Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
Managing Large (and lots of!) Files
I received an email recently from a friend who went to China with me in May. He was shooting with the new Nikon D800, and had a question: “How do you cope with the mass storage requirements of the D800? With the volume of photography you’ve done lately I have to believe you have a […]
Teaching Photography
Most of my work these days involves teaching. And I’ve learned that no matter how much I think I know about photography, there’s always more to learn. You see, I spent 25 years taking pictures before I really understood what was behind much of that photography. And that’s changed both how I shoot pictures, as […]
Learning DSLR Video
Last weekend I was in Lake Tahoe to teach another Popular Photography Mentor Series workshop. This one had a bit of a twist to it – we were going to teach video too. The Nikon D90 was the first DSLR to offer video, and now it’s a given that any new DSLR will have that […]
For Photographers, Weird is Good
Recently I was wondering why photographers are drawn to broken-down stuff. Abandoned houses, peeling paint, rusted cars, dead trees. Is there something wrong with us? I don’t think so. At least not most of us. I think the real reason is the same rationale that drives how newspapers decide what’s news. It’s the unexpected, the […]
Look Behind You
One of the best tips I ever got when getting started in photography was, “always look behind you.” And it wasn’t for safety. As we walk around looking for photos, we’re always scanning ahead and around us for that nice shot. But understanding the importance of light, we also have to realize that seeing something […]
Nikon D3200
Nikon made a big splash a while back with the announcement of a new entry-level DSLR, the D3200. The biggest news about it was that they were packing 24 million pixels (24MP) onto a DX sized-sensor. And, at $699, it would be the highest resolution camera in their current line-up, behind the D800 (which costs […]
In Praise of Inexpensive, Fast Lenses
The Value of Play
Any kid will tell you that play is important. We’ve all heard, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” though we don’t always remember that. And it’s been proven that play is healthy. So we know that play is fun and can be good for us, but how do we “play” once […]
Photo Restoration
Copying my old family pictures reminded me of a photo restoration I did for a friend. They can be surprisingly easy to do with the right tools, and many old photos need this sort of help. Especially if you’d like to make a nice print from one. In this case it was a picture that […]
Shoe Boxes of History
As the photographer in the family, I’m expected to deal with all things involving pictures. Which had me going through thousands of old photos last week. We had to move my mother to a nursing home last year, and are now we’re getting ready to sell her house. During a visit last week, I got […]