Here we are, rushing full speed into Fall. I hope you enjoyed your last few weeks of Summer 2014, and got out with your camera as much as possible. Perhaps you took an overseas vacation or simply found the time to explore the backcountry near your own home. Often times, we over look the beauty that exists right outside our front door. In fact, it would stand to reason that you’d take the most amazing images of the things close to you, since you’re an expert in your own backyard. 

 

Keep this in mind when you find yourself in a rut and think you need to go somewhere far away in order to create some fabulous new work or spark your creativity. Take your familiarity and channel it into finding compelling compositions right under your feet or in front of your eyes. 

 

 

I spent a lot of time writing this summer, but I finally finished my manuscript for the action and adventure photography how-to book that I’m writing for Focal Press. I’m starting to see design proofs for the layout, last week I signed off on the copy edit and today, I just gave my final approval for the cover design. As much as I’d love to show you the cover I chose, I have to wait until it’s released in the spring of 2015. I might be able to show you sooner- stay tuned, because as a newsletter subscriber, you’ll be the first to know. You’ll also be the first to know the official publication date. 

 

I also started writing another book. This one will be published by Globe Pequot Press/Falcon Guides and it will be a smaller, pocket guide book for people who want to take better active outdoor pictures while backpacking and hiking. I don’t have a released date on this one yet, but I imagine it will be fall of 2015. Stay tuned…!

 

 

Earlier this month, I was featured in a post on the mega-site Lifehack.org, called 20 Instagram Accounts Of Photographers That Will Change The Way You See The World. With a readership of over five million unique visitors per month, you can imagine my excitement about being included in a list like this. I was even more psyched to learn that I was placed right alongside such amazing shooters like Joe McNally, Corey Rich and Amy Vitale.

 

If you don’t already follow me, you can find my Instagram account here. Leave me a comment on one or two of my photos and I’ll try to return the favor!

 

 

For all the D700 users who have been waiting ever so patiently for a true D700 replacement, Nikon finally answered with something close. The new Nikon D750 fits right in line between the intro full frame D610 and the super high megapixel D810, and it appears to be a very capable camera. With a 24MP full frame FX sensor, it gives excellent image quality without being overkill with enormous file sizes. It’s a camera that could be your main body for everything. It even has built in Wi-Fi and a vary-angle LCD screen.

 

 

The Nikon D750 is clearly designed for outdoor and action photographers, because not only does it have a fast, 6.5 fps frame rate, it’s constructed with a mix of carbon fiber and magnesium alloy, which makes it both lightweight and rugged. Also, and this is the big one, the D750 has a 51-point AF area autofocus system. My beef with the D610 has always been that it only has the 39-point AF system. In my mind, that doesn’t cut it it for shooting pro action and adventure. The 39-point system is geared towards the middle of the frame, which limits your creative options for composing and tracking subjects in the outer areas of the frame. 

 

Is the D750 the perfect D700 follow up? It seems like a much better choice than the clunky Df and it’s much less expensive, coming in at only $2,299. That’s even less than the D700 was when it was introduced about a decade ago. If you’ve been hanging onto your D700 and waiting for just the right replacement, this look like the one you’ve been waiting for. 

 

The Nikon D750 is already in stock, and you can grab one at either B&H Photo or Amazon.

 

 

I’ll say it again. I really didn’t want to like this lens. I’ve already got a Fuji wide angle (The XF 14mm f/2.8 lens) and a Fuji telephoto, the 55-200mm lens. However, Fuji did an amazing job with the new 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 WR. Not only does it offer weather protection when you’re shooting in the elements, it’s got surprisingly sharp optics and a fast AF tracking system that fits right in with the X-T1. 

 

Honestly, I can’t believe how sharp this lens is throughout the entire range of focal lengths, especially when you consider that mid priced zoom lenses aren’t supposed to be this good! Sure, it’s a little slow, but with Fuji’s excellent low light, high ISO performance, this isn’t really much of a factor. 

 

I used to be a strict prime guy when it came to the shorter focal lengths, but I’ve found myself heading outside with ONLY this lens quite a bit this summer. For an all-in-one lens that gets the job done, doesn’t weigh very much, and performs like a lens that costs twice as much with regards to AF and sharpness, I think that Fuji came up with a real winner here. 

