Fotobug - Elusive Image Photography: Recent Episodes
Jim Caldwell
The Fotobug Photography podcast for travel and nature photographers. Interviews, training, reviews, and more!
Bryce Way recently contributed to a photo book about Los Angeles from Trope Publishing (www.trope.com) and the book with be available on all the major book sellers beginning November 2024. Bryce sat down with The Fotobug guys to talk about his photography and future travels.
Don't forget to check out and subscribe to The Fotobug Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Jim and Fred recently took a road trip to visit several springs in central Florida near Gainsville and near Orlando. In this episode we explore O'Leno State Park where the Santa Fe rive vanishes into the ground to reappear 3 miles late in River Rise State Park. In addition, they visit Blue Springs State Park where Jim used to scuba dive back in the late 1960s and where Jacques Cousteau filmed one of his special on manatees. In fact, there were several manatees in the Blue Run!
Bal Bhatal is a London based photographer know for his amazing night street photography. Jim and Fred sit down with Bal (known as Mr Whisper) to talk about his photography and his new book "London After Dark". You can check out Bal's website at www.mrwhisperstudios.coml and be sure to check out his Instagram page MrWhisper
M&M Photo Tours have offered to put together a discounted photo workshop with the Fotobug guys and have offered the following possible locations: Tanzania, Kenya, Indochina, Japan, and Italy. In order to help us choose which one, please visit The Fotobug Facebook page and respond to the poll - or send your choice to jim@thefotobug.com. You are under no obligation to sign up for the trip - just help us decide!
Also - don't forget to check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/thefotobug.
The new GoPro Hero 12 has added a couple new features: 5.3k video, 1/4-20 tripod socket (finally!) and bluetooth audio! However, they have removed the GPS capability. Jim and Fred decided to check out the various audio capabilities including the in-camera microphone, the media-mod microphone, as well as the media-mod with external microphones and of course the new bluetooth audio with earbuds and a bluetooth mike. We suggest you listen to the audio with headphones to get a better sense of the quality of the various audio tests.
Check out The Fotobug YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Fantasy of Flight is a classic aviation museum located in Polk City Florida, Near Lakeland They have dozens of vintage aircraft from WWII models to racing and aerobatic planes. Highly recommended if you are in the area! Keep in mind they are only open Friday through Sunday 11:00am to 3:00pm and we recommend checking their website https://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/ to make sure they are open. Great place for some nice macros of airplane mechanics!
Join hosts Jim and Fred in this energetic episode of The FotoBug. They kick-off by announcing their move to YouTube, where they will share most of their video content, inviting new subscribers and expressing gratitude to existing ones. The transition allows for more interactive and engaging content.
The focal point of this episode is the much-discussed solar eclipse. Not only do they discuss phenomenon's, but they also delve into the thrilling world of photography, tackling hot-button issues such as the flap involving UK-based Tempest Photography.
Take an auditory trip with them as they relive their enthralling visit to the Circle B Bar Reserve, detailing their unique experiences, wildlife encounters, and unusual weather phenomena. Don't miss their exciting tale which serves as a crucial lesson for travelling photographers to always keep track of their gear.
The spotlight then shines on the GearEye, an innovative device to help locate misplaced items. Originating as a Kickstarter project, they track its progression through hurdles and setbacks to become a functional and highly valuable tool. Detailed information about this product, including cost, discount, and packaging, is shared. Whether you are a frequent traveler, a photographer, or someone who treasures personal belongings, the GearEye provides peace of mind.
Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Julia, the CEO of GearEye, in the coming weeks. Get ready to learn more about this invaluable device and be sure to leave your queries and remarks in anticipation of the forthcoming session.
Roll into summer with high-definition photography using our best tips and handy gadgets. Dive into this episode of The Fotobug, hosted by Jim and Fred, for a variety of amazing techniques to improve your photography and capture the best possible images. Listen and learn super strategies to keep your camera equipment protected, find the right ways to control lighting, and harness your smartphone for the perfect shot.
Discover how a manual can unleash the latent potential of your camera or how the bad weather can create unique photo opportunities. Unearth inexpensive yet critical additions to your gear, like clips, and understand how to keep your lenses dust-free for pristine photos. Explore versatile gadgets for every situation, from Alpine Labs’ Pulse for remote camera control to super adaptable Rogue's light modifiers for portrait photography.
This episode brims with all things photography, from macro to plant photography. We’ve got you covered whether you are laying flat on the ground pursuing wildlife shots or dealing with an overcast day. Use our handy tips to chase those elusive images and make every shutter-click count. Enjoy the thrill of photography and never miss an opportunity to get your perfect shot.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Fotobug's YouTube channel to get the latest news, reviews, and how-tos, and please share your favorite photography tips and tricks with us!
