Showing posts for 'photography'. Clear search
Surveillance works
May 18, 2025 - I was at Lake Victoria in Tanzania, Africa. A Kingfisher would fairly regularly perch itself high on a tree to keep an e...
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Getting different images
May 11, 2025 - I am an advocate for getting different images rather than shooting the exact same scene over and over (unless something...
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Practice
May 04, 2025 - Long lenses are essential to get good images of wild wildlife (I mention "wild" twice because I am not talking about wil...
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The little ones also want some attention
April 27, 2025 - While on safari everyone wants to see and photograph the big five, Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo, and Rhino. Some of...
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Stay ready
April 13, 2025 - They say that Lions can sleep between 18 and 20 hours per day. Spotting Lions therefore does not guarantee good Lion ima...
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Selecting an image
April 06, 2025 - With wildlife and bird photography we often shoot at high frame rates. Modern cameras can shoot at 20 frames per second...
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Do we need a clear shot?
March 30, 2025 - Most photographers want a clear shot of their subjects. They don't want anything between them and the bird or animal the...
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Hyena den
March 23, 2025 - This was my first experience at a Hyena den. We got close to them and it was wonderful. There were two little-ish ones w...
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Time for humor
March 16, 2025 - Animals can be funny. This little fellow was trying to go down a branch but facing the wrong way. Soon enough he lost hi...
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Colobus Monkeys
March 02, 2025 - Ashura National Park in Tanzania is home to the Colobus Monkeys. A kind of monkey I have never seen before. Here they li...
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Take it slow and look
February 23, 2025 - There is a time to work fast. The light may be fading. The hunt may be on. The moment may be fleeting. But let's face it...
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Go for variety
February 16, 2025 - A number of weeks ago I wrote about a huge buffalo herd drinking. We drove right in the midst of that very herd for quit...
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Patience clarifies chaos
February 09, 2025 - On my recent trip to Tanzania we came across a carcass being cleaned up by vultures. If you have ever been privileged en...
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Eye focus
February 02, 2025 - No matter what, the eye has to be in focus. But what is one to do when other objects are between you and the animal's ey...
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To preen or to present unkept?
January 19, 2025 - I know of photographers who literally comb birds' feathers in post processing. Not a feather can be out of place. They a...
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Subject's size in the frame
January 12, 2025 - There use to be an old adage in photography which said: If your images are not good enough, you are not close enough. Th...
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All the actors
January 05, 2025 - A huge herd of buffalo was coming to the water to drink. Photographing big herds can be challenging. If the big herd its...
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Harsh light, cloudy day - just wait
December 29, 2024 - It is a cloudy day but not overcast. The sun is bright and harsh. These are not ideal conditions for flower or butterfly...
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Break the pattern
December 22, 2024 - When something is different it draws our attention. If you look at a tray full of green apples with just one red apple i...
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Shoot, shoot, shoot
December 15, 2024 - Birds move around quickly. I have seen many photographers take one image only to examine and admire that image on the re...
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Backgrounds matter
December 08, 2024 - At the entrance of the reception area I noticed the orange plant. You have to understand, I am ALWAYS looking for images...
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Back and rim lit butterfly
December 01, 2024 - Last week we spoke about photographing butterflies in harsh light. We highlighted turning that kind of light into a back...
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Back lit butterfly
November 24, 2024 - The best light for insect photography, such as butterflies, is overcast but bright light. The next best light is using a...
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The classic clean bird shot
November 17, 2024 - Last week we talked about taking images that tell a story. The story we told was of a Magpie Shrike. But what about that...
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Tell the story
November 10, 2024 - No every bird is best displayed in portrait form. Portraits don't show a long tail or the habitat. Portraits don't alway...
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Tarangire (Tanzania) bird photography
November 03, 2024 - A rest day at camp may not be a rest day for a bird photographer. As long as the conditions lend itself to photography w...
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Cropping
October 27, 2024 - The best way to maintain resolution and to get great images is to properly frame the image when it is taken. However, bi...
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A few things to consider for bird photography
October 20, 2024 - Last week it was mentioned that photographs of a bird on a perch is also nice. Not every image needs to be an action sho...
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Bird bath
October 13, 2024 - I do like images of a pretty bird on a perch. Images of birds in action are ever better. The two kinds of images are bea...
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Macro vs Close-up
October 06, 2024 - Technically, macro photography starts at 1:1 reproduction. That means that your subject is the same size in real life as...
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Flash and wing movement
September 29, 2024 - Action images always seem to be more dynamic than static images. So when we see bees come and go, it is only natural to...
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Little details matter
September 22, 2024 - What makes one photograph better than another? What is the difference between a good image and a great one? In macro pho...
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Camera weight and macro - closeup photography
September 15, 2024 - When we work in a studio, camera weight is not always going to weigh you down (pun intended). Here we can use support sy...
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Side view versus front view in macro
September 08, 2024 - As we have already discussed, one of the major challenges of macro (or closeup) photography is depth of field (how deep...
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Backgrounds in macro
September 01, 2024 - Backgrounds can make or break any image of any genre. Macro images are no exception. Backgrounds matter, a lot! In macro...
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Angles and backgrounds
August 25, 2024 - As you move your position, you also move where things appear in your images relative to each other. For example, you can...
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Macro Series, Part VII: Post Processing Workflow
July 21, 2024 - Post processing is always subjective. We process our images to taste, and taste is personal, subjective. Furthermore, th...
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Macro Series, Part VI: Composition and Tips
July 14, 2024 - Great macro images do not become great simply because of being macro images. Yes, the details and often never seen befor...
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Macro Series, Part V: Technique
July 07, 2024 - We will break this discussion into two parts, one part dealing with handheld shooting and one part discussing static stu...
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Macro Series, Part IV: Settings
June 30, 2024 - So we now have the equipment needed for macro photography. What settings work best? We already mentioned that we will us...
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Macro Series, Part III: Macro Equipment
June 23, 2024 - In macro photography your exposure is controlled by the flash. Even though you set your shutter speed, you flash is what...
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Macro Series, Part II: My Macro Journey
June 16, 2024 - Being forced to expand what I photograph and because of the reasons mentioned last week, the decision was made to start...
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Macro Series, Part I: Why Macro?
June 09, 2024 - Macro photography has never interested me, that is until now. Sure, great macro imagery has always been fascinating to l...
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Why do photography?
June 02, 2024 - Photography can be hard and miserable. The weather can be freezing or be too hot. It can rain. The equipment can get hea...
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Processing dim lit subjects
May 19, 2024 - AI software has made image editing much easier. With one click the software can select your subject. This let's you make...
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Action in low light
May 12, 2024 - Shooting action in low light is particularly challenging. Firstly, to freeze the action requires a fast shutter speed. B...
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Photographing birds and the sun
May 05, 2024 - If you read my blogs you will know that I am working on a "dream shot." To that end, I visited the Prairie Chickens, aga...
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Luminar update
April 21, 2024 - On April 25, 2024 Skylum will release a major update to their photo editing software called Luminar Neo. This software h...
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Light direction for bird photography
April 07, 2024 - Yay, it is Prairie Chicken time in Nebraska! I have been out to photograph them twice so far this season. Since I have w...
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I have officially become a Nikonian
March 31, 2024 - So I got the Nikon 180-600mm lens before finding a well prices Sony A1. The decision is make. All my Sony gear have now...
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Final decision on my camera brand
March 24, 2024 - Both Nikon and Sony make great photographic gear that suit my needs. There are things about each company's offerings tha...
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Contemplating a camera brand switch - Part 5 of 5
March 17, 2024 - If you would have asked me about Nikon a few years ago I would have laughed at you. They were in or near financial troub...
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Contemplating a camera brand switch - Part 4 of 5
March 10, 2024 - Let's talk about Canon. Given my positive history with Canon, I am inclined to favor this brand. Their gear worked well...
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Contemplating a camera brand switch - Part 3 of 5
March 03, 2024 - The Olympus OM-1, now OM Systems, is a great camera specifically for the outdoors and wildlife (and macro). They just re...
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Contemplating a camera brand switch - Part 2 of 5
February 25, 2024 - Usually, in a series like this, each episode rules out a contender leaving two finalists for the final episode. The deci...
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Contemplating a camera brand switch - Part 1 of 5
February 18, 2024 - Changing camera brands every few years is reserved only for the foolish or the rich. This is an expensive endeavor and o...
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You get what you pay for
February 11, 2024 - Yes, I fell into the old tripod upgrade trap. Not having enough money I bought a cheap one. It did not last and I upgrad...
