Think of this as a public service announcement. Today, I’m going to discuss how to avoid smashing your equipment, day or night. I’m not a great example of this, so this is one of those cases where you should do
The short version Northern Hemisphere: Wait until “Milky Way season,” about April through October. Get away from light. Look south. Southern Hemisphere: Wait until “Milky Way season,” about September through March. Get away from light. Look high up. Short and
I often get asked about what mobile apps I use for night photography. When I mention that one of my favorites is Clear Outside, most people have never heard of it. However, I app-solutely (um, sorry) love this app and
I wanted a vivid, bold composition of a subject that had been photographed a fair amount by other night photographers. This was photographed at a desert art installation known as the International Car Forest of the Last Church outside Goldfield,
How you pack and organize your belongings for hiking or travel directly impacts your experience. This is true of all forms of photography, but perhaps especially night photography. After all, you will need to access your belongings repeatedly in the
Although I do night photography, I usually don’t photograph specific celestial events. But I had never photographed a comet before, and I couldn’t stay away. Planning the location Finding where the comet would be visible was simple since it would
I was instant messaging with a night photographer I had known mostly online for a few years when he extended the invitation: “It’s a secret area that only a few of us know. There’s no trails, and we have to
Road trips are exciting. The long drives, strange music, late night taco stands, the fascinating conversations. But if you do a little bit of homework, you can take a good road trip and make it epic. You don’t need to
Luck sometimes favors the prepared. I had put all my ducks in a row. Back in July 2018, I had contacted Cal Tech to obtain permission to photograph Owens Valley Radio Telescope near Bishop, CA. They had contacted security to
I do long exposure photography almost exclusively, so I look for specific qualities in ball heads. If I am adjusting the ball head in the dark for a series of photos for stacking for Milky Way photos or two-hour long
My philosophy is that regardless of whether it you are photographing the night sky or not, it’s all about the composition, where the subject matter still counts. Rarely for me is the night sky the subject matter. I’m particularly fascinated
I recently traveled to West Papua, Indonesia to dive the epicenter of marine biodiversity, Raja Ampat (“Four Kings” in Indonesian). In addition to incredible fish life, manta rays and a profusion of fans, corals and colors, the area has an
How do you go about photographing a surprise proposal photography session? How do you price them so they’re attractive to clients, yet profitable for you? Some of the popular requests we get at our studio are for surprise proposal photography
The subject of monetizing personal projects is near and dear to my heart. I put together a ninety-minute presentation about the subject and shared it with my fellow photographers to a wonderful reception. A phone call leads to art In
As humans, we are multi-faceted beings but not without imperfections. We are often insecure about these flaws, especially the physical ones since they are readily visible. This insecurity often manifests in not being comfortable being in front of the lens,
Got a room with a view? Make the most of it: Set up your camera to shoot a time-lapse movie. It’s a great way to capture the unfolding of time when you’re on a vacation or business trip, or to
There’s no question that astrophotography is one of the most interesting genres to get into. Photographing deep sky objects is especially exciting and rewarding, whether you’re a beginner or already years into it. However, to be able to make the
When it comes to landscape and travel photography, do you try to capture what thousands already have? Or do you look for something a little more unique? Perhaps you are asking, how can I make my travel pictures more interesting?
“Fisheye lenses are gimmicks.” Lots of photographers think so. Most have never used one, but I don’t travel without one. The 15mm f/2.8 fisheye lens from Sigma is less than three inches in diameter and length. It weighs in at
Aurora HDR is not a piece of software I use very often. But it’s one that is nice to have in my toy/toolbox to play with when I feel the need to try something different. This particular time though, I
Food photography is commonly mistaken as something that makes our mouths water. While that is definitely one of the uses of the genre, it also pays to be aware of other ways to get creative with it. Food is such
This image that you see right here — the cover one — is a photo I took with a triathlon athlete for her blog. Did I get money for that? No. Am I happy with that? Yes. Will I do
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