Blend modes are one of the most confusing aspects of Photoshop. First off, there’s twenty-seven of them. Further adding to the confusion, many of them have similar names or do similar things. As you cycle through the blend modes, it’s hard to know exactly what’s happening, and their names do little to prepare you for how they will alter an image. Luckily for us landscape photographers, there’s really only a few blend modes we’ll regularly be using. But before that, I’ll briefly cover the basics before going in depth into how you can use them to enhance your photography. Each blend mode has an ..read more

In the world of photography, golden hour gets all the praise. Warm side light and colorful clouds at sunset may make for dramatic photos, but don’t put your camera away when the color fades. Often, the most interesting time of day can happen after the sun has set. This period of time is called twilight or blue hour.  What is Twilight? Strictly speaking, twilight is the period between night and day when the sun illuminates our only atmosphere, not the landscape directly. Assuming there is no cloud interference, high-frequency blue wavelengths of light are broadly scattered, painting the la ..read more

Learning how to use a telephoto lens is an important skill. We see a lot of mistakes people make in the field and it ends up impacting their ability to get sharp shots. In this informative video, David Swindler shares his must-know tips on how to use long telephoto lenses for outdoor photography, from landscapes to wildlife to portraits. You will learn how to choose a telezoom lens, how to hold one, how to balance a telephoto zoom lens on a tripod, what kind of settings to use, and more! 0:00 Introduction 0:41 Choosing the Right Telephoto Zoom Lens 2:12 Holding a Long Lens 4:09 Balancing a T ..read more

Have you ever been halfway through a long hike, (or even barely started up the trail!) and thought to yourself, “I really shouldn’t have brought all this gear!” Well, you’re not alone. Many landscape photographers have wondered how to make a photography backpack lighter The dilemma of what camera gear to bring (or, what to leave behind) is one that is faced by new and experienced photographers alike. Whether you are buying your first aftermarket lens, or you already own a half-dozen lenses and want to bring them all!  Before we go any further, though, let’s be honest: if you’re in half-de ..read more

The variety and uniqueness of sand dunes make them one of my favorite landscape subjects to photograph. Several vital elements help images of dunes to resonate with viewers: light, color harmony, and composition. Each of these concepts individually increases the chances of success, but combining all three elements is the best way to create impactful dune images.  Join Us in Death Valley Nov/Dec 2022! Book Now In this image I used a wide-angle lens and got as close to the foreground sand ripples to create impact. Getting low allowed me to accentuate the sand ripples as well as the contrast ..read more

We now have two full-frame mirrorless cameras that are highly refined versions of previous generations, for us to compare: The Nikon Z7 II vs the Sony A7R IV. Both of these cameras represent the modern pinnacle of excellence in terms of not just camera performance itself, but also, refinement based on extensive user feedback from hands-on testing in the field. The Nikon Z7 II and Sony A7R IV are both incredible cameras, and we can partly thank the fact that neither is a first-gen product. Yes, Canon’s EOS R5 is also an impressive high-megapixel camera, however, it is still technically the firs ..read more

I grew up in the Midwest – Iowa to be exact.  I learned to enjoy the outdoors from a young age and my favorite childhood experiences were those memorable family vacations out to the Western US.  I fell in love with the mountains, deserts, and wild landscapes. One summer evening when I was 10-years old, we were camped on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I woke up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.  When I walked outside the tent, I was absolutely blown away by how many stars I could see in the sky and just how bright and vivid they were.  It was almost like I ..read more

One of the most common questions asked is, what is the best camera for landscape photography? This is a great question, as landscape photography is a rather unique genre with some very specific requirements. On one hand, landscape photographers do not need blazing fast burst speeds, or an amazing autofocus tracking system. This means that you will probably not have to spend an absolute fortune on the highest flagship level camera. (Unless, of course, you also photograph wildlife! But, that’s another article for another day.) On the other hand, there are quite a few specific things that you may ..read more

Landscape photography can be one of the most demanding genres of photography around when it comes to lenses! One minute you could be using a 12mm ultra-wide-angle lens to photograph a dynamic, sweeping scene that spans your entire field of vision, and the next minute you could be reaching for your 100-400mm lens to capture an intimate telephoto landscape detail photo! So, the question, “what is the best lens for landscape photography?” deserves a whole lot of consideration, and we won’t have time for all of it in just this one article. For now, we’ll narrow the discussion to the best WIDE-ANGL ..read more

Winning a permit to the iconic Wave is not easy but it’s well worth the effort to get out there.  It’s one of our favorite places to photograph in the Southwest and certainly qualifies as a bucket list experience! According to data obtained from the Bureau of Land Management, 200,589 people applied for wave permits in 2019.  Of those, only 7,300 people received permits or about 3.5% of applicants. So, what can you do to give yourself the best chance of winning when you apply? There are two ways to apply for permits; the online lottery and the daily lottery. The online lottery is avai ..read more