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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

What is the difference between RAW and .jpg?

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, […]