Dan Bailey Photo Newsletter - April 2016 Issue - Upcoming Presentations
Published: Wed, 04/13/16
Hi ,
Spring is finally here! I hope that you’re taking advantage of the warming temps and increasing daylight. It’s amazing how much longer the days start to get during this time of year, and we begin to shift into “summer mode”, where we stay up late and enjoy the great evening light. It’s such a refreshing change from winter, although it does mean that we have to wait longer for Magic Hour to occur. I’ll take that tradeoff.
I just got a blast of sunshine with a week spent in Oregon, where I was reminded once again of the joys of travel and seeing new places. Nothing fancy, just a simple road trip with a rental car, a few clothes, a super lightweight camera bag and a pair of running shoes. Basically, we just tooled around looking for appealing trailheads where we could hike, run and take photos. I have to say, it was refreshing to shoot night skies while wearing nothing but a light jacket, and see such an immense amount of greenery and so many wildflowers already in bloom. It was almost visual overload to my visual senses, which were still calibrated to Alaska seasons.
During most days, I just carried the new Fuji X70, which is really tiny. It’s the evolution of the original X10/X20/X30, but with a fixed lens and an APS-C sized sensor. As liberating as it is to use the lightweight X-T1, this feeling is even more compounded with a tiny, pocket sized camera. That’s what I always loved about the X10, which is what started me down the road with mirrorless cameras.
Even if you don’t shoot mirrorless for your main camera, you might thing about getting a little camera for times when you want to go really light and fast. This allows for spontaneous creativity when you’re on the go, and it gives you much better quality and more options than just using the phone. Every company has at least one tiny camera in their lineup, so there are lots of options out there.
And the great thing is that with most tiny cameras these days, you don’t have to sacrifice much quality, if any at all when you want to go extremely light. What you don’t get is the versatility, but sometimes a limitation in options can be a great boon to your creativity.
A Few Thoughts on Camera Gear
While we’re on the subject of cameras, I want to put forward a couple of ideas regarding photography gear. The first has to do with how complicated modern cameras have become. I almost feel sorry for those people who are just getting into photography- If that’s you, tell me if this rings true:
You’re filled with excitement about this awesome creative outlet you’re about to undertake and all you can think about is how many cool photos you’ll take and what kinds of subject matter and creative techniques you want to explore. However, when it comes to the camera, it just seems so overly complicated. After all, some modern cameras have about 20 buttons, a few dials and over 100 items in the menu. How are you supposed to navigate that stuff? How does that translate into good pictures?
Of course, learning to master your gear just takes time, and lots of practice will get you there. That said, whether you’re just starting out with photography, or if you’ve been at it for awhile, my advice for how not to get overwhelmed with you system is to just learn the basics. Learn where to adjust the following: Shutter speed, aperture, Exposure Mode, ISO, EV+/-, how to select focus points, how to change the AF mode and how to change from Single to Continuous shooting mode.
These are the most important technical settings you’ll regularly need to change, depending on what you’re shooting. For most situations, you won’t need to dig into the menus, or change too many settings, and if you know how to quickly change theses settings, you’ll be on your way towards being a more proficient photographer. You can read more about my thoughts on this matter in my recent blog post called Modern Cameras are Just Too Damn Complicated.
Get Good Glass
It’s fun to obsess over cameras. And with today’s technology, it’s far too easy, because they have so many awesome features and performance improvements over the previous generation. Keep in mind, though, as important as cameras are in the process of photography, lenses are the real heavy hitters in this craft. Your lens is what translates what you see with your eyes into an image on the sensor.
As you probably know, not all lenses are created equal. The average kit lens will simply not be as sharp or as fast as a more expensive lens, or even a fast prime lens. While mid range kit lens zooms are fairly versatile and economical, they won’t give you performance that you’ll get with a faster lens, which is why I often recommend that photographers get at least one fast lens. The increase in low light shooting, AF speed and sharpen will open your eyes to a world of new photographic possibilities, whether you’re shooting action, portraits, or in low light.
