Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
LED Lighting for Stills
My education in lighting began back in 1980 with a pair of what we called “hot lights” (Lowell Tota-lights). Designed for TV location lighting, in addition to being bulky and putting out a lot of heat, they also regularly blew fuses in people’s homes. Fun times! Their strength was in being able to see where the […]
Fall Color
I love fall, with its cooler temperatures and changing color. And as a photographer, I try to take advantage of that color, since it only happens once a year and is so brief. I got a head start this year thanks to an assignment in Colorado. Going up near 10,000-feet, I was able to photograph […]
Family Photo Shoot
Here in Kansas City, we live less than an hour from a place that becomes an unusually eye-catching photo spot once a year: Ted Grinter’s Sunflower Field. When the flowers are at peak, the owners not only allow but encourage the public to come out and traipse around their farm and shoot photos among the rows […]
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Memory Cards – Fact and Fiction
There are a lot of misconceptions, misperceptions, and just plain “misses” flying around out there about memory cards. I’ve been fortunate to work closely with both Lexar and SanDisk over the past fifteen years, and learned more than a few things about cards. So here are the questions I regularly get about cards, and my […]
Photos from a Workshop – Iceland
If you’ve ever been to Iceland, you know that its name is misleading. Yes there’s some ice, but in summer it’s a landscaper’s dream. Jagged mountains, lush fields, waterfalls, geysers and hot springs, fjords, glaciers, icebergs, ocean – an incredible diversity of environments spread over a relatively small area. While the only native mammal to the […]
African Photo Safari Moments
“Rhino!” That was the shout that electrified everyone in our truck. In six trips to the Serengeti, I had yet to see that most iconic, and most endangered, animal there. Although we weren’t close, it was a magical moment. And that’s what I tell everyone about these workshops to Africa – each is unique, with amazing […]
Anatomy of a Photography Workshop – Peru
I recently led my fourth workshop to Peru, and it’s become one of my favorite trips. There are a lot of reasons why: it’s easy to get to (no jet lag), the food is good, prices are reasonable and there’s amazing history and culture. But the main reason is the people. They’re open and friendly […]
How Mylio changed and improved my Photography Workflow
You’ve probably read that over the last year I’ve been using new photo software called Mylio, and been giving classes and workshops on it. One of the most common questions I hear is, “How do you use it?” While Mylio can be pretty simple at a basic level, I’ve learned how to really take advantage of its power […]
Anatomy of a photo assignment – NASCAR
Most people think that shooting a NASCAR race is all about loud cars running round a track. But the race is only part of that event. There are three other things happening that are as important, and often make better pictures: the preparations for the race, the people who come to watch and the celebration […]