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The Warmup

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The WarmupWhat photo would you say is the one you’re least prepared to take? For me, it’s the very first photo on any given day. Have you ever gone out for a day of nature photography, regardless of your subject preference, and find that when you go to shoot that very first photo something is “off?” I’m not referring to an equipment checklist, I’m talking about a preparedness checklist.

Although an equipment checklist is a good idea and you should always make sure you are bringing everything you think you will possibly need on any given day. But here’s what happens to me. And, if it happens to you then read on. When I’m done photographing for the day I usually just download my images and put my batteries on a charger. I might check a few things and rearrange my pack to the order I had but that’s pretty much it. I rarely go and look at anything else as far as where I left my camera settings at.

So, to help with the potential mistake of not being 100% ready the next day, what I’ve begun to do as part of my routine is to go through the motions of taking that first photo as soon as I step out of my vehicle. That’s when you’ll notice you had your ISO set for the last time you were out and it may not be what you want to use right now. Maybe it was near dark and you pushed your ISO to 800 but today is bright and sunny. You might prefer something in the low 100’s. You may have forgotten to re-format your card. Or, perhaps you left your lens on manual focus because you were photographing wildflowers the day before, but today you’re shooting something where you’d want autofocus. Each of us I’m sure will have different circumstances and issues. [Read more…] about The Warmup

Check Out Our New Gear Page

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Recommended Gear
One of the most common questions I get by email is about what camera gear I use and would recommend. So, I thought it was time to create a “recommended gear” page here on PN.

You can check it out at: https://photonaturalist.com/recommended-gear/

You’ll notice that I only listed a few products, and that I’ve only listed Canon gear. I decided to only include stuff that I’ve personally used and would recommend to a friend. I believe ANY camera or lens is capable of creating remarkable images, but Canon is just what I happen to use. [Read more…] about Check Out Our New Gear Page

Why You Shouldn’t Carry Too Much Gear

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Photo by Martin Taylor
Photo by Martin Taylor
A few weeks ago I had a horrible accident: I cracked the LCD screen cover on the back of my Canon 5D Mk II.

I was carrying two cameras at the time, and wanted to change lenses on my other camera, so I put the 5D on my tripod, and began switching lenses on my other camera. Then, about ten seconds later, my tripod fell backwards (with the 5D still on it), and there just happened to be a big rock where the 5D landed 😉

I sat there staring at my 5D on the ground for about five minutes, terrified of the damage I’d see when I picked up the camera. [Read more…] about Why You Shouldn’t Carry Too Much Gear

Be Careful Where You Buy Your Camera Gear

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Photo by Martin Taylor
Photo by Martin Taylor
Photography is an expensive hobby. So, it’s always tempting to look for the lowest price on some new gear you need.

But, unfortunately, there’s a lot of counterfeit gear out there and many retailers mislabel items on their website. So, it’s important to use a little caution when shopping for new gear.

For example, a few months ago, photographer Lee Morris (from the great blog, F-Stoppers) purchased a Nikon MB-D11 battery grip on Amazon for $216. It turned out to be a fake (even though “Nikon” was written all over it), that normally sells for about $40.

There’s also a lot of unauthorized retailers out there that usually have attractively low prices, but many of them will end up shipping you fake stuff (if they even ship you anything at all).

So, who can you trust? [Read more…] about Be Careful Where You Buy Your Camera Gear

New eBook on Wildflower Photography!

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Wildflower Photography (eBook)Today, I’m happy to announce that the new edition of my eBook on wildflower photography is now available.

The eBook is a complete guide to photographing wildflowers with a digital SLR. It will teach you how to take stunning photos of wildflowers, and how to post-process them in Adobe Photoshop (CS 4 or later and Elements 8 or later). [Read more…] about New eBook on Wildflower Photography!

Learn by Example in my new eBook!

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Today, I’m happy to announce that my new eBook, Examples, is now available. It’s a collection of 23 of my images and the stories of how those images were made.

The idea was inspired by my firm belief that the best way to learn something is by example. As Albert Einstein put it, “Learning by example isn’t the best way to learn. It’s the only way to learn.”

I remember countless times back in school when I was struggling to understand something, but as soon as the teacher gave us an example or stepped through a problem detail by detail, I finally began to understand.

Examples help us pull concepts together and see how those concepts apply to actual problems. And, that’s my goal for this eBook. Throughout the book, you’ll find a number of links to blog posts I’ve written, or other helpful websites I’ve found that explain a concept I used to create an image. [Read more…] about Learn by Example in my new eBook!