Last winter I returned to one of my all time favourite bird photography destinations: Cibola National Wildlife Refuge which is on the border between California and Arizona. During my first visit to Cibola the previous year, I discovered some problems with my wildlife photography gear, which resulted in my not getting any long lens photos. Bummer! That was one reason why … [Read more...]
What’s New in Aurora HDR 2019? Is it Worth It?
A new version of Aurora HDR is coming out on October 4, 2019 and it contains some big improvements to the software. But is it all worth it? Well … that depends. In the video demonstration below I compare the 2018 and 2019 versions of Aurora to show you what’s new and help you decide if it is a good time for you to upgrade. Of course, if you haven’t tried Aurora yet, … [Read more...]
Learning to Clam – Grizzly Bear Cubs in Khutzeymateen British Columbia
Each of my days with the grizzly bears in Khutzeymateen Provincial Park, British Columbia, was unique. Each day held its own mysteries and revealed its own surprises. On board the zodiac in the early morning hours, we puttered up to a spot where a creek comes out to the inlet, and discovered a mom with her three cubs! They were just hanging around eating grass as … [Read more...]
Colourful Stones, Honeycomb Cliff, Friendly Animals and Lost Strangers in Elgol, Isle of Skye, Scotland
The tiny village of Elgol turned out to be my surprise location on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. There's always a place like that. Somewhere unexpected, where you might not have planned to go, that becomes one of the most memorable places of the trip. It took me hours to drive to Elgol because I kept stopping to try to photograph sheep! They are all over the road, unless of … [Read more...]
How to Upgrade to Lightroom Classic CC and What You Need to do First
Upgrading Lightroom can be a bit intimidating! You wouldn't be alone to worry that all the time you've put into organizing your photos into catalogs, folders and collections might suddenly go POOF! Or that maybe your whole computer might suddenly go POOF! So it's better to be prepared and feel secure that you can recover from any disaster that might occur. Not that I … [Read more...]
Landscape Photography in Khutzeymateen British Columbia
Mornings in the Khutzeymateen Inlet in northern British Columbia are mesmerizing - so breathtaking that you feel you might still be asleep. Waking in my ship's cabin, I immediately began to feel the anticipation of the coming day when I would get the chance to see and photograph grizzly bears. But as soon as I climbed the polished wooden ladder to the main deck of the … [Read more...]
My 8 Favourite Photography Locations on the Oregon Coast
Every year on our snowbird trip, when we go south to find the winter sun, we travel on Highway 101 along the Oregon coast, eagerly anticipating each curve in the road that reveals sea stacks, ocean waves, and the rugged coastline. We've driven the road 15 times now (an odd number because one year we went to the east coast in spring and drove all the way around the USA in a … [Read more...]
How to Use the Dodge and Burn Technique in Photo Processing
Dodging and burning is an easy and effective way to make portions of your image lighter or darker. So why is it so confusing to understand how it works? Because the terminology comes from the old darkroom days when processing photos was a two stage process. First we made the NEGATIVE by exposing the film to light. Just like when you make an image in your digital camera … [Read more...]