Gear Review

Several people have asked me what I take on my photography trips. As I was organizing my gear for final packing this morning, I figured that my 2nd “Aurora Borealis, Winter Landscapes & Wildlife” Photo Tour of 2011 would offer a good opportunity.   And broken down from top to bottom: 1) Hand and foot warmers. Last trip involved temps down to -35 (without factoring windchill) and these little buggers were invaluable. On display are hand and toe warmers, but I’ve got several boxes for my clients to use. The temps for this tour are looking much more manageable, highs in the 40′s and lows in single digits – “It’s a heat wave!” 2) Singh-Ray Graduated ND Filters. 2 & 3 stop grad nds, both hard and soft...

I’m very proud to announce a new sponsorship with my friends at F-stop. F-stop is the camera bag manufacturer for adventure photographers world wide. They believe camera bags should assist you in getting the perfect shot – not hold you back. I couldn’t agree more. For the entirety of my photography career, I have ‘made do’ with countless camera bags that were made for photographers who rarely shot on a trail, let alone off one. I have silently (and sometimes, not so silently) swore at bags that were neither comfortable to wear or efficient to use. F-Stop takes a completely different approach with their gear. Their packs are made to excel in the outdoors and stay flexible because of their modular ICU design. The ICU stands for...

I’ve been meaning to write this entry for a while. A couple of months ago, I placed another order for specialty business cards with moo.com. I’ve been ordering from Moo for the past year or so. Their website is simple to use, the card options are unique and even offer a 100% recycled paper option. I happen to like their Moo mini cards, again because they are uniquely sized – anything unique is inherently more difficult to lose. That’s a law somewhere, I’m sure. The really great thing about their standard business cards and their mini cards is that you can have them print 1 or many images in the same order. So your pocket full of cards just became a very convenient portfolio. The REALLY great thing about Moo, to put it bluntly, is...

Greetings everyone. Hope everyone is staying warm and healthy. Up here in Alaska it’s been very windy lately, especially in the Valley (Wasilla). Winds gusting up to 60 mph & higher! And it has been doing this for several days in a row now. This usually happens 2-3 times a year, usually in early/mid/late winter. I headed up north yesterday (Saturday), to photography some southern views of the Alaska Range and Denali again. This time I had company – again, it’s always about the people we meet along the way. I was joined by Scott Slone from Alaska HDTV. Here are some links to his work. Alaska HDTV Perfect Blend Media Scott Slone.com Great guy, passionate about his art & very tech savvy. It was fascinating watching a professional...

I have rented specialized photo equipment several times this past year. I started by trying out BorrowLenses.com services. I had every intention of trying a few different companies, but BorrowLenses.com impressed me so much, that I never moved on. I’m hooked, what can I say? If it ain’t broke, why fix it? They have great customer service, very quick delivery, and great prices. The “holy trinity” of good service. I am very excited to announce that Borrowlenses.com has come on board as an official sponsor for our workshops and tours. Each of our clients will now be able to rent a wide variety of cameras, lenses, tripods/heads, and a bunch of other gear at a discounted rate. Canon, Nikon, Mamiya, Gitzo, Wimberley, and a bunch more! And they...

“I could use a bigger lens”. Ask my family and friends, it’s a phrase they’ve heard many a time. Photographers are always looking to “expand their kit”. And no, I don’t mean by using Viagra, Cialis, or any natural “herbal” remedies. Then it’s, “I need more megapixels” (MPs). Because you can never have too many, and a 40″ x 60″ print is just too small. But how did we get to this point? It’s because technology is always evolving, and you’ve got to keep up with the Jones’s. Somehow, that top of the line camera (the brand new Cakon 1X Alpha) you bought 6 months ago became completely worthless as soon as they announced the really brand new Cakon 1X Bravo! The truth is,...