For most of my life I’ve been a film photographer. In those days the mantra I followed was that when I pressed the shutter, my job was essentially done. I’d send my K64 film off to Kodak, get my transparencies back a week later, present them to my editors and cash my check. Done.
Not anymore. In today’s digital age, I figure my job is maybe 25-50% done when I press that shutter button. Even though I really do not do much post-processing, digitally captured images do need some tweaking, especially …

Every so often I like to challenge my readers with a photo assignment; not a meaningless exercise  to fill blog space, but one based on a photographic experience that I recently had. That was the case with this next assignment. My hope is that you will find it as challenging as I did.
The back story is that I was in Iceland recently and found myself at the famous iceberg beach, an experience to which I had looked forward for years. Unfortunately, the photo gods had a good laugh that day …

Good news! My lost luggage was returned to me, two days late but otherwise unharmed. I’m a happy camper now that I have my long johns, ScotteVest fleece and jacket, hat gloves and other necessities for photographing in Iceland.
After two days roaming around the Kaflavik airport area and shooting handheld because my tripod was in my misplaced luggage, we took off today for the Snaefellsnes peninsula, which is northwest of the capital city of Reykjavik (pronounced Rake-a-vik). It is a gorgeous area, dotted with immense lava fields from the many …

I am so tired of seeing very capable people produce b-o-r-i-n-g photos. The same tourist locations, the same angles, the same composition, the same, same, same!
So, several years ago I got to wondering if there was a better way to help people get beyond boring and into more dynamic expressions of their photographic creativity. I do think I’ve found one path, but first bear me a little slack.
Admittedly, I’m schizophrenic. I’m frequently forced to witness disturbing battles that rage between my left and right brains.
Les, you’ve got to be more …

A friend, Morgan Melekos, just sent me this image he took while I was photographing a Vermont stream scene. It was around 1 degree Fahrenheit that day. Although I sometimes have to get into a stream to photograph, I don’t do so lightly. I advise my readers to always take proper precautions (see the ScotteVest column I did entitled “Don’t Take The Plunge!”: http://www.scottevest.com/company/photography.shtml).
If you are curious, the camera is a Hasselblad H4D-50 with a 28mm lens and a Hasselblad tilt-shift mechanism between the lens and camera. Clothing includes my …

Tomorrow Bob (my assistant) and I are off to NYC for PhotoPlus, a 2-day photography convention. The Jacob Javits Conference Center will feature camera and equipment exhibitors from around the world.

Our main purpose for going is to spend time interacting with the Hasselblad people, since I’m still on the learning curve with my new H4D-50 camera and lenses. I have so far found the technicians and the sales people to be incredibly helpful and highly knowledgeable. I’m looking forward to some workshops and discussions with staff and hope to learn …

Okay, let me get this over with before my “friend” Richard Hartmier spills the beans. I sprayed myself with bear spray today. In my defense, it was a teensy spritz and it was done protecting Richard and a tourist… well, kinda. Sorta. Well that’s almost the truth.
Here’s what happened. We were photographing a mother with three cubs that had climbed up the embankment of the Chilkoot River and were now on the road, heading for a group of tourists. So absorbed were we in our work, we did not realize …

Histograms! Sounds like a medical procedure or, worse yet, mathematics.
Well, if you’re a photographer, histograms are your friends. Don’t be intimidated by them. Learn how to use a histogram and your images will dramatically improve.
What Is a Histogram?
In digital photography a histogram is an electronic display of all the pixels, light-to-dark, recorded on the sensor when you press the shutter release. It appears as a graph on the rear LCD screen in DSLR cameras and even on many point-and-shoots, such as the Canon G12.
There is really no such thing as …

In Search Of the perfect ISO for your photographic efforts? So many amateur photographers I meet are confused about what the ISO means and how to best tune it to their imaging needs. I thought I’d give a brief primer here on the topic.
Just What Is ISO?
ISO is equivalent to what we called ASA during film days. ISO is a measure of how sensitive a sensor is to light. The higher the ISO, the better its ability to record light, but the ‘grainier’ the image looks. There’s always a trade-off, …

I’m all wet. I admit it. Part of my job sometimes involves getting into water up to my waist to capture a scene. But when I notice that someone with a camera is watching me, I shudder with angst that by following my example s/he might get into trouble… which prompts this blog.
Summertime invites water images, but taking an image while standing in water is fraught with difficulty and danger. I never, ever take such shots casually. I take prudent precautions and preparations. I always weigh the risks carefully before …