If you haven’t heard about Topaz Labs’ PhotoAI and VideoAI, you need to go to their website and check them out! PhotoAI is truly outstanding for enhancing your photos, removing digital noise, enhancing details, sharpening your images and even upscaling them to higher resolution. I truly cannot say enough good things about their software. It is truly groundbreaking technology. It does an excellent job with digital noise reduction while retaining, and even enhancing, details. This opens the door to being able to shoot at higher ISO values, in more challenging lighting circumstances and still end ..read more

I am about to add another great photography option for the Spring in the Texas Hill Country BUT I first need to decide on which option to offer. I need to hear from you as soon as possible (I need to book the event at the ranch)! Please help me decide. Your input matters! Those of you who provide input NOW will then be given the first chance to register, once the event is made official! Plus you’ll also get a special $100 OFF early registration discount (if you respond to my survey by 12/14/2023) ! Both options are at the beautiful 500 acre Mo Ranch in the Texas Hill Country! It’s a photograp ..read more

Hey friends! I am looking at what classes I should add next, and I would love to hear from YOU!  What are YOUR needs and interests?   We have a variety of classes already scheduled (click here), but your input can help us prioritize what we offer that best meets your needs in the months ahead. Some options to consider: Question: Want us to schedule Texas Hill Country Spring or Fall workshop retreats like we’ve done in previous years?  We need to know now, to line up the ranch where we host these fun workshops! Other Classes: More Photography 101 o ..read more

I have THOUSANDS of old Kodachrome 64 and Ektachrome slides and other negatives that I haven’t been able to look at for years. The dilemma of how to digitize them has always been what prevented me from taking on this daunting task. I have tried scanners built for this purpose, but unless you purchase a really high quality one (aka expensive), you won’t get great results. Plus the process is agonizingly slow and impractical if you have over 10,000 images to be scanned (my situation). And any services that do the scanning for you can be really expensive if you are digitizing this many images, pl ..read more

If you ever have a photo that has a little too much digital noise or wasn’t quite sharp enough, Topaz Photo AI has the solution for you! I continue to be a cheerleader for Topaz Labs! They make some great software! Topaz Photo AI has the combined ability of using AI technology to remove digital noise and increase sharpness in your photos! Topaz Photo AI is a tool I find very useful. It isn’t perfect for every image, but you can make adjustments on how much noise reduction or sharpening you want it to do. I am so totally impressed. Here’s an example image: Shot at ISO 4000, this image has a bit ..read more

This one small tip has big consequences! Keep the front of your lens clean (or if you have a filter on the front, keep THAT clean)! This is especially important when you point your camera toward the sun, as this can cause distracting flare and highlights or dark fuzzy spots. I use a lens pen to keep the front of my lens clean. There are different varieties of these on the market, but they all work basically the same way. They are very effective and safe to use on all lenses, plus they are compact and portable. I always have one in my camera bag! The post Keeping your lens clean appeared firs ..read more

One camera feature that is sometimes overlooked by photographers is Auto ISO! This is a mode where the ISO setting is adjusted by your camera to a setting that the camera predicts as a useful choice without you having to manually adjust the ISO all the time. This is an especially perfect option when shooting handheld. When your camera is in Aperture Priority Exposure Mode, the camera is “thinking” about what ISO would be right to ensure the shutter speed is fast enough for handheld photography, minimizing the effect of motion blur caused by hand movement. It also takes into account the focal l ..read more

Many of you are familiar with the classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Lots of people watch it during the holidays each year. If you remember in the final scene, George Bailey reads this note left for him by Clarence the angel: I have never really sought to grow my business by seeking popularity or fame or slick marketing or any of the other ways that are mostly considered “best practices” for success as a professional photographer. Instead, I have simply strived toward excellence in my photography and in teaching others, but really more than anything else, my business is about the people I ..read more

We are down to our final shopping week for Christmas. Check out my website for a wide range of upcoming photography classes, AND if you register soon, you can take advantage of some great early registration discounts! CLICK HERE to learn about our upcoming classes! Student Comment: “For years I have wanted to take a photography class, but was reluctant because I thought it would be too overwhelming and didn’t have the confidence to do it. Kevin is very thorough and made me feel very comfortable about asking any questions I had. I am so glad I finally decided to take a class and came acros ..read more

We had a great time on our Rocky Mountain Fall Photography Workshop! Here are a few photos from our adventures. Our 2023 Rocky Mountain Summer and Fall Photography Workshops are already SOLD OUT, but let us know if you’d like to be added to the waiting list in case there is a cancellation ..read more