Latitude Photography Podcast: Recent Episodes

Brent Bergherm

Tune in for topics that will help you learn, grow and be inspired to create new photographs. The show features conversations with top-level photographers, new-comers, and everything in between. We can gain new insights from all levels of photographers. Also, I occasionally bring on industry leaders to share about their product or service if it's valuable to the outdoor photographer. And sometimes I simply tell my stories from the road as well.

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Printing is the ultimate manifestation of your photographs and in this episode I talk with Joshua Holko about the joy, appreciation, and the value of printing. We also demystify the process a bit. Main Topic: Our discussion on printing. I’d LOVE to print YOUR Photographs! https://brentbergherm.com/print-services/for-photographers/ FIND ME ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@brentberghermphotography The video on Recalibrating your ... Read more

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When I first came across Joshua Holko’s name I saw it attached to the description of “Polar Photographer.” I thought to myself, that’s interesting. Then I took a look at his work and was immediately impressed. Thank you for joining us today as we dive in to what it takes to make fantastic images from ... Read more

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We take a dive into the ocean, well, not really, with this month's print release. Freely Floating comes from the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, SC. It's a close-up of a jellyfish with a few intricate details stealing the show. Main...

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Episode 164 Title: Let There Be Light Summary January's Print of the month is Let There Be Light. I made this image way back in 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic. However, I essentially sat on it until now. I hope you enjoy this discussion about the...

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December's Print of the month is Sunrise over Mount Newhall. This image comes to you from Unalaska Island. It's a photograph with brilliant light streaming through the clouds to the mountains below. All you see is mountains and clouds and light. Stay...

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I'm thrilled to start teaching a bit about one of my favorite subjects. Design and Creativity in Photography. Letting go of the "Rules" of photography and embracing the design principles will set you free to create the photographs you know you were...

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I've finally done it! I've gotten my act together on these monthly editions print releases. They are limited-edition fine art prints that will be released monthly. I started with an initial release of four photographs and I'm also including the...

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I'm going through my images from a recent photo shoot in the garden and I'm selecting one to be a fine art print.

Watch this on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vWnLjW6qHQI

Email me: brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Reviewing images and selecting one to print
See all the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/160

  • A continuation to the "In the Garden" video published to Youtube on July 19, 2023 
    https://youtu.be/k5TCCPmq4-8
  • Reviewing the photos
  • A look at a few of the processing settings
  • Getting the print ready to go

I'll make another video on the coating processes I plan to do. I'll be testing a variety of coating options to see what I like best. 

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A dose of inspiration:

Genesis 2:15 says: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” ESV

Janet Kilburn Phillips: “There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments."

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Find me on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@brentberghermphoto

Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/brentbergherm

Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tgopp

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I went to Lebanon during the busiest time of year for a very important reason. I was also able to get a few pics while there. Thank you for joining me, let's get right to it!

Email me: brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

ain Topic: Lebanon
See all the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/159

Why I went
My itinerary, in brief
The photos
A deeper dive into the reason behind my visit
A new direction for the podcast and my work

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A dose of inspiration:

Psalm 92:12 says: “But the Godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.” NLT

Mark Twain: “Loyalty to the Nation all the time, loyalty to the Government when it deserves it."

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Find me on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@brentberghermphoto

Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/brentbergherm

Find my page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto

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Oman offers some landscapes that I just never expected. We'll learn all about it in this conversation with Nickolas Warner.

Breathing Color Discount: https://www.breathingcolor.com bclatpod15 Ends March 11

Email me: brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: OMAN See all the show notes on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/158   Find Nickolas online: https://www.nickolaswarnerphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickolasawarner/  ______________________

A dose of inspiration:

Isaiah 43:19 says: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” ESV

Paul Theroux: “You go away for a long time and return a different person - you never come all the way back." "Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going." "Travel is glamorous only in retrospect."

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Photographing the moon is a bit of a challenge. With all the phases and opportunities available it can be a daunting task to break it all down. Kirk Keyes joins me in breaking it all down.

Email me: brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Shooting the Moon See all the show notes on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/157   Brian Chambers' Moon Photography Workshop Link:  https://www.brianchambersphotography.net

Kirk Keys' Website: https://keyesphoto.com   ______________________

A dose of inspiration:

Genesis 1:16 says: “God made two great lights–the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars.” NLT

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: “Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars."  

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Today we're talking about a major goal I have for 2023. A goal to blend my photography life with my farm life. This is episode 156 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for January 1, 2023.

Check out The Great Outdoors Photography School! https://brentbergherm.com/photo-school/

brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Setting a Major Goal for 2023 See all the show notes and the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/156

Find Baker Creek seeds at: https://rareseeds.com     ______________________

A dose of inspiration:

Luke 12:27 says: “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” ESV

Francis Hodgson Burnett: “Where you tend a rose my lad, a thistle cannot grow."

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Today we're heading to the eastern side of the United States. Specifically the Blue Ridge Mountains. They are a mountain range that stretch form Georgia in the south to Maine in the north. And today's conversation is with a photographer that has recently published a book on the area. This is episode 155 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for December 20, 2022.

Check out The Great Outdoors Photography School! https://brentbergherm.com/photo-school/

Get in touch by emailing me: brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Blue Ridge Dreaming See all the show notes and the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/155

Find Mike Online: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mpthecomebackid/ The Book on Amazon https://amzn.to/3YrEjLP Trope Publishing https://trope.com/products/blue-ridge-dreaming

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A dose of inspiration:

Proverbs 13:12 says: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” NLT

William Durant: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."  

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There are many options for hosting your photography gallery and doing print fulfillment. I’ve finally settled on the solutions I plan to use and I’m trilled to talk this through with you so you can decide which option would be best for you. This is episode 154 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for November 23, 2022.

Check out The Great Outdoors Photography School!
https://brentbergherm.com/photo-school/

Use coupon code BF2022 by Nov 28, 2022 for 33 days for just $1.000

Take a look at my FAQ video:
https://brentbergherm.com/bf2022/bf2022-nov20/

brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Online Gallery and Print Sales
See all the show notes and the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/154

The Great Outdoors Photography School Black Friday Special.
For Black Friday 2022, I'm running a special. Get 33 days to test out the school for just $1.00
Use coupon code: BF2022

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A dose of inspiration:

Philippians 4:8 says: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” ESV

Mark Twain: “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/03/23/belittle-ambitions/

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Focus stacking is not a new technique, but it is one that I recently took a deep-dive into as I try and find ways to keep the photography going while staying closer to home. This is episode 153 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for October 30, 2022.

I got another printer!
I got a question about it too... "How much time do you think it took you to get running? I mean from delivery + any learning curve. Asking for a friend with big dreams and no money."

I finally made a final decision, for about the third time, on what to do with my online photo gallery. It's go time...

Join us over at The Great Outdoors Photography School. 
Check out The Great Outdoors Photography School!
https://brentbergherm.com/photo-school/

Main Topic: Photographing and Processing Fog
See all the show notes and the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/153

brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

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A dose of inspiration:

Luke 16:10 says, "If you are faithful in little things you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities." NLT

Robert Capa: “If your pictures are not good enough then you're not close enough."

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The main topic in this episode is all about processing images of fog. This is thanks to a listener request which I always appreciate. We'll also talk about what to do when the light is flat. This is episode 152 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for September 16, 2022.

Check out The Great Outdoors Photography School!
https://brentbergherm.com/photo-school/

brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Photographing and Processing Fog
See all the show notes and the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/152


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A dose of inspiration:

Proverbs 15:18 says: “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” ESV

Henri Cartier-Bresson: “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head."

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The main topic in this episode is all about processing images of fog. This is thanks to a listener request which I always appreciate. We'll also talk about what to do when the light is flat. This is episode 152 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for September 16, 2022.

Check out The Great Outdoors Photography School!
https://brentbergherm.com/photo-school/

brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Photographing and Processing Fog
See all the show notes and the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/152


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A dose of inspiration:

Proverbs 15:18 says: “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” ESV

Henri Cartier-Bresson: “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head."

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The Ketchikan, Alaska, area is loaded with many photography opportunities. Plus, I found the people to be VERY generous. This is episode 151 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for September 2, 2022.

Check out The Great Outdoors Photography School!
https://brentbergherm.com/photo-school/

brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Ketchikan Trip Report
See all the show notes and the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/151


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A dose of inspiration:

Ecclesiastes 10:10 says: “Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade.
That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.” NLT

John Muir: “I used to envy the father of our race, dwelling as he did in contact with the new-made fields and plants of Eden; but I do so no more, because I have discovered that I also live in "creation's dawn." The morning stars still sing together, and the world, not yet half made, becomes more beautiful every day."

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The Ketchikan, Alaska, area is loaded with many photography opportunities. Plus, I found the people to be VERY generous. This is episode 151 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for September 2, 2022.

Check out The Great Outdoors Photography School!
https://brentbergherm.com/photo-school/

brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: Ketchikan Trip Report
See all the show notes and the pics on the shownotes website. https://brentbergherm.com/episode/151


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A dose of inspiration:

Ecclesiastes 10:10 says: “Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade.
That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.” NLT

John Muir: “I used to envy the father of our race, dwelling as he did in contact with the new-made fields and plants of Eden; but I do so no more, because I have discovered that I also live in "creation's dawn." The morning stars still sing together, and the world, not yet half made, becomes more beautiful every day."

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Today we're talking about going back. Taking a look at photographs from weeks, months or years gone by and seeing them in a new light. This is The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast episode 150 for August 10, 2022.

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Links to note
brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Extended show notes for this episode: https://brentbergherm.com/episode/150

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Get in touch with Brie: https://creativemindscoach.com

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A dose of inspiration:

Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ESV

Jean Baudrillard: “Reality found a way to mutate into an image."

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I'm doing some fly-in camping soon. What is it and why am I going to such lengths for a simple camping trip?

This is episode 149 of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast for July 27, 2022.

Email me:
brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com

Links to note
See the extended show notes and get any mentioned links: https://brentbergherm.com/episode/149

Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Main Topic: 
Preparing for Fly-in Camping
1. What's Happening
2. Deciding where to go
3. Costs for this trip
4. What I'm packing (that's not camera gear)
5. Camera Gear
6. Thoughts on Gear
7. Follow up Report

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A dose of inspiration:

Matthew 25:13 says: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” ESV

Gaius Cassius Longinus: "In great attempts it is glorious even to fail"

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Through-hiking, I'm not sure I'll ever do such a thing, but it sure is great hearing stories from the trail. That's what we're talking about today on this edition of The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast episode 148 for July 19, 2022.

I'm heading to Alaska soon. Ketchikan area specifically. I'll be talking about the plans in the very next episode but for now I'm just wondering if I have a listener that would be able to extend me a favor. I'm interested in a car ride out to a camp site. I'll by happy to pay you a bit. Basically, I'd rather pay you rather than a taxi, or maybe you own a taxi, please do reach out. brent@thegreatoutdoorsphotographypodcast.com Links to note See the photographs we talk about in this episode: https://brentbergherm.com/episode/148 Join the email list for announcements, updates and sometimes new product announcements: https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/ Main Topic: Hiking The AT 1. A bit about you and your photography 2. Why do a through-hike? And why the AT? 3. Prepping for a long hike food other gear 4. Camera gear stuffs (Specifically asked by a listener, Kevin Cowley) the specific kit you took recharging batteries anything else??? 5. Getting there 6. The hiking, a day in the life, favorite locations, best/worst things that happened. 7. Finishing up the hike 8. Returning and reflecting Connect with Jeremy Instagram: @trailexplorerphotos Website: trailxpart.com ______________________

A dose of inspiration:

Micah 6:8 says: “...The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” NLT

Beverly Sills: “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."
Sir Edmund Hillary: "It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

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Have you ever seriously thought of calibrating your camera? You've heard me talk about calibrating your monitor and using ICC profiles for your printer for a fully calibrated workflow. I'll also be answering listener questions today!

For the full show notes with all the links mentioned in the episode:

https://brentbergherm.com/episode/147

Join my email list to get announcements and updates as well as extra articles, tips and various things to learn about in photography.

https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

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It’s all about the Palouse today. The shots, the challenges, the fun and, of course, the lessons learned while out there shooting. This is The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast episode 146 for June 29, 2022.

Palouse Trip Report

The area, where is it? What’s there?

The images.

The workshop format

Relaxed, dive deeper into an area

My link of the Palouse map:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=18H80piYJjgBd4mGuQ4WuN2QiQ7A&hl=en&usp=sharing

The other map I used:

https://www.thewave.info/PalouseCode/Map.html

A dose of inspiration:

2 Corinthians 5:7 says: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” ESV

Anonymous: “Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is”

Announcements and links

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Please check out the website for more information https://brentbergherm.com

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Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

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Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

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I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

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Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

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Grab yourself a copy of the Lumenzia extension for Photoshop, and if you’re interested, Greg offers two deep dive courses as well. These are affiliate links and I appreciate all the support you provide by using these links.

Lumenzia: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487

Lumenzia and Exposure Blending Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=165704

Lumenzia and Dodging and Burning Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182276

Lumenzia and Both Courses: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182277

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Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

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Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

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Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

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Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

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Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

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When we grow, things around us must also grow. Or be left behind. Whichever way you look at it the result is the same. This is the last episode of Latitude Photography Podcast, but the show will go on. Listen in to learn all about it.

The Genesis of this change

If there’s one thing I hope you get out of this podcast is that I’m very interested in pursuing my purpose. I’m also interested in you pursuing your purpose in photography. We each have a purpose for being here on this earth and for doing what we do. We each uniquely have the interests, talent and capability to create works that no one else can create. We are focused on travel/outdoor photography and it is something that burns within us at our core. While each of us are unique, we share this common interest, and this common goal of creating meaningful photographs of the great outdoors.

So the name of this podcast, starting with the very next episode, will be, “The Great Outdoors Photography Podcast.”

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/145

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Today we’re talking about a few different things. The primary item is hyperfocal distance. What is it and is it really important to use in your photography. We’ll also take a walk down memory lane with a photo shoot I did a while ago. This is Latitude Photography Podcast episode 144 for June 3, 2022.

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For the pics and expanded show notes click on over to the podcast website: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/144

Links mentioned in today’s discussion

Kayak’s Travel Restrictions Page: https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions?

Find out more about the Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

A dose of inspiration:
Psalm 91:11 says: “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.”

Anonymous: “Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is”

Announcements and links

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Check out the website for more information https://brentbergherm.com

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Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

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Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

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I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

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Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

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Grab yourself a copy of the Lumenzia extension for Photoshop, and if you’re interested, Greg offers two deep dive courses as well. These are affiliate links and I appreciate all the support you provide by using these links.
Lumenzia: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487
Lumenzia and Exposure Blending Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=165704
Lumenzia and Dodging and Burning Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182276
Lumenzia and Both Courses: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182277

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Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

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Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

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Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

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Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

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Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

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It’s kind of interesting how the topic of timelapse has turned into the longest episode of this podcast. But that’s alright. There’s a lot here, starting with setting expectations all the way through to using an awesome software app that specializes in processing excellent quality time lapse videos. This is Latitude Photography Podcast episode 143 for May 8, 2022.

A timelapse video like Kirk Mentioned in the show: https://youtu.be/AHrCI9eSJGQ

Join the email list for notifications on live broadcasts and more!

https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

View the very expanded shownotes:

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/143

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND OTHER LINKS

A dose of inspiration:

Job 9:9 says: “He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.” NLT

Dr. Seuss: “How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

Announcements and links

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Find out more about the Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

If you enjoyed this episode of Latitude Photography Podcast, I invite you to consider going further with your photography experience. Latitude Photography School is all about helping you connect the dots between your vision, purpose and achievement in your photography. It’s for travel/outdoor photographers who are comfortable with their gear and want to do more, explore more, and really hone in on their craft.

All the lessons and conversations are geared towards tapping into your unique vision and then creating more meaningful photographs. You’ll also learn things to sharpen your skills and your purpose with your photography as well.

Please check out the website for more information https://brentbergherm.com

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Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

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Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

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I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

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Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

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Grab yourself a copy of the Lumenzia extension for Photoshop, and if you’re interested, Greg offers two deep dive courses as well. These are affiliate links and I appreciate all the support you provide by using these links.

Lumenzia: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487

Lumenzia and Exposure Blending Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=165704

Lumenzia and Dodging and Burning Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182276

Lumenzia and Both Courses: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182277

____________________

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

____________________

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

____________________

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

____________________

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

____________________

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Developing a gallery show is a huge undertaking. I’m going to share with you what I did and how I did it plus a little bit more in this, the 142nd episode of Latitude Photography Podcast for April 10, 2022

___________

Announcements and links

____________________

Find out more about the Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

If you enjoyed this episode of Latitude Photography Podcast, I invite you to consider going further with your photography experience. Latitude Photography School is all about helping you connect the dots between your vision, purpose and achievement in your photography. It’s for travel/outdoor photographers who are comfortable with their gear and want to do more, explore more, and really hone in on their craft.

All the lessons and conversations are geared towards tapping into your unique vision and then creating more meaningful photographs. You’ll also learn things to sharpen your skills and your purpose with your photography as well.

Please check out the website for more information https://brentbergherm.com

____________________

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

____________________

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

____________________

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

____________________

Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

____________________

Grab yourself a copy of the Lumenzia extension for Photoshop, and if you’re interested, Greg offers two deep dive courses as well. These are affiliate links and I appreciate all the support you provide by using these links.

Lumenzia: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487

Lumenzia and Exposure Blending Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=165704

Lumenzia and Dodging and Burning Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182276

Lumenzia and Both Courses: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182277

____________________

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

____________________

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

____________________

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

____________________

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

____________________

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

This episode is all about our Top Images for 2021. We’re starting off with a review of listener submitted images and then we look at a few of mine. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 141 for January 24, 2022

____________________

Check out the expanded show notes here: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/141

____________________

Find out more about the Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Main Topic

View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EoJl_Zc8N3E

Top Images 2021

Review of Listener Images

Review of Drake’s Images

https://wilddrakephotography.com/2022/01/08/top-ten-favourite-images-of-2021/

Review of Brent’s Images.

_____________________

Announcements, Resources, and Links

If you enjoyed this episode of Latitude Photography Podcast, I invite you to consider going further with your photography experience. Latitude Photography School is all about helping you connect the dots between your vision, purpose and achievement in your photography. It’s for travel/outdoor photographers who are comfortable with their gear and want to do more, explore more, and really hone in on their craft.

All the lessons and conversations are geared towards tapping into your unique vision and then creating more meaningful photographs. You’ll also learn things to sharpen your skills and your purpose with your photography as well.

Please check out the website for more information https://brentbergherm.com

____________________

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/

____________________

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

____________________

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

____________________

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

____________________

Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

____________________

Grab yourself a copy of the Lumenzia extension for Photoshop, and if you’re interested, Greg offers two deep dive courses as well. These are affiliate links and I appreciate all the support you provide by using these links.

Lumenzia: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487

Lumenzia and Exposure Blending Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=165704

Lumenzia and Dodging and Burning Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182276

Lumenzia and Both Courses: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182277

____________________

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

____________________

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

____________________

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

____________________

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

____________________

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Today we’re heading to Africa with Rick Sammon and Ian Plant. Learn about the amazing landscapes, wildlife, and of course the amazing people too, in this edition of Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 140 for January 9, 2022

____________________
Check out the expanded show notes here: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/140

Get yourself on the Globetrotter notifications list. https://brentbergherm.com/latitude-photo-school/globetrotter/

Find out more about the Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

____________________

Main Topic

____________________

Visit Rick’s website: www.ricksammon.com
Visit Ian’s website: www.ianplant.com
Learn more and register for the Tanzania photo safari: https://www.ianplant.com/tanzania-photo-safari

Kayak’s Covid Map https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions

Photographing in Africa
Preparing for an African Safari
Clothing ideas
Camera equipment
Charging batteries
Food expectations
Visas etc? (eVisa available, file online)
Current Covid Testing (early 2022) Negative PCR test to travel to Tanzania, expect to take another rapid test upon arrival. No need to quarantine if negative test.
The journey there, what to expect
Packing the camera gear
Airplanes and more
Arrival, what can be expected
On the ground
Options for solo travelers
Options for groups like yours
Dealing with culture shock
In the field (On Safari)
Accommodations planned
Vehicles
Shooting schedule
Other activities?
Types of Photography
Wildlife
Landscape
People
Your workshop specifically
Locations
Tarangire National Park
Ngorongoro Crater
Serengeti National Park
Private flight?

____________________
Announcements, Resources, and Links

____________________

Book Recommendations
Last Train to Zona Verde: https://amzn.to/3Gcq0kI
Dark Star Safari: https://amzn.to/33k48VK

If you enjoyed this episode of Latitude Photography Podcast, I invite you to consider going further with your photography experience. Latitude Photography School is all about helping you connect the dots between your vision, purpose and achievement in your photography. It’s for travel/outdoor photographers who are comfortable with their gear and want to do more, explore more, and really hone in on their craft.

All the lessons and conversations are geared towards tapping into your unique vision and then creating more meaningful photographs. You’ll also learn things to sharpen your skills and your purpose with your photography as well.

The price is increasing on January 9, 2022. But if you sign up now you’ll be able to lock in the current rate. Please check out the website for more information https://brentbergherm.com

Another thing about Latitude Photography School, I’m revamping my Globetrotter program. It is the ultimate experience to infuse energetic growth into your photography experience. This is accomplished through a focused 9-week experience that is starting in mid March, 2022. It includes lifetime access to the website, weekly sessions, both individual with just me AND group sessions with other globetrotters.
If you want to get started with something right away, I say go ahead and sign up for the Adventurer program. And if you want to then upgrade to the Globetrotter experience you’ll be able to just pay the difference between the two programs once it’s released.
Please find the link in the show notes about the Globetrotter interest list and you’ll be the first to be notified when it’s open and available. It will open on March 1, 2022, and then enrollment will close on March 11, 2022. We’ll then start right after that with our sessions and lessons.
You can also expect customized assignments and readings as this is a program designed to address your interests and needs to help you grow and transform into the photographer you want to become.
And if you can’t dedicate yourself to a solid nine weeks, don’t worry, we can accommodate some custom schedules too :)
https://brentbergherm.com/latitude-photo-school/globetrotter/

View the the show notes on the website: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/140

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

Grab yourself a copy of the Lumenzia extension for Photoshop, and if you’re interested, Greg offers two deep dive courses as well. These are affiliate links and I appreciate all the support you provide by using these links.
Lumenzia: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487
Lumenzia and Exposure Blending Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=165704
Lumenzia and Dodging and Burning Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182276
Lumenzia and Both Courses: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182277

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Happy New Year! I hope you’re off to a great start for this new year. Today I’m talking with Rick Sammon about his latest book. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 139 for January 2, 2022 ___________
Introduction
___________

Come explore and connect your creative process dots at the Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Member spotlight.

___________
Main Topic
___________

Link to Rick's Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JJJ7RK4/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1634556370&sr=1-3

Visit Rick's Website to check out his other books, workshops and more: https://ricksammon.com/

Rick Sammon joins me once again.. Rick, Welcome to the show!
This is Rick’s 6th appearance on Latitude Photography Podcast, and we’ll have him on once more in the next episode talking about a very special destination, and an awesome experience to participate in with himself and Ian Plant.

Starting right off
Disclaimers
Each photographer and their interests vary, not everything mentioned today will apply to all people, nor should it.
There’s a lot more in the book than we’ll be able to talk about today, plus, I’ve added some of my own thoughts to take us off on a few tangents. These are generally thoughts I had while reading the book.
Some of the questions and comments I have are unique to my situation, listeners are invited to chime in using the fb group with your own questions or points.
Networking
You’ve never met three of the book’s contributors
Do not make enemies
Ego is the enemy - A GREAT BOOK by this title
Strong ego = you believe in yourself
Big ego = the bad part of ego
Basic Premise(s)
Work hard during the day
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
A Photographer’s Website
Treat everyone like they’re at a local deli
Blog on a regular basis
About what’s in your heart
Give stuff away for free
Socialize
Advertising on social networks?
Promotional posts vs informational/helpful posts (1:4 ratio)
Tagging friends
Networking-all in this together attitude vs. ???
Blending personal and professional interests on social networks
Passive income streams
Affiliate programs
“Buy me a coffee”
Other alternatives, calling it a “tip jar” or simply “donate” etc
Thoughts on a platform such as patreon or BMC vs handling it on your own site
Content production
Starting a facebook group
Aren’t there a TON of groups already out there?
How to manage a group, the proper attitude to take
Establishing goals and purposes
Writing a book
Easy to say/suggest, how hard is it to “do”
Steps that may lead up to a book one day
PDF eBook
Any tips for topics we can develop that will make a good PDF book vs. a regular book idea? Or should we not differentiate too much?
https://expertphotography.com search for The Big List of Free Photography Ebooks. https://expertphotography.com/free-photography-ebooks/
Podcasting
Time commitment roughly 4 hours for a 1 hour show
It’s not for everyone, who should start one?
Recording a class
Looking good: the glasses challenge, either remove them or…
How to develop an idea
Where to publish first. YouTube? Website? Other…
Email newsletter
Intermission
Time commitment, work-life balance
Exercise, your daily routine vs mine, thoughts on the value of exercise and staying active
Selling Prints
Deciding if you’ll print yourself or outsource
Finding an audience

___________
Resources and Links
___________

View the pics on the show notes website:
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/139
___________
Get yourself on the Globetrotter notifications list. https://brentbergherm.com/latitude-photo-school/globetrotter/
___________
Join the general notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/
___________
Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN
___________
I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT
___________
Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp
___________
Get yourself a copy of Lumenzia, the luminosity masking extension for Photoshop published by my friend Greg Benz. This is an affiliate link and I appreciate all the support you give by using these links. https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487
___________
New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/
___________
Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
___________
Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.
___________
Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/
___________
Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
___________
Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Luminosity masking. What is it and is it worth it to figure this out for your photography? We cover this and so much more in this edition of Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 138 for December 19, 2021

Introduction

I am your host Brent Bergherm and I’m so glad you’re here. It’s my ultimate goal to help you connect the dots between vision, purpose and achievement in your photography. We do that through meaningful conversations, lessons, tips and tricks and ultimately, inspiration to encourage you to get out there and make more photographs!

Thanks SO MUCH for being here :) I really do appreciate it!

Greg offers the Lumenzia extension and some great deep-dive courses to help you learn everything there is to know about using the software. These are affiliate links and I appreciate all the support you provide by using these links.

Lumenzia: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487

Lumenzia and Exposure Blending Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=165704

Lumenzia and Dodging and Burning Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182276

Lumenzia and Both Courses: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182277

Check out the expanded show notes here:

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/138

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

The price is increasing 18% for Latitude Photography School on Jan 2, 2022. Sign up today to lock in current prices.

https://brentbergherm.com

Year-End Challenge: Go through your 2021 images and select 10–20 that represent your best efforts of the year. Submit them to the fb group for the show so we can see what you’ve been up to and so that we can also cheer you on.

I’d also love some brief commentary. Tell us how you’ve GROWN over the last year. That would be amazing. Or tell us your challenges and tell us how you plan to grow this year. Use the Hashtag #TopImages2021

Main Topic

LUMINOSITY MASKING for beginners

  1. My take on Luminosity Masking
    1. Started about three years ago, just dabbled
    2. Opinions on post-production work
    3. What happened this quarter
  2. Background knowledge needed before tackling Luminosity Masking
    1. PS layers
    2. PS selections
    3. PS masking
    4. PS save/load selection
    5. Anything else
  3. Understanding the idea of a Luminosity Mask and the logistics
    1. Simple to use, difficult to understand sometimes
    2. When to use a Luminosity Mask, what to look for in your scene
      1. Exposure Blending
      2. Dodging and Burning
    3. Techniques when shooting multiple frames
    4. Techniques when using one frame
  4. Starting the work in PS
    1. What to do in Lr or other raw editor
    2. Transitioning to PS
    3. Assessing the work. How to stack the layers, which order.
  5. Diving into the Lumenzia Panel
    1. D, M and L buttons
    2. (a) and so on buttons, 0-10 buttons, but as this is a starter type discussion, don’t plan to dive too deeply here.
    3. Apply section
      1. Sel button
      2. Mask button
      3. Two more of your most used options in this section of the panel
  6. Deciding on the selection and applying it to your photo
    1. Thoughts behind what to look for in the selection preview
    2. Modifying the selection defaults (adjusting the orange adjustment layers before hitting the “sel” button
    3. Painting in with the selection, brush settings etc.
    4. Applying more than one luminosity selection?
      1. Selecting different luminance values for adjusting different areas of the photo.
      2. Best to adjust on the same layer, or to make additional layers?
    5. Making a separate Dodge-Burn Layer (fill layer 50% with Overlay layer blend mode, apply adjustments to the layer using dodge/burn tools rather than regular brush (or can still use black or white brush too)

Resources and Links

View the pics on the show notes website:

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/138

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

This episode is all about getting to know Badlands National Park. I didn’t spend too long there, unfortunately, but that just means I have to go back. It’s an out of this world landscape that’s only a 16 hour drive away… This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 137 for December 12, 2021

Introduction

Watch the associated slideshow presentation and discussion on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/DUS6gFVxepw

Come explore and connect your creative process dots at the Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

The price is increasing 18% for Latitude Photography School on Jan 2, 2022. Sign up today to lock in current prices.
https://brentbergherm.com

Year-End Challenge: Go through your 2021 images and select 10–20 that represent your best efforts of the year. Submit them to the fb group for the show so we can see what you’ve been up to and so that we can also cheer you on.
I’d also love some brief commentary. Tell us how you’ve GROWN over the last year. That would be amazing. Or tell us your challenges and tell us how you plan to grow this year.

Main Topic

Ian Plant is joining me today to discuss one of my new favorite places to photograph for some great landscape photography. Ian, welcome to the show.

BLNP facts
Size: 242,756 acres
Wildnerness Area: 64,144 acres
South Units (Stronghold unit and Palmer Creek unit) are co-managed with the Oglala Lakota Tribe
Popularity: 970,998 visits in 2019
Ranks 28 of 63 parks
Became a National Park in November 10, 1978

Discussion about the images. Be sure to check the fb page or the shownotes website to see the photographs.

Find Ian online at: https://ianplant.com

Resources and Links

View the pics on the show notes website:
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/137

Get yourself on the Globetrotter notifications list. https://brentbergherm.com/latitude-photo-school/globetrotter/

Join the general notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

Get yourself a copy of Lumenzia, the luminosity masking extension for Photoshop published by my friend Greg Benz. This is an affiliate link and I appreciate all the support you give by using these links. https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

If you’re like me, you’re always hopeful that the time spent out shooting will be rewarding and productive. But sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Sometimes we continue to be distracted or otherwise “out of it” in a manner of speaking. I’m thrilled to have Lori and Brie join me to tackle this topic on this edition of Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 136 for December 5, 2021

Check out the expanded show notes here: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/136

Year-End Challenge: Go through your 2021 images and select 10–20 that represent your best efforts of the year. Submit them to the fb group for the show so we can see what you’ve been up to and so that we can also cheer you on.
I’d also love some brief commentary. Tell us how you’ve GROWN over the last year. That would be amazing. Or tell us your challenges and tell us how you plan to grow this year. Use the Hashtag #TopImages2021

Just a quick note before we jump into the main topic with Lori and Brie… I mention in this conversation about a future episode with Greg Benz. It’s actually going to be two weeks from today that it’s released, the 19th of December. In this conversation I said “next week” and I just wanted to clear that up.

Also, there will be other announcements and what-not afterwards, please stick around for that! And now,,, off to the conversation where we’re looking at this notion of speeding up the process of slowing down.

Get yourself on the Globetrotter notifications list. https://brentbergherm.com/latitude-photo-school/globetrotter/

Find out more about the Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

The price is increasing 18% for Latitude Photography School on Jan 2, 2022. Sign up today to lock in current prices.
https://brentbergherm.com

Main Topic

Speeding Up the process of Slowing Down in your photography
Setting the stage, what’s this all about?
Optimizing Opportunities for Creativity - (Lori) Forecast potential photography events, such as weather, sunrise & sunsets, celestial events, full moon, new moon, Milky Way, etc. Consider things that might be of interest to you, local events, animal migrations, blooming seasons, etc. Put these events on a calendar and set aside time to photograph them in advance.

For weather and celestial events, pre-plan the closest locations you can get to quickly in case an unanticipated event is happening. I use a weather app called Clear to forecast sunrise & sunsets. I use Aurora Pro to forecast Aurora events. The forecast is key to capturing these types of events.

Figuring out what works best for you
Trying to “get into the zone” of photography
Brent’s Tips
If you’ve been at something a while… Take a break
Great for long post-production sessions
Get out and change your scenery-environment
It should last at least 20 minutes, I’ve never seen it work with a shorter time frame, it often takes longer
If you’re trying to concentrate on the project at hand, the shoot, or in post-production
Turn off your notifications on your phone and-or computer
Spend some time decompressing, transitioning to the “zone.”
If your mind is racing, or constantly distracted, grab a notepad and write down all the things you’re thinking about. Use the notetaking feature on your phone if needed. Write it down and get it out of your mind.
Clear your mind. If you’re doing “car-based shooting” where you don’t have to hike much you’re at a disadvantage with this process.
Be patient. Don’t rush it. It feels counterintuitive but it seriously works.
Brie’s Tips
Same as Brent - Just actually SLOW DOWN!! When we rush it can cause us to make easy mistakes. Rushing can stop us from focusing on the present and being intentional with our photography. We have a greater chance of enjoyment and success when we can be patient. If you find yourself rushing, take a minute to breathe deeply and relax your body.
Plan ahead! Be intentional in how you approach your photography so you can create your experience on purpose. Plan ahead to be patient and focus on the experience. I do this all the time and it works!
Lori’s Tips
Allocate time for photography in advance… create a large block of time
Mute your cell phone, don’t post on social media during photo trips, only afterwards.
Upon arrival at your site, take time to get plugged into the environment. Use as many of your senses as you can to explore your surroundings. Sight… Look around and scan for interesting things, both large & small.
Listen… Can you hear wind in the trees, nearby streams, birds, bugs, etc.
Touch… Feel the breeze on your skin, the texture of rocks, trees, etc.
Breathe Deeply… Pull fresh air deep into your lungs. Plants, flowers, and even animals often give off aromas that can make you aware of their presence.
Let yourself be fully absorbed into the nature experience. Imagine yourself as a part of the environment, not just an observer of the environment. Be inquisitive… Seek out some of the things you learned from using your senses.

Announcements, Resources, and Links

If you enjoyed this episode of Latitude Photography Podcast, I invite you to consider going further with your photography experience. Latitude Photography School is all about helping you connect the dots between your vision, purpose and achievement in your photography. It’s for travel/outdoor photographers who are comfortable with their gear and want to do more, explore more, and really hone in on their craft.

All the lessons and conversations are geared towards tapping into your unique vision and then creating more meaningful photographs. You’ll also learn things to sharpen your skills and your purpose with your photography as well.

The price is increasing on January 2, 2022. But if you sign up now you’ll be able to lock in the current rate. Please check out the website for more information https://brentbergherm.com

Another thing about Latitude Photography School, I’m revamping my Globetrotter program. It is the ultimate experience to infuse energetic growth into your photography experience. This is accomplished through a focused 9-week experience that is starting in mid March, 2022. It includes lifetime access to the website, weekly sessions, both individual with just me AND group sessions with other globetrotters.
If you want to get started with something right away, I say go ahead and sign up for the Adventurer program. And if you want to then upgrade to the Globetrotter experience you’ll be able to just pay the difference between the two programs once it’s released.
Please find the link in the show notes about the Globetrotter interest list and you’ll be the first to be notified when it’s open and available. It will open on March 1, 2022, and then enrollment will close on March 11, 2022. We’ll then start right after that with our sessions and lessons.
You can also expect customized assignments and readings as this is a program designed to address your interests and needs to help you grow and transform into the photographer you want to become.
And if you can’t dedicate yourself to a solid nine weeks, don’t worry, we can accommodate some custom schedules too :)
https://brentbergherm.com/latitude-photo-school/globetrotter/

View the the show notes on the website: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/136

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

Grab yourself a copy of the Lumenzia extension for Photoshop, and if you’re interested, Greg offers two deep dive courses as well. These are affiliate links and I appreciate all the support you provide by using these links.
Lumenzia: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487
Lumenzia and Exposure Blending Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=165704
Lumenzia and Dodging and Burning Master Course: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182276
Lumenzia and Both Courses: https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=182277

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

Find Brie Stockwell: https://www.instagram.com/asliceofbrie2020/ and my blog at https://asliceofbrie.com
https://www.facebook.com/LoriRowlandPhotography

Find Lori Rowland at: https://www.instagram.com/lori_rowland_photography/

https://oregonexposures.com/

View Details

On my September 2021 road trip I spent six days shooting in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This was the longest I’d stayed in any one spot. It’s also where I was most prolific in my image-making. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 135 for November 21, 2021

Watch this on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/7r1Q1kuJBbE

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

The price is increasing 18% for Latitude Photography School on Jan 2, 2022. Sign up today to lock in current prices.

https://brentbergherm.com

Year-End Challenge: Go through your 2021 images and select 10–20 that represent your best efforts of the year. Submit them to the fb group for the show so we can see what you’ve been up to and so that we can also cheer you on.

I’d also love some brief commentary. Tell us how you’ve GROWN over the last year. That would be amazing. Or tell us your challenges and tell us how you plan to grow this year.

Main Topic

Discuss images from TRNP

Reference slide deck images in fb group or on show notes website.

Resources and Links

View the pics on the show notes website:

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/135

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJGTk1KSEpCRkpOSkVN

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Peak Design affiliate link https://bit.ly/3CEpsBp

Get yourself a copy of Lumenzia, the luminosity masking extension for Photoshop published by my friend Greg Benz. This is an affiliate link and I appreciate all the support you give by using these links. https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/21529?referrer=3zlus6bybwqosokkk&p=101487

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Minnesota’s North Shore. The name is almost misleading if you’re not from around there. There’s so much to explore and photograph in this region, and it’s relatively compact and easily accessible too. In this episode I’m sharing many of the photos I made during my visit in mid-September 2021 where I was really able to just scratch the surface of what this region has to offer. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 134 for November 14, 2021

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

The price is increasing 18% for Latitude Photography School on Jan 2, 2022. Sign up today to lock in current prices.
https://brentbergherm.com

Main Topic

Discuss images from NSMN

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/joGnodxtCwA

Resources and Links

View the pics on the show notes website:
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/134

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Isle Royale National Park is a wilderness wonderland. It’s very remote. It’s rough, rugged, and raw. It’s also the least popular National Park in the lower 48 states. All this is what drew me to it, and will likely draw me back in the future. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 133 for November 7, 2021 View this on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/z7Xu2Oybchw

Other episodes referenced in this episode:

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/129-130/

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/131/

Ohter Important Links

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

The price is increasing 18% for Latitude Photography School on Jan 2, 2022. Sign up today to lock in current prices.
https://brentbergherm.com

Main Topic

Discuss images from IRNP

Links from the discussion:

https://www.goalzero.com/shop/sherpa-power-banks-and-accessories/sherpa-100pd/
Rankings: https://parksexpert.com/all-us-national-parks-list/

Visit Data:

https://irma.nps.gov/STATS/SSRSReports/Park%20Specific%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Recreation%20Visitation%20(1904%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year)?Park=ISRO
Wilderness Character: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/wilderness/wilderness-character.htm

Resources and Links

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!
https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

We’re heading back in time, to November 22, 2018, to be precise. I had a conversation with Richard Bernabe about the Creative Principle and we talked about a lot of great things related to setting up your frame and composition. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 131 for November 3, 2021

Click here for the expanded show

notes:http://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/132

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

The price is increasing 18% for LPS on Jan 2, 2022. Sign up today to lock in current prices.

https://brentbergherm.com

Resources and Links

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/donate/

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

When I was out there in the wilderness shooting just about every day for four weeks, it dawned on me. I should turn this into an episode. The process I use every time as I’m setting up a scene and planning a photograph. So here we are. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 131 for November 1, 2021

Jump right to the blog post mentioned and grab your PDF checklist!

https://brentbergherm.com/making-photographs-a-detailed-process/

Click here for the expanded show notes:http://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/131

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

YouTube Live

The #LookingUp Listener Image Review is now scheduled for November 11, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time. It’s also Veteran’s Day here in the US. I hope you can join us!

Story and making photographs

I love this topic.

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

The price is going up for LPS on Jan 2, 2022

https://brentbergherm.com

MAIN TOPIC

MAKING PHOTOGRAPHS: the checklist I use for every scene.

  1. Always keep my “why” in mind.
  2. Identify specifically what intrigues me about the scene
  3. How can I strengthen the composition?
  4. Confirm the Technical Parts
  5. Make the Exposure!

Resources and Links

New way to support the show. Donation page on the website. One dollar will send me one mile down the road. Thank you for your support!

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Going on an extended road trip takes a lot of planning. Today I’m going to give you the basic day by day report of my recent trip that started with a drive to Isle Royale National Park and ended 28 days later. This is Latitude Photography Podcast episode 130 for October 26, 2021.

MAIN TOPIC

Click here for the expanded show notes:http://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/129-130

Join the workshop:

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Resources and Links

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Going on an extended road trip takes a lot of planning. Today I’m going to give you the basic day by day report of my recent trip that started with a drive to Isle Royale National Park and ended 28 days later. This is Latitude Photography Podcast episode 129 for October 25, 2021.

MAIN TOPIC

Click here for the expanded show notes:http://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/129-130

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

  • Delay in #LookingUp image review
  • Price increase happening soon at LPS. More on that at the end of the show.
  • Developing some workshops.
  • Thank you to all who are using the Lens Rentals Link. It really is awesome to see the support coming in. This time was two months in a row. Let’s keep it going!

New things at LPS:

Discussion forum added to the site. Includes a messaging system and the ability for users to upload photos. It’s somewhat like a facebook group but fully hosted on the site.

New lessons coming soon. More lessons in the Design and Creativity in Photography course will be added soon.

More Quick Wins to be added

Continuing with Monthly Group sessions.

Bonus. Each current member, and any new member who signs up before December 31 will get a one-on-one 30 minute session. See site for details, and current members, see the email that’s coming out soon for details.

The price is increasing January 2, 2022. Sign up now to lock in the current price for the life of your active account.

Lots of great discussion happening in the fb group for the podcast. I asked a question and made it an announcement about movies or documentaries that have a travel/outdoor theme. Extra bonus points that don’t mean anything if it has a photography component too.

I started it off by recommending The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Others chimed in with “The Revenant” with Leonardo DiCaprio, A River Runs Through It. The Bourne Identity (hey, I love the Jason Bourne movies :) There were several others. I’ll do a more full rundown in a future episode. If you’d like to get your recommendation in, get on to the fb group and find the announcement and make your recommendation in a comment there.

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

We are taking a look at two smart watches and how they are useful for the travel outdoor photographer. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 128 for October 5, 2021

Click here for the expanded show notes:http://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/128

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

August Topic

The topic for October, 2021 is #LookingUp. It’ll be right here on YouTube:

MAIN TOPIC

Smart Watches for Photographers

Today I have Liam Douglas joining me once again and we’re talking about a two smartwatch options for photographers. Liam, welcome to the show!

Garmin Instinct Solar

  1. Battery life is amazing for a smart watch.
    1. Standard watch mode: Up to 24 days / 54 with solar
    2. Battery Saver Mode: Up to 56 days / Unlimited with solar
  2. 16 MB of memory which is a TON for a watch with the features it has.
  3. Shows Sunrise/Sunset right on the main face
  4. GPS Time Sync
  5. Health Monitoring
  6. Sensors (just the ones I’m interested in)
  7. Smart Features
  8. Activity Tracking
  9. Special Features
  10. Things I don’t like about it
    1. The watch won’t sync to the app without the app being connected to the internet. This is a HUGE flaw in my opinion.
  11. One thing I really do like
    1. When using Garmin Explore Map app, the watch will communicate my position live on the map in real time. Just have to download the maps beforehand if you’re leaving cell service.

Apple Watch

I use my Apple Watch quite frequently for photography and especially in conjunction with an app called Lumy. Lumy has some of the same functions as Photo Pills, but not as much to it as it is primarily for landscape and travel photography. It contains the following items for use doing these styles of photography.

Tracking Blue Hour and Golden Hour with the time for each based on your GPS location.

Sunset and Sunrise tracking again based on GPS location

Morning and Evening nautical twilight

Morning and Evening Astronomical Twilight

Total hours and minutes of daylight and night

Live digital compass

It also will tell you the track for the sun in the sky and the arc it follows.

Lumy also has a few great Apple Watch faces that you can add to your Apple Watch.

The Watch Face I use allows quick access to not only the time, but standard Apple Compass as a complication, a Sun tracking compass complication, temperature, and weather conditions at a glance.

https://www.waplestuff.com/apps/lumy/watch/

Viewranger.

(Now called “Outdoor Active”) https://viewranger.com/visit-outdooractive/?lang=en-gb

WristCam for Apple Watch. This is a nice bit of kit as it allows you to shoot 8MP stills and record HD video as well. Unit also has a 2MP selfie camera that could use some work, seemed to be grainy to me.

https://www.wristcam.com

Resources and Links

Find Liam Online: @Liamphotoatl (facebook, instagram and twitter)

Liam on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LiamPhotography

Forgotten Pieces of Georgia: https://www.youtube.com/c/ForgottenPiecesofGeorgia

Forgotten Pieces of Pennsylvania: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrHilkv1ved3By-Alu5bpMA

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

I came across Nature First Photography when I was researching other guests for the show. I was curious and that curiosity led to this episode. I promise you there’s no politics, no bashing of ideas, at least not intentionally, but simply some good conversation and education about this organization and what they’re hoping to achieve. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 127 for Aug 30, 2021

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

October Topic #LookingUp October 14, 2021, 6:15 p.m. Design Principle: Lines

Final Prep for my National Parks visit

Main Topic

Today I have Scott Bacon with me and we’re going to talk about an organization for which he’s a founding member.

  • Tell us the quick overview of what Nature First Photography is all about. The 30 second snippet as it were.
  • Now let’s talk details. You’ve got some principles outlined on your website. They are: (and we’ll talk in detail about these items)

Prioritize the well-being of nature over photography

Educate yourself about the places you photograph

Reflect on the possible impact of your actions

Use discretion if sharing locations

Know and follow rules and regulations

Always follow Leave No Trace principles and strive to leave places better than you found them (May 20, 2018 mention)

Actively promote and educate others about these principles

Scott’s Images

  1. Cerkev Sv Janeza Krstnika
  2. Predjama Castle
  3. Plitvice Fairyland
  4. Blue Bicycle and Door, Rovinj

Brent’s Images

  1. Disturbing the Peace
  2. Side Entrance
  3. Tossed About
  4. Trogir
  5. On the Boardwalk

https://www.naturefirstphotography.org

https://www.scottbaconphotography.com

Resources and Links

You’re invited to check out Latitude Photography School, where we take the learning opportunities and go wild with them. It’s my goal to help you learn how to create beautiful photographs more consistently through intentional analysis and refinement of your creative vision.

I’m adding new content all the time be it new chapters and lessons to existing courses, tutorials and my favorites, QuickWins! And Live sessions where all the content is driven by member requests. You can discover all about Latitude Photography School over at my website: https://brentbergherm.com

Sign up for my basic notifications email list. I’ll be sending tips, ideas, stories from the road and lessons learned while on the road every 6–8 weeks. https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

View Details

Today I’m talking about the images I made while backpacking and the release of Latitude Photography School. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 126 for August 22, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

Click here for the expanded show notes:http://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/126

The topic for August, 2021 is #InTheCity. It’ll be right here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tO4649a4r7k

Minnesota water-FALL-color Workshop had to be cancelled.

MAIN TOPIC

Strawberry Mountain Wilderness Experience and Photographs

  1. Red berries
  2. Little Flower
  3. *Little flower with red berries and log
  4. Strawberry falls detail
  5. *Equanimity: mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium.
  6. Two rocks, Strawberry Creek
  7. *The Rain
  8. Lichen on rock
  9. Rock Pattern
  10. Red Bug
  11. *Interspersed
  12. Slide Creek #1
  13. *Refreshing Flow
  14. *Slide Creek Oasis

Latitude Photography School: Doors Open!

  • What is it? How it came about. What it will become.
  • Successful enrollment of beta users and then founding members
  • With all the kinks ironed out, we’re ready for you.
  • Two main enrollment options at this time.
  • Adventurer
  • Globetrotter
  • Explorer on the way

  • What’s included

  • Courses, two right now, more on the way
  • All Tutorials and Quick Wins!
  • Monthly Live Group Q&A (difference between this and the Latitude Review sessions on YouTube)
  • Get your specific questions answered
  • Assignments and feedback
  • Forum/community solution will be integrated to the service during 4th quarter of 2021.
  • Private/Exclusive fb group for the school

  • $24/mo or $240/yr (that’s two months free) for Adventurer (Expect price increases from time to time as more content is added to the site. Lock in the price now)

  • Globetrotter: Everything included in Adventurer, plus Six months of personalized one-on-one training with customized tasks and assignments and lifetime access to the site.
  • Who LPS is for:
  • Landscape
  • Nature
  • Travel & Culture
  • Street
  • Macro
  • Documentary | Storytelling
  • Fine Art & Abstracts
  • Help with Website stuffs too where possible

  • Genres I stay away from

  • Politically charged topics
  • Formal/traditional portraits
  • Wedding
  • Alcohol, tobacco and related items
  • Other topics.

  • Globetrotter+ Program

  • Everything in Globetrotter PLUS up to two weeks of a personal workshop in the destination of your choice.

Resources and Links

Backpacking the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness video, part 1: https://youtu.be/zeGQ4qraglw

Backpacking the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness video, part 2: https://youtu.be/DQ6i0rb0x7w

Backpacking the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness video, part 3: https://youtu.be/Sgpk8v1fzFE

Join the notifications list to stay in the know about all the things happening here on the podcast, on my website and workshops I’m planning. I plan to send you an update every 6–8 weeks and I’ll include brief stories behind the images and as always, lessons learned while making them. https://brentbergherm.com/notifications/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Art. What is it? Is your photography Art? Are you an artist? There’s many different opinions about this idea of art and photography. One thing is for sure, a photographer is a creative person, generally speaking anyway. But when you apply the term of art, when and why would you do that? What’s the point? Does it matter? Today I’ve got a wonderfully special guest joining me on this topic and I’m just loving it. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 124 for August 3, 2021

August Topic

The topic for August, 2021 is #InTheCity. Please get your submissions in by the 24th of August to be considered for the broadcast on the 26th. I’ll be on YouTube and I’m planning on doing it once again at 6:15 p.m. and we’ll see how that works for us once again. Submit images to the facebook group with the hashtag InTheCity and let’s see what you’ve got.

=And the design principle I’d like to see us focus on, if possible, is Color. Any color will work. Looking for ways to either showcase a single color, lots of color, anything to do with color. Let’s see what you can come up with.

Minnesota water-FALL-color Workshop info: Sign up today!

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

In a previous episode I’d mentioned the conundrum about my L bracket with the R5. I went with the Three legged thing as it’s orange and all the others, from RRS to the cheap brands all looked the same. So I actually made my decision based on color. But it doesn’t allow for full articulation of the flippy screen which stinks.

Well, listener Ej Linser brought to my attention the PMG bracket https://www.promediagear.com/PLCR56--L-Bracket-Plate-for-Canon-EOS-R5-R6-Mirrorless-Camera_p_475.html

Which does allow for full articulation since the vertical mount portion is not aligned with the side of the camera. I feel kinda dumb for not looking up the PMG option since my bracket for the 5D4 is by PMG and I literally thought to myself, I should look up PMG and see what they have before I hit the buy button here… But alas, I didn’t. So Ej earns a gold star for this recommendation :)

MAIN TOPIC

Photography as fine art.

Way back on June 22, I posed a question in the facebook group. I said, “When you hear the term “Fine Art” do you think it applies to your photography?

As in, do you see yourself as a fine art photographer or maybe… Do you aspire to have your works be considered fine art?

Is Fine Art to “stuffy” of a term?

Today, I have a special guest to help me think through this topic. She is Erin Babnik, Erin Welcome to the show!

Talking Points:

  1. Let’s assume there’s two or three listeners out there who don’t know you or your work. What would you like for them to know about you, your work and I’d like to know how you got started as a photographer.
  2. Your Quote on your Canon Explorer of Light page states, “Exploration is the key to creativity. The more that you find to photograph, the more that you find yourself.” (further thoughts and commentary shall ensue!)
  3. Fine Art. It’s kind of loaded. I’d like to know your thoughts on the topic and then we’ll get in to what the listeners have said and we’ll comment on those as well. So your thoughts on Fine Art and how Photography is a part of that. And also, has the photography industry ever really settled on it means to have photography considered as fine art? That seems to be the listener comments that we’ll get to in a moment.
  4. Aref Alragehi says, “I personally don’t think it applies to me but I hope to get there one day. The reason I say that stems from my understanding of what it means which may not be accurate. Basically I think Fine Art is for a meticulous piece of work not just from a composition perspective but all the way through the print creation, the medium it is printed on the framing and perhaps even the lighting recommended for best viewing. I think there has been also an over use of the term I mean just because the photo is in B&W or it is a long exposure photo does not make it fine art
  5. Josh Austin states, “I have always understood fine art to be simplistic in nature. Something that could be hung on a wall anywhere in the world, not constrained by geographic area, genre, or style. I guess "tastefully simple" would be how I would understand it.”
    And then after some further thought he clarifies, “tastefully, intentionally, simple. I think intentionality is important, a simple composition should not come across as lazy or uninspired but be intentional.”
  6. Brett Baker says, “I have seen some pieces that seem to be labeled "fine art" for marketing reasons. I feel like the photography community has not come together on a distinct definition. Some say that it's impossible for photography to be "fine art" because it doesn't require the same degree of skill as other media. Others seem to think that minimalism is the only way to achieve "fine art". Personally, I think that truly "fine art" is capable of stirring some type of emotion in various people and for various reasons, regardless of the medium.”
  7. Stanley Harper doesn’t view the term Fine Art to be a “stuffy” term. And he points out that even automotive photography can be a form of Fine Art. And he wrapped up his thoughts by saying, “I do consider some of my work to be "fine art" and there is such a thing as "fine art photography" and yes, that term can be used to describe even those shots that are clearly within the journalistic sphere because the shooter took an approach to create an image that will be a wall hanger.”
  8. Zelda Zaragoza Johns agrees with Aref a bit. “I don’t know if I consider the term overused so much as misused. Some wedding photographers call themselves fine art photographers. I personally believe you can’t call yourself a fine art photographer if you’re delivering hundreds of digital images to a client.” Maybe there’s other ways the term is misused as well?
  9. Kirk Keyes chimed in with, “What I find pretentious is "Giclee", if anyone still uses that!!”
  10. Aaron Martinez, a photojournalist, says, “I’m not even sure what the term “fine art” actually means in relation to photography.”
  11. Joel Galbraith responded to Aaron with the idea that planning really goes into it. Planning locations, how the shot is made, and what you do in post production.
    But Erin, in your quote we started this conversation with, you start with the word “exploration” which signifies to me a bit of the unknown. A sense of discovery. This seems to be the opposite of Joel’s approach.
  12. Alan Comer describes it this way, “The thing they seem to have in common is that those images (I like to think) make you want to stop and spend some time in them rather than just a passing glance.”
  13. Darren Whiteley has an interesting thought. He says, “I find the photography community's overwhelming desire to label or constrain artistic freedom as one of its negatives. Why can't you be a photographer that enjoys all genres? Those that have ability to turn their skills to all of the genres are often frowned upon, particularly in critiques when they provide examples of work from more than one genre - it is as if excelling at one somehow makes you more of an artist than someone who has transferable skills.”
  14. David Medeiros says, “I do think of my work as fine art, or at least that’s the intention with my BW photography.” I have to admit, I’ve had some similar thoughts about my B&W work but I think it’s because that was the pivot point of my work as purely done for myself vs for my agent to sell. As I’ve not submitted to my agent in a LOOOONG time, that idea of B&W only as my fine art work is weakening. My color work is seen more as fine art in my view now.

Check out Erin's great photography at https://erinbabnik.com

Resources and Links

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

Learn all about my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop and sign up today! https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use the code "summer50" at checkout for $50 off orders of $200 or more delivered by July 30, 2021.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Summary

We’re planning ahead a little bit in today’s show. I’m talking with a New England photographer all about what we can expect when we head out to shoot fall color this season. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 123 for July 22, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

July Topic

The topic for July is #PublicLands. Please get your submissions in by the 27th of July to be considered for the broadcast on the 29th. I’ll be going back to YouTube for these broadcasts, and I’ll try a slightly earlier time frame as well. We’ll plan on 6:15 p.m. Pacific Time.

Latitude Photo School is now enrolling beta testers. The waitlist is up next. https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

Minnesota water-FALL-color Workshop info: Sign up today!

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

MAIN TOPIC

Preparing for and Shooting fall colors.

David’s e-Book: http://davelongphoto.com/new-products/tips-for-fall-foliage

David’s Blog: http://davelongphoto.com/new-products/fallfoliage

Shooting fall colors is something I just don’t get to do much of here in the PNW. Sure, we do have some fall colors, but nothing like the midwest or the northeast of the country.

Today I’m talking with David Long about photographing fall colors. David, welcome to the show!

You were last on the show in November, 2018. https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/new-england-with-david-long/

My goodness, has it really been that long? Anyway, we talked about photographing New England in the winter, and this time, we’re going to talk about fall colors.

Main Points:

Let’s start off with just a bit about yourself so listeners can be reminded of who you are and what got you into photography…

Let’s talk about preparing for fall colors, in general. What should we be thinking about?

Compositional elements

Lenses and filters

Quality of Light

Weather

Water

Judging a proper exposure

Let’s now talk about some specific locations that are found in your latest publication, Fall Foliage Photography in New England.

White Mountins, Little White Church - Eaton, and Sabbaday Falls

Northeast Vermont, Village View - Peacham

Central Vermont, Caper Hill Farm - Reading, Sleepy Hollow Farm - Woodstock

Southern New Hampsire, Henniker Covered Bridge, Garwin Falls - Wilton

Central Mass, The Grist Mill - Sudbury

How about some post-processing tips. We’ve gotten all these potentially great images, and now we want to bring them to their final edit.

WB and Saturation

Use the HSL?

Apps you use?

Find Dave on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidlong3653/

Resources and Links

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

Learn all about my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop and sign up today! https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use the code "summer50" at checkout for $50 off orders of $200 or more delivered by July 30, 2021.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Today we’re talking about one of the least visited national parks in the lower 48 states. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 122 for July 11, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

July Topic

The topic for July is #PublicLands. Please get your submissions in by the 27th of July to be considered for the broadcast on the 29th. I’ll be going back to YouTube for these broadcasts, and I’ll try a slightly earlier time frame as well. We’ll plan on 6:15 p.m. Pacific Time. And remember the idea of CONTRASTS if possible.

A listener asked a question about where to print a large image. About 8x40 inches or maybe even twice that. Since this is a special size for sure, you have to look for labs that will handle it, and do it well. I recommended photocraft out of Boulder, CO. https://pcraft.com

I’ve worked with them in the past and they did great work. They have lightjet prints and the standard inkjet printing, though they’ll call it gicleé on their website. Unfortunately, they don’t have online ordering at the moment, not sure what’s going on with that, but I can definitely vouch for their quality work.

Also, for framing, take a look at https://pictureframes.com

Though if you get up to 80” you’re going to be quite limited on the matting and framing options. It’s my dream that I’ll be able to set up a router in my new place and make my own custom frames. One of these days it will happen…

I picked up a DJI Pocket 2 camera. It’s a tiny little thing, gimbal stabilized and does amazing quality work. They also put 4 mics in it so it can really get some quality audio going as you’re talking along while you walk. I also got the add-on unit that allows for wireless control of the camera and a wireless mic too. I’m looking forward to trying this out on the trail starting tomorrow. I fixed my car, as long as I did it right I’ll be on my way for three nights in the wilderness. I’ll know if I did it right once the AC gets recharged. If it leaks I know I’ll be tempted to open up my little book of bad words and use a few of them… :)

MAIN TOPIC

Today I’m joined by Chuck Haney, a photographer that has lots of experience shooting in a place I’m headed to later this year so I’m thrilled to have this conversation with him today. Chuck, welcome to the show.

  1. Tell us a bit about your journey as a photographer. Wherever you’d like to start…
  2. TRNP, I’d like to start with the most overlooked part of the park, where should I go that most folks don’t but the opportunities are excellent for great images?
  3. I’m considering spending all my time in either the North or South unit. I have 5 days of shooting and I want to be able to get a “deep” look at the park. That may mean I leave certain things out. I’m open to hiking and backpacking, though it looks like I can simply camp and simply drive to the various trailheads. What would you recommend for someone with five full days of shooting?
  4. Specific areas of interest South Unit:
    1. Petrified Forest Area
    2. Wind Canyon
    3. Painted Canyon
    4. Scenic Loop Drive with various overlooks
    5. Jones Creek
    6. Peaceful Valley Ranch
  5. Specific areas of interest North Unit:
    1. River Bend Overlook
    2. Caprock Coulee Trail
    3. Oxbow Overlook
    4. Little Mo Trail
  6. Anything else you’d like to share about the park?
  7. Specific discussion about your images from the park. Describing each image and a bit about the story of each image.

Go to my website https://chuckhaney.com

Facebook, Chuck Haney photography. https://www.facebook.com/chuckhaneyphotography

Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/chuckhaneyphoto/

I do a newsletter about every six weeks, form on the website.

Resources and Links

Learn all about my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop and sign up today! https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/a3N4BcD2gXc

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

I recently added the Canon R5 to my toolkit and I took it out on a trial run for some major backpacking that will be happening later this summer and fall. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 121 for July 5, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

July Topic

The topic for July is #PublicLands. Please get your submissions in by the 27th of July to be considered for the broadcast on the 29th. I’ll be going back to YouTube for these broadcasts, and I’ll try a slightly earlier time frame as well. We’ll plan on 6:15 p.m. Pacific Time. And remember the idea of CONTRASTS if possible.

Recent YouTube Videos

R5 Unboxing https://youtu.be/oZbQwqdaPII

Using Multiple Polarizer Positions in one frame https://youtu.be/pP1obg4wneM

Importing and processing my first shoot with the R5. https://youtu.be/r-kJeSJx_Q4

Future YouTube Videos

Using a green laser to align a star tracker

Focus stacking, PS vs. Helicon Focus.

MAIN TOPIC - Canon R5 and the Wilderness

The R5, brief overview of the camera and how it compares to expectations.

The journey, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness

Using the GPS watch to embed coordinates into the file.

Discussion on the images.

Resources and Links

Learn all about my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop and sign up today! https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/a3N4BcD2gXc

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

There’s just something about photographing the night sky that causes me to stop and contemplate our existence. In this discussion Kirk and I don’t get too philosophical, but we do take a dive into photographing the night sky from southern Utah and Oregon. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 120 for June 27, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

July Topic

The topic for July is #PublicLands. Please get your submissions in by the 27th of July to be considered for the broadcast on the 29th. I’ll be going back to YouTube for these broadcasts, and I’ll try a slightly earlier time frame as well. We’ll plan on 6:15 p.m. Pacific Time.