Jim is currently traveling in the UK and so Jim and Fred decided to pull out a video from the vault. This episode video is from 2017, a photo trek that Jim did in Colombia, South America. We hope you enjoy and in the meantime, please go out and subscribe to The Fotobug Youtube channel!
Welcome to The Fotobug, your podcast for photography news, reviews, interviews, and how-tos. In this episode, hosts Jim and Fred give a major announcement about the future of the podcast - a transition to YouTube! They've carried this podcast for over a decade, now they're diversifying the platform to reach a wider audience while continuing to provide top-notch photography content.
Delivering the news, they discuss the surprising decline of Kodak, a once-thriving photography brand turned shocking cryptocurrency scheme participant. They also highlight Olympus OM-1's significant firmware update and the revealing of OpenAI's text-to-video AI tool, Sora. In a fascinating peek into the future of photography, they dive into the awe-inspiring work of photographer Nima and the undersea prowess of Alex Dawson, the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024.
Furthermore, the dynamic duo zooms in on a new player in the smartphone arena, the Energizer P28K, which promises a battery life lasting a week without charging. They then take a sober moment to discuss a tragic issue related to social media and photography associated with Instagram, highlighting the dark side of the online medium.
The episode features a special segment showcasing Arsenal 2, a gadget designed to enhance your photography skills. The hosts perform a live test of the panorama feature of this tool after a specific request from the audience - proof that they indeed listen to their audience’s feedback and suggestions!
Join Jim and Fred as they light up your life with their deep passion for photography and share valuable insights in the world of images. The FotoBug promises informative, engaging, and inspiring content for novices and professionals alike.
Welcome to another exciting episode of the Fotobug podcast with your hosts, Jim and Fred. In this episode, they discuss the changes in the frequency of their podcast releases and the shifting focus towards their YouTube channel to better cater to the interests of their listeners and viewers.
Moving onto news, they talk about the hot debate on AI image generators using copyrighted images under the guise of 'fair use' – a topic that raises concern in the photography community. They also discuss the ongoing Sony World Photography Awards of 2024 and the recent developments with a former podcast guest, Daniel Siddiqui, who has released a new immersive travel book series and is conducting a giveaway. Go to www.schifferbooks.com and use code Jammin for a 10% discount!
For the main highlight of the episode, Jim reveals his travel footage from his 2022 trip to Madagascar with Oryx Photo Tours, led by Dale Morris. They take viewers along their journey through the capital of Madagascar, Antanarivo, and share their experiences with the unique culture, stunning landscapes, and diverse wildlife of the island, particularly focusing on lemurs, the iconic mammals of Madagascar.
The hosts reiterate their commitment to delivering exciting content that caters to the desires of their viewers, encouraging everyone to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more immersive experiences. Listen in to this episode of the Fotobug Podcast for inspiration and stay updated on latest photography news, reviews, interviews, and tips.
In this episode of "Peek Behind the Shutter: Exploring Photography Trends & News with the Fotobug", hosts Jim and Fred delve into the latest updates in the sphere of photography. They discuss a wide range of topics from Apple's new spatial computer, Sony's upcoming shutter angle setting, to proposed legislation regarding child influencers. They also unpack details about Canon's highly anticipated flagship camera, shedding light on why it has the photography community buzzing.
Join Jim and Fred on a memorable trip to Fort Myers. Relive their adventures as they recount the places of interest for photographers, from the crowded streets of Sanibel Island to the peaceful trails of Cypress Creek Preserve. Learn about the best times to observe wildlife and how to navigate increased traffic due to hurricane recovery efforts. They also discuss training pets to take selfies and the evolving trends in the world of photography.
Delving into some serious topics, this episode also discusses the legal implications of child influencers and the proposed digital curfews. Get insight into the ongoing corporate rivalry as Canon readies to release its latest flagship camera. Whether you are an avid photographer or someone with an interest in the latest industry trends, this episode will keep you informed and entertained.
Concluding with some fun places for wildlife sighting and owl-spotting, this episode encourages photographers to continue capturing unique images. 'The FotoBug' is a testament to the fact that for a photographer, any shutter time is always a great time.
Check out the Six Mile Cypress Slough Friends group photo contest which ends every January 31st. For entries go to https://wwwsloughpreserve.org
A couple episodes back we Jim and Fred reviewed the Hover Air X1 and labeled as a 'selfie drone'. However, since Jim and Fred tend to discourage selfies they wondered if the Drone could be useful for an actual video for Vloggers or YouTubers. Check out this podcast to see how to do just that! The wireless microphones they are using is from Amazon - The PQRQP 2 Pack Wireless Lavalier Microphone for iPhone or iPad - there is likely a version available for Android as well! Amazon Microphone Link
Be sure to subscribe now to the Fotobug Youtube Channel!
