Tips
So this one's going to be a little different. I recently had the insanely humbling experience of being a guest on the popular Improve Photography podcast with Jim Harmer. We recorded the show with the understanding that it could, or could not be, posted. Well, the team at ImprovePhotography.com were gracious enough to post it this week. The topic we discussed was '5 Photo Projects You Can Start And Finish In A Weekend,' and
Read MoreAs I was standing in Yosemite's Tuolumne Meadows a few weeks ago, awaiting the sunset, I was on a sandbar off to the north side of the Tuolumne River east of bridge leading towards Soda Springs. As I stood there framing the shot, I got the elements I liked, and the light was just about to be perfect. The focus of this one was the light dancing upon the top of Cathedral Peak and Unicorn Peak and the trees on the ridgline below it. As the light started to bounce off those treetops and the peaks, I began to snap a few frames. I was delighted.
Read More"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wises grows it under his feet.” -James Oppenheim ** From me to you, There’s This Week’s Monday Kick In The Yahoo! ** Feel It!
Read MoreSo all that hype about the ‘super moon’ that we’ve heard not only this month but last month and sometime back earlier this year as well? Well, this is more of it! Apparently this weekend, on Sunday, August 10, is the superest of all super moons (at least in 2014). Scientists like to get all loose and crazy and call it a ‘perigee full moon,’ basically meaning it’s the closest the moon will be to earth this year. Anyhow, along with all the hype about the super moon itself, for us photographers, comes all the hype about how to photograph the super moon, so here are my obligatory tips on how to photograph the super super moon.
Read MoreThere is nothing scarier for a photographer than the prospect of losing or having their gear stolen. Just typing that sentence brought on the beginnings of a panic attack. Between the bodies and lenses, it’s not out of the ordinary to be carrying 5, 6, tens of thousands of dollars or more of equipment in that bag strapped across your back. And it’s not the money that’s the important part, it’s the fact that for many of us, it’s our livelihood. We lose our gear, we lose our jobs. Granted we now have great outlets like BorrowLenses.com and LensRentals.com to help tide us over until we can replace our gear, and there are great insurance options geared towards photographers, but Lenstag proves to be the ultimate free extra layer of security.
Read More"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination." -Albert Einstein** From me to you, There’s This Week’s Monday Kick In The Yahoo! ** Feel It!
Read MoreSo I fought it for a year. And I fought it hard. I didn’t want to rent it. I wanted to rightfully own it. The way I have for years. The way we all have for years. Why should I have to ‘rent’ the software I need for my work? Why can’t I buy it anymore? It made no sense. And it didn’t seem right. And it didn’t seem fair. So there was only one thing left to do. Rent the software. Yeah, that’s right, I did it. I made the switch to the Adobe Creative Cloud. And here’s why it finally just had to happen.
Read MorePhotographers bread and butter depends 100% on their camera and their camera gear, and the simple fact that this gear must be on our backs at all times, very often in sketchy situations and locations, lends to the necessity of insurance for their gear. There are many options for insurance tailored to photographers and creatives, so here are a few of those to check out:
Read More"If you see the illusion you are enlightened,
but if you think that you are enlightened,
you are in the illusion!”
-Papaji
**
From me to you, There’s This Week’s
Monday Kick In The Yahoo!
**
Do It!
Read MoreWith Apple opening up controls to iPhone’s native camera in the soon-to-be-released iOS 8, allowing access to manual photo controls, and the fact that the iPhone camera is already the most popular camera phone, we might just see a significant uptick in the quality of all those selfies and your coworkers lunches, cats, and margaritas (well that depends on how many margaritas I suppose). Most people that use their iPhones as cameras use the native app, and with that comes no controls other than aspect ratio and front or rear facing camera, and most third party apps that offer some version of manual controls proving either clunky or digitally over-ambitious at best. But now, with iOS 8, they're going to see a lot of options that they may have never even heard of before.
