Yesterday I launched the new-look garyluhm.net website using WordPress instead of the hand-coding I’ve done in the past. It’s the first upgrade since 2005, and a major step up. Most of the old pages have been re-directed. I hope this doesn’t cause any confusion. The WordPress draft site began just a month ago. Overall, it’s […]
Photo Tip: Foreground Elements _____ 2013/03
In the field, I often stalk through a potential photo op with the viewfinder glued to my eye, seeking just the right composition or perspective. If I plan well, I’m scouting before the light gets good—in the afternoon for a sunset shot, or the day before for the sunrise. What I’m scouting for is foreground. […]
Lightroom 4 Spot Removal Tool Tutorial ____ 2013/02
I had an excellent photo op last spring: a flicker nest only fifteen feet above the ground, with a clear view, and just two miles from home. Because I was wary of disturbing the skittish birds, I photographed just a few times, in good light only, for periods no longer than an hour. Each visit […]
Backpacking Photography Gear 2013/01
I’ve written thrice about backpacking (Ultralight Backpacking and Photography, Backpacking and Photography Re-visit, Light-Weight Backpacking and Photography), all pointed at ultra-lightening the backpack gear. The goal is to safely reduce pack weight to ease the burden of carrying a dSLR, lenses and tripod. And it works. Ultralight backpacking is a photographer’s godsend. Ultralighting gets us […]
2012 Favorite Images Critique ____ 2012/12
At the start of 2012 I added three new cameras: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon G1 X w/housing, GoPro Hero2. I also added a new lens, a Rokinon 24mm f/1.4. The 5D III’s improved autofocus gave me more bird photography keepers; the G1 X, a magazine cover shot (Sea Kayaker, Dec. 2012). The GoPro—a POV […]
Gopro Hero2 and WiFi Remote Review, Sea Kayaker, December, 2012
I review the GoPro Hero2 camera and WiFi Combo Kit (Backpack plus Remote) in the December, 2012 issue of Sea Kayaker magazine. The GoPro Hero2 is a tiny, waterproof videocam, the market leader in POV cameras. The wrist-mount WiFi Remote adds flexibility of use and efficiency, using a screen that’s identical to the Hero2 LCD. […]
Photography Field Preparation: Columbia Gorge ____ 2012/11
Last week we photographed at Eagle Creek in Oregon’s Columbia Gorge, a shutterbug bucket-list location that shows phenomenally well in the fall. The Columbia Gorge is slot canyons Northwest, a mesmerizing, choreographed symphony in black, yellow and green. As with any photo shoot, photographing here requires preparation. Study the area, look at photos on-line, and […]
Photo Tip: Suction Cup Mount ____ 2012/10
I biked to the local Ace Hardware last week and picked up a pair of suction cup mounts. Ace sells USA Progrip® Suction Cups online for $4.79/pair; free shipping if you pick it up at a local store. The rubber cup diameter is 3”. They have a ¼-20 female thread, so to mount a ball […]
Photo Tip: Create Pop and Mystery in Lightroom 4 ____ 2012/09
A partly-cloudy western sky made me anxious as I approached the famed Mirror Lake at Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground, Mt. Rainier National Park. Could a mackerel-like sky develop? A lenticular cloud above the peak? Would there even be sunset light on the mountain? This was my 10th or 11th trip to Indian Henry’s over many […]
Canon Custom Shooting Modes C1 C2 C3 ____ 2012/08
Nice sunset. When a buck passed by in the foreground, it could have been captured within the scene by zooming out a bit, followed by a quick switch to a wildlife-appropriate Custom Shooting mode. I had neglected that set-up, and I missed the shot. If you haven’t taken advantage of the Canon Custom shooting modes […]