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25 Incredible and Inspiring Landscape Photographs

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Photograph Piper J3 Cub, Stanley, Idaho by Greg Sims on 500px

Piper J3 Cub, Stanley, Idaho by Greg Sims on 500px

I have to confess, in the last few months I’ve been in something of a creative rut. We all go through periods of time where it’s a struggle to even want to pick up your camera. One of the ways I am medicating is by searching out the best of the best photography in the categories I’m most interested in. For me, nothing gets me more excited to start taking pictures again than epic landscape photography. [Read more…]

MoVI M5 – Three Axis Camera Gimbal Review

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MoVI M5 Review

It is an exciting time to be a photographer or filmmaker. Almost daily, new innovations and technology are being used to develop tools that make creative image-making cheaper, easier, and more fun. I recently got the chance to use a relatively new innovation, the MoVI M5 three axis camera gimbal. The people at Freefly Systems were kind enough to loan me a M5 to evaluate during a shoot in Nice, France.  [Read more…]

How to get a Stuck UV Filter off a Lens

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stuck_filter

A few days ago I bought a used canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS lens from a local photographer that’s getting out of the business. She was asking $800 which is a great deal for an amazing piece of glass. The lens is great is my new favorite for shooting portraits. There was only one small issue. It came with a UV filter that had been over-tightened and was now stuck on the front of the lens. [Read more…]

Should you Watermark your Photographs?

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watermarked

This question comes up again and again in photography forums. While there is likely no hard right or wrong answer, this topic always generates passionate discussion supporting both sides. I’ll list some reasons some photographers cite for watermarking and I’ll tell you why I don’t. Ultimately it’s up to you of course, but at least you will have considered all of the pros and cons. [Read more…]

Make a Seamless Backdrop Holder out of Hooks & Conduit

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seamless paper backrop holder

Like many photographers, I like using seamless paper as a backdrop in my photography studio. Up until now I’ve used one of these backdrop stands to hold the paper rolls. It get’s the job done, but I found myself wishing for a better solution. Anytime you want change colors, you have to lower both stands, roll up the paper, slide off the roll, and slide a new one on before raising both stands again. It’s awkward, time consuming, and frustrating as I’m always tripping over the legs of the stands.  [Read more…]

Magazine Cover Photo Shoot from Planning to Finished Shot

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Magazine Cover Shoot

A couple of weeks ago I received the assignment to travel to Hawaii and shoot a cover shot for a corporate magazine. My visit was scheduled to take place during a sales rep meeting where there would be a few hundred people attending. 50 or so of these sales reps have qualified for a company car and would be driving it to the event to participate in a road rally around the island of O’ahu.

The creative brief called for the shot to include as many of these branded, white company cars as possible in an attractive setting. Shouldn’t be too hard in a beautiful place like Hawaii right? [Read more…]