Unless you only shoot models in a studio, you’ve no doubt run into a lighting situation your camera just can’t handle. A very common one is a shaded subject in a bright environment. There are two classic ways to deal with the situation. First is flash. Of course, that only works if the subject is close enough and you have the right flash(es) to achieve the desired effect. The second, which I’ve often used at sporting events where the contestants are wearing caps, is to spot meter on the subject. But sometimes, like in the case of this Inthar fisherman in Myanmar, neither of those approaches will work. I’d really like to capture his wonderful facial expressions, but not lose the rendering of the background. If I spot meter for his shadowed face, I’ll blow out the scenery and even much of his fishing gear. Fortunately there is another solution… Read more »

I noticed this t-shirt on a girl at a market in eastern Burma in the Shan state on our recent photo safari there. I felt compelled to capture it for posterity, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what to make of it. Any ideas on what it means, or whether it means anything in particular? (Sometimes there are certainly pidgin English t-Shirts on display, but this seems more organized than one of those). Please leave a comment if you have any ideas! Read more »

CES featured plenty of new cameras, but there were also several exciting lens announcements from some of our favorite lens makers, Nikon and Sigma. Nikon's new 85mm f/1.8 lens is refreshingly small for what it does, while Sigma a new line of lenses for Micro 4/3 and Sony NEX – called DN for Digital Neo, plus an impressive 180mm f/2.8 Macro lens for Nikon & Canon DSLRs... Read more »

It's getting really hard to tell the players without a scorecard. The newly announced Nikon D4 is amazingly similar in specs to the recently announced Canon 1D X. Both are mid-resolution (16MP & 18MP) full-frame cameras -- allowing for larger pixels and stunning low-light performance with ISOs in the tens of thousands promised. And both are wicked fast (11fps and 12fps), with full 1080p HD video, dual card slots, heavy-duty construction, full bit depth image recording, and scads of other features… Read more »

Rather than simply pushing the megapixel limits possible in point and shoots, Fujifilm has designed a very clever camera that can easily capture 3D photographs and videos automatically. By essentially building two cameras into one point and shoot body, and spacing them about eye distance apart, the Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 provides a completely unique shooting experience for the photographer looking to expand their creative horizons. Read more »

After playing second fiddle to Canon’s now legendary “G-series” of top of the line point and shooters, Nikon aimed to level the playing field with last year’s introduction of the Nikon P7000. Featuring a full range of SLR-like controls, an “all-in-one” zoom lens, and relatively large pixels for a P&S, the P7000 made converts out of many. But it still had some glaring issues in video capability and raw shooting speed in particular. So I was excited to take the new Nikon P7100 out in the field to see how it compared…

As the old saying goes, “f/8 and be there.” That can be just as true of wildlife photography. Even after 12 years of photographing Alaskan Coastal Brown bears every summer, I am surprised with new opportunities each time. This photo of a sow (mother bear) playing “hide and seek” with her cub just won 1st place in the Professional Mammals (I think that means that the photographer is a professional – not the animals) category of the National Wildlife Federation 2011 photo competition. I’m frankly really honored, as the other winning images are all amazing. A special shout out to fellow bear watchers and dedicated biologists Laura Romin and Larry Dalton, who took first place in the Amateur Baby Animals contest. The images are all showcased on the NWF website and in the November issue of their magazine. Read more »