I’ve been posting some teaser images from my recent fat bike adventure out to the Knik Glacier during past couple of blog entires, and I finally published a full photo essay of the trip.
I posted the story on my adventure mini-site, adventures.danbaileyphoto.com, which is designed to offer a much better reading experience for photo essays than a regular blog. I love writing about my adventures here, but I use that site for select topics, where I want to provide maximum impact and a clean visual presentation for my readers.
Check out the story, and subscribe to be notified when I post future adventure photo essays.
Last week, I wrote about the memory card I almost lost during a recent fat biking adventure out to the Knik Glacier here in Alaska. Fortunately, the tale had a happy ending and I was able to recover some awesome photos that I thought I’d never see again.
See this photo above? There’s a very good chance that you might not have been able to see it. And not just you; I mean anyone, including me. If things had played out even the slightest bit differently, it would have been lost forever.
This past weekend, I did an awesome 3-day fatbike adventure out to the Knik Glacier with my two good friends, Josh and Glenn, otherwise known as @staysansleepsoutside and @glenncharles63 on Instagram. These are two guys I don’t see nearly enough, so when the stars aligned and gave us the opportunity to do a trip together, I jumped at the chance.
Having been out to the Knik the previous weekend during my recent photo workshop, I was excited to go ride bikes and camp out there with my buddies. I was also hoping to catch the northern lights, which were forecasts to be quite active, and in my mind, I envisioned the types of photos I could get completely away from any lights, in a rugged environment of mountains and ice.
After two days of mud, dirt, gravel and wind, which I’ll recount in a future blog post, we set up camp on a sandbar right at the edge of the massive, 25-mile long Knik Glacier, one of the largest ice fields in southcentral, Alaska.
That night, the three of us stayed up late shooting photos and capturing a faint aurora display around midnight. I got up again at 4:00AM and witnessed a much more dramatic light show, complete with shimmering curtains and pillars of green light dancing above the Chugach Mountains.
Grabbing my tripod, I headed out onto the frozen glacier lagoon and wandered among the icebergs until I found some suitable foreground subjects, and shot until my battery died.
Fast forward two days later. We’d already ridden out and I was back at home, eager to download my photos from the trip. I sat down at my desk, opened up my card case and, to my utter shock and absolute horror, I found myself staring at an empty slot in my case.
I’d shot three 16GB cards during the trip, and the middle one had all the really cool bike riding around the glacier shots and the aurora photos. WTF!??!! Where could it be! Thinking that I might have somehow dropped on the floor, I went on a rampage and tore apart my office while swearing and and shouting “WTF” over and over again at the top of my lungs. We’re talking temper tantrum. Total meltdown. Absolute freak out.
Nothing.
I finally came to the startling realization that I must have dropped it out in the field and my heart sank. The coolest photos of the trip and they were lost. Gone. Vanished.
Yet how could possibly have dropped a card? I never drop cards. I never lose cards. I all my years of shooting, I’ve never lost a memory card. Nonetheless, I loaded the third card and looked a the very first photo to see where I was when I shot it; maybe that would help jog my memory.
It worked. I recognized the location. It was a photo of Glenn, right at the Knik glacier moraine, just as we began our ride out. It all came back to me, flooding into my head like a title wave. I suddenly remembered shooting those last few frames of Josh pushing his bike uphill just outside camp when the card ran out. I stopped to change it before catching up with them. THAT’S where it must have fallen.
HA!!! If my memory was correct, then I knew EXACTLY where to look!
But what about getting back out there? The Knik glacier is a long way from my house… at least it is by bike. Not by plane, though, and I have a little yellow airplane!
After regaining my composure, because you should never fly a plane while you’re stressed, I took my wife Amy over to Merrill Field. (Women have a much better ability to spot things that aren’t moving- it goes back to the hunter gatherer thing. Men see moving things, which they try to kill, and women are better at seeing things that don’t move, like berries. It’s also why men aren’t bothered as much by the pile of clothes they leave in the corner of the bedroom floor- they aren’t moving.)
After flying the 45 minutes out to the Knik and landing on the gravel strip in front of the moraine, we hiked out to the campsite, and I showed here exactly where I was when I’d changed the card.