Mirrorless cameras are thinner than DSLRs due to the removal of the mirror mechanism. The thinner body means the existing DSLR lenses won't focus properly. The camera companies have changed the mount to ensure that the older lenses won't work - that is without an adapter. Canon currently charges $130 for their base adapter, but there are third party adapters which can save you some money and work fine as there are no optics, just a way to move the lens further from the sensor and couple them with the camera electronics! Fred reviews one from Meike!
Zhiyun is coming out with very interesting LED lights which can be used for still photography as well as video. One of their newest is the M20C which is an updated version of the M20. Jim and Fred check out the new light and the combo pack which includes barn doors, a mounting cage, a honeycomb filter and a diffusion filter, all which attach via magnets! The light is available from several sources including Amazon.
The Zero Zero Robotics little Hover Air X1 drone has been getting a lot of attention so The Fotobug guys decided to give it a look and see if it lives up to the hype. This little drone only weighs 125 grams and yet is full autonomous and can record video up to 2.7k at 30fps.
If you would like to buy one of your own use the following link:
PURCHASE X1
Also, Jim tested out the Supertone Clear audio plugin to reduce or eliminate background noise (formerly known as Goyo). You can obtain a trail version here:
CLEAR PLUGIN
The Veikk 1200 graphics tablet is only $159 and comes with 2 pens, 28 extra nibs and features an HD full sRGB color screen to draw on. Just how good can it be? Well, the Fotobug guys decided to find out and were pleasantly surprised! This tablet's graphics are so good, it can be used as an extra laptop (even desktop) monitor.
Jim recently returned from two weeks in Alberta, Canada including Edmonton, Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff. This podcast is a highlight view of the trip including a gallery of some of the images Jim took on the trip.
The thirteenth annual Black Hills Photo Shootout just finished this past September (2023). Once again, Jim and Fred led workshops at this annual event. Jim's workshops included Wildlife of Custer Park, A River Runs Through It, Sunset at The Needles, and Cowboy/Cowgirl portraits after Dark. Fred conducted a single workshop on macro and flowers at a Custer State Park Lake as he was flying out the next day to Oregon to visit his sister.
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel! www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Michael Sidofsky is a commercial and travel photographer from Toronto who has a very interesting style. Jim and Fred sit down to discuss his passion for photography and how he creates his interesting images. Michael is coming out with a book in October 2023 "Wonder around every Corner" which will be available in all the major book sellers. In addition we encourage you to check out Michael's website at www.mindzeyephotography.com.
The Handle is the latest accessory from Platypod. This $69 "mini" tripod can be used on a tripod and even has a 3/8" bolt at the top which you can put on a ball head. The base of The Handle is compatible with acrca plates. At the top of The Handle there is a ring of 1/4" screw holes to attach additional accessories!
Jim and Fred have previously reviewed the Arsenal 2 for timelapse and for focus stacking. But how well does the Arsenal work for it's primary purpose, automatically choosing camera settings and "Deep Color" processing? Well, the guys take it out to the beach for a sunset to see just how well it works.
Peter Dazeley is a fine arts and commercial photographer based in London. He is about to come out with a new book in October 2023 called Monochrome. Peter discusses his new book with Jim and Fred as well as AI and even smart phone photography. Monochrome will be available in all the major book sellers. Please check out Peter's website at https://www.peterdazeley.com/.
Chip Weiner is an interesting Tampa based photographer who has appeared on The Fotobug podcast in the past when he worked for Creative Loafing. Chip is now involved in a number of photography projects such as documenting changes in Tampa compared to images shot in the late 1800s to early 1900s. He is also quite a food photographer and and portrait photographer.
Back in 2019, Jim was all prepared to go to Japan with Discovery Photo Tours and just a week before the trip was to take place, Japan shut down due to Covid and the trip was cancelled. Discovery returned all the money collected and the owner, Ken Kaminesky moved back to Canada. Back in late 2022, the Discovery website went live again and Jim was ready to sign up for two more tours, but unfortunately rising costs will like make the trips too expensive. Jim invited Ken to talk about the photo travel business and other photo topics! Hopefully he may be able to arrange trips in the near future, so please keep an eye on his website - www.discoveryphototours.com!
