Posts | Dan Bailey's Adventure Photography Blog

Personal and Pro Insight, Reviews and Recommendations

New – fotoQuote Pro 7 Photo Pricing Software Includes iOS Mobile Version

What if someone wants to buy one of your photos or license an image for stock usage. How much should you charge?

If you ever find yourself trying to answer this question, then you should just plunk down the money and get fotoQuote Pro.

fotoQuote by Cradoc Software has been the definitive, industry standard for stock and assignment pricing software for over 20 years, and they’ve just upgrade the program to version 7.

This new update features a large number of new stock usage types, including social media, apps, mobile content and even stock footage. In total, 86 new categories have been added, which means that fotoQuote now has info for over 300 possible stock photo usage types.

It also contains updated assignment photography line item pricing and video editing, as well as a database for your clients if you use the program as a standalone version. fotoQuote Pro is included in Cradoc’s comprehensive photography business software package, fotoBiz X, which includes a client database, but if you already have a client/billing solution, then you’d probably just want the stand alone version of fotoQuote.

In addition to the pricing calculator, fotoQuote has a number of other powerful features that can help you run your photography business more efficiently. The Usage Tips and Coach sections gives you valuable insight that will help you negotiate with your client in order to close the sale and get the best price for your images. It tells you what questions to ask and provides detailed information about different types of uses, and even gives you sample phone scripts.

In the new Version 7, the Usage tips and Coach sections have been overhauled in order to reflect the most relevant info and usage types in the rapidly changing industry.

The Stock Quote section lets you build stock photo quotes for your clients that include image thumbnails and all the usage details. This is a great tool, because it gets everything in writing and reduces any possible miscommunications about the deal that might be forgotten down the road.

The new Assignment Photography Price Guide included in fotoQuote Pro 7 is packed with information about good practices, assignment pricing strategies and negotiating tips that have been compiled from a list of working pro photographers.

This section features tips for pricing a wide range of photography jobs, from small editorial shoots to large scale advertising or corporate assignments that command very big budgets, and even video productions. With over 35 coaching tips, you’ll get the pricing and copyright information you need to tackle any number of shoot types, no matter how big or small.

“

Great program for pricing images. A must have if you freelance. #Fotoquote #photojournalism

Yunghi Kim

fotoQuote iOS Mobile App

With the new release, Cradoc has created an companion iOS version of fotoQuote Pro 7, and if you order or upgrade before December 31, you’ll get it at no additional cost. (Sorry, no Android right now.) I’m really excited about this, because it means I can use fotoQuote when I’m away from my desk and laptop, or when traveling light with only an iPad.

If you sell or have any intention of selling your photos as stock, or if you shoot assignment work, fotoQuote Pro is a must-have solution for your photography business. With the information it provides, it will pay for itself with one job or sale, and it will help you get the price you deserve.

I’ve been a dedicated fotoQuote user for my entire 20+ year photography career and I swear by the program. Having coached many photographers over the year about how to price their photos, I cannot stress enough how valuable this program is. There is no other program on the market like this, so if you are looking for a way to price your work, this is it.

December 15, 2016

New – fotoQuote Pro 7 Photo Pricing Software Includes iOS Mobile Version

Featured Images

Aerial Photography Season Has Begun!

Moonrise behind Mount Gilbert, Chugach Mountains, Alaska

December is my kick-off month for aerial photography season here in Alaska. Although I love shooting mountain landscapes throughout the year, the combination of heavy snow and our low winter sun makes for some very dramatic lighting conditions on the snowy terrain.

Shooting from my 1947 Cessna 120 bush plane, while soaring high over expanses of endless peaks and wide open glaciers, I’m able to get vantage points I’d never be able to get from the ground.

In fact, given the limitless number of possible flight patterns over terrain, I’d venture to stay that I’m able to get totally unique imagery that no one has ever shot before. I’m sure that some of these peaks had never been photographed by anyone, until I came whizzing by in my little Cessna; at least not in this kind of light.