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Other stuff at airshows
February 04, 2024 - A major problem that many photographers face is that we envisage the images we want before we go. One the one hand, this...
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Airshows: framing
January 28, 2024 - Not every image of a plane needs to fill the frame. Sometimes it is better to back off a bit and to frame the plane a bi...
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Photographing fighter jets
January 21, 2024 - Images of prop-driven planes should have moving props. Moving props convey the idea of action and life. Fighter jets do...
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Shooting prop planes at airshows
January 14, 2024 - I find shooting prop planes at airshows more difficult than photographing fast fighter jets. The whole fighter jet flies...
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Preparing to photograph an airshow
January 07, 2024 - To get the best airshow images takes a bit of thinking and planning. Airshows do not happen every month at most location...
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Reset your gear
December 31, 2023 - I was photographing an airshow. Naturally, I set the camera up to succeed at capturing fighter jets. One of the settings...
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Bees on flowers (close-ups)
December 24, 2023 - I have not ventured into the small world of macro photography. Close-ups are close enough for me. This is a genre I woul...
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Posing dragonflies
December 17, 2023 - Dragonflies love the use the same perches over and over. So we can just watch where they sit and then set up with that p...
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Dragonflies in flight
December 10, 2023 - Dragonflies are interesting creatures. They are voracious predators. They can fly around very fast and seem to change di...
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Bees (in flight)
December 03, 2023 - The city where I live has a beautiful garden. Bright flowers are everywhere. They attract bees. When the bees harvest po...
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Neighborhood rabbits
November 26, 2023 - There are many rabbits in our neighborhood. My wife and I do a two mile walk most days of the week. At times we have cou...
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Where is your photography gear when you drive?
November 19, 2023 - When driving to where I plan to photograph, my gear is carried in my car's trunk. I don't want my gear to be visible. Wh...
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Wing movement of birds
November 12, 2023 - When shooting at a high frame rate to capture the action, you will end up with many images. Even a short burst of a few...
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Big lenses and resolution
November 05, 2023 - I read about this place in Washington where Eagles fish. When the tide goes out, oysters are exposed that traps fish. Th...
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Capture the right moment
October 29, 2023 - Photography is all about capturing the right moment. In landscape photography the right moment is when the light is at i...
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Use every opportunity
October 22, 2023 - We were on a multi-day road trip. Some days we spent most of the time on the road. This means that there was no time for...
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Flight sequence of birds
October 15, 2023 - Getting good birds in flight photographs are difficult. They move fast. Camera autofocus systems sometimes struggle to k...
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Animal expressions
October 08, 2023 - Yes, animals have expressions too. Their expressions change from when they are relaxed to when they are on high alert. O...
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Patience with birds
October 01, 2023 - My brother and I went to photograph a beach. The sky was cloudless and the beach did not seem to hold promise for great...
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Get unique and different perspectives, even of animals
September 24, 2023 - As photographers we analyze a scene. We don't want to photograph an iconic scene, that has been photographed a million t...
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Animal behavior and interaction
September 17, 2023 - There are some great images of animals posing. But often, the best images display their behavior and the interaction bet...
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Get eye level with animals and birds
September 10, 2023 - You have heard me say this over and over again. This is literally the best advise I can give you with regards to photogr...
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Searching for Birds
September 03, 2023 - The other day I visited the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center near Lincoln, Nebraska. I picked the day because it was...
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Frogs
August 27, 2023 - Tree frogs are exotic, cute and colorful. Of course no one would turn their attention to common frogs. No one in their r...
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Show nature
August 20, 2023 - We often seek nice and clean backgrounds for our subjects. I advocate this too. It makes your subject stand out and "pop...
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Sun-stars for balance
August 13, 2023 - I was having a hard time creating a composition on the beach which was balanced. It seems no matter how I composed the s...
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Waterfalls in harsh light
August 06, 2023 - McArthur-Burney Falls excited me. From the images that I saw of the falls, I could not wait to photography them. By the...
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Weather conditions do change
July 30, 2023 - A visit to Mt. Shasta was planned. Everything was researched. The best possible locations were found. An itinerary was d...
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Focus Stacking a landscape
July 23, 2023 - I have written before about using a wide-angle lens, not to get more into the image, but to change perspective. Our posi...
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Making sense of forest scenes
July 16, 2023 - Forests can be chaos, photographically speaking. There seems to be too much. Too many trees. Too many bushes. Too many b...
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New Luminar Extension
July 12, 2023 - As you know I use Luminar Neo extensively in my image editing workflow. Neo is an image editing platform. The platform i...
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Good landscape photography technique
July 09, 2023 - This is part II of the two-part series about an image taken at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe in California. Today I am going t...
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From tourist (cell phone) to serious photography (pro gear and technique)
July 02, 2023 - It is said that cell phones take well over 90% of all photos taken in recent times. I have also heard people say that ce...
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Grand Tetons National Park as a tourist
June 25, 2023 - I have been very unlucky weather wise at Grand Tetons National Park. Numerous visits have not paid off as I wished for....
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Today I am a tourist
June 18, 2023 - My wife and I visited Yellowstone National Park last week. Due to being up too early too many mornings the days before,...
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Go for action or something unique
June 11, 2023 - Which of these two images do you find the most interesting?:
OR
I like the color of the first image more. It was t...
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Prairie Chicken Photography Equipment
June 04, 2023 - The fighting season starts in early Spring (the beginning of March). The Mid-west can be cold with howling wind. To make...
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My Prairie Chicken journey
May 28, 2023 - A year or so ago I saw a gorgeous image of two male Prairie Chickens fighting. That image inspired me to embark on my ow...
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Cropping
May 21, 2023 - Cropping images to our linking can be subjective. There is the famous rule of thirds that many people follow. But even f...
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Creating separation between the subject and the background
May 14, 2023 - Sometimes the subject of the image stands out beautifully from the background. Such images are often striking and beauti...
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Creating extra space in Photoshop
May 07, 2023 - As promised last week, today we are going to magically create extra space. I use this technique from time to time to fix...
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Birds in flight
April 23, 2023 - Photographing birds in flight can be some of the most difficult photography to undertake. They can fly very fast and err...
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Common birds
April 16, 2023 - Everybody wants great Eagle images. Yet the tiny common birds also have much to offer. I was laying on the sand watching...
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Birds in action
April 09, 2023 - Action always makes photographs more interesting. I am a novice when it comes to birds, their identity, and their behavi...
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Low Light Bird Photography
April 02, 2023 - Low light bird photography is problematic since birds move, sometimes very quickly. So a fast shutter speed is required...
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Bird photography equipment worth every penny
March 26, 2023 - First, let me start by saying that most of the time the best bird images are taken from the bird's eye level. It makes f...
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Forest Streams
March 16, 2023 - Forest streams are still all about light and composition. In December I walked to a spot I have visited many times befor...
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It does not always take much
September 25, 2022 - It does not always take much to make a pleasing image. We may want to give up on photography because we do not have acce...
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Dawn
September 14, 2022 - Shooting before sunrise can be tricky but rewarding. The tricky part is that such images may look a bit lifeless without...
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Botswana Workshop
August 28, 2022 - If you want to enjoy a river cruise while photographing wildlife, this workshop is for you.
Each participant has a sw...
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Dragonflies
August 07, 2022 - Other than on one previous occasion I have never really made an effort to photograph dragonflies. But in the absence of...
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Bees
July 31, 2022 - They say, if there nothing to shoot, shrink your world. Shoot that which is small. This is a valuable tip that has helpe...
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Watch the western horizon
July 24, 2022 - My wife and I were out sitting on a ridge, about an hour or so before sunset. I was ready to go home. My son was visitin...
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Know your surroundings
July 10, 2022 - It is strange how, here in Nebraska, the storms (lightning storms) only tend to come an hour or so before sunrise. I am...
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Bird Photography: Show a bit more
July 03, 2022 - We always tend to want to fill the frame with the bird. It is exciting to see the fine detail of the feathers. We use lo...
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Patience with Birds
June 26, 2022 - If you read last week's blog you will know that I scout the area where I plan to be when I can photograph clouds and lig...
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Lightning and Storm Safety
June 19, 2022 - Since living in the Mid-west now, severe weather becomes part of life. Thus we get to photograph storms, lightning, and...
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Photography Gear: Part III
June 05, 2022 - So what else is in my bag? Speaking of camera bags, what should one consider when buying a bag? The kind of bag you get...
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Photography Gear: Part II
May 29, 2022 - Tripods seem to be going out of vogue with many photographers of late. Reasons for this are:
Camera sensors are becomin...
