I've become a fan of Platypod Ultra. It's got all the best features of the original Pro and the larger Max, and it fits in my back pocket. It goes everywhere I go from road trips to long hikes. I use it in airports, cities, and other places tripods just aren't safe to use. Let me show you some of the ways I've been employing Ultra in my photography and you'll see that you should have one, too. Group Portraits This is an easy way to use Ultra, and since it's small and light you can have a solid platform for your camera with you all the time. … [Read more...] about Shoot Anywhere With Platypod Ultra
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HDR 101: How To Keep Important Details in HDR’s
Shooting a set of pictures with bracketed exposures and combining them in HDR software is the best way to record all the details in a scene, even in very dark and very bright areas. The software, like Photomatix, does a great job of making all the details visible. However, there are times when the details included with the HDR are not what you want in your finished photograph. HDR photos of people are often not flattering because there's too much skin detail, and even landscape details may not be what you wanted to emphasize in your finished … [Read more...] about HDR 101: How To Keep Important Details in HDR’s
Attach Your Camera To A Railing for a Unique Perspective
It’s been said that if you want better pictures you need to put your camera in better places. One better place to put your camera is where there are bridges and railings. These are usually elevated and offer a different perspective than we get from street level. Let’s take a look at some examples. You’ll often find thick cement railings on bridges. This one is a modern bridge in Chicago, but anywhere the Civil Conservation Corps worked in the 1930’s you’ll also find terrific bridges with wide railings. National parks and other high traffic … [Read more...] about Attach Your Camera To A Railing for a Unique Perspective
Drobo 5N User Review–It’ll Make You A Superhero
12You've probably had the experience of a client calling with an urgent need for a photo that you have in your image library (which, of course, is safely backed up using a Drobo or other RAID/NAS system). You'd be happy to help your client, but the picture is on the drive at the office, or at home, and you're traveling and won't be back for a week. Normally, you'd have to say, "I'm sorry, I can't help you until Monday." However, if you're using the Drobo 5N, you've got a solid way to help your client and solidify yourself as a superhero in … [Read more...] about Drobo 5N User Review–It’ll Make You A Superhero
Looking for a Hiking Tripod? Platypod Max is It
I hike every week with my family, and I travel by air and shoot in other cities every month. You and I both know that using a tripod unlocks picture opportunities that just can't be made without one. I can use it for super long exposures to blur the sea and clouds, or reduce traffic to trails of light down the road, and make waterfalls that pour smoothly into eternity. However, carrying a tripod can be wearisome. Just thinking about carrying it on a seven-mile hike makes my shoulders and legs hurt. I know I need a tripod, and I know my … [Read more...] about Looking for a Hiking Tripod? Platypod Max is It
Photographer of the Day: Nick Nieto
Category: Nature Photographer: Nick Nieto Title: Spiritual Falls What a lush, evocative image! Nieto masterfully uses to a slow shutter to capture the waterfall as a series of silky ribbons. Dark stone and just the right amount of "pop" in the green moss pulls everything in this image together to make it live up to the name: Spiritual Falls. Photo originally shared here in Photofocus' 500px group. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Nick Nieto
Photographer of the Day: Paul Krippler
Category: Nature Photographer: Paul Krippler Title: Flow At times, the best way to put nature in focus is to contrast it against machinery. Krippler does so with great effect in this image. The silky, slow shutter waterfall dominates the foreground while a fairly modern dam looks on. Great execution. Great juxstaposition. Great image. Photo originally shared here in Photofocus' 500px group. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Paul Krippler
Camera Requirements for Long-Exposure Water Photography
This is an excerpt from Nicole's new eBook, Waterfalls & Waves. CLICK HERE to download a FREE chapter! The most important thing to consider when photographing long exposures is control. You need to have complete, manual control of your camera settings, particularly the shutter speed, and you also need the ability to set your camera to Bulb mode (also called Time mode on some cameras). Most DSLRs and mirrorless camera bodies will accommodate this, and the particular brand you choose is not important. As long as it allows you to manually … [Read more...] about Camera Requirements for Long-Exposure Water Photography
Five Beautiful Waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest
Before I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2011, I had never seen a waterfall. I suppose you wouldn't expect to see one in the middle of Brooklyn or Manhattan, where I grew up. So, you could imagine my incredulous amazement when one of my colleagues from my former employer, onOne Software, took me to see my first waterfall. Since then, Ive had the fortune of visiting many more waterfalls in Oregon and Washington, each offering its own charm and varying degrees of distance and difficulty to get to. So, Id like to share five beautiful waterfalls … [Read more...] about Five Beautiful Waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest
How To Make Smooth Waterfall Photographs
Nikon D800, 50mm f/1.4 lens, f/11, 1/3s, ISO 100, 7 frame panorama. I recently read an article claiming that photographs including smooth running water are clich, over-done, boring, and not worth making again. For those who believe, as I do, that every photograph you desire to make is worth making, here's how it's done in three parts. Stabilize it. That smooth water is made by recording the image of water moving by over time, and that means you've got to leave the shutter open for a comparatively long time. If you don't steady the camera, … [Read more...] about How To Make Smooth Waterfall Photographs
Creating a Waterfall Image
On a recent trip to Costa Rica, I set out to capture a great waterfall image. The problem is that no one exposure would do the job. I could capture the sky, and the trees were muddy. If I captured the trees, the sky blew out. The Solution Solving this problem was pretty easy. It was a combination of production and post. I put the camera on my tripod and attached a remote to minimize vibration. These are "should do" and not "must do" steps. Photomatix is very forgiving here with alignment options. I set the camera to /22 to get a LONG … [Read more...] about Creating a Waterfall Image