I’ve been especially looking forward to aerial photography season this year, ever since I got the Fujifilm X-T2 back in May. I’ve had great luck shooting aerials in the past with the X-T1, X-T10 and even the X10/X20, mostly because I absolutely LOVE how these types of scenes look with the Velvia film simulation. Having shot Velvia film in the past, it’s a very familiar look for me.

The X-T2 has the new higher resolution sensor and improved color rendition, so I’ve been excited to take it mountain hunting in the sky with me. So far, so good.

I usually shoot aerials from my plane with primes, my favorite kit being the 35mm f/2, 56mm f/1.2 and 90mm f/2, but knowing that the moonrise would coincide with sunset yesterday, I took the 50-140mm f/2.8 lens with me so I could get some “big moon shots.” The image of Mt. Gilbert at the top was shot with the 50-140.

The sunset south flank of Peak 6870. Chugach Mountains, Alaska — The sunset south flank of Peak 6870.

In the past, it was often quite challenging to even figure out what some of these peaks are, since most of them are unnamed. Now I fly with a GPS, and as I’m editing my photos, I import the track right into Photo Mechanic. This allows me to see exactly where I was when I took each shot and reference with an actual topo map of the area. (I use Topozone.)

Of course, flying in the wintertime in Alaska presents certain challenges. I spend almost an hour preheating the engine with an MSR stove and a piece of aluminum duct while I brush snow off the wings, shovel out my parking spot and remove my wing and engine covers. Yesterday it was about 1 degree F when I started the preheat bake.

After takeoff, I climb to around 7,500′ and go chase the good light as it hits cool looking formations. When I find something I like, I open the window and shoot as I fly by or make shallow circles around certain peaks. I steer with my left hand and shoot with my right, using the LCD screen on my Fuji mirrorless cameras to compose.

The window stays open for much of my flight, so things get pretty cold in the cockpit, which is kind of drafty anyway. If it’s 0 degrees on the ground, it can easily be 10 below and colder up high, but sometimes, as it was yesterday, an inversion can actually make it warmer up high than it is on the ground.

Peak 5541, Chugach Mountains, Alaska. — Peak 5541 (at right), standing tall above Harriman Fjord

This little collection of peaks above are some of my favorites. They form a ridge on the northeast side of Harriman Fjord on the edge of Prince William Sound. I first photographed them two years ago but I didn’t have a GPS with me during that flight. I kind of remembered my flight pattern from that day, but it took me over a year to nail down the location.

With the help of a Chugach Powder Guides heli ski guide and Google Earth, we were eventually able to identify the mountain at right as Peak 5541. My favorite one in this group is the pointy peak in the middle, but it doesn’t even have a name.

In just about any other place, it would be such a prominent peak, but here, it’s just another unnamed mountain. I like to think that I’ve given it a little bit of recognition for how beautiful it is. Below is my photo of that peak I shot last year. It’s one of my favorite aerials of all time. This illustrates how different the light can be up there during any given day.

And while we’re comparing, here’s an older shot of Mt. Gilbert and the moon I also shot during that flight to years ago.

Mt. Gilbert and a full moon over the Chugach Mountains, winter, Alaska. Shot 2 years ago.

The winter is just beginning, and I look forward to many more aerial photography missions during the next few months. Enjoy the photos and check out this post to see a short video of what my flight patterns actually look like when I’m doing this. Also, check out this post to see a 9-frame aerial panorama I shot last winter.

To see my latest aerials as I shoot throughout the winter, be sure and follow me on Instagram, that’s where most of the good ones end up first. And of course check back here, because these are only a few of my selects from this past weekend.

December 12, 2016

Aerial Photography Season Has Begun!

