Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
Favorite Moments of 2020
I doubt that many of us will look back fondly on 2020, with lives turned upside down due to COVID. Despite having to cancel over a half-dozen workshops, I count myself lucky. My wife and I, our kids and extended family, have been able to stay healthy and avoid...
Fun with water droplet photography
Looking for a fun way to while away a few hours this winter? Why not use your photography skills to make some cool water droplet photos? You'll need a little patience, but the pay-off is well worth it. Below is a short tutorial on the process. Here’s all you need to...
Five pros share their autofocus tips
If there’s one thing that’s pretty much guaranteed to ruin a good photo, it’s being out of focus. Not surprisingly, then, I get lots of questions about autofocus settings whenever I’m teaching photography. Of course, those settings don’t just change between different...
Taking advantage of Flash Sync
With winter here, those of us who live in cold weather climates may find ourselves looking to do more indoor photography, and perhaps using flash. In which case understanding the difference between front-curtain, slow and rear-curtain sync is important. That word...
Online Classes this January
As many of you know, I started teaching some live, online classes last fall. One on Landscape Photography, one on Night Photography and a third on Wildlife Photography. So far, I’ve taught several sessions of each and have had over a hundred students. I will be...
14 Hours + 300 miles = Eagles and Planets
In the Wildlife and Night Photography classes I’ve been teaching online the last few months, I stress the importance of things like good planning, understanding animal behavior, autofocus modes, smart exposure control and proper lens use among many, many other topics....
Nikon Z 6 II Autofocus Put to the Test
In a previous post, I wrote about buying the new Nikon Z 6 II and wanting to put its upgraded autofocus system to the test. I wasn’t able to do that then, but now I have. And I like what I’m seeing. If you want to challenge an autofocus system, look for fast-moving...
Nikon Z 6 II and Bird Photography. Or not
I went out recently planning to test the new Nikon Z 6 II’s improved autofocus by doing some bird photography. Once again, though, what I planned to do and what actually happened were two different things. As a lifelong Nikon shooter, and an early adoptee of their...
Socially Distanced Photography Workshop
Is it possible to run a socially distanced photography workshop in the time of COVID? Yes. Is it easy? No. But that’s just what I did recently in Moab, Utah. I’ve been leading a fall workshop in Moab since 2017, and had another planned for this year. By summer though,...
How to do Star Trails Photography
This year, mainly due to COVID 19, I’ve been doing a lot more night photography around home. The one advantage to that is that it’s given me an opportunity to experiment with star trails photography. In the old days of film, that meant one long exposure (perhaps an...