Approaching The Scene 066
This Saturday I'm off to Patagonia. Last week I talked about what photo gear I was bringing and I had a number of viewers ask me how I travel internationally with my tall tripod. In this video I'll show you exactly how I pack it as well as other critical gear. I also address the question about which of the two Nikon Z cameras I more highly recommend.
New Portland Workshop, Moonrise Shoots and Apple's New Mac Pro.
(Links Below) I'm planning a moonrise shoot for my summer 2020 Portland, Oregon workshop, so I thought I'd share my process for being in the right place to incorporate the moon into landscapes and cityscapes. I'll show you how to use a combination of phone apps and website to figure out where to set up. Afterwards I talk a bit about Apple's new Mac Pro specs and build options and then take some questions about Nikon's Z6 and Z7 cameras. Finally I'll show some cool updates in the latest version of my favorite camera strap.
Upcoming Portland, Oregon workshop
Newly updated links to all the gear I use
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The Photographer's Ephemeris Webapp
Thanks to everyone for the great questions you are sending in. Keep them coming either in the comments below or by emailing me directly.
Approaching The Scene 016: Low-light Handheld Photography
I just wrapped up leading a workshop to photograph a candlelit festival in Mexico. We went light and handheld relying on the incredible high ISO performance of our modern digital sensors with fast prime lenses. In this video I'll pass along some of the lessons we learned while taking you on a tour of Michoacan and it's Dia de Muertos festival. It was a blast.
ATS 015: Packing for Dia De Muertos in Michoacan
When this episode goes live, I'll be teaching a workshop in Michoacan Mexico for Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead). One of my favorite celebrations in one of my favorite places. Choosing what gear to pack for a big trip like this -- it's one of the hardest things we photographers have to do. Here I'll show you what I'm taking with me on a trip that combines handheld, low-light street photography with landscape and travel. All the gear I showcase is linked below.
ATS 014: Sharpening & Noise Reduction When & How
Lets talk about noise reduction and sharpening. I've had a lot of questions about when to sharpen images as well as how to sharpen and do noise reduction both in Adobe's Lightroom and ON1's Photo RAW. In this video I'll talk about when sharpening makes a difference and show you my workflow in both Lightroom and ON1's brand new Photo RAW 2019 which I'm beta testing for them.
ATS 013: How to Clean Your Sensor
Eventually it happens to everyone, You get back from a shoot and find your images are littered with sensor dust. As an photographer of kiteboarding, mountaineering and desert adventures I have to constantly check and clean my sensor. With mirrorless cameras and their exposed sensors, the problem is even worse. In this video I'll show you how to clean your sensor and then take a question about slotted filters vs round filters.
Sensor Gel Stick (approved for Sony), Sensor Light, and Rocket Blower
ATS 012: A Lightweight, Affordable Fluid Head System
If you follow me, then you know I think fluid heads are much better than ball heads for both stills and video. I'm frequently asked whether there is a lighter and/or more affordable fluid head solution. Well — I've found this Benro system that is both. At $350 for the carbon legs, leveling base and head, it's a screaming deal. At 5 pounds, it's surprisingly light for a solid fluid head that goes to eye level without raising the center column. At the end I cover a question about using step up adaptor rings with filters.
Pickup my Pano eBbook.
ATS 011: Focus Blending, Focus Breathing, & Fall Color
Sometimes it's impossible to get a single sharp image from the foreground to the background even stopped down to a narrow aperture with a wide angle. That's where focus blending (or stacking) comes in. What is focus blending and how does focus breathing complicate using this technique? Watch and I'll demystify that and show how I overcome focus breathing in the process.
It's fall and the colors are changing here in Portland. I'll work through a focus blended fall color image to show how this technique works while answering some questions and giving a sneak peak of my new Syrp Genie II Linear motion controller.
ATS 010: Capturing a Lowlight Scene Handheld
Skeletons, candles, children on the street late at night -- no this isn't Halloween -- it’s Michoacan's Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. In this video I'll take you on a tour of this incredible place and cultural event while I cover how I created one of my favorite images of moving subjects handheld in low light. Spoiler alert: I had to leave an incredible margarita melting away to capture it. From equipment choice and settings to having the right state of mind, I'll cover how I approached this scene.
I'm headed back to Michoacan with a very small group of photographers in late October for a special, all-inclusive workshop. A last minute cancellation has left a couple of spots open. If you're interested, more details are here.