MN Workshop

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Artist in Residency in Hawaii

https://nationalparksartsfoundation.submittable.com/submit/

Next Episode

If all goes to plan, I’ve finally settled on where I’ll be heading next week. It’s about the middle of nowhere Eastern Oregon and it involves a waterfall. I’ll be giving you a full report and discuss the images made during those few days I’m able to get away next week.

MAIN TOPIC

Kirk’s Recent Experience shooting the evening skies.

Links for items mentioned during the conversation: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/79/

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/80

https://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html#4/39.00/-98.00

https://nightscaper.weebly.com

Locations links:

Coral Pink Sand Dunes: https://goo.gl/maps/Wo5KizFrRvRhfMB59

Horseshoe Bend: https://goo.gl/maps/j7GfUazJCoqiogri9

Alstrom Point: https://goo.gl/maps/FGp8nARsf2YNcYXF7

https://alstrompoint.com

South Coyote Buttes: https://goo.gl/maps/BmxXHTgC8LmgvuS57

Resources and Links

Learn all about my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop and sign up today! https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/a3N4BcD2gXc

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Summary

I LOVE waterfalls. And today I’m talking with photographer and author, Lisa Crayford, about the beautiful Minnesota North Shore area and all the wonders of nature that can be found up there. Welcome to Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 119 for June 20, 2021 Happy Father’s Day!

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS/Other Comments

Recent Trips topic submissions are due soon. I’m going live this Thursday, June 24 at 7:15 p.m. Pacific time. This time I’ll be going live in the facebook group so be sure to look for me there. I’ll post the recording to YouTube as a replay.

Mike Regas asked in the FB group about using either NextGen Gallery or Envira Gallery.

I will be doing an episode on smart watches for photographers. I’ve already got someone coming on that will represent the Apple Watch and how a photographer might like to use it. I’m wondering if anyone is out there that uses any other type of smart watch with a specific use-case for photographing or hiking/exploring nature. If so, and if you’d like to talk about it on the show I’d love to hear from you. If so, email me at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com

I picked up a Canon R5 the other day.

I posted a little meme in the group an on my Instagram that says, Creativity and Stress tend to be opposing forces. I’ve made it an announcement so it’ll be easier to find for the next few weeks. I’m wondering if you have anything to share about this idea of creativity and stress. I’d love to know your thoughts and maybe I’ll briefly talk about it in the next episode or two as we move on through this summer.

MAIN TOPIC

Waterfalls is one of my favorite subjects to photograph. There’s motion, energy, and the refreshing opportunity to dip the feet into the cool running water, at least sometimes anyway.

Today we’re focusing on Minnesota’s North Shore and Lisa Crayford is joining me. Lisa, Welcome to the show.

Talking points:

  1. Tell us about you and your photography, start wherever you’d like to.
  2. You wrote the book on photographing Minnesota’s beautiful waterfalls. Tell us a bit about the book and what it takes to put such a project together.
  3. Tips for photographing waterfalls.
  4. Let’s talk specifically about Minnesota’s North Shore area. Which top 3–5 falls simply can’t be missed by someone visiting for a week. See the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com for more info.
  5. I’m planning to be there in mid-September. I imagine the crowds will be there too. What can we expect?

Links to find Lisa online: https://www.instagram.com/countrygalleryphotography/

https://www.countrygallery.com

Resources and Links

Learn all about my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop and sign up today! https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/a3N4BcD2gXc

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Today we’ll be reviewing listener submitted photographs with the topic of Spring Flowers. Welcome to Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 118 for June 6, 2021

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The next time we talk about listener submitted images we’ll be looking at a specific design principle that resonates with many of the images.

Please still submit #RecentTrips images. However, I’ll then collect the photographs and I’ll select a specific design principle that I’ll be talking about and focusing our efforts on. I’ll still show all the images, but for those images that happen to exhibit the design principle I’ll be talking about, I’ll spend more time on those images and talking about that design principle.

MAIN TOPIC

I reviewed the Spring Flowers images submitted by listeners. Head on over to YouTube to watch the replay, or over to the facebook group to see the images. You can also see the images here on the shownotes website.

Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Fl_pEEKxH1w

See the images on the show website: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/118/

Resources and Links

Learn all about my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop and sign up today! https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/a3N4BcD2gXc

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

“You can’t be a casual observer and come away with a good photograph.” Wise insight from today’s guest, Marc Silber. Welcome to Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 117 for May 30, 2021

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

#SpringFlowers Live session was delayed to a special day. It’ll happen Thursday, June 3 at 7:15 p.m. https://youtu.be/Fl_pEEKxH1w

Find the poll in the fb group about which day of the week is best for the Latitude Live Sessions. I marked it as an announcement so it should be easy to find.

The Topic for June, 2021, is: #RecentTrips

This can mean a simple trip to the local park, something you made on the way to work, or something more involved. Your challenge is to only show photos made in 2021. Let’s see what you’ve been working on.

I also posted a link, and it’s in the show notes too, about a juried exhibition of fine art photographs. https://paperartscollective.com

It’s sponsored by Moab paper among others in the fine art photography industry. I’m considering making a submission and I encourage any printers out there to consider doing the same. It’s got some really great terms for entry for us photographers. It costs money to enter, but the prizes are great and the respect of your copyright is even better!

MAIN TOPIC

Marc Silber and I talk about the creative process and debunking myths in photography that are keeping people from realizing their true potential in their photography.

https://www.silberstudios.com

Learn all about my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop and sign up today! https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

Resources and Links

Find Marc’s additional items at https://www.advancingyourphotography.com/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/a3N4BcD2gXc

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Find the expanded shownotes at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

You’ll have to answer a question, who’s the host of the show. Your answer is me. Brent. I’ll also accept the name of any recent guests.

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm https://www.instagram.com/brentbergherm/

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

View the expanded shownotes with pics:

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/116

[Sounds of birds, bugs and shutter] This is the sound of what I call Heaven on Earth. Out in nature, photographing God’s beautiful natural wonders, it doesn’t get any better than this. Welcome to Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 116 for May 21, 2021

Announcements:

Reacting to some very kind words from someone who bought my Master Photo Printing online course. “It is extremely thorough, organized, and the most helpful online learning I’ve ever experienced."

Test your Color IQ: https://www.xritephoto.com/cool-tools

#SpringFlowers topic is coming to a close soon. Get your images in before Wednesday May 26 to be included in the next listener image review.

I asked listeners to share their “ah HA!” moments with what they learned in photography and how that was a breakthrough for them.

Main Topic:

Lori Rowland and I went to shoot at a place called GROWISER: https://www.growiser.net

We also did a recording up there talking about the place and looking over some of our images.

Reminders & Links

Sign up for my Minnesota waterFALLcolor workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/zO5lk9H0MwI

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll recieve a small commission of the sale: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use the code latitude15 at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

What will I do with six months off of work? A part of me simply can’t believe it’s even happening. Listen in for the details I have planned thus far for my sabbatical experience of 2021. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 115 for May 11, 2021

Announcements

A lot of great pics are coming in for the new topic for May: #SpringFlowers

Please get those in the facebook group or email them to me.

Facebook changed topics to hashtags.

MAIN TOPIC

Starting in mid-June I’ll be off work for my regular summer break. Being a teacher definitely has its privileges. However, I applied for and was awarded a sabbatical for fall quarter. Under normal circumstances I’d be going back into the classroom starting in late September, but this year, with my sabbatical, I’ll be returning to the classroom in January 2022.

First Sabbatical: Summer of 2016. Design in Northern Europe. Went to Poland and Germany. Also went to Photokina as my conference attendance that year.

This year my schedule works out where I am putting a class I normally teach on hiatus for a bit as I move it to a different quarter, and we have a lot more adjuncts that can cover classes for me, and a very supportive department chair, which means I get to take a sabbatical during the fall quarter.

However, it’s not just time off. I have to do something that furthers my teaching, so I wrote a proposal of what I’ll plan to do and it got approved.

In short, I’ll be visiting a minimum of four less popular national parks. There’s a total of 63 parks in the national park system. But there’s over 400 that are managed by the national parks system. One of those is just 5 miles away from me, Whitman Mission National Historic Site. But my goal is to visit national parks.

I will then camp/hike/backpack in these parks and photograph the items that make the park special. However, I also want to not focus on the icons, but rather, the back trail items that you see when you’re in the park itself for more than a few hours.

Once I’ve done the photographs, I’ll then create a series of posters somewhat inspired by the historic national parks posters. If you simply do a search for historic national parks posters you’ll see a lot of what I mean. You won’t find much of the original posts, but others who are doing their own take on the idea. Of all the things I teach, custom illustration is my weakest skill, so I’ll be focusing on that once I return. I’ll use the photos as a foundation for my posters and then I’ll design the posters and host a gallery showing of the photo prints and the poster prints.

Of course, I’ll cover everything here on the show as well so you can vicariously tag along and learn a few creative processes as well.

Planning the journey

I’ve looked at a lot of different parks, but have so far settled on Isle Royale, Theodore Roosevelt and Badlands. I may also get down to Great Basin, but my fourth park is still not completely decided yet. Additionally, I left the proposal open enough to not lock me in to national parks only. And, I can go international if travel opens up a bit as time goes on. So we’ll see on that front as well. As it is now, Croatia is taking US tourists with a negative Covid test, but you have to have your accommodations fully pre-paid before you show up which seems like an odd requirement. I suppose they want to be able to track you and know exactly where you’ll be. Anyway… let’s talk about a few of these locations I’ll be heading off to.

Isle Royale, NP

Book from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eu5S24

Isle Royale Fast Facts: https://www.nationalparked.com/isle-royale

Part of Michigan, even though it’s closer to Canada and Minnesota.

About 45 miles long and 9 miles wide

The main island and roughly 400 smaller outlying islands.

Became a national park in 1931

Only 26,410 visitors in 2019

I’ll take the ferry from Grand Portage, MN.

I’ve read the book I purchased and found a great trail that is the perfect length for what I will be carrying and I have a good chance at seeing some moose.

The mosquitos should be gone or vastly decreased by early September.

I’m already planning my camera carry system because I’ve not been on a full backpacking trip with my camera in tow in over 15 years. And that was a disaster as I didn’t have the right pack back then.

I’ll be on the island for 7 days with four full days and two half-days for hiking and shooting.

I’ll start driving from home in NE Oregon and it’ll take me three days to get there. I’ll then take the ferry from MN, and then hike around and photograph for 7 days. I may even rent a canoe depending on availability. There’s a few campsites that are on the smaller islands. I really want to do that, but I’ll just have to play it by ear.

The trail I want to go to has a regular campsite along the way and I like that idea of setting up a base camp and being able to take day hikes around the area.

I will be without power for these seven days so I plan on getting a Goal Zero solar charger. There’s just so much to learn and research for this trip. I’m very excited, but also, there’s just so much to do as I’ll also be preparing much of my own food now that we’re on the farm and we have a dehydrator. I’m already preparing some foods to test some recipes for calorie and vitamin packed meals. I’ll do everything I can to document those items as well, but they may make it to my YouTube channel, or my wife’s channel. If I do videos, I’ll certainly mention it here on the show.

MN North Shore

When I get back, I’ll take a brief rest and then I’ll get at it along the Minnesota North Shore. I decided to host a workshop focusing on waterfalls and fall color. The workshop will happen September 19–24. At the time of this recording I’ve already got my first seat of 8 total sold.

By the way, it’s $50 off until Sunday, May 16, 2021. https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/minnesota-waterfall-and-fall-color-workshop/

I talked about it quite a bit in the last episode, so I won’t take too much time here. Although I must say, I really do love y’all. I had a listener write in saying they’d love to help give some info about the location. They live in Minneapolis and I was just so impressed that someone would like to chip in like that. Thanks so much.

I will be scouting beforehand so when you show up for the workshop you’ll have the confidence that I’ll have already seen what the options and opportunities are and that I’ll know where we’ll have a better chance of getting good images. There’s also the hiking component. I’ll be able to ascertain the lay of the land with the participants and their hiking abilities.

I didn’t mention in the last episode that I will also be hosting pre workshop and post workshop sessions. The pre workshop session will allow us to chat for 30–45 minutes. I’d love to look at a few of your best images and this session will help me to customize your shooting experience as best as possible. The post workshop session will be about an hour long and we’ll look over your images and we’ll talk about what’s working and what you might want to continue working on. If possible, we’ll do a group session where I will go over some post-processing items as well.

Theodore Rooselvent NP

70,466 acres. 691,658 visitors in 2019. Made a national park in 1978.

Grasslands are the most common feature of the park. There’s also an impressive petrified wood deposit in the park as well.

Made of three units, the North Unit, South Unit and the much smaller Elkhorn Ranch Unit. My plan is to spend three days in the North Unit, and two days in the south unit. But as is a common refrain, my research is ongoing and I may decide to stick to one unit over the other. I have a National Geographic map that I’ve yet to fully study and figure out what I will be doing. I also bought an informational book on the park and have yet to read it too.

I’ll then spend a day or two in Rapid City on the way to shoot the Badlands.

Badlands NP

970,998 visitors in 2019. Made a national park in 1978.

Name comes from the Lakota who called it “mako sica” which translates to “land that is bad.”

The park is divided into the North Side and the South Side. The South side also has the Palmer Creek Area which is a separate piece to the east of the main South Side unit. I’ll be sticking to the North Side as the South Side is also part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and at the time of this recording it is closed to visitors. I’ll be visiting in late September, but there’s enough to see in the North Side, and that’s the part that is most recognized anyway. I know I want to try and stick to the lesser seen parts of these parks but there comes a point where I just have to go with what’s more accessible and easy to plan. I’m planning on 3.5 days of shooting in the park which may not be enough, but by limiting myself to the North Side only I should be able to get something worth while.

Heading Home

Once all that is finished I’ll head back home with a night over in Bozeman, MT. A part of me hates to drive past so many awesome places but I’ll have been on the road for five weeks at this point and I’ll certainly be needing to be in my own bed quickly. I reserved a room in Bozeman with a jetted tub. The only time I’m really splurging :)

Other National Parks Fast Facts

In 2019, the 10 most visited parks were:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 12.5 million

Grand Canyon National Park: 5.97 million

Rocky Mountain National Park: 4.7 million

Zion National Park: 4.5 million

Yosemite National Park: 4.4 million

Yellowstone National Park: 4 million

Acadia National Park: 3.4 million

Grand Teton National Park: 3.4 million

Olympic National Park: 3.2 million

Glacier National Park: 3 million

The two parks I really WANT to visit:

Virgin Islands National Park

National Park of American Samoa

As time rolls on and I still have early December open, I may find myself in one of these parks, or a park elsewhere, like in Central America or Croatia. One can dream…

Links to resources I’m using to plan my trip

Badlands Map: https://amzn.to/3f4TIvt

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Map: https://amzn.to/3uATNxJ

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Book: https://amzn.to/3beF2ZO

Isle Royale National Park Book: https://amzn.to/3tsGrSI

Minnesota Waterfalls Book: https://amzn.to/3txS5Mi

Reminders & Links

View the latest in the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/fxnbt6r5prE

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

I really enjoy doing these listener submitted image reviews. I’ve also got a few more details about the workshop I’ll be doing in Minnesota this fall. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 114 for May 2, 2021

Introduction

This is Latitude Photography podcast, the show for travel outdoor photographers to learn, grow and be inspired. I am your host and guide, Brent Bergherm, and I’m so glad you’re here. And I know you’re like me, where, if you’re not out there shooting pictures, you sure are dreaming about it.

Announcements

New topic for May: #SpringFlowers

Facebook changed topics to hashtags.

Minnesota Workshop: waterFALLcolor, a mixture of waterfalls and fall color.

North Shore

Just a few of the potential destinations:

Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Benson Lake at George Crosby Manitou State Park, Devil’s Kettle Falls, High Falls at Grand Portage State Park which is right on the Canadian Border, and Hollow Rock.

Dates: September 19–24, 2021

Start in Duluth, thought we might do a Sunday morning boat ride out of Duluth, but so far it’s not working out.

End in Grand Marais.

Some details are still being worked out like exact pricing.

I’ll scout the region the previous week, then I’ll have a good idea of what works and what won’t for the group. I have over 25 destinations to consider taking the group and I may not get to all of them. But with that scouting knowledge I’ll be able to focus our efforts and we’ll be able to slow down and do good work.

Who it’s for: Any photographer that wants to learn composition, shooting techniques and a bit of post production too.

Workshop will include a 30–45 minutes pre-workshop session where we get to know each other a bit. I'll review some of your images. We’ll talk about your goals.

Then, after the workshop, we’ll have a 60 minute session where we’ll go over your images individually and I’ll offer any post processing advice. If desired, be sure to send me a few raw files beforehand so I can process them on screen for you.

These sessions will be recorded and available for you to keep.

A great question came in the facebook group about gimbal heads.

Mike Regas was simply asking about the benefits of them. Several good comments came in including Karl Greeson who suggested that it would be good for when you need to move the camera around quickly, action or wildlife shots.

Juan Reppucci stated that it’s great for balance with almost no effort in big telephoto lenses. Offers great freedom of movement, useful for panning or following moving stuff.

Steve Blackett included a link to a useful YouTube video titled, “How to Balance a Gimbal Head”

Rowland Rivero said he uses it all the time. For birds in flight, wildlife along the river. And there were several more responses.

Thanks to all who chimed in and helped out. Facebook, in their algorithmic wisdom didn’t show me this post for the longest time, but I’m thrilled to have so many helpful listeners in the group that are willing to chime in with some great advice. Keep the questions coming and the good responses coming too! :)

MAIN TOPIC

In the Water. We have 26 images to discuss. This is from the original YouTube Live broadcast. The link to view: https://youtu.be/soJtx4lrDZo

And I put the images in the fb group as well if you want to follow along there.

Reminders & Links

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

It’s my mission to help you work through any blockades you have in creating better and more meaningful photography. In today’s episode we look at this notion of understanding your photography, and maybe it’s better to say understanding your point and purpose in photography. When that is clear to you, it’s much easier for everything else to fall into place. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 113 for April 25, 2021

Announcements

Upcoming topic for listener images reviews. IN THE WATER

April 29, going live on YouTube at 7:15 p.m. Pacific Time. I invite you to join us live and ask questions or make comments while the images are being reviewed.

Lots of great images have been coming in. Get yours in before the evening of the 28th to be considered for this next live session.

I’ve released my next episode of my Lightroom Classic Quickstart Bootcamp. It’s all about my personal method of doing file organization with all my images. I also talk about options for organizing by date as well.

Other than the inquiry I put in the facebook group about the idea of what you think it’d be like to be in on the planning stages of the workshop (i.e. the specifics of what to shoot) I didn’t hear anything back from the last time I said something about that in the previous episode.

So I’ve decided that I’ll still plan this workshop, and for those that are curious, you can help determine which is better, one waterfall over another.

The location will be Minnesota’s North Shore area and there’s just TONS of waterfalls. It’ll also be in September. More details will come out later but just know this for now, if you’re interested, block out mid September in your calendar. We’ll be photographing fall color and waterfalls. We’ll start in Two Harbors, MN and end in Grand Portage. It’ll take me a bit to get the sales page ready on the site, but for now, just be planning on it :)

MAIN TOPIC

Understanding your Photography with Lori Rowland.

  1. Identifying your Photographic Purpose
    1. What are your interests in life?
    2. In photography?
    3. Name three sources of Inspiration, from any source, creative inspiration.
    4. Describe your VOICE as a photographer.
    5. More about you?
  2. Do you get feedback? Meaningful feedback?
    1. Your work isn’t for EVERYONE, nor should it be.
    2. Your work isn’t just for you either.
    3. Who is your photography for?
  3. Where are you in your creative process, how do you get here?
    1. What’s working for you?
    2. Introduce new interests, but don’t get derailed!
    3. Methodically add new ideas and see how they resonate with you, your audience and your goals.
  4. How to grow with your photography

Reminders & Links

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

Find Lori Rowland: https://oregonexposures.com and https://www.facebook.com/LoriRowlandPhotography

View Details

Today I’m talking with Matt Bishop about shooting the pre-production K3iii and some of the areas he was able to take it to that are close to home. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 112 for April 16, 2021

Announcements

Upcoming topic for listener images reviews. IN THE WATER

Reviews pushed back to the week of the 26th–30th of April Stay Tuned for the final date.

Question from the facebook group: Would you be interested in a workshop where you were part of the planning.

Let me explain:

  • The location or region would be selected by me.
  • The main topic or focus would be selected by me.
  • The dates of the workshop would be selected by me.

Participants would be involved in the research and planning of it and then we’d have a grand time shooting.

I’d love to know your thoughts.

Recent reviews: Sam writes, Brent brings you out to travel photography locations with lots of details and interesting interviews. The Forgotten Pieces of Georgia episode was so inspirational for photogs. An accomplished photographer was looking for inspiration by driving around the state and found history in old structures and buildings and made it into a project. Fascinating story. Keep up the good informative podcasts and keep inspiring us Brent!

And Jewlie writes, This and Master Photography Podcast are my two favorite photography podcasts out there. They are very informative and cover a wide range of topics. They also have amazing Facebook groups that are well monitored, making them the perfect place to ask questions you can’t seem to find other places.

MAIN TOPIC

The Pentax K3iii

Link to my conversation with Aaron Martinez: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/104/

Ricoh Imaging Site for the camera: https://us.ricoh-imaging.com/product/pentax-k-3-mark-iii/

Matt’s video on Ricoh Imaging’s site: http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/k-3-3/special/impression/22.html?fbclid=IwAR3DTKAiRMssq46F2U7DYydnetT6_kVttLoIiCcOpvWCu-3JCBkvX6jGlME

Reminders & Links

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

Find Matt online at: https://www.mattbishopphotography.com

Watch Matt’s YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ33jNi1uTN9FfConuKqcww

Follow Matt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattbishopphotography/

View Details

Reviewing listener submitted images is fast becoming one of the highlights to my month. This time around we’re reviewing the topic Under the Sun. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 111 for April 4, 2021

Useful links:

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

See my latest YouTube video on Lightroom, the Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/hEI-gnXMcq8

Thank you for your support!

Introduction

Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, I am Brent Bergherm, and it’s my pleasure to be your host. I’m a travel/outdoor photographer and if I’m not out there shooting pictures I sure am dreaming about it. Sometimes to the point where it affects my work, and that’s not good but it’s the way it is.

Announcements

Today’s topic of discussion is the Under the Sun images. The point and purpose was to photograph the sun with something interesting between you and the sun. It could be high up in the sky, low to the ground, doesn’t matter.

This was already broadcast on my YouTube channel, and we did the recording live as well. At the time of this recording it has 75 views. My biggest question to you is, is it valuable to have this also reproduced in the audio format? Let me know. I’ve been doing some image reviews for quite a while, whether it’s my own, guest’s images or images from listeners like in today’s show. I just want to be sure you get something out of this so I appreciate any feedback you can provide me.

Also, the next topic is In the Water. We’re looking for a photograph of something that is literally in the water. It could be something you did while scuba diving, or something that is getting drenched in the rain. Go beyond the photograph of water and show something actually in the water or otherwise interacting with the water.

I also put a poll in the fb group which is getting some great responses. Thanks for all those who have participated already. The question is related to how you see yourself as a photographer.

I added the options of Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced/Pro-level. Matt Bishop chimed in with a poll option and said that he’s “completely lost.” Thanks Matt, I’m going to go ahead and say you’re in the right place then :)

Mike Regas added an option that says “somewhere between advanced and intermediate.”

So far the results are about what I expected. 65 are saying Intermediate and 46 are saying somewhere between advanced and intermediate. 32 are saying “advanced/pro-level, 8 said beginner, and 2 said “experienced” which was an option I added later.

Sandy Glenn Brown added an option that says, “Yesterday I would say a definite intermediate until the wedding I shot last night. Now I’m not so sure :(“ I totally understand that, and I think that resonates with a lot of what others were saying in the comments too, in that it depends on the specific genre you’re talking about. I got quite a few comments about not feeling comfortable with putting a label on their creativity and the skill set etc. I totally get that. I’m just glad to see the conversations happening. It’s good to talk these things through. In fact, before the month is over, we’ll actually have an episode dedicated to understanding your photography, or maybe better put, understanding your place in photography and what you get out of it, and what you do with it. I just finished the slide deck today and I’m going to record it later this week with Lori Rowland. I’m really looking forward to it for sure!

If you’ve not got on to respond to the poll I encourage you to do so. Especially if you’re a beginner. I would LOVE to hear from you.

Other things happening in the group:

Jennifer Grant-White submitted a picture asking for some feedback. It was her first post so it’s great to see those first time items coming in for sure!

Brett Baker asked about tips for photographing water when you don’t have a circular polarizer filter. And we’ve had some great responses come in from suggesting dawn and dusk when it’s not such a big deal to get the reflections and glare that can happen.

Brie asked what types of images he typically shoots, and that’s a great question because it’ll help us give some specific advice.

Others like Mike Regas and Alyce Bender said similar things and that is to find a way to embrace the glare.

My thoughts...

MAIN TOPIC

Today is all about Under the Sun. Images have been posted to the website for the show notes and to the facebook group. Enjoy the conversation!

Reminders

Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

One of the things I love about photography is the blend of its technical aspects and the creative aspects. The same can be said about web design, without good technical skills your site will fall flat. Without good design the same will happen. Today’s conversation helps us understand what works and what doesn’t for your website. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 110 for March 26, 2021

Useful links:

Alex’s website: https://www.foregroundweb.com

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Segmentation video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/07-HDnSFwfs

Another Segmentation video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cSK3IZ4Y_Iw

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/hEI-gnXMcq8

Thank you for your support!

Introduction

Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, I am your host, Brent Bergherm, and it’s my goal to help you create better photographs. I’m a travel-outdoor photographer with over 23 years of shooting and 14 years’ teaching experience. Thanks for being here, where we look to continually learn, grow, create and be inspired.

Announcements

There’s a simple poll in the facebook group where I’m simply asking how you see yourself as a photographer. Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced/Pro-level. I’ll leave this up marked as an announcement so it’s easy to find.

And I made another announcement regarding April’s topic to submit and that is In the Water. Go for something that is literally in or somehow interacting with water. Certainly underwater photographs count too! Have fun with it and I look forward to next months review session where we look over your submissions.

https://youtu.be/I71OQ1KE0M4

Also, I shared the link to this interview which originally happened on YouTube.

MAIN TOPIC

Today I’m talking about Photographer’s Websites and I have a web design professional on with me today. Alex, welcome to the show!

  • Tell us a bit about yourself, your business, anything you’d like to share with the listeners.
  • What makes a great photography website? (starting with the “why” behind recent changes)
  • Website platforms. I’m a WordPress user, and it looks like you are too. Why WP? What’s the benefit? Why struggle with all that?
  • Prepping images for performance and looking good! What can we do? https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/ has two resources for photographers to learn about different image types and compressions.
  • For landscape photographers, the market is beyond saturated. What can we do to rise above the others?
  • UI/UX for a photographer’s website. Tips on that front? How does it affect rankings?
  • Any last thoughts, SEO, other ideas?

Listener website reviews

CW Smith: https://bugwalks.com/ (not sure the platform)

Steve Blackett: https://steveblackett.photography (squarespace)

Jerry Sargent: http://jerrysargent.com (wp)

David Medeiros: https://the-taking-lens.com (wp)

Ana Lederhos: https://aflashbackllc.com (not sure on the platform)

Jason Rinto: https://www.deliberateexposure.com (smugmug)

Reminders

  • Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  • Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  • Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
  • Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  • Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  • Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

We’re taking a walk down nostalgia lane a bit with today’s conversation. We’re looking in to a listener project that has resulted in a book being published and there’s still tons more work to do! This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 109 for March 19, 2021

Useful links:

Forgotten Pieces of Georgia Website: https://forgottenpiecesofgeorgia.com

Forgotten Pieces of Georgia YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ForgottenPiecesofGeorgia

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Segmentation video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/07-HDnSFwfs

Another Segmentation video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cSK3IZ4Y_Iw

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp First Video: https://youtu.be/hEI-gnXMcq8

Desert Realty https://www.edfreeman.com/collections/desert-realty

Thank you for your support!

Introduction

Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, I am your host, Brent Bergherm, and it’s my goal to help you create better photographs. I’m a travel-outdoor photographer with over 23 years of shooting and 14 years’ teaching experience. Thanks for being here, where we look to continually learn, grow, create and be inspired.

Recent happenings in the FB group:

Drew Sanford asked about how to get started printing very affordably. Just to “get started” is the important part.

The biggest issue is ink costs.

Canon has two options to consider. https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/explore/product-showcases/printer-technology/printer-ink-subscription-plans

Canon MegaTank printers: https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/printers-all-in-ones/g-series-megatank-inkjet-printers?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl9GCBhDvARIsAFunhskLYJgF0FfQcb7F5YK7ye2kdISUxHlD5eFn33tkvqhpwA3Mojncs-YaAujREALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Epson EcoTank printers:

https://epson.com/ecotank-ink-tank-printers?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Brand%2BProduct+Category%2BPrinter%2BUS%2BENG%2BSPART&utm_adgroup=Printer+SuperTank%2BEXACT&utm_term=epson+super+tank+printers&gclid=Cj0KCQjwl9GCBhDvARIsAFunhskm_LtPBbQYP123i52M8WFEZBkBM4OAF04bUjv32m_ydHW56khT_J8aAgrlEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Current Topic: Under the Sun

MAIN TOPIC

Today I’m talking with Liam Douglas about his project, Forgotten pieces of Georgia, Liam, Welcome to the show!

  1. Tell us a bit about yourself, whatever you’d like to share about you and your photography, give us a brief idea of where you’re coming from with your work.
  2. How did this project come about? Are there any organizations involved; a purely personal project?
  3. Tell us about a typical shooting experience.
  4. What has been the most rewarding subject to shoot? Do you get to dig deeper at all, to explore any of these properties?
  5. How do you handle access permissions?
  6. Any tips or thoughts behind making a series like this?
  7. What gear do you use? And why?

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

For me, the learning never stops. And I’ve said many times that if I ever do stop learning then it’s probably time for me to hang up the hat and go do something else. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 108 for March 14, 2021

Useful links:

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School and you’ll get the first issue of LATITUDE PHOTOGRAPHY MAGAZINE as well!

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Segmentation video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/07-HDnSFwfs

Another Segmentation video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cSK3IZ4Y_Iw

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY on my website: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp: https://youtu.be/hEI-gnXMcq8

Thank you for your support!

Introduction

Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, I am your host, Brent Bergherm, and it’s my goal to help you create better photographs. I’m a travel-outdoor photographer with over 23 years of shooting and 14 years’ teaching experience. Thanks for being here, where we look to continually learn, grow, create and be inspired.

Current Topic: Under the Sun

My websites episode got postponed until later (recording in a few days) so I put an inquiry in the fb group asking for more questions you’d like answered. And a few of you came through wonderfully and I’m very grateful. However, one of you asked about books, and I went wild. So, before we get into all the details there, let me quickly address a few of the other questions and then we’ll dive deep into the books discussion.

Brie Stockwell, a Latitude Regular, asked for tips on staying motivated. I’d also like to include thoughts on not letting life bog you down.

Brett Baker asked about only having one lens, what range would I go for.

Jason Torres asked about the books, and I’ve got a bunch for you, that’s coming very shortly.

Jennifer Utsler asked, “Best ways to find your subject and composition in a landscape with no obvious subject.” I love this question...

And Lori Rowland chimed in with all sorts of ideas relating to going on a photo trip with someone who’s also a photographer. There’s many benefits to that.

OK, now on to the books. However, I went overboard. Let me explain…

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY on my website: https://brentbergherm.com/info/photographers-library

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

I process all my images in Lightroom Classic and have been using it since version 3. But it can be a beast to figure out, especially when you’re new. So I figured it’s time to tackle this subject and we’ll do it by answering your questions. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 107 for March 10, 2021

Useful links:

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

A quick thought about the printing episode with Joshua Holko. Listener David Medeiros made a comment in the fb group stating that we shouldn’t only reserve printing for the “high” images or the ultra quality items. I couldn’t agree more. Prints have such great value with the notion of sharing, learning more about your craft (you just see it differently in your hand vs on a screen) and even making a book. The family album is almost a lost tradition these days and that’s a travesty. When my family goes on a vacation we often will make either a scrapbook of the pics we took along the way or we’ll get a book printed using an online service. A great way to preserve and share memories in a fashion that actually gets looked at!

Plus, starting with printing on photos that “don’t matter as much” is a great way to get into the practice of printing anyway. By reserving your efforts to those images that you have such high expectations for might be problematic and disappointing. Start small, start with lower expectations on the print quality and work your way up and you’ll be doing great work in no time :)

YouTube Live Portion

Today, Brie Stockwell is joining me and this is going to be a log of fun answering all these questions, But first a story…

Client with a problem with his LR catalog…

Lightroom Questions 1. George McCane says: The "local adjustments", The Brush tool, The Radial Filter, The Graduated Filter, and especially The Spot Removal Tool and Clone Tool. Personally, I would rather use Photoshop Layers and the Mask for the areas that I want to adjust. 2. Colin Mayer: The Colour Wheels (I assume he means the color grading section that was introduced recently) Jules DuPrey, Sara Kempner and Jennifer Utsler agree and want to know about Color Grading. 3. Brie’s Importing and Organization questions. In particular with switching to a new HD. Preset Import settings? 4. Nelson Tapias: Tips for the clone and healing tool. LR is so clunky compared to Photoshop. 5. Roxie Dominguez: Trying to remember how to use all of the tools! My brain gets overwhelmed so quickly! 6. Joel Galbraith: File management and roundtrip to Photoshop with ideas about when to go into PS vs stick to LR. Wanting to keep RAW data vs TIFF image data in PS. Focus Stacking for example. PS import settings? 7. Terry Brockway Holdren: Sharpening and Noise Reduction and not overdoing it (keeping it looking natural) 8. Michael Torkeldsen: Using collections in my photo import workflow. Brie would love more info on the different types of collections and how they work. 9. Gary Aidekman: understanding and using range mask 10. Zack Williams: Healing tool, organizing / best redundant back up method, moving to a new computer 11. Terry Brockway Holdren: When I go into the crop tool to straighten a photo. I use the straighten slider and once I feel it is straight I click done and it seems to tilt a little one way or another. Any suggestions? Other than getting it straight in the original shot, which I try to do. 12. Underutilized tools in LR! - Calibration!, Crop views?

Ending Remarks.

On Sunday, March 14, I’ll be releasing my first episode of my new mini-course on YouTube. It’s called Lightroom Quickstart Bootcamp. I’ll release about six episodes on YouTube and then to get the rest you’ll have to sign up for my free access membership on my website. I’ll also go deeper into LR on the paid side of the website but this quickstart bootcamp is intended to get you up and running efficiently in LR and showing you all the tools and what you need to know to use them effectively.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. Find Brie Stockwell: https://www.instagram.com/asliceofbrie2020/ and my blog at https://asliceofbrie.com.

View Details

To me, a quality print is the ultimate manifestation of a fine photograph and I just love this conversation with a fellow printing enthusiast. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 106 for February 28, 2021

Useful links:

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Links mentioned in the episode.

Previous episodes with Joshua Holko: https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/103/

https://latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/97/

Moab Masters: https://www.moabpaper.com/moab-masters

Joshua’s Site: https://jholko.com

My YouTube Photo Printing Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHmjR0YFpZrjOmj7AKuS5e8SrkfHuLWez

Reliving Mark website: https://relivingmark.com

PRINTING 1. Why you print 2. What you look for in a photograph that will make it a special print, is there anything that translates better to paper than screen? 3. You’re a Moab Master. Tell me about that. 4. You say that you prefer Somerset Museum Rag paper by Moab. That you “would not exhibit your work on any other paper.” why is that? What is it about this paper that makes it so special? 5. Your print process, I do three levels of inspection/sharpening. Capture sharpening, creative edits which include creative sharpening sharpening and output sharpening. Does this resonate with your process? Do you do things differently?

5b. Color calibration.

  1. Looks like you use Epson printers. We’ll talk about that briefly.
  2. Anything else you’d like to add.

Announcements (appears before the printing conversation in the episode)

I certainly hope all is well with you, things have really been humming along here at the farm. We had some excellent snow a couple weeks ago and now it seems Spring is well on its way.

Things happening in the fb group recently:

Closed the Winter Wonderland submission timeframe and opened another, Under the Sun. Be sure to apply the topic to your original post so I can see it when it’s time to do the review. We’ll actually plan to do this next one live and that will be scheduled a bit later. We’ll shoot for later in March.

For Under the Sun, try and incorporate something with the sun in your shot. Feel free to dig through your archive of images, or make a new image. It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll try once again to bring someone on with me to do the review and this will generally be a rather light hearted review. We won’t dive too deeply nor will we get to critical. But it’s still a great opportunity to learn some points on the insights we share about the photos.

The session I recorded with Tom Wagner is posted to YouTube but I had a weird echo with Tom’s audio. That was not his fault at all. I heard him just fine and I know his side of things was operating as it should. The echo was my issue and I’m getting that figured out before I do the next session. I may delete that video because, while it’s great to have those photos discussed, I just can’t see it really working well since it’s so hard to sit through. So, my apologies to you and Tom and we’ll get it fixed the next time around.

Other things in the group, Mike Regas asked about online learning, he mentioned Phlearn Pro and Kelby One. If you have anything to chime in on that I’m sure he’d love to hear from you :)

And Aaron Martinez, he was on just a few episodes ago talking about the Pentax K3 mkii, which has been delayed indefinitely, well, he posted a pic from up here in the PNW. Nice to see these types of images coming in :)

My next episode will be all about your Lightroom Classic questions. I have very little experience in Lightroom CC but if those are there I’ll do my best with those. Look for the post in the group and get your questions listed there. I pinned it to the top and I made it an announcement so it should be easy to find.

Rather off topic, but something I wanted to share anyway, I was able to help a fellow faculty member with a website recently. He produced a six episode documentary on the Biblical book of Mark. The website link is in the shownotes towards the top but it’s called Reliving Mark. The first episode is to be released today, the 28th of February. You can watch it online if you’d like and the remaining five episodes will be released a week apart. I believe it culminates with the final episode releasing on Easter Sunday which is kinda cool.

Oh, I finally got my submission in to the Voices of the Wildernes Artist in Residence program operated by the National Forest Service in Alaska. If you want, you can see my submission portfolio of six images in the fb group. I decided to focus on three genres of work, the Active Landscape, Panoramas and my series I call Segmentation. I should know the results by mid April so I’ll keep my fingers crossed and pray they choose me. It would be such an amazing experience to head up there and be in the wilderness for a couple of weeks.

And my goodness, I’ve just got so many things to talk about. I have a preliminary plan worked out for my Sabbatical experience I hope I’ll get approval for from my Vice President at the university. It includes Great Basin National Park, Badlands National Park, Lake Superior coast of Minnesota and Isle Royale National Park and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. My intent was to visit various national parks that are not exceedingly popular. And all of these fit that description as I look at the visitation numbers for 2019. Once I have confirmation that it’s been approved I’ll start making reservations and other final plans. I was thinking about seeing if I could go far and wide, like to Florida or Maine, but let’s face it. We have a gigantic country and I have a family too. This trip would have me on the road for 4.5 weeks and most of it would be camping. So I remain hopeful… One other idea I had was to lengthen the trip and fly home for a week in the middle of the trip to break it up a bit. We’ll see how it goes but I don’t see that happening at this point.

My plan largely centers around spending the better part of a week in each location, then completely resting on Saturday’s in a hotel, literally just chilling out and possibly sleeping. And then on Sundays I’ll record a podcast episode and publish it so you always will have fresh and timely discussion about the experience and then I’ll be back on the road on Mondays to the next destination. It won’t be a perfect occurrence every time because I’m looking at spending the weekend on Isle Royale, but for the most part that will be my goal.

OK, I think I’ve about covered it all, it’s time to get on to my discussion with Joshua Holko, he’s been on the show twice before talking about his work as a Polar Photographer and prepping for harsh winter conditions. So without further ado let’s just get right to it and I’ll start by saying Joshua, welcome to the show!

Ending Remarks

Latitude Photo School is going pretty good. Today starts a huge push to make it all come together. In this episode I mention about my printing course. That will be part of the school for sure, but just know that I’ve temporarily turned off the ability to purchase that course since I’m switching up a bunch of the tech I’m using to deliver my online trainings. But in short, my LPS service will include the following: Access to all my courses, group Q&A sessions (you can type in questions, I’ll answer them or show you on screen, whatever is the best option) assignments with feedback and a I’ll be planning on rolling out a discussion forum shortly after launch.

If you have any ideas about what you’d like to see that would put my photo training service above the rest I’m all ears. I really like the idea of assignments because I really do believe that photography is best learned by doing the work and then getting a review on those images makes it all the better. I have yet to fully flesh out how it’ll work because I could easily get overwhelmed but I really want to make this the best service with the greatest value possible.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. Find Joshua online at: https://jholko.com

View Details

Photographing people can be such an amazing experience, and can deliver wonderful pictures too. Today I’m talking with a photographer that has dedicated his photographic life to doing just this. You’re listening to Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 105 for February 7, 2021

Useful links:
Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.
https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/
Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.
I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo
Thank you for your support!
Gerard’s indiegogo campaign “Women Hold Up Half The Sky” https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/women-hold-up-half-the-sky--3#/
Gerard’s Website: https://www.gerardexupery.com
Taking down Fences on the farm: https://youtu.be/2sDlx50Uhp0

Introduction
I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where travel-outdoor photographers come to learn, grow, create and be inspired. Thank you so much for being here.

I visited a local print shop…
One last week for our Topics Winter Wonderland and Within Arm’s Reach
Get your Lightroom Questions in.
One last call to purchase the online printing course before I release LPS. you’ll get access to one year of LPS if you purchase the course by end of business day, Pacific Time on Monday February 15, 2021. I’ll be temporarily disabling the shopping cart as I make some changes and upgrades on the site. After this date this offer is over. For those that have purchased it in the past, this applies to you too so don’t worry, you’re covered.
Interested in any farm life stuffs? I’ve got a link in the show notes to my wife’s YouTube channel where we share our experience of setting up the farm. We moved in about 5 months ago now and in the latest video where I make an appearance we’re taking down some fencing. It’s not photography related at all, just another item I’m involved in and if you like the notion of farming and crafts and such, then take a look at the link. It’s in the show notes.

Today we are talking about Street Photography and I’ve got a well experienced NYC photographer joining me, Gerard, welcome to the show!

The Conversation
Tell us a bit about yourself, wherever you’d like to start and whatever you’d like to share about you and your photographic journey.
Your book: Subway, New York City 1975–1985
Pics from the book, in a bit more detail:
42nd Street Times Square / 1975
#5 Lexington Avenue Line Platform at 59th Street Downtown / 1975
BMT at 50th Street – Rockefeller Center / 1982
49th Street Uptown Platform / 1977
Suzy on the IRT Lexington Avenue Local / 1976
IRT Broadway Local / 1978
14th Street Union Square / 1985
RR Terminal Dittmars Blvd. Astoria / 1983
Tell me a bit about shooting in NYC today What can a photographer expect from the people living there? From law enforcement?
You have another project you’re releasing soon. Tell us about that.

Reminders
Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Today we’re talking about one manufacturer’s approach to camera design and a bit about the Astro-tracer feature that’s built-in to one of their cameras. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 104 for January 24, 2021

Useful links:

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Links mentioned in this show Milky Way Calendar: https://capturetheatlas.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-Milky-Way-Calendar-West-Coast-USA.pdf

Introduction

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where travel-outdoor photographers come to learn, grow, create and be inspired. Thank you so much for being here.

Today I’m talking Pentax once again but this time I have Aaron Martinez with me, Aaron, welcome to the show!

The World of Pentax Aaron, tell me, in a nutshell, a bit about you as a photographer, whatever you’d like to share and also I’m interested to know why you shoot Pentax.

https://aaronmartinez.myportfolio.com/nature

Camera Choices; mirrorless or no? One thing I wanted to talk about is the new release they’ve announced, the K3iii

It’s a new flagship APS-C camera. But maybe before we dive too deeply into it I should state that I’ve long thought that a mirrorless body would absolutely be in my future. And it may still be.

I’ve tested the Fuji system and the Sony. I’ve long considered sticking with Canon and just upgrading there, but I have to admit a huge part of me simply feels a lack of interest in the cameras of today.

The first camera I ever regularly shot with was a Pentax that my brother bought in Hong Kong when he was about 15. A friend had moved over there and he went over to visit.

In college, I started shooting a Contax 167MT, a beautifully manual and classic styled camera. I bought it in ‘95 I think. It broke so I upgraded significantly to the Nikon F5. Now THAT was a camera!

I soaked the F5 in an underwater housing in ‘03 so I took the opportunity to really consider my options as digital was absolutely happening. At the time I really liked where Canon was headed. So I stayed with film but switched to Canon. I bought the 5D in ‘07 and have been really loving my 5D mk4 ever since late ‘16.

With the announcement of the RF mount I saw the writing on the wall basically saying that I would eventually migrate to mirrorless, but I decided to give all the manufacturers a fair shake since I’d be upgrading all my lenses anyway.

The Fuji system is an amazing experience to shoot, but ultimately I decided the X-Trans files weren’t for me. I have a blog post about it if anyone is interested and a link is in the show notes. https://brentbergherm.com/shooting-xt3/

Sony cameras–I now regularly shoot an a6400 for video and I took one to Unalaska Island in December 2019–are excellent. The quality I’m experiencing out of that camera is awesome and I know the full frame cameras are also just as amazing. But their design is rather lacking.

Then comes Pentax. The way they talk about their cameras is rather interesting. I don’t see any other manufacturer doing this. But they are focusing on the design of the product as well as the experience of using the product. As a design professor this really resonates with me!

They play very strongly on their heritage of SLR photography. And they have five principles that guide them:

  1. We design new cameras through sheer devotion.
  2. Our goal is to produce cameras with the power to capture images that allow for direct communication with the subject.
  3. We design cameras that allow our users to enjoy the process involved in taking a picture.
  4. We pursue a level of quality and performance that can’t be measured by numbers alone.
  5. We respect and value the photographic experiences of our users and view this as an invaluable asset.

The cynic in me wants to say they’re all fluff. But then I read the post by Shigeru Wakashiro, the one in charge of design for Pentax SLR cameras: https://pentaxofficial.com/en/7313/

He talks about the camera has “an attractive shape to express a sense of quality and the joy of possessing it.” And he goes on and on about other design elements and how their goal was to focus on the joy of photography.

In short, I fully admit, this speaks to me.

Pentax K3 mk3 1. New Optical Viewfinder. Magnification of 1.05x gives a large subject image. New glass material. 2. Outstanding operability. Compact body. Touchscreen LCD panel. Well designed grip. 3. Image quality improvement. Completely redesigned sensor, engine and accelerator. Max ISO 1.6M. “Can deliver distinctive image quality and ambience immeasurable by numbers alone.” 4. Continuous shooting and image tracking performance. 12 fps. AF improved by widening focus point coverage. 5. 3.2” 1.62 MP LCD screen 6. 101 AF Points https://pentaxrumors.com/2020/11/09/safox-13-focus-points-arrangement-diagram-pentax-k-3-mark-iii/ 7. 5-axis IBIS (5.5 stops)

“What is the essence of photographic pleasure?” … the joy of recreational photography as a lifetime passion lies not only in the beautiful images the camera captures, but also in the process of picture taking. We want Pentax to be the brand to be for those who desire dramatic exciting photographic experiences.

Link to K3 mk3 information: http://news.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/rim_info2/2020/20201027_029570.html

Let’s talk lenses for a bit 1. D FA lenses. Help me understand what this means? (Optimized for Digital sensors and extensive communication with the body and Electronic Aperture Mechanism) 2. smc How about that? (lens coating) 3. HD (newer coating introduced in 2012) 4. SDM (built-in AF motor) 5. AW vs WR (All Weather vs Weather Resistant) AW is the more resistant of the two. 6. DA (professional)

http://kmp.pentaxians.eu/technology/lens_terms/

https://www.mosphotos.com/PentaxLensesExplained.html

Your work with Pentax Cameras 1. You do a lot of astro and nature work. Tell us about your gear setup and the type of images that move you, that you strive to create. 2. Tell us about the astro function in the K1 mk2. This seems very interesting. In fact, you wrote an article about it for Milkywayphotographers.com: https://milkywayphotographers.com/gear/2019/04/26/pentax-astrotracer-guide-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/ 3. And you wrote another article on how the K1 is the best night photography camera ever: https://milkywayphotographers.com/gear/2019/08/23/pentax-k-1-the-true-best-camera-for-night-photography/

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. Find Aaron at https://aaronmartinez.myportfolio.com
  8. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaronmartinezlandscapephotography
  9. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaron_martinez_photography/

It is my goal for 2021 to be the lensrentals.com top affiliate. It’s my plan to use the money, mostly, for more rentals in 2021. So help me get there! The more you rent the more I’ll be able to rent :)

View Details

When you’re shooting in extreme conditions it’s important to be well prepared. Listen in as a my friend Joshua Holko and I discuss how he approaches these situations. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 103 for January 24, 2021

Useful links:

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Links to Joshua’s Items he uses:

Sail Racing outerwear clothing: https://sailracing.com/us/men/outerwear/coats-parkas

Ice Breaker Clothing: https://www.icebreaker.com/en-us/home

Devold of Norway: https://www.devold.com

Heat 3 Gloves: https://theheatcompany.us/products/heat-3-smart?c=us

Cold Avenger Balaclava: https://coldavenger.com

Fjallraven outerwear: https://www.fjallraven.com/us/en-us

Baffin Arctic Sport Boots: https://www.baffin.com

Introduction

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where travel-outdoor photographers come to learn, grow, create and be inspired. Thank you so much for being here.

Announcements Submit your images to the facebook group pertaining to Winter Wonderland (a.k.a. SNOW) or Within Arm’s Reach. I made a post showing you how to apply the topic and that’s listed as an announcement so it’s easy to find. By doing that I’ll be able to easily find your submissions and I look forward to talking about them in detail in a future episode. Ultimately, it’s my goal to do these review episodes live but for this one we’ll plan on it being recorded. Also be sure you get those in by Wednesday February 17. I’ll then have them ready and available to record by the end of February and I’ll have the next topic available for the next month. So we’ll do this each and every month, mostly anyway :) Remember if you’re not a member of the group already you’ll need to answer two questions, who the host is, that’s me, and how long you’ve been shooting. I get all sorts of requests from all around the world to join the group but they don’t answer these simple questions so I decline them. I’d love to let YOU in though, and I know you’re a listener if you can answer these two simple questions. Thanks so much for joining the nearly 1,000 people in the group. And also, make sure you see everything in the group by going to the three dots item along the far right hand side, click it and then select manage notifications. Once there select the item that allows you to see all the posts. That helps ensure that you won’t miss out on any announcements or other goodies we’ve got going on in there. Like the few images I’m mentioning now...

In the near future I’ve got shows lined up for talking about the new K3 mkiii by Pentax Shooter Aaron Martinez, Photographing the NYC subway from 1975–1985 and other street photography interests too and Joshua comes back once again to talk all sorts of details about fine art printing.

I so appreciate your being here, but I do have a favor to ask. That is to grab a link to this show from somewhere, either the show notes website, from within your player, anywhere, and just quickly send a text or other message to someone and share the show with them. See if we can spread the news of all we’re talking about and the great fun we’re having to even more people. That would mean so much and just know I’m very grateful for your helping me out in this.

COLD WEATHER SHOOTING I had you on the show previously and you shoot in some fairly harsh conditions. Tell us about the most harsh weather you’ve photographed in.

Preparing for the cold; clothing

Preparing for the cold; transporting camera gear

Preparing for the cold; using camera gear

Reminders

Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm

Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

Find Joshua online: https://jholko.com

View Details

Summary
I recently rented the Sony A7C and went snowshoeing in the Sun Valley area. It was a short but fantastic time and I got a few good images to share with y’all too. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 102 for January 18, 2021

Useful links:
Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.
https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop
Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School
Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.
I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo
Thank you for your support!

Announcements

  1. Shooting or group submission challenges. Winter Wonderland or Within Arm’s Reach
  2. A post about your Lightroom challenges. What’s your #1 issue in Lightroom Classic? I made the post an announcement so it would be easier to find, please find it and see what others have commented, if your #1 issue is already taken, please hit the like button and then add your next item on the list that you want to learn or have addressed here on the show.
  3. Latitude Photography School Update.

Today, it’s just me talking about a recent shooting experience I had. Two of them actually. I went to the Sun Valley area for some snowshoeing and to Bruneau Dunes State Park in Idaho.

The Plan

  1. To rent the Sony A7C and the Zeiss Loxia 21mm f/2.8
    To have a grand time shooting it somewhere snowshoeing
    Craters of the moon or
    Northern Idaho, Kellogg area or
    Sun Valley area
  2. To do it right after Christmas. Also, I was technically still in recovery from my health troubles I’d experienced the last four months of 2020, so this was a test of sorts for me as well.

The Experience

  • Camera and lens were delivered just before Christmas, but as family was over I didn’t really get a chance to play with it until just before the shoot.
  • Drove to my folk’s place, they live in the Boise, ID, area.
    Continued the next day to the Sun Valley area, actually never got to Sun Valley the town, I just use that since y’all likely know where that is. In reality, we stayed in Bellevue and shot north of Ketchum.
  • Randy Gemar joined me once again, you may recall he joined me to Unalaska Island last December.
  • Met briefly at the hotel and then got right out to a trail. Realized my snowshoes, the ones I’ve had at least 10 years, had broken. They were useless.
  • Walked around a bit in the deep snow but then found a trail that was mostly packed snow. Shot some, but was feeling a bit rusty. Also scouted a bit for what we’d do for sunrise the next day.
  • Got into town just in time to rent a pair for the next two days.
    On Monday, we were out for sunrise. Had a grand time. Hiked about 3 miles.
  • Went back to the hotel for lunch, and then back out again for evening. Hiked for another 2.5 or so miles. I was beat. Didn’t sleep well that night at all.
  • Tuesday was mostly a wash. Tried to sleep in but didn’t really work well. As I was leaving that evening back to the Boise area I had to check out of the hotel.
  • Made the decision to drive back since I was in no position to stay out late and then drive back feeling this tired. We had planned on heading to Sun Valley for some night street photography. I really wanted to test out this camera in those conditions.
  • On the way back, I got the idea that I’d stop in and shoot at the historic Idaho State Prison.
    Got back and rested up at my parent’s place once again and got home the next day to turn right around on Thursday to take the family back for New Year’s Eve.
  • Drove out to Bruneau Dunes for January 1 shooting. Made it there at about 8:15, right about when the sun came up, but as I had already returned the A7C I only had my Canon and the a6400 to shoot there.

A7C vs A7iii

  • I read this article on dpreview.com
    Certainly they talk about the price differences, how the C is more expensive at the moment, but as a potential new convert to Sony I don’t really see this as a huge deal.
  • Otherwise, they are both very, very similar cameras.
    24MP BSI sensors
    5-axis IBIS
    10 fps
    8-bit 4K video
  • They do have bluetooth, used for transferring GPS data from your phone to the camera while shooting. I didn’t test that out as I now have a Garmin Instinct Solar, I’ll talk more about that in a future episode and how I like it for my shooting and what I’m looking to get out of a smart watch.
  • The A7C has an updated AI-trained AF system. So +1, just slightly, for this one over the A7 mk3
  • A7C uses a smaller viewfinder and only gets .59X magnification. As a glasses wearer I really noticed this. It was rather a pain really. Especially with my sunglasses. Not everything was easy to see in the viewfinder with my sunglasses on. When I took them off it was fine but then I had to adjust the diopter adjuster to see it in focus. When I used my regular glasses all was fine, but again, the screen and magnification is too small. The A7iii has a .78X magnification. +1 for the A7iii
  • The A7C is slightly smaller and I would get this camera to take advantage of that size benefit. The A7iii is a bit larger due to the viewfinder placement, mostly, but I don’t see this as much of a difference between them. If I were to have a larger lens I’d want a larger body to go along with it, especially if that lens doens’nt have a tripod collar.
  • There are differences in the shutters too, I’m not sure I care on this part either. They both offer electronic shutters, they both have physical shutters. But the differences in how they work, to me, are pointless. On the A7C the max shutter speed is 1/4000 sec, 1/8000 sec if you go with the electronic shutter.
  • When it comes to video, the AF is easier on the A7C (tracking) and I like that idea +.5 for the A7C but only .5 since I don’t do much video. In short, the a6400 is great for video and it already does such an excellent job, this one would essentially replace that it seems in the video world.

My experience using it

  • Feels good in the hand. The grip is deep enough to hold well. Even when I paired the 70–350 to it, it fit better than I expected for hand held.
  • On the tripod, however, I did wish the lens had a tripod collar.
    Memory card is not where the battery is. I love that. On the a6400, it’s in the same area as the battery and that’s just annoying to get at.
  • It charges with a USB-C port. That’s very convenient, but it’s still not powerful enough to both charge the battery and run the camera at the same time. That’s a design flaw in my opinion. Surely with a powerful enough power brick it should keep it running indefinitely.
  • Buttons and other controls are kinda small for even the thinnest of gloves. Full on insulated gloves would be impossible to use this camera with. I use neoprene skiing gloves, or a glove liner when shooting in the cold. I was able to make due, but a larger camera certainly does better with these gloves.
  • Flippy screen is great, used it many times as I got odd angle shots.
    Was able to set the shutter control to the dial I preferred which was nice. The lens has a manual aperture ring which was also excellent! I loved the traditional shooting experience!
  • The screen was bright enough for my sunglasses but as mentioned before, the viewfinder was not.
  • I was able to set it so the center button on the back control wheel item switched the wheel from AF selector to traditional controls as marked on the camera body. I loved this feature and wish I could duplicate the same on the a6400. I’ve not found out how to make this happen. I can also just touch the screen and the AF goes there which also happens on the a6400.
  • I dislike the position of the lens release button. I’m used to it being on the other side on my Canons and this is just an annoyance that I’d have to get used to if I switched.
    Noticed an odd “pixel blooming” phenomenon when I had some very bright specular highlights in the frame.

The Zeiss Lens Experience

  • Fixed at 21mm and manual focus, I wasn’t really able to test the AF performance of the camera all that much. But when I did attached the 70–350 it performed very well.
    52mm filter opening, nice and small.
  • Manual aperture ring with a declicking option for video shooters.
  • DOF marks on the lens which makes using hyperfocal distance and other shooting methods very easy. Don’t have to look at the viewfinder at all to determine exact focus range. Just set it to f/16, for example, and ensure that the subject falls within that range as indicated on the lens barrel so it’s in the range of acceptably sharp focus.
    Camera also has a MF focus assist, when I twist the focus knob it zooms in and makes it very easy to establish focus.

The Pictures

Commentary about the pics

Reminders
Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/

Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/latitudephotographypodcast.com

Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

And where it all happens https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

Today we talk more about goals for the coming year and I thank a few listeners for their participation in the Facebook group. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 101 for January 8, 2021

Useful links:

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Introduction

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where travel-outdoor photographers come to learn, grow, create and be inspired. And for me the journey is just as important as it is to be able to make top notch images from the places I visit. The experience is enhanced by making good images and good images are enhanced by the experience. Thank you so much for being here.

Today we have a special episode with Brie Stockwell and Lori Rowland and we’re talking goals once again.

Brent’s Other Goals for 2021

Become the top affiliate for LensRentals.com and turn those earnings into more rentals for more things to talk about here on the show.
To be more active and more of a positive influence online. I’ll start with the Latitude Photography Podcast facebook group, but I’ll also be looking to share more in Instagram and YouTube as well. I have an advanced photoshop class I’m teaching this quarter and I’d love to see what I can do to put some of that material out for this audience as well.
Create a series of photographs on where I live. Milton Freewater, OR. Or maybe to expand it to Northern Umatilla County.
Workshop to Dubrovnik, Croatia where we focus on composition and creativity.

Lori’s Goals for 2021

My number one goal has always been, and will probably always be, to spark an emotional response when someone views one of my photographs. My goal for 2020 was to enhance that response by creating videos that I call Moving Landscapes.
For 2021, in a continuing effort to improve my video skills, I am going to learn to use a follow focus device to more precisely control my focus transitions.
I am going to work to create smooth camera movements using a fluid head tripod.
Practice my video processing skills.
Develop my YouTube channel
Improve my website
And… just for fun… Go to a photography workshop as soon as Covid is behind us.

Brie’s Goals for 2021

I’ve been trying to make larger goals that make me feel discomfort when I create them. Last year I made my “impossible goal” and it feels way more possible now since I’ve been pushing myself out of my “comfort zone”. I’m highly driven by working to achieve an end result and I have found that having a huge goal has pushed me to grow more than I thought possible.

In a continuation of my “impossible” goal for 2020, I finally set a date for my home photography exhibition. So, my goal is to be ready for it! I’ve got to finish editing, cull and fine tune them, learn to print, do the printing, frame my images, then put it all together. I’m also working on the actual event itself. I built temporary walls! I think I’ll need to write some things about my images, etc. Covid concerns, etc.
Goal - Keep practicing! Go out and shoot 1x/week. I’ve been doing my best already to get out that often but, after my event, I want to keep up my momentum. I think that revisiting local places will help develop my composition skills, especially if I take the time to check out different perspectives. Plus, it’s fun to explore!
Goal - Get better at editing my images! I’ve learned a lot already but I would like to hone those skills even further. I think I’ll have on day/wk where I learn and then practice by editing 1 or 2 images.
Goal - More photo trips. Another solo trip maybe back to New Mexico. Go on an overnight backpack trip with photography in mind. I’ll definitely need to train for this! I’m thinking of doing Guadalupe Peak at G. Mountains National park.
Personal goals - Learn better Spanish! I would also like to grow more spiritually.
I hope these inspire others to make any type of goal (large or small) and then go for it!

Let’s share on fb!

Reminders

Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
Find Lori Rowland: https://oregonexposures.com and https://www.facebook.com/LoriRowlandPhotography
Find Brie Stockwell: https://www.instagram.com/asliceofbrie2020/ and my blog at https://asliceofbrie.com.

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Useful links:

View this conversation and the pics on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4jof4t5eClU

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Introduction

Hello and thank you for joining me for this very special episode. I’ve been trying to think what I could do for episode 100 and when the opportunity came to speak with my special guest today I just knew I had to make it happen for this episode.

Dr. Gusky and I talked in mid-August 2020 and we happened to mention a few items that are rather time sensitive, so please do keep that timing in mind. I did not plan on holding on to this interview for over four months before it would be released, but due to my challenges I had starting in August and ending in November a delay was inevitable.

So let’s hop on over to the conversation now where Dr. Jeff fills us in on the power of serendipity and how it led to him photographing the last remnants that was left behind from the only all African-American combat unit in the U.S. Military and their contributions to World War One.

As this is a special episode I’m withholding any announcements and this is also released on YouTube. If you’re watching it on YouTube please do look up Latitude Photography Podcast in your favorite player and you can listen here. If you’re listening and you’d rather watch the slide show then by all means, head on over there, it’ll be the first link in the show notes under “useful links.”

Thanks so much for being here, let’s get to the conversation now!

The Power of Serendipity Conversation.

