This Week's Adventure Photography Newsletter - New Alaska Photo Workshops
Published: Tue, 01/07/14
| Exploring the World of Outdoor Photography with Tips, News, Imagery and Insight | Dan Bailey's Adventure Photography Blog | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hi !
New! - Through The Lens Alaska Photography Workshop Tours
 It’s official, and I promised that you’d be the first to know about my brand new venture. Starting this year, I’ll be teaching destination photography workshops with Jody Overstreet, a fellow photographer and longtime Alaska tourism expert. Our company is called Through The Lens Alaska, and our mission is to create photocentric tours and workshops to help photographers of all skill levels maximize their Alaska travel and shooting experience.
Our packages and workshops cater to specific photographer needs, such as shooting the best hours for lighting, which during an Alaska summer might be 3 am! We take guests to unique vantage points, far from tourism masses, and use our vast back country experience to find wildlife while keeping everybody safe at the same time. Workshop topics include wildlife, landscapes and action/adventure photography. In the field, we provide technical, creative and grip support so that our guests can bring home their Alaska dream shot.
Photographing in Alaska can be a once in a lifetime opportunity that offers unmatched photography opportunities, and with Through The Lens Alaska, I hope to show you this incredible state that has captured me so much during my time here, and also help you bring home the caliber of images that you strive for.
Be sure and like our TTLAK Facebook Page as well!
Photo Tours
 We offer a couple of different types of trips, our Photo Tours are designed to let you Capture the best that Alaska has to offer. We offer a number of wilderness photography tours throughout the year, with a variety of locations and subject matter. These trips focus on a specific location that let you explore a wide selection of Southcentral Alaska, such as the Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, Talkeetna and Denali National Park. We’re still still finalizing dates on our bigger photo tours, but you can see our current itineraries and even reserve a spot if you see a trip that strikes your fancy!
Workshops - Now Scheduled!
 We’ll also be running a handful of shorter photo workshops, two of which are already on the calendar for July and September that allows you to photograph some of the must stunning scenery in Southcentral AK. Photograph brown bears, Alaska native culture, the stunning mountains of Hatcher Pass, and the Knik and Matanuska glaciers, all while learning from two experienced instructors. Our Mountain Cathedrals workshop is scheduled for July 9-14, and our Autumn Light workshop runs Septebmer 10-14. These are ready, so book now if you’re interested!
New Camera AnnouncementsNikon
A few new cameras were announced this week at the CES trade show in Las Vegas. Nikon plans to update their flagship model with the D4s, which will have enhanced image quality, a brand new processing engine and more advanced autofocus system.
 On the other end, they unveiled the D3300, which is a step above the D3200. Improved specs on this one include 5 frames per second shooting rate, no Optical Low Pass Filter, which, as with the D800 means improved sharpness, a new panorama mode and the Expeed 4 image processing chip. The bigger deal, though is that it’s 30% smaller and 25% lighter than the D3200, which means that it’s probably the most powerful DSLR you can get for its size and price. ($646 for the kit) The new 18-55mm kit lens features a special retracting barrel that contributes to the compact design of this camera kit.
If you’re someone who still loves the image quality and capabilities of DSLR cameras, but are looking for something to compete with the mirrorless gear in terms of size, you might check this one out. You can preorder the D3300 at B&H Photo and Adorama. Ship date is estimated to be February 6.
Fujifilm
 Big news this week from Fujifilm was the announcement of the new all black X100s. People have been waiting for this one every since the X100s hit the market last year. Same prices as the silver, it will hit shelves by February (you can preorder here). Also, look for a new addition to the Fuji X lineup later this winter. I recently got to try out a prototype of a brand new camera, and while I’m sworn to secrecy about any details, let’s just say that a guy like me might find it quite appealing. More to follow as news emerges.
 Also, the Fuji X20 is still on sale. Right now they’re running at only $499 for the black model and $469 for the silver. I’ve had so much fun with my X20, and even after shooting with the XE-1 and XE-2 all fall, it’s such a joy to come back to the small simplicity of the X20. If you’re looking for a small go-anywhere camera, this is a great choice. As always, purchasing gear through these links really helps me out. In addition to my regular assignment and stock photography work, I spend hours each week on my blog and newsletters, both of which are totally free, and using these links from is a very simple way to show your appreciation for my efforts, and it helps me keep bringing you this info and inspiration throughout the year.
