Clearing Storm, Cold Spring, NY

No matter where you turn these days in the world of nature and landscape photography, there seems to be an ever increasing amount of gear and equipment coming at us regularly. Not to mention the constant marketing and emphasis from manufacturers on acquiring more stuff in order to improve our images.

For sure there are many essential items to any photo kit. But I’m constantly asked what makes a good investment, and where can you skimp in terms of your photography expenses.  So after some careful thinking about my own experiences, I came up with 10 things I think are crucial when it comes to serious landscape photography.

In addition, I approach and practice photography from a holistic perspective, so this list is not specific to camera gear, or technology in general. My 10+ years of experience has taught me that there is much, much more to capturing successful photographs than you might realize. So if you think you don’t have the time for the items that don’t require money, think again. I’ve found that looking at my priorities was always a good place to start to find more time!

Top 10 Things to Invest In

-Tripod  I see so many students try to save money with cheaper tripods, only to regret the decision once they get frustrated in the field. Sloppy movement and lack of precision and adjustability, unstable in rough weather, heavy and unwieldy- these are just some of the reasons to purchase a top quality tripod. My two tripods have been through hell, including being totally banged up, submerged in water, used as trekking poles in the snow, and yet they still work great. Choose a carbon model from Manfrotto or Gitzo and you can’t go wrong.

Also, don’t forget a good ball head. There are many to choose from, but Really Right Stuff and Kirk Photo make some of the best. I have the Kirk BH1 and after fives years of abuse is still as smooth as the first day I used it.

-Lenses In my opinion a lens is so much more important than a camera body. Over the course of a decade, you may own multiple camera bodies, but you will probably use the same 3 or 4 high quality lenses. I invested early on in Canon L lenses after I realized the difference in both build and image quality. I still use the same 3 core lenses today though I have gone through several camera bodies and more in the future I’m sure. Great optics will always trump a great sensor, so always buy great glass first. Plus they are really investments since their resale value will always remain high. Here’s a great guide to choosing Canon lenses. 

-Filters It goes without saying that if you spend a few thousand dollars on lenses, you don’t want to use a cheap $35 filter from Best Buy. The glass in the filter needs to complement the lens, otherwise your image quality will suffer. I use filters from B+W and Singh-Ray, mostly polarizers, ND filters (for long exposures), and graduated ND filters. Worth every penny.

-Hiking Boots I hike for most of my photographs, and so my feet are an essential part of my kit.  Being comfortable and sure footed is critical to my safety and good hiking shoes help avoid any number of ailments such as blisters, plantar fascia, or inflamed arches. Without healthy feet, my career is over, so I don’t skimp on footwear, and neither should you. Right now I alternate between a pair of Scarpa’s and Lowa’s depending on the terrain. They keep my feet dry, comfortable, and provide the support I need day after day, week after week, and mile after mile.

Also, invest in a good insole which makes all the difference in the world. After a recent  struggle with soreness, I purchased a pair of Signature EV Ultra’s from Sole that cured my problem.

Hidden Path, Hudson Valley

-Camera Backpack I reviewed my current backpack the Guragear Kiboko in a past article, so be sure to check that out. But again, there is nothing like a backpack that is comfortable, gives you easy access to all of your gear, is lightweight, and can hold everything you need for a photo hike. I also use a ThinkTankPhoto Streetwalker when I need a lightweight pack for cycling or other athletic activity.

-Fitness I’ve written extensively about fitness for photography in the past, and I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for me, and can be for you. The more fit you are, the better you’ll feel both physically and mentally. Both of these are absolutely necessary for successful landscape photography over the long term. For me yoga is the ultimate way to keep my mind and body in peak condition, but any form of exercise is a good investment in your physical well being. It has helped me recover from back injuries, a badly broken ankle, and numerous other “occupational hazards.” Plus my balance, endurance, and flexibility make my work more enjoyable.

Whether talking about photography or your body, “function maintains structure” or the more popular “use it or lose it” are both ideas not to skimp on. Time devoted to your fitness is time well spent, and you will reap the rewards for years to come. At 45, I’m in the best shape of my life, and see no reason why that should change anytime soon, considering I keep putting in the hard work. And numerous studies have shown that it doesn’t matter at what age you start to exercise, the human body has incredible adaptive capabilities for muscle growth, flexibility, and strength. Don’t take it for granted!