Jim recently returned from two weeks in Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a great place for photography and wildlife and is easy to get to! The Newfoundland people are friendly and full of charm and Jim can highly recommend adding it to your bucket list. If you would like to see more, please go to the Fotobug YouTube channel www.youtube.com/thefotobug and while there, please hit that 'subscribe' button!
Heipi just completed a Kickstarter project for their new lightweight travel tripod and the Fotobug guys have got their hands on one! Jim takes the new tripod out for a spin and reports on any positives and/or negatives. The new travel tripod can now be pre-ordered from Heipi with a $40 discount at https://heipivision.com/ and should be available by August 2023.
Jim just returned from a photographic workshop in Borneo. Within two days he had already photographed the Borneo Big 5! The Big 5 are the orangutan, pygmy elephant, crocodile, hornbill, and the sun bear. Jim shares an overview of the trip and more video will be posted to The Fotobug Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug. Please subscribe!!
Jim and Fred recently visited southeast Florida for wildlife photography and their final destination was Green Cay (Boynton Beach) and Okeeheelee (in West Palm Beach). Green Cay is only a couple miles from Wakodahatchee and features a 1 1/2 mile boardwalk through the wetlands. Although not as big a rookery as Wakodahatchee, it is still a great nature spot and definitely worth a visit!
Jim and Fred recently traveled to southeast Florida and one of their favorite photo spots is Wakodahatchee. Wakodahatchee is a reclaimed water area that has been turned into a nature park. There is a 3/4 mile boardwalk surrounded by an amazing rookery with hundreds of nesting wood storks, great blue herons, great egrets, tri-colored herons and more! Yes, there are also alligators. Highly recommended and completely free! Wakodahatchee is located in Delray Beach.
Jim and Fred recently returned from south east Florida and their first stop was Jupiter Florida. If you plan to come to Florida and find yourself on the southeast coast, their are some great wildlife photo spots in and around Jupiter. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with The Fotobug guys, but they pushed on and still managed to get some shutter time! The photo spots Jim and Fred visited are Cypress Creek Natural Area, Loxahatchee Battlefield and the Jupiter Lighthouse.
Steve Rolfe is a UK based photographer who recently published a book, Small World which is now available on Amazon and in bookstores. Steve uses tiny HO miniature figures to created fanciful and amusing miniature scenes to photograph. To learn more about Steve and his photography, please visit Steve's website at https://www.steverolfephotography.co.uk .
Sometimes the best image is actually contained with the full image you captured. In this case in order to get a decent size print, or sometimes, just a good size to post and share, you need to enlarge the crop. Jim and Fred compare three popular programs for their AI enlarging capability including On1, Topaz and Luminar Neo.
Be sure to check out more great reviews and tips on The Fotobug Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug.
The Fotobug guys are happy to welcome back Ron Wyatt! Ron is always a delightful and informative guest and we know you will enjoy hearing Ron's latest adventures. Ron has some amazing upcoming photo trips and to learn more, check out Ron's website at http://www.ronwyattphotos.com/ .
New AI plugins in popular photo editing software are making amazing progress toward fixing and enhancing images. In this episode, Jim and Fred check out to see how three popular programs are able to 'fix' out of focus images. They do a side by side comparison of Topaz, ON1 and Luminar Neo.
Focus stacking is the procedure of taking a number of photos from a fixed position and adjusting the focus between each frame, then using software to combine the focused portions of each image into a finished image. Skylum's Luminar Neo now has a module available that will take the image sequence and combine them into a finished image with a deeper range of focus! Simply import the images into Neo, then drag them over and drop them onto the module! Fred and Jim check out the new module.
Fred and Jim headed up to north central Florida near Gainesville to Payne's Prairie. In addition to alligators, deer, eagles, and sandhill cranes, Payne's Prairie is the only park in Florida with wild bison in addition to wild horses! There are several hiking trails so watch the podcast to see where to go in the park for the best chance of spotting wonderful wildlife!
Out of The Fotobug vault! Back in 2017, Jim conducted a lightpainting workshop at the Black Hills Photo Shootout at the Western Heritage Center in Spearfish, South Dakota. This is an important technique for capturing parts of large objects, such as the one room schoolhouse, and then assembling the layers in Photoshop.
Be sure to subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Jim and Fred set out to do a complete review of the new Arsenal 2, but despite their best efforts, they weren't able to get it to work. The reason was due to the fact neither one bothered to watch the instructional videos and read the manuals! Big mistake! So, this is a first look at the Arsenal 2 and a full review will be presented in the near future - stay tuned!!
