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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Low angles
November 12, 2017 - You have heard me say that too often we shoot at eye level when shooting from a lower angle may be better. I have said t...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Landscape while on safari: Part I
October 25, 2015 - You are in a game park. Animals abound. Your camera is mated to a long lens. You shoot animals all day, every day. As yo...
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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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Photographic workshops: Part II
August 30, 2015 - Last week we talked about selecting the right workshop to meet your needs. Today we are discussing how to make the best...
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Photographic workshops: Part I
August 23, 2015 - In a previous blog I touted the importance of attending a photographic workshop if you really want to learn a lot and ge...
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Directing the viewer's eyes: Part I
August 02, 2015 - Typically when we talk about directing the viewer's eyes we refer to composition. Where and how you place things in the...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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