 

If you’re a Fuji X shooter, I’d highly recommend taking a look at the new 18-135 WR lens. Like I said, I didn’t want to like it, but now I can’t imagine not having it because it allows me to go light and fast and still get a short to long focal length range and pro quality imagery. You can read my full review of this lens here.

 

 

A few months ago, Sandisk came out with the new line of 280MB/S Extreme Pro memory cards, which are awesome for shooting large bursts of high resolution images at high frame rates. If you’re using a newer DSLR or mirrorless camera, you can’t beat these cards. However, they’re still a little expensive, which is why I think the 95MB/S Extreme Pro cards are such an excellent choice.

 

The 95MB/S cards are really not that much slower in terms of how fast they write to the buffer, and unless you’re shooting huge bursts all the time, you will find this cards to be completely adequate. In fact, this is my main card. I’ll probably get the faster 280MB/S card at some point, but even with the action that I shoot, the 95MB/S card has never let me down. At only $35 for the 16GB version, and $44 for the 32GB, it’s a great deal. 

 

 

This summer, I tested four adventure and outdoor photo packs for Photo.net. The packs, which were made by Lowepro, f-Stop, Mindshift ad Manfrotto, all have similar side access camera compartments and separate top compartments for your regular outdoor gear. I really like this style of pack and it’s what I often choose when I’m heading on an active photography mission. You can check out the complete review here and see if any of these packs are right for you and your style of photography.

 

 

I’ve partnered with B&H Photo to let you know about my favorite gear. Some of it is specific gear that I use, while other items are things that I think would work well for an outdoor/travel photographer with similar styles and interests. I do this because B&H is focused just on low prices, but also on comprehensive inventory and great customer service. I’ve been buying gear from them for most of my career and they’re my #1 go-to source for photo gear. Here’s an interesting profile on B&H that talks about their business mentality and desire to be the best at helping their customers.

 

Check out the list, bookmark the site, and then shop through this link the next time you’re ready to purchase new photography gear. Doing so helps me out with a small commission and it doesn’t cost you anything extra or affect the price in any way.

 

 

My most recent title, Zen Photographer - Turning Your Passion into Focus is It’s an 81-page collection of essays and photographs that are designed to ignite your imagination, inspire creativity and generally fill your brain with rock solid tips, insight and advice. One photo industry professional called it a “motivational kick in the butt and said “You’ll read this book over and over if you start to feel stuck or lazy. I hope your camera battery is charged because you’ll want to run out and shoot immediately after consuming these honest and open thoughts from Dan. Listen to him.”

 

If you’d like some rock solid advice that’s been pulled from over 20 years of experience, check out Zen Photographer. I’ll even give you a nice incentive: use discount code ZEN20 and you’ll get a special 20% discount. ZEN PHOTOGRAPHER. Read it and be inspired.

 

 

3 Ways to Overcome Creative Block. I wrote this post about a year ago, but it’s still relevant. It highlights three things you can do to help bust out of a creative rut and get some new photography ideas. They’re simple ideas, but maybe one of them will spark something in your brain that helps you see the world in a new way.

 

Fujifilm X30 First Impressions Review. I really like the little Fuji X10 and X20 cameras and I’ve gotten a lot of use out of them. I haven’t tried the new X30 yet, though. This review by Brandon Nystedt shows you some of the new features that Fuji has included in this newest model of what I consider to be the best compact camera around.

 

I really like the FlixelPix blog, and I’m not the only one. David has a pretty good following, which I feel makes him indeed qualified to write a post on how to run a photo blog. Read 8 Tips for Running a Successful Photo Blog and check out some of David’s eBooks on landscape photography here.

 

Interview with Landscape Photographer Graham Clark. Graham does really nice work and this feature about him on the Contrastly web site profiles some of the gear and methods that he uses to create his imagery. In it, Graham also talks about his influences, about blogging, writing and how he’s managed to build up his own audience. Worth a read.

 

18 Great Examples of Long Exposure Beach Photography. Great photos. Beautiful compositions. Cool ideas. Check it out.

 

That’s all for now. I hope you enjoy the last couple days of September and head into October with great enthusiasm and creativity. Please share this newsletter with your friends, keep in touch and don’t be afraid to drop me a line if you have any questions or comments.

 

Take care,

 

Dan