“So, it SHOULD be in this area, somewhere between here and here…”
Not five minutes later, Amy exclaims, “Found it!” There it sat, my happy little card, no worse for the wear.
It was EXACTLY where I thought it would be. Only it wasn’t moving.
Pictures saved. *worlds’ biggest WHEW ever.*
ANY other place on the trail and I never would have found it. Guaranteed.
Thank you Amy!! Thank you little yellow Cessna!! Thanks Josh and Glenn for such a great adventure!
We based at the Knik River Lodge, about 50 miles east of Anchorage, where we began the weekend with a fabulous meal and a presentation designed to gear my participants up for the subject matter they’d face during our big glacier day.
On Saturday morning, after the helicopter safety briefing, we flew a few miles upriver to a gravel bar right at the base of the massive Knik Glacier. Running for about 25 miles, this 5-mile wide ice sheet is one of the largest glaciers in southcentral, Alaska.
Using this as a staging area, we spent the next few hours walking around on the ice, photographing the huge, jumbled icebergs that are stuck in the frozen glacier lagoon this time of year. And that wasn’t even the best part.
Breaking into groups of 3, we did two hour-long flights over the ice with the doors-off heli. This gave everyone to capture photos the massive, jumbled blocks and cracks of the glacier up close, from vantage points that few people ever get to see. Not just a few photos, we’re taking hundreds of frames, from an extensive array of angles.
If you’ve even seen a glacier up close, you know the incredible variety of geometry, light, color, and natural chaos that make up these massive, often precariously perched ice sheets as they get pushed towards the edge by the unimaginable tonnage from miles of advancing ice, crack into wide fissures and finally break into enormous freestanding ice blocks.
Our pilot Mark from Tanalian Aviation was awesome. Having flown over this area numerous times in my little Cessna, I knew what I wanted to show my clients and described to Mark what I had in mind. However, he went above and beyond, and lined us up with so many incredible viewpoints, distances and elevations.
And of course, whereas my plane can only fly so slow, the heli could move very slowly through the air, and even stop and hover wherever we wanted if we spotted an exceptionally cool formation.
All the while, I kept myself on hand to provide tips and photographic help to my 5 participants as they explored this utterly cool terrain. Although I feel I shot some really cool photos, my focus was less on my own photography than helping everyone else maximize their skills and photo opportunities throughout the course of the day.
In addition to some night sky photography and opportunities for sunrise/sunset light out at the lodge, on last day, we held a session to share and critique each other’s photos. This is always a highlight for me, because having watched everyone shoot photos during the workshop, this is my chance to actually see the results of everyone’s efforts.
I always find myself inspired by the critiques, because it helps me break out of my own sometimes tunnel vision when it comes to shooting certain scenes, and it exposes me to new ways of seeing. The learning never stops. Not for anyone. That’s one of the things I love most about photography.
Although I was very excited to such a cool opportunity for my students, what pleases me most is knowing how much fun everyone had during the trip. Here’s a testimonial from one of the participants:
This workshop went way above my expectations. The location was incredible. The entire trip was perfectly organized and orchestrated. Most importantly Dan Bailey made this an exciting adventure within a workshop. I found Dan to be a patient, open-minded instructor that gave us all an opportunity to up our game with an amazing location and professional guidance. I’m looking forward to another workshop with Dan and Alaska Photo Treks.
Overall this trip was a huge success and I’m fairly certain I’ll run it again next year. If you think you might be interested in a photo adventure like this, or any other workshop with me, sign up for my newsletter and you’ll be the first to know when I put together next year’s itinerary.
A camera system is only as good as its glass. This has always been the case with photography, even back in the days of film.
No matter what body you’re using at any given time, the lenses are what ultimately determine the quality and style of your imagery, and in many cases, whether you even get the shot at all.
As much as I love the X-T1, I wouldn’t have gone “all in” with Fuji if they weren’t able to deliver on the lenses, which for me, meant coming out with a fast 70-200mm-style f/2.8 telephoto zoom.