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Photography Gear: Part I
May 22, 2022 - Welcome to a mini-series on photography gear. I do not talk about gear much on this blog. In fact, you have probably hea...
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Lightning
May 15, 2022 - Before we even touch the topic of lightning photography we need to talk about safety first. Please follow all safety dir...
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Noise removal software
May 08, 2022 - Shooting with a long telephoto lens can be tricky. If you are shooting wildlife the animals are moving. So we need to mo...
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Composition
May 01, 2022 - Let's start with an image:
The light is not good and hence this image is not that great. Nevertheless, what lessons c...
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Polarize with ultra-wide lenses
April 24, 2022 - You have heard me say that we never want to use a polarizer filter on a wide or ultra-wide lens when the sky is included...
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Sand Hill Cranes with the Moon
April 17, 2022 - Many people these days will photograph one subject here, another there, and merge the two images. They may even use virt...
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Sand Hill Cranes
April 10, 2022 - You may wonder why I have not posted new blogs during the last few months. I recently moved to Nebraska and well, moving...
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Hiking the Narrows
December 19, 2021 - I have wanted to hike the Narrows for a long time. The Narrows refer to the Virgin river flowing in a very narrow canyon...
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Editing
November 28, 2021 - Some photographers over edit their images. Most amateurs only make global adjustments. Today we are going to look at a r...
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People, People
November 21, 2021 - I planned a trip to hike the Narrows in Zion National Park during the best time to catch fall color (first or second wee...
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Foreground, middle-ground, background
November 14, 2021 - There is a trusted formula for successful landscape photography. The formula does not suit all scenes but a good number...
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You don't always win
November 07, 2021 - Doing landscape photography is much like having a fishing license and going fishing. The license does not give you the f...
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Dreamy landscapes
October 31, 2021 - I love my landscape images to be pin-sharp front to back. But then again there is space in the creative world for a drea...
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Explore
October 24, 2021 - We are back at the Cholla garden today. You can find this "garden" in Joshua Tree National Park. The garden can be diffi...
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Shooting from elevated positions
October 17, 2021 - I like shooting from elevated positions. The higher your elevation the longer or deeper the foreground - it stretches th...
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Exposing for a post sunset sky
October 10, 2021 - When the sun goes to sleep it can light up the clouds. The exposure value difference between the sky and the land increa...
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Dealing with too many of something
October 03, 2021 - The art of photography is to create some form of order, flow, and balance. We do so by choosing carefully what to includ...
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Foreground
September 26, 2021 - In many cases, strong lead-in lines start at the bottom edge of the frame and also act as the foreground element. Such l...
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Composing with a strong sky
September 19, 2021 - So the sky is where all the action is. But what if clouds beyond the brightest part of the sky are not as beautiful as i...
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Vignettes
September 12, 2021 - Perhaps the title of today's blog gives it away. You just looked at the title again, didn't you? Well, try your best to...
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Shoot while waiting
September 05, 2021 - So last week we looked at positioning the sun at an exact point in time. That image started about two hours before sunse...
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Positioning the sun
August 29, 2021 - I a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park I decided to stop at a particular location to wait for sunset. As I always...
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Shoot a series
August 22, 2021 - We often think of photography as a single image capturing one moment in time. But then again, video is simply a bunch of...
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Seascapes
August 15, 2021 - Seascapes offer great photographic opportunities. Those opportunities include nice beaches, rocks, wave action (splashin...
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Printing
August 08, 2021 - It has been years since I printed an image. During the Black Friday sale after the USA's Thanksgiving, I indulged and bo...
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Black and white
August 01, 2021 - Black and white images are still appealing, and why not, they can be striking.
So how do we decide to go black and wh...
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Editing Software
July 21, 2021 - I have been using Luminar since almost their beginning. This software is impressive. The learning curve is minuscule com...
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Tree-lined roads
July 18, 2021 - Tree-lined roads make for a nice photographic subject. They frame the road. The road leads the viewer's eyes into the im...
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Night photograhy
July 11, 2021 - I have written about night photography before. In those blogs, I wrote about composition and focus and so forth. Today I...
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Light and plants
July 04, 2021 - Generally speaking, a photographer wants overcast light when photographing flowers and plants. The cloud cover acts as a...
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Nothing to photograph?
June 27, 2021 - Before moving to the current city I live in, I lived in a picturesque area. Within ten to fifteen minutes' drive from my...
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Be out there
June 20, 2021 - For some, photography is just about getting that award-winning image. For others, it is all about the experience. Neithe...
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Light and Darkness
June 13, 2021 - The slot canyons around Page, Arizona is a mesmerizing place to visit. These slot canyons abound in photographic potenti...
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Balancing the foreground and the background
June 06, 2021 - Having a well-balanced image is a vital part of good compositions. When thinking about balance we often think only of ba...
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Dealing with Haze
May 30, 2021 - Photographers often hate haze. Photoshop and other editing software have dehaze filters to help photographers with this...
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Facing Crowds
May 23, 2021 - California was on fire. The area surrounding North Lake, Bishop was closed off to the public. Smoke filled the air to su...
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Breaking the rules
May 16, 2021 - Sometimes rules are meant to be broken. The rule of thirds, in photography, is a powerful rule and has been proven over...
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Draw the viewer in with light
May 09, 2021 - If you follow my blog you will know that I often state that the viewer's eyes are not just controlled by composition but...
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Focus stacking
May 02, 2021 - Focus stacking is like exposure bracketing. You take multiple images of the same scene. The only setting you change thou...
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Painting with light
April 25, 2021 - Photography is after all painting with light. It is more about the light than about the scene. Combining great light wit...
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Clearance space
April 18, 2021 - Humans have two eyes. That gives us the ability to see and to measure depth and distance. We can see when something is c...
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Atmosphere
April 11, 2021 - At times nature just does not play along. Instead of getting upset rather ask what kind of image suits the prevailing co...
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Balancing elements
April 04, 2021 - Balance is important in composing nice photographs. Having too many elements on one side of the photograph without somet...
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Grab any opportunity
March 28, 2021 - As photographers, we want to be out shooting whenever something special is happening. That applies equally to events we...
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Show a bit more
March 21, 2021 - My wife and I were driving around in an area we had not yet explored. I love doing this to find possible locations to co...
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Dead space in the sky
March 14, 2021 - Clouds do not often listen to our pleading to move this way or that way. In fact, skies can be challenging in photograph...
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Shrink your world
March 07, 2021 - A friend invited me to go on a business trip with him. To sweeten the deal he told me that a friend of his informed him...
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Wave action part II
February 28, 2021 - Last week we talked about capturing splashing wave action and freezing the action in mid-air. If you read my blogs regul...
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Wave Action
February 21, 2021 - Don't you just love waves crashing into rocks and causing a big splash? There is something about the power, the sound, a...
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The joys of weather
February 14, 2021 - You may recall that I love to go back to the same locations over and over again. This is important because great images...
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Drinking action
January 31, 2021 - Giraffes have a difficult time drinking. They have special valves in their heads to prevent blood drainage when they sud...
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Birds in flight
January 24, 2021 - Birds in flight can be some of the most difficult wildlife photography to do. These little birds move fast and can fly i...
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Animal Portraits
January 17, 2021 - Animals also make nice portrait images. But what can we do to give them a bit of life?
We can wait for the growl, yawn,...
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Frame-rate and wildlife photography
January 10, 2021 - Which of these two images do you prefer?
I and the people I show my images to tend to prefer the last image. But why? W...
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Look-room & choosing a position to shoot from
January 03, 2021 - In the video industry, they often refer to "look-room." Look-room speaks of leaving enough room for the subject to look...
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Wildlife photography: the myth of always needing to fill the frame
December 27, 2020 - Generally speaking, we want to fill the frame with the animal. But doing that can be boring and can miss telling the sto...
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Depth of Field (wildlife photography)
December 20, 2020 - When photographing wildlife we all want that creamy out-of-focus backgrounds that we always see in award-winning images.
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Mixing the abstract with wildlife
December 13, 2020 - Abstract photography is usually reserved for a different genre of photography than wildlife photography. But why not com...
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Animal interaction
December 06, 2020 - This bird (oxpecker) had a free-range. The buffalo allowed it to go wherever it wanted to go unhindered. But why? Why wo...
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Zoom out a bit
November 29, 2020 - With wildlife photography, we always want to zoom in close. It is tempting and for good reason as such images are striki...
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Difficult focusing
November 22, 2020 - Certain images are just easier for your camera to get in focus than others. In wildlife photography acquiring focus is n...