When the power of the modern world disappears, all we have left is each other. Everything gets real in a heartbeat. We discover strength and courage we didn’t know we had. We reconnect to meaning, purpose and to each other through selfless acts of courage & kindness. We get very clear about what really matters. And we rediscover what’s been there all along … a vast reservoir of human decency and goodness just beneath the surface of modern life that’s never left us which abounds with hope. When crisis turns our world upside down, paradigm shifts that restore what’s humanly safe and humanly real are critical.

Recently featured at The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Jeff Gusky found a secret, hidden for a hundred years, that changes the way we see race in America and the way we heal ourselves. Gusky discovered the only surviving trace from World War I of a black combat unit beneath a farm field in France on the former front line: the underground command post of a unit the Germans called “The Black Devils” because

of their fierceness in combat.

  • They weren’t just any black unit, they were the ONLY ALL AFRICAN AMERICAN UNIT in the United States military. By 1918, they were already 49 years old.
  • This discovery reveals that nearly everything we thought we knew about Race In America is WRONG. We’ve been living a lie for 125 years & the truth is MUCH BETTER & MUCH WORSE than we know.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. Find Dr. Jeff online here: https://jeffgusky.com

It is my goal for 2021 to be the lensrentals.com top affiliate. If you’re going to rent something anyway I’d love it if you’d be able to help support me and the show by using my link in the show notes. My goal is to rent a lot of gear in 2021 and I’d love to just turn all these affiliate earnings back in to rentals. So if you’d like me to review more gear on the show this is one way to support that :)

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Summary

Every now and then it’s good to look at what’s happening in life and to assess our position, skills and desires with our photography. In this episode Tom Wagner and I dive into the topic of setting SMART goals for 2021.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 99 for December 17, 2020

Useful links:

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Goals of 2021 Why set goals?

  • Helps you to improve your photography skills
  • Gives you tangible reasons to get out and photograph!
  • Helps to drive your photography towards where you want it to go, who you want to become as photographer

What considerations should go into making goals?

  • Short-term vs. long-term
  • Write down your goals
  • SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Based

Tom’s First Goal Finish editing photos taken in 2020

Brent’s First Goals Clear out my backlog of image editing too!

Visit 4+ national parks or other like-minded place to shoot. Also travel twice to international destinations that aren’t Canada. (hopefully one of the national parks I can get to is Banff though!) [connected to a sabbatical I’m applying for] [had a similar goal for 2020, needless to say, it DID NOT happen!]

Tom’s Second Goal Shoot with the drone for photography/videos 12 times this year

Brent’s Second Goal Finally roll out my Design and Creativity in Photography online course and my Latitude Photography School membership service which will be a focused program to help photographers experience incredible growth in their photography and creativity.

Tom’s Third Goal Watch tutorials I have saved

Brent’s Third Goal To follow Rick Sammon’s advice and “Live the life you want.”

Tom’s Fourth Goal Continue engagement on social media/website by posting an article on the website about once per month.

Announcements I’ve got a few announcements to be sure you’re aware of.

First up, I’m heading to Bruneau Dunes State Park in Idaho and I’d love for you to join me for a meetup. I’ll be there January 1. I’m hoping it’ll be absolutely frozen as the lake will be able to be crossed and there’s lots of waterfowl that are often there as well. I plan to start at about 8:00 a.m. Sunrise is at 8:15 a.m. one of the great benefits of winter photography! I’ll plan to park in the picnic area.

Next up, It’s almost hard to imagine, but the next episode is number 100! Wow, I’ve got such a special episode to end the year with and I hope you’ll enjoy it. I’ll give you a hint. It has to do with a very significant part of history relating to WWI and the photographer who made an important discovery. It will also be released on YouTube.

And finally, the new year will bring some monthly questions or challenges and we’ll use the facebook group for that. Tom and I talked about ways to just get out more and I hope to encourage you to do the same through these things. I did some of these in the past but I’m going to have another go at it, so look for it in episode 102.

Reminders 1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com 2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/ 3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/ 4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm 5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography 6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

Find Tom’s work here: https://www.tomwagnerphotography.com and on Instagram at @tomwagnerphotography

View Details

Summary

In today’s episode we talk all about tripods and why we love to use them. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 98 for December 11, 2020

Useful links:

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Introduction and Announcements

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where travel-outdoor photographers come to learn, grow, create and be inspired. And if you’re like me, the experience of the journey is just as important to you as it is to be able to make top notch images from the places you visit. To me, the experience is enhanced by making good images and good images are enhanced by the experience. Thank you so much for being here.

Today I’ve got three of the Latitude Regulars joining me as co-hosts. Kirk Keyes, Drake Dyck and Matt Bishop. Fellas, welcome to the show!

Tell me briefly what you’ve been up to recently. It’s been forever since we’ve talked and I’m just so happy to be back with y’all on this crisp winter eve, at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere.

Matt, let’s start with you.

Drake, You’re next

Kirk, did we save the best for last? :)

I’ve got a few things to cover before we get to our main topic which is tripods. That is to state a goal I have for 2021. As many of you know, I have an affiliate link for Lensrentals.com A week or so ago I had some communications with them and they had stated that I was not doing too bad as an affiliate. I suppose compared to the others. So here’s my plan. I really want to rent a lot of gear and review it here on the show. If you’re willing to click on that link in the show notes a few pennies or dollars will come my way and I’ll be able to put that money largely towards rentals and the cycle will continue. A big thank you to those who’ve used the link in 2020 and I’m just hoping for a good push in 2021 to try and become their #1 affiliate.

Also, during my hiatus this last quarter it seems the audience has grown a lot. I want to particularly thank Alex and Jewlie for leaving 5-star reviews in August, 2020. Alex said “I just started listening to the Latitude Photography Podcast. It’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite podcasts. Brent combines the technical and artistic sides of photography in a wonderful blend. Each episode has been really interesting so I’m working my way back through all the older shows I’ve missed. It’s obvious that Brent is putting a lot of work and time into this. He’s very organized. Love it!”

Thank you Alex. And I might also suggest with my Latitude Regulars, there’s certainly a lot of effort they put into it as well. And they deserve some credit for sure. For example, Kirk spearheaded the show notes for this episode and it was a lot of work!

And then Jewlie also talked about the Master Photography Podcast and our amazing facebook groups we operate with these two shows. Master Photography Podcast certainly being the roundtable show where I’m a partner. But as it relates to the Latitude Photography Podcast fb group. I’m going to make a few changes. Hopefully you agree that it’s for the better. The first change is that I realize that facebook is at least partly what you make it. So to keep me on the right track, I want to make it a better place for all of us. And that means that I’ll be posting more in the group about things that I think you’ll be interested in. It will hopefully be a natural extension to the show. Also, I invite all you listeners out there to submit your own images. As you hear me state when I start the show we’re about learning, growning, creating and inspiring. If you’ve got an image that you’d like to share please do so. I’m also going to experiment with simply allowing posts to be automatically approved. If things get out of hand we’ll go back to needing to approve posts but it’s my hope to make the group a great place to share our photography and our experiences between episodes. And who knows, maybe an image or two will get mentioned on the show from time to time!

OK, enough of the chit chat on those things, let’s get to the main topic. I want to start off by asking each of you how many tripods you own. And secondly, what does the tripod mean to you? Why do you use it, and please give me a more indepth answer besides “to hold my camera.” :) [The fellas respond]

I have two tripods. A larger Induro tripod (CT304 legs with the bowl spider (the current model is the GIT 304)) and a Kirk Enterprises BH-1 ball head. I then have a smaller Manfrotto 190GO Carbon Fiber with a Sirui ball head. For proof on the pronunciation: https://youtu.be/VfbjATWugak

Tripod Terms * Legs: the things that extend and can be set at different angles. The main body of the tripod. * Spider/Yoke/Apex: The central hub that connects all the legs together and provides connection to the head. * Head: The unit that the camera mounts to, connects to the Spider/Yoke/Apex * Quick Release Plate: The unit that is attached to your camera and that connects to the head. Not all tripod heads use a QR plate, but many do. L brackets would also fit into this category. * Center column: Many tripods have a column that sits in the Spider. You can raise it and lower it for added height. It does cost you some stability though.

Tripod Types * All-Purpose - Tall enough to get the camera to eye level for most people. More stable than a travel tripod, but they are bulkier and heavier as well. * Travel Tripods - smallest, lightest. Often not as stable as larger. * Systematic - Tend to modular with removable base. Often tall, have a large spider/yoke/apex, and thick legs. Thus, they are usually bulky and heavy.

Tripod Options Leg Material * Carbon fiber – usually considered the best weight to strength ratio. But the lightness of a carbon tripod makes them less stable. * Interesting to note that, certainly, not all CF is made the same. You have different layers of CF used by different manufacturers, different fiber to resin ratio, different layer thicknesses and direction and “modulus” or build of the fibers themselves. All play a role in determining stiffness of the legs. For aluminum, it’s pretty much a straight correlation, more material makes a stiffer tripod leg. * Aluminum still a great option. Not as light as carbon. Aluminum transmits vibrations from the ground more than carbon. Susceptible to corrosion from salt water. Older aluminum tripods can be a great value, especially when bought used. * Basalt fiber – not common, but like carbon fiber. * Wood – not just for large format! They dampen vibrations best. Exceptionally durable.. * Size and Weight * Number of Leg segments - fewer segments should be stiffer. * Leg angle adjustment - pull out/push in tab, thumb lever? * Removable center column? * Is the center column reversible for low angle views? * Feet - are spikes, snow/sand platforms, or rock claw available? * Center brace - may add stability, may be a sign of poor overall design. But also prevent low camera positions. * Leg locks - twist, snap, knob * Leg quick release? * Bag Hook?

Heads – As important as the legs! Ballhead rankings

  • Ball - versatile and lightweight, but not very precise.
  • 3-Way Tilt - lots of control, but bulkier and heavier than a ball head.
  • Tilt-Head - More precise setup than a ball head as the camera can only move up and down. You may need to combine with a rotator plate. Drawback is there is no 3rd axis of motion to level the camera.
  • 3-Way Geared Head - the ultimate in precision. Each axis is controlled with a geared knob and can be adjusted independently from each other. Works well for studio or night/Milky Way photography.
  • Gimbal - when balanced, the camera and lens become "weightless". You can Rotate the camera to any direction by just pushing it. However, they are big, bulky, and heavy. Best when using really big lenses. You can somewhat emulate a gimbal with a ball head by putting the ball arm into the side slot, loosen the rotation lock and ball tension, and shoot from the side of the ball head. Make sure your camera is balanced on the ball for this to work best.
  • Panorama Rig - horizontal rail, vertical rail with a tilting stage, and a rotator base. Allows precise camera movements for overlapping panorama images. You do want the tripod support to be level when using a Pano rig.
  • Fluid Head - Allows smooth pan and tilt movements, usually used for video applications.
  • Car Window mount - clamps to a vehicle window, sometimes with a ball head or not.

Head Mounting Locks Some tripod mounting plates have set screws you can tighten against the bottom of the head to keep the entire head from spinning loose. You do not need to overtighten it, as it may deform the bottom plate of the head.

Mounting Plates on Tripod Heads * Arca-Swiss is the de facto standard. They are a dove-tail design and * Manfrotto - some are unique to Manfrotto, some are Arca-Swiss. * Video/Fluid heads have large mounting plates.

Connecting the Camera * Quick release mounting plates * L-Bracket - allow easy reorientation for landscape/vertical positioning * Make sure you can still access batteries or memory cards.

Other Features and considerations Tripod Levelling Base Some mount on the tripod baseplate, some replace the center of the yoke. It allows the head to be quickly leveled, independently from the tripod legs. Great for pano rig setups.

Cheap Not Worth It Cheap head are hard to use! The often droop, especially with large lenses. They can also shift the position of the camera when you tighten them. Best to avoid.

Bubble Levels Some tripods come with bubble levels. They can be on tripod yoke or on the camera mounting plate. You can add one to your camera hot shoe or use one built internally in the camera operating system. Each can location serves a different purpose. Do you need them all? Not necessarily.

Using Your Tripod: Best Practices In general, the yoke/legs do not need to be perfectly level.

If doing a pano - the head needs to be level so the camera can rotate without angling up or downward.

Keep your camera/lens near the middle of the center of gravity.

Add a "rock/stone bag” - it is a hammock that hangs between the tripod legs. You can add weight to the tripod to make it more stable. Useful in windy conditions, or when you have a lot of weight mounted to the head.

To carry the tripod with your gear attached or not?

Any tips for working quickly or should we just forget it? (Brent: I like to grip multiple twist locks at once and loosen and tighten when opening or collapsing the tripod. It helps me speed things up when I’m in a hurry)

Tripod Testing There are lots of opinions out there, but little actual scientific testing.

Stiffness, Damping, Leg Angle, Height, Weight, Material - all affect the performance of the tripod.

Check out: https://thecentercolumn.com/

Also check out the Weight Ratings are Meaningless Article. A great read.

  • They have rankings for systematic, all purpose, travel, as well as a volume weighted travel tripod ranking.
  • Their top 13 rated tripod brands are Gitzo, RRS, FLM, ProMedia, Jobu Design, Feisol, Leofoto, Manfrotto, Induro, Colorado Tripod Company, Oben, Peak Design, and Benro.
  • They do not include usability in their ratings, but they do have reviews of many tripods, and they discuss it there.

The bottom line is, weight ratings are essentially useless because they don’t consider real world applications in their ratings. Who cares if a tripod can support 20 pounds or 80 pounds. Will it support your gear that is potentially awkward, heavy or off-balance. Your use of a gimbal tripod head and a monster lens will have different requirements as compared to someone on a mirrorless camera with a fixed 23mm lens.

Tripod care - * If you hear grinding noise, parts are stiff or will not lock - it is time to clean! * Sand, Deserts, Water, Ocean - salt water is the worst!
Clean them - take them apart. * Take a shower with them. * Lubrication - use a weatherproof grease.
Gitzo Grease about $30; enough for two cleanings
Sil-Glyde, Induro Recommended Grease about $9; enough for about 50 cleanings * Leg locks, even twist locks need lubrication.
Do not over lubricate them - it will collect dust and dirt.
Occasionally disassemble metal parts - leg spikes can corrode and bind. Disassemble them and lubricate on reassembly. * Use a small brush like an old toothbrush.
Do not loose plastic rings on twist-locks. Keep them in order so you can remember how to reassemble them. Legs are like nesting dolls and must go back in a certain order based on size. Some twist-locks have arrows to help you realign the parts.

Other support options - * Monopod - combine with a tilt head for a great sports/wildlife setup. * Platypod - get low! * Beanbag - still low, but less precise than a Platypod * Rock or ground - the lowest you can get! * Trash cans in the city - Brent has a short story! * The PLAMP by Wimberley! https://www.tripodhead.com/products/plamp-main.cfm * The Worst Tripod - the one you do not carry with you.

Heavier not always better - you may not carry it if it is too heavy.

Lighter not always better - not enough support can lead to soft photos.

Momma Bear, Poppa Bear, Baby Bear - find one that is just right for the job.

Side Notes: Do not always need a tripod -

If you are using a fast-enough shutter speed relative to lens focal length.

Consider Image Stabilization in lens / body.

Intentional camera movements.

Shooting handheld
Use your body to brace your camera.
Stand with your feet apart, kneel, or even sit down on something.
Pull against your neck strap.
Hold your breath or press the button in between breaths.
Create a Zen moment.
Practice.

More than one tripod – There is not one tripod to rule them all. It is up to you to decide what features are going to work best for your photography. Tripods are like lenses; you will want to match your tripod to your subject.

May want to turn off IS – When using a tripod, especially with long exposures. Some have a "tripod detection mode" and automatically turn off the IS.

Quickly releasing Twist Locks – With practice, you may be able to grab the twist locks on one leg and loosen them all at once. With a quick shake of the tripod, you maybe able to get all the leg segments to extend fully!

Manufacturer Thoughts: (this is not an exhaustive list)

Gitzo: Distributed by Vitec Group which also distributes Manfrotto and Lowepro among many other recognized brands in the photo industry.
Considered top of the line and very expensive.
Long history (since the ‘50s) manufacturing tripods
Made in Italy

Promediagear: Small independent company located 30 miles south of Chicago.
High quality, precision design. Rather expensive.
USA made

Really Right Stuff: Manufacturing tripods and more since 2002 (quick release plates since 1990 under previous ownership). Known for excellent customer service and they always go beyond your expectations. Price point is high enough you should consider it an investment.
USA Made (Company based in Lehi, Utah) and proud of it.

Induro: Good variety of products and very good quality, though not to the level of the previously mentioned producers. A striking resemblance to Benro tripods, since they have the same mailing address it’s no surprise. Though the branding does seem to be targeted to different types of photographers.
Made in China.
Distributed by MAC Group which also distributes MeFoto, Kupo, Shimoda, Tenba, X-Rite and several other photography related brands.

Feisol: Started as a carbon fiber tube manufacturer. Full line of products. Made in Taiwan

Sirui: Wide Variety of products for different types of photography and needs. Made In China

Other notes: Heard a leg crack at Thor’s Well. Still works well.

Do not immediately count out aluminum - it is still good option. Lube the metal parts like knobs.

Seals on Feisol - really well designed. Swipe out much of the dirt.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. Find Matt at https://www.mattbishopphotography.com
  8. Find Kirk at https://keyesphoto.com and https://milkywayphotographers.com/
  9. Find Drake at https://www.drakedyck.com

It is my goal for 2021 to be the lensrentals.com top affiliate. I had some FFsycontact with them recently where I mentioned my brief hiatus and they basically responded saying, hmm, wow, wonder what’ll happen if you kick it into high gear ‘cause you’re already one of our top affiliates. To which I was a bit surprised. But if you’re going to rent something anyway I’d love it if you’d be able to help support me and the show by using my link in the show notes. My goal is to rent a lot of gear in 2021 and I’d love to just turn all these affiliate earnings back in to rentals. So if you’d like me to review more gear on the show this is one way to support that :)

View Details

When I first came across Joshua Holko’s name I saw it attached to the description of “Polar Photographer.” I thought to myself, that’s interesting. Then I took a look at his work and was immediately impressed. Thank you for joining us today as we dive in to what it takes to make fantastic images from some of the coldest regions of the planet.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Help me become the top affiliate in 2021 at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link. I'll get a commission and it's my hope to put a much of the affiliate earnings back into rentals so I can review more gear here on the show and on YouTube. Plus, use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course.

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Interview with Joshua

Joshua, Welcome to the show!

Brief introduction of you as a photographer

What have you been shooting lately (most recently)

Polar Photography

Preparing for the shoot

Falklands, what makes them special,

South Georgia Island, a few pics to talk about ?

Any other destination you’d like to talk about?

Tell us about Melrakki Publishing

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. Find Joshua’s at https://jholko.com

It is my goal for 2021 to be the lensrentals.com top affiliate. I had some contact with them recently where I mentioned my brief hiatus and they basically responded saying, hmm, wow, wonder what’ll happen if you kick it into high gear ‘cause you’re already one of our top affiliates. To which I was a bit surprised. But if you’re going to rent something anyway I’d love it if you’d be able to help support me and the show by using my link in the show notes. My goal is to rent a lot of gear in 2021 and I’d love to just turn all these affiliate earnings back in to rentals. So if you’d like me to review more gear on the show this is one way to support that :)

View Details

What is your Super Power? That’s the topic of today’s episode. Understanding our personal super power can help you better understand why it is that you make the photographs you make, and it can also help you realize areas where you may need some work. If you have no idea what we’re talking about here listen in and see how you end up answering the question of “what is your super power?”

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Ricks free e-book here: https://ricksammon.com/ricks-books

Find Rick’s website here: https://ricksammon.com

Buy Rick’s Books on Amazon, Photo Therapy: https://amzn.to/2VSG468

Photo Quest: https://amzn.to/2ZMEmnH

Sign up for LPS notifications. Be the first to know when it’s available! https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

We’ve started doing some live review sessions. Get on the reminder list for those live sessions. I’m only using this list for live session reminders only. Nothing else. SO if you’ve signed up before and you want to get these, you’ll need to sign up again. If this is ALL you want, then sign up and know that I won’t hit you with anything else unless you sign up again on a different form. https://mailchi.mp/e3beabe0a33d/podcast-live-session-updates

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Rick, welcome back!

Finding your Superpowers and Inner Voice

Not considering photography. Ask yourself. What am I good at? Why am I good at it? How did I get good at it.What do others think I am good at? Was I always good at it?

Listener responses first:

George McCane: Organization. Something that I should add to my comment is that I am a Contemplative Photographer. One aspect of my craft that I enjoy doing is to take lyrics of a song and then figuring out how to bring those lines about using photographs rather than videos. As you can imagine it takes quite a bit of organization to bring about the whole concept of making the shot and making it work.

Brie Stockwell: Ability to focus and learn a new skill, dig in, be resourceful and flexible. Don’t give up.

Geoff Allen: I think mine is curiosity. And I think especially curiosity about how things work, and how they’re interconnected.

Lori Rowland: An observer and listener to nature. I can be absorbed and be one with the landscape around me.

A few that resonated with me from the book:

Greg Vaughn: "Stepping Back and assessing the entire situation before acting."

Scott Bourne: “Knowing how to give up. I learn to be at peace with my subject on their terms, not on mine.”

Don Komarechka: “Failures and mistakes should be reveled in, as you don’t learn anything from doing it right the first time!”

Sean Bagshaw: Positive and upbeat outlook.

Julie Lee: “There is no pressure to create a masterpiece, but only to explore the many ways of expression and warm up my creativity.”

Rick’s super powers: Ability to Communicate and have an awareness of the situation. Ability to predict when and where activity will happen. Focus on a project and never give up.

My super power: I resonate with so many things that were already covered. But as I was reading this book I challenged myself to identify my unique super power before I went on to Rick’s super powers. And I came up with Curiosity. Like Geoff earlier and like Rick mentions in the book where a psychologist stated “boundless curiosity” as one of his super powers.

Curiosity is what drives me beyond the borders of my region and out into the wilderness and to many a destination I’ve been to, and many a destination I desire to experience.

A strong sense of curiosity gives me a sense of discovery. I believe that I am always learning something in photography and my curiosity drives that notion. If I ever stop being curious about the world around me I think it’s time for me to do something else.

Other chapters in the book:

Your Secret Weapon

The Rollercoaster ride of creatives

Idea to image

The importance of your conversation

Criticism: the good, the bad and the ugly

Fine art: public opinion and pocketbooks

Specializing in not specializing

Creating a sense of mystery

Photography and the death of reality

Where to go for great photographs & inspiration

Know your audience and build your brand

Analyze this

A little help from my friends

Changing lanes

The business of being creative

Lessons learned in the rainforest

All together now

View Details

Did you get out to shoot NEOWISE? The comet that took the astro photography community by storm last month? I hope so. It was a great excuse to escape the humdrum of life for a bit and to really push the boundaries of what we’re comfortable with. In this episode we’re talking about our experiences and the fun times had in making these images.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

TOM’s Website and other links: https://tomwagnerphotography.com

and @tomwagnerphotography on IG

KIRK’s Website and other links:

https://Milkywayphotographers.com

@milkywayphotographers on IG

Sign up for LPS notifications. Be the first to know when it’s available! https://mailchi.mp/eeb40a226ba2/kk5w15cdqv

We’ve started doing some live review sessions. Get on the reminder list for those live sessions. I’m only using this list for live session reminders only. Nothing else. SO if you’ve signed up before and you want to get these, you’ll need to sign up again. If this is ALL you want, then sign up and know that I won’t hit you with anything else unless you sign up again on a different form. https://mailchi.mp/e3beabe0a33d/podcast-live-session-updates

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Main Topic

Kirk and Tom, Welcome to the show!

Today’s show is all about our experiences in shooting the comet NEOWISE. And really my hope is that we’ll be able to inspire the listeners to get out there and shoot the heavens regardless if there’s a comet or not, but also, when the next comet comes around hopefully they’ll be prepared.

Back in the catalog, May 10 and 13 episodes, we did a two-part series on beginning astrophotography. Those skills are valuable for sure as well, but in this episode, it’s about the fun, the techniques and the results. So let’s get to it.

I should mention that the images will be in the show notes and on the podcast listener fb group. I’ll also share them to the Master Photography Podcast facebook group so you can see them there as well if you’d like.

Whitman Mission (Brent)

ISO 1600 - 24mm - f/4 - 13 seconds - Multi Frame Composite. Canon 5D4

This is a blend of two images. With one image processed twice. So in Photoshop it was actually three images. I photographed the wagon while lighting it with my cell phone light. Then I blended those two together to make a seamless image of the wagon nicely lit. Then I processed one of those frames for the sky, making it a bit brighter, and then used a luminosity mask to select the different portions and blend them together. I then did a custom control lighting adjustment layer to tone down the areas in the foreground that got too bright.

Random Oklahoma 1 (Tom)

This is a composite of two images, one for the foreground and one for the sky. The foreground was shot at 24mm, f/8.0, ⅙ sec, and ISO 100. The sky was a combination of 10 images, stacked to reduce noise. They were shot at 105mm, f/4.0, 5 sec, and ISO 3200 (5 images) and ISO 6400 (5 images).

Random Oklahoma 2 (Tom)

This is another composite, with the sky composed the same as the previous photo mentioned. The windmill was shot at 105mm, f/8.0, ⅕ sec, and ISO 100. I chose a composite here so I could get some detail on the windmill.

Windmill (Brent)

ISO 800 - 78mm - f/4 - 20 seconds. Mounted on a star tracker. This causes the foreground element to blur a bit but it’s only noticeable when really zoomed in. I still have yet to finish processing this one. I got the foreground much lighter (with a flash light) and I plan to blend it in, we’ll see how that transition goes! Given the movement likely to have some problems.

I also made a time lapse on this one and posted a video on making the timelapse to YouTube.

Over the wheat field (Brent)

ISO 6400 (1600) - 18mm - f/3.5 - 10 seconds

This is a composite that was loads of fun to make. I’m an “ISO SNOB” usually, meaning I want to use the lowest ISO possible. For this one I took two exposures. One at 6400 ISO for the sky, and another at 1600 for the wheat. I used a flash light to bump up the light in the 1600 ISO shot and simply did an overlay in PS. It became it’s own luminosity bump of sorts. The end result was higher technical quality in the wheat but also still capturing the comet real nice in the sky.

I talked about a similar shot on the Master Photography Podcast that published Aug 6.

Mt Hood and NEOWISE (Kirk)

7/11/20 Sony a7iii

Sigma Art 105mm f/1.4

3200 ISO f/2.5 3.2 sec

Stack of 15 photos

Sky processed separately from foreground.

I wanted to get a photo of the comet where it was a prominent feature of the image. That meant I would need to use a longer than a standard 50mm lens. After seeing online photos taken with everything from ultra wides to 300mm, I decided I wanted to use a lens around 135mm.

With that goal in mind, I started to think about what kind of foreground I could use. I knew the comet would be at a compass direction between N and NE. The first foreground that came to mind was Mt Hood. I searched Google Maps, Google Earth, Stellarium, and PlanIt Pro for Photographers for several hours. I found an excellent location that was 30 miles from the top of Hood.

A rented Sigma Art 105 mm f/1.4 lens was used for all the frames. I stopped the lens down to f/2.5 to sharpen the corners of the shots. I used PhotoPills to determine the longest shutter speed I could use and still get the stars to be points. And then, I set my camera’s built-in intervalometer to take 15 images. I took the photos at around 3:20 am as the comet passed over the top.

For processing, my friend Marybeth Kiczenski, shelbydiamondstar on IG and FB, offered to process it for me. Since I love the look of her astro landscape photos, I jumped at her offer. She used Sequator to stack the frames for the sky. She then stacked the same images in Photoshop for the foreground. She then loaded both as layers into Photoshop and applied a mask to blend the two. Next was color grading it using Photoshop’s “Selective Color” function. She flattened the image and then used several functions in Nik Collection. Usually, she uses Topaz Denoise, but she felt this photo didn’t need it.

I’m super happy with Marybeth’s results. I think it speaks for itself!

Shooting the Perseid Meteors by Kirk Keyes

The Perseid meteor shower runs from mid-July to near the end of August. The peak of this year’s shower occurs around August 11, 12, and 13th. There is a quarter Moon up for the latter half of the nights, so that means you’ll want to shoot from when astronomical twilight ends until a bit before the Moonrise. So start around 10 pm until about midnight or 1 am on those nights. You can still shoot after the Moon rises - it’s just that the dimmer meteors will not stand out as much. But the bright ones will still look spectacular!

Photographing meteors is actually not too difficult. You’ll want a camera with manual settings, a wide and fast lens, a tripod, and an intervalometer to trigger the camera.

The Perseid shower is one of the brightest and has one of the greatest number of meteors during the year. They radiate from the NE part of the sky, and can be seen mostly all night from the northern hemisphere. Look for them to stream away from the constellation Perseus. You don’t know where that is, that’s OK. I don’t really either!

So look for the big “W” near the Little Dipper - that’s the constellation Cassiopeia. It’s close to Perseus. You don’t need to aim your camera there, that’s just where the meteors will generally appear to originate. But they will appear all across the sky.

Find as dark of a location as you can as you’ll see more meteors with darker skies. If you can find a foreground subject, that will add interest to your photo, but you will probably catch more meteors if you simply aim the camera overhead!

Then put your camera on the tripod and put on a fast and wide lens. Something like a 24mm or wider on full-frame (16mm for APS-C). Then set it to its widest aperture. Adjust your ISO to 1600, and focus on the stars.

Then take some test shots at 10, 15, 20, and 30 seconds. Look at the histogram for each one, and use the exposure time that places the hump on the histogram about 1/3rd from the left side. Don’t use one that’s too far to the middle, as you’ll blow out the sky in your images.

Then, here’s the hard part - set your intervalometer to shoot shot after shot, and let it go! Bring a lawn chair, a blanket or sleeping bag, and something warm to drink. And lay back and watch the show as your camera shoots away!

Later, look through your photos. Hopefully you caught some good ones. If it’s a good shower this year with numerous meteors captured, you can blend them onto one image. It makes a cool photo, and you will probably see that the meteors actually do radiate from one location in the sky.

View Details

We’re going to learn about how one photographer has significantly changed lanes and has made a totally new career path for himself. I think a lot of people have an interest in doing this and today we get practical advice for how to go about making this happen.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

August 2020 discount code: Latitude50

Check out Out of Chicago: https://www.outofchicago.com

Check out Chris’ website: www.csmithchicago.com

Get LPS Updates: https://brentbergherm.com/lps/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Learn to make GREAT prints in-person at my Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Introduction and Announcements

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where travel-outdoor photographers come to learn, grow, create and be inspired. We’re all on a journey to make more images and to do so with purpose. Thank you so much for being here.

Let me tell ya, I’m so thankful for Chris and the time he spent with me here. There’s a few takeaways I have for myself and I’ll talk about those at the end, for now, let’s head on over to the conversation and I’ll be back afterwards with a few more thoughts.

Chris, thank you for being here today. Welcome to the show!

Main Topic: Changing Lanes

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into photography. Whatever you’d like to share with the listeners. Types-genres of photography you do.

Where you are now: Out of Chicago. Briefly tell us about this organization.

Where you were before: Teaching

What caused you to change? What was the first inkling that you needed to make a change, and how did it become a reality?

How many events does OOC do each year (in a normal year)? You have a special event coming up somewhat soon, tell us about that.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Takeaway #1, I really resonated with the idea of just doing your work and putting it out there. Don’t be afraid. Do listen, and refine as needed, but get it out there.

Takeaway #2, This conversation has really helped me recalibrate my “why.” Why I do what I do is more important than what I do and as I thought about this over the last few days I realized I was getting a little sidetracked and not focusing on my why.

Many thanks to Chris once again, and to Rick Sammon who suggested I get in touch with him. It’s been and amazing summer of great conversations with several wonderful people. I know my life is better for it and I hope yours is too!

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com

View Details

Today we’re heading to Costa Rica with Juan Pons. Costa Rica is a destination that I’ve longed to shoot for quite some time now, but I’ve never been able to make it. So I did the next best thing, or at least the next best thing that I can do at the moment, that is I’m having a great conversation with a talented photographer and we’re gonna live vicariously through his images for the next hour or so. Thank you for joining us!

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Visit Juan’s website: https://juanpons.org

Find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juanpons

Join the Photo Therapy Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/190361645584015

Images in Focus YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwxX4-m1RQOBH8gKOICO1Sw

Juan’s own YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/wildnaturephoto

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course and get a full year of LPS free once it’s released!

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Main Topic: Costa Rica

  1. Brief intro about yourself.
  2. What have you been shooting lately?
    1. General understanding of what you shoot there.
    2. Tips for photographing reptiles, frogs etc.
    3. Photographing the birds, challenges and how to overcome them
    4. Cloud Forest, What’s there, What sets it apart from the rest of Costa Rica
  3. Costa Rica

Please remember, I’m running a special right now. If you purchase my Master Photo Print online course you’ll get a free year of Latitude Photography School once it’s released. This offer is good until July 31, 2020 and it is good for all who have purchased the course, whether it was a year ago that you bought it, or if it’s today. There’s a link in the show notes, please take a look and if it’s right for you I’d love to have you join us there.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com

View Details

I’ve always had an interest in history related items. And of course, as a photographer, when you’re looking at historic processes that’s even more interesting. Today I’m talking about three alternate processes for making prints and it’s just a thrill to share this with you today.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 92 for July 23, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Visit Ray’s site: https://raybidegain.com

JOIN THE EMAIL list for our live sessions updates and notifications: https://mailchi.mp/e3beabe0a33d/podcast-live-session-updates

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course by July 31, 2020 and get a full year of LPS free once it’s released!

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Stay tuned after the interview for a special announcement regarding some live sessions we’ll be doing starting next week. But for now, let’s get right to this great conversation I had with Ray.

Today I’m joined by Ray Bidegain who specializes in alternate or historic photographic processes. Ray, Welcome to the show!

Main Topic: Alternate Processes

Thanks for being here, Ray. I’m very interested to know more about these historic processes and how you use them in your work. Let’s start off with a description of the processes, the tools and materials used and simply how these are made.

Polymer Plate Photogravure

4-color print

Battery Stairs

Fishing Hole

Platinum Printing

Afternoon Oak

Driftwood

Distant Castle, Scotland

Wet Plate Collodion Workshop

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com

View Details

Learning composition is likely the #1 goal for many photographers. My goal is to make it so natural I don't even need to think about it. In this lesson I talk about the thinking that goes on behind the scenes and what I went through as I made some of my favorite images.

The rules don't always apply to all images. Getting familiar with them is required though so you know when to apply them and then you'll become more adept applying the principles on-site.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

GET THE PDF for this episode: https://mailchi.mp/2da463c11d33/lps-visual-formmaking

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course and get a full year of LPS free once it’s released!

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

VIEW this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5lhZb-dYQdw

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Main Topic: Visual Formmaking

  1. Contrast
  2. Hierarchy
  3. Lines
  4. Visual Weight
  5. Basic Balance
  6. The Border!
  7. Brie’s Images

Please remember, I’m running a special right now. If you purchase my Master Photo Print online course you’ll get a free year of Latitude Photography School once it’s released. This offer is good until July 31, 2020 and it is good for all who have purchased the course, whether it was a year ago that you bought it, or if it’s today. There’s a link in the show notes, please take a look and if it’s right for you I’d love to have you join us there.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com

View Details

We’re talking a bit about the new Canon gear and heading back to the Photo Quest topics as well.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Rick’s website here: https://ricksammon.com

Buy Rick’s Books on Amazon, Photo Therapy: https://amzn.to/2VSG468

Photo Quest: https://amzn.to/2ZMEmnH

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course and get a full year of LPS free once it’s released!

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Introduction

Rick, welcome back!

Today we’re all in on the new Canon announcements and a bit more on the Photo Quest book.

New Canon Announcements

Thoughts on the R5

Thoughts on the R6

Thoughts on the 100–500

Thoughts on the 600 and 800mm lenses

Photo Quest

What makes someone an artist

Be both a photographer and an artist

Erin Babnik Quote: “In my view, an artist is simply someone who uses their medium as an outlet for personal expression, intending to put something of them into each creation, no matter what medium they are using.”

Bonnie Gresham Davidson: “The freedom of being an artist far outweighs what others think. We don’t all have the same taste.”

Pablo Picasso: “We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.”

What’s needed on the Photo Artist’s Pallette

Scott Adams: “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

Subjectivity of art, originality

“Not getting the iconic shots” complaint from a workshop attendee. (story of second workshop in Hawaii, off on my own)

Deeper thinking. “Consider your storyline and what your picture will say to the viewer”

Imagination: We must use our imagination as we did when we were kids.

Edward Weston: “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”

Gesture

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Rick at https://ricksammon.com
  9. Find Rick on YouTube
  10. Find Rick on Instagram @RickSammonPhotography

View Details

Many of us, myself included, love photography so much we just want to do more and more of it, and hopefully make at least a little money from it. Today we’re looking at taking a business mindset approach to our photographic efforts, once again with Rick Sammon.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Rick’s website here: https://ricksammon.com

Buy Rick’s Books on Amazon, Photo Therapy: https://amzn.to/2VSG468

Photo Quest: https://amzn.to/2ZMEmnH

Chris Orwig’s Book: https://amzn.to/3gzobAX

The Thank You Economy: https://amzn.to/38xmAsM

Real Magic: https://amzn.to/2VQQHGo

Canon’s Virtual Product Launch: www.usa.canon.com/virtualproductlaunch

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course and get a full year of LPS free once it’s released!

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Introduction and Announcements

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where travel-outdoor photographers come to learn, grow, create and be inspired. We’re all on a journey to make more images and to do so with purpose. Thank you so much for being here.

Rick, you’re back once again. Thank you so much for being here to share with us some thoughts and tidbits of wisdom regarding our photography and how to approach things if we’re looking to make it a part-time or even a full-time endeavor.

Main Topic: The Business of Photography

  1. It’s a business.
  2. Always have a “cush.”
  3. Your money can work harder for you then you can.
  4. It takes a lot of peanuts to feed an elephant.
  5. You never know who is watching.
  6. Socialize or succumb.
  7. Networking is needed.
  8. Listening is as important as hearing.
  9. You have no competition.
  10. Never mistake motion for action.
  11. You don’t drown by falling in water. You only drown if you stay there.
  12. Never give up!
  13. Emotional Intelligence is key.
  14. Write it down.

Please remember, I’m running a special right now. If you purchase my Master Photo Print online course you’ll get a free year of Latitude Photography School once it’s released. This offer is good until July 31, 2020 and it is good for all who have purchased the course, whether it was a year ago that you bought it, or if it’s today. There’s a link in the show notes, please take a look and if it’s right for you I’d love to have you join us there.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Rick at https://ricksammon.com
  9. Find Rick on YouTube
  10. Find Rick on Instagram @RickSammonPhotography

View Details

I recently took two trips to the Palouse area and came away with more panoramas that I usually do. I’ll fill you in on all the details in today’s episode.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 88 for July 5, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Watch the YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/yVeFydizzYY

Enroll in my Master Photo Printing course and get a full year of LPS free once it’s released!

https://brentbergherm.com/training-center/course-info/master-photo-printing/

YouTube Videos: Segmentation Make, super speed production https://youtu.be/cSK3IZ4Y_Iw

Segmentation Make: https://youtu.be/DhlHh4O0LxI

Read the blog post and download the e-book for this topic: https://brentbergherm.com/palouse-panoramas

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Introduction and Announcements

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where travel-outdoor photographers come to learn, grow, create and be inspired. We’re all on a journey to make more images and to do so with purpose. Thank you so much for being here.

I’m doing a solo show today and I’m talking about Palouse Panoramas. I’ve also got a listener question to answer so I’ll get to that as well.

First, there’s a few announcements.

  1. I’m working hard on my Latitude Photography School and I have a plan to roll it out for beta testing in early August. I’m keeping my fingers crossed but I basically have nothing to do between now and then so it should go fine.
  2. Everyone who has purchased my Master Photo Print course will get a free year of access to LPS. The course is easy to find once again on my website and there’s a direct link in the show notes as well. The cost of the course is $149 and it does include the download files for offline viewing after a period of time. Once I release LPS everyone, from those who first purchased it long ago to those two buy it today will get an access code to the rest of all the videos and other training materials I’m providing over the next year. I may decide to throw in some other goodies for those two buy the course but for now this is what I’m going with.
    The offer ends at the end of business day, July 31, 2020, Pacific Time. I plan to put the site mostly in maintenance mode at that time while still allowing folks who’ve bought the course the ability to still log in and go about their stuff. And then a week or so after that I should have it all arranged and ready to go with all the other lessons and stuff I’m planning. At least to get it rolling and started.
    Then, I’ll open it up for general enrollment later on, likely the end of August.
    Then, over the course of the next several months I’ll be rolling out more and more material.
    The biggest thing I’ll be doing that will set my service apart from the rest is having the ability to have your specific issues and questions addressed. There’s other services that have a much larger library of videos and training materials, and my library of training materials will certainly continue to grow. But with group sessions and the ability to submit specific questions to what you’re fighting in your photographic experience, I’ll be able to help you and make that available to the rest of the members as well.
    I’m still working on all the particulars, but this is the general idea of what I’m working on and looking to provide.

Main Topic: Palouse Panoramas

10 images

Highlight each of the 10 images and describe where they were shot and the setup behind the scenes. A little discussion regarding post-production is also included.

See the blog post on this topic for all the details.

Secondary Topic: Segmentation

A listener, David Hunter, wrote in and asked a bit about my segmentation series. He saw my video on YouTube regarding my image segmentation but he’d like a lot more on the thoughts behind the process. So here we go.

I’ve got about 15 total images here, some more segmented than others. Some not as successful than others, but I’m showing them all. And let’s talk about them.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com

View Details

Discovering your photographic and artistic voice. That’s the subtitle to Rick Sammon’s latest book, Photo Quest. This episode is the first in a short series with Rick where we dive deep into these ideas on what it takes to find and articulate your creative voice and vision.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Rick’s website here: https://ricksammon.com

Find Rick’s What’s Possible gallery here: https://ricksammon.com/whats-possible

Grab a copy of Rick's book here! https://amzn.to/3ihM020

The Poetry of an image: http://v2.zonezero.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=680%3Athe-poetry-of-an-image&catid=1%3Apedro-meyers-editorial⟨=en

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Today Rick Sammon joins us once again and we’re talking about his latest book, Photo Quest. Rick, thanks for coming back!

I’m very much looking forward to this conversation about Discovering our Photographic and Artistic Voice.

Main Topic: Photo Quest

  1. Preface
    1. Slow down (When I first slowed down my photography became so much better. However, we can have various phases in our lives where we need to slow down all over again. Maybe for different reasons. The creative process is often best achieved when ample time is allowed for thoughtful contemplation of the subject and how it’s interpreted.)
    2. Sometimes we have to think very fast and act fast. How do we not get overwhelmed with all that we have to think about?
    3. Defining what’s important in our experience
    4. Is there a difference between “artistic images” and some other images you shoot? You have a gallery “what’s possible” on your site. Help me understand what you’re doing here.
    5. Think like a painter (additive process, add what you want to the scene, nothing more)
      1. Think selectively about your image (the individual parts vs making only global edits)
      2. The mindset of a painter (can help us create more creative and artistic images.)
      3. Chiaroscuro (contrasts, light and dark, helps give depth)
      4. Sfumato (smoke/cloudy like effect, gives softness to an image)
      5. I feel like I’m in one of my classes.
    6. Compositional Principles
      1. Contrast Range (differences between camera and the eye)
      2. Direction of light (light illuminates but shadows define)
      3. Quality of light (diffuse or specular, soft or hard)
      4. Color of light
      5. Movement (lit objects, I’ve always thought of this as moving subjects, but to consider the light as moving does put it in a different “light” (bad pun))
      6. Effects of shadows (technical and emotional) This helps create separation of elements and gets to be a little more advanced in understanding what’s happening, and more importantly in controlling the situation so you get the desired results.
      7. Cycle back to Girl with a Pearl Earring if we didn’t talk about it already.
    7. Lighting Effects
      1. Gradual
      2. Peaceful
      3. The effects of our personal perception and attitude when we are shooting and processing our images.
    8. Ideas and evolutions.
      1. First image by Rick
      2. First image by Brent
      3. Total of three images each.
    9. Talk about images where we can apply these principles?

Share: If you only share one episode, please consider sharing this one. Just hit that share button in your listening app of choice and email it to someone that you know will benefit from this conversation. Rick and I will have more conversations on these topics and I don’t want any of your friends to miss out on any of these good thoughts and ideas we’re discussing here.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Rick at https://ricksammon.com
  9. Find Rick on YouTube
  10. Find Rick on Instagram @RickSammonPhotography

View Details

What is it about the city that excites us as photographers? And not just any part of the city, I’m talking about capturing the entire city.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 86 for June 28, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Tom’s website here: https://www.tomwagnerphotography.com and on Instagram at @tomwagnerphotography

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Get 30% off your infrared conversion! Discount Code: latitude30

$30 off on orders over $225

Spencer’s Camera: https://www.spencerscamera.com/infrared-conversions.cfm

Thank you for your support!

Introduction and Announcements

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where we seek to learn, grow and inspire, all in the context of travel-outdoor photography of course. We’re all on a journey to create more images and to do so with purpose. Thank you so much for being here.

Today I’ve got Tom Wagner here to discuss shooting cityscapes, Tom, welcome to the show!

Main Topic: Cityscapes

  1. Intro, what exactly are we talking about here?
  2. Preparations for Cityscapes
  3. Finding a Spot
  4. Trying to find a good overlook – Elevation can help provide a better view of the buildings as opposed to a street view
  5. Try to include water reflections
  6. Look for leading lines (water features, roads, sidewalks, etc.)
  7. Google Maps
  8. Google Earth
  9. Time of Day
  10. Best time for cityscapes is golden/blue hour – this is when you get best light in sky, and building lights are on, which makes for a more interesting photo
  11. Sunrise – Less lights on buildings and less busy
  12. Sunset – More lights on buildings and more people
  13. Avoid shooting into sun – washes out buildings
  14. Gear
  15. Tripod
  16. Blue hour shooting has reduced lighting, leading to longer shutter speeds
  17. Makes it easier for blending in post-processing if all shots are aligned
  18. Wide Angle Lens
  19. Zoom Lens
  20. ND Filter
  21. Helps with getting smooth water
  22. Helps with getting light trails from cars

Setting Up and Shooting Cityscapes

  1. Arrive Early
  2. Allows for trying different compositions
  3. Allows for analyzing light and how it will interact with scene
  4. Long Exposures
  5. Can add light reflections to water, which provide leading lines into cityscape
  6. Can add light trails from cars to provide leading lines
  7. High Aperture Number for Star Lights
  8. Stay Late (if able and safe to do so)
  9. Allows for most lights on buildings (for sunset)
  10. Leads to easier long exposure shots (water, light trails)

Post-Processing Cityscapes

  1. Distortion of buildings, can correct using “Transform” panel in Lightroom or “Transform” tool in Photoshop
  2. Can use “Lighten” blending mode in Photoshop to add lights to scene
  3. Color Management
  4. Combination of man-made lighting and natural lighting leads to lots of colors in the photo.
  5. Too many colors can clash and ruin the photo

Example 1 – Charleston, SC Battery Sunrise

  1. Smooth water for reflections
  2. Star burst on lights to draw attention to the buildings
  3. Colorful clouds adds interest to sky and reflection

Example 2 – Golden Gate Bridge

  1. Light trails
  2. Blend of golden hour and blue hour, accentuates color in sky, on bridge, and on trees

Example 3 – Chicago Ferris Wheel

Example 4 – Hong Kong, Victoria Harbor from Lugard Road

VII. Conclusion

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Tom’s work here: https://www.tomwagnerphotography.com and on Instagram at @tomwagnerphotography

View Details

Infrared Photography opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

I also tell a bit of a personal story about our hunt for a home. If you want to skip it it’s actually about 11 minutes long (i mention just “a minute or two” in the intro part, but anyway, we are on our way to much better and greater things.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 85 for June 25, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Lori’s website here: OregonExposures.com

Read Lori’s blogpost on the subject here: https://oregonexposures.com/how-to-get-started-in-infrared-photography/

Get 30% off your infrared conversion! Discount Code: latitude30

$30 off on orders over $225

Spencer’s Camera: https://www.spencerscamera.com/infrared-conversions.cfm

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Main Topic: Infrared

What is Infrared?

The human eye sees only a small range of visible light in the middle of the electromagnetic spectrum with Ultra Violet toward the left and Infrared toward the right side of the scale.

Infrared light waves are wider than visible light waves which grow wider the further they are from the visible light scale.

Humans can sense infrared from the heat it produces but we can’t see it with our eyes. Many things reflect infrared light, foliage being one of the great reflectors of infrared. This is why trees often glow white.

To see charts of the Electromagnetic Spectrum and geek out on the science behind it all: https://www.thermalcamerarentals.com/resource-center/beginners-guide-to-infrared-camera-technology

Types of Camera Conversions

When I purchased a new camera, I sent my old camera to Spencer’s Camera & Photo in Utah to be converted. Most labs offer conversion services as well as cameras already converted if you don’t have a spare camera that you want to convert.

Most camera sensors naturally see infrared light. To allow only visible color, as our eyes expect, manufacturers place a filter over the sensor to block infrared light. During the conversion process, this filter is removed and a new filter is placed over the sensor. Which filter you choose will determine how much infrared and color light your camera will detect.

The best cameras to have converted are mirrorless cameras with Live View screens. Infrared light does not focus the same as visible light. Since live view on a mirrorless camera shows you what the sensor is seeing, it is much easier to get the proper focus.

DSLR’s are designed differently. It is recommended if you choose to have a DSLR converted, also have a lens calibrated for IR to compensate for the focusing differences.

To have a camera converted, mail your camera to the lab and they remove the sensor filter to let infrared light through. They have different filters to choose from. Each filter has different characteristics allowing or blocking varying degrees of color or IR light. The higher the nm (nanometer) number, the more visible color is blocked and more IR light is allowed.

https://www.spencerscamera.com/ir-filter-options.cfm

590nm is considered extreme color. 590nm is very close to the visible light spectrum and much of the color information will still be present with the IR.

665nm is considered Amplified Color. It still has a lot of color information but not as much as the 590nm

720nm is considered Standard Color. It detects less color and more infrared details. This is what I have. These images are easy to process to Black & White but can also be processed toward color if you like.

830nm is considered Black & White. It detects no color, only infrared information.

Full Spectrum Conversions – A conversion where the IR blocking filter over the sensor is replaced by a clear filter, allowing the camera to detect all light ranges from UV to IR. To use this camera, you place special filters on the front of your lens to block or allow the type of light waves you want.

Advantage – One camera for all types of photography

Disadvantage – You must use lens special lens filters which can be expensive

There’s a new IR in town, 470nm called Hyper Color. I have only seen a few images from this conversion. It’s cool but I suspect it is an acquired taste and performs best when paired with certain types of subject matter.

During the conversion process, the lab will often create a special white balance profile for your camera. They may also calibrate one lens to optimize it for IR focusing.

Choosing Lenses for Infrared

Select appropriate lenses – Unfortunately, some lenses tend to create hotspots. Few lenses are designed specifically for IR. Occasionally, the lens coating used can reflect in an unexpected way inside the lens barrel creating hotspots. These hotspots usually appear in the center of the image and are worse at smaller apertures. They can be minimized by setting your camera to a wider aperture.

Check the hotspot lens databases -

https://kolarivision.com/articles/lens-hotspot-list/

https://www.lifepixel.com/lens-considerations/lens-hot-spot-testing-database

These are by no means complete lists. I have discovered some of my vintage lenses do a great job in IR even though they are not on the lists.

Experiment with the lenses you already own, you have nothing to lose. If you see hotspots, try opening up to a wider aperture.

How to Shoot Infrared

Shoot Raw – This will allow you to change your white balance and provide you with greater flexibility later when processing. JPG will limit your options and successes.

White Balance – When my camera was converted, Spencer’s created a custom white balance for my camera which I think most labs will include with the conversion service. You can create your own custom white balance for your camera. You will have to consult your manual or google on how to do it for your camera model. If you shoot RAW, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem since the white balance can be corrected in post. It is common for images to look very reddish in camera. Don’t panic! This is normal and can easily be corrected in post processing.

Shoot Manual… Or Not – I shoot everything manual so I might not be the best judge of this. Shooting manual allows me greater control over the aperture, shutter, ISO and focusing. However, I have read that some cameras will do a decent job with auto settings. It’s best to experiment with the camera you have and conduct some tests of your own and do what you are most comfortable with.

Use a Tripod… Or Not - I also typically use a tripod and a cable release which helps me slow down, compose the best shot and determine the best settings. Just as with regular photography, you can hand-hold if your shutter speed is fast enough.

Aperture & Shutter – You can use aperture and shutter the same way you would for color photography. Just bear in mind that smaller apertures may cause hot spots for some lenses. In which case, open the aperture a little bit and adjust the shutter to compensate.

Focusing Options

Manual Focus - I prefer manual focusing. I use Live View and Focus Peaking. Most modern cameras have it. I set my Focus Peaking color to red so it contrasts nicely with the infrared display.

Auto-Focus - Many cameras will do a decent job of auto-focusing infrared. Set your camera to direct or live focus mode. Check your manual on how to set this up.

Choosing a Subject

Some subjects emit their own infrared light, while some subjects reflect the infrared light around them. The amount of detectable infrared light can vary depending on the time of day, or atmospheric conditions just like regular light so it’s best to experiment. Weather conditions that I like are bright sun with clouds and side lighting early or late in the day.

The rules of basic composition apply just as much to IR as it does to color photography. With that in mind, a few subjects really shine in Infrared. Here are a few of my favorites:

Plants – Broad leaf plants reflect a great deal of infrared and their foliage will appear white in an infrared photo. This reflection will often produce a glowing effect.

Clouds – The sky on a bright day will appear very dark if not almost black because of the great amount of infrared light in the atmosphere. In contrast, clouds will reflect infrared light and appear very white depending on their water content. Clouds and sky are great compositional features in IR offering drama and moodiness to your images.

Old Wood – I often find that I like the contrast between the glowy foliage and the harsh textures of old wood. This could be an old stump, and old cabin or wooden fence. I do not believe the old wood emits or reflects infrared but it seems to create a nice juxtaposition in contrast to the glowing effect of foliage.

Iron – Sometimes old rusty bits of ornate iron, like old park benches, farm equipment, gates, etc. can create great subjects for IR. I often like to mix something man-made into the image. Use your imagination… Anything goes for subject matter.

Processing IR in Lightroom, Photoshop or Adobe Camera Raw

In order to properly process Infrared photos, there are a couple steps to take to prepare Lightroom, and Adobe ACR for Infrared processing. The first thing you need to do is create an Infrared Profile for your camera. Here is a link to a YouTube video that explains the steps.

Creating a Lightroom Color Profile for Infrared Images by Rob Shea Photography

Download the free Adobe DNG Profile Editor for either Mac or Windows and follow the directions in the video or the Documentation.

This will save a profile for your specific camera in the profile section of ACR in LR and PS. After the profile is saved into Lightroom, it will automatically be listed as a profile option when you upload images into Lightroom and available for you to use on all future uploads. Thankfully this is a step you only must do once.

The next step is to do a Red & Blue Channel Swap. For this step, take your image to Photoshop. This is explained in this YouTube video by Rob Shea Photography. Optional - I saved my channel swap as an action so it is a simple one button click to apply. (Google how to save actions in PS if you need to.)

Now the basic steps are done and you are ready to further process your image suitable to your tastes. A popular option is to go Black & White. I often leave my images with a touch of color. One tool I use quite often with Infrared Images is the Levels tool. I will slide the sliders in just to where they meet the ends of the histogram. Sometimes I will also adjust the mid-tones. I adjust every image a little bit differently depending on the image and the result I am going for. There are really no rules, only mood and opinions.

Resources

To get inspired, I suggest joining some of the great Facebook and IG pages dedicated to Infrared Photography. You will have an opportunity to view images and learn what look you like the best. Typically, the groups are very friendly and helpful if you have questions. There are many terrific processing videos on YouTube as well.

I am pleased to announce that Spencer’s Camera has offered listeners a special discount code good for $30 off any order over $225. Use the code: latitude30 when you check out. You can visit Spencer’s website at https://www.spencerscamera.com/infrared-conversions.cfm. Their website is also a great resource for more information on Infrared photography.

To see a chart of an Electromagnetic Spectrum: https://www.thermalcamerarentals.com/resource-center/beginners-guide-to-infrared-camera-technology

Zenitar Lenses on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=zenitar+MC+Zenitar-K2+2%2F50&_sacat=0 (This lens may require an adapter to work on your camera.)

Creating a Lightroom Color Profile for Infrared Images by Rob Shea Photography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWAmW5fGFsA

Adobe DNG Profile Editor: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/digital-negative.html

Five methods to do a channel swap by Rob Shea Photography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49F90lLt_zw

Rob Shea Photography YouTube Channel, a great resource for everything Infrared:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTeJMnsZAqKcefWfyPc4lBg/videos

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com

You can find Lori at:
OregonExposures.com
Lori Rowland Photography – Oregon Exposures on Facebook
Lori Rowland Photography on IG

View Details

Effectively managing a social media presence can be a bit of a head scratcher sometimes. In this episode Matt Bishop and I discuss our experience with using various social media platforms and we’ll also get in to some of the tech side of things as well to make sure we’re doing it right.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Matt’s website here: www.mattbishopphotography.com

Matt’s Blogpost on this topic is found here: https://www.mattbishopphotography.com/blog/2020/6/social-media-underdog?fbclid=IwAR0X6Y8Y9l0_eK6iY4aLK21iKHs01HacwF1_Ar0Ysa_2xTHtz8sHEGRVX74

NinjaLitics: https://www.ninjalitics.com/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

I love today’s topic. It’s something I hate to admit, but I feel I struggle with it. But keeping at it and refinding your approach is the name of the game and today I’m thrilled to have Matt Bishop with us once again. Matt, Welcome to the show!

  1. How have things been Matt? Italy is somewhat returning back to normal.
  2. How about you, Brent? Sell and buy anything lately?

Main Topic: Being a Social Media Underdog

  1. Item #1 Matt’s background
    1. 500px website, a great place to get feedback on your images
    2. Most of the landscape photographers I know today I found on 500px
    3. Transitioned to Facebook, firstly as a personal way to communicate with family and friends.
    4. Started using fb for my photography
    5. Good success with fb, private groups, “full-frame pentax”
    6. Took a group of photographers on a workshop in Italy
    7. Participant was skeptical about coming on the workshop because I didn’t have an Instagram presence
    8. Understanding what’s important to our audience is very important
    9. Instagram is where everyone is at, there’s so many out there that we hadn’t discovered before
  2. Things changed in Spring 2019
  3. Item #2 Being a social media underdog and feelings behind it
  4. Item #3 Restructuring your profile and ways to improve
  5. And So on… How are big names doing it, or have done it

Main Topic: Getting the tech right

Sometimes you just don’t know what is the best way to approach the sizes of the photos and other items that you put on your social media accounts. Facebook alone has three different suggestions for what to do with your personal page cover photo. And why does YouTube require a 2560x1440 cover art when so little of it is actually seen on the site?

I’ve created a cheat sheet document for photographers to help you get started and to help you get it right so your images and other artwork can look its best.

  1. Facebook
    1. Personal Page Items
    2. Image sizes for posts
    3. Business Page Items
    4. Group Items
    5. Profile pic
    6. Image resolution guidelines
  2. Instagram
    1. Cover art
    2. Video thumbnails
  3. YouTube

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Matt’s website here: www.mattbishopphotography.com
  9. Matt’s Blogpost on this topic is found here: https://www.mattbishopphotography.com/blog/2020/6/social-media-underdog?fbclid=IwAR0X6Y8Y9l0_eK6iY4aLK21iKHs01HacwF1_Ar0Ysa_2xTHtz8sHEGRVX74
  10. Instagram @mattbishipphotography
  11. https://www.youtube.com/user/mattbishop1979

View Details

Find John’s images here: https://www.instagram.com/johnsharp0790/

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

The last several months have brought the world various levels of quarantine, restrictions and lockdowns. The airline industry is operating at about 85% less than before with international flights hit the hardest.

Amidst all this a listener took his family to Alaska. This is the story of his experience. His name is John Sharp and I’m so glad to have him here to tell us how it went. John, welcome to the show!

The travel experience during massive restrictions.

  1. A bit about you and your photography
    1. How long in the planning
    2. The decisions to still go
    3. The flights up there
    4. The setup, what you did, AK quarantine restrictions
  2. The Journey to AK
    1. How bad, or good was it? How easy to get about
    2. Where did you go?
  3. Traveling about
  4. The pics
  5. Thoughts on Northern Alabama.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. https://www.instagram.com/johnsharp0790/

View Details

Vancouver Island is so close, yet I’ve only been to shoot there once. In this episode I am able to learn so much more about this photographer’s fantasy island.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 82 for May 24, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Drake’s work here: http://drakedyck.com/ (this site is a work in progress).

Get some free resources here: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Main Topic: Memorial Day Weekend

As I release this we are celebrating Memorial Day here in the US. I’ve shared a few pics in the facebook group from the time about 12 years ago that I visited Arlington National Cemetery, where my great-grandfather is buried. I’ve got a few others in there of the tomb of the unknown soldier and the like. It’s a sobering place that is worth your time for sure.

My great-grandfather was a chaplain in the army. And there’s two really interesting things about him. First off, he followed his son, my grandfather, into the army. They both served during WWII. And secondly, as a chaplain, he was the spiritual leader for many a soldier. One of them was my wife’s grandfather. My great-grandfather actually performed my wife’s grandfather’s baptism. In our faith tradition, that’s kind of a big deal. And when I first met my wife’s grandfather he just couldn’t believe the connection. He talked my ear off for hours about the Army and how he knew my great-grandfather. It certainly is a small world sometimes.

I just wanted to take some time to honor the many people, past and present, who dedicate their lives to their nation, their people. It’s truly a sacrifice, and whichever nation you’re from, if you are currently serving or have served in the past I suspect your nation is grateful for your service. I know I certainly am very grateful for the service of our people.

Main Topic: Vancouver Island

Today I have another Latitude Regular joining me, Drake Dyck, welcome to the show!

Drake, tell us a bit about yourself.