Last fall, Fuji finally introduced the XF 50-140 f/2.8 OIS Weather Sealed lens, which is exactly the tool I’ve been waiting for. As much as I like the slower but more compact XF 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 WR, my style of action and adventure photography depends on a lens that can handle lower light and fast breaking subject matter, and deliver edge-to-edge sharpness.
I’d briefly tried out he 50-140 at PhotoPlus back in October, but last month I finally got one in hand. Here’s my review.
Build Info
Equivalent in view to a 76-213mm lens when compared to full frame, the XF 50-140 f/2.8 R LM OIS offers weather resistance with regards to dust, water and low temperatures, a triple linear motor for ultra fast AF and Fuji’s latest OIS image stabilization.
It also has an internal zoom mechanism, which means the barrel doesn’t move when you zoom the lens in and out, like it does on the XF 18-135 and XF 55-200. The lens body and focus rings are metal, although there’s some plastic in there as well to make it lightweight.
Constructed with 23 elements in 16 groups, 5 ED elements, one Super ED element and Fuji’s High Transmittance Electron Beam Coating, the 50-140 is able to produce incredibly sharp imagery with minimal chromatic aberration, ghosting or flare.
The aperture diagram features 7 rounded blades, which produces very smooth, circular bokeh. Combined with the Lens Modulation Optimizer that’s built into the X series camera bodies, the 50-140 f/2.8 is able to produce incredibly sharp images across the frame.
It has a numbered aperture ring with a decent amount of resistance. Some people don’t like how loose the rings are on some XF lenses; this one feels really solid. You won’t accidentally turn it.
Size and Weight
The Fuji XF 50-140 f/2.8 is by no means a small lens. Without the removable tripod collar, it weighs 2.2 lbs. It’s a tiny bit bigger than the Nikon 70-200mm f/4, but it’s a full stop faster.
Compared to the equally fast Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 lens, though, the Fuji comes in at 1.2 lbs lighter and over an inch shorter.
The bladed lens hood is pretty long, but it’s not unmanageable. I wish it were a tiny bit shorter because I always keep my hoods on, but it’s hardly a deal breaker.
Of course, the first thing I did was take the tripod collar off, because for most of my work, I’m using it handheld. The collar, while extremely sturdy, definitely adds weight and bulk. That said, it’s nice to have the option when you need it.
Balance and Feel
Given that the Fuji X cameras are quite a bit smaller than most DSLRs, the question I’ve been asked by many people is “how does this lens balance on the X-T1, X-E2 and X-Pro1?” As you can see in the photo above the lens is big compared to the body, and while it’s a little front heavy, it’s not overkill. I can imagine that it feels even better with the X-T1 battery grip, but I don’t have the grip, so I can’t accurately comment.
Even sans grip, the 50-140 balances well enough without overworking your forearm muscles. It complements the compact quality of the X-T1, and the weight savings makes it a versatile lens for a wide variety of shooting situations. It’s also pretty rugged.
I’ve biked quite a bit now with the X-T1/50-140 combo around my neck/shoulder, and while you wouldn’t do a long ride with the lens out like this, it’s light enough to keep out and ready when you’re moving around and looking for good light. I’ve even been able to ride on single track trails and snow with it slung like this.
Performance
All that aside, what makes this lens a real winner is how well it performs out in the field. So far, I’ve given the 50-140 a pretty good run through in wintertime Alaska and sunny California and I’ve gotten a very good feel for how it handles. Here are the main points I feel accurately describe it’s strengths.
1.This lens gives me the look I want.
As far as I’m concerned, that’s the number one thing with any focal length. Does it match your shooting style? This lens gives crisp, sharp subjects set against a soft, out of focus background. That’s why anyone uses glass like this. Whether I’m shooting action or portraits, the real benefit of a long lens is bringing subjects up close and isolating them against a suggested environment.
The XF 50-140 f/2.8 does that with flying colors. It locks right on your subject and makes them pop against a delicious background. Also, since it’s a fast lens, you have much more leeway when shooting fast moving subjects or when working in lower light. No matter what your situation, this lens lets you grab the shot you want.