When readers ask me what a good second lens to buy is, I usually recommend a fast telephoto. Even if it’s a short telephoto, like a 85 or 100mm for a full frame camera, the 56 f/1.2 or 90mm f/2 for the Fuji X Series cameras or something in similar range for other APS-C cameras. The increase in focal length and speed will make a huge difference. In my mind, this is one of the best investments you can make in your photography. Read more about this subject in my blog post called Get Good Glass.
You Already Have The Right Photography Gear
It’s way too easy to obsess about gear. In the end, if you have a camera and a lens, you’ve got the tools you need to be creative and shoot fun and amazing photographs. Remember, far more important than gear are the elements of light, moment and viewpoint. As I mentioned above, limitation breeds creativity, and whether you own lots of gear or just a simple kit, if you leave the house with a minimum of gear, you’re forced to adapt to this limitation. You’ll allow your brain to focus on making a good image instead of trying to choose what gear to use. I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to this kind of thing, so I’m preaching to my own choir here. Read more about this here.
That said, if you are in the market for new gear, please consider purchasing through these links at B&H Photo and Amazon, or on the links through my blog. It won’t cost you anymore, but I’ll get a small commission on the back end. Think of it your way of showing me your appreciation for the time it takes me to share my info and insight.
Upcoming Workshops and Presentations
If you find yourself in Anchorage this summer, consider coming along with me on one of my evening Sunset Photo Safari tours I do with Alaska Photo Treks. These are 4-hour mini workshop where we chase good light around Anchorage throughout the evening throughout the entire summer. They’re lots of fun!
24 Hours of Photography Overnight Workshop at Manitoba Cabin
Alaska - July 8-9
In conjunction with the Alaska Huts Association, I’ll be leading a special overnight photography workshop at the rustic Manitoba Cabin. Located 1.5 hours south of Anchorage on the wilderness of the Kenai Peninsula, this secluded cabin provides an excellent opportunity to spend one night away, immerse yourself with outdoor photography in a small group setting and relax at a quiet, renovated former mining cabin from the 1930s. There’s still space available for this workshop, so if you’re interested in joining me, you can see more info here.
I’ll also be giving a number of presentations outside of Alaska during the next few months. Since Alaska is very close to where many of my readers live, I hope to meet some of you at the following events later this year. If you do come to any of my talks, please introduce yourself!
Samy’s Photo Con - Los Angeles, May 22
At the present time, I’m scheduled to be one of the presenters at Samy’s Photo Con 2016 on Sunday May 22. I’ll be giving my talk in Classroom #1 at 1:30PM, and then I’ll be at the Fujifilm booth for the rest of the day. I might even be there for part of Saturday as well. This is a really big event, and it also features some very prominent pros including Joe McNally (Saturday) and George Lepp (Sunday). This even will be held in downtown LA at Magic Box, 1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles CA, 90007. View the Samy’s Photo Con 2016 website for more info.
Photo Expo Little Rock, Arkansas - August 20
I’m scheduled to be one of the keynote speakers at Photo Expo Little Rock on the evening of August 20. This two-day expo put on by Bedfords Camera and Video features a host of talks, classes and presentations by pro photographers, as well as an interactive trade show and camera gear demos. As with the L.A. Show, I’ll be hanging out with the Fujifilm crew during the day before my talk, and I may even be doing show related stuff as well. At this point, they’re still working on the schedule, but you can visit the event Facebook page here, or check out the Bedfords website- they should have more info up in the next few weeks.
Great Smokies Photography Summit - October 26-30
I’ll be one of the featured presenters at this year’s Great Smokies Photography Summit. Unfortunately, the event is full, but if you’d like to get on the waiting list, visit this web page.
Also in the works for this year are presentations in the Minneapolis area and another California date. Stay tuned for details.
