by Reed Hoffmann | Aug 31, 2015 | Beginner, Camera Gear, Education, Exposure, Flash, Intermediate, Light, People
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...
by Reed Hoffmann | Aug 15, 2015 | Advanced, Beginner, Camera Gear, Education, Intermediate, Lenses, Travel, Wildlife, Workshops
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,...
by Reed Hoffmann | Jun 13, 2015 | Action, Advanced, Camera Gear, Education, Exposure, Flash, Intermediate, Light, Technology
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...
by Reed Hoffmann | May 14, 2015 | Advanced, Beginner, Camera Gear, Exposure, Intermediate, Light
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...
by Reed Hoffmann | Feb 23, 2015 | Beginner, Camera Gear, Exposure, Flash, Intermediate, Light, People, Travel, Workshops
As I watched – and ground my teeth – I realized it was simply a matter of ignorance. They just didn’t know any better. Here we were at an incredible photo op, and people were using direct flash! Don’t get me wrong. I’m a big fan of flash. Used properly, it lets...
by Reed Hoffmann | Jan 27, 2015 | Camera Gear, Flash, Intermediate, Light, Technology
Late last year Nikon introduced the SB-500 Speedlight, a small flash powered by two AA batteries. I was curious, but figured it would be too low-powered to do much good. Boy was I wrong. There are times where being smaller is actually a good thing. Since it only...
