I’ve waited to talk about the Nikon mirrorless cameras because I really wanted to try them out, and wait for firmware updates. We have both the Z6 and Z7, and have used them across the globe over the last four months. We photographed at 10 below zero in winter Alaska and in the giant rainy Read More
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Texture Slider
If you just updated your Camera Raw, you noticed a new slider above Clarity…the Texture Slider. If you haven’t updated Camera Raw, you should do it today because this slider is fantastic. The texture slider will sharpen areas in your image that are high frequency, meaning areas with a lot of detail. Trees, rocks and Read More
Should you use your lens hood?
I just had a workshop participant ask about this one, and it comes up a lot. Do you really need that annoying lens hood on your lens? Yes, you do. While many may think the lens hood is about eliminating light flare when you are pointing your camera towards the sun (which it does), I Read More
Nikon Firmware Updates; how to install.
Nikon just announced firmware updates for the D5600, D7500 and D850. On the D850 this includes improving autofocus performance on sensor points on the edge of the viewfinder…now that is something every D850 user will want. Since I send my cameras in once a year for a cleaning at Nikon, the technicians will update any Read More
Live view touch and shoot mode.
I woke this morning to weather forecasts calling for rain, so I packed up my truck and headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park. Bad weather generally means interesting photography opportunities, and the park is only an hour from my house. When I arrived it was overcast, and obvious it would rain soon. But the Read More
Massive Nikon Sale
There are so many great cameras and lenses being introduced these days, it is hard to keep up. Wouldn’t it be great if a lot of them were on sale? If you are a Nikon photographer, you are in luck. For the month of May, Nikon is offering loads of deals. Lenses, cameras and Read More
Shake Reduction Filter
While you can probably do most of your editing in Lightroom, there are some things you just can’t do in Lightroom. Probably the biggest reason many people shift into Photoshop while editing in Lightroom is to correct or erase objects. Content Aware Fill gives you a lot more control and better results for removing complex Read More
My lens is scratched…what to do?
As much as I try to keep my gear in good shape, things just happen. Lenses get dropped, soaked and cooked (in back of the car in Baja). The first sign that you are really using your gear a lot is when the rubber grip starts to peel away, or gets loose on your lens. Read More
Manual Mode/Auto ISO in the jungle
In the past I have talked about different shooting strategies for different situations. My work varies a lot, from commercial shoots on the beach for Nikon one day to photographing wildlife for a tourism campaign another day. I really enjoy this variety not only because of the diverse subject matter, but because I have to Read More
Topaz DeNoise AI on sale
I just returned from shooting in the rainforests and jungles of Costa Rica (we’re posting our Costa Rica workshop soon!), and I shot a lot of images at ISOs of 1600 and even 3200. If you see a bird in the understory, the light is often low. But honestly this isn’t too much of a Read More
Do you need a property release?
Another situation similar to model releases are property releases. And many of the same rules apply. Take a look at this image of a float plane in front of Denali. It is a classic Alaska scene, and has a lot of publishing potential for many clients. Beautiful day, iconic mountain and lots of negative space Read More
Do you need a model release?
Recently a workshop participant contacted me about model releases. She had a taken a fantastic portrait in Romania, and wanted to submit the image to a contest. But the rules of the contest stated that you needed a model release for any portraits submitted to the contest. My friend had a lot of questions…why do Read More