Camera Gear, Reviews and Recommendations, Uncategorized

I Just Bought My First Gitzo Tripod – The GT0545T Traveler

I recently bought my first Gitzo tripod. I always wanted a Gitzo, so without trying to justify my purchase or make up reasons why it was ok for me to drop that much cash on something that wasn’t a camera, a lens, a plane ticket, a bike or a guitar, I just threw down my money and bought one.

I got the Gitzo GT0545T Traveler. It comes in two versions, one with a dedicated QR ball head, and one without a head.

Gitzo has recently paired their popular Traveler Series with the new 82TQD Arca-type ball head, and it’s pretty impressive. A single large knob acts as both a main control and a friction lock, which I really like. A second knob controls panning/rotation of the head, and a third works the QR plate.

The new 85TQD heads are designed to next perfectly inside the legs when they fold back. That’s the main feature of the Gitzo Traveler series, the legs fold all the way back on themselves, which allows the tripod to close to a very compact length of only 14.4″, and weigh less than 3 lbs, even with the head.

With its four carbon fiber leg section fully extended and the center column all the way up, the 0545T extends to 52.4. With center column down, it stands at just under 45.”

Considering the fact that I’m not exceedingly tall, and that I’m often using the LCD on my mirrorless cameras to compose and review imagery, this is a perfect height for me. It’s also nice, since keeping the center column down increases stability. In fact, Gitzo even includes a short center column with all their Traveler Tripods. It’s designed for ground-level shooting, but I can see using it quite a bit when traveling.

I had originally intended to get the larger GT1545T model, and in fact I did buy that one, but the next day, I decided to go two sizes down and exchange it for the 0545T. The 1545 is an extremely nice travel tripod, and probably ideal for many photographers, I just liked the idea of going as small and light as possible.

Weight is not a huge concern for me, after all, my Fuji cameras aren’t very heavy, and I figured I’d take full advantage of the superb strength-to-weight ratio that the Gitzo 6x carbon fiber legs offer.

Not that I gave up much- the tripod and head are rock solid and will hold any of my bodies and lenses, even my Fuji 100-400. It’s rated up to 22lbs, so it will hold most DSLR gear as well.

If I regularly used big glass, I might have gone with the “legs only” model and gotten a more substantial head, but again, if I’m going to bring this thing with me, I need it to be as small and light as possible. Plus I love the design of the 85TQD head.

I’ve already used it a handful to times, and I really love how it feels and operates. Anyone who’s ever owned a Gitzo knows that they’re made with the highest quality Italianworkmanship. It’s such a pleasure to carry and use, and I knew it would be. I also like that it has a shoulder strap. It’s actually a pretty handy feature. Sling it on and go.

As with any gear you’ll use on a regular basis, you want something that MAKES you want to use it because it’s so well made, with careful attention to every single detail, and that will operate smoothly, year after year.

That’s why I bought a Gitzo. It wasn’t cheap, but I wan’t going for cheap. I wanted something that would last.

I’ll be writing a more detailed review after I’ve used it for a few months, but for now, just know that I’m in love.

@Danbaileyphoto 🙂 I got the Gitzo traveller. I wish it was a little taller, but it's really light and fits in my suitcase.

Anne McKinnell

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December 5, 2016

I Just Bought My First Gitzo Tripod – The GT0545T Traveler

Camera Gear, Reviews and Recommendations

Why I Love the Sweet Little Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 WR Lens

Of all the Fuji X Series lenses I’ve used, I’ve found the XF 35mm f/2 WR to be one of the most versatile and fun lenses in the entire collection.

I’ve had it for one full year now, and during the past 12 months, I’ve shot an incredibly wide range of subject matter with it: portraits, landscapes, travel, even sports and action, and it always gives me great results and tack-sharp image quality with gorgeous clarity.

Sure, it does’t have the glamor of a big telephoto, or the style of an ultra wide angle, but for overall usability and, I’ll say it again, “fun-ness,” the 35 f/2 is one hot little lens.

And while it’s not quite as fast as the older Fuji XF35mm f/1.4, I highly recommend the 35 f/2 over the 1.4 versions, simply because it’s a much better performing lens.

