Last night I was stalking red winged blackbirds in a marsh near my house. As is often the case, I had both a mirrorless and DSLR camera with me. For mirrorless I was shooting my Z6II, 70-20mm F2.8 with the 2x teleconverter for a total 400mm at F5.6 (2x review coming soon!). I like the Read More
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Photo Mechanic compare mode
If you have joined one of our online classes from the last year, or have been on one of our workshops, you know how much we love Photo Mechanic. We use this on the road for quick editing (without having to download to Lightroom…that happens on our main computers in the office after the trip) Read More
Nikon Z6/7II Auto Focus Modes
With more and more folks trying out the new Nikon mirrorless system, I am getting a lot of great questions about autofocus. This is one feature that is very different than shooting your DSLR. With my D850 I use single point as my default, and use Group Area Autofocus (the diamond pattern) for moving subjects Read More
Negative Space Compositions
We’re in the middle of teaching an online travel photography class right now, and one topic we are exploring is negative and positive space in compositions. What is negative space? The simplest way to think about it is the large unoccupied space around your subject. The smaller subject would be the positive space in the Read More
Photoshop Super Resolution is here!
I can’t count the number of times I have photographed wildlife and wished I had a longer lens. If possible I always try to fill the frame in camera for tight wildlife shots. But what happens more often is I have to crop down from an existing image. One of the great things about the Read More
Two Approaches to Street Photography
Right now we have started up our online travel photography class, and I have to say it was one class I was really excited about teaching. Why? Because good travel photography is spontaneous, unplanned, fluid and diverse. In other words, you need to have a lot of technical skills and be very fast with your Read More
MindShift Packs on Sale; BackLight 26L
If there is one thing you can’t have enough of as a photographer it is photo bags. It just seems there is always a reason for another one that does something a little better than the one you currently have. Right now I have more camera bags than I care to admit. But if you Read More
Nikon 3D Tracking
Right now there is a lot of excitement about predictive autofocus. Mirrorless cameras have been ushering in this technology in a big way, but it has actually been around awhile in DSLRs. The basic idea is you focus on a subject using a predictive autofocus pattern or mode, and then the camera will stay focused Read More
Creative reflections
Okay, here is a quick tip to liven up your travel photography. Say you find a beautiful castle in the Czech Republic bathed in warm light. The castle is surrounded by water, so the reflection photography is incredible. You blaze away just giddy with how nice the images are coming out. A few fall leaves Read More
Z6II/Z7II firmware update
One of the great things about mirrorless cameras are firmware updates. Significant updates are like getting a new camera! The Z6 and Z7 went through three major firmware updates and added major new features like eye and animal face detection. Even better, now using Snapbridge, you just link to your camera using the bluetooth Read More
Nikon 500mm F5.6 PF + 1.4x TCIII converter
Recently I had a question about using the wildly popular 500mm F5.6 with a 1.4x converter. Cree and I just can’t get enough time with the 500mm F5.6 PF. This is one of Nikon’s best ideas, a walk around razor sharp wildlife lens. This lens weighs only 3 pounds, two pounds lighter than the 200-500mm, Read More
Lens Coat Lens Sack
Cree and I have been exploring our local refuges, state parks and natural areas a lot this winter. We wind up photographing a lot from our truck. Ever notice the second you get out of your car and the wildlife runs or flies away? Your car acts as a natural blind, and eliminates your silhouette. Read More