2. It has Excellent Autofocus
As an adventure photographer, I depend on fast, accurate AF. Combined with the predictive autofocus system on the X-T1, the internal focusing motor locks onto the subject and stays locked, even when shooting in CH at 8 frames per second.
Is it perfect? Hardly. No lens is. There are sometimes when it gets confused or loses the lock, but given what I’m used to with my gear and the subject matter I shoot, the 50-140 gets the job done in a big way. AF technology combined with the it’s fast maximum aperture, I’m confident taking this lens into any situation where I’m shooting fast action.
3. The OIS Image Stabilization Rocks
I’ve been impressed with Fuji’s OIS image stabilization every since I started using their X cameras. Even with their long lenses zoomed all the way out, I’m able to handhold shutter speeds down below 1/30 second and still get sharp photos. Things have come a long way, because I remember trying this with my first zoom lens 20 years ago and having very blurry images.
No more. With a high performance gyro sensor and preprogrammed algorithms inside the lens’s CPU, this lens is able to detect and cancel out camera shake and give you 5 stops of stabilization. Again, combined with the fast f/2.8 aperture, this lets you shoot without a tripod in very low light.
This shot below was taken after sunset, handheld at 1/18 sec.
4. It’s Weather Resistant
Fuji had this all planned out from the beginning. They knew that a rugged, weather sealed outdoor camera like the X-T1 would only be so good if they didn’t have lenses to match. Like the XF 18-135mm WR lens, the XF 50-140 f/2.8 R LM OIS has a sealed barrel, which keeps out dust and moisture, making it the perfect companion to the X-T1. It’s also rated to withstand low temperatures of -10 degrees C (14 degrees F), but I can report that it works fine in temps colder than that.
5. It’s Really Really…REALLY Sharp!!
I left this one for last, because although those other things do matter, if a lens doesn’t produce crisp, sharp imagery, it’s not good enough for pro use. It’s that simple. Fortunately, that’s not even an issue here. The Fuji XF 50-140 f/2.8 is so freaking sharp, it’s scary! When it comes to straight image quality, this is one serious lens.
The secret weapon of the Fuji X camera system is the X-Trans sensor. With no optical low pass filter, cameras like the X-T1 and X-E2 are able to render images with an incredible level of detail and resolution, some that even rival full frame. The optical design of the 50-140 is built to match this capability, and it does an amazing job capturing images that are sharp, vibrant and full of detail.
This is a zoomed version of the shot above. Click to see enlarged detail
However, if you make a living with your Fuji X camera, if you shoot commercial work of any kind, if you shoot fast sports and action, portraits, landscapes or if you simply want the best possible quality and versatility for shooting in all conditions, and if you don’t mind carrying a little more glass, then you should take a serious look at this lens.
Yes it’s bigger, but it’s not TOO big. I’ve done all day rides with it and carried it in my pack for hours and I can attest that it does feel WAY lighter than a traditional DSLR style 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. For as good as it is, I would take this on multi-day adventures and even biking and hiking trips.
I’ve always been willing trade a little bit of weight for a maximum quality, and with the X-T1 setup, I’m already WAY lighter. Add this in it’s not a huge gain, even though it’s definitely bigger and somewhat bulky if you’re used to a small setup. Find the right pack, though, and you’ll manage it fine. (I like the Lowepro Flipside Sport AW packs and the F-Stop Kenti.)
For me, the 50-140 is the final piece in the puzzle and I now feel like my photography transformation to Fuji is complete. There’s no looking back. How exciting is that?
Support this site: If you’re thinking about buying this lens, or any piece of gear, please consider shopping through these links. You’ll still get the lowest prices available and it will help me out with a small commission from the merchant. It’s like your way of saying “thanks” for the time and effort it takes me to compile reviews like this.
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@Danbaileyphoto yeah. I have an xt1, xt10, and xt2. I'm loving the x-t2 with the 50-140 for sports.
During this special 7-day backpacking adventure photography workshop, I’ll take you on a journey through the biggest and most rugged mountains in North America.
We’ll be dropped off by float plane in the heart of Denali National Park and the Alaska Range, only 17 miles away from the highest and most massive mountain on the continent, (Denali, at 20,320′), and spend 5 days exploring and honing our outdoor photography skills in the most authentic setting possible.