Here are my top 10 reasons and a few image image examples that illustrate why I love the XF 35mm f/2 lens so much. You can also watch my video review here.

1. It’s Small And Stylish

Built to resemble a classic Leica Summicron lens, the 35 f/2 is pretty darn sexy with its tapered front. In fact, it looks a lot like the Leica 50mm f/2 M. And considering that the APS-C 35mm has the same view angle of an old 50mm film lens, it’s obvious that this is exactly what the Fuji design team was going for with the new 35.

Slap one of these babies on any X Series body and you instantly add even more of the “instant-classic” sauce that’s already dripping out of the Fujis. Damn!

2. It’s Totally Inconspicuous

Want to blend in when you travel or when doing street photography? With the 35 f/2 on the front of your Fuji, there’s no danger of looking like a “pro” or drawing attention in the crowd. You’ll look just like a tourist, except you’ll the incredible creative power at your fingertips, and noone will ever know. Except the other Fuji shooters of course, and anyone else who’s drawn to the sheer sexiness of your simple, old-school looking camera setup.

This is the lens I take on family vacations and when I’m just walking around with the camera around my neck. It’s always the first lens I throw in my bag when I travel, and it’s probably fixed to the front of my X-T2 as much or more than any other glass I have.

3. It’s Simple and Straightforward

I love the creative simplicity that primes lenses offer. One lens, one look. If you’re used to zooms, you might find fixed lenses limiting at first, but you’ll soon get a feel for what each one can do and how to use it effectively.

As I said above, the XF35mm f/2 gives you the same look as the classic “nifty fifty,
which is the lens nearly all photographers started with back in the days of film. It closely matches the way your eye sees with regards to view angle and depth perception, so it’s an easy focal length to get used to. As you develop your creative eye, you’ll find that the nifty fifty does some things extremely well.

4. It’s Awesome for Portraits

Up close, the 35 f/2 has a nice, shallow depth of field, which makes it great for portraits, as well as a host of other subject matter. When photographing people, the 35 produces wonderful bokeh behind your tack sharp subject. Back up and stop down a little bit and you can clarify the background more for that environmental portrait look.

5. It’s Great for Landscapes

We don’t often think of the nifty fifty as the ideal landscape lens, but for close to medium distance subjects, it does a wonderful job. Up close, you can really put that shallow depth of field to use and isolate your main subject against a nice, soft background.

Back up a little bit and you can isolate a specific part of the scene, with sharp focus from side to side. I love the relatively shallow field of view the 35 f/2 shows, and even though I often prefer wide angle lenses for landscapes, I really enjoy the view a nice mid prime gives for featuring specific elements in my scene.

6. It’s Great for Shooting Closeups

The XF35 f/2 is certainly no macro lens, but with a minimum focus distance of only 8 inches, you can get pretty close to you subject and show an extremely shallow depth of field. Add one of the two Fuji MCEX Extension tubes, (I like the MCEX-11) and the 35 suddenly becomes a bona fide macro, allowing for incredible closeup photography.

7. It Has Very Fast Autofocus

The original XF35mm f/1.4 has excellent optics, but being one of the older generation lenses, it has a very slow autofocus motor. You could never use it for action or shooting anything quick.

In comparison, the new 35 f/2 has a vastly superior AF motor, which makes it so much more usable than the old 35. Sure, you lose one stop of light, but c’mon, f/2 is still pretty darn fast. I’ll take that tradeoff any day of the week. I’ve shot quite a bit of action with the 35 f/2 and it does a fine job acquiring and tracking moving subjects.

8. It’s Weather Sealed

All the new Fuji lenses are weather sealed, and this is a really nice thing. It’s not a make or break thing, because I still love and use my non-WR 14mm f/2.8 lens a lot, but have the WR gives you added security and protection against the elements when you’re outdoors.

