It is amazing how much photographers rely on their phones. Not only as a way to share their work, communicate and take photos, but as a way to help get better images. I have written stories for photography magazines on the best apps for photographers, but they change so often there is always something better. Read More
Blog
Shaky Abstracts
If you have ever gone on one of our photo workshops, chances are you have heard terms like shaky, zoomy and twisty. Not exactly precision movement terms you might expect when describing landscape photography. But after photographing clean, sharp landscapes, you might want to try something different….say a little abstract. That is where these movements Read More
Landscapes/ Two Minutes of Transformational Light
What makes a great landscape image? We probably all know many compositional rules and graphic design qualities to look for in our images. But how are you going to distinguish yourself from the other landscape photographers standing right beside you photographing the same scene? What is interesting to me is how many photographers get so Read More
Do you need a cable release?
I’ve been shooting a lot of all landscapes lately, and we have had some great clouds in the images. After capturing a static shot, I love to put on a 10-15 stop ND filter and shoot the scene again at 2 minutes and longer depending on the light. The moving clouds render as silky, mysterious Read More
Photoshop Select Sky
This summer we had an amazing assignment photographing hummingbirds for Nikon, and later we did two workshops in the same area. Cree and I love bird photography, and hummingbirds are just amazing! We took a creative approach to our hummingbird photographs. We used 5-6 speed lights and white backgrounds for many images, and styled different Read More
USB Battery Charging Z7II
One thing that Nikon has introduced with their mirrorless cameras is external USB-C charging. The Z6II and Z7II, using EN-EL15c batteries, can be charged by simply plugging the camera into an outlet using the external EH-7P cord, or using a battery with suitable charger. If I am charging using an AC outlet, I will just Read More
Nikon 20mm F1.8 Z review
The 20mm F1.8 has been one of my go-to lenses for landscape photography. Just a little wider than a 24mm, but not over the top like a 16mm…it just looks good to me when I frame up my landscape images. I knew this was a lens I wanted for my Nikon Z system, and I Read More
How to Photograph Hummingbirds Live at Nikon
Nikon just published an article I produced for them last summer…How to Photograph Hummingbirds. I was so excited when I got this assignment, it coincided perfectly with a hummingbird workshop we ran in Madera Canyon last summer. I did a couple of different trips to produce enough images for the story, especially the flash photographs. Read More
Improving battery life with mirrorless cameras
I recently returned from photographing bears in Alaska. The shooting was fast and furious, thousands of images a day. I was using my Nikon D6, and I never even bothered to check battery life during the day. Even photographing this much during the day, I would charge up my battery about once every three days. Read More
Base ISO 64, Dynamic Range and extended ISO
I was up in Rocky MNT NP yesterday, and the aspens were starting to turn yellow. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and I love photographing autumn landscapes. Crisp, cool temperatures, bugling elk and crystal clear starry nights define this season in Colorado. As photographers we use both technical skills and Read More
Mac Update Notes
I have always used Mac computers since day one. Love these machines, have gone through so many models I can’t remember them all. And I have never had a problem….ever. But that changed this week, and I think I would call this one user error. But for all the Mac users out there, I wanted Read More
Bokeh and Background Considerations
We had an interesting discussion in Alaska on the tundra last week. We were photographing ptarmigans, one of my favorite Alaska birds, along the creeks and rivers we walked during our bear photo safari. Since we were walking 3-5 miles a day, I decided to use a Nikon 500mm F5.6 PF. This lens is the Read More