Paced for intermediate backpackers, yet challenging enough for seasoned wilderness travelers, our 30+ mile route includes 5 days of overland travel along mountain ridges, right next to massive glaciers, over tundra and through remote wilderness that few people ever get to see up close. There’s a good chance we’ll even see some Alaska Wildlife!
With unparalleled views and rugged terrain, this remote wilderness trip is set in a virtually unexplored part of Denali, and it provides the ideal setting for a true adventure photography workshop. I’ll be right there with you during the entire trip, and since we’ll be a small group, we’ll be able to learn and practice together and taylor to the techniques YOU want to learn and talk shop in camp every evening.
We’ll have incredible photo opportunities each day, and a variety of lighting conditions for capturing the scenery around us. We can take advantage of the midnight sun and catch Magic Hour on the Alaska Range, and we can even practice shooting “adventure subjects” by setting up scenarios with each other and our willing guide.
We’ll begin with a photography presentation before heading out into the backcountry, and when we’re out in the mountains, our small group setting will allow you nearly constant one-on-one opportunities for mentorship and instruction with me during the entire trip. This is as close as you’ll ever get to shooting in the remote wilds of Alaska, because you’ll actually be there doing it in person with me!
This is as real as it gets!!
To make this special trip happen, I’m working closely with Alaska Alpine Adventures, who is the premier small-group adventure travel company in Alaska. With a 16 year history, they’re a recognized leader the industry for providing award-winning itineraries and guiding safe trips that give people the chance to enjoy and explore Alaska’s great parks away from all the crowds.
Alaska Alpine Adventures will provide us with a knowledgable and experienced guide, as well as all the necessary logistical support, including tents, cooking gear, awesome backcountry meals, satellite phone, GPS, maps and medical kit, although you’ll be required to carry a portion of the group gear.
Although you don’t need to be an expert outdoors person or a pro athlete to enjoy this trip, good physical conditioning is essential. We’ll be backpacking with 30-40 lb. packs over steep, hilling, uneven terrain and covering an average of 5-7 miles each day. That’s not a huge distance, and we’ll have plenty of downtime, but we may encounter sections of thick vegetation, as well as wind, rain and possibly some mosquitos.
However, the trip is at the end of July, so you have lots of time to prepare for this awesome, once-in-a lifetime adventure! (Two months of pre-trip conditioning should be enough for most people.)
Whether your interest lies with landscape photography or action adventure styles, this workshop trek promises an intensive setting for you to learning advanced outdoor photography techniques in a truly remote Alaska environment.
I did a workshop trek with Galen Rowell back in 1993 and so it’s a dream for me to be able offer a trip like this to my own followers and students. There are only a few spots available on my Denali Backcountry Adventure Photography Trek, so if you’re interested, please visit the trip page at Alaska Alpine Adventures where you can read the detailed itinerary and book your reservation.
I hope to see you out there with me this summer. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
After months of writing, selecting images, editing and proofing, I finally got see a printed version of my first book. I just received an advance copy of Outdoor Action and Adventure Photography, and it looks amazing!!!
Aside from the personal elation and sense of accomplishment for seeing my work in print like this, I’m blown away by the quality of this book. I love the size and format, it just looks really professional, and it fits well in the hands when you hold it.
In addition, the colors and image reproductions are perfect. Having only seen the layout as a PDF file up to this point, I wasn’t sure what to expect with regards to color accuracy. RGB images on the computer display don’t always look the same when converted to CMYK and printed on paper, but these are spot on. Every single image looks exactly as I would have hoped they’d look.
Of course, when it comes to books, aesthetics only go so far. Content is what people look for, and as I sat on the couch and flipped through page after page after page of text, I was struck at just how much information is packed into this how-to manual. I almost can’t believe how much I wrote- no wonder it took me so long!
At 300 pages, and nearly 60,000 words, there’s a tremendous amount of photography instruction in here. From advice on gear, technical tips, compositional ideas and in-depth insight, this book presents the extent of my outdoor and adventure photography knowledge and methods that I’ve practiced and developed during the past 20 years.