9. It’s The Least Expensive XF Lens

The Fuji lenses are all great, but they’re not cheap. At only $399 ($299 with the current X Series rebates), the cute little 35 f/2 offers incredible value. At that price, It should almost be a mandatory lens for any beginning X Series photographer. Fuji should offer kits with the 35 f/2 instead of just the zoom lenses. Imagine that. Call it the “Classic Prime Kit.” I’m going to propose that idea.

10. It’s Just So Darn Versatile

I love that I can shoot a wide range of subject matter with the 35 f/2 and be happy. If this were my only lens, I’m sure I’d get along fine in life. Given its fast aperture, quick AF performance, classic angle of view, the XF35mm f/2 is an incredibly versatile lens, and easily one of my top favorite of all the Fuji lenses.

Before I got the 35 f/2, I wasn’t sure I’d use it very often. One year later, I can’t imagine life without it. No matter what you shoot, I highly recommend this lens to any X Series photographer.

“

@Danbaileyphoto @FujifilmX_US Couldn't agree more! This has been my favorite lens pretty much ever since I first attached it to my XT1!

Kyle Wurtz

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December 1, 2016

Why I Love the Sweet Little Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 WR Lens

Creative Tips

Photographing Action After The Action is Done

I shot a lot of bike racing this season. Between the summer road racing crit series and the incredible cyclocross season we had here in Anchorage, I burned thousands of frames through the camera.

I had a blast running around with my X-T2, looking for different vantage points, shooting in different color palettes and film simulations and capturing a wide variety of wide angle and telephoto scenes during the races.

However, some of my favorite race images from the summer came after the action was already over; when everyone was tired, relaxed, and covered in a thick layer of mud and sweat. This is when expressions of intensity turn to elation and exhaustion, when the best portraits are usually had.

The top image is my friend Alec, who had just finished a grueling, 50-minute cyclocross race that had a crazy mud pit. We’re talking a couple hundred feet of ankle-deep muck that chewed you up and spit you out. Endless opportunities for heckling and cheering for all the spectators.

Alec’s expression says perfectly just how laughable that section was. We all laughed about it. How could you not? Seriously, how are you even supposed to ride a skinny tire bike through a giant muddy trench? That’s the point. It’s cyclocross.

Like this photo of my friend David. It’s one of my favorite post-race shots of the entire season. Maybe ever. He’d just finished the “A” race, where he pretty much rode full-tilt for the better part of an hour, while chasing the lead racer around the 1.5-mile circuit. David likes those short courses; he’s done a lot of track racing in the past, so these crits are right up his alley.

This was a split second shot, the middle frame in a series of 3 images, shot at 8 fps with the XF50-140mm f/2.8 lens. I barely got it, and as you can see, it happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to compose- I just swing the lens up and fired.

I would have liked to get his helmet in the shot, but with everything else that’s going on with his expression, the light and the cascade of sweat droplets falling down around his face, I can live without the lid. After all, you don’t have to show everything- sometimes abbreviating the scene makes it even more powerful.

And here’s the guy who beat him, below. Joey is one fast dude and he set a blistering pace during that heat, making everyone else chase him with almost laughable futility.

I love this shot as well; the light out there was so awesome during these evening races, and the red works so well against the shaded background.

So, have fun shooting action out there, but remember to keep your camera at the ready and look for those moments after the action is over. Sometime that’s when the most memorable shots happen.

November 29, 2016

Photographing Action After The Action is Done

Reviews and Recommendations

Macphun Introduces Luminar, a Powerful New Photo Editing App for Mac

This week, software company Macphun introduced a brand new photo editing app for Mac, called Luminar. Built from the ground up, Luminar offers a powerful photo editing solution with a beautiful and very easy-to-use, totally customizable user interface.

Luminar Holiday Sale – Get $319 worth of bonus photography eBooks and tutorials.

