5 Quick Photo Observations From My Death Valley Photography Trip
Hey everyone. I'm on my flight heading back to the East coast from my recent Death Valley photography trip. I'm beat! Four days of going to bed late and getting up at Oh-Dark-Thirty takes it's toll on you. And luckily I was smart enough to ensure I'd get no sleep by...
Photographing Death Valley (Day 1)
My buddy Brian Matiash and I arrived in Las Vegas yesterday, rented our car and started our way toward Death Valley (after an In And Out Burger stop of course). It was already getting late in the afternoon and we didn't think we'd make it in time for a sunset shoot so...
The Story Behind My Oldest Portfolio Photo – Moraine Lake
I was looking through my photography portfolio the other day and noticed the image above. I realized this is the oldest photo I have in my photography portfolio (over 7 years). Now, it's not the oldest photo I have, but it's the oldest photo in my port that has stood...
Free Lightroom Presets – Wedding Day
Here's an update to some older presets. See, I’m always dissecting “looks” that I find in photos, and I’ve seen this one for a while now. I named it Wedding Day because that’s mostly what I see the effect used on – wedding photos shot outdoors in the afternoon. It’s...
A Quick Follow Up To Becoming A Better Photographer In 2013
I have to tell you how great/inspiring it was to read the responses to my original post earlier in the week on The Key Step To Becoming A Better Photographer In 2013. I couldn't have asked for a better post and feedback to start off the new year. Since then I've...
A Key Step To Becoming A Better Photographer In 2013
Right before Christmas, Scott Kelby and I did (what I thought at least) was one of our best episodes ever of The Grid (our weekly talk show). Seriously, if there was ever one show that I was a part of, that I really think helped people, it was this one. The topic? A...
How I Use Evernote For Photography
About a year ago I started using a program called Evernote. One year later, I'm hooked. It's infused into every device in my life, and so much of the content that I work on everyday touches Evernote in some way or another. Although, I use it for many things relating...
Why You Need A Strong Tripod
Why you need a strong tripod and my experience with the Really Right Stuff TVC-33
Lightroom 4 Presets – Vignettes and Edge Darkening
Hi everyone. One of the things that just about all of my photos get is a vignette to darken the edges. It really helps bring in focus on your photos, and makes a great finishing touch. It's also perfect for a preset because it's something that's very repeatable, and...
San Diego Sunset Cliffs Photo
Earlier this week I taught my Lightroom seminar in San Diego. I arrived fairly early in the afternoon (the day before) so I knew I'd have some time to kill during the day. Well, whenever I go to a city and have some extra time I always do some quick web searches on...
Big Sur Pfiefer Beach At Sunset (In Color This Time)
Today I visited the same beach from yesterday's post (Pfiefer Beach). I didn't stay right until sunset, because I had another location I wanted to hit, but I did grab a few shots of the sea arch with the sun behind it (and without the foggy cloudy weather). Yesterday...
Big Sur Photo In Black and White
After teaching my seminar in Sacramento, I decided to stay an extra couple of days and take a drive to San Francisco and eventually made my way down the coast. For the past 3 years I've been trying to photograph the Big Sur coast and have had absolutely no luck. Every...