Think Tank asked me to check out this rolling bag and my back thanks them. This is a really nice bag to travel with.
Buy it here
Think Tank asked me to check out this rolling bag and my back thanks them. This is a really nice bag to travel with.
Buy it here
This August 21st a total solar eclipse will cross the United States from Oregon to South Carolina. This is a huge event and a great opportunity for us photographers.
The last time a total eclipse was visible from this country outside of Alaska or Hawaii was 1979 in the Pacific Northwest. February clouds unfortunately obscured it.
In this video, I’ll explain why this total solar eclipse is so special, share some online maps and electronic scouting tools to help you plan where and how to photograph it, go over what gear you’ll need to get the best eclipse images possible and talk about some camera settings and technical strategies to capture those images. (Links are below)
Read MoreThis little light is impressive. It's built to abuse, ridiculously powerful, waterproof, tiny, affordable and energy efficient. After testing it out, it's earned a spot in my bag. In this 5 minute video review I'll show you why.
Get one for your next adventure:
What a blast Blake Rudis of F64 Academy and I had in Moab last week! We had good weather, amazing scenery even some time with the Milky way. Blake and I most of our nights perched on little ledges shooting the milky way or hiking into position for great dawn locations. We got a bit of sleep cat napping between scouting sessions in the middle of the day. Aches National Park was our focus, but Canyonlands was obviously a place to come back and explore with more time.
I'll toss out a few preliminary pics below, but I have thousands to wade through later this month. No time now though. I'm off tomorrow to climb and ski Mount Whitney and then photograph Death Valley. I'll be posting on social along the way for those who want to follow the adventure.
Read MoreThis is a new series of multimedia posts I'm launching to tell the stories behind capturing some of my favorite portfolio images. To accomplish that I'll mix it up with a blend of photographs, audio clips and/or video.
This is the story behind one of my very first digital panoramic images: a 3-frame merger of Mount Whitney in 2005 using my very first DSLR, a Nikon D70. That year was really a turning point for me. I bought both my first DSLR as well as my first backcountry ski-mountaineering gear. I was instantly obsessed with...
Read MoreWhether on an adventure or hanging out with friends, I love to photograph people. Successful portraits tell a story about the subject and I love the challenge of finding that story in the capture. Sometimes it's a look, other times it's the backdrop, the environment but how the image is processed is also key. Each and every portrait I care about is carefully edited using one of these core presets as a starting point.
Soft Light: Is perfect for well lit or open shade portraits where you want to lightly boost contrast and add a bit of glow alongside a slight drop in saturation.
Classic Rogue: gives that high-contrast, low-saturation modernest look. It's a go to preset in my workflow.
Choose your platform (Lightroom or ON1), check out the installation instructions and in minutes you can be adding a more professional look to your portraits.
Included with each preset pack is a short instructional video I created to help you integrate these presets into your workflow with ease.
Also...
Don't miss the Core Landscape Presets. Much like the portraits, I use them every single time I edit.
I'm now booking spots in three fun and exciting 2017 Workshops. These are small, highly interactive workshops and space is limited.
There's nothing like a photo adventure on Oregon's wild and scenic coast. This location has something for every photographic style and taste. In this small workshop we'll spend time in the classroom and field honing your photographic skills and creative vision through training, shooting, editing and critiques. $300 secures your place.
This is a unique rare opportunity to join me for a rare photographic adventure. As a small group we will scout, train and prepare to capture the total eclipse in some of Oregon's most spectacular locations on August 21st. Any and all are welcome to join me for the big event on the 21st. $300 secures your place.
We'll talk about safely storing and backing up your data as well as a top to bottom run through using Adobe's Lightroom CC to store and edit your images as well as how to print, geotag and create slideshows within it. My goal is for everyone to end the day feeling confident to use all of Lightroom's power to organize, edit, print and share images. All this for just $95.
I'm frequently asked what the weird looking tripod head in my training videos is and why I use it. I use fluid heads. Wondering what a fluid head is? Watch this video to see why you might prefer one too. If you know about fluid heads, but you think they are too expensive, heavy or complicated, watch this video to see me debunk that. I think that anyone who regularly uses a ball head will have a hard time going back after using a fluid head for just one photo shoot.
Update: Part 2, Connecting Your Camera
Here's a list of the gear I feature in this video with Amazon links.
Manfrotto MVH500AH Fluid Head (1.9 lbs /$135 It's an insane deal on a better head)
Spare Fluid Head Plate (for long lenses, etc)
Arca Swiss Clamp (I screw this to the head's mounting plate)
2nd Clamp (clamp this into the clamp above to fit lens foot rails at 90 degrees)
Induro Grand Stealth Carbon Tripod (choose the style & size)
Induro Leveling Adaptor (leveling bowl and flat mount that I use)
Alternate bowl and leveling adaptor (a little cheaper)
Leveling adaptor for non-bowl Tripod (if you want to use this with center-column legs)
Acratech Ultimate Ballhead (my ultralight setup)
Wimberly Sidekick (the gimbal ballhead adaptor I show at the end)
Cheaper alternative to Sidekick (I haven't used this, but it gets good reviews)
Sachtler FSB-6 (my favorite head, but 4.4 pounds and over $1200)
Gitzo GT3543XLS (my favorite tripod, so tall, light, versatile, and expensive)
Each landscape photo I create is carefully edited in Lightroom, ON1's Photo RAW or both using one of my core landscape presets as a starting point. I'm constantly updating and improving these presets. Having just finished a 2017 update, I thought I would share two favorites for free.
Deep Shade & Sky: is perfect for those images where the deep shadows are underexposed to protect late evening or early morning skies.
Predawn Gold: This is the preset I reach for to pop those predawn or post sunset cloud color extravaganzas while lightly boosting shadow detail and protecting highlights.
Choose your platform (Lightroom or ON1), check out the installation instructions and in minutes you can be adding a more professional look to your landscapes.
Included with each preset pack is a short instructional video I created to help you integrate these presets into your workflow with ease. The Lightroom Preset pack has it's own video, here's the ON1 Photo RAW one...
Only 10 spots available in this intimate photo workshop where you'll join me on the Oregon Coast for 3 days of photo training, shooting and editing. Our home base will be Canon Beach.
There are few better places to photograph and spend time than the Pacific Northwest's majestic coastline. From it's rugged beaches and fishing towns to it's lighthouses and wildlife, it's a dream photographic location. In this workshop we'll do more than find epic places to put our tripods. We'll talk about exposure, field technique, editing, gear and developing your own creative vision.
A $300 deposit reserves your spot.