Designed to run as either a standalone program, or as a plug-in with Lightroom and Photoshop, Luminar gives you an expansive array of creative options, including filters, blending, brushes, layers, masks, RAW conversion, gradients, color and tonal adjustments, split toning, sharpening, noise reduction, etc…

However, the real strength of the program is that you can run Lunimar in whatever way you feel comfortable with; in whatever way matches your skills, or your timeframe.

If you’re comfortable with making adjustments yourself, you can make use the vast array of sliders and adjustment tools. If not, or if you just want to streamline your workflow and save time, you can apply any number of creative filters and presets that are included in the program.

You can also customize your workspace and have multiple saved workspaces for editing different types of photos. There are a few default workspaces (Landscape, Portrait, BW and Street), and you can create you own by selecting which tool panels you want included in each space.

It’s so easy to navigate the interface, no matter if you’re making adjustments, zooming to 100%, selecting panels to show in your workspace, or saving/sharing/exporting photos. Luminar has an export button that lets you save your files or instantly share to a number of social media outlets.

The reason Luminar is so efficient and user friendly is because the designers built it to take full advantage of the Macs graphics and OS capabilities.

Professional and Friendly

Luminar offers professional performance, including full RAW support for just about every camera on the market today, including the FUJIFILM X-T2 and X-Pro2. It actually does a good job with the Fuji X-Trans RAW files. Pretty cool, considering this program is brand new, right out of the box!

Seriously, Luminar does everything that most people will need a photo editing program to do, and it does it all very well. I’m impressed with how full-featured it is and yet, how usable and friendly it is. Imagine Photoshop power with the simplicity of the regular Mac Photos app. Luminar is so un-intimdating and non-threatening, it’s everything that a photo editing app should be in this day and age.

After all, it’s just a tool, and tools are the thing that stand between your vision and the final product. Your tools should offer you the most capabilities with the least amount of resistance. If they’re too complicated, you wont want to use them.

If your tools are too simple, though, you won’t get the results you want. Luminar offers a visually appealing experience with enough power and creative control to get the job done.

It doesn’t do everything that Photoshop does, for example, it doesn’t have a text panel or a Magic Wand tool, but it’s got most things you’ll need, and it does let you attach a watermark image to your photos. That’s a total must-have, right?

That said, this is the first generation and the designers have said that they’ll be releasing regular updates to Luminar. For a rollout version, it’s already amazing, (that can’t be said for all apps) and it will only get better. My guess is they’ll closely monitor user feedback to help improve the product.

Do We Really Need Another Photo Editing Program?

I’m always on the lookout for alternatives to Lightroom and Photoshop, and Lunimar seems to have hit a real sweet spot in this realm. It lets you extend your photographic creativity into the digital darkroom without the steep learning curve that many photo editing programs have.

As my own workflow continues to evolve, I’m attracted to simple solutions. I like that Lunimar fits this criteria. Its straightforward, yet powerful interface lets me quickly edit and tweak photos with ease and produce great looking finished image files. That’s what you want, right?

I’ve only been using it for a short time, but so far, it’s proven its worth. Especially for how inexpensive the program is- Lunimar only costs $59. That’s a one time fee. No subscriptions. No endless payments to the big giant company forever.

I’m pretty hesitant about recommending software, I don’t use any of the popular plugins or HDR, resize, BW and FX software that’s out there, again, I like to keep things simple, but I really like Luminar. The company who makes it, Macphun has a great track record- their apps have won “Best of the Year” for 4 straight years, and they’re the only photography developer to have achieved this kind of recognition from Apple.

If you’re looking to streamline your workflow with an easy-to-use photo editing program that’s lots of fun, and that doesn’t cost very much, I highly recommend taking a look at Luminar. You can download the free trial here.

Here’s an example of how Luminar looks in action.

[iframe]<iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/188972113″ width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/188972113″>Luminar for Mac: 3 examples</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/macphunfamily”>Macphun Software</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>[/iframe]

November 18, 2016

Macphun Introduces Luminar, a Powerful New Photo Editing App for Mac

Featured Images, Personal and Pro Insight

Recap of the Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit

Last month, I had the honor of being one of the instructors at the Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit in Townsend, Tennessee.

