Even when I’m in that high vibrational state, where I feel at one with the environment and where the art of photography seems like innate intuition, it’s not. It’s like driving a car: you can cruise on auto-pilot but that’s only because you’ve put in many miles of experience behind the wheel. Photography only comes easily after you’ve shot thousands … Read More
Photo Detective Challenge – How was this “shot” taken?
I only recently installed MacOS Catalina, even though it was released 7 months ago. Apple as usual, uses a stunning landscape photo of a California landmark for the wallpaper. That evening, I sat and admired it on my huge 27” Retina screen, just revelling in the crisp, fine detail of the photo. Just endless eye candy. Then something funny happened. … Read More
How to Turn Daylight into Night
There are several reasons to shoot at nighttime. Sometimes you want to create a gloomy, scary or heavy atmosphere. Sometimes the story or subject you want to illustrate occurred at night. But what to do if you are at your location in the middle of the day with no chance to return later? That’s what happened to me. It was … Read More
MightyGoods.com – the great bag interview
I love talking about gear. What photographer doesn’t? Last month I got the chance to do a lot of “talking” about it when Mighty Goods website interviewed me. Along with 15 other outdoor photographers, of course. It’s a website devoted to bags of all sorts and they represent some great options for photographers, from lightweight to serious. I own a … Read More
Tripods and heads for Bird Photography
A tripod comes with three features: the legs, the head and the mount. Each is an important choice. Needless to say, the more solid and heavier the tripod, the more sturdily it will hold your long lens. A well-built tripod will last decades (like my magnificent and trusty Benbo as you can see by these pics). The legs should splay … Read More
The Story Behind the Green And Golden Bell Frog Image
It was the magic year of 2000. Everyone had breathed a sigh of relief that our computers and systems hadn’t gone haywire. In Sydney it was the time of the Olympics. Energy was high. Somehow the threatened Green and Golden Bell Frog became emblematic of this productive and heartfelt era. I was on assignment for Australian Geographic to do a story … Read More
Take better photos with your smartphone
You can take great photos with your smartphone – as long as you remember two things: The smartphone is for internet use only. The quality is not adequate for print, unless it’s postcard size or smaller. This is due the the small format, i.e., the sensor in the iPhone is smaller than your little fingernail. Others may argue that you … Read More
A quick lesson in quick lighting
What makes this family “portrait” so pleasing? No, it’s not the fact that it’s my family – my sister and nephews. It’s the lighting. My sister has taken this “selfie” while keeping in mind all the rules of a good photo: 1. Tight cropping. She’s not afraid to even chop a bit off one of the heads. There is still … Read More
A Powerful Story (or The One That Got Away)
As a nature and wildlife photographer I’m outdoors a lot and I often get into scrapes. They make entertaining stories to share on blogs and elsewhere. One time, however, it was my photographic subject that got into one – or almost. I was walking home one cool August night, in the quiet seaside village of Pearl Beach where I used … Read More
5 Steps to Buying a Tripod
So many of my students avoid tripods. Sure, they bring them to the workshops, but then they diligently avoid using them until I just about take a leg off and beat them with it. The reason they don’t want to use them is because they’ve brought along a tripod that is painful to use. You know the ones; they are … Read More
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