Tag Archives: landscapes

Shooting for the Moment – Why You Should Embrace the FUJI JPEGS

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In my recent YouTube lesson videos, I’ve been showing you how to use the creative tools inside your Fuji camera in order to expand your “in the moment” creativity when you’re out shooting.

I’ve culminated my ideas about this topic in my latest video, called SHOOTING FOR THE MOMENT: Why You Should Embrace the FUJI JPEGS.

The Fuji’s all have great sensors and they do produce wonderful RAW files, but there’s a certain magic that you gain when you move away from the traditional RAW workflow and embrace the creative moment with your photography.

Now, I’m not saying that you should never shoot RAW, but we’ve all been indoctrinated by the big names to believe that we HAVE to shoot RAW all the time if we want to be serious photographer and produce good quality work.

However, that’s simply not true. 

The color and tonal processing technology inside your Fuji camera is so good, that in most cases, you’re not losing anything by shooting JPEG, and in fact in most cases, you gain a huge amount of creative liberation, freedom and “in the moment” magic that’s lost if you wait to process your images later.

When you shoot JPEG, you’re not giving up any resolution, you’re simply letting the camera do your processing. You’re simply taking advantage of the color science and expertise that Fuji has perfected in their 80+ year history.

Add in all of those tools I’ve been talking about in my recent videos, and you actually have a great deal of control right in the camera.

In many cases, you can actually get as good or better results than if you sat in front of your computer doing post processing. Besides, what does that really give you, except more time at your computer?

Sure, maybe you’ll be able to rescue a few lost highlights or shadow tones, but does that always make the image better? Maybe rescuing those tones doesn’t really matter in the overall message of the image. Not showing everything can actually make your photograph even stronger.

So, whether you’re a RAW only shooter, an occasional RAW shooter, watch my latest lesson and see why I think it makes sense to embrace the Fuji JPEGs. And if you’re already a JPEG shooter, check it out anyway; it will validate your method even more with a positive, “feel good” message.

Either way, thanks for reading, enjoy the video and have a great weekend!

Watch My Mini Alaska Virtual Photo Workshop Video Lesson

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As I expand the scope of my YouTube video lessons, I’ve come up with a new idea: Mini Virtual Photo Workshops, the first of which I have now posted to my channel. 

In this bite-sized, fifteen minute workshop, I take you to the shores of Colony Glacier here in Alaska, where I explore a small section of the scene and walk you through the process of creating a few landscape images right there on location.

With clear instruction, I explain my process for evaluating the scene, looking for possible subjects and narrowing them down into a workable composition. Using a selection three different lenses, I break them down into Wide, Middle and Long, and give you specific tips for maximizing each kind of lens when working your frame.

I also deal with exposure issues and show you how it’s possible to create a series of compelling images, even when you don’t have very dramatic light. In fact, I think that shooting in less-than-ideal light can offer a better opportunity for learning, because most of us already know how to make photos in beautiful light.

In addiiton, when you have that kind of brilliant, magical light on your subject, it’s easy to focus solely on that and miss some of the other compositional tips that can lend to a more powerful photograph.

This lesson isn’t just for Fuji users. Even though I use my X Series cameras and lenses to create these photos, the methods I talk about are universal. The process of seeing, composing and using different focal lengths applies to any kind of camera system, and the general look and feel of my Fuji-specific adjustments can easily be created in post processing, if that’s your preferred workflow.

I’m pretty excited about this lesson, and I definitely plan to do more of these \\mini virtual photo workshops. Not only does it allow you to come along with me in places that you might not normally be able to visit and get direct, real-world photography tips from me on location, I see this style of instruction as a natural progression of the kinds of online tutorials that I’ve been working up to.

So join me for my Mini Alaska Virtual Photo Workshop Video Lesson, enjoy the lesson and let me know what you think!

My Favorite Photos From This Past Winter

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With longer days and a heavy dose of sunshine and beautiful warm weather that’s descended upon Anchorage lately, I’m struggling with the motivation to sit at my desk and do much work these days. Mostly I just want to be outside riding my bike. So, that’s what I’ve been doing on most days.

When I am inside, I try to stay on top of email and keep filming videos for my YouTube channel and lessons for my Photography On The Brain course, which has just begun its second hear. However, I find myself mostly wanting to do things that nurture myself and take my mind off of the continuing pandemic; like bake bread and engage in activities that qualify as goofing off.

So, in lieu of a regular “photography tips” post, I figure I’d take a quick look back at some of my favorite photos from this past winter.

Although I do love summer, winter up here in Alaska has a certain undeniable magic that makes for wonderful photography opportunities. For as much effort as it often requires, I find winter photography to be immensely rewarding. Between the bold colors of the low sun and the otherworldly textures that a heavy blanket of snow often provides, winter scenes hold such a unique fascination for me.

Winter is when I shoot most of my aerials, and during this past season, I even tried something new: I made my first aerial movie, a short film called AERIAL ADVENTURE – Winter Flying in Alaska.

Of course, there’s another aspect about winter that’s making me feel especially nostalgic. The winter of 2019-20 was the last time on earth when there was no such thing as the COVID pandemic. It was the last time we carried ourselves through daily life as we always did before the novel coronavirus spread across the entire planet and messed everything up for everyone.

So, without trying to elaborate on that further or try to come up with some kind of profound photography lesson for the day, I’ll just show you some pretty pictures. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the past winter.

Enjoy, be safe and take care, everyone!

Tips for Staying Creative and Shooting Close to Home

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Remember back in January when I wrote my New Year’s blog post about looking forward, making our lives what we want them to be, and pondering ideas about where we want to go with our photography this year? Well… 2020 … Continue reading →

Watch My Brand New Short Film, “AERIAL ADVENTURE”

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I’m excited to release my brand new short film, “Aerial Adventure – Winter Flying in Alaska.” You can watch it on YouTube here. In this video, I document my experiences flying around the mountains and shooting aerial photos out the … Continue reading →

Isolating Your Subjects with a Short Telephoto Lens

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I’ve always been a fan of the fixed short telephoto lens, which is typically a mid-range focal length with a relatively compact size. In use, this type performs like a classic normal lens, but with a little more throw, and … Continue reading →

Early January is The Most Magical Time of the Year in Alaska

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Some people think the big payoff for living in Alaska is the 24-hour daylight we get in the summertime. They would be wrong. I won’t say that those super long days aren’t nice. After all, I love summer when I … Continue reading →