Not only was this my first time visiting Tennessee, it was my first time photographing during the peak of autumn in the Southeast US, and I was blown away by the overwhelming display of color in this region. It’s no wonder that Great Smoky Mountains Nation Park is the most visited Park in the country. It easily eclipses both Yellowstone and Yosemite by a huge margin.

The Great Smokies are a treasure trove of inspiration for landscape photographers, and the summit presented a wonderful setting for people to learn and share their knowledge, insight and imagery.

With 15 instructors and about 200 participants, the week consisted of guided morning field sessions, instructional “Break-out” sessions and large group tutorial presentations, as well as one-on-one image critiques, a print competition, a panel Q&A discussion and evening campfire sessions.

There was a great diversity of instructors, from seasoned landscape and wildlife shooters like Kevin Adams, Len Rue Jr., Bill Fortney and Jack Graham, travel photographs like Ellen Anon and Deborah Sandidge, Photoshop and Lightroom guys like R.C Concepcion and Matt Kloskowski, and many others.

I did four presentations during the week, including a talk about mirrorless cameras, a lens presentation, and class on composition and “seeing geometrically” and a large group presentation highlighting my 20 years as a pro adventure and outdoor photographer.

As much as I enjoyed giving my presentations and sharing my insight, I tried to attend as many of the other instructor presentations as I could. It was impossible to see them all, but I learned a lot from the ones I did see.

I was blown away by Ellen Anon’s beautiful travel imagery. She did a great presentation on how to create imagery that tells a story. Matt K did a great talk about Lightroom Mobile, and I loved his presentation, “Shut up and Shoot.” An authority on Lightroom, Matt has a number of comprehensive tutorials on his site.

Deb Sandidge talked a lot about the use of contrasting colors and light, and touched on some of the ways you can show the contrasting concepts of still and motion in your imagery. (I fell in love with her little Gitzo tripod, and was inspired to rush back home and buy one for myself.) Deb does a number of awesome travel photography workshops around the world, they’re definitely worth checking out.

RC Concepcion did an amazing talk about printing and I was amazed as his passion for matching the right paper for an image. He sees it much like pairing the right wine with a particular flavor of food. An Adobe Certified Instructor, RC has a couple of books out and has a series of courses on Kelby One.

I missed Charles Needle’s presentation about impressionistic and macro photography, but I got a chance to talk with him quite a bit one-on-one. Pretty cool stuff. He leads a yearly worksop to the Monet Garden in France, as well as a number of others around the US.

Of course, one of the highlights of the 5-day summit was making new friends and meeting other photographers from around the country, like Bruce Himelman from NJ.

One of the things I like most about doing these workshops and presentations is meeting some of my followers in person, like my new friend A.J. from Texas.

There was one woman who came all the way from Australia who said she’s been following my blog for years!

On the last day, I went out on a great afternoon/evening photography session with Brian Truono, a great landscape photographer and sun chaser from Ohio. I’ve known Brian for awhile from Twitter and Instagram but this was the first time I’d met him. (Follow Brian on Instagram here.)

Here’s one of the photos I took that evening from the top of Climgmans Dome, which offers that classic hazy, stacked view of the Great Smokies. I shot this with my X-T2 and Fuji 100-400mm lens.

Overall, I had a wonderful time at the summit. Aside from being able to teach others, it was a great opportunity to stretch my creative muscles in a new setting. That’s always a highly effective kick in the pants, isn’t it?

I would love to go back next year; I’ll have to wait a few months to find out if that’s on my schedule for 2017. I would highly recommend the Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit to anyone who wants a positive, immersive, creative, collaborative week of landscape photography with a wonderful group of people in a beautiful location.