In the news we mentioned the DIY LED light for smart phones and the link for the instructions is https://hackaday.com/2023/01/01/ledcard-the-pocketable-ring-light/
Be sure to check out and subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Jim recently returned from Bosque Del Apache in New Mexico, but located just two hours from Bosque is White Sands National Park. Jim was there in 2016 and decided to pull the episode out of the vault to share it once again.
Happy New Year everyone and please resolve to subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel! www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Jim recently traveled to New Mexico to attend a workshop with Rick Sammon and Ian Plant at Bosque Del Apache. This location is highly recommended for anyone who loves to photograph birds. Thousands and thousands of snow geese and sandhill cranes gather in the ponds around Bosque and Bernardo Wildlife area. Birds tend to gather at dusk and then 'blast off' at sunrise for the most amazing site you have ever seen!
Jim's four year old HP ZBook overheated (and was turned off at the time!) and had to be sent off to see if it could be repaired. in the meantime, he researched for a new laptop and was impressed with the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo, So he bought the 15" model and reviews it here!
For more - check out and subscribe to The Fotobug Youtube channel!
www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Back in September, Jim joined RIck Sammon on the Sea Spirit to east Greenland. In this episode, he talks about the trip and presents some of the images he captured. In Greenland, he also visited the most remote village on earth!
Please take time to subscribe to our YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug.
Dale Morris is a photographer based in South Africa and leads photo tours with Oryx Photo Tours (www.oryxphoto.com). Jim recently traveled with Dale for three weeks in Madagascar. At the end of the tour, he and Dale sat down to discuss Dale's background in primate research as well as upcoming photo tours.
For upcoming videos and information on the Madagascar tour, be sure to subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/thefotobug).
Mirrorless camera sensors are just as prone to attracting dust as DSLR cameras. Justin Edelman, a professional filmmaker, demonstrates the technique to safely clean the sensor on a mirrorless camera. This technique will work on all mirrorless camera regardless of manufacturer.
Jim recently returned from a trip to Iceland and Greenland. In this episode of The Fotobug he presents a highlights video of the trip which includes waterfalls, grass turf homes, the Katla Ice cave, the Secret Lagoon, Northern lights and more! We hope you enjoy the virtual trip!
Jim recently joined RIck Sammon and a group from Photo Therapy on Facebook to Greenland and Iceland. While on the ship, Jim sat down with RIck to talk about photography and some of his latest books. There will be more coming soon from Iceland and Greenland, so stay tuned and please subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel for even more on photography! http://www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Jim is currently traveling to Iceland and Greenland, so we decided to pull this video from our vault which was taped 11 years ago. Clyde Butcher is one of America's finest photographers and we had to privilege to get a private tour of his Venice, Florida darkroom as he explained how he creates his massive black and white prints.
Don't forget - still time to register for the Black Hills Photo Shootout in South Dakota - last weekend in September! https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com/
The final destination Jim made in his recent trip to the northeast United States was Lake Placid, New York and the Adirondacks. One amazing water fall is a commercial property called High Falls Gorge and Jim indicates it was worth the price of admission. He also stopped and photographed John Brown's farm, the famous abolitionist.
Don't forget - still time to register for the Black Hills Photo Shootout in South Dakota - last weekend in September! https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com/
Jim recently traveled through Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York and visited several state parks in order to photograph waterfalls. This episode features waterfalls in central New York and the finger lakes region including Rochester and Ithaca. He also points out suggestions to improve your waterfall captures on cloudy and rainy days!
Don't forget - still time to register for the Black Hills Photo Shootout in South Dakota - last weekend in September! https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com/
The GoPro Hero cameras are fantastic little cameras for capturing sports and are nice and compact for travel. In addition, they can capture excellent video and still images. However, there are a number of accessories and add-ons that The Fotobug guys are going to recommend to make the camera even better! Many are listed in this podcast!
Here are links to the products mentioned on Amazon:
Gravgrip Handle Only
Gravgrip
Gravgrip Combo
Xtrar GoPro Charger
Snap Magnetic mount
Super Snap Magnetic mount
Don't forget - still time to register for the Black Hills Photo Shootout in South Dakota - last weekend in September! https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com/
Continuing with the series of parks Jim recently visited in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York - this podcast will feature Ricketts Glenn State Park in Pennsylvania. Ricketts Glen is located in Benton, Pennsylvania and features 22 waterfalls. There are several hiking trails for a total of 7.2 miles, but the waterfalls can be reached via a 3 mile trail. Also, in central Pennsylvania the the Falling Waters house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright which is also worth a visit!
The Black Hills Photo Shootout registration is now live at https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com/ and the pre-workshop at Teddy Roosevelt Nation Park registration is available HERE!