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Learn body language
November 15, 2020 - This Leopard walked around looking for something. It was evident in its body language. It seemed as if it had given up o...
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Get the shot
November 08, 2020 - It was close to sunset. We were driving near Savuti in Botswana. A Leopard was spotted some distance away and we were in...
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Animal Portraiture Composition
October 25, 2020 - Animal portraits can be as interesting as that of humans. As with human portraits, there are a few guidelines that when...
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Follow the Action
October 18, 2020 - The rule of thumb with almost all photography is to follow the action. In landscape photography that may be where the co...
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Get Creative with Animals
October 11, 2020 - Okay, so you already have 21 images of the elephant bathing in the mud or drinking water. Do you shoot 40 more or drive...
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Bee-Eaters
October 04, 2020 - Bee-Eaters are colorful and make for great images. We were on a photography boat on the Chobe river in Botswana during o...
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Focus and Motion
September 13, 2020 - Should all images always be totally in focus? We all know that blurred backgrounds are very nice when shooting flowers,...
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Intimate Wildlife
June 13, 2020 - From time to time we have the good fortune to get really close to wildlife. Firstly, always stay safe. Wild animals are...
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Do wildlife photography from a low angle
June 07, 2020 - Drone photography has really taken off and for good reason. Some drone taken images are just wonderful. If you look at r...
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Quick takes
May 31, 2020 - Sometimes the unexpected happens, even in landscape photography. So we were on Safari, which means that we are all looki...
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The landscape as backdrop
May 24, 2020 - Usually, the landscape is our image but have you thought of using the landscape as the background? By now we have our wi...
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Atmosphere and mood
May 10, 2020 - The atmosphere and mood of an image can play an important part in photography. Some of the best atmospheric and moody im...
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Animal Portraits
May 03, 2020 - We take portraits of people so why can't we also take portraits of animals? I guess we can. What can we learn from takin...
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Show life
April 26, 2020 - In wildlife photography it is important to showcase life, show life living, doing what wildlife does. This means that we...
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Animal interaction
April 19, 2020 - Animals also have emotions. Dogs, for example, are happy to see you when you come home. They like interacting with you....
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Size and Proportions
April 12, 2020 - When different sizes and proportions are juxtaposed it creates contrast. This is when we see how large something really...
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Life and Death
April 05, 2020 - Nature is nature, a place where life and death battle each other every day. Capture it. Chronicle life. At times these s...
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Capturing birds in flight
March 29, 2020 - Getting good pictures of birds in flight can be some of the most difficult types of photography you can do. The smaller...
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Intimacy in wildlife photography
March 22, 2020 - We often show animals in their environment and take landscape images of animals in the landscape. These images can be wo...
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Focus creates interest
March 15, 2020 - Firstly, I am not talking about focus, as in focusing the lens, here. I am talking about when animals focus in a special...
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Life is harsh, show it
March 08, 2020 - Life is harsh. Life happens and it is not always kind. In the animal world, it is often eat or be eaten. When you witnes...
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Wildlife Moments 2
March 01, 2020 - Continuing on with last week's topic, always try to add something special to wildlife photography. Capture special littl...
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Wildlife Moments
February 23, 2020 - Photography is all about capturing a moment in time that can have someone look at it for a long time. Wildlife photograp...
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Wildlife and patience
February 16, 2020 - Wildlife photography is really difficult! Yes, anybody can take a nice-looking image of a static animal just looking at...
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Wait
February 09, 2020 - Everyone left. Why would they stay? After all the sky is dreary. It is cold. Whatever poor light there was is gone and i...
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Featuring iconic elements as secondary interest
February 02, 2020 - We have all seen great photography featuring iconic elements. The iconic elements are often the main subject of the imag...
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Telephoto Lens Landscapes
January 26, 2020 - Whenever people think of landscape photography they almost always tend to think about using wide to super wide-angle len...
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Mirror elements
January 19, 2020 - Nature seems rather random in terms of where what grows, flows, or is placed from a compositional perspective. So when w...
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Pay attention to detail
January 12, 2020 - Nature does not place rocks or plant trees where we want them. One challenging thing about photography is that there is...
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Natural Frames
January 05, 2020 - Yes, I have written about using frames compositionally before. Today I am going to be looking at a large frame (not just...
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Neutral Density Filters
December 29, 2019 - I have heard many digital photographers say that they do not use filter because they do everything in post processing. E...
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Lead-in lines
December 22, 2019 - If you have followed my blogs and photographs you will know that I like to use lead-in lines because they powerfully nud...
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Reflections on water
December 15, 2019 - Reflections on water can make for great imagery. They can captivate the viewers' attention and make them look at an imag...
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Juxtaposition weight
December 08, 2019 - I have written about visual weight before and am doing so again today because it is important to composition and balance...
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Order from chaos
December 01, 2019 - The way nature arranges itself can seem chaotic to us. Trees don't naturally grow in straight lines. Rocks don't tend to...
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Balanced Composition
November 24, 2019 - The best landscape images often have balance. The elements within the scene are in harmony. Visual elements and color ca...
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Different images - Same subject
November 17, 2019 - I want more than one image from a site. I want to get as many good images as I can from each visit to a place. Often the...
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Depth formula refined
November 10, 2019 - Last week's blog revealed an easy formula that creates depth. This formula is to have a strong foreground, a middle-grou...
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Easy depth formula
November 03, 2019 - I often want someone to give me a quick formula that just works when I am doing something I don't have much knowledge of...
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Break the rules
October 27, 2019 - The rule of thirds is a photographic rule for a good reason; it just works. As new photographers start out it is best to...
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Foreground shapes
October 20, 2019 - You have heard me say that an interesting foreground is good for landscape images. This adds interest and depth to the i...
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Using light and dark areas compositionally
October 13, 2019 - We have already mentioned in previous blogs that various things can be used compositionally.
Elements - the placement o...
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Correcting Distortion
October 06, 2019 - Landscape photographers often like to use very wide angle lenses. Most of the time we do so to exaggerate something in t...
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Dealing with noise selectively (locally)
September 29, 2019 - I have said it before, amateurs work more with global adjustments in post processing while professionals use more select...
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Sunstars and flare
September 22, 2019 - Yes, I know that some people really like flare in their shots. No, I don't know why they like it either. Flare certainly...
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Dealing with crowds at iconic locations
September 15, 2019 - Have you ever been to Mesa Arch in Canyonlands (other than in winter)? What about Oxbow Bend in Grand Tetons National Pa...
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Destination Wedding Photography
September 08, 2019 - You are asked to photograph a destination wedding. How is destination wedding photography different from "normal" weddin...
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Shooting the action
August 25, 2019 - Wildlife photography requires patience and persistence. You might drive for an hour or so without even seeing any animal...
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Composing wildlife images
August 18, 2019 - We typically have two options when it comes to the composition of wildlife. Either we photograph the animal showing it i...
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Setting gear up for wildlife photography
August 11, 2019 - Pre-setup
Before actual photography should take place, watch a few videos to setup your autofocus system for wildlife....
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Wildlife photography tips
August 04, 2019 - During August I will be co-teaching a wildlife safari workshop in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Having grown up in South Africa...
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Color gradation
July 28, 2019 - Smooth color gradation is one of the most tricky tasks for your camera's sensor. This is one area that can be used to de...
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Know when to stay after sunset
July 21, 2019 - How can we know when to stay after sunset? Is it possible to know some time before sunset that the period after sunset i...
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Summarize the scene
July 14, 2019 - With macro photography we go very close to show what we don't often see or look at. When we struggle to see great compos...
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Something has to stand out
July 07, 2019 - Something has to stand out. We cannot have a see of objects all looking similar and end up with a great image. Something...
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Lower your angle
June 30, 2019 - Shoot from below! Most photographers plonk their tripods down and shoot at eye level. Tripods are one of very few tools...
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Depth from above
June 23, 2019 - Photographers use many elements and techniques to create depth in an image such as:
Paths or roads
Tracks
Placeme...
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Balance and depth
June 16, 2019 - Good images seem to have a sense of balance to them. They stay level when placed on a fulcrum point. Far objects balance...
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The sun
June 09, 2019 - The sun plays a major role in just about all landscape images (except for night photography). It is the primary source o...
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Isolate, Isolate
June 02, 2019 - Sometimes there is just too much in the scene to include it all. You have heard me say that painters start with nothing...
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Mystery
May 26, 2019 - Ghost towns are often filled with mystery. It is our job to find the most mysterious scene and make it even more mysteri...