Path of Light

-Learning and Motivation Continuing on with the idea of flexing our muscles and minds, inspiration comes to us from learning more about the art of photography, and staying fresh to new ideas. Put in the time to read about things that inspire you, and it will pay you back in your creativity. I try to stay up to date on all the new techniques out there today, as well as stay grounded in the works of the masters. This balance is necessary in my opinion to create work that is both relevant, yet grounded in principles that are universal, such as beauty, emotion, and mystery. Time spent in study, whether days, weeks, or years, will payoff during the split second press of the shutter when you know you’ve captured something special. Turn the TV off and read an inspiring book, it will make a difference behind the camera.

-Printing Paper As Ansel Adams said many times, “the print is the performance”, and for me my work is not finished until I make prints of my photographs. The paper is the main ingredient here, so choosing one that best brings your image to life is crucial to how it is interacts with the viewer. Right now I use Canson exclusively, my favorites being Platine and Photographique. Try a few high quality papers, then settle on one or two and learn how print your images on them – it will make a huge difference.

-Computer Monitor After all the money and time you invest in all of the above, why skimp on the single piece of equipment which shows you the fruits of your labor? Similar to camera bodies, I’ve gone through several computers over the last few years, but still depend on my NEC monitor to deliver true, accurate colors and tones. Your monitor is probably the single most used piece of equipment in digital photography, so choosing the best you can afford is paramount.

I use the NEC PA series monitors which offer a wider color gamut than most monitors. This allows you to see the colors in your images more accurately, improving post processing and helping to create better prints. Save on the computer, spend on the monitor.

-Time Finally we come to the most important investment of all, and that is time and dedication. Nothing will improve your work more than spending time practicing the craft. Many think that practice is only valid when you are in a situation to capture a beautiful scene, but in fact anytime you use your camera, whether in your backyard or snapping photos of family is a chance to learn about light, composition, technique, and many other aspects of image making.

For sure, the nature photographer makes his own luck, which means you put in the time in the field day in and day out in order to be prepared for mother nature’s gifts. Visit the same locations year round and learn how the light interacts with the landscape, and you will improve your work and make better images. “Spray and pray” may get you quick results, but time and dedication will provide the ingredients to make images that convey your vision, experience, and sensitivity about nature.

Twilight on Storm King

Conclusion

Regardless of whether you’re a beginner or seasoned pro, I hope this list provides some food for thought, and inspires you to think about what really matters to your photography, from both a time and financial standpoint. I’d love to get your feedback, as well as other suggestions. Thanks as always for reading.

This new video on winter gear and apparel for landscape photography coincides with the launch of the new Beyond the Lens Video Podcast!

My plans are to produce a monthly video podcast where I can share resources and useful knowledge in a format that I believe offers a great experience for viewers. I have a fair amount of video production experience, and together with the short videos I’ve created already and new videos in the works, wanted to expand the reach of the blog.

I really enjoy the combination of photography with video as a rich media experience, especially when it centers around nature and the outdoors. The latest crop of DSLR cameras now offer tremendous video capabilities, so I’ll be putting my newly acquired Panasonic GH2 to the test for both stills and video work.

The main goal for me is to give a behind the scenes look at the many different aspects of being a full time landscape photographer, and hopefully help and inspire all of you to become better at your photography, regardless of your skill level or ambition. Future episodes I have planned include actual photo shoots in the field, post-processing tutorials (especially Lightroom 3), printing and framing info, behind the scenes on photo workshops, and many other ideas to make the podcast really interesting.

So enjoy this latest episode, and welcome to the new video podcast – look for more in the near future!

You can view past episodes here (all of which have been posted on the blog) and also subscribe to podcast in iTunes and watch it on your HD TV. I’d love to get your feedback and suggestions for future episodes. Thanks!

Episode Notes:

Thanks to Leonard “Buddy” and Katy at Mountain Tops Outfitters in Beacon, NY – great store, even better service.

Items mentioned:

• Kahtoola – microspikes and KTS crampons
• Manzella – fingerless gloves, very warm
• Smartwool – the best base layers
• Marmot – down outerwear

In addition, here are a few other items that I use and recommend for winter shooting and/or hiking:

• MSR Snowshoes- I have a pair of Ascent’s that are really great – light and strong, but only use them in soft deep snow. If it’s hard packed, I’ll use the crampons.
• REI Shuksan Snow Pants – I’ve had these for years and they are my go to pants when I’m going to spend a lot of time in snowy conditions. Pricey, but so worth it.

