Jason Hahn

Jason is a multi-genre professional photographer, instructor, writer, digital artist, and guide. He started his career as a professional wildlife and nature photographer, later expanding his expertise and portfolio to include a wide variety of subjects, skills, and styles. Everything from nature and travel, to studio and model photography.

When not writing about himself in the third person, he enjoys sunsets and long walks on the beach while carrying 40 pounds of camera gear. He can most often be found hiking up a mountain, hunting down a good burger joint, or enjoying time in the great outdoors.

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Photographer of the Day: Denis Malciu

Jason Hahn

The image “1” by Denis Malciu displays a perfect choice of composing in black and white, simplifying what could have otherwise been a very busy photo. As the crowd stands in rapt attention to the dancer’s performance, they frame the dancers instead of competing with them. Imagine if instead this photo was presented in color. The dancers could have easily gotten lost against that sea of people and the variety of textures and colors they are wearing. Instead the photographer works purely with light and contrast. Though small in the frame, the dancers take center stage in the image, drawing your attention directly to them, captivating you as they did the crowd.

Get Ready to Remote, Part 1: Simple Camera Traps For Wildlife

Jason Hahn

Go out into the great outdoors. Find a place that animals like to hang out when people aren’t around. Set up your camera to automatically a photo of them when they do show up. Leave it there. Come back tomorrow and see if you got any shots. Repeat it all over again until you get the shots you need. Welcome to Remote Camera Traps!

In previous articles I’ve shared the different ways I’ve used Platypods in my photography. Possibly one of the best uses I have found is in helping set up a successful remote camera trap. The Platypod adds flexibility to the placement of your camera and lighting equipment that can make your trapping endeavors much more likely to pay off with great images.

Photographer of the Day: in the streets of vienna

Jason Hahn

Simplicity and symmetry are the first two things that grab one’s attention in the image “lost in white”. The moment of the women in mid stride is perfectly framed by the columns, her black outfit in stark contrast to the white building she walks past. One of the smallest details that adds life to the image is the raised foot and slight bit of motion blur. This creates the sense of movement in the image, bringing her and it to life, a beautiful example of a decisive moment captured.

Photographer of the Day: Pierre Pichot

Jason Hahn

One of the most powerful aspects of photography is its ability elicit emotions in us. But, our emotions can also change how we perceive an image. The first time I saw the Pierre Pichot’s photo “Ghost_19” I thought, “Cool, that has a great dark mood, it’s kinda creepy”. The next time, “It seems very melancholy, I wonder who that is and what they are thinking”. The next time, “It feels like there is a sense of foreboding, like something bad is about to happen”. Each time I saw something different, because I was feeling something different before I looked at the image. The photographer has created a scene where it conveys a dark mood, but they have left enough to our imaginations for us to dream up a story. It is a powerful image, because it engages us, drawing on our emotions to complete the scene.

What to Do When Your Camera Gets Dropped in Water

Jason Hahn

I recently noticed my camera had a lot of dirt on it, so I took it to the nearest creek and threw it in for a good scrubbing. OK, maybe not, what actually happened was every photographer’s nightmare. Setting up on the side of a creek to photograph a series of rapids, I tripped, with the result of my camera getting a solid dunking.

Now, speaking from experience, this is what we call an “Oh Sh!@#t!!!…” moment. A 10 on the “Brown Pants” scale. In other words, an unpleasant experience. However, quick action and a proper drying out process can, in some cases, save your gear from an untimely demise. Despite its underwater expedition, my DSLR is still alive and well thanks to the tips below.

Photographer of the Day: Rafa Velazquez

Jason Hahn

Category: Street Photography Photograph: “Amigos en Pedraza. Segovia. Spain” by Rafa Velazquez Even if you aren’t fluent in Spanish, you probably know that “amigos” means

How to Transform Your Travel Tripod into a Light Stand for Flashes

Jason Hahn

Being an outdoor/adventure/”hike all over the place” type of photographer, I love any gear that can do more than one job, without weighing a ton. When you have to backpack everything in, you learn to simplify and use as much multipurpose lightweight gear, as possible.
One trick I have learned is to turn my Oben travel tripod into a light stand for flashes or continuous lights. At just a few pounds, it’s light enough to hike with, and serves double duty as either a camera or flash support. This versatility means it gets a place in my pack, instead of staying home with more specialized gear that won’t make the hike.

How to Finish Your Wild Animal Photos With Tone Mapping

Jason Hahn

Funny thing about animals is they move around, a lot. So a technique like HDR, which requires several images that are nearly identical in everything

Photographer of the Day: P Sterling Images

Jason Hahn

Category: Street Photography Photograph: Friday night in the City…. by P Sterling Images The two composition concepts that I find appealing and done well in

How to Remove Noise with a Luminosity Layer in Aurora HDR 2018

Jason Hahn

HDR (High Dynamic Range) processing of your photos by its nature can result in a lot of noise or graininess in your final image. While Macphun’s new Aurora HDR 2018 for PC’s does a great job overall reducing noise, there are still times when noisy areas appear in your processed HDR. This can be caused by many reasons, but most commonly it’s due to your settings in camera (such as shooting at too high of an ISO) or any image processing you have done to your images before merging them in Aurora (such as exposure adjustments). Regardless of the cause, you can remove most of this noise by using a “Luminosity Layer”. This technique saves a lot of time, giving you consistently good-looking results, quickly.

Oben CT-3451 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod and included BE-113T Ball Head.

Gear Review: Oben CT-3551 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod and BE-113T Ball Head

Jason Hahn

A lightweight travel tripod is a handy piece of equipment for every photographer to have in their gear collection. There are times where larger, heavier, “workhorse” tripods are not the right tool for the job, or places where they are too cumbersome to transport and use. On the lookout for a new one, a few months ago I got my hands on the Oben CT-3551 Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod and BE-113T Ball Head.

After unpacking it my first thought was “Wow this thing is light, I’m going to break it.” But, half a year later with pretty constant use, it shows few signs of wear and tear. In that time, it has been used for landscape, travel, and macro photography, in various locations and conditions.

Photographer of the Day: Patrick Gorden

Jason Hahn

Category: Street Photography Photograph: “Concentration” by Patrick Gorden The aptly titled “Concentration” by Patrick Gorden gives us an intimate view into a scene of an

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