P.S. On my way back to Nashville, I had a few hours to kill before my flight, so I visited the world famous Gruhn Guitars, one of the best guitars shops in the country, and played a few vintage models. My favorite was a real 1961 Fender Stratocaster with a decades-old, road worn body, buttery-smoth rosewood fingerboard that had been polished to a deep-chocoate brown from countless hours of chords and solos and an amazingly gorgeous tone.

A man can dream, can’t he?

gsm-01111 — Floridian Matt K, photographing in his 50-degree puffy jacket.

gsm-01381 — Brian Truono doing his thing.

November 8, 2016

Recap of the Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit

Press, Interviews and Info, Publications

Read My Article in the November Issue of FUJILOVE Magazine

I’m excited to announce that I have a feature article in the November 2016 issue of FUJILOVE Magazine, which has just been been released to subscribers.

This is the first time I’ve written for FUJILOVE. My article is called It All Starts With Film.

If you haven’t heard of FUJILOVE, it’s an independent online publication for passionate Fujifilm X Series users. It was created by a Fuji shooter named Tomash, born from his passion for all things X Series.

Each issue features over 160 pages of content, written exclusively for the magazine by some of the most experienced Fuji shooters out there, including Damien Lovegrove, Karen Hutton and Piet van Den Eynde.

With each issue, you also get PDF handout, monthly photo assignments, video tutorials and discounts on any FujiLove event, workshop or photo tour.

You need a small monthly subscription to get the magazine, just like any other regular print magazine, and from what you get, it’s well worth the price – less than $5 per month, or one of those fancy coffee drinks at Starbucks.

Even if you choose not to subscribe, FujiLove also has a great blog that’s full of additional articles and tutorials. The site is not affiliated with FUJIFILM, it’s just a great resource created by one person in order to share and help other Fuji shooters with their passions. It’s a great source for news, information and educational resources for people who shoot X Series cameras.

I’m looking forward to contributing more articles to FUJILOVE in the future.

Check out my article and let me know what you think!

November 7, 2016

Read My Article in the November Issue of FUJILOVE Magazine

instruction

New Photoflex Lighting Lesson: Photographing Mountain Biking with Flash

My latest lighting lesson is up on the Photoflex website. It’s called Mountain Biking Photography with Accent Lighting, and it features a lightweight and portable softbox called the HalfDome, which can be used with any kind of speed light.

The Photoflex HalfDome is essentially a half-width softbox. It’s big enough to function as a main light, but with its narrow profile and a removable mask, it works great as a strip/accent light that can add additional creative style to your photos.

The small version of the HalfDome packs quite small and it hardly weighs anything, which makes it very easy to carry to when doing location photography, even outside.

My lesson details all of the gear I used during the shoot, as well as the lighting techniques and placement I typically use when I’m photographing action and outdoor portraits with off-camera flash. And how to keep your softbox from blowing over when you’re trying to shoot outside in the wind.

Read my lighting lesson here. If you’re interested in more information about my off-camera flash techniques, check out my eBook, Going Fast With Light – A Flash Guide for Outdoor Photographers.

November 1, 2016

New Photoflex Lighting Lesson: Photographing Mountain Biking with Flash

Interviews, Press, Interviews and Info

Listen to an Interview with Me on the Adventure Photography Podcast

Last week I had a great conversation with climber and documentary adventure photographer Stephen Richert. We connected on Twitter recently, and he invited me to be a guest on his Adventure Photography Podcast.

We had an awesome chat, and in fact, we talked for even longer after the official interview was over. We spoke about cameras, the X Series, photography, climbing, routes that we had both done in New Hampshire, Galen Rowell, creativity, and many other topics that will probably end up in a second interview at some point.

I love Stephen’s attitude towards life, and I dig his imagery. We hit it off quite well, and I’d love to try and get together with him for some climbing and photography adventures sometime in the near future.

Listen to the interview here, and spend some time checking out Stephen’s website, Living Vertical and preview some of his films and still photos. He’s even got a few eBooks. Here are a few examples of his work below.