I’ve had an iPad for some time now, and it has proven to be a great tool for showing my work, whether to potential customers at art shows, corporate presentations, or just sharing images with family and friends. The combination of the size, portability, and amazingly beautiful display seem to have been made for photographers and other visual artists.

-Settings

After some experimentation, I think I’ve found the settings that give me the best results when exporting images from Adobe Lightroom 3 to the iPad. Because the iPad’s display is 1024 pixels on the longest side, I export all images at this dimension so that it fills the screen at the longest edge either horizontally or vertically. I’m not concerned about the short edge since I don’t want my images cropped in any way. I’ve also found that the “high” setting for output sharpening works best to keep images crisp at that size. Below is a screen shot of the export window from Lightroom.

UPDATE: If you’d like the ability to zoom in on your images without losing any quality (or use the Ken Burns effect in a slideshow) then you should export at 2048 pixels on the long edge. In addition, this would also be a good setting for displaying your images on a 1080P TV. Also, please keep in mind that the resolution setting in Lightroom has no relevance since the iPad is pixel based and we are only interested in the actual size of the screen – in pixels. (Thanks to RB_Seattle for the tip!)

-Transfer

As far as getting the images into the iPad, I use either iPhoto or DropBox. If I want to have the images saved locally on the iPad itself, then I’ll import the images into iPhoto, organize them, then sync the iPad to my Mac. This works well for my permanent portfolio where I don’t have to worry about not having a wifi connection to access images in my Dropbox (which is online or in the “cloud”).

The excellent DropBox app allows me to export images directly from Lightroom to my DropBox on my desktop Mac, then view them from my iPad once I have synced online. You’ll need to have Dropbox installed both on your computer and the iPad. This works really great and is much faster than the iPhoto route, but again requires a wifi connection for the iPad to sync. Once you sync however, you can then transfer images from Dropbox into your Photos on the iPad, eliminating the need for a wifi connection.

Any questions or other suggestions, just let me know. Look for a future post on other apps I use on the iPad for photography and business!

A few months ago I began searching for a new backpack, since my previous workhorse bag, the Kata K102 was becoming too small and limited for me. As many landscape and outdoor photographers know all too well, finding the right backpack can be a frustrating experience, and I’ve tried and purchased more than I want to admit. These include bags from Kata, Lowepro, Tamrac, and Thinktank. I was beginning to give up until I discovered the GuraGear Kiboko bag designed by wildlife photographer Andy Biggs. It has become my primary backpack for both local hikes and extended trips, especially when I travel.

The perfect backpack for me doesn’t exist , but the GuraGear Kiboko bag is the closest I’ve found so far. This has to do with a combination of factors I look for in a bag including room for gear and extras, access to the gear when I need it, weight, comfort, and overall usability. On a whole the Kiboko excels in all of the areas. While it may not be the most comfortable backpack I own (my Osprey Talon takes the prize easily in that department, but it is not a camera bag), it provides most if not all of the functionality I need in a bag.

The first thing that struck me is the weight, which is important for me since I hike into most of my photo locations. It’s made of an incredibly strong and lightweight material which has held up well to the elements so far. At just under 4 pounds, this is the lightest backpack I’ve ever owned, and combined with a sturdy and relatively comfortable harness, it makes a real difference after a few miles on the trail. Another plus is that the shoulder and waist harness can be stowed away inside the back of the backpack, turning it into a regular bag that can be carried from the top or side.

Another big feature is the ease of getting access to my camera gear. Instead of having to open one big flap like other bags, the Kiboko uses a unique butterfly opening which means I only have to open one side or the other to get what I need. This prevents having everything fall out of my bag if I forget to close it, and also helps me organize my gear depending on the shoot. The inside compartments are highly configurable, and extra dividers are included for more customization. I tend to keep my main camera on one side with lenses and accessories, and a second camera used primarily for video on the other with accessories as well. On long hikes, I will trim down the gear and use the extra space for clothing and/or food, a luxury I rarely had with other camera backpacks, and a really important when heading out on long hikes. On road trips, I pack the following with ease:

