Here's your copy of the Dan Bailey Photo Newsletter, Aug 2017 Edition
Published: Thu, 08/10/17
Hi ,
So August is here. I hope you’re enjoying some well-deserved summer vacation, or perhaps you’re just coming out of winter and reveling in the warmer weather if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Here in Alaska, August usually means more rain as the days begin to get shorter. Right now, it’s still stetting past 10:00PM, but after those midnight sunsets of June and early July, 10:00 seems pretty early!
This will be a relatively short newsletter. I’m doing my best to stay away from the computer and enjoy my own summer right now, but I don’t want to leave you hanging for another month. So, here are a few tips, news items, links, camera deals and other tidbits of photography goodness.
X SERIES UNLIMITED
I’m happy to report that X SERIES UNLIMITED has achieved bestseller status. At least in my own mind. :) It’s outsold all of my other eBooks combined, and it’s only been out for a month! I’m blown away by all the positive comments and incredible feedback I’ve received from readers so far.
My goal was to write a comprehensive guide that would benefit all X Series users, and I guess I hit the mark. Thanks again to everyone who bought the book. I appreciate your support and I hope it’s helping you enjoy your Fuji camera even more. If you're a Fuji shooter and you don't have it yet, you definitely want this book, but don't take it from me. Here's what one person said:
"YOUR BOOK IS INCREDIBLE! Any Fuji shooter without this book is missing out."
Upcoming Workshops and Events
I’ve got two upcoming events on the calendar right now, the Fujifilm X Photographer Summit in Portland Oregon and a full day event at Glazers Camera in Seattle.
Fujifilm X Photographer Summit - Portland, Oregon - September 6-10
Taught by four X Photographers, Jack Graham, Bill Fortney, National Geographic Photo Editor Dan Westergren and myself, this is a excellent opportunity to learn on location and get even more up to speed with your Fuji camera. There will also be a Fuji tech rep on hand to answer questions, demo gear and even give out loaner bodies and lenses so you can try out different items.
There’s still space on our Portland summit, but the date is coming up fast! Please visit this page for registration information and details about this intensive three and half day workshop. We had a great time at the Great Smoky Mountains summit back in April, and I think this one will be even better! I hope to see you there.
Glazer’s Classes - Seattle, WA - Saturday, August 26
I’m teaching two classes at Glazer’s Camera that day, a two-hour Getting to Know Your Fujifilm Camera class at 10:00AM, and an 3-hour Advanced Techniques with the Fujifilm X Series Cameras class at 1:00. I’ll be finishing off the day with a Photowalk along the waterfront from 6-8:30PM. Visit this page to see more information about these classes and reserve your spot.
I know that all three events are filling up, so if you want to attend, get your name in and I’ll look forward to seeing you there! Also, while the two classes are obviously Fuji-based, the Photowalk is not, so feel free to join us no matter what camera you use.
3 Simple Tips for Improving Your Travel Photography
When we think of photography and of our most favorite images that we’ve shot, what usually comes to mind? Often times it’s travel. For many of us, photography and travel are almost inseparable passions. In fact, cameras were practically made for travel and exploration, and few types of photography have such an impact on the audience of the world as travel photography.
There’s a reason that National Geographic has always had such a prominent place in our culture. We’re fascinated by new places and by the things that we don’t see every single day, and capturing those images ourselves brings us great pleasure and sparks our own sense of adventure.
Then question then becomes, how to shoot better travel photos? How do you capture your scenes and create iconic image that communicate a powerful message to your audience? Read my travel photography tips blog post, and boost the visual strength and evocative message of your travel imagery. Also, here are 3 recommended books for learning travel photography.
Solar Eclipse
On August 21, a total solar eclipse will occur across America for the first time in 26 years. Depending on where you are in the U.S., the moon will either partially or totally block the sun for up to 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Sadly, I’ll miss it entirely, because Alaska will be out of the viewing range, but for those of you in the Lower 48, you’ll have an awesome opportunity to see and photograph the event.
Here’s a great blog post on the MacPhun site with some great information about the eclipse and tips on how to best photograph it.
Gear Corner
Fujifilm GFX Trade in Program
Right now, Fujifilm and B&H Photo have a really cool promo going on that allows you to save $650 instantly on the GFX body when you trade in your DSRL or Sony mirrorless camera. The GFX is an incredible camera and if you’re longing for a combination of extremely high resolution imagery and the Fuji vibe, this is your chance to move up. The crazy thing is that the GFX is actually smaller and lighter than the Nikon D810, and yet it has a much larger sensor.
This deal runs through September 30, so if you’ve got a body you want to trade in for the GFX, follow this link and get started!
Also, that super sexy and super tiny XF50mm f/2 is finally in stock full time at B&H Photo and Amazon, so if you’re looking to pick up a great little prime, the 50 f/2 is a great way to go. I love the 50, and have been using it non-stop since March. It’s ultra compact, focuses very close, produces wonderful bokeh, it’s weather sealed and it costs half the price of the 56 f/1.2.
Nikon Rebates
Nikon currently has a $200 instant rebates on the D750. Considerably lighter than the D810, the D750 is probably Nikon’s best full frame camera for outdoor and travel photography. $200 savings brings it down to only $1,796. Their top of the line DX Sensor camera, the D500 is curly $100 off right now. See all of the Nikon rebates here.
Click here to see all of the current B&H Back to School deals, which include cameras and lenses, photo accessories, computer gear, tablets and more.
Memory cards
My memory card of choices for all of my cameras is the SanDisk Extreme PRO 95MB/S card. It offers excellent speed and performance at a great price. Currently, the 64GB cards are only $35.95. You can never have too many of these kicking around in your bag.
Around the Web
Robert Rodriguez Jr. has a great post on his blog called The Reality of Making Compelling Images. I love Robert’s writing and I always try to include one of his article in my newsletters.
Photography Lessons I Learned Growing up Around Ansel Adams. This is a fun article written by someone whose father hung around the renowned photographer. This post appears on Digital Photography School, which has a brand new eCourse called 31 Days to Becoming a Better Photographer.
The class is currently 75% off with open enrollment closing tomorrow. I checked one of their 31-Day courses a few years ago and I learned a lot from it. This is a very good way to brush up on some photography tips and learn to master a wide variety of techniques one step at a time.
Read this very brief essay called Wonder, a quote by Rene Descartes. Short, sweet and highly relevant to us as photographers.
I’ll close with 25 great quotes about Technique, compiled by John Paul Caponigro. We often get so bogged down and intimidated by the concept of technique in photography, but these quotes will help you understand that no matter what you’re doing, technique is the fundamental vehicle for achieving success.
Ok, that’s all for now, . I hope you’re having a great summer and taking lots of wonderful photographs. Or at least getting out in the world and just reveling in the wonder of the world and all the possibilities for adventure, creativity and squeezing out the most you can from life.
Oh, and one last thing. You might have noticed already, but last weekend, my Instagram account was hacked and stolen. It's still up, but with a different username, and I no longer have access to the account. Apparently people do this to sell likes and followers. Or just to be a jerk.
I've notified Instagram to try and get it back, and I'm hopeful, based on what I've read from other people who have had this happen, but I haven't heard back from IG yet. I don't know how the hacker got access to my account, but I'm told it could be because my email account was somehow hacked or compromised as well. Thanks Adobe...
So, if you follow me on IG, I highly recommend changing your IG password and your email password, and make them something really hard. Use lots of random letters/words/caps and symbols.
Until next time…
Have a great weekend.
-Dan
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