Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
The Joy of Traveling Light
I’m often asked what gear I take when traveling. And the answer is always the same – it depends on what I want to do. In the case of our recent vacation to Italy, the plan was to relax and enjoy the time together, not be out shooting from pre-dawn into night. Which meant little […]
Luck and Lightning
Love my VALS
One of my favorite accessories when doing flash photography is a VALS – Voice Activated Light Stand. In other words, a person you can direct to put a light where you need it. Recently my wife Sharon played this role for me, and is just one of the many reasons I love her 🙂 A […]
Tethered for Speed
Most of the time photographers tether their camera to the computer for instant feedback during a studio shoot. In my case, it was so I could deliver photos faster.I’ve connected my camera to the computer a few times over the years, usually so a client could see exactly what I’m shooting. That way they can […]
PC Lenses
PC (Perspective Control) lenses were first developed decades ago to bring tilt/shift functionality to 35mm cameras. View cameras have always been able to do this, but since 35mm cameras didn’t have bellows, they couldn’t. I recently had a chance to spend some time shooting one of the new models, and found it to be a […]
Great Photo Conference
Earlier this month I was able to attend the New England Camera Clubs Council annual conference, in Amherst, MA. I’d heard good things about it for years, and was pleased to find it lived up to its reputation. If you have a chance, you should really try to attend. I got a call last winter […]
My Big Summer Project
For the past nine years I’ve worked on the same big project each summer. And each fall I take that material and go on the road with it, starting another season of Nikon School. One of the things I love about photography is that you never run out of new things to try. For teaching, […]
Filter Fun
When I got started in photography, one of my first accessories was a cross-star filter. It created a cool effect on my night shots, and believe me, I needed all the help I could get. These days I still use filters, and mostly for special effects. Now I hope that they can help make an […]
Traveling Photographer
The least enjoyable part of what I do involves travel. To the airport, wait in line, wait in line, wait in line, sit on a crowded plane, wait in line… you get the picture. But the travel is what makes many of the fun things possible. And that now includes another photo safari to Africa, […]
The Gift of Good Light
When you’re lucky, everything goes right during a shoot. Subject, location, exposure and equipment all work together for you. But without good light, none of the rest matters. I recently had an assignment to photograph Aldon Smith. A native of Kansas City, Aldon went on to play football for Missouri and was drafted in the […]