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Contrasting Objects
May 19, 2019 - From time to time you come across contrasting object that just evoke questions. At other times this juxtaposition can be...
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The Orton Effect
May 12, 2019 - The Orton effect introduces blur and glow. It can add some mystery and even mood. It can soften the scene. While I am no...
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Indoor Sunstars
May 05, 2019 - I entered a room at Kolmanskop and liked the scene, but something was mission. I need to add some drama, some color, som...
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Indoor direct light
April 28, 2019 - Mixing direct sunlight with indoor shadows can be difficult. The direct sunlight can be very bright while the shadows ca...
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Repeating patterns
April 21, 2019 - Repeating patterns can make for interesting photographic material. We are still at the ghost town of Kolmanskop today. B...
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Kolmanskop, Namibia
April 14, 2019 - Ghost towns can be very interesting to photograph and to explore. Kolmanskop is a ghost town near Luderitz in Namibia. W...
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Get close
April 07, 2019 - I am a big fan of getting close to things to enlarge them and to give them importance in the scene. The object you get c...
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Foreground Lines
March 31, 2019 - I have said this many times but it remains important. Foregrounds can often make landscape photographs. An interesting f...
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Photographing Arches
March 17, 2019 - Rock arches almost always seem to be candidates for good imagery. They almost represent victory, they stood standing. Th...
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Balance and weight
March 10, 2019 - Visual object carry weight. The darker the they are the more visual weight the represent. The larger they are the heavie...
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Reset the Sun
March 03, 2019 - At our Namibian photography workshop (2018) we were shooting a sunset. I got some very nice images. However, all good th...
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Lines and Texture
February 24, 2019 - Look at this image for a little while:
Typically I want to go with the color and where the action is. In this image t...
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Movement and life
February 17, 2019 - Movement and life add a lot of interest to landscape imagery. While in the desert in Namibia photographing I took this i...
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The human element in landscapes
February 10, 2019 - I shoot for a major photo stock agency. My agency will not sell an image with a person in it without me having and suppl...
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Curved lines
February 03, 2019 - Some images are static while others are dynamic. Great compositional tools to help us make more dynamic images are curve...
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Shutter Speeds and Landscapes
January 27, 2019 - For a lot of landscape photography the shutter speed plays second fiddle because depth of field tends to be more importa...
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Capturing the essence of a place
January 20, 2019 - The late Ron Levy, a great photographer and friend, always said that he does his best work after just being in a place,...
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Using Shadows
January 13, 2019 - I am still writing about the desert this week. This is a harsh place and I attempt my best to capture and show that feel...
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Flare
January 06, 2019 - I generally hate flare. To remove flare (which content aware cannot fix) you can create a new layer and set the blend mo...
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The sun as the image
December 30, 2018 - When I was still growing up the adults always used to tell me that you shoot with the sun behind your back. Everytime th...
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Foreground as the image
December 23, 2018 - You often hear me say that depth is what makes good landscape images. To create good depth we need a strong foreground,...
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Simplicity with wonder
December 16, 2018 - Sossusvlei is one of the most photographed landscape hotspots in Southern Africa. This place is the home of some of the...
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Slot Canyons
December 09, 2018 - Slot canyons make wonderful photographs. Those near Page, Arizona, particularly Upper and Lower canyons, are almost usel...
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Putting it all together
December 02, 2018 - I visited Page, Arizona recently and as you can expect I did a lot of photography. There were masses of people. I counte...
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Vertical panorama photography
November 25, 2018 - Most panorama landscape photographs are horizontal panoramas. We typically turn the camera vertically and then shoot a s...
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A special day
November 18, 2018 - A wedding is a special day! As a photographer, I have had many wedding shoots over the years. Many of these days were ve...
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Photographing the Icons
November 11, 2018 - I have written about iconic locations and those trophy images that we all want before. The message has consistently been...
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Post-Processing
November 04, 2018 - Let's face it if you want to be a good photographer you have to be a good post-processor. This does not mean that you ha...
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Composing at night
October 21, 2018 - Night photography can be tricky. It presents various challenges. The most obvious of which is that it is dark. How do yo...
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Be ready!
October 14, 2018 - During our recent photographic workshop in Namibia, I was reminded how important it is to be ready. Many people miss onc...
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Character and composition
October 07, 2018 - When you visit a scene that is a photographic icon you don't want to just get the image that everybody gets. Hopefully,...
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Major Photography Gear Changes
September 30, 2018 - This blog typically covers the art of photography. Most of the time we discuss and image to see what we can learn about...
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Sun Star Position
September 23, 2018 - So who does not like a nice sun star image? Sun star images are popular for a reason; they are stunning. The quality of...
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Post Processing for Balance
September 16, 2018 - A few weeks ago I wrote about contrast and balance. Today I want to talk about post-processing for balance. When I am ou...
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Foregrounds can be very important
September 09, 2018 - Some images do not need much foreground interest. A beach scene with a beautiful lit dramatic sky typically does not rel...
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Get really close
September 02, 2018 - One of the best things you can do to improve your landscape photography is to use a wide-angle lens and then get really...
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Using texture to draw attention
August 26, 2018 - Texture can be used powerfully in photography. The texture of bark, sand, skin, hair, and so forth can be used as a foca...
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Contrast and balance
August 19, 2018 - When photographers speak of contrast they typically refer to light and dark values. However, at times we like to contras...
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Get Close, Shoot From Lower Down
August 12, 2018 - We often plonk our tripods down fully extended and shoot from eye level because it is comfortable to do so. What do you...
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Photograph After Sunset
August 05, 2018 - Many photographers pack up and leave when the sun sets. I have found that I often get my best shots after the sun has go...
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Directing the Viewer's Eyes
July 29, 2018 - One of the goals we have as photographers is to direct the viewer's eyes. We want to pull their eye's into the image. We...
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Think About Your Composition
July 22, 2018 - Photography is half science/technical and half art/vision. When you get to a scene what do you do in terms of your visio...
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Light
July 15, 2018 - If you have read my blogs from the beginning you may remember that the word "photography" means drawing or writing with...
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Shutter Speeds
July 08, 2018 - Before I take any picture I always ask myself: "Is there movement in scene?" If the answer is "no" then I really do not...
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Light, mood and white balance
July 01, 2018 - On a recent workshop at Big Sur, California we visited the same location on two different days. We encountered very diff...
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The human element in landscape photography
June 17, 2018 - When I learnt photography a few purists attempted their best to instill in me the principle of not every including any m...
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Flower Photography
June 10, 2018 - As you know I am a landscape and nature (including wild life) photographer. So, when I talk about flower photography I a...
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Foreground, middle ground and background
June 03, 2018 - One way to get depth in your images is to have a strong foreground, a strong middle ground and a good background. Having...
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Seascapes
May 20, 2018 - Seascapes can be beautiful. The ocean typically offers three different possibilities for great images. Firstly, the main...
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Juxtapose life and death
May 13, 2018 - Drama tends to be exciting, in life and in photography. Drama seems to ask questions, questions that make you look at an...
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Show scale
May 06, 2018 - Crime scenes are always shot with something to give scale. I nature that is sometimes also required to allow the viewer...
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Nap time can be cute
April 29, 2018 - Who does not adore an image of a baby sleeping? Nap time can be so cute. Animals also nap and their nap time images can...
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Add interest to wildlife
April 22, 2018 - Animals can make great imagery. Just like in landscape images you also require good light. The good news is that wild an...
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Capture Mood
April 15, 2018 - Sometimes we just think of the beautiful. We see that wonderful sunset, the vibrant colors. When we are in this frame of...
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Add life to the dead
April 08, 2018 - Kolmanskop in Namibia is a fascinating place. In fact, Namibia is a fascinating country. If you would like to take a pho...
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Using light to invite
April 01, 2018 - In landscape photography we always want to invite the viewer to come into our images. That is why I write so much about...
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The early bird catches the worm
March 25, 2018 - If it is true that the early bird catches the worm it is often also true that the early photographer catches the shot. M...
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Balance, lines and depth
March 18, 2018 - Landscape photography often requires balance. Different colors have different weights. Darks are heavier than lights. Ob...
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A few minutes can make a big difference
March 11, 2018 - A few minutes can make a big difference. When shooting wildlife a few minutes make the difference between seeing the leo...
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Windows and frames
March 04, 2018 - Well I am not talking about man-made windows and frames today. Our interest today is on using nature to frame a scene in...
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The Orton effect
February 25, 2018 - The Orton effect is where in post processing you make the light look more soft, dreamy and glowing (just a bit). This ca...