Recently Jim toured the northeast including Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. In each location he stopped at several state and local parks to photograph waterfalls. The first in this series is Hocking Hills State Park located in Logan, Ohio. There are 7 trails in the park, the longest is 3 miles and shortest are about 1/4 mile. One trail is even wheelchair accessible. The park is an incredible landscape including caves and lots of water falls!
The Black Hills Photo Shootout registration is now live at https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com/ and the pre-workshop at Teddy Roosevelt Nation Park registration is available HERE!
Jim and Fred are proud to welcome Michaell Magrutsche to the podcast to discuss photography, art and just why we are interested! Michaell is originally from Vienna and now lives in California. He is an artist, filmmaker and photographer. Please check out his web site at https://michaellm.com/ and from there you can also check out his podcast.
The Black Hills Photo Shootout website for 2022 is now live - to register go to https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com/
Jim was one of the early backers of the new Platypod eXtreme and was one of the first to receive it. Platypod has been busy with the new Ergo and Eliite ball heads and now the improved Platypod eXtreme. Jim and Fred show off the new ball heads as well as demonstrate the advantages of the newest Platypod. In addition, they point out a couple things to be aware of when using the Platyballs!
Please check out and subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube Page.
After Jim sent back his damaged GoPro Hero 7 for replacement, he received a Hero 9. Since Fred already had a Hero 8, we decided it might be nice to do a side by side comparison of the Hero 8, 9 and 10! So we checked out the image stabilization, the auto white balance as well as the night photo mode. If you have additional information on any of these cameras, please leave your comments on our YouTube channel!
Audio is as important as video for filmmakers and so microphones are an important tool. Wireless microphones allow the video maker more flexibility with less restrictive movement. There are several good systems on the market and Jim and Fred check out the Hollyland Lark 150 and offer up some important tips to get the most of out this system. Please share any tips you might have discovered if you use the Hollyland system.
Please subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel for even more important videos!
Skip Cohen is the CMO of Platypod and agreed to come onto The Fotobug to talk about the new Kickstarter project for the Platypod eXtreme. The eXtreme is the latest version of the Platypod with even more features that make it even easier to use! The eXtreme is currently available on Kickstarter and will be starting to ship in late May.
Be sure to check out and subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel!
Something a bit different! Sometimes we don't always have our cameras with us, but we do have our smartphones. Smartphone cameras are getting better and better with each new model and in this podcast review, Fred presents his thoughts on the new Google Pixel 6 Pro and the photographic capabilities of it's camera.
While we are not advocating replacing your DSLR or mirrorless camera with a smartphone camera, smartphone cameras can be nice to have with you in a pinch.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel!!
www.youtube.com/thefotobug
In September 2021, GoPro released the new Hero10 Black. Jim and Fred take a look at the new features of this latest action camera - is it worth buying or upgrading? They also compare the camera to previous models and show off some footage captured with the new camera.
Please subscribe to The Fotobug Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug for more reviews and interviews with interesting photographers!
The San Blas islands are located on the Caribbean side of Panama and are known as the Comarca de Guna Yala. These islands are controlled by the Guna Yala indigenous people who gained their independence in 1925. Our guide, Jesus Prestan talks about the revolution (which is celebrated the entire month of February) and the development of their flag. Please note that some confuse the symbol with the Nazi swastika, but it is actually based on a Hindu symbol. The islands are ideal for snorkeling!
Jim just returned from a photo tour of Panama - yes we are finally traveling internationally again! This tour was conducted by our friends Essdras Suarez and M-J Adelman of EMS Photo Tours. This will be a two part series - this first part is an overview of Panama and part two in the next podcast will cover the San Blas islands and the Guna Yala people! Stay tuned!
Jim recently picked up a Canon R5 and gives his first impression of the camera after a couple months of use. He is about to head out to Panama and will be using the new R5 on the trip. In his impression, he lists pros and a few cons.
Check it out and please subscribe to the Fotobug YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Fred and Jim catch up - live and in person! - with our friend Roman Kurywczak at Honeymoon Island State Park. Roman recently moved to south Florida. We urge you to check out Roman's web page at roaminwithroman.com and consider taking advantage of his photo workshops!
Coming up next time - Jim gives an overview and his thoughts on the Canon R5 mirrorless camera.
Be sure to subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel for free photo instruction! www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Fred and Jim look into their crystal ball (or AI monitors) and give their best stab at what may come in 2022 in the world of Photography. In addition they cover the highlights of 2021 (Spoiler alert - Covid wasn't one of them!). We would also love your comments - do you think the Fotobug guys are way off base and contribute your own forecast!