It pretty much covers everything I know on the subject, and includes just about every technique I use in my style of outdoor photography.
These are the methods that have gotten me where I am today and I like to think that I’ve presented them in a very easy-to-understand style that will be easy for anyone to take away when the read the book. It’s not just hardcore stuff, these techniques can be used by anyone!
I’m so proud and excited to see my work in print, but I’m even more excited to share my knowledge and experience with you in this format. eBooks are one thing, but this is the real deal and I hope you’ll check it out.
Shot with the Fuji X-T1 and XF 18-135mm lens. 1/300 sec. @ f/3.5, ISO 800
We’ve had some great weather here in Southcentral Alaska lately. Mind you, not quite enough snow, but at least the skies have been cold and clear. I’ve been taking advantage of the great winter light to shoot some really cool mountain aerials, as well as fat tire snow biking, which is pretty much just regular mountain biking, but with bigger tires on snow and ice instead of dirt and rocks.
I went out for a late afternoon ride the other day with my friend Megan, and we had some awesome conditions for riding, and some awesome light for shooting. For much of the ride, I just kept my Fuji X-T1 slung around my neck and shoulder, with either the XF 14mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle lens, or the XF 18-135mm weather sealed lens. (Both of these are on sale right now.)
I like the lightweight versatility of the XF 18-135, even though it’s not terribly fast with regards to maximum aperture. That said, it does have a very quick autofocus motor and can keep up with moving subjects when the X-T1 is in predictive focus tracking mode. Overall, it’s a convenient and well performing lens, because I can shoot relatively wide angle all the way through to telephoto without having to swap glass. This can be a real plus when you’re moving quickly.
If the light starts to get dim, I’ll just crank the ISO up a little bit. That first shot above was made at ISO 800, which holds up extremely well with the Fuji X cameras; there’s a little bit of noise, but it’s got a look that’s very much akin to old film grain, so it’s not obtrusive.
The XF 14mm comes in very handy when I want to get in close and show even more environment. Also, since it’s an f/2.8 lens, I can shoot in even lower light. The extra stop combined with the slightly wider view lets me get the shutter speed down into the teens and twenties and still get sharp imagery.
For the shot below, I hand held the camera out in front of me, tight against the strap, focused on the hoar frost and shot at 1/20 sec. By then, it was getting pretty dark, so I had to go up to ISO 1250, but even that seems to hold up quite well.
Once you start shooting professionally, whether full or part time, you quickly realize that actually shooting photos is the smallest chunck of time you’ll spend in a given day, week or month. The majority if your time is spent with organizational tasks, such as generating estimates and invoices, keeping track of clients and contacts and marketing.
If you don’t have a good workflow for these tasks, you’ll fall behind on your efficiency and get bogged down. The more successful you are, the more you need to be on top of your tasks, so good system is essential no matter how far along you are in your business.
I’ve struggled with efficiency at times, and throughout my career, I’ve tried a number of photography business software solutions to keep me on track. I always come back to fotoBiz and fotoQuote by Cradoc Software, though. These well thought out and affordable programs give you everything you need to manage a freelance photography business.
I’ve long been a fan of Cradoc applications. Back when I shot slides, I used Cradoc Captionwriter and I first used fotoQuote over 20 years ago while working at a small stock photo agency in Boston. I’m still using it today as part of the comprehensive program fotoBiz X.
No matter if you’re a full time or part time photographer, you need a good database for clients and contacts, creating estimates and invoices, pricing your photography, tracking sales, equipment, licenses and seeing what areas of your business are giving you the best return on your investments and time. In the past, I had a number of different types of forms, databases and spreadsheets scattered all over my computer; today, all of this stuff is in handled with one program: fotoBiz.
fotoBiz X
fotoBiz X is powerful photography business management software that does everything you need. It starts with contact management. After entering or importing your client details into the system, you can generate assignment estimates, stock quotes, invoices and over 100 other types of documents, forms, emails, letters and reports. You also have a section for prospective clients that where you keep track of your marketing efforts, and there’s even a section for stock production. This is where you can track exactly how much you put into, and get back from your photo shoots.
fotoBiz X also contains a large magazine database that shows you want certain publications charge for ad space. This can help you in your negotiation process, and it also provides basic contact information for each magazine. This can save you a huge amount of time over having to research each magazine if you’d like to submit photos or contact them for work.
