Carrying a large lens like the 500mm is always a challenge. They come in bulky hard cases that aren’t the best choice to check at the airport. Most photographers like to carry their camera gear with them onto the plane, so that presents a challenge; what to do with the big lens? I’ve seen homemade Read More
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Lastolite TriLite Reflector
Clamshell lighting is very popular for beauty lighting, and with good reason. Models appear luminescent and glowing, and shadows are minimal if visible at all. One way of producing clamshell lighting is using a large soft box above your model, and a reflector below your model to bounce the light back up. But not all Read More
The 50mm exercise.
I recently returned from a spectacular week of shooting in Sedona teaching on a ANPW workshop. Everyday brought amazing light, rosy sunsets and stunning clouds. I have shot a lot in Sedona, so I decided this trip I would endure the 50mm exercise. What is this you say? When I taught college photography classes, I Read More
Long…really long..exposures.
I have been using the Singh-Ray 10 and 15 stop ND filters a lot lately, and I am really impressed…these filters are as much about slowing down water as stretching tiny movements into creative blurs and building up colors. Above is a shot I took in Hvar, Croatia; about a 5 minute exposure. With just Read More
Three Kinds of Motion
I’m in the middle of trips right now, in Australia last week, off to Croatia right now. I love travel; it puts my senses and creativity in overdrive. New sights, sounds, smells…very intoxicating stuff. One aspect I try to look for in my travel images is motion. And there are three types I try to Read More
Shimmer Photography Festival; Lighting in Australia
Just in from a fabulous trip to Australia. Long on my list to visit, Australia lived up to everything I hoped and more. A HUGE thanks goes to Sam Oster for setting up my visit and teaching schedule, check out her work here. Also many thanks to all the others that helped sponsor my visit Read More
Lighting Workshops
Some folks have emailed me asking about my upcoming lighting workshops, and I do have some on my schedule that will focus on lighting. To start next week I will be in Australia speaking and teaching at the Shimmer Photography Festival. My time there will include classes on portraits and action lighting, with lots Read More
Why use a black reflector?
One of the first tools a photographer uses to modify light is a reflector. They’re simple, inexpensive and create a nice look if used properly (i.e. not to close to your subject!). White and soft gold make sense, these bounce light back onto the subject to reduce contrast and create nice soft fill light. Read More
Game Changer
My friend Bill Donavan at Dangerous Circus Pictures created a cool video behind the scenes of our half pipe shoot in Salida Colorado. I was trying out the new Elinchrom ELC Pro HD 1000 lights, and having a blast shooting off rapid fire bursts. I was so amped up at the end of the shoot, he Read More
Lighting for Success
I teach a lot of lighting classes, everything from speed lights to big strobes, one light to multiple light setups. Recently I condensed down a lot of technique into three basic, but proven, lighting techniques for Digital Photo Magazine. If you are just starting out, you will really get a lot out of this article. Read More
Peachpit Books Labor Day Sale
Okay, if you have been reading this blog, then you should have my book….and if you don’t now is the time to get it at a bargain price. Peachpit is having a labor day sale on their books, including mine; 40 percent off titles using the code at this link. My book covers tons of Read More
Which lens has the best bokeh?
Backgrounds can make or break any photograph. And the separation we get from the background is also critical for many photographs, especially portraits. Key to creating separation in a photograph is your choice of aperture and depth of field. Choosing F2.8 with a telephoto will give you a nice blurry background. But the quality of Read More