This is a Great Deal!
Life of an Editorial Photographer
My good pal and former partner in crime Joe McNally just wrote as only as he can what it is like being an editorial photographer. He sums it pretty damn succinctly and while it is the reality, there is one other aspect of the post you might not grasp at first. And that is, we wouldn’t have it any other way because in the end, whenever that does come, we will be ahead! You need to read it, a couple of times!
GearHead Wednesdays
I receive about a hundred emails a week from folks asking me gear questions. I’ve been answering these questions for along time and it was the genesis of the website decades ago. The one problem is the answers go to just the person asking them. I try to incorporate them into blog posts, but as you might know from searching the website, it’s massive! I still want my $.02 to help the community so I came up with the idea of GearHead Wednesdays. It’s pretty simple, you send your gear questions to Gear Questions and every Wednesday (starting next week), I’ll answer as many as I can so the answer helps all those seeking the information. Now I don’t care what body, lens, flash, computer or brand, even if I don’t own the gear, I will try to find all the answers I can. If I don’t own the gear, I will work with my good friends at B&H Photo & Video to seek samples to answer those questions. I’m not writing reviews, not testing but just trying to answer questions. By sending questions, you agree to have your question and name (first name only) used in the GearHead posts. I hope in 2014, I can help more of you with gear questions so you can make the most of your time behind the camera!
Bearing Alaska – Special Issue BTJ
It had been a few years since the last time we’d been in the presence of grizzly in Alaska. These giants of the wilderness are a unique critter that dominates their world. And I still think of them as big ‘ol teddy bears. You’d think with spending over a decade with them, over ninety thousand images of them in my files and no market for those photos, my love affair with grizzlies might be waning. What is it they say, separation makes the heart grow fonder. That doesn’t even come close to describe our obsession and desire with these amazing critters. They’re fill a very irreplaceable role in our wild heritage.
This past summer we ventured back to Alaska to a location that promised us a Grizzly Bear experience that rivaled our time at McNeil. When venturing to a location with that kind of allure, expectations are high and the possibility of failure, astronomical. After all, we are talking about wildlife photography, which guarantees nothing no matter the effort we put forth. What follows is how our time with grizzlies unfolded and what you need to know to make the same adventure part of your future.
This special issue on Bearing Alaska is now available at iTunes. I think Brent incorporated more photos than ever. The oral captions are incorporated as well. There are a bunch of videos that blow me away and a lot more! If you already have a subscription, this issue is free. If you get a new subscription, this issue is free or you can buy just this issue alone if you desire. We’ll be heading back to this magical location again this summer, the story isn’t over yet.
Brent & I have penciled out a very aggressive schedule for the BT Journal in 2014, greatly expanding what we produce. We are very excited and already working on some great, new content for your entertainment and enlightenment. It’s out goal to help you get the most out of YOUR photography in 2014. We hope to join us for the ride!
Note: Andriod issue is in development and should be available mid 2014.
Happy New Year! $.99 One Day Only!
Yeap, for one day only (be sure it says $.99 before you click), a full year of our BT Journal for only $.99! And released today is our special issue Bearing Alaska which is included in the full year subscription.
Happy New Year!!!!
Yes, Android version coming in 2014, no, this special won’t apply, it’s one day only
A New Year Wish
It’s New Years again, where did that time go? As photographers we are blessed we can answer that question. We can reflect back on our year through our images, our memories, passion, failures and successes forever preserved in those carefully organized pixels. We can look back on the plans we made the year prior and how they actually unfolded. And now we look forward to the unfolding next year with the plans we have made this year. I often wonder if photography itself makes time go faster, speeding up our lives by its very nature of constant providing a visual milestone of our lives.
A year ago Sharon & I were in the last throws of months of secrecy as we packed for our trip to Costa Rica. We along with a crew from Nikon were heading out to the rain forests for a two week shoot with the then unknown D7100. A shoot on this scale starts months prior and encompasses aspects of life and photography we normally take for granted. Little things like getting snow off the driveway while we’re gone to having over two weeks of blogs done to post automatically to make it appear I was in my office working away. On 02 Jan, we winged our way down to paradise and for two weeks sweated out (figuratively and literally) a huge photographic project.
When we arrived home from this magical time, I was home long enough to grab a bag I had left already packed, switching from sweltering Costa Rica gear heading back to the airport out to temperate So Florida for a week and then back to Reno to grab another prepacked bag heading out again to freezing Oregon Coast in winter weather to film my Kelby Training B&W class. Then Sharon meet me at Reno Airport when I arrived back with another change of clothes as we headed to San Francisco for a couple of days of presentations. With a fractured wrist from my “cliff fall” in Costa Rica and an intestinal bug, which caused me to loose nearly 30lbs, we made it through January. That’s how we started out 2013.
And for the next few months until the D7100 was announced to the world, when asked what I’d been up to, I had to say, “Not much, the usual, taking pictures.” And I’m very blessed I can say that with a giant smile.
When you’re recognized for your photography and efforts behind the camera to effect a change, those are the times in a year when the clock stops. There is nothing quite like that feeling when you know your photography has reached out and touched the hearts of others. And when you’re thanked for having done this for a long time, it’s a reward that, well, truly is hard to put into words. 2013 was special in the many such moments I was so fortunate to be honored with, the greatest being named a Nikon Ambassador. Being recognized for not just being a photographer, but as someone spreading their love for visual storytelling covering a lifetime, it’s still a recognition that leaves me speechless. The group who were honored as Ambassadors in which I was included still stagers me.
As of today, I’ve been home 59 days out of the 365 days of 2014. I’ll spend my day doing those last few business things you need to do at the close of a year. I’ll take a few moments to count up all the images added to my files, the number of books, articles and images that got published. But all these stats and figures added up are not the sum of the year. Looking out of my office to see the family all gathered, healthy and happy is the true measure of what 2013 has brought us. And of course, lots of photos have been taken of the gathering preserving it all, marking again the passage of time.
Sharon & I are incredibly blessed that photography has provided for us not just a livelihood, but the opportunity to see and share so much of our world with all of you! We wish the same for you in 2014 and hope our paths cross so we can continue to share the passion that is photography!
Happy New Year!