Once you land a stock sale or an assignment, fotoBiz lets you easily create the proper invoice and license for that job. It keeps track of all of your open and closed invoices and lets you create reports and export the data for outside bookkeeping. There’s even a place to keep track of all of your equipment for insurance purposes. Also, fotoQuote Pro is built right into fotoBiz X.
From stock image sales and license tracking, pricing, release forms, an insurance list of all your gear, Quickbooks export, international currencies and a full activity log, fotoBiz is an indispensable tool for managing every single aspect of your photo business.
fotoQuote Pro
fotoQuote Pro is the definitive photography pricing guide and coaching system and it’s completely up-to-date with today’s stock photography markets, even with regards to online uses. There’s no other program like it.
Even if you only license an occasional photo to a client, the negotiating tips and pricing calculator will likely make the program pay for itself with just one or two sales.The latest version has over 86 new categories, including 30 web categories, and it even includes a section for pricing video.
fotoQuote also has a built-in assignment photography pricing coach, which helps you establish the right price, whether you’re shooting a small editorial job or a large budget project. With 38 coaching topics, fotoQuote gives you extremely helpful negotiating tips so you can approach any job with the right information.
As I mentioned above fotoQuote comes included in fotoBiz. It also comes as a standalone version if you already have a regular photo business software management system that works for you. Every working photographer should have a copy of fotoQuote.
No matter what level of shooter you are, if you want to earn money with photography, I highly recommend checking out these two programs. I think you’ll like what you see, they’re relatively inexpensive, and invaluable with regards to how much time, money and efficiency they’ll save you. They’re available for both Mac and Windows.
Years of research and work went into refining these programs. They address every single aspect that a photographer might face when dealing with clients or managing the day-to-day operations of running your business in an ever changing industry. Not only will these tools and templates let you streamline your business, you’ll just look more professional every time you reach out to a client.
You never know exactly what you’ll get when you head outside with the camera, especially when shooting landscapes. Sure, you often have preconceived notions about specific subject matter; you might even have ideas about how you plan to frame it. Perhaps you’ve studied the location and you know when the good light will hit. You know the good angles and you’re familiar with the background or setting.
Hoever, once you get in the moment, it’s all a toss up. You wander around looking for just the right juxtaposition of elements, hoping for that perfect, magical convergence- that’s what drives, you, isn’t it?
If you keep your eyes open, and if you’re well practiced with the process of not just looking, but seeing and anticipating, you can stack the deck a little bit in your favor. It’s no guarantee, of course, but with patience and perseverance, you might get treated to a special visual surprise. Therein lies the wonder of photography.
While flying an aerial photography mission over the Chugach Mountains the other day, I climbed to around 8,000′ and circled above the peaks and ridges over the upper Colony Glacier, just south of Mt. Gannett.
I’ve got my system down with the window open, and the Fuji X-T1 around my neck set in Velvia JPEG mode, with either the XF 18-135mm lens or the XF 56mm f/1.2 lens, I look for dramatic peaks and appealing formations in the terrain, such as ridges or jagged spines that jut out of the broad snowfields. These are impressive formations, but when magic hour light hits these landscapes, they turn magical.
Below is a shot that I grabbed while circling and looking almost straight down. I love the shape of the peak and the diagonal ridge that cuts through the frame, but of course, it’s the light that brings it into a whole new realm. This frame was shot with the 18-135mm lens; although it’s not exceedingly fast, this lens is very sharp, and it offers great versatility.
This is definitely one of my recent favorites. Capturing these kinds of moments always rekindles my passion for photography and make me want to keep doing this. I hope that you’ve had a recent moment of photographic inspiration as well. Share yours with a link in the common section below.
I’ve been posting some teaser images from my recent fat bike adventure out to the Knik Glacier during past couple of blog entires, and I finally published a full photo essay of the trip.
The Fuji XF 50-140 f/2.8