Read MoreIt eventually happens to every new photographer. You’re out in the field. You’re setting up to make a shot, and you see others around you setting up for a shot, only, some of these people have these strange contraptions attached to the front of their lens. It looks like a huge piece of square glass. You sit there. You stare. You wonder. And when you get back home, you Google ‘square things on lens.’ The first time this happened to me, I was set up to shoot some images of Bonsai Rock in Lake Tahoe, California several years back.
Read More
“Instead Of Trying To Be The Mountain,
Be The Valley Of The Universe.
All Things Will Come To You.”
-Tao Te Ching
**
From me to you, There's This Week’s
Monday Kick In The Yahoo!
**
Be Inspired!
So one of the best ways to learn photography is to assist another photographer, which I've had the pleasure of recently doing for photographer Stephen Chiang. While getting a photographer assistant gig may seem like a tough nut to crack, you’d be surprised at how many people can or will refer you just by putting out a simple call on your Facebook or Twitter or Google Plus account. Photographers are everywhere and every single one of them can use some help, and what separates those that are helping them and those that are thinking about helping them? Well…those that are helping them asked if they can. While it may not turn into a regular gig, it’s a marvelous step in building a new network, gaining some trust amongst your peers, and best of all, learning your craft hands on. And to maximize that effort, here are a few things to remember when assisting a photographer.
Read MoreI recently found myself standing in front of a stunning vista in the Santa Monica Mountains. It was June 21, 2014. The Summer Solstice. And the sun was just about to set behind the mountains, leaving a beautiful show of colors and clouds and reflections and highlights and vivid shadows in it’s wake. There was another group of photographers at the other end of the overlook and they were doing what most photographers first instinct is to do…pay full attention to the focal point of their image, the subject they wish to draw attention to, and everything else came secondary.
Read MoreIf you read this blog regularly, you’ll know that one of my primary sources of income is photographing real estate and properties for various clients ranging from Airbnb to real estate companies and management companies. After doing this for the past 3 years, I’ve managed to pick up a few tips and pointers along the way that have made my job a LOT easier. Here are 7 of them:
Read More
“The Mind That Perceives The Limitation...Is The Limitation." -Buddha
From me to you, Here’s this week's Monday Kick In The Yahoo!
Be Inspired!
A few months back, I was on a photo trip up north in the Pacific Northwest and it was incredible. I’m sure you’ve already heard me gush enough about it. Anyhow, our hosts were friends of the guy that hired me, who not only graciously allowed us to commandeer their home for a week, but also one of their cars. They were some of the warmest, most hospitable people I’ve ever met and it was incredible how they were immediately able to diffuse any anxieties about staying with strangers.
Read MoreI was recently asked by a friend of mine who runs Ocean Walk Pet Sitting to shoot a few candid shots of one of his clients dogs so that he can present them as a gift to the client. Since this was, one, for a good friend, and two, another excuse to be outside in the sunshine on the beach with a camera, how could I say no? It’s not the first time I’ve done pet photography as I've shot some of his client’s pets in the past, so I knew a bit of what to expect, and I was able to draw on what I had learned the last time and apply them to this session. Here are 8 pet photography takeaway tips from those sessions that I wish I knew right away:
Read MoreWhen most people think sharpening in Photoshop, they understandably default to the ’Sharpen’ or ‘Unsharp Mask’ filters. But since I learned this trick a few years back, I don’t believe I’ve opened a single one of Photoshop’s native sharpen plugins a single time. Instead, I’ve relied on one of the ‘Other’ filters in that ‘Filter’ menu -
Read More
“If you’re not lost, you’re not much of an explorer” -John Perry Barlow
Monday’s suck. Yes. It’s never easy to get back into the swing of things after a weekend, especially a long holiday weekend, so I figured I’d try to do a little thing to hopefully ease the transition a bit. While the rest of each week's posts will focus on tips, tricks, and journeys, every Monday I’ll be posting a motivational post - an image with a quote, mantra, saying, tao - to try to focus on and remember throughout the week. Easily digestable - quick - bite-sized stuffs and things.
Admittedly I’m selfishly doing this for a personal kick in the arse at the opening of each week, but figured perhaps you all can get something from it as well!
So, From me to you, Here’s the first Monday Kick In The Yahoo!
