Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
Vacation Photography Kit, Part II
Last year I wrote about my ideal personal kit for doing photography while on vacation. Since then I’ve made some changes, based on the kind of photography I plan to do. That sent me in two different directions: wider and longer. As you can see above, that first kit...
Portugal Photo Trip
Have you ever been somewhere on vacation and thought, “This would make a great photo trip!” That’s what happened to me a few years ago, and so in April I returned to Portugal to do just that. Organized by my old friend Rene Bastien of Highlight Photo Tours, we started...
Variety is the Spice of… Photography!
Mention Savannah, Georgia, and for most people that conjures visions of stately old homes and historic squares full of massive oak trees dripping Spanish moss. And that’s an accurate description. But it doesn’t do justice to everything else the city and its...
My Favorite (cheap) Photography Accessories
I’m always happy when a small thing that doesn’t cost much can make a big difference, or just make me more comfortable. I was reminded of that recently when I bought a new, tiny flashlight. That made me realize I have a few favorite photography accessories...
Ireland Photography Trip
You almost never hear anyone say, “We were in Ireland and never needed an umbrella!” But aside from the final day of our photo trip there last May, I could have. Not what we expected from “the emerald isle,” but we weren’t complaining. I’d led a trip there once...
Star Trackers and Night Photography
When is blur a problem if you're using a tripod? When the subject is moving. And that’s what the earth is doing as it spins through space. So if you do a long enough time exposure that includes stars, then those stars are going to blur, creating streaks instead of...
Namibian Photography Adventure
When a photographer hears "Africa," they naturally think wildlife. That’s true for parts of the continent, but it’s a big continent! Northern Africa, like Egypt and Morocco, are much more about culture, people and landscape. But as you move south, out of the desert...
Tundra Buggies and Polar Bears: Oh My!
Did we really need to spend four days in tundra buggies, photographing polar bears outside Churchill, Manitoba, with temperatures in the 20s and windchills below zero? Well, as I often say: It depends. In November, when I helped Mark Comon lead a Creative Photo...
Serengeti Photo Safari
I’ve been lucky enough to lead photo safaris to several African countries, including Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. But the one I return to over and over is Tanzania. Why? If your goal is to see an incredible number of animals in the wild (not a “reserve”), then...
My One “Must-have” Wildlife Photography Accessory
This is one accessory I can’t live without while doing wildlife photography: my 1.4x teleconverter. It takes my already impressively long 180-600mm lens and gives me an extra 240mm of focal length. I can now shoot at 840mm! In wildlife photography, you can’t always...