Three things I want this blog to accomplish in 2012
As we roll into 2012, I want to get this blog back on track. Between my job and my personal life, I let myself get a little overwhelmed in 2011 and put my blog and photography on the back burner. But as my father used to say, usually when I was acting up in my...
Documenting the Last Corn Harvest
Here’s a recent photo from a project I’m working on. Nachusa Grasslands in Illinois is restoring a cornfield back to its original state of prairie and wetlands. Over the next few years, I will be documenting the progress of the Dewitt Holland Memorial Prairie. This...
I’m a Guest Blogger on PhotoNaturalist.net
A Dickcissel perched in Nachusa Grasslands in Illinois. Steve Berardi over at PhotoNaturalist has given me the opportunity to be a guest blogger on his wonderful site, and my first article was posted this evening. Please follow my link over to PhotoNauturalist and...
Use Good Titles and Keywords When Posting Images on Flickr
Janet Wilson over at Lucasville Legends contacted me earlier this month after seeing some of my photos on Flickr of the Lucas Oil Pitts biplane flown by Michael Wiskus. She was interested in using some of those photos in her upcoming children’s book. After looking...
How to Carry Your Photo Gear All Day Without Shoulder Strain
Think Tank’s Speed Freak V2.0 Beltpack–Final Impressions I’ve been using my new Think Tank Speed Freak v 2.0 for a week now, and it quickly became my favorite camera bag. Think Tank didn’t leave any details out as far as I can tell. Some of the features I like about...
New Camera Bag: Think Tank’s Speed Freak V2.0 Beltpack
My new Think Tank Speed Freak V2.0 arrived today. I’ve had my eye on the Speed series beltpacks for about six months now. They were out of stock for quite some time while waiting for V2.0 to come out. My initial impression…this is a very nice camera bag, and it should...
Do You Carry a Compass in Your Camera Bag?
Some days, you just come back empty-handed. I spent the afternoon at Rock Cut State Park in Loves Park, Illinois in search of a field of Thistle in full bloom and abundant with Monarch Butterflies. A field of Pale Purple Coneflowers would have been just as good....
Using the Nikon ML-L3 Infrared Remote Control
Did your Nikon DSLR stop working while you were using the Infrared Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control? Don’t worry…it’s normal. After setting your Nikon camera to Remote Control Mode using the Shooting Mode button or dial, the camera will start actively searching for...
2011 Rockford AirFest: Photographic Airshow finally complete
Well it took me exactly two weeks to get all of my airshow photos edited and the post-production work done, but the photographic airshow is now ready over at Flickr. Out of the 1400 images, I narrowed it down to 62 that I liked. Here’s a link to a few of my favorite...
Six Techniques to Improve Camera Handholding
With the advent of the modern digital camera, keeping the camera steady in low light and with larger focal length lenses is not the problem it was back in the days of film. It’s easy to set the ISO higher or turn on Auto ISO to get higher shutter speeds. But there’s a...
Convey Motion in Your Photo by Blurring the Background
We use photography to tell a story. Conveying a three-dimensional story in a two-dimensional medium can be challenging at times. There are many little techniques we use to overcome these challenges. Blurring the background is one of those techniques. Blurring the...
2011 Rockford AirFest: Great Show and Lots of Photos
The 2011 Rockford AirFest was held the first weekend in June. This year’s theme was “Celebrating 100 Years of Naval Aviation” A subject near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, due to a little incident, the Blue Angels had to cancel and go into a safety stand-down....