Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
Social Distancing and Photography
Last night I took a walk in the woods. Literally. It was my solution to social distancing, exercise, and most importantly, being able to do some creative photography outdoors. Where I live in Kansas, we’re still under a “stay at home” order, being asked not to go out...
Whats the Best way to Archive your Images?
When I bought my first external hard drive in the 80s, it was 60-megabytes and I thought I’d never fill it. Of course, documents were much smaller then, and I wouldn’t start shooting digital for another ten years. Since then, I’ve bought many, many more hard drives...
Best Tool for the Job
It was nearly a year ago that I saw a prototype of the Peak Design Travel Tripod. Right away, I thought, “I’ve got to get one of those.” Not because I needed a tripod (I already have several) but because it was going to be the right tool for certain jobs. When I took...
Using the Nikon Z 50
At the beginning of February I received a Nikon Z 50, and since then have used it for two workshops in Cuba, a short trip to San Diego and two NCAA basketball games. For a camera aimed at the more basic end of the market, it has the quality and performance to...
Soap Bubbles
In these days of heavy hand-washing, a recent household chore led to a fun soap bubble shoot. No, not THAT kind of shoot… After filling some of the soap dispensers in our house, I rinsed out the bulk container and left it draining in the sink. When I went back to take...
Favorite Moments from 2019
Most years, in January or February I try to post a story about some of my favorite photos from the previous year. But this year I was so busy then that I never got around to it, and thought, “oh well.” Now, though, I have time on my hands, so here goes. Part of the...
The Compression Myth Debunked
This story is a short one, because the visual evidence is so obvious. There’s no such thing as “compression” of the scene when talking about telephoto lenses. When you use a telephoto lens, you’re simply getting a narrower angle of view than what you see with your...
Coping with COVID-19
What do you do if COVID-19 has brought your life to a screeching halt and you’re a photographer? You're certainly not going to any workshops in the next few weeks, nor camera club meetings or sporting events or concerts or… you get the idea. Here are a few...
Street Photography
I’ve just returned from leading two trips to Cuba, and the street photography there is amazing. To be honest, though, I have mixed feelings about street photography. I’m all for it when it’s done in a way that’s courteous to the subject or says something about...
Cuba Photography Workshop
The bucket list of every photographer I know has Cuba near the top. Last week I returned from my first trip there, and it definitely it lived up to its expectations. Two years ago I began planning a photography workshop in Cuba. My friends at adventure travel company...