Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
Off-Camera Flash
I was on the road teaching a workshop last week, and part of it involved giving a little how-to on the basics of off-camera flash. The group was amazed at how easy it is. That’s true now, but it wasn’t always that way. Back in the old days (pre-2004), getting the flash away from the […]
Long Exposures at Night
How to Photograph Holiday Lights
Every holiday season the Country Club plaza in Kansas City is decorated in lights. It’s a beautiful scene, and well worth the visit if you’re in town. Light displays like this are a lot of fun to photograph, if you know a few simple tips to get the photos you want. Any time you’re shooting […]
Birthday Poster
My wife Sharon had her 50th birthday this past weekend and celebrated with a big party. One of my gifts was a poster of photos of her over those fifty years, which was a big hit at the party. This can be pretty easy, if you just follow a few simple steps. The hardest part […]
One Fan of the Nikon One
As someone who loves taking pictures, I try to have a camera whenever possible. It’s not always convenient to carry an SLR, though, and point-and-shoots can be disappointing. So I was happy to hear that Nikon was entering the “small camera with larger sensor” market. And after using the J1 for a couple of weeks, […]
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 […]