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What's Blooming in Rocky Mountain National Park?
July 26, 2024 - Every summer feels like it marches along faster than the previous summer. In reality, each summer has the same number of...
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Amazon Deals for Galapagos Travel
July 16, 2024 - It is Amazon Prime Days! There are hundreds, probably thousands, of great deals for photographers on July 16 and 17, but...
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Twelve Tips for Stunning Flower Photos this Summer
July 11, 2024 - The peak of the summer flower season – cultivated and wild – has arrived and saving the colorful blooms in pixels is an...
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Reservation Central
May 04, 2024 - In Colorado, there are nearly 12 locations that require some type of reservation to visit the recreation hotspot during...
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Trip Report: Birds and Wildlife of Sax-Zim Bog
April 12, 2024 - Before I get too far into spring and my calendar gets too hectic, I want to revisit some of the trips from this past win...
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What I Wish I Had During the Trip
March 10, 2024 - My recent trip to Peru as one of the photo guides with Wildside Nature Tours was the second time I had visited this part...
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Favorite Photos of 2023
December 30, 2023 - As another year falls into the record books, it is time to reflect on the year's adventures and photos produced from tha...
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Winter Photo Tips: Part 3 — Taking Photos
December 19, 2023 - Now that you and your car have everything needed to stay safe and warm when outdoors this winter, let's talk about how t...
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Winter Photo Tips: Part 2 - Clothing
November 26, 2023 - Now that your car is ready to go (See Winter Photo Tips: Part 1: Your Car) and you have the supplies you need stashed aw...
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Cyber Week Deals for Photographers
November 24, 2023 - The holiday season officially arrived yesterday. As we sat with family and friends eating turkey, stuffing, cranberry sa...
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Winter Photo Tips: Part 1 - Your Car
October 30, 2023 - Wow, the weather in Colorado went from wearing crop pants in 80-degree temperatures to sporting the arctic coat and play...
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Photo Tips for Late Season Fall Photography
October 20, 2023 - The aspen groves of the high country may be past their prime for fall colors but there is still plenty of time to photog...
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Trip Report: Nome, Alaska
July 24, 2023 - Nome, Alaska
This remote town on the western coast of the Seward Peninsula holds the title of being the farthest town w...
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Trip Report: Amazon Rainforest of Peru
June 03, 2023 - The Amazon Rainforest always seemed like such a distant place to me. I studied it like many students in elementary schoo...
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Night Photography: Intro to My Gear
April 13, 2023 - I have really started to develop an affinity for night photography. Also referred to as astrophotography, this type of i...
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Trip Report: Bald Eagles in Washington
April 06, 2023 - NOTE: Links in this blog post connect to products on Amazon.com. I make a small commission on those sales at no addition...
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Year in Review: 2022
January 15, 2023 - Well, 2022 has come and gone. Thankfully that meant life started to finally feel like it was returning to normal after a...
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Back to Guiding
May 10, 2022 - Woohoo! It is spring in Rocky Mountain National Park (well almost) and that means it is time to start the guiding season...
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Birds of Bosque
January 31, 2022 - Birds of Bosque I try to be very sensitive about revealing locations associated with where I photograph wildlife. It is...
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Polar Bears of Churchill
January 10, 2022 - Snowfall, polar bears and Arctic birds — what more could a wildlife photographer want for a photo trip?
In early Novemb...
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Best (Most Memorable) Photos of 2021
December 31, 2021 - ADDED NOTE: This post was written prior to the wildfires that just happened in Superior and Louisville, Colorado. As I f...
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Shiprock, New Mexico
December 28, 2021 - Just as I finished editing the photos from this trip to Shiprock, New Mexico, I received an email from a fellow photogra...
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MOOSE MANIA!!!
December 22, 2021 - There are plenty of animals that I enjoy watching, photographing and learning anything and everything I can about them....
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The Value of a Photograph
June 13, 2021 - There are several funny statements regarding the feasibility of making money in photography.
One is: If you want to mak...
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A Waxwing Winter
March 23, 2021 - What a winter with the waxwings! I see cedar waxwings in Colorado, but not for long and certainly not in large flocks....
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Winter in Louisiana
February 26, 2021 - 2021 marked my sixth winter spending time in Louisiana. Each time, I have ventured a little further from home base and f...
