Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
With Lighting, it’s about Quality, not Quantity
A long time ago I learned the hard way that the more I tried to do fancy lighting for portraits, the less likely I’d get a good picture. So my rule became “simple is good.” And that’s just what I did last week. I’ve got a friend who coaches his kids’ sports, and I sometimes join […]
Photography in the Arctic
In June I got a call asking if I was available to teach photography on an Arctic cruise in July. And since I’d already be there, could I stay and do a second cruise? While my calendar’s been pretty full this year, July was the one month that was wide open. So, after getting permission […]
Why I Return to the Serengeti
If you follow my Facebook page, then you know I’ve just returned from leading a photo safari to Africa. That marks my eighth wildlife workshop trip to Africa, and the sixth to Tanzania and the Serengeti. When people hear how many times I’ve been there, they inevitably ask, “Why go back to the same place […]
Using Flash to Stop Action
One of the unique “gifts” of photography is its ability to stop time. We can freeze a moment and study it, which we can’t do with our eyes alone. Athletes in the air, a baseball coming off a bat, dogs in mid-bark are all photos we love to look at for that reason. And while […]
Shooting and Editing
We recently attended our daughter’s college graduation, and, of course, I was there shooting pictures. Which reminded me of two great ways to make your photography better: shoot lots and edit tightly. We’re all familiar with the saying, “don’t put your eggs in one basket.” That applies to photography as much as it does to […]
Light Painting 101
The first time I saw light painting demonstrated, I had the same reaction as when I first saw a print come up in developer in the darkroom – it was magical. That was back in 2000, at an early digital workshop. Dave Black, who may well be known as the Godfather of light painting, was showing […]
Same Place? Find Something Different
How do you make a different picture at a place you’ve been before, especially if you’ve been there many times? That’s a problem many of us face, and is more difficult if you’ve made a REALLY good picture there. It’s natural to want to do the same thing again, so the challenge is not to. I faced that […]
The Importance of Mentors
I’ve been blessed in many ways over the years, mainly with a great family and amazing wife. But I’ve also been blessed professionally, being lucky enough to know photographers who have freely shared their knowledge and passion for photography. When I took up photography as a hobby in 1971, I’m sure I would have dropped […]
Anatomy of a Photography Lighting Workshop
I love working with flash because it lets you change the light, which offers a new to make different pictures. And used properly, it expands what you can do creatively. Recently I taught a light workshop for Mentor Series in Nevada, and wanted to write about the process Tom Bol (the other instructor) and I used teaching flash. […]
2014 Ten Best
One of the toughest things I do every year is go back and pick my ten favorite photos from the previous year. It’s always interesting to see how my opinion of what I’ve shot has changed over time. Some photos, when shooting them I thought, “Wow, amazing.” But later they lost that power over me. Still […]