Reed Hoffmann’s Photography Blog
Why Buying a $14K Lens Made Sense
When Nikon announced the new Z 400mm f/2.8 TC lens, lots of people asked if I was going to buy one. My answer? “No way, I’d be crazy to spend $14,000 on one lens.” So I guess I’m crazy, because now I have one. Here’s what happened that changed my mind. I owned Nikon’s...
My Favorite Nikon Z 9 Hidden Feature
I have a love/hate relationship with how fast my Nikon Z 9 can shoot pictures. When photographing sports or wildlife, I often set it to 12 frames-per-second, but sometimes 15, 20, 30, 60 or even occasionally 120. Yes, you read that right, 120 frames-per-second. That’s...
Cuba Photography Trip
If there’s a better place to do people and street photography than Cuba, I’ve yet to find it. Walking out of the airport in Havana is like traveling back in time. It’s a poor country, with little money for new things so the folks there make do with whatever they’ve...
Seven Days in Picture Paradise
People often ask me what’s the favorite place I’ve ever gone to take pictures. May as well ask me which of my kids I love most. But when it comes to great natural beauty, aside from my wife, Hawaii has to be near the top of the list. It’s a picture paradise. And...
One Long Day – Covering the Super Bowl Parade
Photographing the Kansas City Chiefs’ home games throughout the season, if they make it to the Super Bowl, of course I wish them the best. However, there’s a downside to that. If they win the championship, it means I’ll have to cover the parade. A big party? Yes. A...
My NFL Season Finale
Sunday night I photographed my seventh AFC Championship game, which wraps up my 42nd NFL season. I started with the Buffalo Bills, working for a newspaper in upstate New York, and since 2000 have been covering the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s been a lot of fun, but not...
The Power of One – How I Learned to Love Flash
One thing I remember clearly from my early years in photography was a fear of flash. Direct flash (from the camera) was flat and boring. But figuring out how to get the flash off-camera, at the proper angle and power was a black art. It was either too much, too...
Archiving – It’s that time of year again
Every photographer’s new year’s resolutions list should include archiving. Sorting through the past year’s photos and making sure the backups are up to date. Yes, it’s that time of year again. If you’re like most of us, you love going through your photos and picking a...
Moab Photo Trip, Night AND Day
Since I’ve been teaching more and more night photography the last few years, people sometimes ask, “why don’t you do a trip that’s ALL night photography?” Other than the fact that I do enjoy getting some sleep, when I’m somewhere beautiful I want to take advantage of...
BTS – NCAA Basketball Media Day Photo Shoot
In late August I got an email from ESPN asking if I was available October 18 and 19. They needed someone to shoot portraits at Big 12 Basketball Media Days in Kansas City. The short answer was yes, I was. And I did, but it turned out to be both a lot more work, and a...