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Minimalistic Images
February 18, 2018 - Less is sometimes more. Minimalistic images can be impactful. They are typically calming image; images that evoke though...
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Shooting for advertising
February 11, 2018 - There is a slight difference between fine art photography and advertising photography. I take images for both purposes....
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Sun stars
February 04, 2018 - Sun stars appear when the sun is just exposed behind a hard edge and you use a small f stop. Sun stars are strong compos...
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Nasty conditions may present opportunities
January 28, 2018 - For the last two weeks' blogs we are visiting Deadvlei in Namibia. The wind started blowing harder and harder. When you...
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Wait for the right moment
January 21, 2018 - Even fleeting moments have the right moment. Since fleeting moments do not last shoot them fast. Once you have a few ima...
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Go where the action is
January 14, 2018 - Deadvlei is an ancient dry pan with dead acacia trees surrounded by sand dunes. Deadvlei is located in Sossusvlei, Namib...
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Milky-way photography
January 07, 2018 - Night photography is not my bread and butter. It just seems like a one trick pony. All star photography images tend to l...
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Shoot front and back
December 31, 2017 - On a trip to Yosemite I wanted to get some elevation and headed for Sentinel Dome. I was on the dome before sunset. One...
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Water flow and depth
December 24, 2017 - My wife is not a big fan of flowing water in images. She prefers faster shutter speeds that freezes the water more. I ju...
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Backlighting
November 26, 2017 - People seem to be brainwashed to always have the sun behind them when they shoot. I love shooting into the sun. There is...
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Tell a story
November 19, 2017 - A picture is worth a thousand words. Are your images telling a story? How about using a sequence to tell the story?
Ima...
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Get the background totally blurred
November 05, 2017 - Especially when shooting birds, the background has as much influence on the image as the bird itself. The most pleasing...
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Animal photography
October 29, 2017 - Animals can be well camouflaged; their survival depend on it. That makes them difficult to spot. Now that you have spott...
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Birds in flight
October 15, 2017 - Any photographer experienced in bird in flight photography will tell you that it is very tricky. Birds can move very fas...
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Sand dunes
October 01, 2017 - Sand dunes are fascinating and they can be very photogenic. How do we bring the best out in them?
Here are some tricks...
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What about the road?
September 24, 2017 - When I was learning the craft of photography I was very young. I attended photography clubs for years. They taught me mu...
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Animal landscapes
September 17, 2017 - Animals can greatly help your landscape images. They add a sense of scale. They tell a story. They tend to evoke questio...
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Distance on a flat image
September 10, 2017 - You will hear me say this over and over again. We want people to look into our images rather than from side to side. Let...
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Maximizing skyscapes
September 03, 2017 - What is the most interesting, the land or the sky? Whichever is the most interesting should be emphasized. If it is the...
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After sunset image post processing
August 27, 2017 - Let's start with the image today:
This image was taken well after sunset. The foreground was pretty dark by now. Yet th...
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Anticipate good shooting opportunities
August 20, 2017 - It was a long day. We had been up since just after 4 am. We spent all day driving and hiking. We had kept a schedule sim...
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Special phenomena
August 06, 2017 - I am no weather scientist; I wish I was as it may come in very handy in the field of photography. I was shooting a seasc...
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Maximizing rainbows
July 23, 2017 - Who does not love a great rainbow?
It is the rainbow that makes this image. I have said this many times before; when th...
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Multiple lightning strikes during the day
July 16, 2017 - Getting multiple lightning strikes at night is easy; just leave the shutter open for a long while during a lightning sto...
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Using height
July 09, 2017 - There are more ways to create depth beyond just using lead-in lines and light. One can use height. Yes, when you are sho...
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Foreground, middle-ground, and background
July 02, 2017 - Not all photographs are the same. Not all landscape photographs subscribe to the same recipe. Some of them work very wel...
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What you need to make day-time lightning images
June 25, 2017 - Let's look at our example image first today:
This was taken late one afternoon. This was a fairly fast moving storm....
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Lightning adds interest
June 18, 2017 - All of us have seen some great images of dramatic lightning. Most of those images are taken at night. Those images are e...
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Good light
June 11, 2017 - Have you ever stood before a wonderful scene in poor light? How did the images turn out? That bad, uh? Yeah, I have cert...
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Too much cloud-cover?
June 04, 2017 - You are on location. The scene is beautiful. You have all the makings of a good image, but one element is missing. The m...
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Combining lead-in lines with light drawing the viewer in
May 28, 2017 - Over the last month of so, we have been spending a lot of time with lead-in lines. By now you should know how important...
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Size and perspective
May 14, 2017 - Here is an image that I do not consider to be good. Yet, I may actually print this one large. Why? This image is one of...
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Look for the simple and the different
April 23, 2017 - When we are in a place where the main attraction offers many photographic possibilities it is so easy to just look at th...
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Using multiple lead-in lines
April 09, 2017 - Last week we looked at S-curves to lead the viewer into the image. This week we are looking at using multiple lead-in li...
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Looking for curves
April 02, 2017 - Curved lines are more dynamic than straight lines. They take you into the image. They create flow. Sometimes they are ve...
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Strong foregrounds
March 26, 2017 - Strong foregrounds often make strong images. In landscape photography that is usually true if that strong foreground tie...
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All elements working together
March 19, 2017 - I was judging images at a photography club. Eventually, it came down to deciding between the top two images of the night...
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Elevation
March 12, 2017 - Most people walk out to a scene and plonk their tripods down when they have selected a spot to shoot from. They then set...
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Mood
March 05, 2017 - Photographs have mood. Some have more mood than others. At times we can get so overwhelmed by what we see that we focus...
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Using lines
February 26, 2017 - If you regularly read my blog you will know that I am a fan of creating depth in many of my landscape images. I have wri...
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Moving Clouds
February 19, 2017 - Landscape photographers sometimes itch to do something a bit more artistic. When this itch strikes they sometimes move t...
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Creating Massive Panoramas
February 12, 2017 - There are two kinds of panoramas. Firstly, there is the obvious panorama that used a long ratio (very long compared to w...
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Pink and purple hues in the sky
February 05, 2017 - The twilight wedge can produce very nice pink and purple hues in the sky. These colors can be very pleasing with a lands...
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Human elements in landscape images
January 29, 2017 - Many purists who shoot landscape images believe that genuine landscape photography is not to include any man-made elemen...
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Framing an image
January 22, 2017 - Adding compositional objects on the edges of an image can help create a frame to keep the viewer's attention inside your...
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Dodge and Burn
January 15, 2017 - Yes, even in the digital age dodging and burning is still necessary. In fact, dodging and burning can make an image. The...
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Composing for harmony
January 08, 2017 - Let's take a look at the image below:
This location offers a bit of moving room (if it is not lined with other photogra...
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Rain and drama
January 01, 2017 - Most people head for shelter when the rain comes. Pro's drive in as the others leave. We are always seeking drama. We se...
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What iconic image?
December 25, 2016 - Last week I spoke about the T.A. Moulton barn on Mormon row in the Grand Tetons National Park. What would you do if you...
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Get something a bit different
December 18, 2016 - Iconic images are iconic for a reason; they are just great compositions at great places. Getting that trophy image may b...
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Reflections and composition
December 11, 2016 - Landscape photography is not always about great big open spaces. Telephoto lenses can also produce nice landscape images...
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Wait for the break in the storm
December 04, 2016 - Some storms are dramatic with clouds and lightning. Many storms where I live are boring during the storm because the ent...
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The show is not over till it is over
November 27, 2016 - Many photographers get the image they want and then they leave. At other times, when it does not seem as if the elements...
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Processing for shooting into the sun
November 20, 2016 - Disclaimer: never look into the sun; your eyes will be damaged. Do not look into the sun with a camera with an optical v...
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Draw the viewer in
November 13, 2016 - You have read me say this over and over. I cannot say it enough. Amateurs look at an image from side to side - laterally...
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Reflections in water
November 06, 2016 - Reflections in water can greatly improve an image. Many times the reflection cuts the image in two because it cuts right...
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Remember Panoramas
October 30, 2016 - I have written about panoramic photography in a previous blog. I would like to remember this kind of photography today....
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Walking to location
October 23, 2016 - We can be so excited to get to the planned location that we don't even notice any photographic possibilities on the way...
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Simple images
October 09, 2016 - Simple images can be very effective. There are photographers who have built their careers with minimalistic images. You...
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Rainbows
October 02, 2016 - I was driving away from one scene to the next when I spotted a rainbow in my rear view mirror. I stopped and grabbed my...
