I photograph a lot of landscapes, and many times filters will transform the shot into something special. I’ve always tried to create my work in the field, not later in post production…camera craft is very important to me. I just returned from photographing in Sedona for a week, and filters were invaluable there. I Read More
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Teleconverters and Nikon 200mm F2
I regularly use teleconverters. Sometimes I don’t want to lug a long telephoto lens on a trip, and other times I see an unexpected shot and want a longer lens. Of course we know that using teleconverters has some drawbacks. You lose 1-2 stops of light depending on which converter you use, and image quality Read More
Texture slider skin softening
We just finished a magazine shoot this week, and as usual we were on a deadline. I actually like deadlines, it focuses my attention and crystalizes image concepts. It might mean a few late nights in the office, but we have a Starbucks right down the street. The model on this shoot was a man, Read More
Flash in nature photography
I really enjoy photographing a variety of subjects and assignments. My career started photographing adventure sports, but this quickly led to lifestyle, travel, portraits, landscape and wildlife. Honestly, I love the photographic process, and while some subjects/stories are more interesting to me, I also love the photography behind the image. Last week I was photographing Read More
Raincover/Unscrewing the camera eyepiece
I’ve been in the mountains recently photographing elk, especially in Rocky Mountain National Park. Fall color has been really nice, and the temps have been mild…until a couple of days ago. Our first blizzard of the season came through, temps dropped to the teens, and snow starting falling. Any radical change in the weather often Read More
Multiple exposure landscapes
For the longest time, many photographers considered multiple exposure ‘kinda cool, but not something I would ever use.’ Well, times have changed, and so has multiple exposure camera technique. First, the cameras now do all the formulas and merging in camera for you. And not only that, the cameras offer different exposure blending modes…you can Read More
The king of bokeh?
Okay, I’ll admit I am fixated on bokeh. Bokeh (however you like to pronounce it), refers to the quality of out of focus elements in your image. Why is this such a big deal? Because bokeh establishes mood and separation in an image. A background with beautiful bokeh almost looks like a painting. And place Read More
Nikon 85mm F1.8S lens
Nikon recently delivered the newest lens in the mirrorless S lineup, the 85mm F1.8. This is a portrait photographer’s meat and potato lens; I have used my 85mm F1.4 for years around the globe with amazing results. But with new technology and the closer mounting distance of the S lenses, could this new lens replace Read More
Electronic versus mechanical shutter
Many cameras today have two types of shutters, a mechanical shutter and an electronic shutter. You might be thinking this only applies to mirrorless cameras, but some DSLR cameras also have both. I love the ability to use an electronic shutter on my D850. I can shoot in a silent mode and use my LCD Read More
Adding vintage effects/Alien Skin Exposure X4
There is a lot of great editing software out there these days. While you can do most everything in LR and PS, sometimes it is just nice to click a few button and call it good. The biggest issue with plugins has been the quality of the final image. Some plugins create pixelated over processed Read More
Lume Cube
I just returned from photographing along Route 66, first some assignments and then followed by a fantastic Route 66 workshop. As you might expect, there are a lot of old cars along Route 66. We often photographed during twilight and used speed lights and larger Elinchrom ELB 500 strobes to illuminate the scene. But a Read More
Auto settings in Lightroom
If you are like me, you like to speed up your workflow. I can only take so many hours in front of the computer working on images before I need a break. But after some assignments, and with a deadline looming, I may have to edit hundreds of photos in a matter of hours. How Read More