I just walked in the door from two weeks in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. We were leading a group and doing some scouting for our trip there next year. The trip was incredible, the wildlife stunning, and the accommodations were terrific. I’ve done a lot of safaris, but I shot more on this trip Read More
Photo Shoots
Illuminated…but not lit.
Just in from two weeks on Route 66 teaching workshops….both trips were fantastic. Years ago I did an assignment for Nikon on this stretch of road, and I remember thinking…is it really that interesting? What am I going to shoot? Wow, I never imagined how amazing the travel photography was with so many stories and 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
One Hour Single Frame Star Trails
I just returned from spending three fantastic days camping in the desert. Nothing beats sleeping under the stars…and photographing them at night! I was excited to get a chance to try out my Z6II with the Z 14-24mm F2.8. The results were fantastic. First question, one frame or stacked images for the star trail shot? Read More
Face masks and Eye/Face Detect Autofocus
Thought I would pass this along to anyone photographing people right now using their eye/face detect autofocus. We had a shoot last weekend and were setting up for a business headshot outdoors. We decided to see how well eye/face detect autofocus was working in the Nikon Z6II. Bottom line is if you shoot portraits, the Read More
Glass bubble macros
We are starting up our next round of cabin fever macro next week, and I am always excited about creating new bubble images. I have received a lot of emails about how this works, so I though I would outline the basic technique. Just a warning, though, it is addictive! First, you are going to Read More
Silhouette Wildlife Photography
We have a local pond that is being drained for development, which is unfortunate that another open space in our town is going to be developed. The short term silver lining is as the water goes down, hundreds of fish are being revealed. And with fish come eagles; yesterday we saw 30 bald eagles in Read More
Shake and Bake Bird Photography
I’m guessing the title of this post might have caught your attention. What, after all, is shake and bake bird photography? Shooting commercial assignments we were often asked to create motion, energy and dynamic workplace imagery. One very effective method involved using a slow shutter speed combined with flash. If I am photographing a man Read More
Attract birds to your yard
I’ve been hooked on bird watching, and bird photography, since I was in my teens. I drove my parents crazy asking them to buy more bird food, plant bushes the birds would like, and creating brush piles in the backyard where ground birds could hide. But even with 10 feeders hanging all over the yard, Read More
Holi Powder Shoot
I have been working on an editorial assignment this week for Digital Photo Pro Magazine, and had some entertaining behind the scenes moments I thought I would share. Check out Digital Photo Pro. This magazine is packed with great articles and info. Every issue I learn new tips, and I love seeing the inspirational photos Read More