Essays and Inspiration Category Archive

A Journey with the Photographic Mind

The photographic eye can perceive great compositions, notice patterns, find great light. But what of the photographic mind? The thoughts, the wishes, and the imagination – the idea of scenes dripping with the golden drops of sunlight? How does the photographic mind influence your style?

Photographing the Jardim Botânico Gardens of São Paulo

As the world’s 20th largest city, with over 12.4 million people, Brazil’s São Paulo is dominated by concrete, factories, and human habitation. In such a metropolis, green space feels all the more precious. Perhaps no green space here is better-known than the beautiful and serene Jardim Botânico, or Botanic Gardens.

How to Photograph Wildlife in Extreme Weather and Cold

Photographers mostly look for good light, including beautiful sunrises and sunsets on a pleasant day. But what about inverting that perspective and seeking strong winds, snow, and storms in the deep of the winter? This article shows the different results you can get by photographing wildlife in extreme weather conditions,...

The Wonderful World of Bat Photography

What comes to mind when you think of bats? Mysterious flying shadows or blood-sucking vampires? The truth is that most people know very little about bats, even if they live in their backyards. Most wildlife photographers don’t pay much attention to these misunderstood animals as they flit by.  In fact,...

Photographing the Kingfisher in Paradise

There aren't many birds that anyone would recognize at a glance. Many groups of birds are so inconspicuous, the differences between species so subtle, and their behaviors so mysterious that even nature lovers struggle to identify them. Kingfishers are different. As soon as you learn what a kingfisher looks like,...

Birds to the West of Rio de Janeiro

Near the western border of the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro lies the small coastal city of Paraty. It is surrounded to the north by forest and rugged cliffs, and to the south by the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. I went to this charming city as part of...

A Day in the Life of a Landscape Photographer

I’ve just published a new video on YouTube called “A Day in the Life of a Landscape Photographer.” This video has been a long time coming; it’s our first in over two years! And it’s paired with the announcement of a major giveaway that I’ll be doing later this year. You can watch the video below.

Photographing the Muskox in a Winter Wonderland

The muskox (Ovibos Moschatus) is a massive arctic animal. It weighs up to 400 kg (880 pounds) and measures up to 2.5 meters long (over 8 feet). Although it lived across Europe during the last ice age, it went extinct on the Eurasian continent around the same time that the...