Ever had that moment when you nail your shot—whether it’s a crisp product photo, a gorgeous portrait, or a dreamy sunset—and then BAM, you open your files and notice a weird color cast? Ugh, right? Don’t worry, friend, a trusty gray card to the rescue! In this guide, we’ll walk through: Why a gray card is your color-balance BFF When […]
There’s no shortage of photography knowledge out there. From the countless tutorials on YouTube to detailed blog posts like the ones right here, you could spend a lifetime learning about aperture, shutter speed, and sensor sizes — all without ever stepping foot in a classroom. With so many free and low-cost resources available online, it’s fair to ask: does it […]
Let’s talk about one of the trickiest little dance steps in the life of a photographer: saying no when a friend or family member asks you to shoot something—for free. If you’ve ever been guilted into bringing your camera to a cousin’s baby shower “just for a few shots,” or you’ve gotten the ol’ “hey, you’re already going to be […]
Photography, like almost every hobby, is expensive, and the camera lens and body you buy is only the beginning of the expenditure needed to enter and stay competitive in the photography game. If you are like me, and don’t have unlimited funds to spend on photography, it can be confusing to determine what will get you the biggest bang for […]
The Sacred Significance of Native Headdresses Let’s start with the basics: Native headdresses (like the Plains tribes’ war bonnets) are not just decorative hats – they are deeply spiritual and earned symbols of honor. In many Indigenous cultures, every feather in a headdress is earned through an act of bravery or leadership. These aren’t items you can buy at a […]
One of the most common questions I get is: “how do I choose the right lens for what I am shooting?” It seems like there are a million choices they are all in millimeters and they have f numbers attached to them. What the heck is the difference between a prime and variable aperture zoom/telephoto lens? Do I need a […]
‘ ’ . … ‘ Leonard Nimoy. Remembering Leonard Nimoy who died nine years ago today, on the 27th of February 2015, at the age of 83. Was an accomplished actor Nimoy was a passionate, well published photographer, who first picked up a camera at the age of thirteen. Over the years, Nimoy had numerous exhibitions and publications to his […]
Lighting modifiers can be very confusing. I’m often asked about the difference between the light dispersal pattern for a beauty dish and a softbox when shooting portraits. Other questions you might have are: should I buy a beauty dish? Or is there a difference between a fold up beauty dish and one of those hard to store solid units? and […]
A few weeks ago, I was asked by Stellar Data recovery to test their software and review it from the perspective of a photographer. They provided me a 30-day license key so I could review their software from a clear and unbiased perspective. One of the most terrifying things about being a photographer is the fear of losing important images. […]
Disappointing news for any Canon shooter who use the 5D line. I personally shoot the Canon 5DMkIV (and the MKIII) and was looking forward to the announcement of its successor. Canon will discontinue the 5D line of cameras, apparently going all in on their new mirrorless R5 and R6 as the first in line for the new 5 series. This […]
I hang around in a lot of the online photography forums and often find myself wanting to say things that would be considered inflammatory or just in bad taste. This is a short list of some of the things I ask my monitor when I see “those” shots. Cool job on the HDR, let me guess, are you a […]
I have done a ton of research and sorted out the best way to open RAW files on your computer. I have also figured out the best way to resolve the issues with opening RAW images from a newer camera on an older version of Lightroom. As a bonus, I have also discovered the best way to catalog and keep […]
Long-time camera industry member Olympus announced today that they would be selling their imaging division to Japan Industrial Partners who bought the lagging Vaio laptop brand six years ago from Sony Corp. and turned it into Vaio Corp. Japan Industrial Partners has experience resurrecting failing consumer brands. I don’t think anyone considers Vaio’s laptops as top of the line by […]
Sony has released a product advisory for some of their SD cards where the data would be corrupted when being written by a camera or even worse not written at all. If you use Sony SD cards make sure to take some time to check the information below ato see if your cards are affected by this issue. The notice—first […]
We often hear about shooting in RAW versus .jpg, what is the RAW format and why is it better than .jpg? Once you have a RAW file how do you get it back into .jpg format to share it online? Why do RAW files look drab compared to the image displayed on the back of your camera? All good questions, […]
Recently I posted an article about my Native American heritage, you can read the original article here. In that article I talked about the practice of using Native Headdresses as props in portrait photography and why that isn’t ok. I spend a lot of time in photography forums attempting to educate photographers on Native culture and why it is offensive […]
In 1999 a car accident left me with no vision in one eye and 5% low functioning vision in the other. In the small corner of vision I have remaining, I can see light and shadow and color. I picked up my camera and began shooting seriously in 2000. My love of photography began in 1986 in college. My parents […]
I often call out cliché photography styles on this blog. A simple search will yield articles on overused HDR, selective color and shooting on train tracks and roads. I totally get it, these styles are the go-to when you are just starting out as a photographer, and often portraits clients want to shoot on train tracks. We as photographers need […]
Financial assistance for photographers The great folks at Fstoppers put together a list of financial resources to help working photographers through this tough time. Maybe you want to apply for a grant for that project you have been working on and find yourself with the time to finish now that many of us are under stay at home orders. Check […]
Well Well Well… look where we are today. Many of us are sequestered at home (some voluntarily and some not), in an effort to quell the spread of COVID-19, nearly all of my photographer friends have stopped seeing clients and are spending their time looking for something to do. I have compiled a list of ideas to direct your time […]
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