Where the Rio Grande winds its way through desolate countryside between Texas and Mexico, there is a large bend in the river. On the north side of this bend is a national park aptly named Big Bend National Park. Measured in land area, it is one of the larger national parks (over 800,000 acres). Measured… Continue reading Texas: Chisos Mountains (Big Bend National Park)
Photography Articles
Find Creativity in Photography: Connect the Dots
or Using the Practical to Become Creative Do you want to become more creative? I think we all do. But how do you do that? By focusing on creativity itself? I really don’t think so. In fact, I don’t think you can really teach creativity. But at the same time, I don’t think creativity is something you… Continue reading Find Creativity in Photography: Connect the Dots
The Lens for Your Next Big Trip
A question I seem to get pretty frequently is, “I’m going on a big 2-week trip to [exotic location], so what lens do you think I should buy?” My answer usually surprises them. I tell them don’t buy any lens at all. Rather, rent a lens. Judging from the surprise I get when I tell… Continue reading The Lens for Your Next Big Trip
Photo Organization Made Simple
My guess is that you want your photos to be organized, but do not want to spend any time worrying about it. You want to be able to find your photos quickly. There is nothing worse than looking through a bunch of folders for a photo you know you have somewhere, but being unable to… Continue reading Photo Organization Made Simple
Photographing the Milky Way: A Checklist and Some Resources
In a sense, photographing the Milky Way is easy. Composition is easy since the subject is obviously the Milky Way and you just aim at that. Your choice of lens/focal length is simple because you always shoot with your widest focal length to minimize the movement in the stars. Even your exposure settings are simple because… Continue reading Photographing the Milky Way: A Checklist and Some Resources
Introducing Lightroom Classic (and what Adobe’s changes mean for you)
The photography world was atwitter this week following an announcement by Adobe regarding changes to Lightroom. If you are catching wind of any of it, you may have questions about what is going on (people tend to get pretty riled up when Adobe makes changes to Photoshop or Lightroom). Here is what you need to… Continue reading Introducing Lightroom Classic (and what Adobe’s changes mean for you)
The Best Choices for On-Camera and Off-Camera Lighting
For those who want to dabble in lighting without spending a fortune. If you are like me, you would like add some light to your photos on occasion. Not all the time – and I’m certainly not looking to become a portrait photographer or anything – but perhaps you would like to have some lighting handy… Continue reading The Best Choices for On-Camera and Off-Camera Lighting
Washington Coast: Rialto Beach
Rialto Beach is one of the most scenic areas of coastline in the state of Washington. It is a beach that is dominated bye sea stacks with trees growing out the top of them. It is technically within Olympic National Park, although the coastal areas are separated from the main body of the park. Getting… Continue reading Washington Coast: Rialto Beach
Applying Focus Techniques
In a prior article, I showed you the mechanics of focus and how to go about using it in your outdoor photography. In this video, I walk through some pictures to show you how I put those techniques to work in my own photos. Hopefully this gives you some ideas on where to focus in your… Continue reading Applying Focus Techniques
Why Not Use Shutter Priority Mode?
When it comes to choosing the mode to use on your camera, the two choices that virtually everyone (myself included) recommends are either Manual mode (M on the mode dial) or Aperture Priority mode (A or Av). The rationale for Manual mode is that, while it is surely the slowest one to set and use,… Continue reading Why Not Use Shutter Priority Mode?
My New Top 8 Travel Planning Tips for Photographers
I previously wrote an article with some overall travel planning tips for photographers. These were primarily tools to help you find the best locations and shots. As I have taken more and more trips in recent years, however, I have discovered a few more. Some of these relate to the finding of photographs, and some… Continue reading My New Top 8 Travel Planning Tips for Photographers
Drones: The Best New Tool for Outdoor Photography?
I just returned from Ireland, where I spent two weeks photographing the countryside and coastline. While I was there, I had something of a revelation. I realized that, if I was forced to choose between bringing only my trusty DSLR or my drone, I’d choose the drone. That surprised me. I never planned on getting… Continue reading Drones: The Best New Tool for Outdoor Photography?
New Mini-Course: Learn Lightroom in Under an Hour
I’ve created a new mini-course that I call “A Flying Leap into Lightroom.” It is designed for those just getting started with Lightroom. You can learn all about it and watch the videos on this page. Enjoy!
Should You Turn Off Image Stabilization When Using a Tripod?
I don’t put much stock in conventional wisdom. It is not that I make a conscious decision to ignore it, but I just seem to naturally recoil from it. Sometimes that serves me well in that I don’t accept things that are wrong or useless, but other times it causes me to spend a lot… Continue reading Should You Turn Off Image Stabilization When Using a Tripod?
Video: Getting Started Using Curves
Curves adjustment layers in Photoshop are super-powerful. When it comes to adjusting brightness, contrast, and color, there is no more powerful tool. But they can appear complicated and somewhat intimidating. Let me walk you though a few ways to dip your toe into the waters of Curves through this video: If you’d rather read about… Continue reading Video: Getting Started Using Curves