Hi ,

 

The MountainFilm festival came to Anchorage this week, and as I was sitting in the theater being wowed by some awesome outdoor movie shorts, I thought about two things.

 

First of all, I was reminded once again of the power of adventure and creativity. Those two things go hand in hand and when you think of ideas, and then go out and make them happen, you will realize greatness. One film that I really loved was called Dark Side of the Lens, by Mickey Smith. Essentially an autobiographical look at Mickey’s craft as a leading surfing photographer, it spoke of passion, and all out immersion for doing what you love, even though it might never make you rich. 

 

The other thing that occurred to me was that a large number of the films were made by people who are traditionally known as professional still photographers. HD DLSR technology has truly arrived and it allows for unbelievable opportunities for telling and creating stories, especially on the small, intimate scale, sometimes in very close or extreme quarters. 

 

I have not really dabbled in motion pictures with my camera, I know that many of you do. (I’m certainly intrigued by it, I’m just afraid that I’ll like it too much and make myself even more busy!) Go watch MountainFilm, Banff or others like it and be inspired. Then go see what you can do.

 

 

Canon has been on the front end of HD DSLR technology for awhile, but last week, Nikon announced the brand new D4, which has full, HD, stereo movie capabilities. If you’re serious about making movies, then this is something you’ll want to consider. Rob Galbraith has the full D4 specs and features list, and B&H Photo is taking pre-orders for this amazing new camera, which will be available next month. Also, check out some of the first published photos shot with the D4 on Joe McNally’s blog.

 

 

Speaking of Joe McNally, he’s got a brand new book out, Sketching Light. I don’t have it yet, but I hear it’s awesome. How could it not be? Everything he writes is awesome. Continuing where his immensely popular book, The Hot Shoe Diaries left off, Sketching Light further explores some of his techniques and tricks for creating outstanding imagery with small flashes.

 

I found The Hot Shoe Diaries to be an incredibly useful manual towards expanding my own off camera flash skills, so I’m really looking forward to picking the new one up too, right after I finish reading his other book, The Moment it Clicks.

 

 

 

 

I told you last month that I’ll be working with Photoflex this year. Well, last week, I had my first post up on the Photoflex LiteBlog, where I talk about using the TritonFlash lithium battery powered strobe. As you know, I go fast with light, and since I can fit the whole kit inside my Lowepro Photo Sport backpack and take it skiing or snow biking, the TritonFlash definitely fits that bill. With the Triton, I’m able to get faster recycle times and more flashes- up to 750 frames on a full battery charge. 

 

Honestly, I was pretty skeptical about trying out a strobe like the TritonFlash, simply because I didn’t think it would fit with my fast with light style, but I was very impressed with it’s compact size and weight, and the power it packs for a lighting unit of that size.

 

Look for more lighting tutorials from me on the Photoflex Lighting School website in the coming weeks and months.

 

 

Since we’re talking about teaching, I’m starting to plan my teaching and workshop schedule for 2012. I haven’t formally announced anything yet, but as a subscriber, you’ll know first as soon as something’s on the books. At this point, I’m still gauging interest and mulling locations and formats, and I’d love to get your input. Let me know if you’d be interested in coming up to Alaska later this year to learn from me, or if you’d like to talk with me about having me teach for your local photography group or institution.

 

Have you picked out your favorite photos of 2011? Check out Jim Goldstein’s list of Best of Photos list from 2011, lost of great sites on the list. (I’m number 141.)

 

 

I hope that you’re enjoying winter so far, although if you don’t live in Alaska, you probably don’t much snow yet. Don’t worry, it will come. In the meantime, why not spend some time thinking about what kind of creativity and adventure you’d like to explore this year. 

 

I’ll leave you with a non-snow image. I love this shot by one of my followers, Lea Besmana, AKA Bassisette on Flickr and Twitter. She shot this in Bali with a Nikon 105mm f/2.8 AF-S lens. Killer image, Lea!! Be sure and check out some of her other work.

 

 

Thanks for reading, and enjoy this week’s posts- they’re filled with lots of really great insight and some brand new imagery! And as always, if you see something you like, don’t forget to tweet, share or stumble it to your own followers.

 

Take care,

 

Dan