• Canon 1Ds Mk III
• Canon 5D (backup body)
• Canon 17-40L Lens
• Canon 24-105L Lens
• Canon 70-200L 2.8 IS
• Panasonic GH1 w/ 14-140 lens (video)
• Canon 21mm FC lens
• Zoom H4n Audio Recorder
• Various filters (polarizers and ND grads)
• Extra batteries for all bodies
• lens hoods for all lenses
• manuals

It also includes a built-in rain cover, and pockets on the outside for extra small items. like filters, extra batteries, and snacks. The zippers are easy to operate, and feel sturdy and strong. Overall, I really like this bag, and would have no hesitation recommending it to those who need a versatile, well designed backpack that can carry lots of gear on and off your back.

As most of you who are regular readers know, I rarely review products, and I have no affiliation with GuraGear. I paid the full price for the bag and while it the most expensive bag I have purchased, it has been worth every penny to me. On my recent Acadia workshop, several students had asked about the bag, so I figured I would write about it here for the benefit of other readers.

If you have any questions let me know, and I’m also curious about whether you’d like to see more reviews and recommendations about the gear I use day in and out in the field – I have very high standards. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

I wrote about my  favorite plugins for LightRoom a while back, but since that time I’ve added a few more to my collection. So here is an updated list of my current favorites.Timothy Armes at the Photographers Toolbox continues to create more useful plugins, and in addition to the ones I covered in the first post, here are a few more I find very useful.

• LR2/Tree Exporter – allows you to export images from Lightroom while preserving their folder hierarchy. I find this extremely useful since my typical workflow involves exporting jpeg versions of my RAW files for the web, clients, print, etc on a regular basis. Since I export them to a different hard drive than where my Lightroom Library is located, it keeps them more organized and easier to find when I’m ready to use them in email, web, etc.
• LR2/Gmail – this plugin will send any images selected in your Library via Gmail from directly within Lightroom – no more opening your email client and attaching images. Extremely time saving and convenient, this is one I use constantly.
• LR2/Blog – send images directly to your blog. I’m still experimenting with this one since it offers many options, but I use it to create drafts with images that I can return to later and write text, etc. Again, saves me some time and can be combined with the Mogrify plugin to add borders, sharpening, and other enhancements.

The best of the rest:

• LRB Portfolio – can create an entire portfolio website from within Lightroom with separate pages, images, etc. Very elaborate and well supported by the developer
• Imagenomic Portraiture2 – a great retouching plugin for anyone shooting people, it eliminates many of the tedious steps required in Photoshop to achieve the same results. I don’t use this plugin often as you might imagine, but very powerful and convenient.
• Photoframe – for the ultimate in artistic borders and frames, this is the plugin to get. Hundreds of beautiful borders and many options for customizing and saving presets.

“Reflections” – [border from Photoframe]

You can always keep track of the latest plugin releases on the Adobe Lightroom Exchange where they recommend and feature different plugins on a regular basis.Or check back here again for another update in the near future. If anyone uses any plugins I haven’t mentioned, please let me know in the comments!

I am often asked all sorts of questions about fine-art printing, and specifically about recommending papers, suppliers, and other good sources of information.

I provide students in my printing workshops with a whole list of my favorites, but I thought I would post it here for everyone else.  I’ve left printers off this list because that needs a complete post unto itself – I’m working on it!

Here are my favorites…

Suppliers:

Shades of Paper – papers, printers, inks, accessories
InkJetMall – papers, inks, and accessories
Frame Destination – frames, mates, and framing supplies in “photographer” sizes
SpeedPress – the best straight-edges in the business, self-healing mats
Booksmart Studio – metal sheets for printing, custom ICC profiles
ColorPlak – ColorBox mounting
ArtiPlaq – frameless mounting
Small Business Loans Illinois – Find information on small business loans in the state of Illinois, as well as all the other states.

Papers: (I have used all of these papers in my gallery and art shows)

Canson – excellent line of fine-art papers with profiles for most popular printers. I especially like Edition Etching Rag and Rag Photographique for color images
Hahnemuhle PhotoRag – another all-time favorite which I keep in stock at all times – gives images a beautiful watercolor look.
Ilford – Ilford Galerie Gold Fiber Silk is my favorite fiber based paper – great traditional look and feel for black and white, and also exceptional detail for color photographs
RedRiver Paper – great economical  paper for proofing  – also for notecards

Hardware, Software

Spyder 3 Express – monitor calibration device
Color Munki – monitor and printer calibration device
PixelGenius – Photokit Sharpener plugin – my favorite sharpening plugin for Photoshop.
Imagenomic – Noiseware Professional – one of the best noise reduction plugins for Photoshop.
Other World Computing – Excellent external hard drives, memory upgrades, amd other peripherals for Mac and PC.

