Should I Buy Used Equipment

I have always been fearful of buying used photography equipment. I’ve had these dreams of being out in the wilderness on a landscape art photography assignment, and just when I needed some piece of gear to work, it would fail. Then there was this nightmare where I have to pack up the gear, ship it…

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When Will Our National Parks Open?

I know every landscape and wildlife photographer is itching to ‘get out there’ and start shooting again in their favorite national park. So are the backpackers, hikers, campers, and those day visitors who want to visit pristine wildernesses and Mother Natures’ incredible scenery. However, before you pack up and head out to a chosen park, there are …

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Why The National Parks are Closing

When states and counties first ordered everyone to stay home, many in America decided to visit our parks as opposed to obeying the shut-in orders. Instead of practicing social distancing visitors swarmed into parks, overcrowding campgrounds, gathered at visitor centers, congregated at rock climbing sites and generally failed to do their part …

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Do I need Photoshop?

Thus creating an image that communicates with viewers beyond what is in front of the lens is more challenging and difficult workflow, one that requires visualization, composition, capture craft and patience.  While all photographs arise from some level of reality our post production tools— Lightroom and Photoshop— allows us to alter that reality to invoke perceptions…

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8 Powerful Life Changes for the New Decade

It’s the New Year, a new decade, and it is a common practice to make New Year’s Resolutions. But failure to keep our resolutions is not an uncommon outcome. For Photographers, some resolutions might be: “This year I’m really going to take my work to the next level;”  “I’m going to get out there and shoot more;” …

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4 Key Steps to Feel Your Work in Lightroom

During a post-production session at a recent Mojave First Horizon Workshop several photographers  asked why I teach them to start with the black slider in Adobe Lightrooms’ development module first. Here is Why: When we adjust the black slider, we find the darkest area of the image that will still hold detail…

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The Rocky Trail of Thankfulness

I recently returned from teaching the Grand Staircase Escalante Master Class, with the help of two great assistants, Ted Rigoni and Mike Titus. As always, nothing is more rewarding than guiding workshop photographers to achieve creative breakthroughs as they create landscape art that is personal, significant, and ‘photography beyond the lens.’ But this Grand Staircase…

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The National Park Angels

Sharp pain in my left hip, unable to move my left leg, unable to sit up, labored breathing were all indicators of something broken or severely bruised. Jonathan, who has many years of experience leading Outward-Bound Classes and Cross-Country Bike Tours took all the appropriate actions— back pack removal, position stabilization, situational awareness checks, and water, were all critical tasks as we were many miles from help.

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Conceptualizing the Hoodoos

The American Landscape is a vast array of interlinked details and immense wide-open spaces compressed into a web of real and imagined suggestions. Every location is its own special vision or nightmare, filled with all of those huge, clear and unique details that are exquisite and crystal clear while you are in it.

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Why I Journal & You Should Too

If you want to increase the creative and emotional range of your photography, then you need to keep a journal. Creative leaders in the photographic field such as Adams, White, Szarkowski, Stieglitz, as well as contemporary artists all keep or kept journals, many of them quite detailed. However, journaling is not limited to those pursuing…

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