  1. Before highschool I just shot with a little 110 film camera, but when I got to HS, I acquired a 35 mm Canon AE1 Program
    1. Thoughts behind this camera, what new possibilities it opened for me. The Canon was a great camera for me, as it was fairly easy to use and had a decent light meter. I quickly learned the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and film speed (ASA) by trial and error. I had a 50 mm and 75-200 zoom lens. The longer reach of the zoom lens really gave me a lot more options and made shooting much more exciting.
    2. My older brother and I took a night class in B&W darkroom photography, and afterwards I became the photographer for the school newspaper and yearbook (just the fun photos, not the professional headshots)
    3. Every year, for about five years running, I would go to the Abbotsford International Airshow to photograph the planes… At the time that was my photography obsession, I even made it to the Whidbey Island Airshow one year. Unfortunately, with many moves over the years, my photos and negatives from this time have all disappeared
    4. I joined the Canadian Armed Forces, where I spent 25 years
    5. I spent most of my career as a MP and I served at several bases across Canada, as well as on tours in the middle east at an airbase, in Afghanistan, and accompanying a frigate in the Persian Gulf / African coast. I also had the chance to accompany a frigate to Bulgaria and Romania… we had some extra time in Romania and I even got out to the Bran castle (which the castle in Dracula is said to have been based upon), in Transylvania
    6. unfortunately, most of the time, I only had my phone to take photos
    7. One of the few things directly related to photography during my MP career was some crime scene photography training, which was part of a Criminal Investigations course I took
  2. Photography ‘dry spell’
    1. About eight years ago, I got a T3i, which is when I again became serious about photography, and have since moved to a 6d Mk ii
    2. I also renewed my interest in film, and have developed several rolls of B&W 35mm & 120 film
    3. I have several old cameras, most of which are nothing special, but my favourite right now is my Hasselblad 500 EL/M
    4. unfortunately it has been stuck in the shop for a couple months because of Covid-19
  3. Renewed Interest in Photography
    1. I retired from the CAF a couple years ago and now work for the provincial government
    2. I try to get out for photography locally as often as I can, and on at least one trip to a more distant location (requiring air travel) per year and several others that are longer/farther than just a day trip
  4. Current situation
    1. Israel (the scenery, history and people are all fantastic), Romania (a beautiful country with diverse landscapes and wonderful people) & Seychelles (Wow. An island paradise. I was blown away by its beauty and the friendliness of the people)
  5. Three destinations I would love to return to on a photo-trip would be:

Vancouver Island

  1. It is located on the west coast of BC, Canada, directly to the north of the Olympic Peninsula in Wa. State.
  2. It’s the largest island in the Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand. At 31,285 km² (12,079 mi²), is 3x bigger than the island of Hawaii and bigger than all the Hawaiian islands combined
  3. It’s 460 km (290 mi) long by 100 km (62 mi) wide
  4. population about 870,000, about half of which live in greater Victoria area on the south end of the island
  5. Most of Vancouver Island is covered by a Temperate Rain Forest, with some huge trees, although only a small percentage of the Old Growth, which contains the giants, remains
  6. Black bear, Cougar, Roosevelt Elk, deer and many other animals are common here. There are some distinct species/sub-species to the island as well, such as the Vancouver Island Marmot and Vancouver Island Wolf (which prey on fish and other sea life)
  7. There are national and provincial parks spread across the island, as well as many regional and local ones, that all offer great opportunities for photography. I’ll start with a few locations on the south end of the island, near where I live (pictures to give you a bit of a better idea of what they’re like):

Specific Destinations

  1. Botanical Beach - A Provincial Park, at the west end of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, with incredible seascapes, unique tide pools, great trails
  2. Fairy Lake - there’s a campsite at the lake, but it’s not in a park. It has a unique ‘bonsai’ tree in middle of lake, growing out of an old stump
  3. Big Lonely Doug (2nd largest Douglas Fir in Canada) & Avatar Grove (Gnarliest tree) - not in a park, but protected as of 2012
  4. Sombrio Beach - Part of Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, it has a nice beach, but the star is the “hidden” waterfall
  5. Mystic Beach - near the east end of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, a nice beach with interesting trails, a waterfall and marine life
  6. Sandcut Beach - Part of Jordan River Regional Park, has a low, wide waterfall at the beach
  7. Sheringham Point Lighthouse - built in 1912, the government declared it “in excess of requirements” in 2003 and the community stepped in to preserve it. In 2015 it was made a Heritage Lighthouse and is being restored by a local group
  8. Mary Vine Falls - waterfall in the Sooke Potholes Provincial Park (the Potholes themselves are amazing)
  9. Whiffin Spit Park - a 1.25 km (¾ mi) long, narrow spit with a great walking trail with many birds, seals, sea lions and even occasionally whales
  10. All this is only the south west corner of the island, but I think it would be a great start. I could add places like East Sooke Regional Park, which is a huge area with many trails and lots of sea access, Roche Cove, Matheson Lake and others, which are between Sooke and Victoria, but that could be a lot for one episode. Perhaps some of the following would make for good additional topics, or we could do a quick overview?
  11. There are a lot of great “must see” photography opportunities in and right around Victoria as well, especially for other photography interests, like the BC Legislature (Parliament Buildings), the inner harbour, the 2nd oldest Chinatown in North America, Hatley Castle (seen in several movies), Fort Rodd Hill (historic fort and lighthouse), Craigdarroch Castle, Beacon Hill Park, and the Buchart Gardens.
  12. Then there are many areas on the central part of the island, some of which I have explored, and others are high on my list, especially a bunch in Strathcona Park (lots of mountains, lakes and some caves).
  13. There’s even a few areas on the far northern end of the island that are excellent for photographers. I’ve made a couple trips to Cape Scott (about a seven hour drive), where there is a huge diversity of scenery and some great sea stacks.

Tip of the Week.

Drake: When planning to photograph seascapes or anything around the ocean, make sure to check the tides in the location you are going to. Often there can be considerable differences between locations that are not too far apart.

I use the iOS app “Tide Charts Near Me” https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tide-charts-near-me/id957143504 It’s also available in the Google Play store as “Tide Charts Free” https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.SeventhGear.tides&hl=en_CA

I find this handy to know how much time I will have before being cut off by the incoming tide, or when the best time to go to explore the tide pools.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Drake’s work here: https://wilddrakephotography.com (transitioning to my new site…) http://drakedyck.com/ (work in progress).
    1. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3H9CcnHVt2XlqGvdH5zsgA
    2. Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/frontlinepacificislander/
    3. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrakeDyckPhotography/
    4. Instagram: @drakedyck
  9. Other places to find Drake’s work:

View Details

In today’s episode we’re seeking to find understanding in our composition decisions and I’ve got the LPS Survey results.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 81 for May 17, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Brie’s images here: IG @asliceofbrie2020

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

LPS Survey Results:

Thank you to all who filled out the survey. For the past two months or so I’ve been conducting a survey on my soon-to-be-released Latitude Photography School. It’ll be a place for photographers like you to come together and learn how to better hone in on the creative process and to achieve more success in your photography. Let’s look at the results. There were just five questions, and then if you wanted to be entered to win a PhotoCross 15 backpack from ThinkTank Photo you could give me your email address.

One thing to note on the results before I get to them, that is I did not restrict the survey to be filled in only once per person. I just trusted that you would do that. And in some cases I recognized at least one person who used two email addresses, so there is the chance that the results became slightly skewed because of it. Also, in the beginning, I had question 2 set to only take one answer when I had intended it to be multiple answers possible. A listener alerted me to that fact and I fixed it after about 17 or so people had already completed the survey. So it’s possible they came back and filled it out again as well. I’ll be looking for double entries and try and weed those out if possible. Additionally, while I received 84 responses in total, several were duplicates so I’ve deleted those as that would skew the data. That left 69 responses total, as best as I can surmise, from individual people. Of those, 10 elected to enter the giveaway so for that there’s a 1 in 59 chance of winning the bag. I Greatly appreciate the time and effort you all put into filling out the survey. I’m just highlighting a few of the particulars here so we can better understand the data.

  1. For a service like this, community can be a vital part of what you find valuable. How important is it to have a way to communicate or be inspired with/by others in the community that isn't a Facebook group?
    1. 2.9% – 1
    2. 5.9% – 2
    3. 20.6% – 3
    4. 39.7% – 4
    5. 30.9% – 5
    6. 55.1% – Design and Creativity in Photography
    7. 43.5% – Making fine art gallery quality prints
    8. 31.9% – Astro Photography
    9. 33.3% – Destinations and how-to lessons from the field, assessing the scene etc.
    10. 27.5% – Macro Photography
    11. 23.2% – Basic Photoshop and Lightroom
    12. 39.1% – Advanced Photoshop and Lightroom
    13. 18.1% – Photoshop and Lightroom Alternatives
    14. 24.6% – Design items beyond photography (Web design, using InDesign, Illustrator and more)
    15. 27.5% – Using Instagram and other social Media for photographers
    16. 30.4% – How-to guides on specific pieces of equipment
    17. A few other items came in at less than 2% since I allowed custom suggestions. Many of them generally fit in with a few of the items already listed above.
  2. What are you interested in learning about? Please check all that apply.
    1. 58% – Yes
    2. 37.7% – Maybe
    3. 5.8% – No
  3. Would you like the option to ask for specific help with your question and have a video that directly answers your question posted to the site?
    1. 72.1% – Yes
    2. 17.6% – Maybe
    3. 10.3% – No
  4. Would you like live sessions where your questions can get answered? They would be recorded and posted to the site for later viewing if you couldn't make it live.
    1. 56.5% – Yes
    2. 23.2% – No
    3. 20.3% – Maybe
  5. Are video downloads important to you? This would allow you to keep them and play them off-line.

Main Topic: Compositional Beginnings

Today we’re talking about some ideas on getting the image set up just right. Things to look for when figuring out just what in the world you want to shoot, and how you want to shoot it. And We’re also getting to know another new Latitude Regular, Brie Stockwell, Brie, welcome to the show!

  1. First off, let’s talk a little about you and your work, what subjects move you?
  2. Where are you photographically? In your casting call application you said you’re a “newbie.”
    1. Finding new locations, especially nearby that are actually interesting.
    2. Figuring out settings and best times to get out for good light.
    3. “I need tips on scouting places”
    4. Things I [Brent] do in determining when and where to go.
  3. What difficulties do you have in photography?
    1. Determining beautiful locations vs photogenic locations
    2. Considering Composition
    3. Considering Focus
    4. How to focus on dimly lit subjects such as during blue hour
  4. Willow CIty Loop, Bluebonnet season
    1. Set up a shot, dissatisfied with results
    2. How often does that happen to me [Brent]?
    3. Returned to the site, tried it again
  5. Hiking and had gear along
    1. Difference between brights and darks
    2. Difference between textures
    3. Difference between time periods, ancient or modern
    4. Difference in movement
    5. Difference in size (also known as scale)
    6. Difference in color
  6. A component of visual formmaking lesson: CONTRAST
    1. “Design is the conscious effort to impose meaningful order.” Victor Papanek
      1. Not literally
      2. Deconstruct the scene, break it down
      3. Decide what’s important and what’s not.
      4. Emphasize what’s important
      5. Deemphasize what’s not important
    2. Establishing the composition from the ground up.
      1. Colors
      2. Value
      3. Size
      4. Placement
      5. Texture
    3. The same elements we talked about in contrast also affect hierarchy
  7. Hierarchy

Tip of the Week?

Brent: Keep trying, when you fail, look over your results and be honest with yourself. Why didn’t it work? And if you don’t know why, ask for help.

Brie: Take a safety/first aid kit with you

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography

Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com

View Details

In this episode we continue with a beginner’s guide to AstroPhotography. We talked about gear and apps and other setup items in the last episode. This episode continues with more shooting and planning techniques.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 80 for May 13, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Tom’s work here: www.tomwagnerphotography.com

Check out Kirk’s work here: www.keyesphoto.com www.milkywayphotographers.com

Darksite finder: https://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html#8/45.746/-120.193

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Gear Links

Lumecube 2.0: https://amzn.to/3bedsJi

Neewer CN-160: https://amzn.to/2xTthre

Luxli Viola: https://amzn.to/2SR8sE8

Thank you for your support!

Announcements

We’re going to continue the conversation we started last time so you can get ready for shooting the stars. In this episode we’ll talk specific camera settings and a whole lot more, it’s just so jam packed with good information.

But I’ve got a few announcements to get out there and the first is all about my shoot-n-print workshop that’s happening this summer. It’s in the Palouse region which is simply an amazing agricultural landscape filled with rolling hills of mostly wheat.

It’s now happening over labor day weekend. Please visit the website, the show notes has all the links and this one is the fourth link down, and you can see about all the changes there. We’ll get to maybe shoot some harvest activities as well as all the printing and sunrise shooting we’ll do. I’ve moved the venue and am limiting it to 5 participants. I hope you’ll consider joining us for this exciting time shooting in one of the most awesome agricultural regions this nation has to offer, and of course, the main purpose which is learning all the post-processing and print techniques required to get awesome gallery-quality prints from your photos.

Thank you to those who are leaving comments and reviews in Apple Podcasts. Like RbrtR who recently said, “An enjoyable podcast that often touches on some unexpected areas for a Landscape and Travel Photography program. Yes, there is a fair amount of discussion on potential shooting destinations and travel tips. And there is the expected content related to the technical and artistic sides of photography. But the host often invites guests who bring a broader context to the program. Conversations about creativity, motivation and the creative process would be interesting to a wide variety of artists and creatives. Occasional discussion of the business side of landscape and travel photography make this a pretty well rounded program. Brent, the host, is a university professor, and so his “educational instincts” are never far away. As a result, his content, and his presentation, are thoughtful and calculated.”

Very nice, thank you so much for these kind words. I’m so glad you’re finding value in the show and that you like the mix of material covered here. As I look forward in the calendar of upcoming shows we’ll have a discussion about various locations to shoot on the southern edge of Vancouver Island and we have another conversation with a “newbie” regarding something I call compositional awareness. It’s all about assessing a scene and helping those who are more on the beginning side of the photography journey to explore more and to think about assessing the scene before you.

We also have an interest in doing a show on infrared photography too. And one other show we want to do soon is a Q&A. So if you have questions about something related to travel and outdoor photography please drop me at line at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com or as it in the facebook group and we’ll get it covered on a future episode.

And one last thing, did you know that Google has finally released their own podcast app? It’s available for android and iOS. Just another location where you can enjoy the show if you’d like to listen there.

OK, now on to the conversation with Tom and Kirk and we’re just going to pick right up where we left off from episode 79.

Main Topic: Astro Photography

When to go out and shoot

  1. Milky Way Season
  2. Milky Way angle in sky for composition (early in season, it is more horizontal, later it is vertical, etc.)
  3. Astronomical Dusk/Dawn - Civil/Nautical/Astronomical Twilight, Blue Hour, Dark Night
  4. Moon cycles
  5. Clear skies - but clouds are not always your enemy.

Deciding on where to shoot

  1. Plan Your Shoot
  2. Dark skies - shoot away from areas of light pollution if you can’t get to truly dark skies, like out over the ocean.
  3. Foreground elements - composition, composition, composition
  4. Other environmental considerations - humidity, dew, wind,
  5. Bring a friend, let someone know where you’re going and when you’ll return.
  6. Practice, Practice, Practice - learn your gear before you’re in the dark.

Setting up and getting the shot

  1. Arrive early
    1. Warm Clothes, Bring Layers.
  2. Take Care in setting up your tripod.
    1. Aperture
    2. Shutter
    3. ISO
    4. White Balance
  3. Camera settings
    1. I have a guideline on steps for focusing - Kirk
  4. Focusing - perhaps the hardest aspect -

We’ll leave post processing for part 2 with Ariel Estulin

Tips of the Week. [we may skip this since the episode is all tip oriented :) ]

Kirk: Memory cards - don’t leave home without one! It seems like such a simple thing to remember, but I hear so many stories about people finding a great shot, only to find they forgot to put a card in their camera. We have a new series at MilkyWayPhotographers.com we call Tuesday Tips- this week, our staff writer Stanley Harper has several tips so you’ll never be without a memory card for your camera.

Tom: Take about 5-8 photos for each composition with the Milky Way in quick succession and use star stacking to reduce noise. This process is involved and beyond the scope of this episode, but it will probably be covered in the post-processing episode, or there are plenty of YouTube videos about how to do it.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Kirk Keyes here: www.MilkyWayPhotographers.com

Find Tom Wagner here: www.tomwagnerphotography.com & @tomwagnerphotography (Instagram)

View Details

Astro photography. If you’ve not tried it I think you should. It’s a very different experience and can be quite rewarding. It’s also very challenging for beginners to get everything aligned just right and that’s what we address in this episode.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 79 for May 10, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Tom’s work here: www.tomwagnerphotography.com

Check out Kirk’s work here: www.keyesphoto.com www.milkywayphotographers.com

Darksite finder: https://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html#8/45.746/-120.193

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

TaKE The Survey for Latitude Photography School: https://forms.gle/gdmTjMRtaKQJYqJr9

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Gear Links

Lumecube 2.0: https://amzn.to/3bedsJi

Neewer CN-160: https://amzn.to/2xTthre

Luxli Viola: https://amzn.to/2SR8sE8

Thank you for your support!

Introduction and Announcements

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where we pursue travel and outdoor photography with a passion. Whether we’re talking about dream destinations, something in our backyard, post-processing or just trying to make sense of it all, we’re all on a journey to create more images and to do so with purpose. Thank you so much for being here.

Today’s episode is all about Astrophotography and I’ve got two quick announcements or things to talk about before we get to the conversation with Tom Wagner and Kirk Keyes.

First off, theCOVID has caused me to make more changes to my summer shoot-n-print workshop happening in the Palouse region this year. It’s now happening over labor day weekend. Please visit the website, the show notes has all the links and this one is the fourth link down, and you can see about all the changes there. We’ll get to maybe shoot some harvest activities as well as all the printing and sunrise shooting we’ll do. I’ve moved the venue and am limiting it to 5 participants. I hope you’ll consider joining us for this exciting time shooting in one of the most awesome agricultural regions this nation has to offer, and of course, the main purpose which is learning all the post-processing and print techniques required to get awesome gallery-quality prints from your photos.

Also, one last call for the Latitude Photography School survey. At the time of this recording I have 56 responses. That’s just amazing! Thank you, but I’d love even more. Please consider sharing your thoughts. I just want to be sure I’m delivering what you want in a service like this. Even if you think this isn’t something for you right now, maybe it is down the road. What types of things would you be interested in with a service like this?

And finally, thank you to those who are leaving comments and reviews in Apple Podcasts. Like ClairaMarie, who recently said, “A great podcast for learning new techniques and staying inspired. The topics are of interest to landscape and outdoor photographers. Brent does a great job in keeping the topics fresh. I like the mix of commentary, reviews and interviews, a perfect balance.”

Wow, thank you so much. It’s kind words like these that certainly gives me a bit of a dopamine hit. I’m so honored. Thank you! I’ll read more reviews in future episodes. In the meantime, thank you, from the bottom of my heart for your kind words. I’d love to see more because really the purpose is to adequately tell others what the show is about, from your perspective. And if you review in another app or area please let me know so I can be sure to include that here on the show as well.

Main Topic: Astro Photography

One of the goals I had when I did my casting call for other photographers to join me on the show was to level up on my astrophotography game. I’m thrilled to say that four of the eight new Latitude Regulars not only have experience in astrophotography but they excel at it. Today we’re talking with Tom Wagner and Kirk Keyes, Fellas, Welcome to the show!

To start things off, Kirk, this is your first time on the show. Let’s have you introduce yourself. I’m sure many listeners already know who you are and surely there’s some that don’t.

Kirk: Thanks, Brent. I’m Kirk Keyes, and I live in Portland, OR. I’ve been photographing for about 45 years, since I was 12 years old. Some of my first photos were of star trails and trying to shoot the Moon through a telescope I bought with money from my newspaper route. Through the 80s to mid-2000s, I shot mostly large format landscapes with a 4x5 camera. For the last 5 years, I’ve been shooting astro landscapes. I co-founded and manage MilkyWayPhotographers.com, which despite the name, is dedicated to all forms of night photography.

Great, now let’s get this thing started, Astro Photography. I’d like both of you to give me your two-sentence definition or description of what astrophotography is to you and why you love it so much.

Tom: I would describe astrophotography as taking pictures of the night sky, which could be the stars, star trails, or the Milky Way. I love astrophotography because it’s so cool to use our cameras to bring the night sky to life that we can’t see with our eyes.

Kirk: Man, I think Tom pretty much covered it! I’ll just add in a few keywords for people to look into like “astro landscape,” “Low-Level Landscape Lighting,” “nightscape,” “deepscape,” and “deep sky photography.”

Brent: We have a basic outline that will guide our discussion. So let’s dive in.

  1. Gear
    1. Camera - manual settings, some sensors have less noise
      1. At home -
        1. Turn off Long Exposure Noise Reduction
        2. Turn off Electronic Viewfinder Switching, if mirrorless.
        3. Know how to put your camera into Live View
      2. 8mm to 35mm, f/1.2 to f/2.8 recommended, f/3.5 can be OK
    2. Wide angle, fast lens
    3. Camera Batteries - bring extras!
    4. Spare Memory card - don’t leave home without them.
  2. Sturdy tripod

    1. Tripod Head
  3. Trigger release - internal/external, intervalometer - internal/external
  4. Headlamp - or not.
  5. Star Tracker
  6. Low-Level Landscape lighting
    1. Warm Clothes - dress in layers
    2. Water and snacks - don’t forget your Milky Way bar!
    3. Bug Repellent
    4. Camp Chair
  7. Niceties
  8. Bring a friend. And let someone know where you are going and when you’ll be back.

Let’s briefly cover a few apps that we use

  1. Photopills
  2. Sun Surveyor
  3. PlanIt app
  4. Dark Sky Finder
  5. MyRadar Pro
  6. ClearOutside
  7. Windy App
  8. Meteoblue app

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Kirk Keyes here: www.MilkyWayPhotographers.com

Find Tom Wagner here: www.tomwagnerphotography.com & @tomwagnerphotography (Instagram)

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Website solutions for photographers, what’s needed and what options do we have today?

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 78 for May 3, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Guest Website: arielestulin.com

LPS Survey: https://forms.gle/JpFzi1vPvQzaPF8e8

Download the Image Optimization resource mentioned in this show from this page: https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Main Topic: Websites for Photographers

Today we’re talking about websites for photographers. I wanted to go through a few items and I’m glad you’re here to discuss these things with me.

First off, I want to cover just some bullet point items of what types of sections does a photographer need on their website.

Start with WHY it’s important to have a website or online presence before getting into nitty gritty.

Example. If I hear or find a photographer I like, I’ll look him/her online and if they don’t have a website or a working website or a website that has poor usability I’ll kinda not bother.

Harsh but you need a web presence today. Also no reason even the most tech illiterate person cannot have an online portfolio and presence.

What does your website need:

Your website should not be your life story.

No one has time or the attention span today. You are a photographer, show me your work, and then if I’m interested I’ll read more about what you do and your philosophies. Too Harsh?? (no)

The opposite is sometimes true, I’ll read something really profound someone wrote on the subject of photography. Then I go see their work and it;s not very good. Just make sure your work speaks as loud as your words.

  1. Photos Duh :)
  2. About Page + Artist statement or vision
  3. A way to contact or email the photographer, what’s your opinion on how to best achieve this? On the about page, on a separate page, or in a sidebar or the footer? Contact page, plug-in if using WP
  4. Your own suggestions, feel free to intersperse them here.
  5. Gallery page(s)
  6. Blog? Anything else?
  7. E-commerce for prints etc...

Let’s talk about a few hosting types that photographers can use to host their websites (feel free to expand this list and/or expand each individual bullet item. Whatever you add, please add in green)

Super easy no effort to custom websites.

  1. Instagram / Facebook - FREE

Less tech - Drag and Drop $$ - $$$

  1. Squarespace.com - Not free
  2. Zenfolio.com - Not free
  3. portfolio.adobe.com/photography - Not free or free if you have Adobe CC already
  4. www.photoshelter.com - Not free
  5. Pixieset.com - Not free
  6. Smugmug.com - Not free
  7. Visualsociety.com

More tech involved $

  1. Wix.com - Free or not free
  2. Weebly.com - Not free or not free
  3. Wordpress.com/Wordpress.org - Free but you need hosting + theme
  4. Drag and Drop WP builder

Very involved $$$$$

  1. Custom-coded WP or HTML site - Definitely not free

Drag and drop vs WP sites.

I’m a big fan of Wordpress.org sites. Let’s talk a bit about that for a moment.

  1. Confusion with wordpress.com sites Wordpress.org vs Wordpress.com sites)
    1. Server
    2. Domain (ie google domains)
    3. Technical know-how
  2. Basic needs to host a site
  3. C-Panel server admin software makes life very easy. (I use Kinsta for my hosting, no C-Panel but still a very convenient way to manage a WP site)
  4. Plugins extend functionality of the site
  5. Themes control the look of the site. If you “build it right” you should (theoretically) be able to swap themes like you do a pair of socks. You have the same structure going in to it but a different look on the outside. Sometimes themes behave more like plugins though and can get tied in to your content as well. I don’t like those types of themes.
  6. Page builders make designing a site a lot easier, just another piece of software to learn though.
  7. Bugs to squash with WP sites
  8. Anything else
  9. Keep on top of WP, WP, theme and Plug-in updates. Otherwise risk of site being compromised. Big headaches.

Other thoughts that need to be covered when dealing with websites for photographers.

What images to put on your website?

  • Cherry pick your images. Pick the best of the best. I don’t need to see every picture you’ve ever taken. It’s not about showing 10,000 images on your website. Quality not Quantity.
  • You want the viewer to see a handful of your images and say, I get who this photographer is
  • FInding a niche. If you want to be a landscape photographer show me your landscape work not your wedding, studio portraits, or sports action.
  • If you want to show images outside your niche, use FB, Twitter or other social media for this.
  • Show unique images. What does that mean? Google Horseshoe Bend - pages and pages of sameness. If you want to stand out, show images that are unique and make the viewer say, hmm. I’ve never seen that angle before.
  • Make your website look good. If you don’t know what good is, ask someone who has a good eye for design.

Tip of the Week.

Brent: Experiment with the export settings in Lightroom and be sure to export using sRGB when saving out for the web.

Guest: The best place to shoot is exactly where you are, especially true in today’s environment.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Ariel Estulin here:arielestulin.com
  9. Outdoorphotojourney.com
  10. IG @ariel.estulin

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Perspective blending, exposure blending, color grading and more are discussed in today’s episode with my special guest, Enrico Fossati.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Enrico’s masterclass on dark processing here: https://www.enricofossati.it/dark-processing-masterclass

Survey:https://forms.gle/wa5c95SZpfebcXkp6

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Main Topic: Dark Processing

Today we’re talking about some post-processing techniques and I have a fantastic photographer with me, Enrico Fossati, welcome to the show!

  1. Let’s talk a little about your work. Tell me about one or two of your recent locations where something special happened.
  2. You use a technique you’ve termed “dark processing.” Tell us what is dark processing.
    1. Perspective blending
    2. Exposure blending
    3. Color grading
    4. Time blending
    5. Other techniques you wish to talk about?
  3. Dark Processing and other techniques

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com
  8. Find Enrico Fossati here: https://www.enricofossati.it

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This episode is considered a "bonus" episode and is from the fb live session I did on April 16, 2020. 

I reviewed several listener submitted images and then did some post-production of two other's images as well. I look forward to doing more "live" events in the future.

Please do let me know if you find this audio version valuable. It's not currently my plan to make all the live sessions available as audio only, but I will if you want it. :)

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This week we get to know Tom Wagner, one of the new “Latitude Regulars” that will be joining me from time to time. I’m thrilled to have him here talking about life in the US Air Force and some of the photography experiences he’s been afforded because of it. Also, I’ve got a bit of a personal story to share after the interview with Tom so please stay tuned after that for this special little tidbit I’ve got for you.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

www.tomwagnerphotography.com

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Main Topic: Life as a photographer in the Air Force

Tom, welcome to the show!

Tom it’s good to have you on and to get to know you a little bit. You’re one of the “new regulars” that will be coming on from time to time. Thanks for sharing your time and expertise with us.

Intro

  1. Who I am, what I do, etc.
  2. How I got into photography

  3. Photography in the Air Force

  4. Unique opportunities to travel
  5. Unique perspectives on viewing the world
  6. Short duration stays and challenges for photography

III. Photographing in Foreign Countries

  1. Planning photo locations
  2. Challenges with photographing in foreign countries (language barrier, unique rules, other tourists, etc.)
    IV. Destinations talked about:
    1. Greece
    2. Trondheim Norway
    3. Sevilla, Spain

Tip of the Week.

Brent: Try something new

Guest: travel.state.gov to get started with making your travel plans.

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com

Find Tom Wagner here:
Website www.tomwagnerphotography.com
Instagram www.instagram.com/tomwagnerphotography

View Details

There’s no better time than the present to reassess the approach you’re taking with your photography. Last week we talked about preparing for normal with creative ideas in mind, how to better ourselves as a photographer. This week it’s all about reassessing our business approach and making sure we’re properly connecting with our client base.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Website www.focusonmarketing.co.uk

Making a persona: https://youtu.be/tCAeHfvsjoM

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Announcements

http://www.latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/75

Business tactics for photographers whilst in quarantine

Jeff, welcome to the show!

The last time we chatted I was interviewing you for the Master Photography Podcast and we talked about LinkedIn for photographers. Today we find ourselves in vastly different times and our presence on social media is possibly more important now more than ever. Let’s talk about some of these items, shall we?

  1. Why now is a time to be working ON your Business and not IN it
  2. Time to look deeper into your brand and who your ideals clients really are, could they be changing
  3. How social media has changed over the past month and what you need to focus on
  4. Why you should still post posting to social media everyday
  5. Be ready to come back bigger and better with a regeneration offer

Reminders

  1. Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com
  2. Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/
  3. Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/
  4. Find me on instagram @brentbergherm
  5. Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography
  6. Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com
  7. And finally, my online learning platform for photographers is found at http://latitudephotographyschool.com

Find Jeff Brown here:
Website www.focusonmarketing.co.uk
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbrownphotographymarketing/
Free LinkedIn Training and Support Group www.22s.com/photographymentoring/118311
Facebook www.facebook.com/focusonmarketing

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Unless you’re in Belarus or some other far-flung location, you’re in some form of lock-down and our abilities to travel are severely restricted. That’s tough for travel photographers like us to handle. I talk with Matt Bishop about ways to prepare for normal, ways to continue to enrich our lives as photographers while we also deal with these ever-increasing restrictions. Also, this episode is dedicated to all the front-line workers such as doctors and nurses and everyone in-between and on the periphery of all the work that’s going on to combat the virus. Thank you for all your energy, dedication, sacrifice and general love for humankind.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 74 for April 5, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Announcements

This episode is dedicated to all the health care workers and other folks around the world that are working so hard to keep us healthy and getting us back to normal.

Main Topic.

You get a bonus episode today. This is the second episode for April 5. I thought about waiting a week but figured I really wanted to get it out to you so here you go. I’m talking with Matt Bishop, Matt, Welcome to the show.

  1. You live in Italy, give us a photographer’s perspective of what’s going on there in Rome and around the country.
  2. The last time we were chatting we talked a bit about Pentax as you’re a Pentax shooter and we talked about Patagonia. But we didn’t get to finish Patagonia. Let’s finish that up, so where shall we start?
    1. phlearn.com is running a discount until April 6, that’s a day after this episode is published. It’s 40% off and the code is Latitude40. If you miss the date go with Latitude20 and you’ll get 20% off their annual subscription rate. It’s excellent photoshop training.
    2. This whole quarter I’m releasing my principles of photography lessons into the Latitude Photography Facebook group. You can find them there in the feed, it’s not “organized” like a class, but if you’re a beginner or you want to brush up on a few photography techniques and such you’ll appreciate these. I’ve released three so far and I have three more I think to go. I’ll have to reference my notes but I think it’s three more to go. This is a preview of sorts for my Latitude Photography School service coming out later this year. I’m still planning on Summer 2020 for the release of the school, stay tuned.
    3. enricofossati.it Matt, you wanted to talk about this. People interested in going beyond post production techniques that delve you into a world of mystery
    4. Rent something. Head on over to lensrentals.com and rent something to try out. Maybe you want to try some macro photography or a camera mount to track the stars. Use my code “latitude15” and get 15% off your order. I have my eye on renting a cine lens. Not that I want to make any movies or what not, but cine lenses are supposed to not have any focus breathing, no vignetting when wide open and super smooth focus and aperture control. I think it would be interesting to shoot with something like that.
    5. Brain training off-field. Listen to podcasts, watch youtube videos with regards to on field landscape photography, invest in advanced post production tutorials. Know your gear inside and out so you don't waste time on-field.
    6. I plan to do a tutorial soon on doing macro photography on your kitchen table. I’ll do other shoots like that where I’m working with what I have very close to home and let me tell you, this is a huge challenge for a travel photographer like me who suffers greatly from back-yard-syndrome. I’m just not as interested in subjects that aren’t tied to a travel adventure. It’s just my nature.
    7. Another thing I’m tempted to do is look into Final Cut Pro. Apple is giving a 90-day trial. I use Premiere now and that’s fine, but FCP is certainly a good package too and I’ll be producing a lot of videos again soon so I say why not? Davinci Resolve is also tempting since the base license is free.
      https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202389
      https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/
  3. Eventually we’re going to get back to normal lives where we can go out without much fear or trepidation and the risk of transmitting the disease will be mitigated. It’s our goal to encourage you to transform yourself photographically. A lot of us have more time on our hands these days and what better way to spend some of that time than investing in yourself. Here’s our tips and resources for investing in yourself during this time.

creativelive.com has some great materials too, and they have a free offer as well.

View Details

What does it take to be “good” in photography? We explore that and more in this edition of Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 73 for April 5, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop

Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School

Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order.

I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo

Thank you for your support!

Alabama Stay at home order: https://www.alabamanews.net/content/uploads/2020/04/Final-Statewide-Order-4.3.2020.pdf

Announcements

I’m very excited about today’s show. The main topic is what to do when you feel like an imposter in photography. But I do have some updates and announcements to talk about before we get to that. So let’s get these first.

  1. Regular guests
    A few months ago now I put out a casting call for some folks to join me on the show from time to time. I’ve been using the term “regular guest” and I had way more submissions than I expected and of those it was very difficult to select the final names. I had just a few goals for these folks and also I want to be clear here too with you all, this is something I’m looking to try out for a year. I’m thrilled to have these folks willing to come on but as this is rather new for me on this show I just don’t know how it will go.
    So in the end I decided to go with eight of the submissions. It’s probably more than I should have accepted but each person brings something unique to the show that I was hoping for and I think it’ll be good.
    The others that didn’t get chosen also had very good qualities and it was difficult to draw the line somewhere as it were. But alas, here we are. So let’s see how this goes.
    First up is Mary Malinconico, she’s a teacher as well and comes to us from across the country. She’s been on the show before and I look forward to having her on more regularly.
    Second is Matt Bishop. He’s an Aussie but he lives in Italy. In fact he’s the first one up with the next episode where we’ll talk about Patagonia again and what to do during this time as we prepare for “normal” once again.
    Then there’s Ariel Estulin, he’s been on once before and we talked about Nepal. He also does graphic design and the next episode he’s on we plan to talk about websites for photographers.
    Then we have Brie Stockwell from Texas. She’s a self-described “noobie” and I’m looking forward to her perspective on the show.
    Then there’s Drake Dyck from Vancouver Island, BC. I might have chosen him just so I can live a bit vicariously through him, but seriously, he’s going to offer a great perspective I’m sure.
    Then there’s Lori Rowland and Kirk Keyes, both from the Pacific NW like I am, but they are from different regions and they have slightly different interests in photography so I’m looking forward to that. And finally, we have Tom Wagner, he’s in the Air-force and comes to us from the great state of OK.
    1. Everything hit the proverbial fan about three weeks ago. On March 12 my son’s band trip to Hawaii was cancelled, the university I teach at announced that campus was closed on Friday starting at 2:00 p.m. and all sorts of crazy broke loose around the world after that.
    2. I tried to get a trip scheduled for me and the boy to Hawaii and we were scheduled to leave on the 19th, a week later, though final plans were put into place on the 16th, that previous Monday.
    3. I then cancelled our trip on the 18th due to Hawaii closing all state parks and wilderness areas. If we could have left just two days earlier we’d have gone anyway and I’m sure we’d have had a great time.
    4. In that timeframe I also spent about 5 days working crazy on the house in attempts to get it sold. It’s nearly done, but…
    5. Now we’re on a virtual lockdown like most other locations and it’s difficult to make arrangements to show the house let alone sell it right now so we’re in limbo.
    6. I’m now working from home as well as the university is all online. I prepped my three classes, one of which was already planned to be fully online anyway, but the other two were not.
    7. It’s been a whirlwind of a time and things are finally getting back to a schedule, still not a “normal” schedule but a routine none-the-less, and that’s good.
    8. Thoughts on when we’ll return to classroom teaching.
  2. What I’ve been up to these last two or so weeks
  3. Workshop items.
    I’m still planning on my Palouse Shoot-n-Print workshop that is scheduled for June 15 and 16. As of the time of this recording things are still a go. I have the hotel reserved, the facility reserved where we’ll host the meeting and since our group will be less than 10 people we’ll successfully fly under the radar.
    The building is capable of hosting 40+ people so I fully expect the “social distancing” requirements to be in force at that time and we should be able to accommodate that no problem. I’ll have two printers there and that will help with this idea.
    I also have three already signed up so I’ve met the minimum. As we get closer I’m monitoring the latest that Whitman County, the State of WA and other entities are saying about things like this. I’ve been in contact with both folks that will be flying in for the event and they are still fully on board with it. But as we are well aware our plans can be up-ended in a heartbeat with the latest stuff that’s been happening. If we are forced to pull the plug or postpone it I’ll keep you all updated.
    If you’re interested in this workshop I am offering a more lenient cancellation policy. However, I am also taking payments up to the day before the event so if you make it a last-minute decision that’s fine too.
    And finally, if we postpone it I’ll be in contact with those that have bought plane tickets first to see when they can arrange it for since airlines are offering to change tickets without any penalties or fees.
  4. Lessons online. If you’ve not done so yet, please consider joining the Latitude Photography Podcast facebook group. There’s over 800 members there and I’m putting my Principles of Photography lessons there in the fb group. These are the same lessons my university students get. You just have to ask to join, then answer a question, that is name the host, that’s me, and tell me about how long you’ve been a photographer. That’s it! These lessons will be repackaged and made public and free later this spring or early summer. But I decided I couldn’t wait to get something out there now so there you have it. They are for beginners. But I’ve already had some fairly experienced photographers write and say how they are enjoying them so I’m sure many more may enjoy it too.
  5. Survey. I’m doing a survey for my Latitude Photography School. The link is at the top of the show notes. It closes May 15, 2020. If you give me your email address, only for this survey give-away, you’ll be entered to win a ThinkTank Photo Photocross 15 backpack.

Main Topic.

Time for the main topic of discussion, that is, what to do if you feel like an imposter in your photography. This is a serious issue if you let it fester and get the best of you.

I received a note from a listener in his mid-twenties. I have a lot of experience in dealing with young people like this so I basically decided to treat him like one of my college students. His name is Alex and he wrote an email and I’d like to read it here. Oh, I’ve also made this a full blog post on my website. The links are in the show notes at up at the top. Pretty much all the detail is here but you can read it over there too since I go into a little more detail as far as the writing is concerned. Anyway, with his permission to share, here’s his initial email:

I have recently jumped feet first into this lovely pursuit we call photography. I have taken pictures for most of my life at some capacity, but within the last month or so, I have decided to try and make it something more meaningful.

I live in AL (approx. 30 miles north of Talladega National Forest) and struggle to find things that captivate my mind for photography. I enjoy being outdoors and have recently jumped into hiking every weekend in the local national forest/state park. Considering where I live, the grand scenics are hard to come by unless it’s at sunrise or sunset and even those are somewhat limited. Small scenes are where it seems to be the best, but I struggle to see small scenes and how to photograph them.

I am also limited on gear and income that allow me to acquire more gear. I am using a Nikon D750 with a Nikon f/1.8 50mm and Tamron 70-300mm. I have no filters at this time.

I also struggle with feeling like an imposter in a hobby to which I don’t belong. I don’t feel as though my technical skill is up to par as well as my creative skill. I feel as though I can see a good picture when looking at them, but I don’t feel as though I’m capable of taking great pictures. I struggle with this because it makes me be down on myself and feel as though it is almost a lost cause. What I do know is that every time I’m behind the camera, looking through the viewfinder, I’m at peace. When I’m looking through the camera, all I think about is what’s on the other side. I’ve never really had this happen. I’ve never had a hobby or passion that consumed my entire brain when doing it. There is no other thought except for the photo I’m trying to take.

Thank you for your time. I know it is worth a lot and I greatly appreciate it.

First off, I’m glad he wrote. He really needs some guidance and encouragement. But I’m curious, how many of you identified with even one thing he wrote there? I’m pretty sure all of you did. At least with one thing anyway. And that’s why I wanted to talk about this on today’s show.

So this is the outline of my response:

  1. I noted that he “recently” jumped into hiking every weekend and that photography is a recent thing for him too.
    I asked what precipitated this. Afterall, I’m curious to know if he’s serious about this hobby or not. If he’s just been in it for a few weeks or months and he’s questioning this position as a photographer and wondering if it’s even for him (that’s what it sounds like to me) then is it really helpful for me to get involved?
  2. I assured him that at this time he probably “should” feel like an imposter. After all, he’s so new to it all.
  3. Then I talked about his disappointment with not being able to capture the grand scenics. This tells me he’s comparing himself to others too much. Especially since he essentially “blamed” it on where he lives. In subsequent messages he described other places he’s lived and that’s all fine and good. He pines for some of those other locales, but you’ve gotta learn to flourish where you’re at and with what you’re capable of getting too. He also mentioned some photography interests that were for his work and a few other things from childhood, but only in the last few months has he really found nature photography and hiking to be such a joy and he’s having trouble bringing the two together effectively and he’s having trouble getting what he wants out of the experience.
    How many of us know disappointment?
  4. I then took a stab at what might be bothering him and said, “You get frustrated when your photographic interpretation of that world is not realized. It’s not what you saw and felt at the time of being there. This is where you’re experiencing a disconnect with your experience and your appreciation of the experience and how to convey that through the camera. As a beginner I’d be very surprised if you had it nailed from the get go. I see people all the time that think they’re really a “good” photographer when in reality, they totally aren’t. They’re good according to their beliefs, but when they leave their little bubble of reality and have someone else look at their images they’re not really that good. You recognize that you’re not living up to your goals and hopes and dreams and that’s good! That’s wonderful. So how do we get you through to making some progress with your image making?”
  5. I then started hitting home with a few things I wanted him to shift his thinking about all this so I pointed out that he’s creating or making images. Not taking photographs. It’s semantics, but words are important after all. I’m not one that wants to rely on saying “that’s what I meant.” I want someone to say what they mean. I want them to be articulate with their goals and purpose in life and photography. Getting to the point is important and getting it right is also very important.
    1. Go on three hikes without your camera. Just leave it home!
      I stated some reasons for it such as verifying that you truly find this enjoyable and that he understands that a camera will actually add to the experience. I had at least two other reasons for this part of the assignment but I’ll leave that a mystery for now.
    2. Buy a tripod if he didn’t have one. Turns out that he does have one.
    3. I sent him a link of 10 lesser known waterfalls in Alabama. I then challenged him to pick any of them and go there with the camera. But he can only take his 50mm lens. Not the zoom. BUT, he must get to the waterfall and not shoot for 30 minutes. He can sit there, walk around, doesn’t matter. But he can’t shoot right away.
    4. I then sent him a webmd.com article that talks briefly about negative ions that are prevalent in nature, especially waterfalls, and explained the benefit of not shooting for 30 minutes. I need his frame of mind to be transformed by the place before he gets shooting.
    5. I then stated that if he’ll follow my advice and repeat this over and over to different location he’ll start to see a shift in his image making. And I reiterated that he must follow the process. The creative process is important. In subsequent messages I learned more about him and how he likes to get right to it. But the creative process requires patience. Maybe that’s why doctors are so good at photography… :)
    6. I then encouraged him to seek out resources and maybe even consider attending the Create Photography Retreat. After a few subsequent messages I learned more about his history and about him as a person and then recommended that he find a photo buddy or two that he can go shoot with. If you’re in the his region you can reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with I’m if he’s OK with that.
    7. I then reminded him that it will take dedication and commitment. I don’t expect him to not feel like an imposter right away, but with time and practice he’ll have the confidence and the experience to not feel so awkward when shooting and making photographs.
  6. I ended up giving him a series of assignments. They are:

Tip of the Week.

Just get out there and shoot something. Stay safe, don’t break any laws or quarantine policies, but do get out and shoot.

Reminders

  1. I put a post in the facebook group for voting where you want me to go once this pandemic stuff is all over. I’m running a very high temp with all this cabin fever and I need an outlet fast, but maybe the dreaming aspect can help a bit. So please get on in there today and place your vote. The options are:
    1. Black Sea (take ferries between Istanbul, Odessa and Georgia)
    2. Rural Western China
    3. Japan
    4. India
    5. Outer Hebrides
    6. Serbia, Montenegro and Albania

View Details

We go to the ends of the earth in this episode. Paul North, of Meet the Ocean, shares his knowledge and stories about shooting from places such as Antarctica, Greenland and everything in between.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 72 for March 31, 2020.

LINKS

Meet the Ocean Website:https://www.meettheocean.org

Take the Latitude Photography School Survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SDBKjA2D8HvdkB8nGFyNOBhOTvHveB20KJ_JiTXLmaI/edit

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

ThinkTank Photo affiliate link: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with the link and get a free gift at checkout.

Announcements

  1. Share what you’re up to in the facebook group.
  2. I published a beginners lesson on photography, this one is specific to Lenses and Aperture, and it’s only found in the facebook group.
  3. Save 40% off phlearn.com with code Latitude40 at checkout, this is good on their annual subscription and is only good through April 6.
  4. I’ve got a survey going on, link in the show notes. Due to the pandemic I’m extending the survey out to May 15 2020.
  5. I plan to finally get organized by Sunday the 5th of April. These past few weeks have been very hectic and I’ll explain everything in that episode, introduce the new regular guests and I’ll be answering a listener question. He feels like an imposter and we’ve had some good conversations these last few days and I look forward to discussing that with you.

Main Topic

Today I’m talking with Paul North about his organization called Meet the Ocean, Paul, Welcome to the Show!

  1. We briefly met at Walla Walla University. Tell us a little bit about why you were there.
  2. What is Meet the Ocean?
  3. Tell us a bit about your Podcast
  4. Tell us about some gear and the different types of imagery and videos you produce.
  5. Tell us about shooting in Antarctica.
  6. Where are you off to next? What types of stories do you anticipate being able to tell with your work there?

View Details

When you’re on a photoshoot and way out of cell coverage and you need help, what can you do? Maybe you just want to send a quick note home. Now there’s a device that makes it easy to communicate with loved ones, get the weather for your exact location and more. And it’s all possible even when you’re miles away from the nearest cell phone tower.

Links for today's episode:

SatPaq Website: https://satpaq.com

_________________

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

_________________

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use this link AND the code latitude15 the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

ThinkTank Photo affiliate link: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with the link and get a free gift at checkout

Main Topic

Today I’m talking with Rob Reis about a great looking product called SatPaq. Rob, Welcome to the show!

  1. Quick overview of SatPaq and the company
  2. You as a photographer, a bit of experience with a Mamiya camera?
    1. How it connects to your phone
    2. SpaceLinq App and features
    3. Costs
    4. Tech features, battery life etc.
  3. Details of SatPaq
  4. Regional Limits?
  5. Future goals, where you’re heading.

View Details

Our National Parks and other federally managed lands offer a great opportunity to photographers and other artists. That is, the Artists in Residency program. In this episode David Hunter and I discuss what these programs are all about, how to apply and our own applications for going to Alaska this summer.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Arts in the Parks: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/arts/air.htm

USDA Forest Service Alaska: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r10/specialplaces/?cid=stelprd3820977

David Hunter Website: davidhunterphoto.com

Instagram: @photohntr

_________________

Become a charter member of Latitude Photography School once it’s released. If you enroll in my Palouse Shoot-n-Print photography workshop before the school is released in late March, 2020, and you select the option that includes the online course, you’ll be enrolled in LPS as a charter member with access to everything on the site. Once LPS is officially announced as released this offer expires.

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

_________________

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

ThinkTank Photo affiliate link: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with the link and get a free gift at checkout.

Main Topic

Today I’m talking with David Hunter about Artist in the Park Residencies, David, Welcome to the show:

  1. Getting to know you a bit, tell us about you and your photography
  2. Artist in the park Residency, what is it?
  3. Who should apply, what qualifies someone for this experience?
  4. Any advice for which ones to go for when it’s your first time?
  5. What turns them off from an applicant?
  6. They require outreach/informational programs from the applicant after they return home (and some while on site). What types are they looking for?
  7. Do they look for a different type of art medium from year to year, or is there other criteria for making the selections?
  8. Should the applicant be familiar with the location at all? Either with previous visits or research, or???
  9. Where have you been selected to be an artist in the park?

Tip of the Week.

Brent: Practice the principle of Continuity. Think about something that is joined with other things that makes a larger item, such as the rungs on a ladder. When we see that we don’t think, “there’s a rung” we say “there’s a ladder.” So push yourself, what other items can you find and create a photograph of that is built on the individual elements but is part of a larger whole.

David: I’ve discovered Nigel Dantzen. A lot like Thomas Heaton. Something he does is to do his own printing. I don’t have the time. But he will print out his images and then physically mark them up and note what he can improve upon in those images.

View Details

Today's conversation takes us deep into personal territory, we seek to help you define and understand what will make you a better photographer, and maybe a bit more well rounded too. :)

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Create Photography Retreat

Rick’s Book

Rick's Website: https://ricksammon.com

Richard Bernabe Episode: http://www.latitudephotographypodcast.com/episode/the-creative-principle/

Emotional Intelligence 2.0: https://amzn.to/2SxwioL

Real Magic: https://amzn.to/2Swi1Zn

The Artists Way: https://amzn.to/2OWsr26

Wildlife Photography by Richard Bernabe: https://amzn.to/37yVTl8

On Photography by Susan Songag: https://amzn.to/2Huf4SE

_________________

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

_________________

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

ThinkTank Photo affiliate link: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with the link and get a free gift at checkout

Main Topic.

Today I’m talking with Rick Sammon about some items found in his most recent book, Photo Therapy, Motivation and Wisdom. Rick, welcome to the show

  1. Let’s start with this idea of “Emotional Intelligence.” What is that all about?
  2. In the book you cover some of the basics about your early career as a photographer. Let’s start there, you were working for an ad agency and…
  3. Chapter 3, Photography can improve your health and sense of well-being. You quote your friend Richard Bernabe, who was on the show back in late November, 2018. He says, “For me, the very act of walking through a forest, desert, or a beach with my camera, regardless if I take a photo or not, is a form of mindfulness. I’m not ruminating on the past or worried about what I need to do tomorrow or next week.”
    Let’s unpack that a little bit, the first time I “realized” this deeply was in shooting Tunnel Falls in the Columbia River Gorge…
  4. Chapter 4, Getting in Touch with Nature. From the chapter, “Thinking about how fast time goes by is also an escape from our normal reality that gives us an appreciation for how fast time passes, which, I think, gives us a better appreciation for life, which in turn can make us better people. Again, photo therapy at work.”
  5. Chapter 6, Creating your Own Reality. From the chapter, “We need to envision how a three-dimensional scene will look as a two-dimensional image, how light will be captured by our cameras, which is different than how our eyes see light—highlights and shadows.”
    “I shoot with feeling, I shoot with passion. I show respect. Above all, I shoot for myself.”
  6. Chapter 7. Looking vs. Seeing. Let’s talk about your “One-Picture Promise.”
  7. Listener questions:
    Nick Dag asks, “What key changes/developments in technology have had the greatest impact on your journey through photography and how did these alter your path?
    Jeremy Lanthorn asks, “In a world where we’re told to specialize, how do you continue to be successful in ‘specializing in not specializing?’”
    If we haven’t covered it already, Kirk Keyes wants to hear more about what lead you to the decision to create a photography book without any photos between the covers.
    Kirk also wants to know if you plan to put more music lessons on your YouTube Channel. And what’s your take on music and photography, would learning music add to the photographic experience and creativity?
    Drake Dyck asks, “How did you decide to write your first book and has your process changed much over the course of writing 40 books now?”
  8. Tell me about your next book.

View Details

Links Mentioned in today’s show: Matt’s Website: https://www.mattbishopphotography.com/

PALOUSE Shoot-n-Print Workshop Details: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off. Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Main Topic. Today I’m talking with Matt Bishop, Matt, welcome to the show!

  1. A little about yourself
  2. Pentax announcements
  3. Your Pentax gear
  4. Patagonia

Tip of the Week. Brent: Find a place near you that’s not over crowded with photographers and find something special there. Share it if you want, or keep it to yourself. But the challenge is to find the beauty in an unknown area near you.

Matt: The mountain isn’t going to move. Slow down and find something that moves you into the landscape.

View Details

I just love being able to talk with someone and getting to know a bit more about what makes them tick as a person and a photographer…

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 67 for February 9, 2020!

Links Mentioned in today’s show: PHLEARN Linkshttps://www.facebook.com/Phlearn

https://www.instagram.com/phlearn

https://www.youtube.com/phlearn

https://phlearn.com and use discount code latitude20 for 20% off the annual subscription.

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Main Topic. Today I’m talking with Aaron Nace of Phlearn, Aaron, welcome to the show.

Our Topics of discussion

  1. Getting your start in photography
  2. Your interests in travel destinations. What are three destinations you really enjoyed visiting and photographing?
  3. The early days of PHLEARN and what it’s grown into today.

View Details

Large format photography is often seen as cumbersome, slow, and way to expensive for most budgets. And my conversation with Ben Horne pretty much confirms that. But we also learn what makes it special and why, at least for Ben, it’s the only way to experience photography.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 66 for January 26, 2020!

Links Mentioned in today’s show: https://benhorne.com

https://www.instagram.com/benhornephoto/

https://www.youtube.com/c/benhorne

Garmin InReach Mini Satellite Communicator: https://amzn.to/3anDc6I

PALOUSE SHOOT-N-PRINT workshop: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off. Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Main Topic. Today I have a special guest. Ben Horne. Ben, Welcome to the show:

  1. Describe a bit of you as a photographer. Hour history as a photographer, and how you describe yourself today.
  2. Your YouTube channel. Massively good at telling a good story. Do you write everything before hand or just plan it out in your head and otherwise wing it?
  3. Working with Large Format, your camera seems to be very compact, it folds down quite flat. Talk about your camera a bit. Tilting, rising, falling, plane of focus etc. Do you ever shoot 4x5? Do you ever scan your films?
  4. Talk a bit about the shooting process and what speaks to you about large format? How many frames do you usually shoot each day?
  5. Attributes needed for the landscape photographer? (Patience, anything else?)
  6. Staying safe out in the wilderness. And your satellite messenger device…
  7. You say “I don’t know how it’s going to turn out” a few times in your videos. What do you mean by that? Surely you have an idea of some sort.
  8. In shooting film, there’s this thing called reciprocity failure. Let’s talk about that a bit.
  9. Where to next?

Tip of the Week. Brent: Choose a moving subject and capture it in multiple shutter speeds. How does your intent for the photograph change as the subject becomes sharper or more blurry?

Ben: Something very, very, very simple. Things can be overwhelming at times. What I’ve learned to do, hike 30–50 ft, look around, go a little further, and look around again. Stop, look around, take in everything, and you’ll probably notice something that was hidden in plain sight.

View Details

Using photographic techniques to create his art, Bob Coates considers himself a “Lens Based Artist.” We talk about his work and and his approach. You’ll be inspired and motivated to get out there and make some of your own masterpieces.

Coates Fine Art: https://coatesart.net

Bob Coates Photography: https://www.bcphotography.com/index

https://successful-photographer.com

Instagram: Bob_Coates or bcoatesart

Check out thePalouse Shoot-n-Print workshopcoming this spring! https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.
Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Main Topic Today I have a special guest, Bob Coates, and we’re talking about:

  1. Bosque del Apache
  2. Landscape Prints
  3. Flora Prints

Photo Tip of the Week. Brent: Lens limitations, use a single lens, or if a zoom, a single setting on your lens and go out and shoot.

Bob: If you have a good B&W photo, you often have the good bones for a good color photo. Set your camera view to Monochrome, and make sure you shoot in raw so you still get color. If you shoot in JPG you’re stuck in B&W.

View Details

In this rather eclectic show I open the mail bag once again, talk about my new initiatives for 2020, discuss photography goals and I’ve got two pieces of recommended gear for you.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Join me in the Palouse for a Shoot-n-Print Workshop. May 24–25 and June 15–16. https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Main Topics Today I’m talking about:

  1. Opening the mail bag with a listener question
  2. New Initiatives
  3. Photography Goals, Where I’m headed.
  4. Two pieces of recommended gear.

The Mail Bag: Question: Renos wrote in recently saying, “I really enjoyed your podcast this week about the cropped/full-frame sensors. It got me thinking about my next step in photography but I have a bit of a dilemma.

I currently use a Canon EOS 100D (18MP) DSLR which I have had for quite a few years now and I’m really happy with it. It has a cropped sensor and the current lenses I use are all EFS mounts and Canon lenses (50mm prime 1.8; 10-18mm IS; 18-55mm kit lens with IS; and a 75-300mm zoom lens without image stabilization). I want to eventually get into macro photography but am doing a lot of portrait photography at the moment and wanted to better that with regards to quality and sharpness of my images.

I am looking to either upgrade my camera to a full frame DSLR or buy a much better quality lens (with an EF mount now) so that I will still be able to use it when upgrading in the future. I don’t have a lot of space to move around when I set up the studio as I do all of that in my living room currently. When using the 50mm prime to get the best quality photos I always have to step back quite a bit and if I did eventually buy an 85mm prime this would be even more difficult for me. The kit lens is good but I don’t get as great picture quality with it.

Would you recommend staying with Canon or moving to a new brand of camera? Should I stay with a DSLR or move to mirrorless? My budget isn’t a lot at this stage but wanted to know what I should be saving for and wanted some advice from you as I know you know a lot about this.

Please let me know if you need any more info from me.

Answer: My thinking is that if you stick with DSLR you should give yourself an expectation of about 5 years with it. Let’s say you stick with Canon. And you get a better lens now and eventually you get a 5D4 or some such. The prices are coming down with the market shifting to mirrorless systems such as the Canon R and Sony etc. But, all the EF lenses will also come down in price when looking on the used market especially. So with that, you’ve got something easier on the budget. Especially that 85mm f/1.8. That has already depreciated in price quite a bit on the used market, and will continue to slide over the next year I’m sure, though not to the degree other EF lenses will slide.

I’ve chosen to give Sony a look for one major reason. The mount is the same between their crop sensor and FF bodies AND all the lenses are interchangeable between the bodies. I like the flexibility that it gives. Plus, the mount is smaller than the new Canon and Nikon mounts and I like the actual size savings I see in the Sony crop sensor cameras. They’re really doing good work there.

However, switching camera systems is a HUGE undertaking both in workflow expectations and finances. Your current kit isn’t worth a whole lot on the used market so you don’t have the advantage of lessening the blow financially by selling it. There’s some value there, but not a whole lot.

So here’s what it comes down to, in my opinion anyway. Stick with canon for now. Give it 3-5 more years and take advantage of the price drops that will happen due to most everyone else switching to the R system or other camera systems. At that time you’ll be that much further down your photography journey and you can decide if the R system is fleshed out enough to stick with canon or to bail. At that time there will also be a lot of Sony A7Riv models out there on the used market so switching to Sony (if that’s your desire) will still be cheaper and whoa, what a camera!

For myself, I’m considering switching to the A7R3 as the camera on the used market is looking fairly decent and I don’t feel I need 60+ MP right now (though I would absolutely like it!) I’m also being tempted by the Fuji GFX system and if money were no object to me I’d go Leica SL2.

New Initiatives I’m starting a few new things this year. A part of me says I’m biting too much off, I’m going to deep into it. But I think I’ve got a good plan and I’d like to share it with you.

  1. More YouTubing
    I’ll be creating more for the YT channel and I’ll be consuming more.
  2. Latitude Photography School
    I’ve already announced this. It’s my goal to have things “finished enough” to release it before Spring Break, but let’s face it, I might have to use my Spring Break to finish it off.
  3. Less Podcasting
    With these changes in my YouTube strategy and my photography school I’m starting I need to relieve something in my schedule. I’ll be moving forward with the podcast every other week. At least for the time being. There may be times when I release shows more frequently but for now I’ll try and keep it to every other week. I’ve got some great guests coming on the show here soon, so Jan 12 we’ll have Bob Coates on and then that’s when we’ll go with the new schedule of every other week. January 26 will be an interview with Ben Horne. These two photographers do some amazing work and I think you’ll enjoy my conversations with them.
  4. Casting Call
    I’m looking for some of you that would be interested in coming on about once a quarter. I’ve already asked two folks if they’d be interested and they said yes, so that’s great. I’ll get them scheduled soon and we’ll start having some regular appearances with some other photographers.
    I’m looking for possibly two more. Here’s how you apply. Send me an email with the subject of “casting call” to brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com Include the following:
    Website link or other link to some of your favorite images (can also be an included PDF)
    A recorded introduction of yourself. Tell me your name, what time zone you’re in and what photography genres you specialize in. Don’t worry about audio quality at this time. Just send me a brief introduction and let me hear you talk briefly about yourself and your photography. Use your voice recording app on your cell phone if you’d like. It doesn’t matter.
    If you’re a photographer with the following qualifications then you’re invited and encouraged to submit an application: 1. You have a big interest in the genres of Travel or Landscape or other Outdoor photography; 2. You have regular availability either Fridays or Sundays during regular business hours for the Pacific Time Zone, You’re willing to invest a small amount into a mic for quality recording on your end, I can grab your recording here, you just need a good mic, those generally can be had for about $50; 3. You have a good broadband internet connection and can use Skype to connect; 4. You’re excited or at least interested in sharing your thoughts and opinions on various photography topics.

Photography Goals, Where I’m headed 1. I want to get out more and more. I just love shooting. I plan to dedicate more time to shooting locally, up to three hours drive away.

  1. I want to shoot more Astro, but right now I don’t have the best lens for it. So I’ll do what I can for now, I do have a star tracker I can use, so that helps, but I’d like to eventually work my way up to more deep space (longer lens) nigh photography. That will require some serious trial and error on the star tracker side of things.

  2. I have one of two tracks for “getting out” that I plan to follow. Either a.) visit at least four national parks this year or b.) travel to two different international destinations that require a flight (i.e. Driving to B.C. Canada doesn’t count, but if I visited a National Park that would count for that goal) I’ve yet to make my decisions but that’s the idea for how I see this shaking out.
    One idea for the National Park visits is a return to Alaska. I’m going to apply for an Artist in the Park program up there and see if that works out. In general they offer 8–12 day opportunities going out in the backcountry with a ranger and I think that would just be loads of fun and would be an amazing opportunity for some incredible photographs.

  3. Camera gear. Sony? Canon, others? Discussion on this topic.

Two pieces of recommended gear 1. Urban Access 15 by ThinkTank Photo http://bit.ly/2ml3QbU

  1. BH-1 by Kirk Enterprises

Tip of the Week. Brent: Texture. Go hunting for texture and work to emphasize it. Find a type of texture and see how many different subjects you can shoot that speak to that type of texture. But only spend an hour or two doing this. Give yourself a time crunch to see what you can come up with.

