It is no secret that I love using ultra wide-angle lenses for my landscape photography. I was especially excited when I received the new Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art lens just before I departed for my winter Iceland workshop. It has an amazing 122-degree angle of view at 12mm....
JPEGmini Server Review
After I had a chance to test and review the JPEGmini Pro software, I realized how powerful this software is not just for exporting images and being part of a Lightroom workflow, but also for many other uses, including optimizing images that are already sitting on our large storage devices....
Camera Color Calibration Explained
Two recurring questions that we often see from photographers are: "I have color management properly set up on my computer; why is it that the color is different between an out-of-camera JPEG and, say, Lightroom (substitute with your favorite 3rd-party converter)?" and "Why is it that the particular color on...
My Complicated Relationship with Seascapes
I have a confession: I have a love/hate relationship with seascapes. Sometimes I feel like they are easy, monotonous and a little bit of a sham — an easy way to impress others without having to put in the requisite amount of work. On such days I vow never to shoot a...
A Study in Light, Directionality and Mood
In the first of a series of follow-up articles to The Quality of Light, I have posted this article to share a series of photographs (along with the thought processes behind them) that I hope will accentuate the interplay of light, directionality, shadows, and mood in landscape photography. As previously discussed,...
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art Review
This is an in-depth review of the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art lens that was announced in February of 2017 along with a few other Sigma Art-series lenses. At the time of its release, Sigma proudly presented the lens as the "world's first and only full-frame f/1.8 ultra-wide-angle lens",...
Hand-held Close-Up Photography
Many photographers enjoy exploring the world around them with macro and close-up photography. The basic difference between these similar genres of photography is the amount of magnification achieved, with a 1:1 magnification generally accepted as an example of macro photography. Images at this level of magnification also have more details...
How to Use the Graduated Filter in Lightroom
Have you ever wondered how to use the graduated filter in Lightroom in order to help balance out your images and help recover more information? In this article, I will share some detail about the specifics of the graduated filter and show everything you need to know about using this...
How to Properly Hold a Camera
When taking pictures, one of the biggest frustrations one can experience is camera shake, which often happens as a result of the way the camera is held at lower shutter speeds. Properly hand-holding a camera can drastically reduce human-induced camera shake and result in many more sharp images and keepers....
Vietnam – Two Lenses on Traditional Culture
Although having one of the fastest growing economies in the world over the last decade, with significant advancements in modernization and higher living standards, Vietnam is still home to many traditional cultures living in several regions of the country. These include the northern and central mountain areas, the Cham region...