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Sunset Storms
September 25, 2016 - Always put safety first. Storms can be dangerous. Lightning can jump 10 miles and strike you. Follow the national weathe...
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Cloudy days and post processing
September 18, 2016 - Many photographers prefer not to shoot landscape imagery when it is overcast and cloudy. While it is true that this kind...
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Don't be afraid to shoot into the sun
September 11, 2016 - Be safe; never look into the sun - and not through an optical viewfinder.
The sun adds interest of can often add drama.
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Get really close with a wide angle
September 04, 2016 - I have written on this topic a few times before. The reason I keep on repeating it is to get you away from thinking that...
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Ripples in the sand
August 28, 2016 - Sand by itself may be boring in an image. Sand with ripples are magical. They form lines which you can used to lead your...
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Rainbows
August 21, 2016 - Rainbows are great for photography. They come and they may go quickly. So we need to work fast to get the images we want...
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Asking questions
August 21, 2016 - I have seen really good images in my life. Sometimes those image are great because they ask questions that leave the vie...
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The human element
August 14, 2016 - When I was much younger senior landscape photographers taught me that pure landscapes cannot have any man-made or human...
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Shapes and patterns
August 07, 2016 - When on location we often focus on the grand scene in front of us. As landscape photographers we often forget to look fo...
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Using Shadows
July 31, 2016 - There are many sources of lead in lines; fallen trees, railroad tracks, water, footpaths, roads, etc. One that is often...
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Framing
July 24, 2016 - No, I am not talking about framing your images with wooden frames to hang on the wall. Photographers use a technique cal...
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Lens perspective
July 17, 2016 - Why do we use different lenses? Most people think that we use different lenses to alter how much we can include in the f...
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Lemonade ...
July 10, 2016 - On the last photography workshop we got handed some lemons. Don and I checked in with the people in charge of the park a...
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Be out when others go in (always do what is safe)
July 03, 2016 - Every time I co-instruct a photography workshop I see the same thing. We get up early and hike in the dark to get in the...
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Lens hoods
June 26, 2016 - Lens hoods are wonderful. I hate lens hoods.
The wonderful: If the sun shines directly into your lens you may get flare...
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Do what works for you
June 19, 2016 - Most of us have little quirks or things we do simply because they work for us. In photography we all have our way of sho...
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Planning a shot
June 12, 2016 - I have written a previous blog about planning a shot. Today I would like to show you how to practically work that plan....
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Break Through Photography filters: A Review - Part II
June 05, 2016 - Now that I have used both filters from Break Through Photography I would like to talk about their performance. Polarizer...
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Break Through Photography filters: A review - Part I
May 29, 2016 - Since my switch to the Sony system I have needed to get new filters as the new lenses have different diameters than my C...
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A closer look at river rocks
May 22, 2016 - River beds can be littered with rocks. When we are lucky or plan correctly we find moss on them to add color and interes...
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Mixing cold and warm colors
May 15, 2016 - I love the ocean. I love shooting the ocean using long shutter speeds. The wave movement and sometimes spooky effect is...
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Luminosity Masks
May 01, 2016 - I must admit that I am more of a photographer than an image editor. I come from shooting slide film. Nothing could be co...
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Slow down
April 24, 2016 - Slow down. Slow down with your composition decisions - a tripod kind of forces you to slow down. Slow down in your plann...
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Foreground, middle-ground, and background
April 17, 2016 - Not all images require a foreground (especially when using telephotos in your landscapes). Not all images require a back...
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Use your feet
April 10, 2016 - Ansel Adams was reported to once saying something like "the difference between a great image and a good image is a few f...
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After the rain
April 03, 2016 - When a storm is through get out to shoot. Water adds interest to most shots. Go to locations where the water forms ponds...
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Spring is in the air
March 27, 2016 - Spring is in the air. The flowers are out. Have you been out to shoot? To get the shot you have to be out there... I typ...
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Shooting forest streams: Part III
March 20, 2016 - Have a look at this image:
Here we are not really shooting upstream or downstream, although you do look downstream as t...
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Shooting forest streams: Part II
March 13, 2016 - Most of the time we shoot forest streams by either pointing the camera downstream or upstream. This makes a lot of sense...
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Shooting forest streams: Part I
March 06, 2016 - Part of the reason I love landscape photography is actually not about getting images but being there; enjoying the scene...
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Look for and add interest
February 28, 2016 - We enjoy a great walk in a forest. Forest footpaths make for some good photographic subject matter, but how many footpat...
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Adding the sun
February 21, 2016 - Caution: do not look into the sun it will damage your eyes. I use live view or my Sony's digital viewfinder, but never u...
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Using rocks, logs, and water to form lines
February 14, 2016 - When you are in nature you look into the scene because you have depth perception. You can even estimate the distance to...
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Using flowing water
February 07, 2016 - Flowing water scenes can be so calming. When a slow shutter speed is used the water blurs and typically forms lines beca...
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Second locations
January 31, 2016 - Last week I wrote about and showed this image:
Never be satisfied while the light is still good. Check your histogram...
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Anticipating great light
January 24, 2016 - You have read regularly that I love shooting on the edges of storms. The light is often crips and fresh. The clouds are...
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Remember the small
January 17, 2016 - I am not a person of great stature and have been the object of many jokes growing up or shall I say growing older. As pe...
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So what is all that dynamic range good for?
December 20, 2015 - Many Canon photographers have claimed that they do not need all that dynamic range. Let me just say that not needing som...
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Getting beautiful sun stars
December 06, 2015 - We have all seen shots with great sun stars. They add sparkle and interest to just about any image. Usually there is als...
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Images must have their own merit
November 29, 2015 - A few months ago I read a blog from Iceland discussing how we evaluate our own images based on effort to get. The premis...
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Wildlife photography tips: Part III - Use good composition
November 22, 2015 - Animals and birds do not often cooperate with photographers. At times they turn their backs at us. At other times they j...
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Wildlife photography tips: Part II - Getting better shots
November 15, 2015 - The same tips apply here as we discussed during the bird photography series of blogs a few weeks back. Shots that show i...
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Wildlife photography tips: Part I - Setting up your gear
November 08, 2015 - So you want to shoot wildlife. As discussed before a crop camera is preferred over a full frame camera. A crop camera ha...
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Landscape while on safari: Part II
November 01, 2015 - Most of us do not live within a game park or some place famous for safaris. That means that we have to travel to where w...
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Bird Photography: Part III - Tips
October 11, 2015 - Before taking photographs Julie Chen told me about the behavior of these Turns. As an expert bird photographer she knows...
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Bird Photography: Part II - Mistakes
October 04, 2015 - Julie Chen was kind enough to teach me the finer art of bird photography. Here is what I learned not to do. I will also...
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Bird Photography: Part I - Equipment
September 27, 2015 - I met up with expert bird photographer Julie Chen for a day of shooting. Julie was kind enough to share some of her expe...
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Directing the viewer's eyes: Part III
August 16, 2015 - So last week we talked about using brightness to direct the viewer's eyes to where we want them to look and thereby to e...
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Directing the viewer's eyes: Part II
August 09, 2015 - Last week we said that photographers can direct a viewer's eyes by using brightness, anything different from the rest of...
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The Difference Light Makes
July 12, 2015 - So I have written a few times before that I often go back to the same place, over and over. Why do I do that? Is that no...
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Old Buildings
July 05, 2015 - Old buildings can be fascinating. Many people shoot them from the outside. Many of these buildings can be large and you...
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Still Life Reflections
June 28, 2015 - Still life shots are often in demand because they sell products. They are bought for catalogs and advertisements. They c...
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Birds in Flight
June 21, 2015 - Birds in flight are more interesting than static birds sitting on a perch (although I also enjoy those). The choice of g...
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Airshows Part II
June 14, 2015 - If you have not read last week's blog please do so before you read this week's blog. With that said and you planning to...
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Airshows ...
June 07, 2015 - Airshows provide a nice photo op. Take a long lens for in-flight shots. Take shorter lenses for parked planes. What are...
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Compacting Objects
May 31, 2015 - The good guys are in trouble. The bad guys have a bomb planted, and it is ready to explode. The good guy sees the bomb,...
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Juxtapositioning
May 24, 2015 - "Good bye God, hello Bodie" is what people used to say when they went to this wild western town when the west was still...
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Shooting Snow
May 17, 2015 - Snow shots are difficult to get right. Snow is one of the most reflective surfaces on earth. It reflects so much light t...
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Travel ...
May 10, 2015 - Travel presents great opportunities to get compelling images. Yes, we can get great landscape shots while travelling, bu...