The Real Dracula’s Castle
Last fall, I spent 5 weeks bike touring through Transylvania in northern Romania. It was truly an amazing trip, and in addition to all the photos I shot, I really enjoyed learning the history of this mystical, far away place. Of course, Transylvania was home to Count Dracula, or rather, that’s where the legend is born. As with most legends, though, it’s steeped in history.
Castle Bran, pictured above, on the border of Transylvania in Romania. Although legend says that this was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula story, the truth is that Stoker had never heard of Bran Castle. However, the legendary Dracula figure is said to have been imprisoned here for a brief time.
Born the son of Vlad II, also know as Count Drăculea, a Hungarian ruler and a member of the Order of the Dragon, whose sworn task was to defeat the Turks and the Ottoman Empire, (the name “drac” comes from the Roman word for dragon), Vlad III grew up to be a ruthless leader in the Romanian province of Wallachia. His ruthless penchant for impaling his enemies earned him the name Vlad Tepeš, or Vlad The Impaler, and his brutal technique would often leave his enemies suffering for up to two days as they hung there, stuck on the giant spear. Needless to say, Vlad struck fear into the hearts of nearly everyone who came in contact with him.
In 1453, Vlad decided to rebuild an old ruined 13th century castle on the border of Transylvania and Wallachia. He’d gotten word of a possible uprising that was brewing in the ranks of the local village, so he rounded up all the suspected traitors and presented them with two choices- either be impaled, or be forced to build the castle. Among those who chose work over being impaled ended up dying during the forced march and hard labor, but eventually, Poenari Castle was rebuilt and turned into one of Vlad’s main fortresses.
Situated high on a rocky precipice and only accessible by a staircase of 1,480 concrete steps, Poenari Castle was an impressive and highly strategic citadel. Even though it mostly lies in ruins now, the castle is a very cool sight to behold. We got our best view as we pedaled along a cliffside road on the other side of the valley.
My Photography Books
Last year, I had two books published- Outdoor Action and Adventure Photography, a 300 page in-depth manual from Focal Press, and Adventure Photography, a pocket guide on how to take better photos from Backpacker Magazine and Falcon Guides.
The Focal Press book has been out for exactly one year, and I’m absolutely thrilled by how many people have purchased it, and also to the few people who have left me feedback on Amazon. Currently, it has six five-star reviews. If you’re looking for a comprehensive manual on outdoor and adventure photography, read what other people have said about the book.
If you’re looking for a more basic and practical field guide that will help you improve your outdoor photography, you might want to check out this title instead.
If you’ve already bought either of my books, then I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to you and ask that you consider leaving your own review on Amazon.
Around The Web
Would Ansel Have Gone Digital? This is a very good question, and rather than give an answer, this post incites a very interesting dialog we could have about the merits of digital photography vs film and whether some of the legendary shooters of the past would have embraced this new technology or if they would have stayed with film. What do you think? Seriously, send me and email and share your ideas?
I always like Robert Rodriguez Jr’s posts, he share some great insight. In this article called The Eye vs The Camera, he explores the difference between how the camera “sees” vs how our eyes and brain interpret the scene in front of us. He touches on topics such as reality vs subjective documentation. It’s a good read. Check it out.
In the same vain as own “Cameras are too complicated” article, this post called Three Ways Your Fancy New Camera can Negatively Impact Your Photography gives some simple insight about how to look at cameras and lenses and how to get the most from these very complex tools.
17 Photographers Reveal the Hardest Life Lessons They Learned When Starting Out. This post features great insight from a number of accomplished pros that encompass a wide variety of styles.
High Contrast Photography - How to Expose A Forest Scene in Strong Light. Shooting in the forest can be problematic due to the excessive contrast you face. This simple tutorial can help you get better images when photographing in these kinds of environments.
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Thanks for reading this issue. I hope you enjoy the rest of April and find the time to get outside and take some wonderful photographs. If you do, please share them with me, I’d love to see what you come up with during your travels!
Be sure and check out my recent blog posts and please share this newsletter with your other photographer friends.
Take care,
Dan
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