The Orton Effect is a simple technique you can use to add a soft, dreamy look to your photos. I love this effect because it has a way of making a photo magically soft and sharp at the same time. In this video, I'll show you how to create the Orton Effect using Photoshop, Lightroom, or Luminar. https://youtu.be/PWvdlYd2Blo Click here to watch the video larger on … [Read more...]
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
There is a silver lining to all that crazy winter weather we had this year, and that is the incredible California wildflower super-bloom this spring. I was worried that I would miss it since we had gone to New Mexico, where we experienced some horrendous winds. I love New Mexico, but this year wasn't the best. By the time we got back through Arizona and into California, I … [Read more...]
A Squadron of Javelinas
I was in the zone. Nothing existed except me and thousands of sandhill cranes. In the middle of the action, I had something amazing in front of me that I was photographing, and everything else was muffled out. My intensity communicated to all that I didn't want to be bothered. Someone was talking ... to me I think ... my focus slightly wavered and then I was immediately … [Read more...]
Dolphin Acrobatics and Photography in British Columbia
This is why I do it. I go out in my little boat, Snoopy, in the summer months and sometimes I come home with a bad back as a result. I drag my camera gear out there and usually come home with some photos of splashes or maybe nothing at all. But sometimes ... I have the best day of my life. One of those days when, in the middle of the action, I realize it is a day I will … [Read more...]
Creating Unique Photo Effects with Topaz
When it comes to post-processing, my goal is usually to enhance a photo’s best qualities while maintaining a natural look. After all, nature is stunning just as it is! But sometimes I want to take my images a bit further; I want to go beyond the natural look, maybe add a painterly effect, some texture or colour grading. That’s when I turn to the plugins from Topaz Labs in my … [Read more...]
Top 10 Wildlife Photos of 2018
I admit it. I have a split personality! While I’m mostly known for my landscape photography, my true love is really wildlife photography. The problem is, there is not always wildlife around. I’ll take it when I can get it, and if not I do landscapes. During the summer months when I am in British Columbia, not a day goes by when then are not wildlife opportunities. Eagles, … [Read more...]
Top 10 Landscape Photos of 2018
Happy New Year everyone! Are you looking forward to the new year? Or saying good riddance to the last one? It’s that time of year when I like to look back over the previous year and remember all the good times, all the fun times, all the beautiful skies and pleasant surprises. That’s why I do this after all. Photography not only helps me notice the beautiful and good things … [Read more...]
Black Bears Matter Too – My Experience in the Great Bear Rainforest
Photography is a waiting game. A physically demanding waiting game too. Standing in one place, essentially sitting on a scene, waiting for magic light, or waiting for an animal to appear, makes your body stiffen up and leaves plenty of room for your mind to create doubt. In the Great Bear Rainforest, on the coast of British Columbia, I stood at the edge of a river in the … [Read more...]