CATEGORY “TIPS & TECHNIQUES”
Featuring photographic tips and techniques to help you improve your photography including creative advice
Minimize reaction time, Maximize efficiency and miss fewer shots by mastering these 6 functions
In April 2027 Lauri and I will raft the Grand Canyon. It will be our third private trip and second running it in packrafts - small personal rafts that are only 7 feet long. Though we’ve been paddling whitewater for decades, I am concerned about my ability to...
Optimal Camera Focus Set Up For Virtually All Situations
One of my main goals as a photographer who’s had successful career shooting action photography in lifestyle and adventure sports was to have a focus system that is accurate, easy to operate and fast to adapt to different situations. The idea is, if one method...
Bad Weather Means Great Images! How To Shoot In Difficult Light
In this 2-day wet weather event in Zion National Park, I am always ready to exploit a short break in the clouds, known as “sucker holes.” This particular break on the West Temple with some fresh snow was about a 10-minute event early in the morning. It was the best...
Minimalism and Efficiency – The Keys to Enjoyable Outdoor Photography As We Age
In 2016 I had a major transformation in my approach to photography gear and couldn’t be happier today. I had to adapt to the reality of aging and not being able to carry the loads I used to carry. That year, during my 736 mile backpack trip through the state of...
Are You Doing Background Checks Before You Shoot?
Almost every nature subject we photograph has a background that relates to it. One of the most critical creative skills to develop as a photographer is making, choosing or designing a background that works with and adds to the image. Unfortunately, many images depict...
Mastering Backlight: How and when to shoot into the sun
For Maximum Brilliance, Beautiful Contrast And Glowing Color
If you’ve ever shot slide film, you know that a transparency looks its best on a light table - lit from behind with maximum brilliance and color. Backlight produces the most dramatic light and the strongest, boldest colors, especially in the sky and other...
My Favorite Light For Landscape Photography
George Lepp, who was a Canon Explorer of Light and long-time regular contributor to Outdoor Photographer Magazine (no longer published), once said, (I’m paraphrasing at bit): “It’s not about the subject. It’s about the LIGHT on the subject.” How right he was and still...
How to Best Photograph Northern Lights
You need four things to come together to get really good aurora imagery. The first 3 are out of our control and largely a matter of luck and placing yourself in the right location at the right time. The fourth takes the most effort and skill to execute. 1....
How do I operate my camera and keep my hands warm?
Keeping hands warm and being able to feel and operate camera controls and your tripod is the biggest challenge for photographers for cold weather shooting. This is the hardest part of your winter outfit to get right. Like everything else in your winter apparel system,...
Creative Tips for Us Regular People: How to Effectively Add Scale to Your Landscape Images
Even after 35 years in Alaska I am still amazed with the scale of the mountains and landscape. On our latest trip to the Peruvian Andes, I was even more blown away by the size, scale and prominence of the peaks and canyons. Including a recognizable living...