I’d like to start by thanking you for reading this newsletter. I know that you probably get way too many emails, and the fact that you actually open and read this one from me means a lot. There are so many great sources of photography information out there and I really appreciate that you follow my work and think what I have to say is useful, or at least entertaining.

 

Secondly, please note that I’m now calling this the Dan Bailey Photo Newsletter. Partly because it doesn’t always come out weekly, and partly just to make it easier for you to quickly identify it in your email inbox. 

 

 

This week, I’m finishing up something that I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I’m finalizing my first draft for an adventure, action photography book that will be published by Focal Press early next year. The publisher at Focal approached me a couple years ago to write a book for them and it took a long time to get the project rolling. Last spring, we finally found time to sit down and hash out an idea. I’ve been working on the text for the past few months and am now choosing imagery. I hope to have the first draft finished and sent off by the first week of May. 

 

Having never written anything of this length, sometimes I feel like I bit off a little more than I can chew, especially considering all the other projects I have going on. I’m really excited about what I’ve been writing and can’t wait to show you the final project, even though it’s still a few months away. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

I just finished working on a big action and lifestyle campaign for Sportmaster, who is the largest sporting good retailer in Russia. Based in Moscow, they have store in Eastern Europe and are expanding into China this year. I was hired by their Los Angeles ad agency to scout locations and shoot for a week up here in Alaska. My main DSLR went down in the middle of the first day of shooting, and so I ended up shooting the entire rest of the job with my Fuji X-T1. 

 

Even though I’ve been shooting solidly with the X-T1 since early February, this was the first time I’d used it on a high end advertising assignment. Nonetheless, I had full confidence in the system and in the quality of lenses that Fuji has put together. The camera did great. I used the EVF about 90% of the time, even shooting in snowy, bright light conditions, and it performed like a champ. I ran close to 10,000 frames through it during the course of the week, mostly using the Fuji XF 14mm f/2.8 lens, the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 and the 56mm f/1.2 ultra fast short telephoto. 

 

As soon as I get clearance from the client, who was very happy with the images that I shot, I’ll start posting photos form the job and break down some of the shooting instances for you. Watch this video of me in action and see how I willingly put myself in harm’s way to get the good angles. Note how nimble I am with the X-T1. Then imagine me in the same situation with huge, heavy gear around my neck. 

 

Although it’s been on backorder for the past couple of months, the X-T1 is slowly starting to show up on shelves at B&H Photo, Amazon and Adorama. Part of the back order is the fact that people who preordered them are getting first dibs, so if you want one, you should go ahead and preorder. They won’t show up as “In Stock” until all the preorders are filled. This is really a fantastic little, pro featured camera, and if you’re thinking about moving to a lighter kit, I can highly recommend it. If you haven't read my full X-T1 review and field test, you can find it here.

 

 

Last year, I was approached by a fellow photographer and longtime Alaska travel industry professional Jody Overstreet about starting a series of Alaska photo workshops. A few months later, we brought on one of the biggest names in Alaska photography, Jeff Schultz, official Iditarod photographer and former owner of Alaska Stock. Together, the three of us have formed Through The Lens Alaska, LLC and have put together a great package of Alaska photo workshops that get underway beginning the first week of May. 

 

Our goal is to provide guided wilderness photography tours and workshops that get you into the best locations during the best light, and at the same time, share our expertise on location so that you can get the most stunning shots during your trip to Alaska.

 

We have everything from two-hour Photo Walks in downtown Anchorage to four-hour evening Sunset Photo Safaris and longer intensive photo tours. As of right now, I’ll be running some of the Sunset Photo Safaris, as well as the Mountain Cathedrals workshop from July 9-13, and the Autumn Light workshop from September 10-14. I may be adding a few one-day photo workshop tours, so bookmark TTLAlaska.com and please consider us if you’re thinking about coming to Alaska.