Reminders 1. I’m always looking for feedback and ideas so please reach out if you’ve got a show idea or someone you’d like me to interview. Send me an email at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com 2. Also, would you mind leaving a review of the show whether in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen? 3. I’ve announced my next big project and that is https://latitudephotographyschool.com I’ll have tutorials, deep-dive courses and my workshops listed there. Over my Christmas break I’ll be working like mad to get that moving and I’ll also bring back my personal website at brentbergherm.com where I’ll showcase galleries of my photography. Sign up today to be the first notified of when the school is open.
Photography, travel and education is where my heart is and I can’t wait to get this thing fully launched. If there’s anything you’re just itching to learn more about, please reach out and let me know. 4. Along with the school I’m also starting longer-term deep-dive mentorships. If you’d like to dive really deep into advancing your photography this year, maybe I can help. I invite you to reach out and if I think I can help then we’ll get something set up. Presently, I can only help three at a time so that means there’s two spots left for the first half of 2020. Mentorships will last about six months and we’ll have a couple of weekly meetings to start out with and we’ll go with monthly meetings after that. All the while you’ll get email support too. So if you need a kick in the pants to kickstart your next big project or to fine tune your creative process and outcomes drop me a line and let’s chat about it. 5. A HUGE thank you to all who have used my lensrentals.com and ThinkTank Photo affiliate links.
I don’t have Patreon or anything else like that, so these links are a great way to support the show and my efforts here.
I’m so grateful for the support you’ve shown me by using it and if you use the offer code latitude15 you’ll save 15% off your order as well. At the very least, save yourself the 15% and if you can use that link in the show notes then I’ll grab a few % as well and it won’t cost you a dime more.

View Details

We continue with the stories and photography that happened on the Aleutian Island of Unalaska. And we finally get to listener feedback about what excites YOU about your photography.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 63 for December 29, 2019!

Links Mentioned in today’s show: Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop direct link: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Image Gallery for the commentary: http://www.latitudephotographypodcast.com/galleries/unalaska-island/

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Fifth Day Thursday. This would be our last day of shooting. We returned to Mt. Ballyhoo but this time we went to Fort Schwatka which is on the northern side of the island. They gate the road at about a half-mile up so we had to walk the rest of the way up a road. It was about a mile to get there from where we parked the car and it starts at about 800–900 ft elevation. It’s big and spread out more than the map suggests. We started our hike at about 9:00 a.m. today since we knew it wouldn’t take us too long to get to the good stuff, and with the sun coming up at about 10:30 we had plenty of time. This was our best day for weather as well. The sun actually came out for an hour or so. It was almost strange to shoot in such conditions. It was colder though, about 35º on average and the winds were very calm, maybe 5mph at the most.

Fort Schwatka was one military installation that was built fortified in reaction to a Japanese invasion in 1942 but after that hardly ever saw any real action in the war. There’s old barracks and other buildings to photograph with the landscape and several gun batteries and mounts to frame up too. And I got a lot of that. What impressed me most though was the sheer beauty of the place as the other parts of Unalaska Island surrounds you. To the east you have Summer Bay and Split Top Mountain along with Constantine Bay further up north and Princess Head just beyond that. To west there’s Broad Bay and Eider Point with all the mountains along there as well. If we look back to the east you have the mountains I just talked about and then Beaver Inlet and then another mountain range. It’s amazingly beautiful and really sets you back. Several times I just stoped, took a deep breath and just soaked it all in.

(review the images from this area)

We ended up spending way more time up there than we initially planned. And I was getting exhausted again. We started hiking at about 9:00 a.m. and it was getting close to 3 by the time we figured we’d better think about heading back. That was six hours of straight hiking and shooting and over 7 miles in total of wandering about. It was so amazing but I was getting low on calories and needed to stop. I didn’t want to though. It was just too good. But with the cliffs at about 800 ft to the ocean I figured I’d better play it safe and not flirt with disaster. It was such a rewarding time though. And I’m so glad we got up there on this day as we saw the weather forecast and knew it would likely open up for us.

After a brief hot chocolate break in the apartment we contemplated going up Bunker Hill again but decided not to do another hike. We found a great little place facing Unalaska Bay and photographed the water crashing in on the rocky shore as the sun set.

Sixth Day We didn’t shoot at all today. We woke late (about 7:30 a.m.) and finished our food stuffs. Then we packed. Then it was off to the Museum of the Aleutians which didn’t open until 11:00. Randy’s plane was scheduled to leave at 1:00 so we didn’t want to push our luck. We’d heard that sometimes the flights leave early so we weren’t going to risk it. I also wanted to leave on the same flight if possible but I was booked on the later 5:00 flight.

I inquired with the airline agent and she simply replied that I can be on standby and that I should bring my bag in anyway. “If we can’t get you on this flight maybe we can get your bag on it, or vice versa” she said. At about 12:20 I was called to the desk and was confirmed on the plane. There’s 37 seats on this little puddle jumper and I was #37. “It looks like we can even get your bag on” she said, which was certainly a relief since I didn’t want to have to return to the airport to retrieve my bag.

The flight back to Anchorage was about an hour shorter than getting out there since we had such a healthy tailwind and we didn’t have to stop in King Salmon in order to refuel as we did on the way out.

Randy and I parted ways in Anchorage and I was off to my hotel for the night and he was continuing on home. I stayed over night in Anchorage because I figured it was better than staying over in Seattle all night. But I would have gotten home earlier had I taken the evening flight to Seattle and stayed there the night. Oh well.

I was on the 7:50 flight to Juneau and I ended up spending all day there which was totally boring, and my flight to Seattle was delayed. If I’d had a heads up on that I’d have left the airport and seen some of the city, but oh well, I was able to catch up on a few things like a phone call to my best friend since I was 10 and a call to the wife. I finally made it home to Walla Walla at about 9:00 and was so glad to see the wife and kids once again.

Lessons Learned I LOVE ALASKA but the state is SO HUGE I’ll never be able to do it justice. However, I know I’ll be back.

I need to better practice what I preach. Too often I was short a few calories on the hike. I just need to take more snacks with me on the trail. I had some, but I need more. Always take more than you think you’ll need. I did have a great first-aid kit that I never needed to use and that included two emergency blankets. But the food and energy output was much higher than normal and there were some times where I just needed to have more with me.

Randy is a great traveling companion and a great photo buddy. He’s a great photographer and it’s great to see what others shoot when out and about. We were at the same locations but we shot very differently. And that’s awesome. He was also an inspiration to me and I hope I was to him as well.

The Aleutians are wonderfully amazing and I hope that I can make it back either to Unalaska or make it out to Adak at some point in time soon. I chose Unalaska simply because it was the “more fortified” island in a manner of speaking. They actually have a Safeway there so I knew I’d be fine with food stuffs. Adak, another 350 miles or so out to sea, doesn’t have a big grocery store. Being a vegetarian, I have to watch out for these things more than others do. But I have some ideas on how to prepare for such a trip now and would be successful I’m sure if I decided to make Adak my next Alaskan Adventure. But there’s so much there, I’ll talk a bit more about goals in the next episode so I’ll keep it to this for now…

The Sony a6400 is a great camera for my needs with two tiny items I need to figure out how to work with. When I establish a focus on a subject, and it’s in AF-S mode sometimes I’ll step back a bit and contemplate the composition on screen for a few seconds. When I do that, SOMETIMES, though rarely, it’ll shift focus all on it’s own, taking it out of focus and hunting around a bit. It’s so strange and I hate it. I found that switching to MF was acceptable especially with the auto zooming function it has when you turn the focus ring. That was cool. And then, dust. Its sensor is completely exposed to the elements when changing lenses. So I have a few dust spots on it now that just doesn’t happen with the Canon, not as easily anyway. A shield of some sort for when I change lenses would be good. But I do like the Sony camera and the files I’m getting out of it. It’s slightly lower resolution compared to my Canon, but the quality of the file is quite good and that 18–135 zoom is better quality than I expected as well. I have been using this camera for some time but this was the first shoot where I finally started to really feel comfortable with what it was giving me and how it was behaving.

This type of photography is what excites me more and more these days. I love the feeling of adventure and the ruggedness of the landscape. I can probably be more efficient in getting even more pictures if I stick to public transport and the like when I’m in Europe, but the rugged landscape and further out places are really intriguing to me.

I took the Polar Pro filters with me to test against the Breakthrough filters, and have decided I just need a really boring subject without changing light to really test it and give it a fair shot. My impressions are excellent, that they did well, but let’s face it, the light still changed a bit as I changed lenses so the results will still be hard to determine. Hopefully I can get to this sometime soon as I really want to be all in on Polar Pro but I’ve yet to declare that since I’ve not been able to do this test to the best of my abilities just yet.

What excites you in your photography? I asked in the facebook group what excites you in your photography and I got some great answers.

Josh Austin: I get excited about capturing images that no one else has. Either going places no one else goes, or getting unique shots from well known spots.

Dale Mellor: It's usually light and shadows that catch my eyes. Sometimes color and patterns; like the skies here the other day were cloudy, with filtered light. The yellows and blues made for a unique sky. The other time is when the after sunset turn a magenta (pinkish-purple) color. (PS; not a photo, but sometimes it's just enjoyable to see.) For travel, it's a unique landscape or wildlife in their element (unobstructed by humans). It may be a little corny, but it's sometimes more about the feeling.

Sandy Glenn Brown: I’m an avid camper and travel as often as possible. I love the kiss of the first light of dawn on the wisps of clouds overhead and the sounds of the forest waking to greet me. Or the last streak of sun rays over a green meadow casing long shadows as they peak through the tall pines trees. It’s the wonder, the majesty, the smell of earth and the feel of smallness as I do my best to drink in the nature that surrounds me. And my camera is the tool I use to remember the moments! It’s simply the experience regardless of where I am or what I’m doing.

Tip of the Week. Brent: Take your camera, whatever you have on you right now, be it your phone, whatever, and find something to photograph in the next three minutes. Really try and find something. Maybe you’re jogging, or doing the dishes or laundry. There’s beauty and something interesting everywhere in just about everything. Take three minutes and find it. Then return to reality with whatever you were doing. If you’re driving please do delay until you’ve put the car in park and are able to give it the attention it deserves and do keep your eye on the road.

Reminders 1. I’m always looking for feedback and ideas so please reach out if you’ve got a show idea or someone you’d like me to interview. Send me an email at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com 2. Also, would you mind leaving a review of the show whether in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen? 3. I’ve announced my next big project and that is https://latitudephotographyschool.com I’ll have tutorials, deep-dive courses and my workshops listed there. Over my Christmas break I’ll be working like mad to get that moving and I’ll also bring back my personal website at brentbergherm.com where I’ll showcase galleries of my photography. Sign up today to be the first notified of when the school is open.
Photography, travel and education is where my heart is and I can’t wait to get this thing fully launched. If there’s anything you’re just itching to learn more about, please reach out and let me know. 4. Along with the school I’m also starting longer-term deep-dive mentorships. If you’d like to dive really deep into advancing your photography this year, maybe I can help. I invite you to reach out and if I think I can help then we’ll get something set up. Presently, I can only help three at a time so that means there’s two spots left for the first half of 2020. Mentorships will last about six months and we’ll have a couple of weekly meetings to start out with and we’ll go with monthly meetings after that. All the while you’ll get email support too. So if you need a kick in the pants to kickstart your next big project or to fine tune your creative process and outcomes drop me a line and let’s chat about it. 5. A HUGE thank you to all who have used my lensrentals.com affiliate link. I’m so grateful for the support you’ve shown me by using it and if you use the offer code latitude15 you’ll save 15% off your order as well. At the very least, save yourself the 15% and if you can use that link in the show notes then I’ll grab a few % as well and it won’t cost you a dime more.

View Details

I peak inside the mail bag and respond to a listener and then I give you all the details on my recent journey to the Aleutian Island of Unalaska which after some contemplation got me thinking about what makes YOU excited about the images you create so we’ll have some listener feedback on that as well.

I reference this map in the episode briefly, basically, it's intended to give you an understanding of the different locations we photographed. Sponsor for this episode Golden Hour by Polar Pro Filters: https://www.polarprofilters.com/pages/golden-hour

Image Gallery for the commentary: http://www.latitudephotographypodcast.com/galleries/unalaska-island/

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop direct link: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Main Topics Today I’m talking about:

  1. What’s in the mail bag
  2. My time in Alaska
  3. Contemplating on the idea of what makes us get excited in our photography.

The mail bag Listener message from Terrell

What an informative podcast on sensor size. I really didn't understand as completely as I thought I had. I was wondering would you think a show on lens resolution would also be just as informative. Being a gearhead it gives me a reason to buy stuff if there's a logic behind the purchase.

With these new bodies now seeming to start at 30+ MP I keep reading and hearing that such and such lens (older) can't resolve these newer big files. Is this just a sharpness issue or more? Do I need to buy new lenses? And the last thing: I've played around with that new RF 70-200 for Canon and no issues I had but what I would like to know is the external focusing a result of physics or cost? Just curious.

Answer: Yes, I do think an episode on lens resolution would be good. I’ll look into that.

As for your question, I’ll look into it a bit more before tomorrow’s episode is out, but with the RF70-200 I think it’s a dual issue for that lens design. Physics so they can decrease the size of the lens when stored and I’m sure it’s probably cheaper to build as well, though Lensrentals did a teardown of that lens and found it to be one of the best built lenses ever, so Canon didn’t skimp on build quality. They had to though given all the extra moving parts and not being able to protect everything inside the barrel like the older lens designs.

Why Unalaska? Jeana, a long time listener, asked me how Unalaska came to be on my radar in the first place.

I’ve been dreaming of the Aleutian Islands for some time now. This was my first experience in Alaska. I’ve wanted to go for so long but the size and multitude of opportunities the state offers makes it a daunting task to figure out what you’re going to do. I chose Unalaska for a few reasons.

First, it’s rather remote so most folks don’t go there. I like to get to the fringe of the earth as it were. If it’s less known I’m more interested in it and if I do go to a really well traveled place you’ll find me searching for other images that aren’t so known about the region, like when I went to Hong Kong and spent most of my time on the small islands and not in the heart of the city.

I had Alaska Airlines miles, and it was cheap to get to. Cash outlay was $12 for the airfare, plus air miles of course. And finally, being such a small island with limited access to trails and the like, I knew a majority of the time would be spent hiking, exploring and shooting and not trying to get to the place to shoot. I love a compact area that has loads of opportunities for photography and Unalaska is overloaded with photographic goodness. There’s so much there, even with a week we were barely able to get beyond the surface, as it were.

So initially, it was just the allure of the wild Aleutian Islands, Adak being my initial draw since Alaska Airlines actually does fly there, but I Ultimately chose Unalaska because it was better suited to be my first experience on one of the Islands.

I was expecting terrible weather, and we got it. High wind, you betcha. Rugged landscape, absolutely. Amazing photographic opportunities around every corner? Yes!

The journey up there It took all day to get there. Waking at 2:30 a.m. a bit earlier than needed for my 5:00 a.m. flight out of Walla Walla, I started out on the wrong foot, literally. In my slightly sleep deprived daze I put on my shoes, one of one type and the other a mismatch. They’re both Keen, so they felt very similar, but when I landed in Seattle at about 6:15 am and got off the plane I felt a difference in my feet. And I’d seen what I’d done. I was kinda ticked, but figured I should just laugh it off. But as I waited for the next flight I’m sitting there watching all these people walk by with matching shoes, I was jealous for their feet, feeling the same and not sticking out like mine were. But I had two pair of boots packed so I knew I was going to be OK once I got there.

Just before we boarded for Anchorage I met Randy Gemar, my companion for this trip.

A few months ago I put out a request for someone to join me and to split costs. We chatted on the phone and figured to go ahead with it. My friends and parents are all asking me in hushed tones, “are you sure this is a good idea?” Let me tell you, Randy is the best photo buddy anyone could have along with them. Everything was just perfect plus, I had the added security of someone else with me. When you’re 800 miles from the nearest hospital and the only way off the island is a medivac flight in dire situations, you want someone with you who can help should the worst happen. And Unalaska has tons of cliffs over 800 ft high and several other potentially dangerous hazards that can cause problems.

The lay of the land Unalaska is the first island in the Aleutian chain of islands with a major settlement. The Alaska Peninsula stretches about 350+ miles from Katmai National Park and Preserve out towards the little town of Cold Bay. Then you have Unimak Island, a few much smaller islands, and then Unalaska. The port is called Dutch Harbor and it’s the nation’s top fishing port. In 2015 they brought in 787 million pounds of fish totaling about $218M. All other Aleutian Island Ports combined brought in 467 million pounds totalling $111M. This is also where they film the show “The Deadliest Catch.”

However, in the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas the town is so quiet and calm. Whenever we drove about we were pretty much the only vehicle on the road.

I’ll publish a map to the facebook group and here in the show notes. This is a custom drawn map that shows the different places we went to for shooting. I’ve also color coded the locations by the day we were there as well.

The tundra is definitely one big sponge to walk on. Many times that sponge is sopping wet and you get the sense of it like this. (play the sound of walking on the tundra)

Other times it’s dryer yet it’s so soft your foot is completely swallowed by it as you step across it. If you go off trail you can’t even see your tracks until the tundra is frozen and the ice causes it to keep its form a bit from your stepping upon it.

The wet sopping type of tundra is more grassy, or field grasses, and the type that swallows your foot is a plant that’s rather like a bush, but it is very low lying and very cushy. They are often interchanged on the same trail over and over again.

The temp hovered around 40º the whole time we were there, this is at sea level though. The snow level was at about 1,000 ft, depending on the day. We had a storm roll through on Wednesday which brought the snow level down quite a bit.

First day of shooting We decided to head up Mt. Ballyhoo. The previous evening we drove about getting our bearings and I’m so glad we did. We were able to find the trailhead for this hike and then that made it a whole bunch easier in the darkness of the morning. The sun didn’t rise until about 10:30 and we started hiking at about 8:00 a.m. The hike starts at about 250 ft. elevation and quickly ascends to 1,600 when you’re on top. We made it to about 1,500 ft. The entire trail is about a mile long, so that’s about 1,250 elevation gain in roughly a mile. It was rather a tough hike but very much worth it. I’ll go through the images shot that day which are on the website in a special gallery. The link is in the show notes.

(Specific commentary on images)

I left my bag at about 900-1,000 ft elevation and only took the Sony a6400 and the 18–135 lens on up to the top. I was just so tired of carrying all that weight and the Sony did a fantastic job.

We spent longer than we originally planned up there. Bit it was so worth it. The light was amazing and there was so much to shoot. On the way down, as it was so steep and snow covered for half of it, we both slid and slipped a bit. You just have to stay clear of the cliffs and other really steep edges and you’ll be fine. We picked up our bags and continued on the rest of the way down. We finished up at about 3:30 or so and with the sun setting in two hours we didn’t want to spend too much time getting to the next spot, but we did take a brief break at the apartment before heading out again.

For sunset we went up Bunker Hill. There’s a road that takes you up to the top but it was gated off and I didn’t care for that. I was beat from the morning hike. But I did it anyway. And it was also just gorgeous up there. The hill is on the southern part of town so I got a nice overview of the town, but you can also look directly into Captains Bay. The clouds really moved in so we didn’t get any dynamic light, but I still got one good image of the bay and the mountains surrounding it.

Day Two I didn’t get hardly any shots that were keepers today. First off, I was so beat from the two hikes on Sunday that I simply CRASHED when I got back to the room. I didn’t eat supper and I was just so wasted. I needed to rest. So that’s what I did. I think it made Randy a little nervous but that’s also one of the primary reasons I really wanted a photo buddy along for the trip, safety is a huge concern as I have five other people depending on me at home. I’m the sole bread winner so I need to take certain precautions to make sure all is safe and I get back home in one piece, and that I’m functional when I return as well :)

So Randy went out in the morning but the rain was just really coming down hard. I didn’t get out of bed until about noon and after a massive breakfast we headed out at about 1:30 or so. We did a few errands such as buying a SIM card for my phone so I could finally communicate with the family and a few other things. I did make a few images of a small waterfall but they are already deleted. They weren’t any good. We drove around some more to get our bearings on the Overland Drive and I did get a few images of the snow line, but the sun was already down and it was quite dark. One image I did get that isn’t in the online gallery is a complete abstract. It’s literally a shot of the fog that is completely out of focus and almost feels like a mistake. But I kept it because I just loved the mystery is conveys and how moody it is. We were unable to make it over the pass due to the snow on the road so we turned around and went back to the apartment the way we came.

Third Day This was Tuesday, December 17, 2019. We decided to go to Ugadaga Bay. The trail starts at about 800 ft elevation and descends to sea level. There’s a few waterfalls along the way but as we started once again at about 8:00 a.m. on the trailhead we didn’t shoot until we got down to the bay. It’s a large bay that is part of the larger Beaver Inlet so it’s well protected from the Pacific Ocean currents and the storms and other energy that comes from the Bearing Sea. So that meant the tiny waves coming on to the rocky shore were very small and peaceful. Very calm. Like this: (play sound of lapping water)

(Go through images and describe them from the gallery)

Again, we spent longer than we originally anticipated we would. We started hiking out at about 1:30 and were back at the car by about 4:30. We hiked a total of 6.7 miles and as we were heading out the rain came on once again. It got stronger and stronger as we got closer to the car so we skipped a few spots that we really wanted to shoot. But with the decreasing energy and the increasing rain, mixed with decreasing light, we decided to see if we could come back. We didn’t, but I’m OK with that as we got some other excellent shots.

We got back to the apartment and just took it easy with a massive supper and time to dry off. I didn’t want a repeat of what happened Sunday evening either, but I was feeling much more in tune with all the hiking. Lesson learned: I need to get out more so I’m in better shape.

Fourth Day For Wednesday we planned to hike the Peace of Mind Trail. In looking at the elevation gain and reading about the trail we knew it would be such a bugger of a hike. It started at about 750 ft. elevation, gained to about 850 then had a sheer drop of about 500+ feet in less than a half mile. That drop was about 1.5 miles in as well, and it was another two miles to the bay. So we looked at the map I bought on Monday and decided to try out the first mile or so, until that big drop. Maybe we’d see some waterfalls there. But we didn’t. I got one shot just to prove I was there. It’s not pretty but I decided to keep it purely for story telling purposes.

We then got back to the car and drove up the Overland Drive again trying to see if we could get over the pass this time. And we did! And we decided to shoot up there as we had about 360º views of awesome mountains transitioning from snow covered to not at about the 1,000 ft level. And the pass is roughly at about 1,000 ft. But, the wind was blowing at about a sustained 45mph. It was tough shooting.

My battery died and I had left the bag in the car, so I left it to got get another battery. and after doing so I decided I’d better spread the legs out further. I had the camera on a ledge, if it had blown over it wouldn’t be destroyed, but it’d have to go down a small hill to retrieve it. As I returned I slid the last 15 ft to the tripod trying to stop since it was downhill and the wind was just blowing me so much, and the tripod was only on two legs. So I’m glad I went back as I’m sure it’d have gone over if I’d let it be. I spread the legs out further and then ran up the hill against the wind to get another battery.

We then drove around a bit after a brief lunch. We headed up north to Constantine Bay.

(Discuss the images as seen on the gallery)

View Details

The imaging sensor size in your camera does affect how you make your photography and some make a huge deal out of it. It’s my goal today to make a big deal out of nothing, or at least to help you understand my approach to it all.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 61 for December 15, 2019!

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Show Sponsor: Golden Hour Podcast by Polar Pro Filters

https://www.polarprofilters.com/pages/golden-hour

Neil Van Niekerk blog post on Depth-of-field comparison between sensor sizes:

https://neilvn.com/tangents/full-frame-vs-crop-sensor-cameras-comparison-depth-of-field/?fbclid=IwAR3dtWwVErLMagKNckknaNwo2xetoSXpfHCtKTkeYnmf2dZ5D8zdhpDo9pc

The BEST DOF calculator out there by Cambridge in Colour

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/dof-calculator.htm

Fstoppers article

https://fstoppers.com/education/which-sensor-size-suits-your-type-photography-best-436071#comment-thread

LatitudePhotographySchool Mentorship

https://latitudephotographyschool.com/training-center/mentorship/ Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Main Topic.

Today, we are talking about the effect that sensor size has on our image making. I’ve come across a few articles recently and have had some conversations about this with a few photographers, so it’s really fresh on my mind.

I had planned on doing a gift guide, but I then decided that really just adds to the commercialism of Christmas and we have enough of that already, it seems that everyone and their brother is publishing a gift guide of some sort, so I decided to do something that’s a bit more in tune with what I’ve been thinking about these past few days.

The first article I want to bring your attention to was written over 5 years ago by Neil van Niekerk. It’s a good rundown of what happens to your image when you shoot with a full-frame vs. a crop sensor. The second article is one that was published recently by Nando Harmsen on the fstoppers.com website.

This article is less technical and simply draws attention the the many different sizes of sensors and things like different lenses needed to achieve the same field of view are discussed.

But the final link I want to bring your attention to is the best Depth-Of-Field Calculator I’ve yet found which demystifies this whole thing. It gets rather technical so I’ll do my best to break it all down here for you, so let’s get started.

(review of crop factor etc) To sum up the first article, the author goes through a very detailed step by step guide as to why we have shallower Depth of field on a crop sensor camera. What he fails to explicitly articulate is that by doing this comparison the way he’s doing it, we absolutely will get longer DOF simply because you need a shorter lens to get the same field of view. He referenced this article on Depth of Field by Cambridge in Colour but missed out one very key element. That is when we calculate DOF, we have to have a standard for interpretation. Since DOF is a sliding scale of sorts, who’s to say what’s in focus for me is also in focus for you?

That’s why we call DOF to be the items that are in acceptably sharp focus.

If you used a standard DOF calculator such as Photo Pills, and you were to put in the parameters of a Sony crop sensor camera, 28mm lens, f/8 and subject distance of 2 ft your calculated DOF is 5 and 21/32 of an inch. Switch that to a Sony full frame with the same paramaters, and your calculated DOF is 8 and 25/32 of an inch.

Wait a minute. This means that the smaller sensor is shallower DOF? How can this be?

This is where most folks usually, including me, just give up.

I used to like to say this is all bunk because what if you have that full-frame Sony, and you shoot an image in crop mode and one in full-frame mode. You’ve done nothing else yet the DOF still changes!? How can this be. It’s stupid right? Yet it does change, even if you’re on the same exact camera.

Further explanation This is where we bring in this idea of the circle of confusion. In short, the COC is simply the smallest perceivable detail for what you’re looking at. So a standard must be set for calculating DOF. You probably didn’t realize it but in general, all your DOF calculations have been based on your photo being translated to an 8x10 print and being viewed the distance of 1 foot. It’s important to know the physical size of the image because that means that the physical size of the sensor is also important in determining DOF.

Since the physically larger full-frame sensor doesn’t have to be enlarged nearly as much, it has LONGER DOF all things being equal. Please notice, if you leave all things equal you will have a different field of view between the full-frame and crop sensor cameras. If your goal is to have the same perspective between the two systems (FF and crop sensor) then you will alter your DOF because you’re using a physically shorter lens.

Let’s examine this one more time using the DOF calculator on the Cambridge In Colour website. Here’s my parameters:

Max Print dimension: 10 inches

Viewing Distance: 25cm (almost one foot)

Eyesight: standard

Camera Type: 1.5 crop factor

Aperture: f/8

Focal Length: 28mm

Focus Distance: 2 ft.

Total DOF: .51 ft.

Those of you with magnificent memories will remember that my previous calculations were just under (barely) six inches. That was also based on a slightly longer viewing distance of 12 inches, not the slightly less 25cm as this one is. So we’ll go with this calculator from here on out.

Let’s change it to a full frame, that’s the only change.

Calculated DOF goes from .51 ft to .79 ft. That’s the same type of adjustment we saw in the previous example where I was using the Photo Pills App.

Now let’s leave it full-frame from here on out. And let’s leave the camera settings alone. Let’s change the print size to 14 inches and see what happens to our DOF.

The DOF goes from .79 ft. to .55 ft. WOW. So when you make the print larger, the DOF gets shallower! Nothing else changed! I don’t know about you, but this is blowing my mind. Let’s now change the viewing distance to 50cm.

We’ve about doubled the DOF just by increasing our print viewing distance. It’s now 1.17 ft.

So what does this really say about DOF and all that?

It means that DOF is truly subjective based on many different parameters beyond your camera, lens and distance to subject. It’s based on the perception of acceptably sharp focus. As you move that print further and further away you’re less and less able to see the fact that something is literally out of focus. Therefore we define acceptably sharp focus to be a greater depth within the frame.

One more calculation, changing it to 1 meter print viewing distance increases the total DOF to 3.08 ft.

So in review, just by changing our print size from 10 inches to 14 inches we decreased the DOF. But by increasing our viewing distance on that 14 inch print we then increased the calculated DOF. This, of course, assume you have standard vision. If you have 20/20 vision the DOF on that large print at 1 meter in distance goes from 3.08 ft to .75 ft again. So if you have good eyesight calculated DOF is different for you too. Makes sense, with out glasses calculated DOF is terrible for me because everything is a blur. With my glasses I have near 20/20 vision so that’s where I would want to look for calculations that have meaning for me.

Your takeaway It’s easy for us to get bent out of shape over sensor size and how the DOF is a reason for one way or the other as you argue the benefits of one sensor size over the other.

In reality, we’re usually way more concerned with the perspective and field of view of the scene first, and in that case, yes, a smaller sensor will need a shorter lens to render the scene before you the same as a larger sensor camera, therefore giving you much more DOF. But the primary reason that’s changing is that the lens itself has changed.

that’s something that’s easy to see and understand. But it goes so much deeper than that. There’s perception and viewing that’s part of it too. And understanding DOF and how it really works in camera may help explain why your focus stacked image didn’t work out the way you thought it would. It might explain why f/4 on that shot really isn’t working the way you envisioned it. Are you viewing it on your phone or a large print? The calculated DOF will be different for those two very different viewing experiences.

Assignment for January In keeping with this theme I have an assignment for you. I want you to go out and shoot something with a long and shallow DOF. Same subject, same framing as much as possible anyway. And then post them to the FB group with your commentary on why you like one over the other. Have something distinctly present in your foreground and have a reasonable background. Do this by January 3, 2020 and I’ll talk about the results in a future episode in January. You can also email them to me at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com if you’d rather not email. I will plan to put these into the show notes and a new fb group post for the show. Please give me a link you’d like to send folks too as well and we’ll be sure to link that in the show notes.

Tip of the week Today’s tip of the week has nothing to do with DOF, lenses or anything like that. That would be too easy. Today’s tip is to shoot without actually looking through the viewfinder or the LCD screen. It can be from your hip or hold the camera high. You should look at something, concentrate on it, zoom your lens or walk closer or further away to frame your subject in a way that you envision. Once you’re done go ahead and check your results. Do this over and over with different subjects until you get “good” at it.

Reminders 1. I’m always looking for feedback and ideas so please reach out if you’ve got a show idea or someone you’d like me to interview. Send me an email at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com 2. Also, would you mind leaving a review of the show whether in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen? 3. I’ve announced my next big project and that is https://latitudephotographyschool.com I’ll have tutorials, deep-dive courses and my workshops listed there. Over my Christmas break I’ll be working like mad to get that moving and I’ll also bring back my personal website at brentbergherm.com where I’ll showcase galleries of my photography. Sign up today to be the first notified of when the school is open.
Photography, travel and education is where my heart is and I can’t wait to get this thing fully launched. If there’s anything you’re just itching to learn more about, please reach out and let me know. 4. Along with the school I’m also starting longer-term deep-dive mentorships. I have my first client I’m starting with this week as this episode is released. If you have a project you want guidance and advice on, or if you want to really do some soul searching about your voice as a photographer, maybe I can help. I invite you to reach out and if I think I can help then we’ll get something set up. Presently, I can only help three at a time so that means there’s two spots left for the first half of 2020. Mentorships will last about six months and we’ll have a couple of weekly meetings to start out with and we’ll go with monthly meetings after that. All the while you’ll get email support too. So if you need a kick in the pants to kickstart your next big project or to fine tune your creative process and outcomes drop me a line and let’s chat about it. 5. A HUGE thank you to all who have used my lensrentals.com affiliate link. I’m so grateful for the support you’ve shown me by using it and if you use the offer code latitude15 you’ll save 15% off your order as well. At the very least, save yourself the 15% and if you can use that link in the show notes then I’ll grab a few % as well and it won’t cost you a dime more. 6. And one last thing, a big thank you to PolarProFilters.com for sponsoring this episode.

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Like much of the world, the Lofoten Islands is one of those locations that is rather high on my list of must-visit places. Today I have a special guest with me to talk about this beautiful destination and how to make time-lapse videos while there.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 60 for December 8, 2019!

Links Mentioned in today’s show: Today’s sponsor, Polar Pro Filters: https://polarprofilters.com

Find Diarmuid online: https://www.instagram.com/dodphotography
https://www.facebook.com/dodcrxphotography
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFAVFAWk9lZ9FvwGwOM1L4w?fbclid=IwAR0i3LtD5zUxTtpfxryAVgYvkw6aTNiVyzh3pNwsFqNTKCIcmcs8bh_P2oY

Eliassen Rorbuer accommodations: https://rorbuer.no

Norway’s Greatest Sunrise
https://youtu.be/EhqQExe94Wo

Lofoten Islands 4k Timelapse
https://youtu.be/yhU3_5g99vs

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.
Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com

Main Topic Today I have a special guest and we’re talking all about the Lofoten Islands. His name is Diarmuid O’Donavan. Diarmuid, Welcome to the show!

Tell us a little about yourself as as photographer.
The videos you shared to YouTube, 4K slider and Greatest Sunrise, share a bit of what these videos are about and what we’ll see in them.
What about getting there? You’re from Limerick, tell us about the journey up there.
Shooting in the Lofoten Islands, how far north is it? (roughly 68º North) and are there any specific challenges faced when that far north, other than it’s cold?
Tell me about the Rhino Slider ROV pro traveler and the whole setup, start to finish as far as the shooting method is concerned.
What steps do you use in putting the time-lapse together in post-production?
Other locations you got to?

Tip of the week I’m starting a new thing here, and that is, before we close out the show I want to share a tip of the week. On Master Photography Podcast we have the doodad of the week, so it’s kind of like that. But I’m thinking of a photography tip or technique idea that we’ve not yet covered that you can share.

Diarmuid: Experiment with aspect ratios that are built in to the camera.

Brent: Time. Spend time with your subject. Explore as many different ways of looking at and seeing your subject, then go for 10 more. Push and stretch yourself by slowing down and spending time with your subject.

Reminders Diarmuid, where can they find you online?
I’m always looking for feedback and ideas so please reach out if you’ve got a show idea or someone you’d like me to interview. Send me an email at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com

Also, would you mind leaving a review of the show whether in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen?
I’ve announced my next big project and that is https://latitudephotographyschool.com I’ll have tutorials, deep-dive courses and my workshops listed there. Over my Christmas break I’ll be working like mad to get that moving and I’ll also bring back my personal website at brentbergherm.com where I’ll showcase galleries of my photography. Sign up today to be the first notified of when the school is open.Photography, travel and education is where my heart is and I can’t wait to get this thing fully launched. If there’s anything you’re just itching to learn more about, please reach out and let me know.

Along with the school I’m also starting longer-term deep-dive mentorships. I have my first client I’m starting with this week as this episode is released. If you have a project you want guidance and advice on, or if you want to really do some soul searching about your voice as a photographer, maybe I can help. I invite you to reach out and if I think I can help then we’ll get something set up. Presently, I can only help three at a time so that means there’s two spots left for the first half of 2020. Mentorships will last about six months and we’ll have a couple of weekly meetings to start out with and we’ll go with monthly meetings after that. All the while you’ll get email support too. So if you need a kick in the pants to kickstart your next big project or to fine tune your creative process and outcomes drop me a line and let’s chat about it.

A HUGE thank you to all who have used my lensrentals.com affiliate link. I’m so grateful for the support you’ve shown me by using it and if you use the offer code latitude15 you’ll save 15% off your order as well. At the very least, save yourself the 15% and if you can use that link in the show notes then I’ll grab a few % as well and it won’t cost you a dime more.

And one last thing, a big thank you to PolarProFilters.com for sponsoring this episode.

Diarmuid, thanks so much for being here, that’s it for today, until next time, happy shooting!

View Details

I get in to all the technical details about making this boxed set from a few printing tips and techniques to full production of the description sheets and the cover overlay in Adobe InDesign. It’s a deep dive into what you need to know to do something like this for yourself. You’ll need a photo printer and the Adobe suite as I use InDesign which is not available in the standard photographers package.

I also talk about revisiting photos a while after the shoot and the value of reprocessing images.

Plus, there’s a few key announcements. Such as, after this episode I’ll be changing things up in how I manage the show and the audio files. For you, you won’t need to do anything. The show isn’t going anywhere. My only fear is that with my changes you might be prompted to download all the episodes all over again. With these changes I’ll be able to streamline everything and be more efficient with production and I’ll be able to get started on my big project I’m working on for release in 2020.

This whole process (making the boxed set) is available on my YouTube Channel, just follow the links below to watch the process rather than just listen to it.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Today’s sponsor: https://polarprofilters.com

Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/

YouTube Videos

Part 1: https://youtu.be/B8kSIWChSQo

Part 2.1: https://youtu.be/SkUV66f79mI

Part 2.2: https://youtu.be/gx6LLgWXXlY

Part 2.3: https://youtu.be/0baM-2qHf4U

Canson Infinity Archival Box: https://amzn.to/2DeHQo9

Easy change frame to display prints: https://amzn.to/2DeQvXY

11x17 Velum Paper Pad: https://amzn.to/34fxvnP

Banner Tape for securing the top label to the box top: https://amzn.to/37CNMWi

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Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

.

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

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Learn all about the print process and how to make stunning gallery-quality prints from your photography with my online course: https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/

Some links are affiliate links and a small commission is earned when you use them. Thank you for your support!

View Details

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Episode Sponsor: https://polarprofilters.com

Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

The Big Announcement I’ve finally got plans lined up for the release of my newest adventure, that is, Latitude Photography School.

Right now you can go to the website, https://latitudephotographyschool.com and all that you’ll see is a sign up form. I’m busy working on my next course offerings and other tutorial items. I’ll also have an associated YouTube channel to go along with this new service.

The two courses I’m crafting have to do with beginning photography and an intermediate course on creativity in photography. With each course there will be associated assignments or projects. You’ll be able to post the assignment results in the private facebook group and you’ll get some feedback from myself and other students.

I will also have smaller items that are more tutorial based. Topics will cover everything from understanding the camera to being out in the field to doing things right in post-production.

It will take some time to produce all these items, but one thing I need to make sure you’re aware of, you’ll be able to purchase access to the courses individually as you want, or you can have a membership option and you can have access to the courses for as long as you’re a member.

So head on over to the site if you’re interested and sign up to be notified when the doors are open for business.

I have closed the cart on my online print course as well for the time being but you can still purchase the shoot-n-print workshop in the Palouse in May or June, direct links are in the show notes.

Winter Day Hikes I love backpacking, but there’s nothing like a good day hike either. You go out for the day and come back to a hopefully cozy bed to get a good night’s rest. If you’re traveling you may also be eating out in restaurants, or maybe cooking in your room or Airbnb. Either way, your experience is way less rugged than if you’re full-on backpacking.

I should insert here that the advice I’m giving is not intended to be thorough nor does it address all situations or skill levels. Please be aware of your own abilities and if you have a doubt about something, don’t do it.

I’ll be looking at ways to get properly prepared for such an outing. As you know, I’m heading to Unalaska Island in a couple weeks. I do have a podcast listener coming along so that’s certainly good. And that takes us to item number 1.

Hiking buddy It’s always good to have a hiking buddy along if safety is in any way a concern. There’s so many times where I love going out alone and just being there in God’s big beautiful creation with just my cameras. But when I called up to the visitor’s office in Dutch Harbor and I got some information on the weather in mid December I knew it’d be best to have a hiking buddy. Not only to share costs with, but simply for safety. They also require registrations for hikers, so they know someone is out there, which is good, but there’s nothing like having someone with you when you’re out there on a trail, several miles from town and hundreds of miles out in the middle of the ocean.

Notifications Jared Yoder posted a great question in the Master Photography Podcast group about this idea of getting prepared for a day hike. And I’m glad he did. And then David Patton gave some very good advice right away. And one of those items was to be sure you tell someone where you’ll be going and when you plan to return. This is especially important if you head out of cell phone range. If they don’t hear from you they can at east give the local rescue and law enforcement authorities a heads up and maybe they’ll need to go out and search for you. The timeframe might be much longer if no one knows when to expect you back. So do let someone know of your plans.

Non-photography tools I always carry a knife with me. It’s not a big knife, but I have one just the same. I have a Gerber that my brother gave me for being the best man at his wedding, I have a CRKT that someone left in a bathroom and after a search of who it might belong to I simply kept it, and then I have another that I purchased in Poland as a souvenir. I also have a leatherman that is invaluable when camping, but sometimes it comes with me hiking as well.

I also always take a good waterbottle with me. It’s always good to have more than you think you’ll need. Especially when it’s cold, you don’t think you’ll need as much, but you do. You can always melt snow, but I say why bother when you can just have enough water for the day. I go for between 20–32 oz. for a few hours hike, but I also have a secondary bottle in the car that I guzzle just before heading out.

Water purifier. If you’re going to be out longer I say bring along a water purifier. It can provide good clean water for your whole party and you don’t have to carry as much with you. Of course it only works if you actually have a water source you can get water from.

Hand warmers. These little packets of warmth are perfect for keeping your water from freezing and your fingers too. I use them in my fold over mittens when I’m not shooting and when the weather is super cold. Sometimes I also put them in my boots but not usually, they’re more uncomfortable than they are worth. I’ve tried the flatter kind that adhere to your sock and those are OK, but really, good socks will do the trick better than anything. More on that in a bit.

Maps etc. It’s always good to have a map to study. I use the Alltrails app on my phone and that’s good, but with the pro account you can also print off maps. I’ve not actually done that yet, but I plan to in the near future. Not with my trip to Alaska, because there’s so few trails listed on the app, but with other areas here in the PNW I’ll be able to do that. Off-line maps are best because what would you do if your battery died on your phone? There’s nothing like studying the map before hand and really having the place sink in as much as possible. Before I went to Europe for three weeks with my father several years ago I bought several maps and just studies them over and over. When there I rarely referenced them but I always knew where I was and where things were in relation to other things. Absorbing maps is a good thing for sure.

Clothing - Footwear You need good boots, there’s no other way around it. For winter boots I’ve used Sorel and Kamik brands. Both have been exceptionally good. Shop at reputable places like REI, Cabellas, Dicks Sporting Goods and others that I’m not thinking of at the moment. I’m sure you’ll find some on Amazon as well, but the point I want to drive home is the insulation rating and waterproofing. Winter boots are certainly different than hiking boots in size and overall function. I’ve got the Kamik Nation Plus Pac Boots. They’re a fine boot but they are listed as having a “200 gram Thinsulate liner.” But the Cabellas brand that’s 2x as much has 2,000 gram Thinsulate. Other brands have other insulations as well. The best thing I can recommend is going to the store and trying them on. Talk to the associate and see what works for you. I like mine because I also use SmartWool socks with them. The only time I really felt cold in these boots and socks like that was after a full day in Banff National Park in February. I’d sweated enough that finally, at the end of the day it didn’t matter what I did, I just needed to get out of those boots. Had I brought a fresh pair of socks I’m sure I’d have been fine. When I go to AK, I plan to bring fresh socks with me on the trail so I can swap them out as needed.

I also am trying out some Alpaca wool liners. I bought them at the homesteading life conference this summer in Missouri. I bought them from Alpacas of Troy. https://alpacasoftroy.com

I’ve only been out on one small hike with them to the proof will be in the pudding when I go to Alaska.

Clothing - Pants If it’s not too cold I’ll just wear regular hiking pants. No cotton though please. Has to be a quick drying type of materials. I have some excellent hiking pants from Mountain Hardwear. I bought them on clearance from REI. They’re listed as a 30” waist and let me tell you, I’m NOT a 30” waist, that’s probably why they were on the clearance rack. But they fit perfectly. I just love them. But all too often in winter time those are way to thin. So I have some larger hiking pants that I’ll wear as an outer layer and use either a base layer underneath or I’ll just wear some flannel pants as insulation. If it’s a short jaunt I’ll go with the flannel pants, if it’s a longer time out I want the base layer protection against moisture buildup. The point here is layering is good. I’ve even been known to go with all three layers. However, that does get a bit uncomfortable if I need to sit down or whatnot. But when I kneel in the snow, no problem. I don’t even feel the cold on my knee.

I’ll use snow pants when it’s downright frigid cold, like when I was in Banff last winter and the warmest it got was about 9 degrees F. Starting the day out at -26 or so requires more insulation and the bib overall style of snow pants does the job.

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Clothing - Upper body I’ll go with recommending layering once again. When it’s ultimate cold I’ll go with four layers. A base layer, an insulation layer, an insulation coat such as my Eddie Bauer goose down jacket, and then an outer shell. I like a built in hat on my outer shell. It’s almost funny, when it gets super cold the outer shell tends to get rather crunchy. By going with an oversized coat I can also guarantee that wind won’t get up underneath it and I won’t get frozen out that way either. I’m not sold on any one brand per se, but I do recommend that you go with quality items. Even Wal-Mart may have some quality items from time to time. I could never spend hundreds of dollars on a single piece of gear like a jacket. My down coat cost about $50 and my outer shell was more than that, about $60 or so on sale.

Head wear I’d like to say I never take my hat off, but that’s just not the case. When it comes to winter photography I need to stay warm, but the head is the first thing that gets modified as it’s prime temp control. I have a really warm hat from REI, I totally forget the brand, but it’s so warm and light weight, I can easily forget I have it on except for my head and ears are warm. I like a hat that covers the ears as I hate ear muffs. I also have another hat that is rather warm but it also has an embedded light in the front part. Makes for a great setup when hiking at night. You can also use a head lamp which I always have in my backpack.

When I combine the insulation hat with the outer shell jacket it’s almost always going to keep you warm enough. But in times like when I was in Banff, I needed something extra. I needed a Balaclava. This is the type of device a bank robber would wear, but having it covering your head and neck is invaluable in keeping the chills out. When I use this I always have to be careful with my glasses, and I hate how the moisture always gathers around the mouth so I usually extend the hole and force it around my chin which stretches it out a bit. But it’s better than having the moisture condense right there.

Gloves I wear three kinds of gloves, depending on the weather and the nature of my hike. I like a thin glove by Columbia that has touch sensitive pads for the touch screen on my camera for generally cold days. If it’s getting colder I’ll cover them with some thick wool mittens that fold over the finger tips. I’ll put a heat pack in the fingers area and I’ll be good when I’m not shooting. If I need to be a bit more active I’ll use standard skiing gloves by Serius. They’re not all that warm, but when you’re moving about the blood circulation keeps the fingers warm and functioning anyway. Only when you stop does it start to get cold. Either way, I’m prepared for anything with these glove options.

Other clothing related items. I’m considering getting some ski goggles for my trip to Alaska. The wind is potentially going to get very blustery and having some goggles might be the best option to keep the eyes clear and functioning properly. I am also considering some gaiters. These are items that go around the top of your boot and extend up the leg a bit. The point here is to keep all the snow out of the boot top if at all possible. And a gaiter can really make that happen for you. My snow pants are oversized and essentially do the same job but having dedicated gaiters would still be better.

Micro spikes are another item that can work really well. They’re like snow chains for your boots. I have little diamond shaped grippers and getting some that are actual spikes are also on my list. They do a great job of gripping the slippery snow and ice and I recommend them if you’re doing anything even remotely risky. A couple years ago I got down to the base of Palouse Falls in the middle of the biggest freeze we’ve had in a long time. The journey down there is frightful at best and to me, impossible without some grippers on your boots. Though I did see others down there in standard tennis shoes which I though was just unnecessarily foolish.

Backpacks For camera gear, backpacks specifically, I’m partial to ThinkTank Photo. Probably because I have an affiliate link with them. But they do make some serious bags. The best options right now for this type of photography is going to be the Backlight Elite 45 or the Backlight 36 or 26. I personally have the 26 model and find it suitable for what I need. However I also have the Urban access 15 which in overall design is superior to the Backlight 26, but only because it has two different compartments, plus the front pouch area. I like how the top of the bag is expandable and you could put a whole mess of stuff in there and you can still have a pretty good camera kit too. If your camera kit is larger (maybe I should say “standard”) then the Backlight 36L and the Elite 45 will be more to your liking. It comes in at about $400 US but it’s so versatile and huge. I just wish they had functionality and design of the Urban Access 15 in a MindShift styling and materials.

LowePro also makes some great bags. For this type of shooting I’d recommend their Whistler line. I also really like their powder line but the photos they show on their site don’t cover how the gear fits in which is too bad. I have not personally tried either of these bags.

If you want something that’s styled just a bit differently, check out Langly bags. Their Alpha Globetrotter has two separate sections (something I like in a backpack) and their Multi-pack Globetrotter is massive. Might not be perfect for a winter’s hike, but it’s worth looking into.

Of course, there’s Shimoda Designs with their newly released Action X line of bags, built really well and very durable to boot.

And finally Peak Design just updated their everyday backpack as well. So you should probably check that out too.

The things I really look for in a bag is flexibility of how the gear is stored, protection, size and materials. There’s many fine bags out there that I didn’t mention only because I think they’re using the “wrong” materials. I want something water proof and durable and flexible. A bag that’s too rigid doesn’t work for me.

Other camera thoughts When it’s cold you want multiple batteries. Keeping them warm is also a must. I’ll stash them in my jacket pockets, inside the outer shell if possible, and swap them out as necessary. An item to keep water off can be a good thing, but it can also get in the way. I have a rain jacket and a much larger item (can’t recall the brand right now) for inclement weather, but really, a weather sealed camera is your best bet for sure. When I was at Palouse that winter and I was close to the falls, and the wind shifted, I got about 1/4 in of ice on my camera and lens. It was fine but I just put it away for the rest of the shoot. I didn’t want to risk damage when it was all frozen. By allowing it to simply melt off I was able to not have any issues at all.

You’ll probably want some spiked feet on your tripod. Gripping the snow is better than having it slide all over the place. Almost anything will do, just get something that’s not the rubber feet.

Memory card wallets are another good thing to have when out in the cold. I have a very rugged wallet by Polar Pro. I couldn’t help but think it overkill until I thought of the rugged conditions I’ll be in. It’s not waterproof, but it’s super rugged and will protect the cards when not in use. I used to just let them float around in a little pocket in the bag but no longer. I either use the Pixel Pocket Rocket by Think Tank Photo or this option by Polar Pro. I also have a Defender Lens cap which is pretty sweet.

First aid and other emergency kit The size of my kit is generally proportional to the length I’m gone and the distance I’ll be away from civilization. One time when I went to South America I remember thinking I want a kit so good I can do minor surgery with it. That’s probably overkill, but when going out for the day you probably don’t need a suture kit and all sorts of different types of bandages. But maybe you do, just depends on where you’re going. I have various sizes and it’s hard to specifically recommend one over the other, I can only stress that it’s important and you should look through your options and consider your plans and see what makes sense for you.

Bear spray is also important if you’re going to a place like Yellowstone or some other place like that. Be sure you read the instructions and have it ready to go. The worst thing is to have it and not have it accessible when you need it.

Sunglasses are also important. Can’t forget those. In white out conditions like a snowy scene, there’s nothing like cutting out all that UV light. Your rods and cones will thank you!

Shooting tips When I’m all dressed up like this I tend to absolutely rely on the live view shooting mode the camera offers. That keeps the camera on the tripod and I don’t have to breath on it all the time with it mashed up against my face. I like the bigger tripod as well since the legs will likely sink in the snow quite a bit, and it’s just easier to manage the bigger controls. I still try to challenge myself to get low, high, and find unique ways of viewing my subject. But I know if I’m not at least mostly warm and comfortable no matter what my subject is I’ll get cranky and lose interest in photographing it if I’m too cold for too long. Though there have certainly been times where I didn’t feel cold until I was done shooting and it was time to head back to the room, all of a sudden I get the chills and start hustling it back to the car!

Closing Remarks Thank you so much for listening. I would love to have your feedback or questions, just simply email me at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com and I’ll try to answer your question in a future episode.

Also, there’s a new benefit for listeners with lensrentals.com. Use my link in the show notes and the code “latitude15” for 15% off your next order. You can use the code without the link but if you use that link a few pennies are tossed my way and I thank you for your support.

So, that’s it for today, until next time, happy shooting!

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Selecting your best images for the year is certainly a good practice to get into. This year is the first time I’ve done a beginning to end approach and I’m glad I did. I confirmed a few things and I learned a few things as well. This is not the final set, but just round one.

My ultimate goal is to create a collectable limited-edition box set of images that are printed on 13×19 paper. The images will be mostly 11×16 but there’s a few oddballs in there too for good measure.

Once I get back from my Alaska journey in mid-December I’ll make the final edits and put those in the collection, and probably take a few out as well. We’ll see how it all goes.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Today’s Sponsor: Polar Pro Filters with their new SUMMIT filter system.

https://www.polarprofilters.com/pages/summit-filter-system

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Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop.

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/ .

Selecting the final 14 (at this stage anyway) on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/B8kSIWChSQo .

Use this link AND the code “latitude15” the next time you need to rent gear. I’ll get a small percentage and you’ll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link:

https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

.

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout:

http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

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Learn all about the print process and how to make stunning gallery-quality prints from your photography with my online course:

https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/

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Today I speak with Erick Danzer and Scott Wyden Kivowitz of Imagely, makers of the NextGEN Photography Plugin for WordPress. However, we focus heavily on Erick’s experience as a photographer in Indonesia and his brief stint at the US Foreign Service and how Imagely came about. It’s an interesting story of finding the right path and how to make it possible to support things that are important to you.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

My interview with Scott Wyden Kivowitz and Jeff Harmon about the Imagely Plugin and the print fulfillment feature they just added:

https://masterphotographypodcast.com/nextgen-gallery-with-scott-wyden/ .

My Palouse Print-n-Shoot Workshop now has two dates, May and June 2020! Check it out!:

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/ .

Use this link AND the code “latitude15” the next time you need to rent gear. I’ll get a small percentage and you’ll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

.

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

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Learn all about the print process and how to make stunning gallery-quality prints from your photography with my online course: https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/

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I talk with Frank Smith about his experiences with photographing architecture, the Atacama Desert and philanthropic photography items as well. Frank is an Olympus Visionary and I’m thrilled to have him on for this episode.

Links Mentioned in today’s show: Frank T. Smith Photography on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franksmithphotos/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Franktaylorsmith/

His Website: https://www.franksmithphotos.com

Olympus Visionaries: https://www.getolympus.com/us/en/visionaries

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Use this link AND the code “latitude15” the next time you need to rent gear. I’ll get a small percentage and you’ll get 15% off.

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

.

Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT

.

Learn all about the print process and how to make stunning gallery-quality prints from your photography with my online course: https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/

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Andy Hayes joins me today to talk about the new Monogram device and its kickstarter campaign.I have the previous item called Palette Gear and I wanted to bring them on the show so we could have a chat about using this device and to be inspired by the possibilities.

Links Mentioned in today’s show:
https://monogramcc.com

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cchu/monogram-a-modular-productivity-tool-for-creative-pros?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=monogram%20creative%20console .
Use this link AND the code “latitude15” the next time you need to rent gear. I’ll get a small percentage and you’ll get 15% off.
Lensrentals.com affiliate link.
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Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout. 
.
Learn all about the print process and how to make stunning gallery-quality prints from your photography with my online course.

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Links Mentioned in today’s show:
https://www.arielestulin.com

https://www.outdoorphotojourney.com

Instagram @ariel.estulin

Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

ThinkTankPhoto affiliate link: https://www.thinktankphoto.com/pages/workshop?rfsn=953619.2a0eb

My Online Course: https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/

Guest Introduction.
Today I have a special guest with me. Reading from his website it says that he’s “primarily interested in landscapes, he travels the world seeking out beauty in those wild and remote places on earth that still remain untouched by civilization and where nature commands ultimate attention.”
On the about page there’s also something about training as a graphic designer which also very truly speaks to me so we’ll get in to that too, but without further ado,
Ariel, It’s so good to have you here, welcome to the show.

Topic:
Tell us a bit about you as a photographer. I’m particularly interested in that graphic design training bit and how that informs your photography, but a tiny bit of historical context about you is good as well.

Let’s dive a bit deeper into some of your work. In particular:

  1. How you choose locations to travel to and shoot
  2. Off-the-beaten-paths in Tibet and Nepal
  3. Interactions with the local people when you’re there
  4. Practical logistics of traveling in places such as Nepal/Tibet.
    a. Transportation
    b. Accommodation
    c. Safety, personal and for your gear
    d. Money
    e. Traveling alone or in a small group

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For all the photos, please check out the Latitude Photography Facebook group, or my website here: https://brentbergherm.com/all-about-clouds/

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Fine Art Cloud Photography link:

https://www.thomasfinkler.com/gallery-color/dramatic-skies/

Bag Review on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/ZWOfVT-2TaQ Lensrentals.com affiliate link:

https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg

ThinkTankPhoto affiliate link: https://www.thinktankphoto.com/pages/workshop?rfsn=953619.2a0eb

My Online Course:

https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/ Cloud Illustration: Valentin de Bruyn for Coton:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cloud_types#/media/File:Cloud_types_en.svg

Coton Cloud App:

https://cotonapp.com

Topic:

Clouds, possibly a strange topic, but let’s face it. When I’m shooting images that include the sky, or anything significant that’s sky related, I usually like some good clouds to add interest. Of course, there’s some types of clouds that totally get socked in and that just stinks when you want that overview, the vista or what-not. When that happens I know I have to shift my expectations and what I’m looking for in order to get good images.

For all the photos, please check out the Latitude Photography Facebook group, or my website here: https://brentbergherm.com/all-about-clouds/

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Links mentioned in episode: LensRentals refer a friend link: https://share.lensrentals.com/x/hrt2mH

If 10 people use this I’ll put a poll in the facebook groups to ask what I should rent next.

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/ Come to the Palouse and learn to print!

Trip Report Workshop basic info. Time frame, location, things learned.

I goofed up a couple times.

Reminder, this will be video recorded so if you’d rather watch it on YT you can. But it’s also an enhanced episode so you can see the images on your device.

Images walk-through.

Palouse Announcement

The future: India is out, Alaska or Costa Rica is in for December.

Interviews coming up.

What gear do you want me to try out next? If you use the refer a friend link (min 10 people) I’ll put a poll out there to ask what gear you’d have me rent and try out next. Hopefully it can be done by December so I can take the gear to either Alaska or Costa Rica.

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Episode Links Exposure Averaging Video: https://youtu.be/zcEV6hqe16M

Segmentation Series Video: https://youtu.be/DhlHh4O0LxI

Soft-proofing Analysis Video: https://youtu.be/wKuHGHH5Tqw

Online Print Course: https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/

List of available workshops: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/

Summary I talk about the process covered in my recent YouTube videos. They are Exposure Averaging, Segmentation, a series I started several years ago, and expectations about color and a calibrated system for our printing process.

Topic: This is the 50thepisode. Wow, what a milestone. Just a brief history about the show in case you’re a newer listener and you are interested in these things. This show actually started as part of the Improve Photography Network. In April 2018 the founder of Improve Photography gave the other contributing podcasters the various shows. The main show is now Master Photography Podcast and is owned by five of us. Each “side show” as it were, was given to the primary host. This show was my baby from its inception and was originally co-hosted with my friend Brian McGuckin. With the changes that happened I assumed full control of this show and he decided to one day resurrect Thoughts on Photography. So, I relaunched this show with the first episode publishing on May 4, 2018. So that’s where the count “50” is coming from. If I were to count the shows I did with Brian we’d be at over 60 or something like that. But this is a count from when I rebooted the show. In this timeframe I think I’ve only relied on one Latitude Replay where I republished a show with Brian.

I put a question out in the facebook group on what I should do, if anything, for episode 50. One suggestion was to give an account of what I’ve learned/gotten/achieved in this timeframe. The biggest thing really, is the friendships, relationships and connections I’ve been able to make. I’m sure you can probably tell, but I can talk about photography until I’m blue in the face, and that’s just getting started. I can’t do that with most of my friends, if I did they probably wouldn’t be my friends anymore. To actually have people who are just as interested in this field as I am and to hang out with them and talk shop with is just amazing. I’m loving every minute of it.

I’ve also gotten to talk with a lot of great photographers. I think of the episode where I talked with Ashley Tinker about photographing Provence, Dan Bailey came on twice to talk Fujifilm gear with me, Brian Pex talked with me about photographing the Palouse which is just a couple hours north of me, but he’s from Boston so it was good to get on outsider’s perspective there.

Quite possibly the most moving and sobering episode was with Randy Narkir when we talked about the March of the Living which is an educational program bringing individuals from around the world to Poland and Isreal to study the history of the Holocaust and to examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hatred.

I even had Ted Meister on from ThinkTank Photo, maker of some fine camera bags and then there’s David duChemin who took over a year to schedule. But it was worth the effort!

Fellow teacher Mary Malinconico has been on a few times to talk about workshop expectations and we also discussed the book by Ibarionex Perello called Making Photographs. Oh, and I had Ibarionex on too! And I can’t forget Chris Marquardt, host of Tips from the Top Floor, the longest running photography podcast. There was also Timothy Allen, photographer for the BBC series called The Human Planet.

OK, I think that’s enough, I just have to bring back a few of these top episodes and replay a bit of them for you here.

The first one comes from Ibarionex. If you haven’t listened to this episode please do so. He’s got some amazing insights. I asked him what advice he would give someone who wants to try street photography but is feeling intimidated. Let’s listen to his response:

And now let’s listen to Chris Marquardt talking about a time when he just had to stop and soak in the experience before he could start making any photographs.

In this next section David duChemin is talking about principles learned in the book Art and Fear, every creative needs to hear this.

And here’s David again talking about the importance of the print. I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s so true!

And here’s Timothy Allen on the hazards of the job in Africa.

There’s plenty more I could draw out but I’d better leave it at this. Many thanks to all the special guests I’ve had on the show and I look forward to the next 50 episodes and the next guests I’ll have on. Some of which will be repeats I’m sure, though there’s so many great photographers out there. If you have ideas of who you want to hear on the show please do let me know.

In the last episode I asked for feedback and it didn’t take but a couple of hours for Paul from Minnesota to reach out and share some thoughts. This is another incredible perk of being a podcaster. I mentioned earlier the connections I’m afforded, hearing from listeners is absolutely a huge part of that and I’m grateful. Paul writes that he knows the basics but still struggles to put it all together to “make photographs.” He then described some of his pain points which I’ll not get into, but I know I can certainly resonate with him on that. Getting to know you and knowing who my listeners are helps me create a better show. Either writing a direct email like Paul did or being involved in the facebook group is wonderful and I appreciate any interaction I have like that.

Let’s get on now to the main topics I wanted to discuss. These are three of my recent videos I posted to YouTube. The first is called Exposure Averaging with windblown foreground elements.

https://youtu.be/zcEV6hqe16M I was in the Denver area for several days and on the Tuesday we left town I got up early and went out to shoot sunrise at Roxborough State Park. We were staying at an Airbnb in Littleton so the drive was actually not that long. I walked around a bunch and finally found a composition I liked. The sun was just barely up and it was striking the rocks nicely. I had some evergreen trees in the foreground but my goal was to emphasize the clouds in the sky, I really wanted them to go all blurry and smooth. I could have achieved this by attaching my 10 stop ND filter and getting a several minute exposure. But this can build up a lot of digital noise. I shoot the 5d4 by Canon so it wouldn’t have been too bad, but still, I didn’t want to run that route on this shot. Besides, I’d have to blend at least two exposures together anyway so I could get a solid shot of the foreground tree that I’d framed up. The trees in the mid ground were fine with me if they were blurry, but that one if the foreground needed to stay solid. So the wind was blowing and I had a bit of movement in that tree.

