I’m currently doing some preliminary research for a proposed photographic workshop I’ll be leading to Egypt in November, 2012. Egypt is one of the most photogenic places on Earth, not just for its antiquities, but for its warm and friendly people. I have been to Egypt several times in my career and I find that I can never get enough of it.
In any event, in putting together an itinerary that I think photographers would enjoy and that would add high impact images to their portfolio, I knew that it would …

I just posted selected  images on  my website from my recent trip to Fiji and New Caledonia. They join the images I recently posted from Australia and New Zealand. Please head over to my image website by clicking on the “Lester Picker Photography” black box at the top right of this page (or top left).

I hope you enjoy the images. As always I welcome your comments and critique.
After each of my trips, I offer a sale of those images for a month. I announced my Australia and New Zealand sale …

I just posted selected  images on  my website from my recent trip to New Zealand. They join the images I recently posted from Australia. Please head over to my image website by clicking on the “Lester Picker Photography” black box at the top right of this page (or top left).
You’ll notice that I rendered many of the new images in B&W. I love B&W photography, but my hand was forced in this case by the horrible weather we encountered. It either rained or the skies were gray much of the …

Having spent four of the grayest, rainiest weeks ever in Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia and New Zealand, it reminded me of a valuable pro photographic lesson that I’ll share with you. It’s called ‘extraction.’
Of course, every photographer loves sunny days with lots of blue sky and clouds. But, what do you do when you get to a place where you only have a day or two and the weather sucks? Maybe it’s actively raining (that’s the subject of a future blog) or, worse yet, the sky is a featureless, dull …

As a veteran photographer who has witnessed the digital revolution that effectively beheaded film photography, I can say that I’ve seen a lot in my day. And now that digital is here, the evolution has accelerated so that one can hardly keep pace with the innovations. Cameras that cost $5,000 when launched are replaced by cousins that are faster, more sensitive and have more features, at half the price.
Even my tiny iPod offers an HDR (High Dynamic Range) app. Admittedly, I have one of them- Pro HDR- on my device. …

I was contributing to a forum yesterday when the question came up about tripods. Specifically, the writer wanted to know whether to bring an additional lens along when he hikes the Grand Canyon or leave it home so he could bring along his tripod. Further, if he were to bring a tripod, he was seeking input on which lightweight one to get.
Two experienced photographers suggested the man bring a tripod and even offered suggestions on which lightweight model to buy. My slant on tripod use is slightly different and I’d …

Les’ photography is featured on the Singh-Ray Filters blog for the second time. Singh-Ray is the premier manufacturer of top-quality filters for professional and advanced amateur photographers worldwide. Les uses Singh-ray filters for many of his most challenging images.

In the latest blog article for Singh-Ray, Les talks about the challenges he faced in his recent trip to Australia, where Singh-Ray filters allowed him to salvage good images despite the rotten weather.
Go to http://singhray.blogspot.com/2010/12/les-picker-spends-several-adventurous.html to learn the specifics on how Les uses Singh-Ray filters.
Share

I’m happy to report that I posted new images to my website. If you click on Galleries on my website, you’ll notice a new gallery titled “Australia.” In it I mounted images from my recent trip there. In the coming days I’ll be posting images from New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia and elsewhere.

To view the new images, just click anywhere in the black box that appears at the top right of any of my blog pages (the one you are now reading), or else just click on this link:
www.lesterpickerphoto.com
Then click …

Folks, I’ve been saying it for years and now it’s official:
AIR CANADA VOTED TOP HONOURS BY READERS OF BUSINESS TRAVELER MAGAZINE

Best Flight Attendants in North America
Best In-Flight Services in North America
Best North American Airline for Business Class Service
Best North American Airline for International Travel
Best Airline Web Site

I’m not professing to know about business travel, since I fly cattle-car within North American destinations. But I have been saying in my blogs that even in Economy, it’s hard to beat Air Canada.

Air Canada seat-back unit (file photo)

One of my favorite features …

I just completed my 10th cruise, this time aboard Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas, a beautifully designed, if slightly older vessel. I teach photography aboard these floating hotels and have sailed aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines and Princess, too.
My Cruise Experience
Ten trips does not make me a cruise expert, especially since I regularly meet people with 30, 50 and more cruises under their belts (and we’ll get to what else is under those belts in a moment). But I do figure that my cruise experiences, coupled with the fact that …