I do 99% of my photography in the outdoors, so I place heavy demands on the equipment I use. This includes not only my camera and lenses, but all of the supporting gear I use which can often be more important than the camera depending on the circumstances. Over the years, I’ve come to rely and trust certain items that are a mainstay of my “field kit” and I thought I would share those with you here. This is not an exhaustive list of what I’ve tried or used in the past, but definitely what I grab when I’m getting ready to embark on a photo trip for a day or a month.

Many have asked me why I haven’t talked about gear and equipment in the past, and it’s simply because I prefer to focus on the “making” of images, and not so much the tools we use to make them with. Nonetheless, the quality of the equipment available today is amazingly good, and I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t prefer the convenience and creative options they offer today.  So here’s my current 2009 field kit…

Cameras and Lenses:

• My main camera bodies are the Canon 1DS Mk III, and Canon 5D. I also have a Rebel XT which serves as a backup/extra camera that I bring on long trips. The 1DS Mk III is the best camera I have ever used, and combined with its bulletproof magnesium body and weather sealing, gives me the confidence to tackle the harshest conditions and weather. I really like its incredible dynamic range which allows me to capture fine detail even in deep shadows (something I tend to favor), very low noise even at high ISO’s (1000-1600), really great view finder, and live view (a preview of the viewfinder on the LCD), which helps when working in very tight spaces and awkward angles.
• My workhorse lenses are the Canon 17-40L, Canon 24-105L IS, and Canon 70-200L f/2.8 IS. I was fortunate to get sharp copies of all of them, and with lots of practice, I’ve become very familiar with each of their strengths and weaknesses. These 3 lenses cover the whole range of 95% of the work I do, and when I need a little more reach, I also have a Canon 1.4x II extender, giving me a maximum of 280mm. This is not a lot  in terms of wildlife photography, but it works for my particular style.
• The only filters I use are B&W polarizers for eliminating glare from water and foliage, and darkening skies. I use Singh-Ray graduated density filters for tough exposures, but more and more I find HDR a viable alternative in certain situations.

Accessories:

• I have several tripod setups, my favorite and most used being a Gitzo GT3530, coupled with a Kirk BH-3 Ballhead. I love this combination for its strength and relatively light weight. I also have a Manfrotto 190MF3 together with an Induro DM12 Ballhead. This is a less inexpensive setup that I use as a backup, and for creating 360 virtual panoramas. For this I attach a Nodal Ninja NN mkIII panoramic tripod head.
• Camera bags and backpacks are numerous , but I rely on my Kata R-102 most of the time for its relative light-weight, compact size, easy access to my camera, and very well designed shoulder straps. When I’m doing a very long hike (6+ miles), I switch to my Osprey Stratos 40, the most comfortable backpack I’ve ever used. While not a dedicated camera backpack, the combination of comfort and support, plus all of the extra room for clothing, food, and other non camera essentials make it my favorite for long trips.
• For street and short walks, or in my kayak, I use packs from ThinkTank Photo including their very versatile ChangeUp. They don’t announce that you have a camera, and they are very functional and versatile. They also have a variety of harness systems that I’ve been curious to try.
• My latest addition is a Black Rapid RS-4 camera strap, which has completely replaced my traditional camera straps. Though I often use a tripod, I have always loathed camera straps, and this seems to finally be the solution I’ve always wanted. It provides good shoulder support, easy detachment from the strap, and best of all great mobility of the camera. I love this strap, and have ordered another one for backup!
• The Canon TC80N3 Remote Timer is a must have for long exposures, especially at night. Though I continue to use mirror lock-up and a timer for single exposures, this doesn’t work so well with multiple exposures of the same scene, as in HDR photography where any movement whatsoever can cause problems in the final blended image.
• A Garmin 60CSx hand-held GPS unit helps me find my way in and out of the woods. This has saved my rear end many times when I decided to wander off the trail and suddenly became disoriented or lost. I use it to mark favorite places when I’m scouting during the day, and this helps immensely when I return the next day before sunrise, may times hiking in the dark when everything looks completely different. Because it keeps a “trail” of where you go, I’m not as worried about exploring off the trail, especially when hiking in the snow. I’ve been using this unit for 3 years, and it’s the first thing that goes in my backpack.
• Finally, for storage and post-processing, an Apple Mac Book Pro 15″ with a OWC On-The-Go external hard drive allow me to download, rate, process, and share images while I’m on the road.