Explain the rest of the process here

https://youtu.be/DhlHh4O0LxI The next video shows the process of putting together a series of images I’m working on called Segmentation. It’s a long running series that I do every time I am moved by a particular subject. Usually that subject is a tree or shrub of some sort. The main point of this project is to capture the subject in pieces and then assemble it together in Photoshop later. I’ll zoom in to isolate a part of the subject and then work around the subject so that I can have some overlap between frames. Usually in post-production I’ll crop the sections to be square. And the pieces rarely overlap perfectly. I’m often on a tripod when I do this, but with lens distortions and other perspective changes the items just don’t line up perfectly. And that’s OK. That’s part of the fun of a project like this. I’ll then take each square and put a white stroke on it so that each segment is clearly separated from the others.

The fun of this project is that when you’re viewing it the eye has to fill in the rest of the details. And it has fun doing so, at least for some. I shared this out in the facebook group and I had two fellas comment how they will try this next time they’re out there. I’m anxious to see their results. But I remember one time I shared one a while ago and someone replied something along the lines of “why don’t you just shoot it in one shot?” They kind of missed the point I guess.

And finally, my third video has to do with soft proofing in photoshop. I titled it “Recalibrating your expectation for print color accuracy.”

As far as the show notes are concerned I’ll leave you with a video link. But I’ll continue describing it here in the episode. https://youtu.be/wKuHGHH5Tqw

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Summary

A road trip is awesome, but when I can combine work into the mix as well, that’s just awesome.

Links this episode:

https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/ https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/ https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/oregon-coast-2019/ Exposure Averaging video: https://youtu.be/zcEV6hqe16M

Segmentation process video: https://youtu.be/DhlHh4O0LxI

Online print related videos: https://youtu.be/Qjzs_TfNCyI

https://youtu.be/7R3ye0gDzAg Topic:

Today we’ll be focusing mostly on my recent family road trip. We spent 3.5 weeks on the road and drove over 5,500 miles, my wife drove about 15 of those. It’s all good, I do like to drive.

Basic Itinerary: Boise, ID; Salt Lake City, UT; Denver, CO; Lincoln, NE; Hannibal, MO; Chicagoland, IL; Council Bluffs, IA; Kimball, NE; Salt Lake City, UT; Boise, ID; HOME!

Boise area: my folks live in the area so we spent a few days there. This is also where I had one of my print workshops for the Boise Camera club. More on that in a bit.

Utah: We then drove to the Salt Lake City area and just spent a night there. We wanted to have a place to spend the evening on the way to Denver so we drove to Layton, stayed the night, swam in the hotel pool and moved on the following day. The drive to Denver was about 8 hours so we started early and just pushed forward.

I was rather busy in Denver. This was a family vacation after all, but, I worked with photo clubs in the Boise area and Denver to host a print workshop. I brought my printer to both locations and club members supplemented with their own printers too which was great. I’d hoped to get even more printing done, but with 18 attendees at the Boise workshop and 12 at the Denver workshop printing was slightly crowded. It was an absolute blast though. Being able to share and teach one of the great things I love about photography is just so cool. And I should probably put a call out there, if you have a photo club and you’re interested in either a lecture at your club meeting or a workshop for your members please reach out. I’d love to make this happen again and again.

In Boise the extra printers were the Pixma Pro 100, and I have the 10. They’re virtually the same printer, but the 10 uses pigment ink and the 100 uses Dye ink. So I went through the lecture and discussion part where we talked all about color spaces, proper file setup and challenges we face when we try to get “perfect” color out of our prints. Then we had a short break for lunch and then we spent the rest of the time answering questions and trying to keep things moving forward. Things were a bit more manageable in Denver since we had six less people but it was still busy.

Additionally, in Denver, one printer we had was using a different inkset. It was very interesting to me to see the results of that inkset. I’ve had a lot of inquiries about third-party inks and I usually have to say that long ago I tried it, it failed and I never looked back. But third-party providers have gotten a lot better but I have not had any recent experience with any of them until now.

First off, I noticed a phenomena called metamerism that was very evident to me when I looked at the print. It’s something that you notice on pigment inks if the print is held in the light a certain way because the color is a particle and not part of the ink liquid itself . In the Canon inks it’s hardly noticeable at all unless you use the photo black ink on matte paper. But this was visible for all papers. And, we had a fella that experienced a few challenges with the processing of the images and then when it came to print it looked nothing like what was on screen. I was like, “hmmm, OH, you’re using a printer that doesn’t have Canon inks, but you’re using the profile that is made for Canon inks.” He moved to my printer and it came out looking perfect. That was cool, to see how far off things were, and to see the smile on that fella’s face once it looked like he expected it to.

But not all was daisies and roses. In both workshops I also brought my calibration device to calibrate screens. We didn’t get to calibrate all screens, but we got several of them done.

There were some folks though who had rather old notebook computers. Usually, the Mac screens are quite good, and PC screens can be awesome, or cheap, just depends on your computer model. These were PC models that were at least six years old. And the color was so washed out, It was crazy how washed out it was. We did the process anyway, but they were too far gone. There’s just some things that can’t be fixed I guess. They understood, and they still learned the theory but it’s difficult when you want to see the good results happen and you’re just hampered by the equipment.

I also had some folks who, even after calibration the color was just not coming out right. We got it improved but there was still more to do. In that short amount of time I was unable to get it working perfectly for them, but at least we did have improvement and we had an opportunity to learn what’s going on and how the process is done so they can take things further on their own. I made a print process guide for these workshops and you too can download it from my website. Head on over to https://brentbergherm.com/info/resources/and look for the download called “printing workflow.”

I also had a commercial shoot in Denver. A private aircraft charter company needs a new website and a few weeks before our trip we finally inked a deal that would have me redevelop their website and do some new photos of the aircraft. We originally were going to have me do new headshots but when we looked at the scheduling it just wasn’t going to work out. So I spent Friday morning from about 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. out on the tarmac having the lineman move these multi-million dollar aircraft around so I could get the “perfect” composition. Many of them were terrible, but the lighting was great and I was able to get the mountains in the background. I was even able to get into a bucket truck about 30 ft off the ground and shoot with my 70-300 for a compressed shot of three jets together. I then did interiors as well. It was a blast and such a cool way to spend the morning. I then spent the rest of the day with the family.

This brings me to a few points listeners have often been interested in and have asked me about. That is, spending time shooting while on a vacation and how do people make money at this stuff.

Well, the making money part is something I continue to try and work on. I have a full-time job. Sometimes I wish I didn’t like my job so I could be more motivated to do more photography, but it’s a good mix. Anyway, I rarely do a commercial shoot like this though. And when I was bidding I didn’t really look up any other photographers and see what their rates are. I just established a rate that I knew would get shot down if I were bidding a job here in Walla Walla, or that I felt would get shot down, and went with it. I also had the website job secured, so the photography was in addition to that work that I was able to sell since I was going to be in the area anyway. Plus, I wanted to see the company and its operations so I could build a better website. But, back to money.

All my travel and stuff I do is 100% funded by my photography efforts. I don’t dip into the family budget, which is my income from the school, at all for my stuff like this. When I don’t make a sale I don’t get to do things. I’ve also gone the traditional route of offering educational opportunities whether it’s my online course in printing or in-person workshops. Like any businessman, I’d like to sell more, but I’ve certainly found that if I focus on selling things tend to go dry for a bit. But I’m also still learning my niche in the photography education space. I’d love to create an online community with tons of lessons, challenges, assignments and the like. A place where feedback would be readily available but it wouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg so to speak. I’ve got two more online courses planned, one geared towards beginners and one slightly more advanced. I also have a book outline already made. I just need to do it.

One thing I know that works for me is your feedback. If these are things you want let me know. I’ll hopefully be able to make it happen sooner rather than later.

Anyway, that was a bit of a derailment, let’s get back on track. I was talking about making money and then family time and shooting time while on vacation. With this trip the family knew that it was not possible without my ability to work and do these two workshops. In fact, I had a bit of a “stepping out in faith” type of experience. As we’re looking at the budget for the trip the funding just wasn’t matching. We left town knowing that I’d have four people at the Denver workshop. That was the minimum I agreed to host the workshop for. I was working with club officials and then I received an email that I didn’t read right away. I read it the Friday before the workshop which was on Sunday. And I had 12 people attending! I was quite relieved actually. We were counting on this revenue and it ended up being there. We could continue the trip without fretting about the budget anymore. It was such a blessing.

Back to the point though, that is, shooting while on vacation. I’ll often head out early and shoot, but this trip was a bit different. Since I had such a huge amount of work I decided that for the remainder of the trip I would shoot very little. This is where I was really wishing the Fuji camera had worked out for me because I could have easily taken it and one lens out with me when we were in Chicago and a few other places. But alas, it was nearly 100% family time until we got to Kimball, NE. And it was great. Re-solidifying the family connections was needed and was wonderful.

After Denver we drove to Lincoln, NE, for the night. It was a long drive and we were just firing through. We didn’t do anything interesting, just slept and moved on. We chose Lincoln over Salina, KS, because the hotel was something like $100 cheaper. It did add a total of about 30 minutes to our drive time as we were heading to Hannibal, MO. In Hannibal we saw a lot of the Mark Twain interests, and we also went to a homesteaders conference with YouTubers Offgrid with Doug and Stacy. My wife follows them and it’s our goal to get a piece of property and start a small farm.

After six nights there we moved on to the Chicago Suburbs. My wife’s best friend lives there and teaches at College of DuPage. I took the older boys into the city by riding the train. They really liked that part. We saw a few items downtown and then largely took it easy the rest of the time there. We were visiting friends after all. I grew up in the area but as we only had three nights there I was unable to visit any of my child-hood locations. Oh well, maybe next time.

Then we started the trek home, staying one night in Council Bluffs, IA, and then two nights in Kimball, NE. I chose Kimball because just north of there is Scottsbluff, NE. I wanted to visit that and “do it right” this time as I was there four years ago but we arrived about 20 minutes before they closed. Scottsbluff did not interest my wife at all even though it’s part of the Oregon Trail and the Pony Express line. We have an Oregon Trail national historic site about five miles from where we live so I liked the connection. But the biggest problem was that the visitor center was closed and they had a temporary one that we actually ended up not visiting. I did, however, get to walk down the trail from the top. That was really cool. I totally enjoyed the relatively few moments there. I did get up for one sunrise but the light didn’t really do anything exciting.

We then had another night in Salt Lake City area on the way home, another night in the Boise area at my parent’s place and then on home. It was certainly good to be home.

Really quickly I want to talk about my recent rental acquisition. I rented the Olympus E-M1 mk2 camera and the 7-14mm lens. I almost rented a prime but figured the flexibility would be good here. What I’m really impressed with is the quality of packaging that LensRentals.com has nowadays. It came in a standard box, but inside was a hard plastic case, it’s like a Pelican case but some other brand. Then inside that was a LowePro case that held the camera and lens, and the lens was in a separate lens case all by itself with additional foam around the lens itself. So it was very well packaged for sure! And the tape on the outer box was delightful, it said “release the happy, open here” on the top and “yeah, not the happy side” on the bottom. Then they also include two strips of tape so I don’t even need tape to ship the box back. That’s amazing. But there’s a crazy “story” of sorts on the tape itself. It talks about using the tape and they kinda write it as if Mark Twain were writing. In describing the removal of the tape from the backing they say “Once you have successfully achieved this disengagement, you can proceed with the taping of your package.” Then they advise not to stick the extra piece of tape to a cat, no matter what the internet tells you as to how funny it will be. And then they end with a Back to the Future movie reference. All in all, they have certainly done their homework in making the rental experience enjoyable. I’ll talk about the camera in a future episode for sure. I’ll be taking it to the Oregon Coast on my workshop next week.

So let’s now talk about the near future and what’s happening. By the time you hear this I’m preparing to head out to Oregon for my Oregon Coast shoot-n-print workshop. I have six days planned shooting the wonderful Oregon coast and two of those days we’ll be in the hotel conference room going through the printing process. There’s still a few spots if anyone wants to jump in last minute. That’s totally fine. Take a look at the website for details. https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/oregon-coast-2019/

Also, this show is about a week late. I’ve been doing weekly shows pretty much all summer. So for the next few shows I just wanted to share what I have cooking.

  • My latest YouTube Videos

Ordering and File Prep for Online Labs, mPix https://youtu.be/7R3ye0gDzAg

Exposure Averaging with windblown foreground elements https://youtu.be/zcEV6hqe16M

Segmentation at Scotts Bluff https://youtu.be/DhlHh4O0LxI

Print Review, mPix https://youtu.be/Qjzs_TfNCyI

I plan on talking about the Exposure Averaging in the next episode as well as the Segmentation item. But if you want to get a sneak peek you can watch those videos. The print review videos are part of my larger research I’m doing into online labs. I have five more to go and then I’ll have a big episode all about my findings and the experience of printing with online labs.

One that I just published today is all about color expectations and surprises we run into when printing.

I do have some interviews getting lined up. I have an Olympus Visionary scheduled for some time in October, a former Bay Photo night shift lab manager to talk about preparing files for online print labs, and I have a new book that was recommended by a listener, “Zen Camera, Creative awakening with a daily practice in photography.” It’s by David Ulrich. If you’ve read it let me know. I may do a book review on this one.

School is starting up soon, September 23 is the first day of instruction and with two course rewrites and our need to recover from and replace a colleague that left us this summer for a job in the industry,,, well, thing will be very busy for me over the next month.

Things also look promising for me to head off to India this December. The aforementioned website redevelopment job will fund my time there. And I’ve got a mountain of airmiles so hopefully things will work out there. I usually have used my academic breaks to create things like my online course and such, but this time I’ll hopefully be traveling. If it doesn’t work out then I’ll still go somewhere I’m sure.

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Links: See the images and read the full Fuji conclusion here. https://brentbergherm.com/shooting-xt3/

Announcements. My Oregon coast workshop is coming up, just a few days away now. If you have been on the fence about this I encourage you to jump in and allow me to challenge you and encourage you in your growth as a photographer. David duChemin said in the last episode that the print “is a powerful evaluative tool.” In fact, I’m going to turn it over to him once again.

And I invite you to come out to the Oregon Coast with me and take the plunge into the world of shooting the beautiful coast and getting excellent prints from those images right there onsite as we dive deep into printing your photography.

Topic: There’s actually a few topics today. I’ll start out by wrapping up the story about my Fujifilm experiment, Mark Morris joins us with a drone safety concern and then I end the show with a listener chiming in on the love of photography. Here we go.

I wrote a blog post about my experience trying to switch to the Fujifilm X-T3 camera. The shooting experience was so wonderful. And I’ve talked about it a bit here on this podcast as well as on the Master Photography Podcast too. It’s time to wrap this up.

In short, I sent the camera back. Please do read the post on my website, the link is in the show notes.

The reason I sent it back is both complex and simple at the same time. It really hurts to send it back because I just loved shooting it so much. It was amazing. But I couldn’t get over a few details with regards to the types of images the camera struggled with.

Most notably the sand image that not even the Fujifilm processing in camera could make look like sand, and an edge issue when shooting silhouetted objects. The processing in multiple programs just didn’t come out right so I lost faith in my ability to achieve my creative vision in post-production.

I owe many thanks to Ibarionex Perello, Dan Bailey and David duChemin for coming on the show and talking with me about creativity and shooting Fujifilm cameras. But in the end it just wasn’t for me.

For my photography, the ultimate purpose of a quality image is to make a gallery quality print out of it. I did a lot of printing comparing results from my Canon camera and the Fuji camera, and then I did a lot of further printing with just the Fuji files. I got a lot of very good and excellent prints. But a few subjects had too many challenges and I just can’t get passed it.

Dan Bailey was also suggesting that I skip the raw processing and go with the in-camera JPG files. I tried that and on the flower subject I photographed in open shade the results were stunning. I literally took the file from camera, resized it, applied minimal output sharpening and it was excellent. However, I did the same with the raw image, also using the Fujifilm color profile, and it was even better, not by much, maybe 2%, but still, it was better. So I think I’ll keep my flexibility of the raw processing for now. But, when you’re in a pinch it’s good to know that usually you’ll have such awesome quality images coming out of the camera’s JPG processor.

I also shot some star trails with the camera. My technique is to take multiple images over a period of time and blend them in Photoshop. I should have shot JPG for this process because in the raw as I switched from image to image the stars were not white. They were very distinctly blue, red or green, and they changed color depending on which frame you were looking at. This, of course, represents the rendering pixels but for the stars to not be recognized as white, it would just look too psychedelic. My Milky Way shot came out really great. But the star trails, not so much.

The main reason behind sending it back is that I know my shooting experience would be affected by these issues. Most scenes turned out really well with this camera. But a few scenes just didn’t work out. I don’t want to be out there shooting and thinking to myself “I can’t shoot this silhouetted tree because I know I’ll be unhappy with the edges.” Silhouettes is something I do somewhat frequently. And many times certainly with my Canon it messes up, but it’s more of a lens or dynamic range issue where I can overcome it with multiple exposures. But when you have a very rough edge that can’t be overcome I just had to call the whole camera into question.

In my tests I found that Luminar processed the images really well. Unfortunately, about five days after I sent the camera back they announced Luminar Flex, a Lightroom plugin that brings the Luminar processing engine to the Lightroom Classic workflow. This may have been what I needed to make it work. I’d be willing to use a plugin like this for those odd times where Lightroom just doesn’t do the file justice. But I was under the pressure of a return deadline and I needed to make a decision sooner rather than later.

As I look to the future I’m disappointed that I’ll not be able to lighten my load anytime soon. I’ll still lug the Canon around and shoot great images with it. I’ll keep my eye on what Sony just announced with the new Alpha camera, and we’ll see what Canon comes up with next and then there’s Sigma with the L-mount alliance and the cameras they’ll be producing. There’s so many good things on the horizon but let’s face it, it’s hard to be patient. I’ll do my best though J

This next section is an interview I had with Mark Morris regarding drone safety, so let’s head on over to that now.

I’m really grateful to Mark for coming on the show and telling us about this issue. If anyone else has a story like this please let me know and maybe we can talk about it too.

And finally, we have a listener submitted section. I asked for some submissions a while back and the theme was simply, “for the love of photography.” I was hoping to get several folks to record something with the voice memo app on their phone or anything like that and that would allow me to turn it over to them for a bit. I got a few submissions in the facebook group but only one voice memo app. Let’s talk about a few of these images and then I’ll turn it over to Gary who submitted an image.

Next is Gary Aidekman and his story behind this alpenglow image of a volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.

Thanks so much Gary. You’ve given me an idea to record a show all about the images we can shoot while serving others. I’ve done quite a bit of that over the years and I have a chance to maybe head to India this December on a similar outing with a non-profit group.

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Links mentioned in this episode: https://davidduchemin.com

https://craftandvision.com

http://mycontactsheet.com

https://brentbergherm.com/course-info Book mentioned in this episode: Art and fear https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=art+and+fear&qid=1563289912&s=gateway&sr=8-2

I have another very special guest with me today. His name is David duChemin and I’ve been following his work for pretty much as long as I can remember. David, Welcome to the show!

Topic: Tell us a brief history of your career as a photographer.

You recently sent out an email to those on your list and I’d like to use that to start our conversation. The first one talks about your rules for photography. In it you talk about:

  1. Constraints
    I teach design and photography at a university, so I love this one. When my students don’t like an assignment I give them the “excuse that this is their “design challenge” i.e. constraints.
    Tell us about some of the recent constraints you put yourself under and how that has affected your creativity.
  2. Trust your gut
    Help us understand how this works out for you
  3. Sounds like your bottom line is these ideals help you make images that are truly your own.
    When should a photographer be taking these steps of constraints and trusting their gut. From the very beginning? After some experience?

You then mentioned another comment, “Creativity is a work ethic more than it is a talent.”

Wow, I want to put this in all my syllabi at the university…

Help us understand the meaning behind this though. I think in one sense we get caught up with the notion that “I’m not as creative as so and so…” and what not. It seems that what you’re getting at here is that this comparison misses the mark. So… “creativity is a work ethic more than it is a talent.” Let’s unpack this a little bit more.

One last thing before we wrap it up, I recently switched to Fujifilm X-T3 and I love the change in the shooting experience. But I’m struggling a bit with getting my vision executed in post-production. You made that switch a little while ago, what changes in post-production did you experience, in any, or do you have any advice for someone like myself?

My biggest problem is a subject I shot on the Oregon Coast. A backlit sand dune. The results didn’t even look like sand. And it’s all about the processing for sure, but it’s really thrown me off a bit and I’m trying to do a good job to test things out and see if I can make it work for me. I’ve talked with Ibarionex Perello and Dan Bailey and now yourself, all Fujifilm shooters, and you’re all, and many others, are producing great work with it. I’ve just hit a bump in the road and I’m trying to overcome it…

Where can people find you online?

Tell me about your online courses, and where can listeners go to sign up for them?

https://davidduchemin.com

https://craftandvision.com

http://mycontactsheet.com

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I have two guests with me today. They are Mary Malinconico and George VanBuren. Mary, Welcome to the show. 

George, Welcome to the show.

Mary, you too are a teacher. When do you start up again, or is it too early to think about that?

George, this is your first time on the show, tell us a bit about yourself.

Topic: Today’s topic is to have a different perspective of Ibarionex Perello’s book, Making Photographs. I say different because just today, as this is recorded, my interview with Ibarionex is released. That was episode 42, released on July 7, 2019.

But I put a call out several months ago asking for volunteers to grab the book themselves and to then come on the show and talk about it. So here we are.

I asked each of you to come up with some talking points and we’ll just go back and forth with those. 

George, I thought we’d start with you today. The first item you wanted to talk about is the idea of “Making vs. Taking” photographs. 

Mary: Book Assignments

George and Mary: Being Patient

Mary and George: Knowing your gear, ability to change settings without thinking.

Mary: Journaling

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New Workshop for December 2020 just announced. Check out the website for all the details.

https://brentbergherm.com There’s still spots left in my Denver one-day printing workshop.

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/denver/ And don’t forget my Oregon Coast Workshop!

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/oregon-coast-2019/ Guest Introduction.

Today I have David Long once again joining me. David, welcome to the show.

Listeners may remember you from a while back when we talked about winter photography in New England. That was from November 2018.

Topic:

Today wanted to talk about Composition, and in reality, I maybe should call it “thought processes” on making images, or “thought processes on composition.” We’re also going to weave in some stories from the road. David, you’ve been a busy traveler lately. Tell us a bit about that first.

St. Augustine, FL.

Beach photography, FL landscape, birds, moon rises, Milky Way items too.

Holland, tulips, canals, windmills. There during third week of April.

10 days on CA coast.

Northern NH. Waterfalls and Wildflowers workshop.

Going to Iceland soon. Going with 5 people.

“Composition,” to me, almost seems like an overused word. Yet it’s so important to keep these things in mind as we head out to make great photographs.

What compositional idea would you like to start us out with today?

(David’s first item to talk about, does not have to be part of the list below)

Focal point of the scene.

Available elements found in the scene.

Other compositional points to ponder in no particular order: (would love to weave in some of your recent images as examples of how you approach these following items, I’ll do the same where possible)

  1. Emphasis of the idea you’re trying to convey, how does this idea inform your compositional decisions?
  2. Understanding visual weight
  3. Understanding balance, symmetrical and/or asymmetrical
  4. Different ways to control eye movement of the viewer
  5. Seeing like the camera, reconciling the differences in the way a camera records a scene with how we experience it, and being able to convey that in the final image, screen or print.
  6. Telling the story, an image should tell a story and if it does, it will finish the goal. No tried and true tricks, just something to practice.

Where can they find you online:

http://davelongphoto.com

https://www.instagram.com/davidlong3653

https://www.bluehourboston.com

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Links mentioned in this episode

https://danbaileyphoto.com

http://www.latitudephotographypodcast.com

https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/ In this episode Dan Bailey and I talk at length about what we expect when we photograph and what’s important to us. I’ve recently tried to switch to the Fuji X-T3 and while the shooting experience is excellent, the post-production is giving me some challenges. I’m not ready to say all my questions have been answered, but at least I’m further along the line and I can better address these issues I’m facing. 

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Today’s show is all about my recent trip to the Oregon Coast. I needed to do some more scouting for my upcoming workshop in August and it was a hoot. This is an enhanced episode so you’ll be able to see the images embedded here on your player, or check them out in the facebook group and in the show notes. I also spent this time exclusively with the Fuji X-T3, a camera I very badly want to love, but as I get into the details I’ll explain my challenges I’m having with this camera.

Image 1: A focus stack that had a few issues.

Image 2: Sea Star focus stack using Helicon Focus software. It’s awesome.

Image 3: A three frame vertical panorama with focus stacking on the bottom and exposure blending on the top. I’m really proud of this image! 🙂

Image 4: A cave with “boiling” water coming in from the ocean. Two frame vertical panorama.

Image 5: Sea stars and sea anemones are so colorful with the Fuji Velvia film simulation.

Image 6: Another Sea Star, I love shooting them!

Image 7: A B&W conversion with some great texture coming in from the rocks, kelp and moving water.

Image 8: Advancing Waves make for a great leading line.

Image 9: I love it when a plan comes together. When a nice natural framing element hugs your scene, it’s a good day 🙂

Images 11–14: Sunset on the beach near Pistol River.

Image 15: Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Images 16–18: Between Shore Acres and Sunset Bay State Parks.

Image 19: The mystery image. Email me the specific name of this location and you’ll be sent a $100 off coupon to my Oregon coast workshop for August. If you can’t attend the workshop, then I’ll send you a new sticker for the podcast once I have them printed.

Images 20, 21: First Milky Way shots with a star tracker.

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Links mentioned in this episode:

http://ibarionexperello.squarespace.com

http://thecandidframe.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/lafotoboy

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/oregon-coast-2019/ https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/ The Interview Please tell us a brief history of yourself, your background, interests, hobbies, photography, anything you want to share.

You’re known for your “street photography.” That’s pretty much all that’s in the book. And also one reason I really wanted you on the show, I like to think of street photography as a “secret passion” of mine. Secret because I hardly do any of it, but I’ve had this incredible desire to do more of it. I’m sure there’s some listeners out there that are interested but are timid, afraid, or just plain shy. What can you tell us to help us get over that hump and get out there and do it?

Let’s go to the very beginning of the book. In the introduction of the book you write, “I believe the thing that makes it difficult to improve your photography is the ease with which you are able to make photographs. Raise the camera to your eye, press the button, and there you have it: a photograph.” How does this make the improvement of our photography more difficult?

Creativity and perfectionism. In the first chapter you talk about unreasonable expectations. How you’d consider yourself “all that” if you came back with some amazing photographs and if you didn’t, you were a hack. I can certainly identify with that. I distinctly remember when I had this revelation of sorts. I was planning another shoot in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic area, more waterfalls. It was after a string of failures. I was kinda down and I just got to thinking, my priorities are all wrong. My plan was tunnel falls. It’s seven miles up Eagle Creek and there’s a few falls along the way. When I finally got there I just sat there for about 30 minutes, not only recovering from the hike, but also enjoying this amazingly beautiful nature all about me. I didn’t create any good photos that day, but from then on my perspective changed.

Do you happen to remember your “aha!” moment, when your perspective changed, or was it more of a gradual thing?

Let’s talk about journaling. That’s something I’ve never done but I do require various journaling exercises from my students. Take us through your process and what the journaling exercise does for you and your creativity. Software: Day One

If we may, I want to talk gear for a moment. You shoot Fujifilm cameras. And towards the end of the book you talk about the importance of always having a camera with you. A camera that’s not your phone anyway.

I’ve long considered a move to Fujifilm from my Canon 5dMk4, which is a fine camera. While I like to get on the bandwagon of saying “gear doesn’t matter” in this case, I think for me it might. The canon is huge, heavy and I never take it with me unless I’m going on a shoot. I think the Fujifilm system would also change my mindset a bit because I’m looking to get only primes, at least to begin with. I’ve almost exclusively shot zooms for the last 20 years, and I think the gear restrictions might help ignite something in me and my photography. Am I crazy in thinking that?

At the end of each chapter you have an assignment. Let’s talk about one of those assignments from Chapter 8.

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Today’s topic is printers. This is something that’s very interesting to me because I love printing. I love it so much I made an online course about it to help you get going quickly with creating fine prints.

I recently finished an in-person class on printing and the student was just all smiles. She couldn’t believe the creative doors that had been opened because she learned to print. She was very timid going into it and almost afraid to make it happen. But by following my process and taking things one step at a time she quickly gained the confidence she needed to wrestle those various printer settings and controls to do what she wanted them to do and she made some excellent prints.

If you want to add more “wow” to your photography I encourage you to learn to print fine gallery-quality images. Whether you do it on your own printer or if you use an online lab, it’s a valuable process to go through.

Speaking of online labs, as I record this I’m in the middle of adding my bonus feature to the online course where I order from at least six different online labs. I walk you through the entire ordering process and do a print analysis at the end comparing the different print labs. I’ll turn this into a future episode of the podcast as well.

Alright, on with the show, selecting a printer. In this episode I’m going to assume you’re buying a printer for the first time. I’m also going to assume you want to have maximum control and freedom of paper to put into your printer. Towards the end I’ll look at large format or grand format printers.

Where to begin For me, the end result is all about the image on paper. The machine you use to make that happen is just an intermediary device. Your image is key, I can help you there, but not in this episode, and the paper is key. But even with paper, where to begin? There’s so many options available. It can get quite frustrating to tackle this daunting task of deciding which paper to go on. The reason I suggest you start here is so you can easily identify which printer you “Shouldn’t” be buying. Your end goal is to create fine gallery-quality images. And we’ll get there, but we need to also start there at least for a few moments so all the other decisions we have to make are the right ones that will help us achieve that end goal.

Recommendations on paper manufacturers I really like Canson Infinity papers. There’s also Moab Papers and Hahnemühle. I just went for it and jumped to the finest quality papers on the planet. This may seem strange since this is not going to be your starting point when you make your first print. This is about understanding where you want to be with your print making once you have all the skills. There are literally hundreds of different paper types to choose from between just these manufacturers, and I’ve only mentioned three manufacturers.

The first thing to do on these manufacturers websites is to simply read about the different types of digital papers they offer. Much of it won’t make any sense to you. That’s OK. Please do however look for some keywords that do interest you. Maybe it’s something like the word texture, or smooth, or warm tone. Anything like that. Just get a basic feel for it.

Once you’ve looked at a few items to see if there’s anything that interests you, it’s time to look at their ICC profile downloads. This is THE reason I had you come to the paper manufacturers first. The ICC profile is a little tidbit of information that’s needed so the printer puts down the proper amount of ink on that specific paper it’s made for in order to get accurate color. It’s possible to make your own Profile, and I cover that in my online course, but that’s not usually something people want to get into, and that’s totally fine, no need to worry about that at this time. You’re probably already feeling overwhelmed with all the paper options.

ICC Profile, so what? The whole purpose here is to simply verify that the paper manufacturer supports the printer you have, or the printer you want to buy. At this point you don’t know which printer you want to buy, but if it’s in this list, it’s going to have a thumbs up from me.

If the printer isn’t in this list then you can’t control the color coming out of it very easily and printing will be a continual act of frustration for you since you won’t be able to get consistent results. So take a look at these profile pages, see the many, many options of printers that are supported and revisit these pages once you start looking at specific printer models.

If the printer model you’re interested in buying isn’t supported by the paper manufacturers, then don’t buy it.

A few thoughts on that, just to clarify further because photography is one of those lovely fields where someone can make a blanket statement and then instantly he can be proven wrong for that statement given certain circumstances. And printing is certainly one of them. In this case, the only caveats to this rule is if the printer manufacturer provides profiles for various papers or if you have your own calibration device and you want to make your own profiles. Those devices are expensive so I’m assuming in this episode you won’t want to make your own profiles.

Printer specifications, what to look for Let’s talk about the printing hardware for a bit now and what to look for in deciding upon a printer.

For the most part, to be on the ICC profile list of a paper manufacturer, your printer will have to be classified as a “photo” printer or some such by the printer manufacturer. Also, very few letter-sized printers are supported by the paper manufacturers too. So, I recommend looking at the 13×19 print size printers to start out with. They are capable of printing amazingly good quality photographs straight out of the box, but with proper training you can do so much more. If you want to go with a 17” wide printer that’s awesome. And there’s other models that are 24” 44” and even 64 inches wide. Those would be some amazingly large prints. If you’re doing canvas or something like that the larger formats make sense. But let’s get back to reality.

In the range of 13×19 printers, there’s not a whole lot of selection. And those of you that are HP fans I’m going to disappoint. I don’t have any experience with HP printers. In the photo printing field they just haven’t achieved anything notable in the market share side of things, and I just don’t have experience with them. I do have experience with Canon and Epson printers, so I’ll focus on these two printer brands.

If you go to Epson’s website and click on the “photo printers for home” link you’ll get a selection of seven printers at the time of this recording in late June 2019.

https://epson.com/For-Home/Printers/Photo/c/h120

The first four printers are the smaller format models and are not supported by Moab paper at least. If you click the “photo printers for work” link you’ll only be shown the four models that we’re interested in.

https://epson.com/For-Work/Printers/Photo/c/w120

These are the XP-15000, P400, P600 and P800 with the P800 being 17” wide. All of these printers are supported by Moab paper with ICC profiles, and I would assume the other paper manufactures have them covered as well.

Let’s take a look at Canon. Their models were a bit tougher to filter out online, so I’ve included a link here:

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/list/professional-large-format-printers/professional-inkjet-printers/professional-inkjet-printers

The two we’re interested in from Canon are the Pixma Pro-100 and the Pixma Pro-10. They also have the Pro-1000 but that’s a 17” wide printer.

Epson Ink Sets Let’s start with Epson again. The XP-15000 uses a six-color Claria Photo HD inkset “with all-new Red and Gray” inks. The Claria ink is a dye-based inkset. More on Dye vs. Pigment inks in a moment. Epson doesn’t readily disclose the size of the ink cartridges but they are about $11 each.

In looking at the website for this printer, Epson seems to be targeting this printer at the home crafter. It’s geared towards higher production with the large paper tray in front and a rear paper feed.

The P400 uses and 8-color Epson UltraChrome HD ink. They are 14ml each and cost about $18.

The P600 uses a 9-color Epson UltraChrome HD inkset. They are 25.9ml per cartridge and they cost about $32 each.

The P800, while a larger printer, uses the same 9-color inks, but they are in larger cartridges at 80ml and they cost about $63 each. That’s a huge cost for replacing the ink, but they are available individually. You won’t have to replace all inks at the same time. By far, the P800 will be the cheapest printer to operate and would be worth the extra investment if you’re going to print a lot. At just over a $1/ml of ink, the P600 strikes a nice balance in ink cost vs. printer cost.

I should mention the Epson UltraChrome inks are a pigment inkset.

Canon Ink Sets The Pixma Pro-100 uses the Canon ChromaLife 100 inks. It’s comprised of eight individual inks and each cartridge is about 14ml. At $17 each it’s not cheap, but about a $1 cheaper than the Epson counterparts. There’s a black and two gray inks in this set which is nice for making B&W prints. The Canon print driver has an option to do true B&W prints which can be nice since it will only use these Black and grey inks.

The Pixma Pro-10 and the Pro-1000 are pigment based inks. The Pro-1000 model uses 11 inks plus a chroma optimizer and they are 80ml for about $55. The Pro-10 uses 9 inks with a chroma optimizer. This chroma optimizer is said to “reduce bronzing” and to provide an even ink height which helps reduce surface reflection. This bronzing effect is most noticeable with large sections of black ink. When you hold the print at an angle and you move it back and forth in the light you might notice a secondary color that is present, this is the bronzing they’re talking about. It’s also known as metamerism. It’s not usually a problem, but these pigment inks will have two different blacks, one for matte papers and another for glossy papers.

Pigment vs. Dye inks The “more affordable” printers use the dye-based inks. And those inks are cheaper to purchase as well, so you might ask, why the difference? The reason is longevity of the print. Printer manufacturers have come a long way in their dye-based systems. It’s quite impressive. It used to be that if you wanted longevity you went with a pigment-based ink, and if you wanted a wider color gamut you went with a dye-based ink set. Today, it almost doesn’t matter. However, for me, I still prefer the pigment-based inks. The color these printers are capable of producing are very near that of our high-quality monitors so that’s no longer the limiting factor.

I suppose we should get into the specific differences between the two types of inks. Dye inks are those where the colorant is dissolved into the liquid carrier. When it’s squirted onto the paper it’s more fully absorbed into the special coating that’s applied to photo papers. For a pigment ink system, the colorant is a ground up substance that is suspended in the liquid carrier. When the ink dries it’s more likely to have less absorption due to the nature of the colorant, and that’s also why it’s possible to get the bronzing effect with pigment-based printers. But I’d like to stress, this is 2019 and this hasn’t been a serious issue for at least 10 years. Probably more. I’ve been printing for about 13 years now and this just isn’t an issue anymore.

If you want more information on ink longevity, check out Wilhelm Research. Their website needs some help in the design, but they have excellent guidance when it comes to understanding ink sets and their longevity.

http://wilhelm-research.com

Printer resolution Does resolution really matter? Canon advertises 4800×2400 dots per inch for the Pixma Pro-10 and 100 models and 2400×1200 for the Pixma Pro-1000. Epson Lists their droplet size as small as 1.5 picoleters. The XP-15000, P400 and P600 have a resolution of 5760×1440. The P800 has a 2880×1440 resolution.

For simplification of discussion let’s focus on each manufacturers lower number. For Canon 13×19 printers that’s 2400 dots per inch. For Epson it’s 1440 dots per inch. And for the Canon 17” wide machine it’s 1200 dots per inch.

Does this even matter?

For the most part I say no. Each of these are very high and will produce very fine photo quality results. Quite frankly the only reason I find this to be of any interest is that I like to set my image resolution in Photoshop to an even multiplier of these lower numbers. So for a 2400 dpi printer, I set my resolution to either 300 ppi, 240 ppi or 200 ppi, depending on the level of detail I need out of the print or the physical size I’m making the print (these two notions go hand in hand).

For the Epson, it’s either 360 ppi, 240 ppi or 180 ppi. Do you notice a common number in there? 240 works for each model. Maybe that’s why the default resolution when bringing an image from LR into PS is 240 ppi? I’ve not talked with anyone at Adobe, but it seems it would make sense.

I like to have this even multiplier of ppi to dpi just to make translating the image from PS to the printer easier on the print driver. I get pretty picky when it comes to my sharpening settings and I don’t want any surprises. Standardizing my printing resolutions will help me do that.

More on Ink Sets, why all the different colors…

Epson and Canon have formulated these ink sets to deliver excellent quality. The primaries in the printing world are Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. Black has to be added so we have good contrast. Beyond that the most popular expansion inks are going to be called Photo Cyan, Photo Magenta, Gray, Light Gray (Light Black or Light Light Black for Epson) and then we have an assortment of other inks such as green, orange and red. By including these other inks, the ones beyond the CMYK colors, the manufacturers are more easily able to get their printer to reproduce all the colors in the sRGB or Adobe RGB color spaces (or models). These are the two color spaces we’re most interested in with our printing. So is one better than the other?

In short, yes. More color options does give you the opportunity to print more colors and you’ll be able to have, theoretically speaking anyway, a better chance at having accurate colors being reproduced. With that said, my Epson printer at work has a Green and an Orange ink. And they hardly ever get used. So there’s at least part of the whole thing that is a marketing gimmick of sorts. But when you need it, those colors are available. My Canon Pixma Pro-10, my personal printer at home, has a Red ink, I’ve not used it enough to see if it’s anything of a high use with my prints. Certainly it depends on the type of images you’re producing. I have a feeling Canon put the Red ink in there to save on Magenta and Yellow when reds are used since Magenta and Yellow very easily make a perfect Red. I’d like to see a printer with two or three different greens in it though since those are the colors that are hardest to accurately reproduce.

Ink head technologies Both Manufacturers have different technologies for squirting ink onto your paper. “Back in the day” I used to prefer Epson because their printers would get clogged less, or rather, when it got clogged, I wouldn’t have to replace a print head. With Canon I would have to replace a head every now and then. Today, however, both manufacturers have done really well at getting good cleaning processes figured out. They even have sensors on the ink heads now that will detect when a nozzle is clogged and it will use the other nozzles to print in its place. You can always run a nozzle check and I recommend you do at least that once a month if you ever have a period of time where you’re not printing. Replacing print heads can be expensive and if it happens to you it might be better to just buy another printer. On the Canon iPF 5100 I had a while back, it cost about $1,700 new, but then I ended up replacing three print heads because I just never printed during the summer. At $500 a pop that got ridiculous. So I bought an Epson and have always been able to unclog it. I know Canon printers have gotten better though, but I don’t have specific experience of not printing for 3 months to see if I can resurrect it when it gets clogged.

Getting started with your new printer Both manufacturers have made printing very easy right out of the box. It’s amazing how simple printing is. However, the simplicity they offer does come at a cost. My recommendation is to get your feet wet. Install the driver and the profiles and utilities that is available for your printer. And if you’re buying a used printer that is a discontinued model get on the manufacture’s website and be sure they still support your computer and operating system with a current driver and utilities.

Use the manufacturer branded paper to start out with. Canon and Epson especially make some really fine papers. And they make it easy by preinstalling the ICC profiles for you. Use their recommendations to get started, but once you have the basics down, start bringing in other papers as that’s where the true magic can happen. The image should be printed on a paper that helps accentuate the image, not detract from it. If you’re showing a print to an average viewer and their first comment is something to do with the paper then you’ve probably missed the mark. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of experience but once you’ve graduated to the finer quality papers that we first talked about you’ll see what I mean and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

Paper Handling We started with paper, and it’s probably good to end with paper. The different papers have different handling of paper. I prefer to put my paper in one at a time. I’m guaranteed not to let it set to long on the printer that way, and in my current office setup the rear paper tray is unusable on my printer. So I feed it in single sheets on the top. If your printer has a tray I say use it for the standard papers. But not the fine papers we’ve been talking about from Moab and the like. They have a good surface that needs to be treated right and stacking the paper in a tray and allowing the printer to drag it across the other sheets is a bit of a travesty. This is probably just me being extra picky, but when it comes to my art I think it’s good to be picky.

Now what?

Once you’ve gotten a few prints out and you’re getting used to the process of printing I encourage you to find buddies or other resources that help you achieve even more in your printing. I’m sure you know I’ve got an online course that dives very deep into the world of printing. Getting even better results out of your photography on one of these printers is possible, but it’s one of those things where until you see the difference it’s hard to understand what you’re missing out on. That’s why I offer a 30-day money back guarantee on my course. Plus, there’s monthly group sessions for the first six months where we get together online and we share our questions and successes with learning this print process. Printing gallery quality prints is possible, and with the help of others we can have you printing with WOW in just a few short weeks. Maybe even less.

Join a workshop and learn it even faster! And if you really want to learn it fast, join me on the Oregon coast this August. We’re going to shoot the coast and learn printing too in the hotel conference room. All the info is available on the website, I hope you can make it. It’s limited to 8 participants for the first session, and then I have a compressed session from in the very beginning of September, going over Labor Day weekend. That’s limited to 4 participants. So whatever you’re in for, let’s get together and print this summer!

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Links mentioned in this episode:

http://milavia.net

http://thisisflight.net

https://www.leadinghamphotography.com

https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/ https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/denver/ https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/oregon-coast-2019/ Topic:

  1. Tell us about yourself, where you live, the types of photography you do, and how long you’ve been shooting airshows.
  2. Gear talk, what’s in your regular kit when you head off to an airshow?
  3. Gear talk, what do you take to an airshow that you don’t take on other shoots?
  4. The makeup of an airshow, there’s obviously the flying, but what else is there? Anything happening on the ground?
  5. What about different types of airshows?
  6. Let’s talk flying, what are some types of aircraft that you can expect to see at an airshow?
  7. With that different types of aircraft, does your technique change much, or is it generally all the same? Give us some tips that we gotta know before we head out to photograph our own airshow?
  8. Lighting, do you have much choice on where you can stand to get your photos?
  9. You’re working with some folks for special access to these shows. Help us understand the difference in access that you have compared to the regular public.
  10. If listeners want to get in on it, where can they go?

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For the full write up on the CIE diagram, please read this blog post. For the purposes of this pot I’ll include this outline:

https://brentbergherm.com/cie-chromaticity-diagram/ The Diagram

The shape of it

Color Models vs Color Space

Color Values vs Perception

Additive vs Subtractive Color

Meanings of color: BLUE

Robert Henri, an American painter probably summed it up best when he said, “Color is only beautiful when it means something.” For the most part, I agree. And it’s that understanding of what color can mean that drives me to do these episodes where we focus on color, and listener submitted images.

Different colors can have many different meanings depending on context and culture. In China, for example, blue conveys a sense of immortality.

Positive Associations for Blue The best (think county fairs with the blue ribbon being the best of the best), truth, conservatism (mostly in anything but US politics), loyalty, security and all things relating to the ocean or nautical themes.

Negative Associations for Blue Sadness, cold, unexpected, low-class, depression, indecent and censored.

Color in Motion This is a great animation that takes you through all the main colors and gives ideas for the meanings they can convey.

https://vimeo.com/129112056 Listener Images and comments Alan Comer – Blue Angles pic

Mark Morris – Some type of lily

Mike Hoppe – Crown Point

For the next showcase of listener images I want to do something a little different. I want to hear from you.

Please think of a photo that fits the general genre of travel/outdoor photography and fits the idea of “For the Love of Photography”

Submit that image to the fb group (or email it to me) and then use the voice memo feature on your phone (or any other way of recording your thoughts) and tell us the story behind your image. I’ll get at least three on the show, I’ll try and do more if I can. Try and keep it between 2 and 5 minutes. I think that would be awesome.

 Use  this link for excellent gear at the Peak Design website. It helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

 Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

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Links mentioned in today’s episode

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/oregon-coast-2019/ Today I’m talking with a representative from a photo gear manufacturer. This isn’t the only interview I’ll be doing from a gear producer. With these interviews, it’s my goal to give you listeners a bit of an “insider” look into the company and to hopefully better understand what makes them tick.
So today, I’m talking with Ted Meister, Marketing Director for ThinkTank Photo. Ted, Welcome to the show.Ted, Tell us a bit about ThinkTank Photo, the basic history of the company. Who are the major players and how it all got started?
And what is the main philosophy that drives the company?

Questions: I’ve got some questions I’d like to ask about some specific products, but also about the design process of making quality gear photographers want. I Some of these are mine, and some come from my listeners. I may have also expanded on what listeners asked as well.Also, I’m not looking to have you spill any trade secrets, I want to respect that for sure!

  1. What challenges do you consider when designing a camera bag. How do you research what customers want? Do you have a mechanism for direct customer feedback?

  2. With the myriad of cameras/systems/types of photographers how does a manufacturer prioritize bag designs to satisfy those variables

  3. Is there anything a buyer should know about shopping for bags that they usually don’t think about? Maybe something that could be viewed as a design flaw but in reality it’s just a misunderstanding of a certain design challenge.

  4. This is a good one: “Why don’t they make girly camera bags?”This person literally wants bright colors, different patterns, even pink! The desire to have a bag that doesn’t scream “photo gear” is desired by many, including this listener. I know I’d love a bag that doesn’t scream photo gear.

  5. There were more items along this line. A brand of bags was specifically mentioned, Kavu bags. There was also a mention regarding sizing, straps etc. something more female focused.

  6. From the ThinkTank Lineup, give me a recommendation for the following scenariosa. Travel photographer shooting Fujifilm cameras. Two bodies, 5 lenses.b. Landscape photographer shooting a digital Medium Format system.c. Travel photographer shooting a standard Nikon or Canon kit. One Pro body, one smaller body and 4 lenses.d. To fit a smaller kit, Fuji or Sony or Olympus crop-sensor, two lenses. And room for a few daily essentials.

  7. You just released the Elite 45L. Walk me through this bag. In one sense I’m absolutely drooling. In another, it’s a lot of bag, maybe more than I need.

  8. You also released an ICU. Do you plan to do more of these in the future which will allow photographers to use your gear protection in the bag of their choice?

  9. Do plans exist for expanding the line with other non-bag solutions? That you can talk about anyway?

Links to gear mentioned in this episode: All Rolling Cases: http://bit.ly/2WrCG4s

Airport Advantage: http://bit.ly/2MxH65d

Airport Advantage Plus: http://bit.ly/2JZWSUt

BackLight 26L: http://bit.ly/2MvdiWF

Urban Aproach 15: http://bit.ly/2MyEjsg

Vision series shoulder bags: http://bit.ly/2u0Irp5

Retrospective 30: http://bit.ly/2K496vg

Photocross 13: http://bit.ly/2JZjJ2c

Photocross 15: http://bit.ly/2K2WFj0

FirstLight 40L: http://bit.ly/2MIU1S2

BackLight 36L: http://bit.ly/2K2X450

BackLight Elite 45L: http://bit.ly/2MBNRTw

Rotation System: http://bit.ly/2K5R6An

Shape Shifter Series: http://bit.ly/2MuNnyq

StreetWalker Series: http://bit.ly/2MzBzLx

Mirrorless Mover Series: http://bit.ly/2MxJGbp

Turnstyle Sling Bags: http://bit.ly/2Myt4jM

StashMaster 13: http://bit.ly/2WruFaU

SKB Hardcases: http://bit.ly/2WmnSix

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Links mentioned in this episode. https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/ww-print/
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/oregon-coast-2019/
https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/denver/
http://www.susanburnstine.com

Announcements. Today’s show is an interview with a listener, Tim Lawson, and we’re talking about Vision and working to execute that vision.
But there’s a few other announcements I want to take care of before we get on with the interview.
Denver meetup.
Denver one-day workshop.
Oregon Coast.
Walla Walla and Palouse Workshop.
Final call for Blue images via the facebook group.
That wraps up the announcements, let’s hop on over to my conversation with Tim Lawson and this idea of vision. This is an enhanced episode, so if you have the ability to see the photo on your device, and if you’re not driving, go ahead and take a peek now so you know what we’re talking about, it’ll also have been posted to the facebook group a few days ago so you can also find it there.

Topic: Tim Lawson, welcome to the show…
Tell me about your image. Let me describe it first for the listeners, but then I just want to know how to came about this image.
It’s a young woman in a cape and mask standing on a rock hill holding a large branch with a lantern over her shoulder. The stars are behind her with a significant swirl going on.
Tell me about how this image came together and how you also worked in Photoshop to make this all happen.

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Links talked about in this episode: https://psa-photo.org

http://malinconico.com

https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/ https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/ww-print/ Selecting a workshop that is right for you… My perspective is from a Women selecting a Photo Workshop. Also from an older person who is in good physical shape but not that of my 30 something self.
a. Ask workshop leader if there will be a mix of genders. I went on a workshop with all men. Bathroom issues :-0

b. Ask the workshop leader about getting the information up front on the physical requirements. For example, walking on trails that are uneven, walking on trails that gain serious elevation. Example, Two Medicines Hike Glacier National Park and Boulder Beach in Acadia. Matching the workshop to your physical abilities.

c. Find a Photo Buddy – to go on workshop with. I have several friends who are always willing to go on an adventure with me. Abandoned Places – put my foot through a rotten footboard and had to get help putting my leg out 
d. Workshop Leader – been on some workshops with poor workshop leaders – here are some examples
i. Workshop Leader – not answering questions about camera settings or being able to explain why one setting may be better than other settings
ii. Workshop Leaders – who are there to shoot for themselves and do not work with others to get better shoots. Workshop leaders should be helping you not working to get their own shots.
iii. I went I a workshop in which we hiked to Taft Point at Yosemite. The workshop leader laid down and took a nap. Same workshop, we went to Glacier Point to shoot sunset on a totally cloudy evening. Did not have a backup plan.
iv. Ask for References – call the references and ask questions about the workshop leader

If the workshop leader will not give you references, then don’t go…any good workshop leader will provide references

e. The other issue is the expense of the workshop. Going on a really bad one means you don’t get the bang for your buck. Transition into next topic…Camera Clubs

Camera Clubs There are thousands of camera clubs located all over the world. I would recommend starting at the Photographic Society of America web site – list of their camera clubs.

Click on the Link for Clubs and Councils. Web Page divides clubs by regions in the world. For example in there is a region for North America which include the US and Canada.
a. Find a Club and visit…see what the activities they are doing. Many clubs do photo shoots for members every month or several times per month.
b. For club members, the photo shoots are free and include social time after the shot like lunch or dinner.
c. Membership to a camera club cost from $20 to $75 per year and includes presentations, competitions and photo shoots.
d. Make Friends and share your passion with other photo people
e. https://psa-photo.org/index.php?n-america-members

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Today I have a special guest with me. He is the host of the longest running photography podcast on the planet, Tips From the Top Floor, and if you’re not a subscriber you should totally go check that out. Chris Marquardt, welcome to the show…

Chris, tell us a little about yourself and your photographic interests.

Topic: Today we’re talking about a few topics. We’ll get into a few design principles in photography and some travel tips, in particular, cold climates.

Chris, set the stage for us. What’s one of the foundational items you have for us when it comes to approaching this idea of design in photography?

  • Establish your goals for what you are shooting. What is your purpose?
  • Do you need to then improve your technique? Composition? Timing, attention?
  • Do you shoot for advertising? Or “likes” on social media? Maybe you want to convey a message. Or tell a story. That would be your goals.
  • Then, you can look at design principles to achieve those goals. It all becomes more purposeful.

Some of the baby steps we can take to achieve those goals? * Some “concrete” terms, to know what your photos are about. What’s the subject? * “Rules” such as rule of thirds, not worth a thing if you don’t know what your subject is. So, get that figured out first. * Spacing, placement in the frame. What does it feel like. * Scale, the relative size or impression of how big things are. What lens do we use? How does that affect proportions of the subject. * But start with the subject, and find ways to emphasize that. * Backgrounds are important. Or frames, leading lines.

Slowing down * I have an “itchy finger” to start shooting right away. But spending time with a subject before you start shooting is super valuable. * Look at it from different angles. Walk around it if you can. Place it in front of different backgrounds if you can by doing that.

Sometimes, you don’t take a photo at all, not to begin with anyway. * Brent relates a story about an experience in Ireland where he missed a shot due to leaving a lens behind. * Chris talks about a visit to Canyon Lands National Park in the US.

Specific design ideas: Scale * Focal length is a key component. It dictates how far you have ot be away from the subject. Closer you are the more that proportions are stretched out between items in front of you compared to items further back. * I love showing scale by putting it in relation with other things. Back in 2009, in the Himalayas for the first time, at Base Camp at Everest in Nepal. As long as you’re not around things that you know, it will be really hard to derive scale from what you see. * Only when something that is familiar is close by then the real scale can snap into understanding.

Familiarity * When shooting things like scale and texture, being familiar with the subject is necessary for proper interpretation. * The viewer brings all their experiences and knowledge to the photo that we look at, and if we have an experience with that subject, it will inform our interpretation of that subject and our impression of the photo. * Chris tells a story about people in Nepal and their experience between looking at photos of themselves compared to images of the Black Forest in Germany.

Polar Extremes Discussion * Lake Baikal, Freezes over, weather forces causing large ice shapes, methane bubbles in the ice, shards of ice, it can get up to 6ft thick. Some people ice dive, they cut a hole and dive under the ice, which is so clear you can wave at them. * Warm sunset over bluish cold ice… a wonderful view.

Find Chris online https://discoverthetopfloor.com * Feb 2020, Lake Baikal * April, Bhutan, The Land of the Thunder Dragon * Later in the year, Cappadocia, in Turkey. 300 wild horses just for us!

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Links talked about in this episode: https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/

https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/ww-print/

Time to talk about two pieces of gear. The iPad Pro and a mobile workflow opportunity that it provides, and the Sony a6400.

Let’s talk about the 6400 first. I took it with me to my conference in April 2019 to San Francisco. I was there for a web design conference, but I landed at about noon on Sunday and went straight for Cataract falls in the Marin Headlands area.

  • Took only this camera
  • Was concerned about leaving the Canon kit behind.
  • This is a very capable camera, but I’m just so used to my Canon and three lenses.
  • Took a small bag that went into my computer bag.
  • Took two batteries and my normal ThinkTank photo pixel pocket secure with my cards.
  • It charges via USB plugged straight into the camera.

Let’s look at a few Specs of the camera. * Sony E mount, crop sensor * 24MP * ISO to 32,000, extendable to 102,400 * Electronic Front Curtain Shutter to 1/4000thsec. * Silent shutter, is completely silent * Tons of video options, all the way up to 4K and full HD at 60fps * I’ve yet to do any video with this camera. * 425 Phase Detect AF sensors * 425 Contrast Detection Areas * Viewfinder resolution almost 2.4MP * Monitor resolution 921,600 dot * Tilting screen (up and down, flips up but not flippy screen. Rather annoying that it is hard to operate with an arca swiss plate attached) * USB 2 micro b for charging L * Weight: 14.22 oz, 403g (with battery and memory card)

All in all, not a bad camera for less than $900. Quite respectable in fact.

There’s a few things I couldn’t get used to, or couldn’t yet figure out. * Screen resolution is too low. * Hand keeps turning off screen when I reach toward the camera, the sensor for the viewfinder senses the hand, turns off screen. Kind of annoying. I know I can switch it to be only the rear screen or the viewfinder. I don’t want that. I want a sensor that actually senses it’s on a tripod and that when something approaches it it should leave the screen on. Then, when I have it in one hand or both hands, and that sensor is tripped, it should then go back and forth between EVF and the screen. * But I like it when I want to use the viewfinder. * Viewfinder is too low resolution as well. * The AF system is good, but I couldn’t intuitively figure out how to change it so I can manually select which AF spot I want. I had to rely on the ability to touch the screen to override the camera’s auto selection of AF points. But when using the viewfinder, I was out of luck. Probably just my inexperience, and my being used to the Canon system. But it should be more intuitive to make that selection. On my 5D4, it’s a quick flick of the joystick item.

Comparisons to the Canon 5D4 In one sense it’s rather unfair to make a comparison because these are two totally different cameras. But that too is my point. I’ll be looking at image quality soon, so that ultimately tells the whole story, but for now, let’s look at the physical differences.

I use a Pro Media Gear L bracket with my 5D4, it makes this package a massive beast to behold. But I do like it and it has worked well for me. But I’m very much interested in a smaller kit. I want to travel more and take more pictures, and I do know that the girth of the camera does cause me to not get it out sometimes.

I bought the Sony with the 18-135 lens. Together they weigh 25.72 oz or 1.6 pounds. Not bad. The Canon with the 24-70 I shoot weighs in at about 48 oz. or 3 pounds. That’s nearly twice the weight. The Sony is rated with the battery, the Canon is not. Add the battery and my L bracket and I’m saving half the weight when going with the Sony.

Image Quality: I just completed working on several images in LR. Before I get too far into this I gotta say one thing, This is not a direct comparison of the same exact scenes between the Canon and the Sony. I did not take my Canon so I only had the Sony to shoot and think about on this trip.

Thoughts: * Golden Gate Bridge at night: Came out very well. I shot mostly in the 100, 200 and 400 ISO range and I let the shutter speed go on up to 10 seconds or so. I did a lot of experimenting so I’m just going off of the two that made it to my keepers file thus far. * I’m really impressed with the flexibility of these files. I can push them up in LR easily about ½ stop more than my Canon with the same amount of noise build up. Past 400 though and it starts to fall apart in my opinion. And by “fall apart” I really mean that you can see the noise, it’s still very well controlled, but it’s certainly there. Pretty much on par with the Canon. * This is impressive given that the Pixel area of the Sony is 15.13 µm²and the Canon is 28.73 µm²

Story behind shooting these images * Woke up at about 4:30 a.m. Drove to the Marin Headlands area, specifically, to the Battery Spencer overlook. * Arrived way before sunrise. Had the place to myself. * Looked at a few options for framing. Decided to largely hang out a bit to the left of the battery area so I could have a slightly better angle on the bridge and the city behind it. * Got plenty of shots with it pitch black. However, my favorite shot is the ones where just a bit of blue is starting to come through. * Reds of the bridge are not feeling all that “original” or natural. Not sure if this is a lighting issue, a Sony issue or something else. I was able to manipulate the colors in post to get them pretty good, but to begin with they were awful. I’ve never had this problem with my Canon. Initially, however, I’ll chalk this up to just loads of experience with the Canon, and preconceived expectations. * As the sun continued to rise it looked promising. I wanted to catch the harsh light on the bridge with the city behind. But the fog rolled in on the horizon. It remained mostly clear where I was, but over the main land area it got a bit thick. * So I went over to the edge of the ridge and shot the sun coming through the clouds. It was quite good actually. Very pleased with how those came out. * I was able to frame up Alcatraz with a large ship, and with the sun poking through the clouds and reflecting off the water, it was rather sweet. * I then got back on the main road and headed down towards Point Bonita Lighthouse. There were signs posted saying it’s only open for a few hours on Sunday afternoon, but I had no idea they’d close a tunnel that is the only access to the area and you can’t even see it from the trail. I was a bit disappointed. * I then drove to the Battery Alexander Parking lot and walked to the beach that leads to Bird Island. It was all right, but nothing too exciting. I just shot a few wet sand texture and pattern studies. * One afternoon I walked downtown after the conference and I got on top of a parking garage and shot an old fashioned street car. I zoomed in and framed it up tight, the curvy lines, windows and the pattern of the road made for a striking composition. I really like the guy in the back window. You can see his face and that’s the only major human element in the shot. * And then finally, I got the sailboat with the ridge behind it. I like the simplicity of this shot.

Waterfall shots. * Actually, before I shot the bridge and downtown I went to Cataract falls a bit further north. It was an excellent hike. But it was also the first time shooting with this camera in CA. I had shot it a bit before with two listeners who met me in Clarkston, WA, and we went to Hell’s canyon and did a bit in the Palouse area. Anyway, I got a few images that worked, but I was really spending too much time getting used to the camera, most of what I got wasn’t worth much. But it was still a valuable experience. * Really the only true keeper is a B&W vertical panoramic with a log crossing over the top portion of the frame and the water flowing into a small pool area with rocks surrounding it. The files held up really well to how far I have to push them when doing a shot like this. B&W helps too, but still, it’s a good quality image.

Lens quality * The 18-135 is a quality lens. I was almost surprised at how good it is. I could easily trust most of my shots to this lens. I tried it with severe backlighting, side lighting and some of my favorite types of subjects, and they were rendered quite well. * I’m not done testing, and my opinion may change, but so far so good. * I did not do quality tests at various focal lengths, I’m just speaking candidly from what I was able to see from these initial images.