Make a resolution for 2022 to subscribe to The Fotobug Youtube channel!
www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Erik Kuna is a photographer and trainer for Kelbyone who specializes in NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin rocket launches as well as aviation and night sky photography. Fred and Jim sit down with Erik at Kelbyone studios and discuss his wonderful photography and Erik shares suggestions for photographers interested in space photography as well as night skies! This is one interview you don't want to miss.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Fred and Jim just completed a Photo Walk at Fort DeSoto sponsored by Skylum Software! Thank you to Robert Vanelli and everyone from Skylum for making this happen and to all those who showed up on a foggy morning!
This is the last Fotobug Podcast of 2021! To finish the year, Jim and Fred share some gift ideas, for yourself or for another photographer friend or family member! Stay safe and be sure to tune in next year!
The Luna Display was a Kickstarter project from Astropad and currently sells for $129 - https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/ . Jim was a backer of the project and presents a review of the Luna Display HDMI verision for the PC. The Luna Display comes in two versions, one for the HDMI port and another for the USB-C port, so be sure to purchase the one that will work best on your PC or Mac. For the upcoming Holiday this might make a nice present for the photographer who uses a laptop! It will extend the laptop display to an iPad!
Coming up on December 10th, Skylum Software is sponsoring a Photo Walk at Fort De Soto park in St. Petersburg, FL with Jim and Fred. There will be prizes and free versions of Luminar AI for those who register. CLICK HERE to register and get your free software! Hope to see you there!
Yes, this is The Fotobug 300th episode! So, Fred and Jim decided to celebrate and pull a piece from the vault from a couple years back. Breakthrough Photography filters are still available and they have even more to offer than when this episode first aired. These filters have a life time warranty and are very color neutral, so are excellent to use for long daytime exposures. Have a happy holiday! Don't forget to subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel!
Fred and Jim recently returned from North and South Dakota conducting workshops for The Black Hills Photo Shootout. In South Dakota, The Fotobug guys were asked to demonstrate DSLR and mirrorless video capabilities by making a movie at 1880 Town. We are proud to present the movie "Time Lapse" here for the first time! We are quite proud of the finished product in view of the fact we only had 3 hours to film most of the 1880 scenes! We want to thank all those who helped and Tony Dutoit for agreeing to act as the town sheriff. If you would like to learn more about our production techniques, let us know! The video is also available on The Fotobug Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/thefotobug.
In the news we talked about a March 2021 discounted photo trip to India from EMS Photo Tours led by Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, Essdras Suarez. For more information go to https://emsphotoadventures.com
Jim and Fred once again headed to South Dakota for the annual Black Hills Photo Shootout. In addition, they stopped in Louisville Ky to visit Mike Mathews and Chris Klapheke and even had dinner with Adam Jones. Be sure to save the date for the last week of September next year for BHPS 2022!
Be sure to subscribe the The Fotobug YouTube channel to see the western scifi film Jim and Fred photographed at 1880 town in South Dakota!
www.youtube.com/thefotobug
Platypod is coming out with a new and unique design for a ball head that is pure genius! Funded via Kickstarter, there are two models, the Elite and the Ergo. While Jim was an early backer of the project, due to Covid and supply chain issues, the final release of both units was delayed, but Skip Cohen, marketing VP for Platypod, loaned out two pre-production units. This is an early look at the two ball heads. The final versions should be available to the public after the first of the year!
Fred and Jim are currently on their way to North and South Dakota to conduct photo workshops for the Black Hills Photo Shootout. So, they decided to pull from The Fotobug vault a review of the Platypod Ultra that they conducted back in 2017 - but still relevant today! Hope to see some of you in the Dakotas!
Fred and Jim will be heading out shortly to conduct workshops in North and South Dakota and decided to share some of their travel tips with their viewers. Jim does a lot of foreign travel and hopefully once Covid restrictions are lifted, both guys will be traveling more and we hope you will too! So, check their tips out and be sure to share some of yours!
Also check out the latest in photographic news!
One way to embellish your macro photos of plants, flowers and cobwebs are by adding a few water drops like morning dew. It is easy to "dew" (do?!) - just carry a little spray bottle with a mix of glycerin and water with you. Both are inexpensive and then you will always have a little dew or rain drops in your pocket to enhance your plant photography!
Registration for the Black Hills Photo Shootout is now available and the workshops are filling up fast! Go to https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com now to sign up! Also check out the Dakota Adventure the week before at Teddy Roosevelt National Park. Hope to see you there!
