Dan Bailey Photo Newsletter - September 2015 Issue
Published: Tue, 09/01/15
Hi ,
With August behind us, it’s time to look back on what I hope was a great summer for you. Did you spend much of it outside? Did you take a really cool trip or partake in some great adventure? Do you have a great story to tell, or did you come up with some awesome new ideas? How did your camera gear perform this season? Did you find your current gear to be adequate in helping you push your creative and technical boundaries, or is there a particular tool you wish you had? Let me know, keep me apprised of what you’ve been doing- I always like to hear what kinds of adventures my readers are having!
I always get a little tired at the end of summer. After staying up late under the midnight sun for nearly three months straight, plus a trip to Labrador in July, filming a photography course in Colorado and a Denali workshop in August, I’m finally starting to get some rest while I catch up on editing and office work and plan for my upcoming vacation. This coming month, I plan to do a month long bike tour in Romania. After a long stretch of being very busy and not having enough time to goof off, I’m really looking forward to this trip.
2015 Denali Photo Workshop
I recently returned from co-leading our 8-day Denali National Park Photography Workshop Tour with 35-year professional Alaska photographer Jeff Schulz and Alaska Photo Treks. (If you don’t know the name Jeff Schutlz, he’s the official Iditarod photographer.) This was an extremely fulfilling experience for me as photographer and instructor. As passionate as I am about traveling and capturing images, especially in an amazing place like Denali, I am also very much driven by my enthusiasm for sharing my insight and knowledge with others.
I find it very rewarding to help other photographers develop their skills and experience the excitement and satisfaction in creating dynamic outdoor images. After all, it doesn’t matter who we are, or who’s a pro or not, or who who shoots with what camera, it all feels the same when we click the shutter and capture a great image. That’s why we do this, right?
With two instructors for our 9 participants, there was lots of time for one on one guidance over the course of the week, and even a little time for me to shoot some of my own Denali images. I love this shot below of a storm racing down the McKinley River bar, to me it describes the dramatic qualities of what you might see in a visit to the Park.
I’m still working on my workshop schedule for next year, but I’ll let you know as soon as I have dates set. I’d love to see you up here and I’d look forward to helping you take your photography to the next level. I do know that I’ll be doing my Knik Glacier winter photography workshop again around the middle of March. It filled up very quickly last year, so if you’re interested in doing that one with me, let me know.
Jeff’s Ruth Glacier Northern Lights Workshop
Although I don’t have any more big workshops this fall, my Alaska Photo Treks partner Jeff has one coming up very soon I wanted to let you know about. He’s leading a brand new, never-done-before very small and exclusive workshop this fall. It’s a Northern Lights, Night-Sky & Winter Mountain Landscape Photography Workshop, located in Alaska’s Don Sheldon Amphitheater & Mountain House at the 6,000 foot level on the Ruth Glacier in the Alaska Range during October 15-19, 2015.
I have flown and skied in this area and the landscape here is nothing short of AMAZING and BREATHTAKING. Imagine being surrounded by granite spires, hanging glaciers and snow-clad mountains in the Alaska Range, with photographic opportunities abound for mountain images, night-sky and northern lights, and of course a one-of-a-kind view of Mt. McKinley.
Read the complete details, watch the time-lapse aurora video and read the itinerary at: http://ttlalaska.com/northern-lights-ruth-glacier-photography-workshop/
New Book- Coming October 1!
I’m excited to report that I’ve got a brand new book coming out on October 1.
This one is called Adventure Camera, and it will be published by Backpacker Magazine and FalconGuides.
Think concise guidebook for getting great adventure shots. Quick reference with lots of image examples and rock solid tips for shooting better photos in the outdoors, whether you’re on a big adventure or just out explore in your own proverbial backyard.
This one is called Adventure Camera, and it will be published by Backpacker Magazine and FalconGuides.
Think concise guidebook for getting great adventure shots. Quick reference with lots of image examples and rock solid tips for shooting better photos in the outdoors, whether you’re on a big adventure or just out explore in your own proverbial backyard.
Not only is this the kind of book I would have wanted when I first started shooting photos, I think this will make an awesome gift for a photographer friend or family member you may have. It's already available for preorders on Amazon.
Also, if you haven’t checked out my first book, Outdoor Adventure and Action Photography, you can get it for a pretty good price on Amazon right now- almost 25% off.
Also, if you haven’t checked out my first book, Outdoor Adventure and Action Photography, you can get it for a pretty good price on Amazon right now- almost 25% off.
Insight - Photography and Disappointment
We all struggle with disappointment in our photography. Sometimes we’re moved by a subject, but when we try to capture it on camera, we seem to fail to translate the same excitement into a still image. Whether it’s operator error or the difficulty of bridging that emotional connection we may have with our subject, it’s something we all face. Here's an article I wrote that touches on the reasons and, in part, a possible solution to this issue. Consider it the beginning of a dialog on photography about how we can grow in our craft and become better translators. That’s what we really are, right? If you read it, let me know your thoughts. Leave a comment or drop me a line.