Can I actually do it, make the switch? * It’s hard to make the switch just now. I think the lower res screens and EVF bothered me too much. I need something like the EOS-R with a higher resolution viewfinder and flippy screen. * The FujiFilm X-T3 has a much higher resolution EVF at 3.69mp, but the rear screen is only barely a few more pixels at 1.04mp. The canon EOS R has the same resolution EVF as the FujiFilm but it has a 2.1MP rear flippy screen. So if I’m looking for the best experience in shooting, and I did notice the lower res rear screen was annoying, then the Canon EOS R still has a bit of a nod. * The Panasonic has a whopping 5.7MP EVF and the same 2.1MP rear screen as the EOS R. * This is why I’m still officially waiting to declare which direction I’ll be going with my shooting. Canon has predicted a drop in camera sales and we’re seeing that now with the latest reports coming out in the last couple months. Is it any wonder? There’s lots of good equipment out there, but when you have a 5D4 already, not much is really pulling me one way or the other. Things are to incremental at this point to make me want to pull out the plastic an make it happen with a new body.

Video capabilities. * I’ve yet to shoot video on the Sony. Though I just got the ThinkTank Photo PhotoCross 15 in the mail today. I’ll be doing a YouTube video on that soon and then I’ll be able to talk about this camera and it’s video capabilities.

iPad Use * I’d love to be able to use my iPad Pro 2 as an exclusive platform for when out on a trip and I think I’m getting close to saying that is becoming more and more feasible for me. * Download images to camera roll. * Then import into LR mobile. Rather annoying. * iOS 13 supposed to fix this issue, allowing us to import directly into 3rdparty apps such as LR mobile. I look forward to that. * Then I have to wait for LR to upload the images to the cloud and then wait for LR on the computer to download them. If you thought importing images into LR was slow, just do this. However, it would be rather worth it for me if I can do this because I’d be able to leave the computer at home if I needed or wanted to. * Still waiting for full PS on the iPad. Once that happens things are going to get very interesting. * However, with the changes in pricing Adobe has started “testing” even I’m tempted to find another solution even though I get the creative cloud through work. And the price they give educational institutions… it’ll be hard for us to justify moving away from adobe anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean I can’t personally make a switch. Time will tell. The Jury is still out on that one.

Closing Remarks Finally, some information you’ve been waiting for on Denver.

I’m going to do a one-day print workshop on July 28. I’m working with a local camera club for hosting it but the best part is that they said that I can easily invite my listeners to join in on the fun as well. We don’t need to keep it exclusive. Club members will get a small discount but otherwise it’ll be open to you folks as well.

I don’t have everything figured out just yet, but you can check out the FB group for an announcement and those of you who have contacted me personally, I’ll be reaching out to you once I have the details all worked out.

I have another workshop for you as well. It’s based here in Walla Walla. We’ll plan to get up to the Palouse as well, but it’s all about shooting, processing and printing. We’ll spend five days going through the whole process from start to finish. And you’ll return home with some great images and new skills. If you’re interested in pushing your image making to new heights this workshop is for you. It happens June 17-21 of this year. Check out all the details on the website, https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/ww-print

The Walla Walla workshop does include access to the online course as well. So you’ll get access to over 8 hours of learning and inspiration for taking your images off the screen and into the real world. We’ll talk about working with labs too, so you don’t need your own printer to make this a valuable experience.

And quickly, a quick shout out to all those who have purchased the online course. It’s been out almost a month now and I’m thrilled to see the progress many folks are making. I get the stats of video downloads and such and I’m loving the opportunity to help so many folks who have decided to take the plunge. I’m about to announce my first group session that’s associated with the course, so those of you enrolled, watch for that in your email. I’m talking to David, Bill, Steven, Hank, Dino, Gary, Jeremy, Brian, Steve and the others. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

So if you’re ready to take that next step head on over to the website and sign up today!

In the next few episodes I’ll be talking with the host of the longest running photography podcast, Chris Marquardt. I’m also bringing on Mary Malinconico to talk about selecting workshops and participating in other photo outings. Jeff and I recently talked a bit about workshops and how to select them on the Master Photography Podcast, but with Mary we’ll go quite a bit deeper.

I’ve also got three people interested in talking with me about the book Making Photographs by Ibarionex Perello. So that episode will be exciting and it’ll happen in early July.

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you have a fantastic day, whatever you’re doing and until next time, happy shooting!

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Today we are talking about color. I wrote a blog post over on my main site about this whole idea of color. Head on over there to read it but, of course, we’ll talk about it here. It’s about the basics of color, a bit of how the eye works and I try to put that into perspective with how it relates to photography.

Link to blog post: https://brentbergherm.com/what-is-color/

Listener submitted images. We also have some listener submitted images that we’ll also talk about. Today I chose images from Gary Aidekman, Chris Bartell and Benjamin Stuben Farrar.

Gary’s Image is of a red truck with a bunch of various growth around it, be it grasses, bushes, trees and the like. It’s an older pickup truck with a wooden box on the back. The beauty of this image is in the contrasts we find here. The truck is decaying, a bit of rust is seen around the edges of the truck body panels, some dents are visible. The glass is rather clean so it’s not too old and decrepit. The box is showing some age and across the top we see some damage from hauling various objects. However, the contrasts I’m talking about are both the contrasts of color, but also the contrasts of the new fresh growth and the decaying truck. There’s also a contrast of textures, the truck body panels are quite smooth as compared to the grasses, bushes, trees and the wooden box on the back of the truck.

The cab is painted red. And what does red have to do with this image? Or better yet, how does it influence our interpretation of the image?

Certainly, it pops out from the greenery that surrounds it. In this case, I think it enhances the feeling that this object simply doesn’t belong here. Or, at least it’s not “natural” in a manner of speaking. When I think over the key words that usually get associated with red, either positive or negative, I’m actually coming up a bit dry. I don’t see any of them strongly applying here. It does ad a slight dynamic sense to the image in that the colors do complement each other quite well. It’s almost Christmas like in nature, we just need a little snow!

It may suggest danger to some people, but not really. The truck is resting there and it will continue to do so, and has done so for a long time which is evident by the grasses growing around it. I do get a subtle sense of power in this image. But again, it’s subtle. The power of the truck to drive here, park here and be left here by its owner. The potential power to break down the grasses and such in front of it to move on out and get things underway. While it’s decaying, it’s not that far gone. It does look like it still has some life in it, and that could suggest as subtle sense of vitality as well.

Compositionally, I would like to see one of two things done to this image. Either zoom in slightly tighter to get rid of a few patches of sky that are showing up, allowing us to more fully concentrate on the truck in its environment, or zoom out a bit and allow us to see more of the environment which surrounds this truck. Zooming in will magnify the power of the truck, zooming out will diminish it. I’d also suggest a vignette to darken the greenery in the foreground. Just slightly. Nothing too drastic so that it still feels natural. Doing so will keep the eye interested in the truck only. There’s lots of detail in those areas and green, as we learned from the previous discussion, is naturally brighter than red, and so by changing the relationship between these two primary colors in the scene we’ll rebalance it to give more attention to the subject. Of course, it all depends on the intent you have for this image.

The second image is from Chris Bartell. She has been with me on a workshop last year in Charleston at the Create Photography Retreat. She’s a talented photographer and is definitely showing some good work here as well. This image is of a Japanese Maple at the Japanese Gardens in Portland, OR. These are some beautiful gardens. If you get a chance to shoot there, especially in the fall, I highly recommend it. Go on a weekday if you can to avoid the crowds. The image is filled with lots of reds and oranges in the leaves, with some vibrant greenery in the grasses and mosses in the foreground. This is one of the exciting things about nature photography, we almost always have some greenery in the image (not so in the next image, but anyway). Chris has used a small aperture, a big number, and a wide-angle lens to really extend that depth of field. Almost everything is in focus. It feels that there’s a subtle vignette being applied, but it could be a natural vignette from the lens. Though when a lens is stopped down this far the vignetting is usually eliminated.

This particular tree is quite possibly the most popular tree in the entire garden, at least for photographers. I’ve seen many images like it before and this is a really good example of what can be done here at this tree.

So how does the color red influence our interpretation of this scene?

To me, it also has a lot to do with the branches. Those branches start out in the thick trunk and they squiggle out to the outlying areas of the image. They provide a connection and a visual highway for the eye to travel through, many visual highways. To me, I’m made more alert by this image. The color is commanding my attention as it’s very visible. The inclusion of yellow hues also helps a lot with keeping things alive. Given that this is fall colors, the notion of transition and the coming winter is also suggested to me. And I am thankful for being able to see the colors as they are here because I know they will be gone soon. So, in this image, I get a sense of decay and transition quite strongly. But as I’m well aware, the cycle will continue, and this will deliver its beauty once again next year. So the promise it provides is also strong for me.

Compositionally, I don’t think there’s much I’d change in this image. If I were there and no others were trying to get this shot, I know I’d try and get some unique compositions. I might try my segmentation series on this subject. Or otherwise isolate individual branches of segments of the tree. There’s not a lot of wiggle room as the keepers of the garden disallow photographers to walk around and set up various angles. One thing that is wonderful is the lone leaf on the rock in the lower left corner. I can see myself placing more leaves there to make a more prominent feature of that rock. And then put them back so my idea is hopefully unique.

Benjamin’s image is another leaf. But this one has fallen to the ground. The icy ground. This provides some great contrasts once again in the image. We have the little crystals of the ice droplets that have formed and the soft smooth leaf. There’s only reds, oranges and blue hues available in this image. Along with some whites and blacks too, of course. The depth-of-field is very shallow which can really work for this type of shot, though I might have applied it slightly differently. The leaf almost fills the frame from edge to edge and is placed in the upper third of the image.

So how does red influence our interpretation of this scene?

The leaf is made to feel very important. It is the central object not only because the red advances so much as compared to the softer blues, but also it’s the subject that is in focus. It’s punchy and the eye is drawn so much you can’t go anywhere else.

As for the composition, I think I would do one major change. That is to lift the camera up just a little. This will change the plane of focus slightly and allow for more background to show. I’d still keep the leaf towards the top of the frame but I’d change the focus to be the ridge of the leaf edge. Right now the eye gets trapped in the central part of the frame and can’t escape. If the leaf’s ridge were in focus the eye would have a line to follow, a very interesting line at that. It could travel back and forth and then it could take a few side tracked tangents based on the receding veins. Doing this would also bring different ice globules into focus and that would provide a circle for the eye to travel around, from the edge of the leaf to the in focus ice globs, back to the leaf.

Controlling Red in Camera What if your reds, or other colors, are off in camera? There’s a few things we can do to correct for this. I really only have in-depth experience with Canon cameras, but all cameras will have a characteristic about it that may need correction from time to time.

So often we want to make color corrections using the white balance. And that can help, but what if your colors are consistently off? In Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw, head to the last tab in the develop module called Calibration. The first thing to select is the Process Version. Usually, I’d say go with the most recent version. That’s going to be the most updated process Adobe knows to do to your photos. However, the sliders there will give you the opportunity to shift the hues around from one influence to the next. And things are limited to the Reds, Greens and Blues only. You also have a shadows tint slider which can help too, but that’s limited to greens and magentas.

I say focus your attention on the primaries and shift those sliders around until you have something that works across a multitude of files.

Technically speaking, if you were to calibrate your camera it would only be applicable to the lighting scenario and lens choice that’s currently mounted to your camera. You’d have to recalibrate for each different scenario. However, going about it in an easier fashion makes a lot more sense, especially if you notice that things are consistently off base. You can come in here and make the changes. Then you can make a preset that has those changes and upon import you can apply those changes automatically. Doing so may be just what you need to get those reds knocked into shape. Also, it’s been my experience that reds are the toughest for cameras to accurately render, but again, my experience is largely limited to Canon cameras and the troubled cameras are the older Rebel models, the current models have been excellent.

Take a look in that calibration panel and see if something works in the right direction for you!

Additionally, you can take a look in the HSL area and modify the hues there as well. The calibration panel is designed more for wholistic changes that are applied across the board.

Listener Wisdom I’ve announced that my print course is finished. And I’m so glad it’s largely done! However, I figured I should address something here. That is I’m going to actually rename the course. Not even a week out and I’m already making changes. I know, kind of strange. However, this comes about from you guys, and a few others.

By calling it a fine art printing course I made some feel this course wasn’t for them, where after talking to them I was like “yes, this is totally for you!” So I’m retitling the course to “Master Photo Printing” with Brent Bergherm. Nothing else has changed about the course.

You still get 8+ hours of in-depth training in a format that is easy to digest and pickup where you left off. My online delivery system tracks your progress and you’ll easily be able to watch the videos that pertain to your interests and you’ll be able to go back over an over again.

Also, for a few more days, I’m able to give away a backpack bag if you enroll soon. See the website for details, but I’ve got an UltraLight 36L by ThinkTank Photo that will go to one lucky person who signs up before Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

If you’ve been shooting a couple years and you want to take your photography to a different level with some color management, post-processing and creative sharpening techniques then this course is for you. I will do the bonus materials by Summer 2019 which will include walkthroughs on popular print lab websites and an analysis of their prints. So you don’t need your own printer to get something out of this course.

Summer plans My summer plans have been effectively put into a blender. I had to cancel my workshops to Chile and Croatia due to low enrollment which is too bad. And I thought that would mean I’m able to go to Cuba then with the school I work at. We’re doing a mission trip there in early July. And that may will work out, but otherwise, the only thing I have solid for my summer is to head to Boise in late July and deliver a mini printing workshop and lecture there to a group there. If you have a group of photographers that want to learn one-on-one printing this summer let me know and we probably can work something out.I also have my shoot-n-print workshop happening in mid-June this year in Walla Walla. The valley is gorgeous and we’ll have so much fun shooting in the early morning and evenings, and spending the heat of the day demystifying the print process and coming away with some awesome prints of your photography.

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View all the details of the course here: 

https://brentbergherm.com/course-info/ This course is a very deep dive into all the things needed to know to get excellent prints out of your photographs. I’ve taken my 20+ years of photography experience and packaged it into this 8+ hour course that’s filled with details and explanations as to WHY I do what I do.

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There’s so much to talk about and so little time to do it, so, where to start.

First off I’d like to talk about the show in general.

Not publishing as often as I’d like. (end of the quarter and all that)

Working very hard on my print course and coming up with ideas for future courses.

Very busy quarter ahead. 48 in my intro to digital imaging course, 32 in my principles of photography course. Plus putting my dossier together. This quarter will be busy.

Going to try out a shorter show format for a while. It will be hard because I love talking photography. But with a shorter show to get out it may not seem so daunting of a task and I might be able to keep at it on a more regular basis. My goal is still twice per month.

I do have my workshops that still have several spots left. If shooting the total solar eclipse and other great spots in Chile interests you, please consider signing up. I’ve reserved a large apartment that has flexible sleeping arrangements, but I also have an option about doing your own lodging if you’d prefer. Check out the listing on my site and see if that would work for you. It’ll be so much fun and quite the adventure. We’ll learn some photography along the way too of course.

And my Croatia workshop too. If you love waterfalls and historic city centers then this trip is for you. Something I’d like to really stress is that we have some flexibility on the dates. If the first part of the trip can’t work for you please consider the second part. It’s only a half-week but I can easily extend that to a full week if that would be a better fit for your schedule.

The problem is we’re coming up on the cancellation deadline which is March 31, 2019. If I don’t have the minimum signed up I’ll have to cancel. So please check it out and reach out to me if you have any questions.

My website is experiencing some changes lately. I’m preparing for publishing my course and it will be right there in my main site, http://brentbergherm.com

I’ve got the videos edited, I just need to polish them off and get them organized on the site.

When I publish the course I’ll do another episode that will walk you through everything in basic detail so you know what’s what and what to expect. I’m so excited to be so close to being finished. I’m spending my spring break getting this thing online and ready to go.

It will be way more than just a set of videos to download.

I will make the first announcements about the course release to my email list and my Workshops group on facebook. Just search for Brent Bergherm Photo Workshops on facebook and ask to join, or find the link at the bottom of every page on my site and join the email list. I email out my most recent blog posts and other pertinent stuff.

I’ll be missing so many of you at the Create Photography Retreat later this week, but please know I’m working super hard to get this wonderful course out to you.

Of course, I also have the Walla Walla Print-n-Shoot workshop as well. With this workshop you’ll get access to the print course online when it’s published, but you’ll also have time with me here in the beautiful Walla Walla Valley where we’ll spend a week going out and shooting great images and then you’ll learn tons of post-production and print process techniques to create fine art prints from your photographs. The cost of the workshop includes all the ink and paper you’ll need to print several fine enlargements.

I’m still looking for submissions for my next theme where I talk about listener submitted images. For now I’m still hosting that on the facebook group. It should be the first thing you see and the theme this month is RED. I’ll record an episode in late March or early April 2019 and review and comment on three listener submitted images and then we’ll also talk about what red means in an image.

Also, I picked up a book by Ibarionex Perello titled “Making Photographs” and so far I recommend it. I’d love to chat with someone about this book. So if you want to get yourself a copy and read it by this summer please do so. We’ll then do an episode that’s a book review of sorts. I think it’ll be fun, check out the link in the show notes or just search for “Making Photographs” at your favorite bookseller.

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Photographs-Developing-Personal-Workflow/dp/1681983990/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?keywords=ibonarex+perello&qid=1553205526&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmr0 Shooting Macro. Spring is here and I love to shoot macro images of all sorts of subjects. Flowers, bugs and other details. It’s so fun to look at the amazing detail in God’s beautiful creation. So often we just miss out on the details, but when we take a macro lens and inspect it for all it’s worth, I don’t know, for me it’s just absolutely amazing.

I wrote a blog post on this and I’ll link it in the show notes as well:

https://brentbergherm.com/shooting-macro/ Other links mentioned: Chile Total Solar Eclipse Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/chile-2019/

Croatia Creative Composition Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/croatia-2019/

Walla Walla Shoot-n-Print Workshop: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/ww-print/

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New section, listener submitted images. Lots of people submitted images. Thank you!

Tim Lawson, Eli Temchin, Linda Maier, Alyce Bender, Jon Whitaker, Colin Mayer, Chris Bartell, Benjamin Stuben Farrar, Mike Sirach, Joe Vargas, John Scane.

The images I’m choosing are from Colin Mayer. This image is from St. Kilda, Scotland. I really was drawn to this image because it somewhat made me think of the beehive huts in Ireland. But not really. These are quite a bit different. Anyway, the rock texture really comes through well in the foreground building. The entryway is small and you’d have to nearly crawl in it seems. There’s moss or grass or peat on the roof as well and that’s cool, it gives a certain ambiance that is nice and authentic feeling. There’s buildings that are somewhat blurry in the background. They provide a nice background. And behind them there’s more hovels like this foreground element and then in the mid-ground there’s a rock wall that connects to another little moss-covered room.

Pretty much the only thing I’d change about this image is the heavy vignette. I think this image needs a vignette, but it needs to be less heavy and probably it should have a custom application as well. You can do this in Lightroom or PS where you brush in the vignette right where you want it. The lower right corner feels a bit empty and that’s probably OK. An image usually benefits from having some negative space. The DOF is small or shallow enough to keep the attention on the foreground building that we don’t really need to worry about the background elements distracting too much. They provide a good stage for the whole scene.

Eli Temchin submitted one of an elephant. It’s B&W as well, and it’s quite striking.

I love the texture coming through in the skin of the elephant. We see enough of the creature to certainly know what it is, but we only see a small portion of this beast, and that’s a good thing. By zooming in we’re looking more at shapes and forms to communicate the subject, but they are impartial shapes and forms. It’s not complete. This leaves more for the brain to figure out and work on. It’s good that way.

There’re two things I’d likely change to this image. I think I’d move the camera slightly more to the left. In the view as it currently is, we almost see the second eye. This leaves a bit too much negative space in the forehead/trunk area. By moving it, we’d have more of the shoulder area on the left side of the frame showing and the eye would be pulled out of the center of the frame. It’s almost in the horizontal center and by moving it a bit to the right we’ll create a bit more tension in the image. Also, the depth-of-field feels a touch too shallow for me on this one. The eye feels slightly soft. But we’d want to keep the crustiness on the front of the face too, so a bit more DOF is needed to accomplish that.

Linda Maier submitted one of ice on Yosemite Creek.

I decided to also add this image because, well, the ice is likely to soon be melting and I’m really glad to see a good image like this coming together, and that the effort was put in to get out there in this weather and be inspired by what we see.

This looks like a mini river flowing from left to right for me. It’s got a great starting point in the upper left corner with some strong elements pointing down and a bit to the right. As the eye travels down the ripples in the ice take over and they bring you off to the right side of the image. There’s a lot of chaos in this image too. I’d say the ice pattern is stronger than texture in this image. But texture certainly does come through nicely. There’s some grasses on the lower portion of the frame that provide context of location. It’s fairly high contrast with lots of highlights and lots of shadow areas and the lines are just squiggling all over the place.

One change I’d make on this image would be to crop the rock element out of the top portion of the frame. I find it a bit distracting and letting the ice go off to “nothing” as it were would suggest a larger icefield. Leaving the edge unresolved like that forces the mind to fill in the blanks. Don’t think of it as lying. Think of it as eliciting the imagination!

Thanks again to everyone who submitted images. I love it.

Next topic for listener images The topic this next time is the color red. However red manifests itself in your image, that’s what I’m looking for.

A Quick Announcement/Reminder Before we get to the main topic, I wanted to cover something that recently came up in the Master Photography listener group. I’ll likely make a mention there as well to try and ensure everyone is aware of this. That is, a listener asked us why things were so quiet over there at the IP websites. Especially the IP+ website. I’ve also had a listener ask about the rGPS app that was also published by IP. As far as the app is concerned I was able to contact Jim Harmer a while a go and he gave me a bit of info I can share. Basically the question was, “will it get updated anytime soon?” I don’t recall the exact question from the listener, but that was the main point. They liked the app, but wanted to see some updates happening. Jim stated that he’s buried in other projects but he’d “REALLY” like to do more with it. He also pointed out that there’s so much good data in it that has been added by users. But with the other projects it’s not going to receive any attention in the near future at least.

The most recent listener concern was regarding IP+. The biggest thing to ensure everyone is clear on is that there’s no formal business relationship between IP+ and myself, and as far as I know, none of the other podcasters in the Master Photography group either. I contributed one video on camera cleaning and tripod cleaning when I first came on as a contributor. But any videos produced were “one-time” deals and for the last few years I’ve been focusing my efforts on providing my own solutions.

Most of you know about the print course I’m developing. That’s still on schedule for an early April release. I’m striving for April 2. I’ll be spending my spring break on finshing it up and getting it ready for everyone. But I continue to spend pretty much each Friday and Sunday getting content produced either for the podcast or this course. And it’s been about three weeks since I last published an episode, so you know where my attention has been going JMe being quiet does not mean I’m taking it easy, that’s for sure!

If you’re an IP+ member and you want to know more, I’m afraid I won’t have any answers for you.

With that, let’s get on to the main topic. I’m going to blend in the idea of reading the light and making the most out of your shoot as I talk a bit about my trip to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

For the details on this part of the show, please check out this blog post on my main site.

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Announcements. New section coming to the show next episode. I’ve asked for listener submissions on texture. And I’ve got several submissions. Thank you to all who submitted. I’ll put another announcement in the facebook group and this time we’re going for the color RED. Submit anything that has to do with the color red. Whether it’s all red, or just a tiny amount. If red is a prominent amount it’s good to go. In the genres of travel outdoor photography that is J

RAISE by Canon https://raise.usa.canon.com/

Pasonic S1 and S1r They both have:

New L Mount for the L Mount alliance between Leica, Panasonic and Sigma.

6M dot OLED viewfinder with 120fps refresh

3.2” flippy screen (I’m sorry, a “triaxial-tilting touchscreen”)

9fps with AF-s, 6fps with AF-c

IBIS rated to 5.5 stops, when pared with OIS rated at 6 stops effectiveness.

AF system, “Depth-From-Defocus” has 225 contrast detect areas, they say it can lock focus in just .08 seconds. And the sensor communicates with the lens at a rate of 480fps for super quick operation. They also use Ai technology to help track subjects such as people, eyes and such. Sensitive to -6 EV

Full HD at 180fps

Memory slots: XQD and SD UHS-ii.

USB-C for data transfer and charging.

Remote, mic and headphone jacks

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

S1 Specs: $2,497.99

24.2 MP

4K 60p (apsc crop)

4K30p 4:2:0 10-bit color with a future firmware update to 4:2:2 and V-Log via a paid firmware upgrade

ISO 100-51,200 Extendable to 50-204,800

High Res shooting mode: 96MP

Buffer holds 90 raw files or 999 JPGs

S1R Specs: $3,697.99

47.3 MP

No Low Pass filter. Up to 187mp files by combining 8 exposures

ISO 100-25,600 Extendable to 50-51,200

4:2:0 8-bit video color

Buffer holds 40 raw or 50JPGs

They also released a trio of lenses, the 24-105 f/4 Macro, 50mm f/1.4 and 70-200 f/4. There’s also a new battery grip, the DMW-BGS1

It’s great to see these new cameras hit the market.

Long Exposure Photography with a 10 stop filter https://brentbergherm.com/redefining-the-moment-with-long-exposure-photography/ Links: Raise Terms and conditions: https://raise.usa.canon.com/legal/usage

Shoot-n-Print: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/ww-print/

Total Solar Eclipse: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/chile-2019/

Beautiful Croatia: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/croatia-2019/

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Have you Seen this new OM-D E-M1X by Olympus. Holy cow. I’m loving this camera. Let’s look at some of the details.

They claim “extensive weather sealing” which sounds like they’re really upping the weather sealing game. I love it. Rain, sleet or snow, they claim it can handle it with ease. That’s awesome.

Some Specs: 20.4 MP 4/3 sensor

4K video recording, with “live ND” to mimic the effects of a solid ND filter, nice.

7-stop shake reduction, or 7.5 with the new 12-100mm lens.

The integrated grip will hold two batteries.

It can shoot up to 120 frames per second in HD video mode.

Both SD card slots are UHS-II compatible, which is nice when shooting all those frames per second or 4K video.

Also includes a PC flash terminal, headphone and mic ports, as well as micro HDMI. And a USB-C port that can be used to charge both batteries in camera.

WiFi and Bluetooth are supported for connecting to the smartphones.

Includes 121 Phase Detection AF points, and 121 contrast detect areas for AF as well.

It also has “Intelligent Subject Detection AF” which they make it sound like it’ll learn the shape of what you’re shooting and it will prioritize focus on that. That’s amazing. It also has face detect and eye detection as well. And it’ll work down to -6EV which is very dark indeed.

If you use the electronic shutter, you can get 60fps shooting, or 15fps using the mechanical shutter.

If you want to use the electronic shutter and maintain full AF, you’ll be “limited” (a couple of air quotes there) to 18fps.

The buffer holds a varying amount of shots depending on how fast you’re shooting. If in manual focus and shooting 60fps, you’ll fill the buffer at 49 shots, that’s less than a second. Did I mention it has dual UHS-II SD card slots? You’re gonna need it! If you’re at the 15fps, you fill it up at 103 frames, so that’s almost 7 full seconds there. Either way you shoot, it’s impressive.

This part really interests me, the multi-shot HighRes mode. It’ll create an 80MP Raw image by using the IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) system to nudge the sensor to different positions to capture the space between the pixels. It does this by taking 8 frames very quickly and then combining them in camera.

Then there’s the hand-held mode, where it does the same thing with 16 total frames, but it only makes a 50MP image. Still, I’m loving the sound of this technology. The so-called limitations of the 4/3s sensor are all but eliminated now.

It has the live composite mode which will build up a scene over time such as star trails.

It also does in camera focus stacking.

OK, just take my money already!!! I love this camera.

Along with this camera they have also announced the 150-400 f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO lens.

This is a 300-800 equivalent length on a full-frame body, and it has a built in 1.25x extender. It can also be paired with a new 2x extender which would give you a 2000mm in full-frame speak. And they claim you can shoot it hand held due to the combination of the IBIS and the lens’ own stabilization.

I would love to try this out. Olympus, if you’re listening, I’m here for you to put this through the paces. I’ll go shoot eagles or something like that with this setup. That would be so amazing.

They’ve already got a few really good lenses out there, the 7-14mm, 12-40 and 40-150 all look like my kind of lenses.

I don’t know about you, but the Olympus line-up has suddenly gotten awesome, at least in my opinion anyway.

Sony A6400 Have you also seen that new Sony 6400? I won’t go into all the spec details, but that too is an impressive camera. I love the compact nature, the APS-C sized sensor and lens lineup. If I were to switch to Sony I’d give this on a serious look. In fact I’m actually considering buying this one. If Olympus releases a not-so-over-the-top option of that latest OM-D model then I might be tempted to go that route. One thing is for sure, we have so many good options in gear these days.

OK, now on to the images, and revisiting the idea of shooting abstracts, or abstractions once again. I won’t be writing as much in the show notes as I did on the previous episode. I’ll just talk a bit more conversationally about these.

Plants, Prague Castle. * * * *

Notes: I was initially intrigued by these plants, but as I was shooting I felt they could use something more. So I decided to put the camera into manual focus and completely blur out the subject, making a beautiful bouquet of color. I then punched color saturation in post to achieve the affect I was going for. I also had adjusted the exposure to +1 when I took the shot to give it a bit more oomph.

B&W Buildings, Boston, MA * * Boston, MA, USA

Notes: I like to isolate the graphic forms and enhance the lines. By zooming in to the subject like this I’m able to eliminate any distractions that might take us away from the subject. Also, by removing the color, I’m able to keep the attention on the shape and form of the building and the glass frames rather than get distracted by the cool color and cloud shapes. Without color, the cloud textures become part of the building more.

Also, for the second image I tilted the camera a bit so the side of the building would align with the edge of the frame. Doing so makes the building’s angles even more dramatic and it has some strength leaning up against the side like this where if I didn’t turn the camera on angle, it would feel really balanced, but not as strong.

Segmentation series images. * * *

I love this series. By shooting the subject in segments I’m able to make a different statement than is normally made. With the yellow leaves, I was able to make it feel like separate pictures laying on top of each other, while still really enjoying the contrast of the lines, the brilliant color of the leaves and the strength of the trunk. But by limiting the view the eye is focused on the specific items that I wanted to highlight and draw the attention too, and other distractions were eliminated.

For the black and white option here, the main subject is captured in those three images. They are very nearly evenly spaced and the texture is enhanced by the absence of color, and a little more clarity in Lightroom. The two additional frames in this set are to support and balance the composition overall. It’s important that these extra elements be shown there so we get a greater sense of place, but they are placed behind so as not to overly take away from the main subject.

With the twin sisters shot, I really like it because it emphasizes the clouds. This composition works by itself, but I found it a bit boring. But I knew I wanted to bring those clouds in somehow, and with the angled shots and a segmentation I knew I had something good going here. The composition remains simple yet there’s added strength to it because we get to have more of those clouds, but they still aren’t complete. That’s one of the great things about photography, when we crop an element the mind must work to complete it in its imagination. With this type of shot the mind gets an initial look, then it gets more with the added frames and we still don’t complete the clouds so our impression of the magnitude of the clouds is rather enhanced.

Grass image I love the simplicity and complexity of this image all at the same time. It’s simple because the depth-of-field is so shallow. It’s complex because the grass blades are going everywhere and they feel rather chaotic. The monochromatic color is also enhancing the idea of simplicity.

Raining cottonwoods * US, OR, Morrow County. Poplar Trees at the Boardman Tree farm. NR * US, OR, Morrow County. Poplar Trees at the Boardman Tree farm. NR * *

I love doing camera movement images. With this set I started out with the camera mounted to a gimbal head and a 50mm lens. I used the gimbal head to restrict the movement to one axis. With a bit of practice I got it working quite nicely. The exposure is about .8 seconds to begin with, and then I get to 1 second for the last two images. For the second to last image I sent on two axis, and the result is a feeling of motion to the side, and it contrasts with the position and direction of the trunks. It’s truly an amazing feeling looking at this image in full resolution. The final image has me hand-holding and twisting. I must have tried this 15 or more times before I got the one that really worked and was what I was looking for. The off-center point of rotation gives it a good sense of balance that’s not perfectly symmetrical. I also appreciate the added movement on the far left side of the image due to the off-center rotation point.

Palouse field forms US, WA, Whitman County, Views from Steptoe Butte. The Palouse region is simply amazing. It’s also extremely popular with photographers. With a long tele lens you’re able to really pull out some great shapes, colors and forms from atop Steptoe Butte. If you get there about an hour before sunset you’re probably too late. So get there a bit earlier if you can. Then you can watch the transition of the forms and shadows as they elongate with the setting sun. If you can get a clear day you’re in luck. Sometimes it’s too hazy to get a good shot since you’re shooting subjects that are so far away.

Stacked Waves I was testing two lenses and this shot is with the Sigma 150-600 Sport on my Canon 5D mkiv. I decided on a B&W conversion to enhance the effect of the deep tonality of the waves and the brilliant mist that is being blown off the top of the waves. The loan gull makes the shot really sing for me. I got some shots that have more birds, but in the spirit of abstracts and abstractions, this better fits the bill.

Palouse Falls thundering water detail * *

Palouse Falls state park is a great place to shoot. Just please be careful. The cliff is very high and the falls are 198 ft high as well. It can be dangerous if you’re not careful. For these shots I was at the top of the rim zooming down. I wanted to capture the energy of the water crashing down into the pool. The water in spring time is quite muddy, so I enhanced the contrast on these images and used a fast shutter speed to freeze the action.

Clouds lit rom within Nature has some amazing gifts for us photographers. With this shot I was chasing a storm here in SE Washington. It was moving fast so I did more driving than shooting. I finally got ahead of it enough with a place that I could safely set up and shoot. But as it moved away the lightning was largely on the interior of the clouds, which enhanced the texture of the clouds. Being lit from within also makes for added drama with the foreground clouds.

Sun spots The sun is possible to shoot with a 100–400 zoomed out to 400 with a 2x extender. I also used a 10-stop neutral density filter. I used that filter rather than a solar filter so I could render the sunspots. With a standard solar filter you don’t get enough detail to see the sunspots like this.

Reminders

I’ve got some workshops coming up this summer.

Shoot-n-Print in Walla Walla

Total Solar Eclipse in Chile,

Composition, Culture and more in Croatia.

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Links: The form to fill out. https://goo.gl/forms/ZJVHxypg82iiqTDe2

Shoot-n-Print workshop in Walla Walla: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/ww-print/

Total Solar Eclipse: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/chile-2019/

Croatia Waterfalls and Culture: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/croatia-2019/

Announcements. This show is brought you by me, myself and I. And what I mean by that is my workshops I’m offering this summer. I’ve got the Shoot-n-Print workshop happening here in Walla Walla this summer, starting June 17. We’ll spend the mornings and evenings out shooting the landscapes here in the region and in the heat of the day we’ll spend learning the print process and making our own prints. I’m convinced that learning the print process will make you a better photographer. You’ll learn what details to be concerned over and what to let go. And we’ll all be in it together helping each other and inspiring each other.

Then there’s the total solar eclipse in Chile in early July. It actually starts June 30. We’ll photograph the La Serena region in anticipation of the eclipse, and then we’ll head on down to Valparaiso which is a hilly town with a lot of funiculars and a great market. We’ll end the time there in Santiago photographing the San Cristobal hill, a city park with great views of the city as the sun sets, mountains too.

And finally, the waterfalls and historic culture of Croatia in the tail end of August. On that one, we can either do the last week of August, or the first week of September. We still have some flexibility there. Let me know which one works best for you and we can make it happen. This workshop will be a bit slower than the Chile workshop. We’ll have a bit more time to revisit the places we shoot. I’m very much looking forward to these experiences where you will be able to focus on learning more, growing in your photography and being inspired by others and being an inspiration to others.

Oh, in the spirit of learning, growing and being in inspiration to others. I’m starting a new section of the show where I’ll review three of your images. What I’m looking to do is have a post in the fb group to submit your images and we’ll have a theme as well. This time it’s all about texture. So if you’re so inclined, head on over to the group, find the post where I’m asking for these images and please be sure to read my first comment which has the guidelines for what I’m doing here. In a show I record in February I’ll go over three of these images and offer a bit of critique. Thank you to all that have submitted thus far. If your images don’t get included in a show I encourage you to submit again. Even if they don’t get talked about here on the show it’s about making them available for others to see there. I know I really enjoy seeing them and they are an inspiration to me. So thank you for participating.

Topic: The topic of today’s show is “abstractions” or “abstracts.” I really love shooting abstracts for a couple of reasons. The first is that I feel it allows me an easy alternative to the cliché landscapes that already exist for popular destinations. I like to still get that iconic shot and try to put my spin on it, but the true excitement for me comes when I can get what I know is a truly unique image, and sometimes that’s done through an abstract.

By abstract, I mean something that doesn’t represent the original form or subject, it’s just a beautiful mess of color, texture, pattern, what have you. Or it can mean something that is still fairly literal, but it’s a zoomed in portion of the object. That’s where I would call it an abstraction.

For creating abstracts, I often use either my 24-70 or my 70-300. While the 16-35 can certainly work, I find it easier to achieve my purpose if I’m isolating the field of view a bit. But if I’m doing a multiple exposure shot then the 16-35 can really be a great option.

I’ll also use a tripod to keep things straight an organized, or I’ll go more freewheeling, all depending on that look I’m trying to achieve. You can also really stop down the lens to a small aperture which creates a long shutter speed or use something more “normal” that’s in air quotes by the way. I also like to play with exposure, usually on the side of over-exposing the scene, and then I’ll experiment with focus too. De-focusing can make for some excellent color blobs that make beautiful backgrounds for your phone or desktop. In the end, I guess I have to say there’s very little rules for shooting abstracts. The main idea is getting in on a subject and creating art for the sake of creating art.

One word of caution I have though, if you are hoping that people will “get” your image and understand what it is, then you may need to create a series of images that builds in to the abstraction. I’ve had some images that are more appreciated once you set the stage and show folks what they are looking at. In general, I try to be successful in making an image without the need for setting the stage, but it doesn’t hurt to have those as backup images just in case you need it. Besides, a series or sequence of images can be very powerful too. Especially if shown in a triptych format where they’re all experienced at the same time and the sequence is obvious. You can run into troubles if you give the viewer the opportunity to alter the sequence of how they are experiencing your images.

And finally, before we get to the images themselves, think about the type of reaction you want from your viewers. Should they contemplate it a bit and should the image grow on them? Or should it be immediate joy and that initial happiness is what keeps them coming back for more? We often want that initial joy experience for our viewers, but I’ve found success in some images that have little nuggets to discover overtime as well. Though they are more complex and not as easy to get the “win” also in air quotes, as it were.

Time to get to the images. Let’s go through them here and this is an enhanced episode which means you’ll be able to see the images in your player if your player supports it anyway. The images are also available on the blog post show notes on the latitude photography podcast website. So if you wanted to, you could follow along there. However, I’ll do my best to describe these images so that you can learn everything here in the audio only format.

Several of these images are coming from Mexico. First up is three from

La Casa de Hernan Cortes, just north of Veracruz, Mexico.

To set the stage a bit, I was there with a friend and we had just finished shooting for a mission trip in the state of Chiapas which is in the deep south of Mexico. We elected to take the bus back to Mexico City with a lot of zigging and zagging along the way for a week. One of those zigs took us to Veracruz, a city along the Gulf of Mexico. While there I learned about this place and we hired a taxi to drive us there. He overcharged us, but there’s not much that can be done about that now.

Anyway, this site is the ruins of Cortez, which is in the town of Antigua, the first Spanish settlement in Mexico dating from 1519. There’s also a small church there where I got an awesome shot, but this is about abstracts, so I’ll not get too sidetracked.

So it’s a series of old ruins, walls that have been used by nature to support these threes. The roots cover the doorways, walls, and other areas. Mostly, it’s all roots you see, not much in the way of bricks. This first image is horizontal with the bottom of the image terminating just below where the roots go into the ground. The top of the image crops just below where the trunk might be imagined. And we don’t see the top of the wall either. We do see a tiny amount of brick on either side, but everything is about the texture of these roots, and the energy they have going up and down. But more than that, the energy idea, it’s a chaotic energy. It’s not a free-flowing energy. The roots branch off, they go over other roots, or under other roots, they are intertwined.

Casa de Cortez, built in the 16th century, still stands even though the trees are slowing taking over. La Antigua, Veracruz, Mexico. This next image is vertically oriented. And we have a few leaves in the scene too. It’s a doorway with a subtle arch, and brick on the far-right side and you can see through the doorway as well. The left side is taken over by this tree. It’s interesting to see how it wraps around the doorway and it reaches to the interior of the building. The roots on the ground are darker, but they run rather chaotically searching for a place to penetrate the earth for the much-needed nutrients.

Casa de Cortez, built in the 16th century, still stands even though the trees are slowing taking over. La Antigua, Veracruz, Mexico. And finally, we zoom in even further. This last image is my favorite. The roots start so small, and they converge into larger branches and they combine as they move toward the top. They slope off to the left and we see a pock marked wall on the right. The texture is really coming through in both the roots and the wall. There’s so much goodness for the eye to feast on, it’s rather chaotic, but the contrast in those textures and forms gives it meaning, gives it purpose. If I filled the frame with either texture, either the wall or the roots, I think it could still be a good image, but with the combination of the two, I find it much better at telling its story.

All three of these images are in B&W which helps us focus on the texture, forms and the raw subject matter. Color, as muted as it was, may help some viewers, in fact, the first image has a slight sepia tone set to it. But in general, for these subjects I found the color distracting. It doesn’t enhance anything here.

Hierve el Agua

North America, Mexico, Oaxaca. Hierve el Agua is a popular place to relax in the natural spring water. This next image is a foundational image so you can get a sense of where we’re at and what this place is like. Heirve el Agua is difficult to get to. We took a bus from Oaxaca to the tiny town of Mitla. I had no idea this place was out here.

We walked around Mitla for a bit, saw the archeological site they have going on there and saw a sign to Heirve el Agua. So we bought a ticket on the small pickup truck that would take us there. It took at least two hours and the mountainous road was extremely bumpy. So much so that I feared damaging my camera if I left it on the floor of the bed of the truck. We had piled in and sat on some makeshift benches. There were about five of us in the back, and one up front. I held my camera bag on my lap so as to give the gear a bit of more cushion.

When we got there, it just looked like a run-down resort. There was nothing interesting. Then we walked through the gate and followed the crowd and low and behold, here we were. Mind you, I had no idea this place even existed just two hours before. I had no idea what it looked like. I was just taking a trip out further into the country side because we had the time and it was cheap. I figured it must be worth something if they are ferrying people out there en masse.

It’s a spring that comes up on the mountain side. The water is rich with minerals. And those minerals have formed a waterfall-like formation as it runs over the side of the mountain. If you were to look at it from the distance it looks like it’s a gushing waterfall. But it’s just the calcium deposits that you’re looking at. It barely trickles over the edge.

But they’ve made pools out of this place. The water is kinda warm too. We didn’t have any swimming gear so we were out of luck there, but we got some great shots.

Hierve el Agua is a popular place to relax in the natural spring water. This detail shows the natural formation of the minerals and the color of the water. Oaxaca State. Mexico. This abstract shot, finally getting to it, is just a small detail of the water at the edge. There’s some rounded off calcium deposits that you can tell people have stepped on over the years as it’s rather rounded off. And the water is quite green. There’s lots of these little details all around the edge of the main pool. That first pic was a man-made pool, but there’s some natural pools as well. I love looking at these details and searching for the graphic shapes and forms that we find in nature. I’ve got plenty of these types of shots that I kept. I’m just showing one of them here for now.

Jellyfish, Veracruz Mexico

North America, Mexico, Veracruz, Veracruz City. Jellyfish swim in the acquarium at Veracruz. Veracruz also has a really good aquarium. And in the jellyfish tank I was able to get these beauties. I love the calm feeling I get when I look at these creatures. They are suspended in this clear liquid, their tentacles flowing, rather serenely. I’ve got one focused here but there was a whole pool of these. They are a bit tricky to shoot. You have to be slammed up against the glass so as to not get any reflections. And you have to boost your ISO a bit. I have it at about 1250 on this shot. This allowed for a 1/80 of a second shutter speed at f/5.6. You can shoot at a bit wider of an aperture, but I find the extremely shallow DOF doesn’t work well for this subject. I’m at 135mm, so I’m zoomed in quite a bit. The blue background is just the tank they are in, but it feels somewhat natural, and I love how the warm hues of the jellies contrast with the cool hues of the background areas.

Agave Plant, Mexico and Croatia

Agave plant detail, Chiapas, Mexico. I love plant details. And that’s what these next two shots are all about. The agave plant grows on many continents. In different forms, but they’re still a good succulent that can look great, especially when you zoom in on the details.

This first one is a slightly wider shot than the second, but we still only see agave. We see the central spire with the leaves pealing away. I love how they leave an impression of the saw-like teeth on the side of the inner leaf. I had to look it up to ensure I’m using the right terminology. Looks like I am. The leaves are also known as the penca, and the ball of leaves is known as the piña or cabeza. Anyway, this first one is from Chiapas, Mexico.

This next one is from Lokrum Island, Croatia. Lokrum is just a short 10-minute boat ride off the coast from old town Dubrovnik. We’ll head out here on my Croatia workshop later this summer.

Agave ghiesbghti detail. Lokrum Island Botanical Gardens. Croatia. I absolutely love the brilliant colors on this one. The teeth are much larger and closer together than the one I found in Mexico. We have a repeating pattern of the leaves, but not too regular. There’s still some chaos here too. But that central row of teeth is the main interest and there’s so much there that just hurts since everything else is so soft and easy to look at.

I think I’ll have to end it here and continue on with another episode in the future. I’ll talk about images I found in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Prague, Boston, Walla Walla and more. All with an abstracts theme or idea.

  • US, OR, Columbia River Gorge area. Fall Color Abstractions.
  • US, OR, Columbia River Gorge area. Fall Color Abstractions.
  • US, OR, Columbia River Gorge area. Fall Color Abstractions.

And finally, I talked about these images from Praugue, but I’ll go into more detail in a future episode.

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Announcements.

This episode is nearly identical to the one going out on the Master Photography Podcast feed. I pick up where I start talking about the details of the print course I’m offering come April, 2019. Also, I’m doing a listener meet-up in Banff National Park area. I’ll be arriving on the 16thof Feb in the evening and ready to shoot sunrise on Sunday the 17th. I’ll be there through Tuesday morning. I hope to see some listeners there willing to brave the freezing conditions.

Topic:

We’ve been talking a lot about printing recently for a few reasons. I’m developing an on-line course that will be available April 2 (I’m preventing myself from all the April fools jokes by releasing it on the 2nd, plus that’s also the birthday for a good friend of mine 🙂

Anyway, Canon has also recently offered a fantastic deal on 13×19 printers and many folks have decided to jump in on it. It can be a load of fun, and Canon and Epson both have done a great job of getting really good prints right out of the box. But there’s more we can do. There’s special processing techniques we can learn to make our prints the best they can be and that’s mostly what we’ll be talking about today.

Jeff, you got one of these printers, right? The Pixma Pro-100 I believe? (talk about this and the differences between it and my printer for a bit)

I got the Pixma Pro-10. And I use an Epson 4900 at work. So I use these two printers in the course I’m producing. Both my printers have Pigment based inks, which helps with the longevity of the print. Also, the paper should be archival quality and all that, but really, we should just go through my outline and I’ll describe things as best as possible.

But before we do that. I want to briefly describe the three-pronged approach I’m planning with this course. And I should note, this is going to be a paid course. I’ve been dumping countless ours into this thing and it’s been so much fun, but a lot of work too. I spent all of my Thanksgiving break and a bunch of my Christmas break recording these videos and I’m finally at the editing stage. It feels good to progress like this.

Anyway, first off, it will be a video download course that you simply watch online. It’ll have additional notes and links to highly detailed websites that I didn’t write or anything. I just like to leave some things up to the absolute experts such as the accelerated testing of prints and the like.

Then, I’ll also offer a virtual workshop online. This will be on top of the video download course. You’ll get a couple hours online with me helping you along the way if you get stuck or if you have questions you want to have answered directly. And you’ll be able to send me prints and I’ll offer feedback either as an audio recording or via Skype.

And finally, I’m offering in-person workshops for printing too. Where we’ll shoot during the morning and evening but during the middle of the day we’ll be learning printing and we’ll have some fine prints to take home with us.

And I’ve also had an interest in giving a presentation at a camera club. I’m thrilled to be able to pursue that option too. Please inquire if anyone is interested in that as well.

Additionally, I’d like to stress that these techniques we’re talking about will be great for those looking to print online. You don’t need your own printer to get value out of this course. From now until April, I’ll be getting some prints done with online printers and I’ll record the purchasing process and explain all the stuff we’re seeing there as well as do a print analysis so I can give you my thoughts on what I was expecting vs. what I got in return. I don’t plan to contact any printers for free prints or anything like that, I’m just going to pay like the rest of you. If that changes I’ll be sure to mention it in the videos I record on this topic.

Alright, let’s get to it.

To start off, I’d like to point out or emphasize that I do a mental separation in the processing steps for the images. The first stage is to think about the capture, processing and what-not in LR to get it to be the best technical file it can be. Then I work on creative edits where I do whatever I want creatively to the image according to my plans or goals for the image. And then finally, the print specific sizing and sharpening is at the end. When we judge the print we’ll have to come back to any of these stages to make modifications but by keeping it straight forward hopefully we can minimize too much of going all the way back to the beginning to make corrections.

Jeff. Could you lead us through this outline I have and ask whatever questions you have about these topics? (the items in color are the “hot topics” that may keep us to an hour or so in length 🙂

The OUTLINE

  1. Definitions
    1. Color space or gamut
    2. Color management
    3. ICC Profiles
    4. Pixels per Inch vs Dots per inch
    5. Paper options
  2. Equipment
    1. Computer requirements
      1. Minimum specs to have a good experience processing and printing
      2. Benefits if more ram, better processor
    2. Screen requirements
      1. Brief discussion about monitor types and designations regarding color spaces.
    3. Printer requirements
      1. Dye vs. Pigment Inks
      2. Size of printer
      3. Grade of printer (are ICC profiles available?)
    4. Software requirements
      1. LR and PS default
      2. Other software options
  3. Basic workflow overview
    1. Handling cards and getting images in Lightroom
    2. Editing and file management
    3. File formats to consider
      1. Tiff
      2. PSD and PSB
      3. JPG
    4. Discussion on Size Comparisons
  4. Color Management
    1. Profile devices
    2. Purpose of profiling your screen
    3. Profiling the screen
    4. Ensure ICC profiles are available
      1. Paper manufacturer websites
      2. Paper types search
      3. Printer type search
    5. Profiling the printer with the profile device
    6. Viewing areas to judge prints once printed
  5. Capture the images and edit out the trash
    1. Thinking out in the field (A discussion with sample images on TV)
      1. Camera settings
      2. Lens settings
      3. Tripod or hand-held
    2. Select which image(s) to work on
      1. Sharpness
      2. Exposure and Histogram
      3. Mood
      4. Overall technical assessment
  6. Process the image
    1. LR Processing, Global edits
      1. Lens Corrections (distortions and chromatic aberrations)
      2. White Balance, or convert to B&W, Rendering (landscape, standard etc)
      3. If HDR, do that process now
      4. Exposure and contrast
      5. Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks (what I’m generally looking for here when I process)
      6. Sharpening
      7. Clarity (can have an effect on overall tonality on some images)
      8. Selective edits with LR
        1. Adjustment Brush
        2. Spot Removal
        3. Gradient
      9. Panoramas (if a multi-image pano, make pano first if HDR pano)
      10. Cropping (do it now or in PS)
    2. Photoshop processing
      1. Selective edits
        1. Use “non-destructive” editing methods
        2. Use masks to affect a limited area
      2. Compositing
        1. Panoramas
        2. Exposure blending/Luminosity Masking
        3. Quick fix for blown sunsets/sunrises
      3. Tone adjustments
        1. Curves adjustment layer
        2. Exposure adjustment layer
        3. Light shaping layer(s) or vignetting
      4. Any other work necessary in PS
  7. Preparing for Print
    1. Thoughts about printing from PS vs. LR
      1. Show LR print options
      2. Talk about LR print limitations and why I prefer to print from PS
    2. Soft proof the image in PS
      1. Select proper profile
      2. Judge the difference between Relative Colormetric Rendering Intent or Perceptual
        1. Explain what’s happening with these two different rendering intents
        2. Show how they make no difference with some profiles (RGB) as all the color info fits nicely within the profile
        3. Relative usually great for landscape images
        4. Perceptual for more intense images.
      3. Make changes we think might be helpful, but really, it’s about testing and knowing what to do at this point, so maybe we’ll have to come back to this step.
        Go back to curves adjustments and the like to make those changes.
      4. Save As, Call this a “Print Master” or some such as this will be the file you always reference to make changes as needed, whether it color changes or sharpening changes.
    3. Sizing and cropping
      1. Flatten image
      2. Save as for new file name
      3. Use crop tool to crop and size to intended print size, we’d rather have PS do the sizing before the print driver does it.
      4. 360 ppi for Epson printers (or 240 or 180) (hardware dpi is 2880 or 1440, these recommended ppi’s are even divisibles of those numbers)
      5. 300 ppi for Canon printers (or 200) (hardware dpi is 2400 or 4800, these recommended ppi’s are even divisibles of those numbers)
    4. Print sharpening
      1. Use Unsharp Mask to sharpen. Talk about options
        1. Amount
        2. Radius
        3. Threshold
      2. Optional to use Smart Sharpen instead
      3. Make a copy layer a smart object to selectively sharpen
      4. Optional to use high pass layer for special effects, create a certain mood
      5. Save As, insert an identifier into the file name so you know which size print this is for.
      6. If you want different sizes, do sizing and cropping and print sharpening all over again from the original finished file.

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Topic: Interview with Timothy Allen

As I look through your site I’m simply drawn in by the stories told there. Incredible stories about fascinating places and people here on this great planet of ours. So it’s my hope, today, to talk about a few of these.

It looks like you’re a filmmaker too. So you’re capturing stories with still images and motion as well.

Main Points of interest

  1. https://humanplanet.com/timothyallen
  2. Tell us a little bit about the BBC series, Human Planet
  3. You have a few items written up on your site, one of which is the Living root bridges in Meghalaya, India. Describe the location for us and let’s talk about these magnificent trees turned bridges.
  4. How about Comic Relief Desert Trek, that looks like an incredible story
  5. There’s another story on the Bayaka Honey Gatherer. In it you describe the Bayaka people as, “Totally at home in their jungle. Hunting with spears, adept at climbing trees, they can build an overnight shelter from scratch in less than half an hour. They have an incredible culture of song and drumming rhythms and a fascinating tradition of forest spirituality that involves enthralling dances and a mythology of glow-in-the-dark forest spirits created from a luminescent jungle fungus.”
    How is it that you can work with a people group like this and relate to them. Are there interpreters, guides? It seems that something unique is going on here to aide in the communication.
    Describe the process of what they’re doing. They are climbing these trees and you’re sending up a filming crew to get a close in view of what they’re doing. It looks like they’re getting pretty high. How high up are they going?
  6. Let’s talk a bit about your workshops and expeditions. It looks like you take people to some far out places, Mongolia, for example.

People can follow you on Instagram @timothy_allen https://www.instagram.com/timothy_allen/and over at his STEEM site here.

 Use  this link for excellent gear at the Peak Design website. It helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

 Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

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In this episode I’m going to be focusing on a few of my photos and the stories behind them. I had mentioned that I’d start doing this quite a while ago and I received some positive feedback about this idea, and then it got delayed due to a few factors, some of which were the incredible interviews I’ve been able to schedule. I’m so grateful to David Long, Greg Benz, the PhotogAdventures Guys, Richard Bernabe, Timothy Allen, Alyce Bender, Christiaan van Heijst and the others that are coming up. I just love talking with all these very talented photographers and am thrilled to share their stories with you.

But today’s show will be a bit different. I’ll be referencing images from my blog over on my personal website. I’ve got some of the stories written there too so you can read it if you’d like that format as well.

So, let’s start off with the post called “The Presence of Humanity”

https://brentbergherm.com/the-presence-of-humanity/ This image actually doesn’t have any people of it. But there’s certainly evidence of the human presence. We have a fountain or a wash basin outside the main prayer room at a mosque in Coquimbo, Chile. The tile work is quite ornate and detailed. There’s a pattern for the floor, a different pattern for the wall and yet still another pattern for the wash basin, which is the same pattern as the column found in the upper left corner of the image.

The wash basin is an 8-pointed star shape and it has a copper inverted bowl-shaped item in the center. No water is running but it’s obvious this is for distributing water for washing one’s hands.

At the far right of the image you can see the threshold of a doorway and a bit of the door itself. And right there, at the threshold is a pair of black shoes. They aren’t entirely clean, but certainly not dirty either. They are somewhat worn, and their level of detail is just enough to satisfy the mind’s need of being able to properly interpret what they are.

As I wrote in the blog, I feel they are somewhat odd because, “They’re shoes after all, possibly smelly, and they point out of the frame. They are black; we’re often taught that if we want to bring attention to a subject that the eye tends to be drawn towards bright objects with detail. But here we have a dark object with little detail. These shoes, however, complete the story.”

And that’s their point. They complete the story. That’s the part that really seals the deal for this image for me. It’s one image. But there’s multiple stories behind it. Most of the questions we may have we’ll never know the answers to. Such as, to whom do these shoes belong? Why are they here? There’s no one to be seen, either inside or out, but yet, here they are. Were they forgotten? Everything in this room feels like it belongs. And to a degree, the shoes belong too. They certainly don’t belong in the prayer room.

The mosque is called Centro Cultural Mohamed VI on Google Maps. It’s found at the top of a small hill in Coquimbo. There’s a paved walkway that takes you up to this mosque. You can’t miss it. There’re only two “towers” in town, one is the minaret on this mosque, the other is the much larger Cross of the Third Millennium.

As I walked in the front door, this washing area was the first thing you see. I’ve got another pic on the blog showing the door partway open and the other door into the prayer room completely open, but no shoes. So, when I arrived, they weren’t there.

This is still a mystery to me though. We hardly did anything. We walked in, took a look around, snapped a few pics in this outer room, took our shoes off and went into the prayer room. We saw one fellow in there. He welcomed us in. He already had his shoes off. We took a few pics and we were done. This all happened in less than 30 minutes. Someone else must have shown up that we didn’t realize.

The prayer room had the same pattern of tile work on the columns as the wash basin. The tiles go up about 7 feet on the columns, then they stop and there’s other decorations. There’re rugs on the floor. The woodwork on the partitions are well done though not too ornate. We exited the way we came in and that was it. I saw the shoes and I knew I had my shot. I didn’t touch them. I simply framed up a shot that portrayed the scene in a fashion that told the story as best I could.

Here’s an empty room, with a wash basin that’s turned off. No one is in sight, and the shoes point out of the frame, yet they point into the prayer room. And that’s the point of the story told by this image. That someone came in, took off their shoes and proceeded in. And the viewer is left looking at this beautiful room, and yet, inevitably, you can’t help but have your eyes drawn towards the threshold and then you imagine yourself walking through that door.

I think that’s partly what makes this image successful. It invites you, the viewer, to participate in your mind by activating your imagination. You actively decide to proceed from one place that is known, to a place that is unknown.

Then you read on and you find out all about this place or listen to the story here on this podcast an now you know, to borrow a phrase, the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would put it.

https://brentbergherm.com/krakow-pigeons/ My next image is called Krakow Pigeons.

I may have told this story a few other places, so I’m sorry if this is a repeat for you. The setting is Krakow Poland, 2016. I was there with my father and we had just arrived in Prague a few days earlier. We’d driven to Auschwitz and then on to Krakow. I made this image on the last morning there. I’d woken early to get down to the city for some early morning photography and decided to hang out on this side of the river (opposite the Wawel Castel) to see what I could find.

Pigeons are everywhere, it seems, and Krakow is no different. I found about 12 to 14 pigeons sitting on an iron fence along a sidewalk. I thought back to my times in La Serena Chile and India where I caused a pigeon ruckus as I ran towards them making them fly and then getting the shots. Well, in Chile, I had a friend run at them and I was able to stay still, but anyway…

I decided to put the camera into manual focus and on motor drive. I then held it at about tummy height and I framed the scene quite wide. I knew the birds would be silhouetted against the brilliant sunrise colors, so I didn’t really worry about detail in the birds. I just wanted their forms and shapes and movement going throughout the scene.

I ran. I was close to the fence and I just ran scaring the birds into flight.

It was successful. Though I had success over about 8-10 frames. And my vision was to capture it in one frame. So, I used photoshop to bring the three best frames together. I positioned the birds where I wanted them. I left them mostly in their original location in the frame, I just moved them slightly so there weren’t any overlaps and angled one or two for compositional effect. In doing this I had to decide which would be my anchor frame, and which would ones would only be providing bird forms.

I then increased the contrast on those frames that I was only borrowing the birds from and I then used a “darken” blend mode to only show the birds, and not the sky in those layers. I had to do additional masking, but this allowed the edges of the birds to maintain their natural feel of movement without me having to do any selection work.

I then made it a B&W image to enhance the mood I was going for and then I added some grain as well. I feel the grain helps give it a slightly nostalgic sense which goes well with the ancient castle in the background.

Krakow is an amazing city and I got some other great shots there, but this one is my top image. Later that day we got into the car and drove to Warsaw, another great city to have your camera.

Before we get to the last set of images I wanted to briefly mention my workshops to Chile and Croatia this summer. I’m also going to do one here in Walla Walla, WA. That’s right, the small hamlet where I live will be the site of one of my best workshops yet.

The one to Chile is all set and can be found on the website here.

We’ll be photographing the Total solar eclipse that happens in Coquimbo and La Serena area on July 2. We’ll then do some astrophotography on the way back to Santiago and then fly out to Easter Island the next morning. It’s going to be an amazing adventure.

Croatia will be a slightly slower pace and we’ll spend some great time shooting the waterfalls of Plitvice National park and the ancient city of Dubrovnik. There’s also an add-on that goes into Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

And finally, my Walla Walla printing workshop will have us going out here in beautiful SE Washington to shoot in the mornings and evenings. During the heat of the day we’ll be in an air-conditioned room learning the print process and making fine prints of your images. This workshop will also include enrollment into my online print course that I’m currently producing.

Check out the website for all the details on these and my portfolio reviews that I’m starting up too. And finally, for those of you that are members of my Photo Workshops group on Facebook, or part of my email list I’m going to send out code for my international workshops that will be up to an additional $100 off. But those are the only places I’m releasing it.

https://brentbergherm.com/stout-grove-making-6-images/ The last place we’ll visit in this episode is in the great state of California. In the far north of the state is a place called Stout Grove. It’s in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

I really liked shooting here, except for all the mosquitos. I was with my two oldest boys, they were helping me do some videos on this region. Speaking of videos, head on over to my YouTube Channel to watch them. I show you these beautiful areas in the Redwoods and Southern OR coast, and I show you the behind the scenes post production. A link will be in the show notes for this playlist where all these videos are.

Stout Grove is a small area. It takes longer to drive there from Crescent City than it does to walk around it. But it’s so beautiful, and you can climb so many of the downed trees, the boys had quite a bit of fun. At least Elijah did, he wasn’t on camera duty.

Being there in the early morning in late June was great as it allowed us to experience it in the perfect light. The wind was non-existent, and the images were coming out all over the place. However, most of the images I shot that day were absolutely vertical. For some reason I wasn’t finding very many horizontal images that day.