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Rocky: Before and After the 2020 Wildfire Season
January 28, 2021 - Before and After the 2020 Wildfire Season
in Rocky Mountain National Park
NEW VIDEO! Read through for link.
There i...
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Great Podcasts I Enjoy
January 23, 2020 - Ever find yourself getting bored with listening to the radio? Try a podcast. There are so many out there for so many int...
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June in Rocky Mountain National Park
July 07, 2019 - The calendar has rolled into July and the heat has been turned up as well. June saw some odd weather, even for Rocky Mou...
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Florida's Birding and Photo Fest
June 26, 2019 - It has been almost two months since returning from Florida's Birding and Photo Fest in Saint Augustine, Florida. I will...
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Favorite Shots of 2018
May 22, 2019 - Hmmm, seems the beginning of 2019 has ticked along very quickly and I had not yet finished writing my year in review. It...
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17 in '17: My Favorite Photos of 2017
January 06, 2018 - Last year seemed to go faster than any other yet I did less travel in 2017 than in any of the prior five years. My goal...
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20 Years in Rocky Mountain National Park
July 27, 2017 - Today marks twenty years since my first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park.
How do I know exactly what day it was? I...
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RV Livin' #20: The Final Countdown
December 05, 2016 - Today is my final night on the road as a full-time RVer.
The plan, when I left the keys to my home in the hands of a ne...
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RV Livin' #19: Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkways
November 05, 2016 - I took an unexpected trip back east to follow fall colors. Unfortunately this year turned out to be late on colors and t...
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Photographing Wildlife in the Fall
September 30, 2016 - Fall is a popular season for most nature photographers. The colors of the trees and plants from the east coast to the we...
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A Year on the Road
September 02, 2016 - Yesterday, September 1, 2016, marked one year since I sold my house and started my journey in an RV and living on the ro...
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24 Hours as a Traveling Wildlife Photographer
July 21, 2016 - This is what midnight in Alaska looks like.
Not much sleep goes on up here unless you prepare your bedroom with heavy b...
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RV Livin' #17: Discovering Louisiana Part Two
July 09, 2016 - My trip to Louisiana happened to coincide with the bird festival in Grand Isle.
This festival is held each year in mid-...
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RV Livin' #16: Discovering Louisiana Part One
May 01, 2016 - "Can you tell me where I can find the flamingos?" asked the woman driving with her husband around the oil fields on Gran...
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RV Livin' #15: Bluebonnets of Texas
April 08, 2016 - I enjoyed my time this week photographing bluebonnets in Texas. It was the first time I had seen the flowers, and due to...
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RV Livin': My favorite shots from my first six months
March 09, 2016 - So today marks the official six month anniversary of when I took off down the road in my RV.
In those six months I have...
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Six Months on the Road: This is a love story
March 05, 2016 - So March 1, 2016 marked six months since I sold my house on September 1, 2015, and gave up a traditional home for life o...
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RV Livin' #14: The Big C Word
February 08, 2016 - "You may have cancer. You need surgery as soon as possible."
This was the news I received from my doctor's office liter...
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RV Livin' Post #12: Point Reyes National Seashore
January 19, 2016 - After leaving the Malibu area, I headed north. My next destination was Point Reyes National Seashore about an hour north...
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RV Livin' Post #11 - California: Part 2
December 30, 2015 - After leaving the Malibu, Calif. area I headed a little further north to spend a day at Channel Islands National Park....
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RV Livin' - Post #9: Yosemite National Park
November 03, 2015 - I just got back from visiting Yosemite National Park for the first time.
When I was recently interviewed for GoRVing.co...
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RV Livin' - Post #8: Salton Sea
October 28, 2015 - The Salton Sea
About 170 miles east of Los Angeles is a vast body of water where millions of birds spend the winter. Oc...
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RV Livin' - Post #7: Campground Critters
October 14, 2015 - For a little over a week I have been back in Colorado. The goal was to photograph fall colors and the elk rut, staples o...
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RV Livin' - Post #6: Cruising Through Wyoming
September 27, 2015 - When I started this new style of living, I anticipated maybe a week to get used to all the new mechanical gizmos and dri...
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RV Livin' - Post #5: State Parks, a Winefest and a National Monument
September 22, 2015 - So let's get into some more fun topics on this blog.
Over the last week or so I have had the opportunity to visit two C...
