breaking. Anybody remember when the D3 came out? And the disbelief at image quality at ISO3200, 6400 and beyond. This camera ushered in the ‘ISO revolution’. Specs have continued to improve, and I have really Read More
Elinchrom ELB1200
If you are a location photographer, or anyone who wants power to spare shooting portraits in bright conditions, your day has come. I have been working with the new Elinchrom ELB1200 for awhile now, and it is just plain incredible. Much for my earlier career was hinged on using the venerable Ranger pack, the earlier Read More
Aurora HDR 2018
I’m getting ready to go to Old Car City this weekend to teach a sold out workshop. We are going to photograph the old cars in this amazing location, as well as use speedlights and photograph models. The last time I visited Old Car City I had some constanty light, so I decided to create Read More
No cable release needed
Nikon has quietly been adding a new shutter speed mode that eliminates the need for a cable release on some images. I’ve told many workshops participants how using a rubber band and small stone will work great to hold the shutter speed button down during a ‘Bulb’ exposure…especially useful when you want to shoot a Read More
Slow motion with multiple exposure
Awhile back I talked about how to create silky water effects using multiple exposure. This is very handy when you forget your ND filter. The basic technique involves shooting from a tripod, using a three frame multiple exposure, and photographing a moving subject. For example, if you photograph a stream, then the banks will be Read More
Fall color shooting tips
My friends in Alaska tell me that fall is in full swing up north, hard to believe sitting on the front range of Colorado in the heat. But I did just drive through the Black Hills, and noticed some shades of yellow in the trees. Fall will soon be showing its colors across the country. Read More