Some big news!

Landscapes of the Body See more of the Project at the link above.  New work, new partnetships I’m extremely happy to announce that our Landscapes of the Body project will be expanding over the coming year. We are partnering with The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Art (@Warholfdn) and Redline Contemporary Art Center of Denver (RedLineDenver) to expand the work […]

Choosing the right SD or CF card for your camera

When it comes to choosing the right memory card for your camera, there is no shortage of choices. SD, CF, CF Express, MicroSD, SDXC the choices seem endless and there is a lot of conflicting information about the best type and brand to choose. Even worse, in online reviews, it often feels like the reviewers have spent little or no […]

Ten years with my ND filter, do you need one?

When we start in photography, just like any other art form, it’s fun to explore and experiment with different modifiers, lights, and gear to help us try and sort out our artistic style. I started shooting seriously in 2000 but waited until 2013 to buy my first ND filter. Now that we are ten years in, what brand of ND […]

Lightpainting, a fun and easy portrait technique

Are you looking for a simple, fun, and creative way to spice up your portraiture? I created this image in a single frame (no photoshop other than to adjust the shadows) with a single strobe and some stuff I found lying around the house. The technique is called light painting, and depending on the light source you use and it’s […]

Preparing for your first photo exhibition

After spending some time in the photography journey, many shooters find themselves with a number of good to great quality images in their portfolio. Around this time, the aspiring photographer will seek out opportunities to exhibit and sell their work. How long should one wait before showing their work or approaching galleries for inclusion into group exhibitions? How much should […]

Should I buy/use a C stand in my photography?

A C Stand is a heavy metal stand which holds its roots in early film production. The stands were used to hold lights, modifiers, silks, backgrounds and much more on film sets. Their stability and versatility make them a staple for any studio work. One of the most common questions I get is what is a C Stand, and do […]

Camera with a screen reader

There are a lot of visually impaired people who use still cameras as an important tool to capture a scene (like birthday party, or other special event) and see it later on a larger computer monitor. The inherent problem with this solution is that until recently, there were no DSLR cameras available with accessible menus. In late 2021, Sony launched […]

Are AI photo editors harming the photography industry?

AI (Artificial Intelligence) photo editing has been around for a few years now. How have programs which implement Machine Learning and AI to simplify complex editing tasks changed the photography industry? What are the positives and negatives for utilizing these programs in your editing workflow, and what is on the horizon? The driving forces If you are a professional landscape […]

Product Photography Basics

Many photographers see shooting products as fiddley and boring, they would rather be outdoors capturing a new landscape or a sporting event. I get it, hanging out in the studio moving lights a quarter of an inch at a time to get the perfect illumination on your subject is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you are looking at getting […]

Grand Teton Reverses Controversial Plan to Require Portrait Photo Permits

Over a decade ago, the Federal Government outlined exactly the circumstances when a photographer would need to obtain a permit to shoot in a National Park. From the legislation: The Parks “shall not require a permit or assess a fee for still photography in a System unit if the photography takes place where members of the public are generally allowed,” […]

Luminar Neo Review

I have been using Luminar in my workflow for a few years now. I always found the program to have specific uses in my photography workflow, in earlier versions I liked the color adjustments a bit better than Lightroom, and in later versions I liked the Accent AI for the vibrance it added to an image when used in subtle […]

Shooting big events, is it worth it?

In a recent article by Dan Zafra from PetaPixel, the ugly truth about shooting big locations and events is revealed. Dan talks about his experience shooting Yosemite’s Firefall. Once a year during the first couple weeks of February, the sun lights up Yosemite Horsetail Falls giving it a lava-like or fire-like appearance. The rampant popularity f photography has caused events […]

Lessons learned form the Marshall Fire

As a photographer, most of us are completely focused on creating new work. Whether you shoot landscapes, weddings, portraits or products, we are all constantly amassing new folders of work. Most of the photographers I work with have a hard drive that sits on their desk that gets new files placed onto it once a week, month, or quarter depending […]

Are cheap photographers ruining the market?

Before we go further, I should present a warning that some opinions in this article may be triggering for many professional-level photographers. Today’s topic is: do cheap/budget photographers hurt the market as a whole? I know a ton of pro and non-pro photographers and I have spent many hours pondering and debating this question. Every market has them Whether you […]

The difference between a beauty dish and a softbox

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 […]

Stellar Data Recovery software

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. […]

Canon to discontinue the 5D line of cameras.

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 […]

Ten things you want to say when critiquing a photo

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 […]