The first image is a two-frame panoramic, vertically stacked, that I also planned to do as a focus stack. I had shot the ferns in the foreground, so they were in focus, then I shot the tree in the background. I then pointed the camera up a bit to shoot more of the trunk, but only got it in focus. I figured it would be useless to get it out of focus since this was a focus stack as well and I was going to render it sharply.

But I was wrong. I actually liked it much better with the out of focus areas, so I just took that one frame that only had the trunk in focus and blurred it in Photoshop to match the blur of the first frame. I then blended them together to make one seamless image. There were a few other items that had to be cleaned up, but you can see the video on YouTube for those details.

The second image is probably my favorite of the bunch. It starts out with a downed tree with some small leaves on it, there’s some type of plant growing on it. I probably should look up what it is, but anyway, it’s a big redwood log. In the middle of the frame is another redwood log with some ferns growing out of its base. And then finally some standing redwoods in the top portion of the frame.

This is a focus stack. Given the vast distances from foreground to background I couldn’t get this shot any other way. I was shooting wide angle, which naturally increases depth-of-field, but it still wasn’t enough, and this was shot in three sections at three different focal lengths.

The part about this that image is so great is that I didn’t have to work any significant Photoshop magic to make it come out right. The only challenge I had was in the transition between the first frame (the foreground) and the second frame (the mid ground). When looking at the mid ground frame, the tree in the foreground is blurry and that doesn’t transition too well when I’m trying to keep everything in sharp focus. So, all I did was go to the foreground frame and use Photoshop’s tool that allows you to select sharp objects. The selection along the top of the log was pretty good. It needed cleaning up a bit, but it was about 90% accurate. This allowed me to apply a mask that hid all the out of focus items. And then all I had to do was nudge the mid ground frame down behind it which hid the blurry section of the downed log that was in the foreground. In all it was rather easy to do, but kind of hard to accurately describe it here in audio only format. I encourage you to look up this video. The background fell right into place and all was good.

Watch the video on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcDm-xKrJyA&list=PLHmjR0YFpZrhplIEnKllb7vXc3Jy_3MjQ I’ve got a lot more videos in this play list too, not just these from stout grove. I’d love for you to check them out.Well that’s about it for today’s show. Thanks so much for listening. I’ll be back in another 7-14 days with either more personal work or another interview. Until next time, happy shooting.

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A few quick announcements to consider. I’ll be offering portfolio reviews as we start the new year. All the info will be found on my website and it’ll all be up and running by January 2019. So if you’re interested in that just stay tuned and the details will be available most likely in the next episode.

Don’t forget my workshops either. I’m also going to give you an extra incentive for either joining my email list or the Brent Bergherm Photo Workshops group on facebook. I’ll be releasing a code for the holidays that will be good for $100 off any international workshop. I’ve got a great workshop planned for the Total Solar Eclipse in Chile this July and another in Croatia at the tail end of August. Head on over to my website brentbergherm.com for all the details, and as you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Links Mentioned:

Levi’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photolevi/

His Bio at PhotoFocus: https://photofocus.com/author/levicsim/

His personal website: https://levisim.com

Thanks so much for being here, let’s now get to the conversation with Levi Sim…

Topic 1:

Interview with Levi Sim

Today I’m joined by Levi Sim. Levi, welcome to the show…

Tell us a bit about yourself. And you as a photographer.

… and when are you going to return Sharky James’ camera?

Main Points of interest about winter photography.

  1. Dealing with condensation
  2. Type of bag?
  3. Batteries
  4. Anything about hunting that can be translated into photography?
  5. Clothes, like gloves, boots,
  6. Winter camping? Do you do it at all?
  7. Lens hood to protect against elements?
  8. Camera settings?
  9. Exposure challenges?
  10. Favorite locations or types of subjects?

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Christiaan is a professional cargo pilot and fine art photographer. Our conversation starts out with his basic approach to photography and, of course, his job, but also we get into the nitty gritty of the stories behind some of the images I like best. He’s great photographer who has an amazing opportunity to constantly travel the globe with his camera which presents him with some fantastic opportunities. Thanks for listening, and please do share with a friend! 🙂

Christiaan’s Website: https://jpcvanheijst.com

Images specifically mentioned.

https://jpcvanheijst.com/red-lights-over-the-pacific-ocean-august-2014

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqNX4xdAXIm/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpjcmJPgQBu/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpUrqHriYBw/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoT_DnZgqhv/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnIhz5UhZS0/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/BngqBRjhLTb/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjunyqJBxe8/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhcg6voB6CQ/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet


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Two quick announcements, that is I’m doing one more gear giveaway for the remainder of November, 2018. All you have to do is share the show on one of your social media channels, your blog, an email to some friends, any way that you can share the show and let folks know you enjoy it will be good. I then need a screen capture of that share to be emailed to me at my email address, brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com and you’ll be entered to win either the Exposure 13 or the FirstLight 20 by ThinkTank Photo. Both are great bags, I love them and I’m sure you will to. One entry per person please, and you must reside in the US and be 18 or older to participate.

Also, I’m doing a listener meetup on April 14, 2019 in San Francisco. I’ll fly in to town and get there by mid afternoon, so I’ll be looking for a place to shoot sunset, and maybe we can grab a bite to eat afterwards as well. Shoot me an email or find me on Facebook and let me know you’re interested and I’ll keep you informed as I make plans on where to shoot. I’ll be staying close in, probably about a 2-hour limit from the airport. Shooting the golden gate bridge would be rather fun, I’ve never done that before, so we’ll see. I’m still making plans.

Alright, on with the show where I speak with Richard Bernabe about the Creative Principle…

Topic 1: Interview with Richard Bernabe: Creative Principle

Today my guest is Richard Bernabe. He’s a prolific photographer and traveler focusing on nature, wildlife and travel photography. Richard, welcome to the show….

The first thing I want to talk about is your article on the Creative Principle. It’s a blog post found on your website and the link is found in the show notes, or folks can just look up your site and find the article titled “Essential Photography: The Creative Principle”

Article Link: https://www.richardbernabe.com/essential-photography-creative-principle/

Main Points of interest:

  • Creativity is the process of making something new and useful. And therefore, the photograph needs to be new and useful. Help us understand what you mean by that.
  • You also make a point about how following the “rules” of photography is useful, but there’s nothing new in any of them. This is an excellent concept. And you go on to encourage people to break the rules. Let’s talk about that for a moment.
  • I’m going to read a quote from the post, and let’s talk about it a bit. “Knowing why the rules work will lead to something akin to a higher state of compositional enlightenment: knowing when your photo is successful when not using the rules, or better yet, purposely breaking them. Once you get to that happy place, you will be on the path to true creative synthesis.”
  • Let’s talk about creative failures and the risks involved in the pursuit of creativity and something new and useful.
  • You mention how you’re not thinking about the “rules” of photography when you’re out shooting. That you defer to what feels right.
    I think I know what you’re saying here. When I was in Hong Kong recently with a friend, I was shooting the clouds coming in on the buildings in Victoria Harbor. We were at an overview at the peak area and I was talking about the meaning of the cloud forms and what they were doing to the buildings. Composition was not my concern. I was looking to express what that meant to me and he was just looking at me a bit oddly. Is that kind of what you mean though when you say you’re not thinking about the rules?
  • You end the post with another great quote, “Learn the rules, adopt the Creative Principle, then follow your heart and intuition to a life of creative expression. Enjoy the journey.”
    It seems simple. And it probably is for some, but what “hang-ups” can keep us from fully achieving this?

The second topic is your blog titled “Travel Photography: It’s About the Destination”

Article Link: https://www.richardbernabe.com/travel-photography-destination/


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Welcome to Latitude Photography Podcast. The show where we talk about all things related to landscape and travel photography.

I’ll be in San Francisco, CA, starting Sunday, April 14, 2019. I’ll plan to do a listener meetup. I’ve yet to plan where to shoot but you’re welcome to contact me through FB or email me at Brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com and as info becomes available I’ll keep you in the loop. I’m looking to stay within two hours’ drive of the airport.

As I’ll be attending a conference I’ll also look to shoot closer in on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings as well. I can’t promise anything for those days, but Sunday afternoon is for sure happening. I’d love for you to consider joining me as we find someplace cool to shoot.

And for a few more days I’ve got my latest gear giveaway going. All you have to do is share the show on your social media and send me a screen capture to my email brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com. Do it by the end of the day on December 1, 2018 and you’ll be entered to win either an Exposure 13 black or FirstLight 20 by ThinkTank Photo. One entry per person please, must be a US resident 18 or older.

Topic 1: Interview with Alyce Bender, travels around the globe.

Alyce, Welcome to the show.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Who you are, what you do, and as a photographer.

I’m a traveling nature photographer. Basically, “everywhere is on my list.”

There’s a few places that I certainly wouldn’t go now [North Korea] but who’s to say that in a few decades things might change (radically so for NK).

You recently went to the Faroe Islands with the Photog Adventure guys, and I’m supposed to ask you about your elegant entrance into a boat. Tell me about that

Other things about the Faroe Islands.

Spent 8 days there, the Islands aren’t very far, from tourist hot spots, but not a log of people have been going there, so the flights are rather irregular. It can be a challenge

Van Living. You are embarking on a major road trip of sorts. Tell us your basic plans.

What type of vehicle do you have?

How long will you plan to stay in any one area?

Are there plans to get into Canada or Mexico?

You’ll be at the Create photography retreat?

Where can they find you online?

http://abenderphotography.com

Publish articles each month on location guides, monthly reviews on where I’ve gone.


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Today my guest is David Long, a photographer from New England. David, Welcome to the show….

David, start out by telling us a bit about you and your photography.

http://davelongphoto.com

https://www.instagram.com/davidlong3653/

https://www.bluehourboston.com

“I do most of their workshops in the NE area”

You just published an e-book on photographing NE Vermont. Tell us about this special region. The types of subjects we’ll find and the like.

Started as part of my workshops. Getting more locations than was possible to take people on a one or two-day workshop. Includes trail info, GPS info for parking and trailhead info. Also include thoughts on best time of year to visit, optimal weather conditions. And recommended photography gear. I try to cover 8-12 locations in a small geographical location. So if you’re not from NE and you want to head to a place to shoot, this is a great starting guide to get out to some great locations.

Started with Cape Cod. Broke the areas into three sections. I have one in the White Mountains, Central VT, and now NE Vermont. Each participant gets a book that helps them navigate during the workshop but also helps them explore on their own when the workshop is done.

Talk to us about Nichols Ledge: It’s one of about a dozen or so overview locations that are quite popular. This one is only about 5×20 feet or so and I don’t take tours there as it’s a small location and there’s a significant cliff so photographers want to be careful. It’s not a well-used trail so you can potentially get lost which could be problematic.

Also, fall color, at the time of this recording and by the time this gets published, will be all but over. How do you recommend folks approach the region for winter photography?

Winter thoughts: A going into winter look is great with desolate landscapes, churches, with a bit of snow coming in. A light snowfall can be gorgeous. It’s a tremendously different shot than what we can get now with the fall colors. Cape cod gives us the desolate beach image, with no one there, they’re so populated in the summer and fall, and now it’s empty. And the sea grass turns a golden wheat colored hue, the shrubs turn a brilliant rust color as well. Lighthouses can look great too, and it’s totally different than what you’d think of with fall colors.

How is the Atlantic coast in the winter time? When I think of winter, I love to think about heading out to the Oregon coast due to the excellent chance you’ll get a storm and very interesting images because of the varied weather. Any chance it’s similar over there?

And if it gets cold enough you get a blast cold air you get sea smoke where the warm ocean water is reacting with the cold air and causes this layer of fog to linger around in the immediate area around the coastal regions.

There’s a lot of locations because of the population base where you can access it easily. I tend to wear the slip-on cleats and stuff. Helps grip the ice and snow. There’s lighthouses, fishing villages, and large cities like Portland and Boston, we were down to below zero last year. The sea smoke drapes the boats, lighthouses along the shoreline, and it’s clear 15-20 feet above the sea smoke, so you can have a great layered effect going on, creating a rather mythical NE lobster boat, that type of thing.

Do you do an exposure blend? A neutral density filter? I’ll do both. I’ll shoot with a 3-stop ND grad filter. I do a 3-stop exposure blend many times as well. Sometimes I’ll do a blend, sometimes I’ll just stick with one exposure and simply process it how it is needed. I do a lot of high-key stuff where the sky is basically white.

Let’s talk about staying safe and warm this winter. In particular I’m thinking keeping the feet and hands happy.

Certainly, a lot of layers. You can start out very cold in the morning, but on the Cape, I can go down to just a wind shirt and a thermal in January. I have extreme sensitivity to cold, so I use the hand warmers and the feet warmers in a waterproof boot. And I start out with those and I carry extras. I use oversized mittens and stuff the hand warmers in those. I’ll take the off to do the settings I need, and then put the hands right back in. And I don’t stay out very long. Not going to be 2-3 hour hikes, some great friends do some great photography in doing those types of treks but that’s not for me.

Any final thoughts on those of us that have a few extra days this Thanksgiving week that’s coming up. Where would you suggest we go?

It’s an area where you look for some early show in the White or Green Mountains. There’s a lot of festivals for the holidays. Really, just a couple hours outside of Boston and there’s a lot of latitude for various options. Do some holiday shooting in Boston. They are one of the most photogenic cities from my stand point. They’ll decorate parts of the Boston Common, Beacon Hill, the coast and many other places. You can shoot iconic Boston landscapes beautifully decorated for Christmas.

And where are you heading to next?

I’ll be headed off to Ricketts Glenn for some waterfalls. I’m looking at the weather so I’m looking to go there when the weather is right. And then I’ll be shooting in Yosemite for a week next year, Iceland, and planning on a trip to Peru for next September. And I also kinda get tired of winter, so about mid-February I go to St. Augustine FL from mid-February to April. Great sea coast, bird and historical photography options there.

Thanks so much for being here and sharing your expertise on this fantastic region that is New England.


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Welcome to Latitude Photography Podcast. The show where we talk about all things related to landscape and travel photography.

I’ve got a new bag giveaway. Email me (brent (at) latitudephotographypodcast.com) proof of sharing out the show via your social media channels, emailing friends, anything of the sort, and you’ll be entered to win an Exposure 13 black from ThinkTank Photo or a FirstLight 20 also by ThinkTank Photo. Get it emailed by December 1, 2018 and the first winner will be able to choose which bag, the second winner will get the other bag. Must be living within the US and 18 or older.

Topic 1: Interview with Aaron King and Brenden Porter from Photog Adventures.

In this interview we talk about several topics, including:

  1. PhotogAdventures in the Faroe Islands
  2. Chile Total Solar Eclipse
  3. And SO MUCH MORE

https://photogadventures.com

https://www.facebook.com/photogadventures

https://www.instagram.com/photogadventures/


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Welcome to Latitude Photography Podcast. The show where we talk about all things related to landscape and travel photography.

Today’s show is a replay from when Brian McGuckin and I did the show. It was originally published in November of 2017 and as we’re coming up on November 2018 I figured why not get this one out there again. It’s a great show and I figured it was worth republishing.

I do have several great shows coming up and I can’t wait to get to these interviews that I have scheduled. I’m looking at interviewing the fellas from Photog Adventures, Alyce Bender and others that are going to be at the Create Photography retreat in March.

Speaking of the retreat, be sure to look it up at their website, CreatePhotographyRetreat.com

At this time, I still can’t make it to Las Vegas, but I am considering doing a trip to the Oregon coast just before the retreat. I’ll let you know how that goes.

And finally, if you missed it, I’ve got an episode about my two big summer workshops, The Total Solar Eclipse in Chile and Croatia later in the summer. Either check out that episode or just look it up on the website.

Without further ado, here’s the replay of Episode 14 of when Brian and I were both doing the show.

Topic 1:

Latitude Replay:

In this show Brian tells us about his trip to Norway and other parts in Northern Europe.


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I decided to do a full episode just talking about these workshops so you can have all the info, but also, so you can easily skip it if you’re not interested. This way I’ll be able to just provide brief mentions in my other shows and I’ll always be able to point listeners here.

Check out the Chile workshop info here: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/chile-2019/

Check out the Croatia workshop info here: https://brentbergherm.com/workshops/croatia-2019/


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In this interview Greg Benz and I nerd out on the meaning of Bit Depth and how it’s useful to all of us as travel and landscape photographers.

The Main Article here.

Main Points of interest:

  • 2:10, What is Bit Depth?
  • 4:20, Starting the definition of the “steps” between values smaller. How “granular” it is.
  • 5:40, Box of crayons analogy with relation to bits.
  • 6:00, 8 bits really the minimum for photographers. Banding can be an issue.
  • 6:40, Banding defined
  • 7:00, High ISO, Texture, things that hide banding
  • 8:05, Digital noise is good J
  • 8:35, Dithering and Noise difference
  • 10:10, Advice against having your working file in 8 bits
  • 11:25, Brent describes dithering
  • 12:25, What bits the cameras actually give us.
  • 14:35, Description on camera vs. eye interpretation of light. Log vs. Linear
  • 16:40, How higher bit-depth in the raw stage helps us in camera, especially with the shadows.
  • 19:00, characteristics of pushing the limits of the sensor
  • 21:10, discussion on other terminologies, monitor manufacturers etc.
  • 23:25, adding Gamut to the discussion, sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB
  • 26:30, some specific thoughts on ProPhoto RGB
  • 29:30, printing with the ProPhoto RGB gamut
  • 33:50, banding with luminosity masking, a fake issue
  • 38:00, Photoshop is really only 15 bit?! What?!
  • 40:40, How does this knowledge help us when shooting and processing?
  • 48:35, Introducing Dynamic Range to the discussion.
  • 52:38, Learning to shoot the right way, to maximize all these items.
  • 55:10, Exposure Blending Master Course

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Well, I survived Hong Kong. That’s about the best way to put it.

If you listened to my previous shows you heard my conversation with Mia Beales with Guilin Photo Tours and how awesome that area of China is. You also heard about my other plans and what I was going to shoot there in HK.

Virtually nothing went according to plan.

To back up a bit, my initial goal with my journey was to show the opposite of what you expect to see from Hong Kong. In my head, I called it the “softer” side of Hong Kong. And to a large degree, I was successful.

I was able to get out and hike some trails and photograph the lush landscape that you just don’t associate with Hong Kong. I was also able to find some fantastic structures along those trails, either where people live, or where they used to live.

I started on Lantau Island. It’s such a beautiful place. And I had planned a very detailed itinerary and even designed it as a booklet and printed it so I’d have a copy for easy reference. I’ve done this before and it’s worked well. The main benefit is that in planning so much I have all these options and photo locations floating around in my head. So as I need to, I can alter the plan on a whim. And I did and it worked great. I still got to all my locations on Lantau Island, just not in the order I originally planned them.

But that didn’t matter. I was having a blast exploring and seeing the side of Hong Kong that most people don’t even know about.

Their hiking paths are rather interesting, and very well maintained. Lantau is rather mountainous, and these paths, for the most part, are raised concrete and rock paths that are about three to five feet wide. They’re so easy to follow you simply can’t get lost. And every 500m they have sign posts with numbers on them. If you get into trouble you just call emergency services, tell them the nearest sign post and they’ll know where you are. It’s great.

I walked from the Po Lin monastery back towards my room in Mui Wo, about a nine mile journey. I only made it half way (to the main road) because I just kept stopping and shooting along the path and I was taking way to long to get this hike done. But I didn’t care. I was having the time of my life!

This continued for a couple of days until my videographer friend showed up. My other intent for this trip was to shoot a series of training videos and he was going to help. I had a script all written for the main parts and then we’d get some more candid items as well. He showed up on Thursday, so that meant Friday and Saturday were essentially “recovery” days, although on Saturday we went to Macau and in total we walked about 11 miles!

Then we got to shooting on Sunday and by Sunday evening we were doing wonderfully, things were really clicking.

However, I woke up Monday morning completely sick. Totally and utterly sick. To make a long story short, I got food poisoning so bad I had to go to the hospital.

I was upset, depressed, an assortment of emotions was running through me as I laid there trying to get better.

I cancelled my China Excursion. After all, I know my health is more important than getting any shot, and I also know myself. I knew that I had a good chance of being released on Wednesday and with my need to get on the train to China on Thursday, that was just going to be too much.

As I laid there I started thinking about a whole bunch of things. I had time, and thinking was about all I could do, that and watch meaningless TV. I thought about how this summer had led up to me going to HK, and what I planned to do after I got back. I became rather retrospective.

I began to think, “what’s important here?” What can I still get out of this trip to HK, and more broadly, am I doing what I need to do in life to achieve my goals? What are my goals?

And this is why this episode is called “turning point.” In that hospital bed I believe I was able to contemplate a few things and that started me down this mental journey of honing my ideas and getting things in line where they need to be.

In reality my first decisions along this line took form in November 2017, when my business partner and I decided that it was time to either make it or break it as far as my company, Brent Rents Lenses, is concerned. I’d been working on that for 3.5 years at that time and things weren’t going as planned there either. We set a plan in motion that would either see growth, or, as it turns out, demise. So in July I announced that the company was closing.

My job has also seen some changes. I’ve been working on reducing some of the “extra” stuff I do so I can spend more time on curriculum development. There’s so many things I’m responsible for that a regular faculty member isn’t and I’ve come to the point where I just had to start whittling away at things.

So things were well on their way and the groundwork had been laid for me to vastly simplify my life. Closing things down at work so I can focus on my research and course development coupled with closing the company… They were painful decisions, but in the end, smart decisions. But what does this have to do with anything and why am I thinking about all this in a Hong Kong hospital bed?

It boils down to one word. And that is failure. Or more pointedly, the fear of failure. I seemed that once again I’d failed. These other items I hadn’t really considered failure so much, especially not the decisions made at work to allow me to focus on what the school pays me to focus on. That was about reducing my overload. With the company, I’d come to terms with it. I was OK with it. Not a huge deal.

But as I lay there the prospects of yet another item that was flopping on its face and I could do nothing about it. It got me thinking. Maybe it wasn’t the best thing for me to do, but it happened.

I’m a man of faith. So my contemplation of these things certainly had a spiritual overtone to them as well. And I was in a faith-based hospital as well which did good for my soul, that’s for sure. The hospital chaplain visited and that certainly was uplifting, we actually had a few things in common.

So I started forming some new goals and reforming existing ones. And these were larger ideas, not just focusing on my time there in HK.

It involves my photography and it involves my work. And after having been back two weeks I think I finally have something that’s starting to take shape and something that makes sense. And after having been rather sour about the whole HK journey my thoughts were further galvanized. So here it goes. I figured I need a few things to happen. If I’m going to be serious about these things there must be some action. So I’ve identified a few of these things that need to happen, they are:

  1. I simply need to shoot more. I love the craft of photography. I love everything about it. However, compared to most of you, I rarely do it. I MUST do more. And so to do more of it, I welcome you all to post your planned outings in the Latitude facebook group. If you’re in the Pacific NW and I can make it, I’ll do what I can to get out there and join you. I was going to do just that with a listener who is currently at the Pendleton Roundup, one of the largest roundups around with over 75K people in attendance. There’s less than ¼ that number for their entire population! But alas it didn’t work out. My goal is to get out way more than I have in the past. And if I’m heading out on a shoot where I can have company I’ll make a mention in the facebook group as well.
  2. I need to write more. My blog and my podcast will possibly benefit from me writing more, but maybe I suck as a writer. I don’t know, but I’m going to do it anyway.
  3. I need to experience more. Whether it’s to travel someplace, alone or with the family. Getting out there is a driving force in my life. I need to do more of it.

And that’s about it. It’s rather simple.

My trimming things back this summer will ultimately help me achieve these goals. But I can’t do these immediately, at least not to the level I want to do them. I do have some projects that I must finish up before I can realize these three goals I just laid out. So, for the next six months or so I’ve decided to continue scaling back so that I can get these items out of the way and I can move forward. I’m pretty sure these “needs” will morph over this time as well and I’m OK with that.

However, I’m not going to be a hermit, so there’s a few things that’s happening now.

  1. I’m still going to focus on that training video we were shooting in HK. I think we got enough done that I can still pull something together.
  2. My Croatia workshop is the only big workshop I’m doing this summer. I’ll have more on that later
  3. I’ve started advertising on my site about custom private workshops. Whether someone has a need that requires a skype conversation or if you’re looking to travel to my neck of the woods, hit me up. I’ll plan an experience for you or we can plan it together.
  4. I’ve decided that attending the Create Photography Retreat in Las Vegas this March won’t be possible, at least presently. This decision hurts the most. But planning a workshop and the lessons I’d want to present will simply take too much time between now and January and I had to let something go. Hopefully my situation can change, maybe one of my projects will get done more quickly than I expected, and things can change. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
  5. My printing course is also still on the docket. It just got pushed back a bit. That’s one of my many projects I’ve been vaguely talking about.

So that pretty much sums up my summer. One where pretty much nothing went according to plan and yet it’s all still falling into place. It tends to work out somehow J

My time in the HK hospital also got me thinking specifically about my approach to photography in general. I claim that I like to be “thoughtful and purposeful” in my craft, but am I really? I think I still too often fall into a “spray and pray” shooting category, and sometimes I admit that’s needed. I had time to get rather philosophical and I recalled some images from Michael Kenna. If you haven’t seen his work, you absolutely should look him up. He’s one of my ultimate photography heroes. He’s an absolute master at simplifying the scene so the only items that are left are the ones that matter. And the images are so incredibly strong. He shoots B&W film and that too is awesome.

I also turned to some of David DuChemin’s work. He too is an inspiration. You should look him up as well if you’re not familiar with his work.

With these thoughts in mind, I knew I needed to rework my approach to my own photography. I believe I was already leaning this direction with my work in Hong Kong but as I was getting frustrated at my inability to be “efficient” at getting shots I knew something was awry with my outlook and my expectations. I then started thinking about my Croatia workshop and how that really wasn’t fulfilling my expectations either. My previous plan had us bouncing all over the place and not spending enough time going deep and really getting what we need to get out of a location. Allow me to read my new description here:

Exquisite landscapes amidst rich culture and history…

For me, this is what Croatia is about. On this tour you’ll be challenged to dig deep into the very fiber of what makes you a photographer. Whether you’re a beginner and you’re starting to explore what that means for you, or if you’re a seasoned shooter, you’ll be challenged to create a body of work that only you can create. There will be up to six students, and with that, there will be at least six different points of view on how to best photograph our locations.

There will be times where you’ll feel frustrated. That happens frequently when we strive for perfection. I’ve crafted this photo workshop tour to provide ample time for you to not only discover a fantastic nation and its people, but to also discover something new about your photography. We do this through constant review and discussion as we’re shooting, and then with follow-up reviews afterwards. The plan is to spend enough time at each location to give you the opportunity to focus and hone your approach.

I’d love for you to join me on this great journey as we experience the best photographic wonders Croatia has to offer. There’s also an optional jaunt into Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina planned after the tour as well.

So the main part of the journey is about slowing it down and my intent is to provide more time at the best locations Croatia has to offer. However, I couldn’t resist offering a brief optional jaunt into Montenegro and a good look at two of the best items Bosnia-Herzegovina has to offer too.

All the info is available on my website. I’d be honored to have you along for the adventure.

Well I hope this hasn’t been too much of an expose of my inner most thoughts, fears and dreams. I suppose if you made it this far you weren’t scared off too much. Anyway, I so greatly appreciate your support through listening to this show, and I hope you’ll think it worthy of sharing it with others.

As for the immediate future I’ll be arranging more interviews with other photographers for the podcast. Those will happen later in October and November of this year. So my production will take a short dip as I get the school year up and running.

Thanks again so much for being here.

Until next time, happy shooting!


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 Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

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Bags, bags and more bags I’m going to first start by talking about two bags once again. These are the MindShift FirstLight 20L and the REI Trail 40 with Tenba BYOB 13 insert

MindShift Link: https://www.thinktankphoto.com//collections/firstlight-series/products/firstlight-20l?rfsn=953619.2a0eb

The FristLight 20 is a great bag if you’re looking for something that is rather slim and doesn’t allow you to take a ton of extra stuff. That’s me. I’m not a huge fan of big bags for a couple of reasons. First off is I need my camera pack to count as my “personal item” when I fly. Due to my small air port and small planes that service this airport I have more strict restrictions as to what I can actually carry on the plane. If I were to get a roller bag like the ThinkTank International, that would be great for every other plane I fly on, but not the Q400 that comes in to Walla Walla. Because it’s still going in the baggage compartment with all the other items. Now, it’s put there after the fact, and I have actually done that ONCE before without issue, but I don’t want to do that again. So I need a bag that will fit under the seat in front of me or the smaller overhead bin. So that also forces me to go light all the time, which is actually a blessing.

MindShift also offers a 30L and a 40L option, but I’ll focus on the 20L for this episode.

With all that said, about it being a slim bag, it still holds a bunch of stuff. It’s about 11.4×18.7×7 inches and weighs about 4.5 pounds. It’s sturdy and will certainly protect your gear very well.

However, my 5d4 is rather cramped in this bag only due to its L bracket that I keep on there all the time. It fits, but just BARELY.

Also, they claim that it fits a 15” laptop, but that’s another just BARELY type of thing. I’m uncomfortable with how unprotected the computer is in this slot, so I don’t plan on using my computer in this bag. The 13” would be fine if you’re careful, but as the computer goes in the front lid it’s somewhat vulnerable given the lack of padding. Otherwise it fits great, is very adjustable and I’d certainly trust my camera gear in there. It’s got the straps you need for carrying a tripod and I’m just happy with it overall, just not for also carrying my computer.

My “go to” bag right now is the REI trail 40 with the Tenba BYOB insert. This insert is basically the same size as my other messenger bags I mentioned in the first part of this series, but it’s absent all the bells and whistles that a normal bag has. So far it’s working out pretty well.

I love the harness on the Trail 40 and I just insert my computer into the sleeve that is intended for the water bladder. It’s not padded, but it’s right next to my back which does have padding and then the next piece is that ICU, so it’s well protected.

The only thing about this combo is that the pockets are void of the little organizers that we love in so many packs. But I’ve learned to deal with it. Hong Kong is my first big trip with this setup. So I’ll either love it or I’ll hate it and buy something new in HK maybe. I sure hope I love it. So far so good though.

And don’t forget the discount code mentioned in the show for Peak Design gear. Plus, if you’re inclined to go with a ThinkTank bag my links here will also be good for a free gift with purchase.

So, enough of that, let’s get to the conversations with listeners…


5th caller: Mario Supnet, welcome Mario.

Conversation about bag needs, not really decided but disappointed with the “cheap” options out there.


6th caller: Mark Morris, welcome Mark

F-Stop gear Sukha

http://fstopgear.com/products/packs/sukha

https://www.photographerscooperative.com


7th caller: Rick Ohnsman, welcome Rick

LowePro Pro Tactic 450


8th caller: Scott Tice, welcome Scott

Tenba DNA 11 and 8 and some bags from Crumpler


 Use  this link for excellent gear at the Peak Design website. It helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

 Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

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Jet Lag In talking with my videographer friend he mentioned jet lag. My flight gets in to HK around 4:00 p.m. and I’ll spend some time going through customs and such. It’ll likely be about 7 by the time I get to my hotel. I figured unless something ultra-strange is happening I’ll be fine with it and I’ll just go to bed, wake up maybe a bit late the next day and all should be good.

HK is about 15 hours ahead of my timezone, which is Pacific. Or that would be about 9 hours behind if you were to look at it that way. Anyway, it’s a significant change. My friend is coming from eastern timezone, so he’s got 12 hours difference there.

One thing he mentioned was to consider fasting during your travel as that will help adjust the body’s natural internal clock. I thought this was very interesting, so I had to do some research. The only solid item I found was in the New England Journal of Medicine, but you have to be a paying customer to get it. So I found anecdotal stuff here and there, but nothing really deep. He was saying that the basic idea is to simply not eat until you have to a breakfast time of your destination. For me it’ll be great since I can land, get to bed and then wake up and have breakfast. For him, he’s arriving at about 7:00 a.m. So he’ll fast on the plane then eat once he lands. And then since we’ll be starting the day, hopefully he won’t be too groggy to be at least coherent.

But I still found other things that I wanted to share. Some of it is rather “out there” so if I sound rather judgmental on these things is more about how I can’t ever see myself doing them, not necessarily thinking someone is foolish for doing it themselves.

Here we go. I found an article on CNN, the link is here in the show notes.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/9-alternative-jet-lag-strategies/index.html

It’s called “9 alternative jet lag strategies.”

First up is to use the hormone Melatonin. The body creates this naturally, but increasing the presence of Melatonin should help the circadian rhythm get adjusted more quickly. They recommend not taking it while in the air, but to do it at bed time once you’ve landed. It’s widely available at drug stores and of course, as with all things medically oriented, it’s best to talk with your doctor before you do anything like this. Just needing to cover myself there.

This remedy is not for me. I’m just not one to hop on the drug bandwagon all that quickly. Even when I get a headache, I’d rather tough it out than take a Tylenol. I’ll pop the pill when needed for sure, but my preference is to not do anything.

The next item is fasting, of all things. We’ve already talked about this, but this particular article only talks about a few items here, I’d love to have a much deeper article. If you know of one, please forward it on to me. They recommend refrain eating or drinking anything but water and herbal tea if you are looking to minimize jet lag. I won’t fast the whole flight but I’ll do at least half of it so I can go to bed on an empty stomach and hopefully awake ready for a huge breakfast.

The next item up is called “earthing.” Well, these were “alternative” ways, right? Basically, the point here is to literally touch the earth at your destination. Take off your shoes and walk in the grass, the beach, whatever. It’ll change your mood and outlook. Seems more psychological than anything else, which can help, don’t get me wrong. But I look at this a bit oddly since it’s more along the lines of something I try to do naturally anyway. So, to have it as a suggestion for something different, to me, is more of a statement on society than anything else. As in, why isn’t this normal behavior already?

Watsu is the next one. It’s a water-based relaxation therapy that is similar to a Japanese Shiatsu massage.

They go into some detail, but quite frankly, getting relaxed and destressing is the point. If you can do that by just laying on the bed, or getting a massage then go for it.

Another is Restricted Environment Stimulation Therapy. Basically, you’re in a light and soundproof tank, floating in 93.5 degree water, that’s Fahrenheit by the way, the temp of most people’s skin. And it’s supposed to be relaxing. My only question is, where do you find stuff like this? And this is the third item that is just focused on relaxation and destressing. Why not just say that and then say, “here’s a few ways of doing that?”

And then the next item on the list is Onsens, or a hot spring. OK, just another way to relax, and it’s water-based too. No surprise. I’m happy to do it, love a hot tub soak. Just not sure I’m going to find that at my destination since I’m too cheap and my hotel is less than $30 a night!

And finally, the last two are IV infusions and sound healing. I’ll never do the IV infusion thing as I hate needles and I’ll suffer any jet lag three times over before I get stuck with a needle.

And the sound healing thing sounds too new agey to me. They suggest that it’s been shown that sound frequencies at 528hz have been shown to heal the body’s DNA. What? I didn’t know DNA could be healed.

I fully understand there’s people out there listening that probably know a lot more about this stuff than I do. I’m usually open to listening to these new ideas, but when it comes to something like this, I just need a better article I suppose. They end by saying if you’re in Dubrovnik, go to Villa Dubrovnik, where they say you can get into a “diamond cocoon, where guests lie in a dark, enclosed chamber atop a bed of bubbling warm water as a journey of light and sounds aim to help them relax and get a better night’s sleep.”

Sorry, that’s not for me.

My whole take on this thing is I’m going to try the fasting. I’ve not heard of that one before. But I always give myself a lighter schedule when I first get somewhere so I can give my body time to adjust. And I listen to what my body is telling me. If I’m by myself, I don’t mind sleeping in or going to bed early. Or forcing myself up when I need to make the change. I may miss a few shots, and that would stink for sure. But I’ve found that my health suffers and if that happens I miss even more shots (thinking back to my time in Chile where I twisted my ankle and got sick and missed out on about three days because health reasons) I take one day at a time and I roll with it. But I’m certainly looking forward to this journey to try a few new things out. I’ll add some relaxing in there too, when I go to bed J

Hong Kong I’m going to Hong Kong. And I’m so excited about this journey. It came about because a few weeks ago I found out that I would not be able to participate in a mission trip to India in November. Taking that much time off work just won’t work. So I had a backup plan which was seriously, to go “somewhere.” Literally, you can ask my wife, I didn’t care where, it was just somewhere cool.

I scoured a few flight websites and settled on flights.google.com for the ease of use and easy variety of locations that I can explore as well as date options for departures and returns.

So I found this ticket on Delta direct from Seattle for less than $560. Round trip. The wife said, “Yes you should go, but remember your son has a birthday…”

So I found an itinerary that will get me home in time and has me there for about 16 days. Wow.

So I bought the tickets and then started planning. I already had a Lonely planet guide book from when I spent 2.5 days there way back in 2002. I was returning from India, a different mission oriented trip, and had a layover in Hong Kong. The agent making the flight arrangements apologized terribly for the inconvenience and I was like, “are you kidding. This is awesome!”

So I bought an updated book and I read it cover to cover, highlighted various things and what not, then I got a message from a long-time friend that has wanted to have me let him know whenever I’m going someplace exciting. He saw my post on facebook and I was like (crickets)

Oh yeah,, un I forgot about that…

So, he’s a videographer. I had an idea to make a photography course and shoot it over there in HK and he agreed to do the video. So that threw a whole other set of planning into the mix. So now I’m not only planning for 16 days (14 really since I don’t shoot on Saturdays) of shooting, but now I need to come up with scripts and a plan for how to teach photography at each of the locations we’re going to.

And let’s not forget I’m shutting down my gear rental company during this as well, (only about half the gear has been sold, still some great pieces to be had) and finishing up a project for the university that involves about six videos to be posted to my YouTube channel this summer. It’s a professional development project and it just has to get done this summer. That’s all there is to it. So I’m scrambling to keep up with the podcasting, family, help my church still plan for this mission trip to India that I’m no longer going on, 16 days in Hong Kong, create my print and creativity course and now this beginner/intermediate course…

I’m getting exhausted just thinking about it.

So let’s focus. On HK.

I’m going to tell you the plan, and then while there I’ll plan to record an episode and then I’ll tell you how it went once I get back. I’ll do my best not to bore you too much or be too repitively redundant.

So I’m starting out on Lantau Island. I’ll stay in Mui Wo. There’s a waterfall in the Silvermine Bay area. I’ll get to that and then I’ll take the bus to the big Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery. That’ll be during the mid day so we’ll see what kind of light I get. Thankfully there’s a vegetarian restaurant at the monastery and that’s where I’ll have lunch. I’ll then either take the bus or walk to Tai O. A fishing village.

The next day I’ll repeat the plan, but I’m going to walk it on the trails that cover the mountainous island. It should make for a great hike and with the hot and humid and sometimes rainy weather I’ll experience in August, well, we’ll see how good my umbrella is and the rain cover on the backpack.

My videographer gets in a couple days after I get there, so I’ll wake up early, get to the small island of Peng Chau, hike around for a few hours, and then take the mid morning ferry back to meet him at the dock. We’ll then move on to Causeway Bay area where our joint room will be.

Some of the other places we will go are, Lamma Island, Po Toi island, the Peak, of course, and Central and Kowloon Peninsula. But we’ll also get to many of the less traveled too places in the New Territories. This is the interesting part about Hong Kong. It was handed over to the Chinese in 1997, but the British didn’t have to give all of HK up. It was just the New Territories that were under the temporary agreement, so those sections were scheduled to go back to China control, but Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island as well as several other outlying islands could have stayed in the British Empire. But logistically, it just wouldn’t have worked. So they handed the entire territory over to China.

It’s interesting how they treat it now. It’s a Special Administrative region of China. As a US citizen, I don’t need a visa to go there for stays up to 90 days. HK is rather small, but that’s why I love it for travel photography. The public transport is amazing. There’s a bunch of very high quality sites to get to and they’re all, or at least most of them are, very accessible via public transport.

Macau is the same way, though it was Portuguese. But it’s also a Special Administrative Region.

My goal with this journey is to get out and hike. To see the natural wonders that HK has and show them to you and whomever else is interested. And to shoot some training videos of course. My approach, however, is to not get too bent out of shape if the videos don’t work out. I’m writing my scripts, and I have good outlines of what I want to talk about. I just need to keep that handy so I can apply a lesson to what I’m shooting. And I’ve got a documentary videographer coming along too, so I’ll probably be fine.

We’ll go to some markets, there’s a night market on Kowloon peninsula, and the Stanley market is supposed to be good as well. And one thing I love about HK is the lack of regulation on production like this. We contacted the film office because it seems that the way their website is written we might have to get permits. But they basically laughed (if that’s possible to ascertain through email) at our request since it’s such a small production. So we figure we’re good.

And finally, after my videographer friend leaves I have five more days. So I decided I’m going to China. I’ve got my visa application ready to go. I just need to get my Global Entry interview done first, then I’ll FedEx my passport down to SFO for processing. I really, really wanted to go to Detian falls. Also known as Ban Gioc falls. It’s the fourth largest waterfall on an international border. It’s on the border of China and Viet Nam. I probably could have made it, but the connections and times it takes to get out there makes it nearly impossible. I don’t have confidence in the timing of bus schedules and the like, and most hotels in that area aren’t bookable online. I mostly use booking.com and they have one that’s kind of sort of close to the falls, but it’s out in the middle of nowhere, and it’d be not only tough to get there but getting around is tough too. I did find one at the falls itself, but then it’s just the getting there that was making it very difficult. And then getting back on time to be sure I don’t miss my flight. It just wasn’t working out.

So I decided to go to the tourist trap of Guilin instead. I may hire a guide, I may just kick back a little. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. That part is still rather undefined. But I’m going, that part I know. (so long as I get a visa from the Chinese government. Fingers crossed)

That wraps it up for now. Thanks so much for listening. Remember to search for and find the other podcasts in the Master Photography group. They are Portrait Session, Photo Taco and Thoughts on Photography, which is still being resurrected by Brian McGuckin.

Until next time, Happy shooting.


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 Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

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Welcome to a special edition of Latitude Photography Podcast. The show where we talk about all things related to landscape and travel photography. I’m calling it a special edition because this episode is being published on both my Latitude feed and the Master Photography podcast feed. With our somewhat long transition to the shows being on their independent feeds, I’ll be publishing this show less and less on the Master Photography feed. But in the meantime, I’ve decided to call these “special edition” shows.

Today’s show is the first installment that is all about bags. To hear episode two you’ll have to find it on the Latitude feed only in a couple weeks.

So what’s the deal with all these bags? Certainly there’s no ONE perfect bag, yet the pursuit for that perfect bag continues.

This is a different format for the show where I have listeners “calling in” in a manner of speaking and we talk about their preferred bags and bag desires.

There’s a few things to start out with. And that is I have my first discount code for you to use. If you are looking to buy a Peak Design bag, use my code at checkout for 10% off on their website. Any item you want, from their website that is, it’s not going to work for their current kickstarter campaign, but on the Peak Design website click on the “I have a promo code” and use my code for 10% off on each purchase you make. Sorry, you’ll have to listen to the show to get the code. 🙂

Also, if you’re inclined to go with a ThinkTank/MindShift bag, checkout the shownotes on the podcast website for a link where you’ll get a free gift. It’s an affiliate link, so they track things differently than Peak Design does.

These two companies, in my estimation, are developing the bags that are closest to perfection across their respective lineups.

And finally, one last announcement. I’m still in the process of selling my rental inventory gear at BrentRentsLenses.com

There’s plenty of great gear still available. From the Nikon 200-500, Canon 5d mk4, Sigma 120-300 f/2.8, It’s all got to go and now you can get 5% off the already great prices through the end of August 2018. Just use the discount code that’s available only in the show.

And now, on with the show…

Bags, bags and more bags First up I’d like to talk about a few bags I own. The SidePath by MindShift. Oh, by the way, MindShift Gear and ThinkTank Photo are now officially one company. They’ve been operating as two since their inception, but now they’re one company. Probably makes more sense that way.

Anyway, the SidePath is a smaller bag that’s great for trips to the local park or when you’re camping and you just need a bit of essentials for the day. Mostly, my wife uses it. But I’ve used it too without issue. The adjusting straps and smaller format bag fit perfectly on my back, and hers as well. The camera compartment is rather small, but that’s to be expected on a bag this size. It measures in at 10.6” wide by 5.9” deep and 19” tall. But that top part tapers in at the top so it doesn’t feel that large. The camera compartment is about 9 x 6.5 x 5.5. It can hold a crop sensor DSLR with one or two lenses, my 5d4 with one lens or, the way we use it, with the original EOS-M with two lenses and the charger and cleaning cloth.

When you use this link you’ll get to choose from 13 different accessory items including an CF/SD + Battery Wallet, Gear Pouch Mounts, Lens Changer 25 V2.0, Travel Pouch Small among others.

The Link: https://www.thinktankphoto.com/pages/workshop?rfsn=953619.2a0eb

The SidePath weighs in at 1.6 pounds, or .7 KG. If you need something for a short shoot and you have a smaller kit, this is a great option and they’ve also reduced the price to only $79 at the time of this recording.

Next up is the Exposure Series by MindShift. If you’ve been listening to this show for a while, you know how much I like (sometimes I’ve actually said “love”) My Tenba DNA 13 messenger bag. I also use the MindShift Exposure 13 and was able to give away the Exposure 15 to a listener when my new feed launched thanks to the company. Anyway, back to the Exposure 13.

Reasons I like this bag over the DNA 13 are:

  1. It’s a bit more rugged. Sometimes I want the slightly more forgiving qualities of the DNA 13, but if you want solid protection the Exposure seems to be a bit more robust.
  2. It’s more water proof. Given its construction of a more solid core that protects the gear and the infused flap lid, they call it DWR fabric, this bag will simply do a better job at keeping out the elements, mostly water. Add the included rain fly and you’re good to go. It’s not water tight. Don’t get me wrong, but when I was in a deluge of rain using the DNA 13 with rain fly, the camera gear still got a bit moist inside and it took a few hours to dry it all out. To be fair, I’ve not been in a deluge of rain yet with the Exposure 13, but it’s pretty easy to see how it’ll be better at keeping the rain out. The name “Exposure” was a good choice on their part.
  3. I also like how the shoulder strap connects to the bag. It’s a very low profile connection that minimizes the potential to snag on clothing.

It perfectly fits my 5d4 with ProMedia Gear L bracket with the 24–70 attached. I then add a 16–35 and 70–300 to the mix. If I’m going heavy I’ll swap out the tele zoom for the 100–400 lens.

It’s got all the necessary slots and pockets to hold the charger and whatever else you need for a multi-day shoot. It’ll even hold your 13” computer. This used to be a big deal for me, but now I’m more inclined to take my 15” computer with me instead so If I use this bag I’ll be carrying my computer in a different bag.

There are a few things about the DNA 13 by Tenba that I like better. In a pinch, If I wanted to take my 15” MacBook Pro, I can slip it in between the camera insert and the computer sleeve. It’s less protected this way, but it works. Plus, the insert is removable and I can put that into my Eagle Creek backpack/messenger bag that I use every day for work, instantly turning it into a camera bag as well. And finally, the buckle attachment on the Exposure takes a tiny bit of getting used to. The DNA uses a combination of Velcro and very easy to work clips on the front. Given the less rigidity of the DNA their way of closing the lid makes sense, and the Buckle makes sense for the Exposure since the lid is a bit more substantial.

Use this link to find the Exposure Series bags.

Now let’s move on to the next portion of the show where we have listeners call in, in a matter of speaking anyway. We’ve got a lot of great comments coming from you all. Also, this is part one as I had to make this a two part series. Part two will come out after I release my episode on my upcoming trip to Hong Kong and I also talk about jet lag as well in that episode.


1st caller: Drew Armstrong, welcome Drew.

You want to talk about the Shimoda Designs bag. Tell us about this bag.

40L and the Roller Bag

https://www.shimodadesigns.com


2nd caller: Geoff Bolte, welcome Geoff

Tell us about your bags, the ThinkTank Streetwalker HD and Airport International.

Use my links and get a free gift with order:

StreetWalker HD | Airport International v3


3rd caller: Brent Huntley, welcome Brent

LowePro Whistler 450.

http://www.photographyandtravel.com/review-of-my-hiking-camera-bag-lowepro-whistler-bp-450-aw/

https://www.lowepro.com/us-en/whistler-bp-450-aw-lp36897-pww/


4th caller: Wendy Gunderson, welcome Wendy

Billingham Hadley: https://billingham.co.uk/collections/camera-bags/products/hadley-large

https://filmroadtrip.com


 Use  this link for excellent gear at the Peak Design website. It helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

 Use this link to get a free gift at checkout, plus it helps support my podcasting efforts. Thanks!

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Hong Kong & China

I’m going to Hong Kong and China in August. And to help me plan my trip is Mia Beales of GuilinPhotographyTours.com. Mia, welcome to the show.

It’s so good to have you here to help me plan for this hopefully epic trip I’ll be taking in a few short weeks.

I can’t believe how crazy it has been planning this trip. I started by thinking I’d only fill my time up with Hong Kong. And HK is “western” enough it feels rather comfortable in a certain way. But is a whole other beast when it comes to one’s ability to get around efficiently. So often I prefer to just go and wander, and largely that’s what we’ll be doing in Hong Kong. But with China, I want something a bit more structured for my first time there. And that’s where Mia and her fine service comes in.

I was originally looking at heading to Detian falls, but it’s so remote and there’s not a lot of convenient transit options so I started looking to go other places. That led me to Guilin, just a couple hours north of Hong Kong via bullet train.

Mia, tell us a bit about the history of Guilin Photography Tours and what you offer photographers.

Other questions for Mia:

  1. I’m a vegetarian, are there going to be good options for me or will I have to hunt for them? (some appear vegetarian, have pork or something on them)
  2. It seems the area is very well developed. How might you characterize the place for photographers looking for “off the beaten path” kind of locations. Is that possible to get in Guilin?
  3. Back to food and the like. I imagine standard precautions apply with regards to street food, drinking the water, ice and the like?
  4. What about safety? Is there a noticeable police presence?
  5. I noticed there’s a market that goes to 2:00 a.m. What’s that like?
  6. Tell us about your one-day tour. It starts at about 4:00 a.m. and goes to 10 or 11 p.m. That’s a big day!
  7. I’m curious about the rice fields up north.
  8. When I’m there, it’ll be close to a full moon. The moon will rise about 25 minutes before sun sets. Can that be taken into account for where we’ll be for sunset?
  9. What about other areas? If a photographer really wanted to see “everything,” how many days could you fill?
  10. Anything else specific to my journey I should look out for? I’ll be taking the MTR from HK to Shenzhen, then the Shenzhen MTR to the North railway station. From there it’s the bullet train to Guilin.
  11. What sets your service apart from other competing services. I noticed a photography tour for $99. Yours is a lot more expensive, I imagine it’s better in some way.
  12. Tell us briefly about Gatsby Travel

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography.
From Bosnia, Sarajevo. Lives in the Chicago area.

Briefly describe two or three locations you recently traveled too.
I travel for work. So I get to go to lots of places that most wouldn’t be able to see. Both in the US and internationally. Various suppliers, such as in China.
Virginia as well.
Went to S. Dakota last year. Did some photography in the Black Hills area. And an old ghost town.
China: Shanghai, a recent favorite was in the bundt area of Shanghai. Was raining, lots of great reflections. http://www.stevantontich.com/blog/2018/5/23/china-in-spring-2018
Rolliflex camera shooting. When shooting a TLR camera, people tend to not be as intimidated when shooting with that camera.

“Venice of China” See map below.
Street Scenes from Shanghai, B&W Edition: http://www.stevantontich.com/blog/2017/11/19/street-scenes-from-shanghai-china-bw-edition

The Graflex and getting “suckered” into Large Format.

Digitizing the large format photos, scanning with Epson scanners.

Links for this episode:

www.stevantontich.com

www.theitaliancamera.com

Look him up on YouTube, 500px, Facebook and more.


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Questions to get the conversation going:

  1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography.
  2. Briefly describe a location you recently traveled too and the photography you did there.

We talk about the system, where these guys love to shoot (Portugal and Scotland) and a whole bunch more.

Links for this episode:

Going out of business sale: http://brentrentslenses.com

MindShift Gear: http://www.mindshiftgear.com?rfsn=953633.ddbfa8

ThinkTank Photo: https://www.thinktankphoto.com/pages/workshop?rfsn=953619.2a0eb

Brent Huntley’s personal blog: http://photographyandtravel.com

Brent Huntley on the Improve photography website: http://improvephotography.com

Dan Bailey’s website: http://danbaileyphoto.com

Fuji 14mm lens: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/883533-REG/Fujifilm_XF_14mm_f_2_8_R.html

Fuji 27mm lens: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/984430-REG/fujifilm_16389123_fujinon_xf_27mm_f_2_8.html

Fuji 18­–135: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1058622-REG/fujifilm_16432853_xf_18_135mm_f_3_5_5_6_r.html

Fuji 10–24: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1021608-REG/fujifilm_16412188_xf_10_24mm_f_4_r.html

Dan’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/FUJIFILM-Unlimited-Techniques-Maximizing-Creativity/dp/1681983877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531069986&sr=8-1&keywords=x+series+unlimited


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The Palouse region is simply amazing, and very popular. In this episode Brian Pex joins me to talk about the beautiful rolling hills, using a polarizer to emphasize the landscape and capturing the vibrant canola fields. Oh, and don’t forget the strip farming and crop dusters! 🙂

Thanks, Brian, for sharing your experience and photos with us!

Pexphoto.com

Steptoe Butte State Park Map

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Today I'm talking with Ashley Tinker who lives in the Provence region of France. It's a great discussion about all the great opportunities photographers have in the area. We talk about lavender, cyanotypes, markets and a host of other things. Enjoy!

She can be found at: http://photographerinprovence.com and http://curiousprovence.com

Check out the maps below for a few of the places we talked about.

Luberon Gordes Roussillon Sault


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The redwoods area that we’ll be looking at today is in CA, but just barely. It’s right on the border with Oregon and a great place to use as your base, if you’re not camping, is Crescent City. It’s about 12 miles south of the OR border. There’s plenty of hotel options. The weather is generally mild, if you’re used to OR coast weather then you know what to expect. In short, it’s somewhat mild in the summer topping out at about 80 degrees and generally windy.

As I look at my “All Stays” app on my iPhone there’s plenty of campgrounds to consider staying at if you like that kind of thing. I like camping, but the time I went to the area I took two of my boys and elected to stay in a hotel. Airbnb would also be a good option.

The places I want to focus on are:

Jedediah Smith State Park | Stout Grove

When we pulled in to the area we came through this state park which is cooperatively managed by the CA parks system and the National Park System. It’s about 10,000 acres in size and it contains 7% of all the world’s old growth redwoods. Also, the Smith River runs through it. It’s the longest free flowing river in CA. The park is a magnificent place to shoot. One place I went to was Stout Grove. Check out their website here.

Battery Point Lighthouse

The Battery Point Lighthouse is kind of cool. It’s right along the coast at Crescent City. And there’s a breakwater you can walk out on. At the end there’s some strangely shaped items that the boys and I loved walking out on. It made for some interesting shots. Find more info here.

Mystery of Trees

Mystery of Trees is kind of a neat place. If you’re looking for purely awesome photography… maybe go elsewhere. But if you have kids in tow it’s a pretty cool place. They have an easy to walk trail that takes you to a sky tram gondola. You can then walk down the mountain or ride the gondola back down. My favorite spot in this area, though, was the trail that’s accessible right across the road from Mystery of Trees. Park in the hotel parking lot, far northern end, and there’s a trail that takes you out to the coast. It’s short, but a really great place to shoot. Check out the maps here at the NPS website.

Fern Canyon

And finally there’s Fern Canyon. This is a rather easy to get to location that does not disappoint. I went in early summer and the river flowing through the canyon was already fairly low and easy to walk through. To get to the good stuff you should plan on getting your feet wet. But it was only about eight inches at the deepest part necessary to keep going.
My only real problem here was my obsession with getting focus stacked panoramic images. I think I got some OK shots, but I neglected to get some with my wide angle. But the polarizer really helped here as well since the walls are coated with ferns and the polarizer blocks the glare off the moisture allowing the greenery to really come to life.
But as an update here in early June 2018, there’s a logjam blocking the loop trail, a ¼ mile out and back is still possible and still quite worth it. Check out some trail information here.


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Today’s discussion takes us to Poland and Israel with photographer Randy Narkir. It’s a sobering discussion about the March of the Living. When reading from their website, it’s an annual educational program, bringing individuals from around the world to Poland and Israel to study the history of the Holocaust and to examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hatred. Some of the discussion could be disturbing to some listeners.

Randy Narkir Interview Questions

  1. Randy, tell us a little bit about your background. Personally and then, of course, as a photographer
  2. You recently took a trip to Poland. Tell us about why you went, who you went with and certainly where you went.
  3. You’ve been posting some photos to your personal facebook feed. In particular I’m thinking about the following. Please tell us the stories behind these photos.
    1. Plac Zgody in Krakow.
    2. Disinfection room in Majdanek Concentration Camp
    3. Block 27 Auschwitz with the book on names
    4. Auschwitz Reflection
    5. Birkenau guard
    6. March to Kotel and the celebration of Latrun (looks like this is in Israel?)
    7. Flag over Treblinka

Randy can be found here on Facebook.

Auschwitz Treblinka Latrun


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On this episode I talk about the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and their Seven Principles. Also, I’ve got a great gear giveaway for listeners.

Leave No Trace In my circles, there’s been a lot of talk lately about photographing the places we love and how, sometimes, photographers can do way more damage to a beautiful spot than they might expect. I’m not one to keep my locations to myself, but I do want to take this opportunity to encourage listeners to be respectful of the land we have come to love so much. If we’re not careful we may end up trampling it to death.

That’s where the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics comes in. They have created their Seven Principles to help outdoor enthusiasts like us to take stock of our plans and the effects we have on those around us and the effects we have on the land too. Please note these Seven Principles are © 1999 by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: www.LNT.org. They are…

 1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
  1. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
  2. Dispose of Waste Properly
  3. Leave What You Find
  4. Minimize Campfire Impacts
  5. Respect Wildlife
  6. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

    There’s so much more information on their website. Please click on over and learn more for yourself. Or, listen and I’ll talk about it in more detail as well 😉

In my own words, I wish to add use a touch more. That is to also respect private property. I’ve missed out on countless images because an area is clearly marked “no trespassing.” I’m not saying I’m a saint when it comes to this. Sometimes I’ve seen the sign on my way out! But still, if you know the land is private and it’s clearly marked as such, please do respect the land owners’ wishes and find somewhere else to create your next masterpiece.

Gear Giveaway I’m thrilled to have this podcast back on it’s own feed once again and to celebrate I’m having a gear giveaway. Click on this page for all the details, but in short, I’m very grateful to Mindshift Gear and ThinkTank Photo for sending some bags for me to review and also have in this giveaway. Also thanks to Greg Benz for giving away a copy of Lumenzia v5. And I guess I can thank myself for the gear rental coupon and the 30 minute Skype session. Be sure to listen or click on that description page/post for all the details.

Secret Phrase Bonus Listen for that secret phrase and in addition to having it be one of the ways to enter (just email it to me to enter for one of the great pieces of gear) just click on over here to my Croatia Workshop and use it as a coupon code to get $100 off this workshop!

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Whitman Mission is a great place to go and shoot. In this episode I talk about the different parts of the park, the seasons and how I keep going back for more and more. This is one of the great places that I just never seem to tire of.

  • US WA, Walla Walla County, Whitman MIssion National Historic Site, Mill pond reflects the sunrise.
  • USA, WA, Walla Walla. Footprints in the show at pond’s edge. Whitman Mission.
  • Solar Eclipse transition. Whitman Mission National Historic Site. August 21, 2017
  • USA, Washington, Walla Walla County. Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Oregon Trail fence with moon, HDR.
  • USA, Washington, Walla Walla County. Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Oregon Trail fence with moon, HDR.
  • USA, WA, Walla Walla. Pond and obelisk at Whitman Mission National Historic Site. HDR.
  • USA, Washington, Walla Walla County. Whitman Mission National Historic Site. Smooth Sumac in fall colors
  • USA, Washington, Walla Walla County. Whitman Mission National Historic Site. Smooth Sumac in fall colors
  • USA, Washington, Walla Walla County. Whitman Mission National Historic Site. Smooth Sumac in fall colors
  • USA, Washington, Walla Walla County. Whitman Mission National Historic Site.
  • USA, WA, Walla Walla. TeePee and wagon amidst grasses at Whitman Mission.
  • 188-01
  • Whitman Mission National Historic Site, WA, USA. Youths celebrate life at the historic granite obelisk atop memorial hill.

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Latitude Reboot

This particular episode is simply an explanation regarding the reboot of the podcast.

Latitude was started about a year and a half ago. I planted the idea first by talking to Brian McGuckin and then Jim Harmer at Improve Photography. We started the show on its own feed and then about four to six months later we migrated it to the main IP feed.

But now, it’s back on its own separate feed. There’s been a few changes in the last few weeks here in the podcasting world. For details I’ll simply refer you to the episodes in late April, 2018 on the Improve Photography Podcast feed which will change to Master Photography Podcasts by June 2018.

This change means that my friend Brian is returning to his first podcast love, Thoughts on Photography. Which is awesome for him. I’m thrilled that TOP is coming back because that’s the first podcast I ever listened too and I just love what Brian was able to do with that show. I’m super excited to see where that takes him.

So that leaves us with just me as the main host for the show. There will be a few changes to the show. Most notably, I’m going to shift the focus of the show so that it also includes nature/wildlife and landscape interests. My personal interests lie in the travel and landscape genres of photography but all forms of nature photography will be looked at here.

I’ll plan to do destination reports, interviews of photographers that travel and photographers that live is amazing places and I’ll do the occasional gear report from time to time, but usually, gear usage will simply be part of the overall conversation. I do run a rental company and sometimes I’ll use some of that gear in my travels and shoots as well. That’s found at brentrentslenses.com by the way.

And finally, I’ll plan to re-release a few of the past episodes as Latitude Replays. In particular I’m thinking about the interviews I did with Jason Savage regarding Olympic National Park and Doug Kaye on Cuba. There’s a couple others I’ll probably bring back from the archives as well. So, this serves as a reboot of the podcast and I greatly appreciate your being here and coming along for the ride.

Stay tuned for some great shows. I’m looking to publish fairly regularly every other week during the school year and when I’m on summer break I plan to increase that where possible. Of course, that’s when I’ll do a lot of my traveling, so we’ll just have to see how it goes, but that will be the perfect opportunity to do some episodes on the road as well.

As it is now, I’ve got about a year’s worth of show ideas already written down with more to pop up I’m sure. I’ve already got an interview scheduled with a photographer who traveled to some former concentration camps in Poland and another about traveling light with the Fuji system. Then there’s all the places I’ve been to in the past several years that I’ve not been able to do a deep dive into, and a few local or regional spots that I’ll talk about as well.

That’s about it for now. Thanks so much for listening and please be sure to hit that subscribe button and tell your friends.

Until next time, happy shooting.