As with all technology, it all depends on how you use it, and whether it truly helps or hinders your efforts. Certainly great photography can be created without any of our modern tools and toys, but perhaps without the same level of safety and convenience we can enjoy today.

I have finally moved into my new workshop/studio, and the extra room and space is really NICE! Built as an addition to my home, we started the construction back in April, and finished in time to host two landscape workshops in October.

I’m really happy with the way it turned out, and it has already improved my overall frame of mind both in terms of workflow, efficiency, and finally having a large space to hang and show my work to potential patrons. Because I do all of my own developing, printing, matting and framing in-house, this is really critical for achieving the highest quality possible both in materials and visually.

Some of the highlights include:

• Mac computers running Adobe Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4
• Canon iPF5000, iPF6100, and Epson R2400 pro printers
• Epson 77c LCD projector for slideshows and presentations
• 2 large matting and framing stations which double as conference tables
• RAID storage drives by G-Technology
• Lots of of inspiring photo books by many of my favorite photographers.
• Paper by Hahnemuhle, Ilford, Epson, and Canson-Infinity (my current favorite).

I also installed Full Spectrum Solutions Blue Max lighting, which provides 5900K balanced light for natural and accurate color rendition, an absolute must for proper color management. I’m also printing on canvas and will start offering Gallery Wraps for the holidays and into 2009 (more info soon).

During workshops, I can fit 6-7 students comfortably, while still having enough space to work on an individual basis if need be. Students have access to all of the gear I use regularly, such as software, printers, papers, matting and framing tools, which really provides a hands-on experience in a working environment. This is the best way to learn in my opinion, and I’m looking forward to learning from my students as well in order to improve the workshops. Don’t forget to check out the 360° VR panorama on the website.

The 2009 Workshop Schedule will be released soon – stay tuned!

It has been an incredibly busy time for me lately with various photography projects (more details later), art shows, and finishing the construction of my new 450 sq ft. studio/workshop. I’ll have some photos soon, as well as info on the setup including the addition of a new Canon 44″ large format printer. Once I get through the long hours of the final finishing details, I hope to return to a more regular schedule here, and even increase the frequency of articles.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am working on a new series of articles around the theme of “finding a landscape photograph” with the goal of providing some insights and tips for photographers and those curious about the process involved. With any luck (and lots of coffee), the first should be ready in a few days.

In the meantime, I thought I would share my opinion on a few recent noteworthy announcements in the industry which are quite intriguing.

Adobe has announced the release in October of Creative Suite CS4, which includes an all new version of Photoshop CS4. You can read the specific details on John Nack’s blog (John is the principle product manager for Photoshop). While the biggest feature in CS3 was support for the new Intel Macs, Adobe has really packed new and useful features into CS4, many of which I will start to take advantage of right away. Among the new features I’m looking forward to are major interface enhancements, adjustment panels and presets, and improved printing capabilities (including 16-bit output at last). All in all, a serious consideration for anyone who uses Photoshop on a professional or regular basis. While my current workflow is spent primarily in Lightroom 2, it’s nice to have access to the improvements in processing that CS4 provides.

The other news was that both Nikon and Canon have announced DSLR’s that can also record full HD ()high-definition) 1920×1080 resolution video. There has been lots of talk lately about the convergence of photography and video since both use similar technologies, and it was only a matter of time before a manufacturer combined the two.. While it will not replace a dedicated video camera in terms of quality and features, it certainly provides the photo journalist or wedding photographer some great opportunities in a convenient and familiar package. For any one who is interested, here is a full featured video made with the new Canon EOS 5D MK II by photographer Vincent Laforet.

As the old saying goes, “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” and in my opinion, never more so than in photography. While the technology continues to evolve and provide new and creative possibilities, emotion and feeling remain the goal for me, and these are just more tools to achieve those goals.