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This summer I took my 3 year old son to Big Sur for his first camping trip to show him the Milky Way. Remarkably he held on to this experience beyond expectation and he’s been talking about the Milky Way ever since. On top of that he’s really developed an interest in photography and cameras. I’m not sure how that happened, perhaps it is something in the water supply.  Fast forward to last week when

Last weekend I enjoyed one of my favorite locations and views atop the summit of Haleakalã on the island of Maui. This spot has one of the most fascinating views that is created when the sunsets, namely the amazingly long shadow of the 10,000+ peak of Haleakala that stretches across the Pacific Ocean. Every time I visit most people are facing the opposite direction to take in a glorious sunset, but I am always

This year I’ve found myself using a variety of products and solutions aimed at photographers and photography fans that are worth passing on as great gift ideas. Here’s the short list. If you like what you see be sure to share it with your friends and family. Under $50 PhotoPills mobile app that lets you plan, in seconds, that powerful outdoor shot you have thoughtfully designed, for any location on earth…

It’s late afternoon and I’m headed to a location that should have interesting subject material to photograph. Did I leave enough time to get there? Is the weather going to cooperate? Is the light going to be right? Will I even make it in time to set up before the light hits? More importantly and most unnerving in the back of my mind the biggest question hits, “Will I even be able to find something w

One of the big disadvantages of taking long exposures with DSLR cameras is the introduction of noise especially when higher ISO settings are used. Camera manufacturers have addressed this by using Dark-Frame Subtraction, but taking advantage of Dark-Frame Subtraction (DFS) isn’t always possible.  If you’re shooting a sequence of images either for a night time-lapse or startrail photo DFS will introduce un

  Digital SLRs offer a function called Dark-Frame Subtraction usually called “Long Exposure Noise Reduction” or “High ISO Noise Reduction” in your camera’s settings menu. Dark-Frame Subtraction exposes a camera’s digital sensor less any external light for a matching duration of a photo taken to detect digital noise and electroluminescence. When the Dark-Frame Subtraction feature is active hot pixels, amp glow an

Atop the White Mountains, along the eastern border of California, lies the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. This area is known as the home of the worlds oldest trees including the oldest tree, Methuselah, whose age is 4,750 years.  The last time I took the time to visit this remote area I was a dedicated film shooter. On a recent visit I took advantage of the latest DSLR technology to photograph astro-landscapes whil

In news recently was the utterly astonishing video posted by Boy Scout leaders who purposely destroyed an 20-million-year-old  rock formation in Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. Since their video surfaced (see below) they’ve been subject to death threats and its come to light one of the suspects, the one toppling the formation, is in a law suit for disability. This is astonishing for numerous reasons. Their disr