Gear Corner
Current Fujifilm Lens Rebates. There are a number of Fuji deals going on right now. Nearly every single XF lens is on sale for up to $200. Even the supremely awesome XF 50-140 f/2.8 lens has a rebate, as does the new 16mm f/1.4 and one of my absolute favorites, the XF 23mm f/1.4. I love this lens for landscapes, portraits, travel- I shoot just about everything with it. It’s semi wide, semi normal, ultra fast and incredibly sharp. If I had to narrow down my three favorites, it would be the 23mm 1.4, the 50-140 and the XF 14mm f/2.8 wide angle. Give me those three lenses and I can do anything. And they’re all on sale. If I had to add a fourth to the list, I’d choose the brand new XF 90mm f/2. The moment I put this lens on my camera, I was in love. It’s relatively lightweight, has a great focal length, similar to the classic 135mm view on full frame, it’s fast and unbelievably sharp. This could be Fuji’s sharpest prime yet. I’ve already bought this one and it will see heavy use when I want a lightweight tele, and don’t want to take the heavy 50-140.
DSLR Rebates
Both Nikon and Canon have great rebates going on right now as well, through October 3.
Current Nikon Camera and Lens Bundle Deals - Save up to $750
Current Canon Camera and Lens Bundle Deals - Save up to $750
Lensbaby has finally released their mounts for mirrorless cameras. As of right now, they have the standard Composer Pro lens for Fuji, Sony DSLR, Sony Mirrorless and Mircro Four Thirds, as well as Nikon, Canon, Samsung NX Pentax.
I’ve found the Lensbaby optics to be wonderful creative devices; I don’t use them all the time, but if I want to add a little extra sugar, they can really add to the fun of photography. My favorite optic is the Edge 80, although I’m intrigued by the gorgeous new Velvet 56, which could be an amazing tool for creative portraits. They also have a fisheye and iPhone adaptor lenses too. You can find all of their products at B&H and Amazon. These are both Lensbaby shots below:
If you're in the market for some new gear, consider purchasing with these links or check out my recommended gear page at B&H Photo. It doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps me out a tiny bit. Thanks!
I’ve found the Lensbaby optics to be wonderful creative devices; I don’t use them all the time, but if I want to add a little extra sugar, they can really add to the fun of photography. My favorite optic is the Edge 80, although I’m intrigued by the gorgeous new Velvet 56, which could be an amazing tool for creative portraits. They also have a fisheye and iPhone adaptor lenses too. You can find all of their products at B&H and Amazon. These are both Lensbaby shots below:
If you're in the market for some new gear, consider purchasing with these links or check out my recommended gear page at B&H Photo. It doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps me out a tiny bit. Thanks!
Around The Web
Back when I was in college, and around the time when I bought my very first camera, I took an art history course. One of my papers involved visiting the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and writing about three paintings. The assignment was supposed to be three pages. I chose a trio of Albert Bierstadt landscapes and wrote twelve pages, I was so moved by them. I was intrigued by his use of light and I’m sure I was influenced by my fascination for those paintings. This article Why Study Paintings by Robert Rodgriguez Jr. explores the importance of studying paintings and how they can help improve your perspective of photography and your understanding of how to craft compelling landscapes with dynamic light and subject matter.
I found this article to be pretty interesting. Written by a longtime pro reflecting on his career and the struggles he’s faced during the past two decades, Alister Been came up with a 10 Step Personal Development Strategy for Photographers. No matter what kinds of subjects you shoot, or what level you are in your path, these are some pretty insightful ideas. Worth a read.
Earlier this summer, I stumbled across a solar and remote charging system for camera batteries. It works either from a solar panel or a battery pack, but it requires a USB battery charger, which have been hard to find for most DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Fortunately, there are a few companies who are now making them and in this post, I list the specific chargers for most Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Sony and other cameras.
Ok, this is pretty cool. What happens when you record a pistol shot at 73,000 frames per second? You’d know if you saw Mythbusters, but if you don’t watch TV, you can see it here. Or you can watch a surfer shot at 1,000 frames per second. Yea, good summer fun.
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Are you a former slide film shooter? Do you miss looking at rows of 35mm slides on the lightbox? Before digital imaging, that was our life, and just about everyone we did revolved around those little 2”x2” squares. You can relive the magic by creating a “Slide Mount Look” for your contact sheets in Lightroom. It’s pretty easy, just follow the directions here.
Thanks for reading and following my work. Enjoy my recent posts and please share this newsletter with your other photographer friends. Keep in touch and I hope you have a great September!
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