 

 

I’m excited to announce my brand new mini Adventures.danbaileyphoto.com. I designed the site to highlight some of my favorite image collections as big, pretty photo essays, the way they should be viewed. I like writing about my adventures on my blog, but the limited format doesn’t quite do the photography justice.  I wanted to find a theme that displayed images in a better, cleaner way, and after looking for awhile, I found a website template that really like.

 

My first story on the site is Chasing Alpenglow – Aerial Photography in Southcentral Alaska, and it highlights a few of the aerial shooting missions that I’ve done with my little Cessna during the past two years. It takes you on a photo journey over the Chugach Mountains, the rugged Kichatna Spires, the Neacola range and the Knik Glacier. Check it out and let me know what you think!

 

 

Sandisk is still running special deals on SD memory cards. Right now, you can get select cards for up to 50% off and more. Even if you already have a number of cards, keep in mind that the newer generation of cameras shoot faster frame rates, have larger buffers and shoot bigger files. This means that those 30-45MB/S cards won’t always keep up. 

 

The Sandisk Extreme Pro 95MB/S offers excellent speed at a great price right now with the savings. That’s my recommendation for the best performance and value. 

 

The newest 280MB/S Extreme Pro UHS-II card is is designed to handle the maximum performance of cameras like the Fuji X-T1, but it does cost a little more. If you shoot fast action, I’d get the 280MB/S card, but if you’re not shooting on Continuous High mode all that often, the 95MB/S card does extremely well.

 

 

Nikon has just announced their latest Buy Together and Save deals. You can save hundreds of dollars if you buy any Nikon DSLR body and bundle it with a selection of lenses or Speedlights. If you’re thinking of moving up to a new Nikon camera, this is a great time to maximize your dollar and get the right gear for your summer.

 

 

A while back, Digital Photography School released their excellent eBook, Living Landscapes- A Guide to Stunning Landscape Photography, which was written by Todd Sissin. I follow Todd’s work online and he shoots beautiful work. This week, his companion volume just came out. It’s called Loving Landscapes - A guide to Landscape Photography Workflow and Post-Processing. 

 

It’s filled with over 200 pages of information on how to transform your RAW files into stunning, finished images. You’ll learn how to master Adobe Lightroom and how to use it to the fullest in your landscape post-processing, how to bring Photoshop into the mix, how to set up your computer for maximum performance, how to expose, blend, control noise, apply lens correction, sharpening, filters, layer masks and a host of other techniques. You’ll even get 10 free Lightroom presets.

 

 

Right now, you can get Loving Landscapes for a special early bird special and save 44%. Or you can get the bundle of both books for 33% off for a limited time. Both books are fully guaranteed for 60 days with a full refund if you didn’t think the book was very helpful. 

 

 

If you only read one post this week, make sure it’s this one: On Manufactured Opportunities. This excellent insight by David Hobby echoes something that I feel is a very important concept, even though I’m sometimes as guilty as anyone for not making the time. Creative success comes from extended moments of clear thinking, and if you’re super busy, you’re not thinking. It’s vital that you get away from your computer, your busy tasks and even your camera in order to free up space in your head and make room for new, creative thoughts to develop. Do it. Read this post.

 

Effective composition in landscape photography is a lifelong process of learning and exploration. This great article by Robert Rodriguez Jr. discusses ways how to translate your personal connection with the landscape into a powerful image so that you’re able to bring forth a photograph that not only captures, but speaks of your own ideas about the subject matter. Robert has a simple exercise that takes about 5-10 minutes, and can help bring you closer to your outdoor and nature subjects so that you can create effective imagery.

 

Composition & Questions. More fantastic insight from photographer extraordinaire David duChemin. I always love reading David’s stuff and I think that he’s one of the modern day photographic visionaries. Anything that comes out of his mouth, keyboard or pencil is worth reading. 

 

 

All for now, I hope you’re having a fantastic spring! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments and feel free to share this newsletter with your friends and followers.

 

Best,

 

Dan