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RV Livin' - post #4 - Logistics
September 21, 2015 - In my last few posts I have hinted or flat out complained about the issues it has taken to get to the point I am at now...
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RV Livin' - Post #3 - Things I have learned
September 16, 2015 - I am not quite a week into my crazy adventure, but there are already a few things I have learned:
Things will go wrong...
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Tip #69: You have two eyes - use them
June 26, 2015 - Our heads are equipped with two sets of eyes, and, surprisingly, they can work pretty well independently of each other....
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Tip #67: Have an Emergency Fund
June 01, 2015 - There has been more than one occasion when I have found myself in need of assistance while traveling. Sometimes that ass...
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Creating a Landscape Pano
May 22, 2015 - I recently visited Rocky Mountain National Park. My purpose was to photograph wildlife in the snow with a particular hop...
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Tip #66: Keep It Simple
May 15, 2015 - Oh, if we could keep it all simple - lives, clutter, schedules. Since this is a blog about photography, I'll let the pro...
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Tip #65: Be Your Own Photographer - Part II
May 12, 2015 - In my last post I talked about finding your own perspective on a frequently photographed location.
But what do you do...
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Tip #64: Be Your Own Photographer - Part I
May 07, 2015 - There are many locations where photographers flock to by the dozens: Maroon Bells in Colorado in the fall, Yellowstone N...
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Tip #63: Tell a Story
May 05, 2015 - My undergraduate degree is in communications. I spent many semesters studying news reporting, public relations writing,...
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Tip #62: It Really Might Be Your Camera
May 01, 2015 - I spent the better part of 2014 trying to figure out why I couldn't get sharp photos. The center area was coming up shar...
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Tip #61: Always Have Your Camera
April 24, 2015 - Always. Never forget it. Absolute must.
You just never know what you might see on the way to the grocery store or the m...
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Tip #60: Silence is Golden
April 20, 2015 - I am certified as a Leave No Trace instructor. The 7th principle is Be Considerate of Other Visitors. Among other concep...
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Tip #59: Trust Your Instincts
April 15, 2015 - I frequently tell attendees in my workshops and presentations that the best thing you can do to get the action you want...
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Tip #58: Creativity with Key Words
April 14, 2015 - Key words are an important part of getting your photos selected in magazines and sold to folks looking for something in...
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Tip #57: Reset Your Settings
April 13, 2015 - I don't know how many times I have done this but it is more than I should and enough that I shouldn't still do it on occ...
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Hanging with Goats - Part II
March 24, 2015 - Hanging with Goats - Part II
After my previous post last month about hiking up Quandary Peak to photograph mountain goa...
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Traveling with Bears
March 15, 2015 - Traveling with bears
North America has three types of bears: polar, brown and black. I have had many wonderful opportun...
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Hanging with the Goats - Part I
February 14, 2015 - Hanging with the Goats
As a wildlife photographer who specializes in wildlife of high latitudes and high altitudes, I e...
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Finding Swans
December 12, 2014 - On my recent trip to Wyoming, one of my goals was to get some new flight photos of trumpeter swans. Although some swans...
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Tip #56: Isolate Your Subject
January 27, 2014 - Tip #56: Isolate Your Subject
Keep it clean. Avoid distractions. Isolate your subject. Tighten up the shot. Keep it sim...
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Tip #55: Keep Yourself Organized
January 01, 2014 - New Year's Day calls for resolutions right? Well, resolutions are usually something we should be doing anyway; the day j...
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Tip #54: Anticipate, Anticipation, Anticipatory
December 29, 2013 - All morning I had the Carly Simon song Anticipation running through my head. I couldn't figure out why until I looked at...
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Tip #53: When to Find a Foggy or Misty Morning
December 28, 2013 - One of the prettiest effects, I think, when photographing nature is to capture an animal standing in their environment w...
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Busy month with lots of flattering recognition
December 27, 2013 - Busy month with lots of flattering recognition
As a business owner, I have to market myself. It is one of the hardest t...
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Tip #52: Leave a Little Breathing Room
December 09, 2013 - When photographing wildlife, or any subject for that matter, it is important to give your subject a little breathing roo...
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Tip #51: Read the Fine Print on Insurance Policies
December 09, 2013 - Without going into the long, drawn out details, I need to firmly emphasize to read all find print in the insurance polic...