In fact, you can just bookmarks these URLs below and use them whenever you need to make a purchase in the future. Thanks so much!
Around The WebJoe McNally began the year with a commission check for a whopping $1.32. Yes, even a big shot like Joe has to deal with ridiculously low commissions sometimes. Read his hilarious and very insightful post, Off to a Rip Roaring Start! about what keeps him going throughout the year despite these seemingly uphill battles.
How To Find Fullfilling Work, by Maria Popova. I love Maria’s posts, they’re often long, but filled with incredible and powerful insight, as well as a number of great quotes that surround the ideas of how we look at work. Definiltey worth a read. Then pick through any number of her other posts. Time NOT wasted.
I love this post called 2014 Resolution: Do Things, Make Things. It explores a very simple approach to achieving happiness in this society. The gist of the article is that we as humans are much happier when we create things. We spend so much time in today’s society consuming the stuff that other people make, whether they’re TV shows, YouTube videos, Facebook posts, web articles, photographs, music, movies, advertisements, that we don’t make time to actually do anything for ourselves.
10 Ways to Improve Your Photography in 2014, by Chris Corradino. 10 simple things you can do an should do in order to help you attain your creative goals for the year. When you’re done reading this one, check out The Secrets of Pro Photographers: 5 Tactics that Keep Them On Top.
I’ve got a guest post this week on Digital Photography School. Check out my piece, titled 5 Ways to Create Detail Photos and see how to create a more powerful message by shooting abbreviated images of your subject matter.
Finally, I couldn’t resist. The Fender Stratocaster turns 60 this year, which means that I’ll be celebrating big time for the next twelve months. If you’re a fellow guitar fan, you might like this collection of Fender Strat photos.
Happy New Year!It’s always exciting when the calendar rolls back to the top again. In addition to the twelve months of opportunity that’s staring right at you, it’s a great time to look at things with a new approach, break bad habits, instill brand new habits, start new projects or hobbies and, of course, implement all those ideas that will help increase your productivity and your creativity.
If you’re like me, you’ll start the year off with grand visions of what you hope to accomplish, and then you spend the next few weeks and months getting down to business and bringing your ideas alive, and yes, trying to weather all the stuff that slowly creeps in and gets in the way of your great ideas. Such is life.
I always like to begin the new year by doing three things, which helps me set the tone and get on track for the what I hope the year will bring.
1. Look back at the past year.
Looking back and reflecting on last year allows you to take stock and see where you’ve come. Perhaps you achieved some great milestones during 2013. Maybe you bought some new gear or made big advancements in your career. No matter what level of photographer you are, it’s good to celebrate your accomplishments. Spend time savoring the important moments, because you’ll only be at this point in your photography once.
2. Look forward to 2014
Spend time during the next week or so analyzing your methods and try to recognize areas where you can improve your workflow or your technique. Is there something specific that you hope to learn this year? Is there some piece of gear that you’d like to add to your arsenal? Now is the time to figure that stuff out, before you get too wrapped up and fall back into your old patterns. Forget resolutions, better to think small and nail down just a couple of things that you really want to focus on. It might even help to start a new journal for the year. Write down what you want to accomplish, what you DID accomplish and how it felt.
3. Start a process of regular learning
The new year is also a great time to get in the habit of regular learning. Make a point to carve out some time each day and week to devote to active learning with your photography. Read books and eBooks. Do an online course or webinar. Visit someone else’s website whose work you admire and really spend the time looking through their imagery, studying their compositional and lighting techniques. Invest in your photography- even if it’s only your hobby, it’s worth the time, money and effort. Right now, you can pick up my 3-eBook Bundle for 22% off through the Snapndeals website. The bundle includes Making The Image, Going Fast With Light and How to Become a Pro Photographer, all for only $29. This deal only last a few days, so don’t wait too long. Of course, nothing will improve your photography like getting out there and taking pictures, so perhaps the best thing you can do is plan a trip and get out into the world with your camera. So, with that, I wish you a very happy new year and the best of luck for your success in 2014. As I’ve said before I’d love to see your work, so post a few new shots in the Outdoor Adventure Photography Flickr group or the Fast With Light group. Also, feel free to leave me a comment on my Facebook page or blog and let me know how your year went or what you’re hoping for in 2014.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the recent posts, and don't forget to share, tweet, +1 and stumble them to your other photographer friends!
Best regards,
Dan
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