Nikon just published an article I produced for them last summer…How to Photograph Hummingbirds. I was so excited when I got this assignment, it coincided perfectly with a hummingbird workshop we ran in Madera Canyon last summer. I did a couple of different trips to produce enough images for the story, especially the flash photographs. Read More
Shooting Tips
Improving battery life with mirrorless cameras
I recently returned from photographing bears in Alaska. The shooting was fast and furious, thousands of images a day. I was using my Nikon D6, and I never even bothered to check battery life during the day. Even photographing this much during the day, I would charge up my battery about once every three days. Read More
Base ISO 64, Dynamic Range and extended ISO
I was up in Rocky MNT NP yesterday, and the aspens were starting to turn yellow. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and I love photographing autumn landscapes. Crisp, cool temperatures, bugling elk and crystal clear starry nights define this season in Colorado. As photographers we use both technical skills and Read More
Bokeh and Background Considerations
We had an interesting discussion in Alaska on the tundra last week. We were photographing ptarmigans, one of my favorite Alaska birds, along the creeks and rivers we walked during our bear photo safari. Since we were walking 3-5 miles a day, I decided to use a Nikon 500mm F5.6 PF. This lens is the Read More
The Power of the Polarizer
I just walked in the door from photographing bears for two solid weeks. 16,000 images of bears doing about everything you can imagine. Honestly, we had some of the best weather I have ever seen in Alaska in this area (I was there in June and it rained multiple days). And we also got lucky Read More
Use the Nikon ‘I’ menu
If you use Nikon cameras, you may have noticed a few years back the introduction of the ‘I’ menu. If you are like me, you probably acknowledged its presence, but didn’t really use this menu button. But with each new camera, Nikon kept adding more selectable options to use in this menu. With mirrorless, this Read More
What is ghosting?
If you use flash in your photography, you might have heard of the term ghosting. What is it, and is it bad? I just got back from two weeks of photographing hummingbirds using flash, and ghosting showed up a few times. Let’s look at what it is, and is it bad? When you photograph in Read More
Polar opposite techniques
Here is a simple tip. Every time you are photographing a scene, make sure to photograph it completely opposite of how you are shooting it. If you are shooting from a high angle, then shoot from a low angle. If you are shooting horizontal, how about creating a vertical version. If you are shooting at Read More
Blow out the highlights
Sometimes I think technology makes us forget mood and emotion in photography. Every new camera that comes out boasts about the amazing dynamic range capabilities of the sensor. At the rate we’re going, HDR photography won’t be necessary, the sensor will be able to capture it all! But is that a good thing? Yes, I Read More
The tilted beer shoot
How is that for a title? Every year Cree and I photograph for tourism bureaus and travels stories, and one thing remains consistent on these shoots; diversity of subject matter. Take last week in Alaska for example. The morning started with photographing moose at first light..wildlife check. Next was a stunning landscape image of glaciers Read More