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Tip #50: Use All of Your Senses
December 08, 2013 - As humans I think we rely on our sense of sight most frequently, but sometimes allowing our other senses to take over ca...
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Tip #49: Photograph Wildlife the Day After a Storm
December 07, 2013 - Although a windy day might be tough to find wildlife to photograph, the day after a storm, or shortly after a storm ends...
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Tip #48: Avoid Photographing Wildlife on Windy Days
December 06, 2013 - My photographic passion is to take pictures of wildlife. In particular, I enjoy trekking to the high latitudes and altit...
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Tip #47: Enjoy Your Work
December 05, 2013 - Photography can be a very difficult way to make a living. The price for stock photography has dropped considerably since...
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Tip #46: Set Your Camera to Auto White Balance
December 04, 2013 - Light in different conditions or from different sources emits different colors or tones. This is referred to as color te...
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Tip #45: Be Open to Critique
November 25, 2013 - Photography, like many forms of art, is very subjective. Our best friends may love our work yet the professionals may ba...
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Tip #44: Clean Up Spots in Post Processing
November 24, 2013 - Even after cleaning the image sensor and the glass of the lens you are bound to have spots on your images once in a whil...
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Tip #43: Use the Sensor Cleaner on Your Camera
November 23, 2013 - Many of the newer camera bodies have a feature to clean the sensor area. Although it is still best to have your camera b...
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Tip #42: Give Your Equipment Some TLC
November 22, 2013 - Camera equipment is expensive and we usually tend to buy the most expensive equipment our budget will allow. So take goo...
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Tip #41: Shoot in RAW
November 14, 2013 - Most digital cameras today have the option to select the file format and size. If you plan on doing any editing of your...
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Tip #38: Use the Histogram on Your Camera
November 13, 2013 - One of the great beauties of digital photography versus film is that you can review your photo immediately. This allows...
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Tip #40: Be Patient
November 13, 2013 - Okay, so this is a repeat tip, but it is something I really can't stress enough.
I spent the past week in the Churchill...
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Tip #39: Maintain a Clean Background Behind Your Subject
November 03, 2013 - This tip applies nicely for wildlife, people, flowers or any other subject that would be in a portrait situation.
You w...
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Tip #37: Isolate Your Subject on Its Background
November 01, 2013 - When I photograph wildlife I don't always have the luxury of placing my subject on the best backgrounds like I would wit...
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Tip #36: Eye Contact Versus No Eye Contact
October 31, 2013 - The usual rule of thumb for photographing wildlife is to get eye contact, and the eye should be tack sharp and have a ca...
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Tip #35: Avoid Online Travel Agencies
October 30, 2013 - I travel a lot. In the last year I have flown more than 65,000 miles across North America. I was supposed to go to Afric...
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Tip #34: Try Different Lenses
October 29, 2013 - As primarily a wildlife photographer, I rely on my long lenses to get the closest photos of the animals without intrudin...
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Tip #33: ...But Try Different Eye Levels
October 24, 2013 - But even though taking a photograph at a subject's eye level might be the ideal, the mood of a photograph can greatly ch...
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Tip #32: Shoot at Eye Level
October 23, 2013 - When photographing anything that has eyes - from people to birds to camels - the best connection with the subject will b...
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Tip #31: Try Different Camera Settings
October 22, 2013 - In the days of film, the cost of developing the film with unknown results and the time it took to make setting changes i...
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Tip #30: Try All Different Angles
October 20, 2013 - Let's start talking a little about composition.
Digital cameras have provided us the opportunity to take many, many pho...
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Tip #29: Read the Fine Print
October 19, 2013 - In my very first tip I suggested getting travel insurance for those big trips that cost a lot of money, time and effort.
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Tip #28: Take Notes
October 16, 2013 - Before the days of cell phones, iPads and other mobile devices, photographers would use small notepads to record locatio...
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Tip #27: Study Your Subject
October 15, 2013 - I have often been heard saying that photography is only 10% of my time. The other 90% includes a wide variety of activit...
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Tip #26: Get Used to Being Up Before the Sun
October 14, 2013 - As I mentioned in the previous tip, my preference is to be up and out taking pictures at the first light of the day. Tha...
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Tip #25: Dont' Worry About the Dishes
October 13, 2013 - I am notorious for trying to get everything done before I leave the house so I work hard to remind myself that those dis...