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is located at the southern end of St. Petersburg bordering Lake Maggiore. This is a great city park to view and photograph alligators, turtles, hawks, eagles, owls, and more. It is also great for migratory birds in the fall and spring. The preserve is 245 acres and contains 6 miles of hiking trails. There is also a raptor rehab center for rescued owls, eagles, and hawks. Fotobug recommended!
Workshops at the Black Hills Photo Shootout at the end of September are filling up fast! This includes the Dakota adventure at Teddy Roosevelt National Park and 1880 Town! https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com/ to register!
In The Fotobug continuing series on places to photograph in Florida, don't overlook Fort DeSoto in St. Petersburg. Fort DeSoto is a Pinellas County park and is named after the Fort that was built there in the late 1800s to protect Tampa Bay but was never involved in any battles. However, it is one of the best birding spots in Florida, especially in the Spring and Fall. It is also one of the few places to spot the white morph reddish egret!
Not much in current photographic news, but the Black Hills Photo Shootout registration is now available! The Shootout will again be the last weekend in September and will take place in Sturgis South Dakota and a special event on Friday at 1880 Town. Fred and Jim are conducting a pre-workshop at Teddy Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota September 22-24th and the spots are filling up quick - on the registration page it is labeled Dakota Adventure - so please go a sign up now!
REGISTRATION
Don't forget to subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel!
Fred and Jim welcome photographer Zoe Gregory to the podcast! Zoe is a Washington D.C. based photographer who has tapped in to her entrepreneurial spirit in order to earn money from her photography and shares her story with us. She recently took up photography seriously and we hope her story will motivate and encourage others with a desire to make money with their cameras in addition to just enjoy making great images! We recommend you check out Zoe's Instagram page - ZoeGregoryPhoto on Instagram.
Check out the podcast for recent photography news!
Registration for the Black Hills Photo Shootout coming up this September is now open! Go to https://blackhillsphotoshootout.com to register. There are 3 big events this year: The main Black Hills Photo Shootout in Sturgis, a pre-workshop event at 1880 Town in South Dakota, and another pre-workshop at Teddy Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota hosted by Jim and Fred! We hope to see you there!
Two episodes back Jim and Fred tested out the Pluto camera trigger with the drip attachment. In this episode the guys test out the sound and laser triggers and get really wet doing so! First up is capturing water jumping out of wine glasses (plastic in this case!) and an apple Splashing into a glass salad bowl (real glass!).
Also, the latest news of course! Please subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel for even more photography related videos!
A few weeks ago, Jim and Fred visited Cape Coral to photograph the burrowing owls that are very prevalent there. However, they were a little early for the young hatchlings so they returned again, but this time the hatchlings were more like teenagers, but there were a lot of them! They did get to photograph a rare owl, however, with a regressive genetic trait that causes the iris to be solid black. This only occurs in 1% of the owl population, normally they have yellow irises!
There was plenty of news since the last podcast, so be sure to watch the entire episode to catch up on all the latest photo news!
Please check out the Lightroom Classic video course from our friend Mathew Cicanese. Only $50 and worth the price! go.cicanese.org/course-effortless-edit
Another way to work on your photography skills and have some fun at the same time is to capture water drops. Jim and Fred use the Pluto system, although the MIOPS system is also a good option. Regardless of the system used, we recommend adding a Guar gum on Xantham gum solution to the drip container and experiment with colored gels, milk, and food coloring! Check out the podcast for more suggestions!
Also, watch the podcast for the latest news in photography!
Please check out and subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel for more great photography related videos! http://www.youtube.com/thefotobug.
Fred and Jim continue their travel for photo opportunities around the state of Florida. A little known spot to photograph a rookery is Gatorland in Kissimmee. In addition to the rookery for photographers, there is also plenty to do for non-photographers in your group! Be sure to go in the spring and if willing, photographers can also pay to get in early to avoid the tourist crowds!
Plenty of news in the podcast as well! Be sure to watch and check out the upcoming Black Hills Photo Shootout in September along with some interesting pre-workshop workshop, such as wild horses at Teddy Roosevelt National Park. Keep an eye on https://blackhillsphotoshootout.online for more details!
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is a little known, but great place to photograph birds and alligators! The drive is 11 miles along Lake Apopka, the fourth largest lake in Florida, and is located near Disney World. It is one of the major stop overs for migratory birds in the spring and fall. There is no fee and the drive is open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays from 7:00AM until 3:00pm, the exit gate closes at 5:00pm. 2850 Lust Rd, Apopka, FL 32703 Check the podcast for Jim and Fred's recent trip!
For the latest photography news, be sure to watch the podcast! Also, please subscribe the The Fotobug YouTube channel for more great photography related videos! www.youtube.com/thefotobug