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Fire
May 03, 2015 - When things happen that do not usually happen we have an opportunity to get images we cannot usually get. So when there...
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Light Painting
April 26, 2015 - Light painting can create awesome images. When your camera is set on a long shutter speed, with a small F.Stop, and low...
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Blending Images
April 19, 2015 - Before you crucify me for daring to even talk about blending images together let me just say that I do not add anything...
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Vibration Control
April 12, 2015 - Have you ever shot in the field, examined your shot on your camera's LCD (they look just beautiful and sharp), and got h...
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Printer Calibration
April 05, 2015 - Last week we spoke about the importance of calibrating your monitor. What happens when your monitor is fully calibrated...
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Monitor Calibration
March 29, 2015 - A client just happened to see an image on my screen and fell in love with it. He ordered a print on the spot. The file w...
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Contrast ...
March 22, 2015 - When we talk about contrast in photography we are usually talking about contrast of light (and what we adjust in post pr...
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Harsh(ish) Light - Soft Light
March 15, 2015 - We cannot overemphasize the difference light makes to photography. Photographers have to learn to read light and know wh...
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Slot Canyons
February 22, 2015 - I wish I can be left alone in the Slot Canyons (Page, Arizona) for a day of two. These canyons are made for photographer...
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Shooting Panoramic Images
February 15, 2015 - We have all seen the wiiiiiiiiide images or the taaaaaaaall ones. They can be striking images. How are they made? Did th...
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Canon 50 MP Monster ...
February 08, 2015 - Some time ago I spoke about gear (which I don't often do) and more specifically about mirrorless offerings. Thursday nig...
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Fog ...
February 01, 2015 - There has been many shots that I wanted to shoot but could not because the background was just terrible. In many situati...
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Keep it simple ...
January 25, 2015 - Less is more. I was a judge in a photographic club competition. One shot had great light but it was just too busy (too m...
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Vintage Images ...
January 18, 2015 - There is a lot of old farm implements and old cars strewn around. Many historical parks would love for you to visit. The...
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Shooting Flowers
January 04, 2015 - It cannot be stressed enough that photography is all about the light. I have also written about choosing the right kind...
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Alpen Glow
December 28, 2014 - There is a short time, usually at high elevation, just before sunrise when the sun's light bends over the earth's curvat...
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Get Multiple Shots
December 21, 2014 - Last week we talked about Alpen Glow in the image below:
While I really like this image I never want to walk away fro...
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Shoot Before Sunrise
December 14, 2014 - First light and last light always tend to be the sweetest light. Having observed many photographers during professional...
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Shooting Iconic Scenes
December 07, 2014 - In the photographic world there are certain landscape shots that are famous. They are the great icons on the photographi...
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Shooting Fall Color
November 30, 2014 - Shooting fall color is so exciting because it is so colorful. Cottonwood and Aspen trees (in the West) turn yellow. The...
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Look Behind You
November 23, 2014 - Professional landscape photographers don't take pictures we make them. That means that we spend a lot of time planning a...
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Don't Forget Black and White
November 16, 2014 - Have you ever wondered why Zebras are black and white while all other animals are in color? I don't know either. With im...
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Gear Trends
November 09, 2014 - Much has happened in the last few years in the photo industry. For a landscape photographer one such exciting developmen...
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Shoot while you can
November 02, 2014 - I hate photographic disappointments, probably because when I feel disappointed I really feel bitterly disappointed. It i...
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Control your white balance
October 19, 2014 - White balance sets the color temperature of your shots. Blue is cold while orange is warm. Your camera senses what the c...
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Shoot well after sunset
October 12, 2014 - I have written about waiting for and shooting after sunset before. So here I go again. Often the clouds can be lit very...
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Anticipate and be ready ...
October 05, 2014 - We where at this spot well before sunset. I looked at the clouds that were half way between the sun and the island. The...
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Working fast ...
September 28, 2014 - One thinks of landscape photography as a slow endeavor. In deed I have waited many hours for the light to change; many t...
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Take a professional workshop ...
September 21, 2014 - I will be assisting veteran pro photographer Don Smith (http://www.donsmithphotography.com) in teaching two professional...
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Add something for scale
September 14, 2014 - Sometimes the size of objects can be deceiving in photos. The magnitude of large elements can get lost. Small elements c...
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Lines create depth
September 07, 2014 - We have spoken about lead in lines and depth over and over again. So why is it addressed again? The reason is simple. Am...
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Camera settings for action
August 31, 2014 - When our subject is moving fast, we have to pick a shutter speed that will freeze the action (unless we are shooting a w...
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Change your position, change the perspective
August 24, 2014 - This trip to Newfoundland was the first time in my life that I saw an iceberg. Growing up in Africa does not particularl...
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Find a foreground element
August 17, 2014 - Last week we talked about shooting in the woods. A great topic to shoot in forests is footpaths. They form good lead in...
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Shooting in the woods
August 10, 2014 - Last week I spoke about drab gray skies. Shooting in the woods when the sky acts as a giant diffuser is a great idea; so...
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How to deal with drab gray skies
August 03, 2014 - So I had a great time visiting Newfoundland, Canada. There are literally great photo opportunities around every corner....
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Processing Raw files
June 22, 2014 - Today's blog is for beginners. If you already process raw files you are not going to learn anything new today. If you ar...
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What is cooking with Raw and JPG?
June 15, 2014 - So many beginners want to know whether to shoot in Raw or JPG. The answer is not always as simple as this one or that on...
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Streaks of light
June 08, 2014 - A week or so ago I was in San Francisco for meetings. On the way there I stopped over on Yerba Buena island to photograp...
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Sometimes darkness is the only option
June 01, 2014 - Photography is about light. Light usually comes from the sun which means we shoot when there is enough light to see. I a...
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Shooting seascapes
May 25, 2014 - I just love the ocean. I love the roar of the waves. I love watching the waves break. It is so calming. So how do we get...
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Animals as part of the landscape
May 18, 2014 - Taking photographs of animals is great fun. We love to watch them. They are often very photogenic. Working close to anim...
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Let's remember our manners
May 11, 2014 - Photographers work hard. We carry heavy gear. We hike long distances. We brave the weather. We walk in darkness. Let's n...
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Play with Perspective
May 04, 2014 - On safari we encounter animals, that is why we go on safari. Typically, people photograph these animals in the same way.
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Shooting at night
April 27, 2014 - Who says we can't shoot at night? Because we don't see well at night does not mean that the camera can't. Night shooting...
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Return to familiar grounds
April 20, 2014 - Someone once said that serious amateur photographers make better images than professional photographers. He went on to e...
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Work the scene
April 13, 2014 - One scene can produce multiple different shots, therefore work the scene. I found Death Valley difficult to shoot at fir...
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We love bad weather!
April 06, 2014 - Generally people do not like bad weather. Photographers are a different breed. We love bad weather. Bad weather could me...
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Landscape does not always refer to Grandscape
March 30, 2014 - Last week we looked at composition. One of the points made was that we often like to include something of interest right...
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Composition
March 23, 2014 - Non-photographers just shoot. Photographers think about where they place what in the image. Well how do photographers mo...
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Learning the Basics: Part 2 (for beginners)
March 16, 2014 - Another part of the technical aspect of photography is exposure (how bright or dark the image is). F-Stops and shutter s...
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Tell a Story
March 02, 2014 - Have you ever looked at a photograph which evoked question after question? Have you ever looked at a photograph that mad...
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Just add water ...
February 23, 2014 - Water is usually very photogenic. Just add water to your image (in good light, of course) and you usually have a better...
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6 Must Have Photography Apps
February 16, 2014 - 6 Must Have Photography Apps
I have done many searches on Google and in App Stores for "Photography Apps". The results...
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Taking Pictures versus Making Pictures
February 09, 2014 - Taking Pictures versus Making Pictures
Non-photographers take pictures. Photographers make pictures. I have heard many...
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Train your companions
February 02, 2014 - Train your companions
When shooting animals on safari you cannot use a tripod. There are some gear you can fasten to th...
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Wait ...
January 26, 2014 - Wait...
Yosemite is an exciting place to photograph. During one long weekend stay the weather was horrible. It was rain...
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To use Filters or not to
January 19, 2014 - To use filters or not to
Every photography sales person wants to sell you filters because they generally have high prof...
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It is not all about gear
January 12, 2014 - It is not all about gear
In the film days a cheap camera and a very expensive camera produced the same quality image be...
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It is all about the light
January 04, 2014 - It is all about the light
Many people think that creating great images is about shooting in exotic locations. Photograp...
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