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Tip #24: Keep an Open Mind
October 12, 2013 - In the last few tips I talked about setting goals for your photography and photo outings. But the most important thing t...
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Tip #23: Set a Goal for Each Photo Outing
October 11, 2013 - Each time I head out into the field to photograph my favorite subject - wildlife - I make a plan for what I want to see.
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Tip #22: Set a Goal for Each Photo Day
October 10, 2013 - As busy as I may get I do something for my photography every day. Some days this means an all day outing to find elk bug...
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Tip #21: Don't Try to Do It All
October 09, 2013 - Nature happens every minute of every day in every place around us. We would go insane trying to capture all of it all th...
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Tip #20: Ways to Reduce Bright Spots
October 07, 2013 - For landscapes, bracketed photos can really help you capture the best settings for reducing or overexposing the bright s...
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Tip #19: Avoid Bright Spots
October 06, 2013 - Our eyes naturally gravitate to looking at the brightest spot in a photo. If your photo is of a polar bear on a snowy ba...
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Tip #18: Keep a Clean Background
October 05, 2013 - When I first started focusing on wildlife photography, I had to really work at focusing my images to just one subject. I...
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Tip #17: Add a Warming Polarizer
October 02, 2013 - Most of the tips so far have been about protecting gear or you while in the outdoors. Using a warming polarizer is compl...
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Tip #16: Use a UV Filter
October 01, 2013 - Many of the effects created by filters can actually be pretty easily achieved in post-processing software but having a U...
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Tip #15: Maintain a Consistent Temperature for Your Equipment
September 30, 2013 - Working in the outdoors means you will be moving in and out of a car or coming outside from indoors. This temperature ch...
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Tip #14: Turn Off the Car
September 28, 2013 - When photographing from your car, turn off the engine. Even though it might seem minute, the smallest little vibration c...
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Tip #13: Use a Bean Bag
September 27, 2013 - In the last tip I mentioned to use the car as a blind. For successful photography from the car use a bean bag to rest yo...
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Tip #12: Use Your Car as a Blind
September 26, 2013 - People frequently ask me why I don't get out into the backcountry more often to photograph wildlife.
The first reason i...
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Tip #11: Be Patient
September 22, 2013 - Nature is constantly happening around us (yes, I know, an obvious statement). But just because it is always happening do...
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Tip #10: Keep a Change of Clothes in Your Car
September 21, 2013 - Keep a change of clothes in your car for those unexpected changes in weather, an unexpected change in travel or to get o...
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Tip #9: Keep a Pair of Waterproof Shoes in Your Car
September 20, 2013 - As mentioned in my previous tip, my shoes frequently get wet when I am out in the elements of nature looking for that sp...
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Tip #8: Always Have a Change of Shoes With You
September 20, 2013 - Being out in nature is a beautiful thing but frequently we dress for the weather of our destination. More often than not...
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Tip #7: Keep Your Gear Waterproof
September 18, 2013 - Now that you have a rain coat for you and your camera gear, you will want to make sure it stays waterproof over the year...
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Tip #6: Alwyas Carry Your Camera Bag With You
September 15, 2013 - One sunny afternoon early in summer I was on a search for white-faced ibis. A birding report stated that about a dozen h...
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Tip #5: Get a Rain Jacket for Your Camera Gear
September 15, 2013 - The last tip talked about a rain jacket for you. But it is almost more important to have protection from the rain and ot...
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Tip #4: Always Carry a Rain Jacket
September 13, 2013 - To continue with the weather theme, the next tip is to always have a rain jacket (and pants too if you have them) when y...
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Tip #3: Be Prepared for the Weather
September 12, 2013 - This tip will lead into several other tips in the next few days, and it was certainly inspired by this overabundance of...
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Tip #2: Always Carry a Headlamp
September 11, 2013 - The best times of day to photograph nature - whether it is a landscape or wildlife - is at and shortly after sunrise and...
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101 Tips for Nature Photographers: #1 Purchase Travel Insurance
September 10, 2013 - There are a gazillion tips and tricks to help make every photographer a better photographer - or in the least keep them...
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The other 90%
December 14, 2012 - I have always said being a nature photographer is only taking pictures 10 percent of the time. The other 90 percent of t...
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