Posted on August 11, 2015, 11:29 am, by QT Luong, under
Books.
Summary: A survey of more than ten of Galen Rowell’s books, representative of the whole arc of his career, by a photographer he deeply inspired. Galen Rowell (1940-2002) was a man of many considerable talents who touched several universes: one of the world’s most accomplished climbers and adventurers, a prolific author, an advocate for conservation […]
Posted on July 31, 2015, 6:59 pm, by QT Luong, under
Gear.
A particular equipment challenge occurs when you are photographing mostly above water, but you may be briefly drenched or submerged in water. To address a range of needs, I review four camera systems that I’ve used in those situations, in increasing order of complexity, cost, and image quality. Updated in 2024 with more options, some […]
Posted on June 17, 2015, 10:36 pm, by QT Luong, under
Gear.
GPS can be a very useful tool for a photographer to reach locations and keep track of them. After finding out about the value of having a GPS app on my iPhone during a close call in the desert, I researched carefully many GPS apps. In this post, I survey the 8 most useful apps […]
Posted on May 6, 2015, 9:57 pm, by QT Luong, under
Resources.
Amazon recently made a splash in the cloud storage space by offering a plan that looks irresistible for photographers: unlimited photo storage including RAW files support for just $1 a month. In this post, I evaluate the service, expose its shortcomings, investigate possible workarounds, and suggest alternative ways to backup your photos. Backups are not […]
Posted on March 12, 2015, 10:13 am, by QT Luong, under
Gear.
Night photography requires the right tools, chief amongst them lights. After trying many, I’ve settled on a diverse arsenal of lights. The capabilities of some of them will surprise you. In this post, I will point out to a number of inexpensive high performance items that I use and can help enhance your long-exposure night […]
Posted on March 27, 2013, 11:00 am, by QT Luong, under
Books.
After Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter, the third pillar of conservation photography in the 20th century was Philip Hyde (1921-2006). In fact, it can be argued that Philip Hyde was more instrumental in this role than his two more famous counterparts, and that it was precisely for that reason that he is less known. A […]
Posted on October 29, 2012, 9:41 am, by QT Luong, under
Gear.
This is a review of the Nikon 14-24 f/2.8 lens from the point of view of a Canon user. However, Nikon users will find the sections about filters and focus shift of interest as well. Canon has many great lens offerings, but their area of weakness has long been the wide-angles. Both the two Canon […]
Posted on September 12, 2012, 11:12 am, by QT Luong, under
Books.
Eliot Porter was to color photography what Ansel Adams was to black-and-white. The jacket flap of one his books published in 1970 simply stated “Eliot Porter is recognized as the finest color photographer alive today”. It can be argued that Porter was not only the first color nature photographer, but also the first major artist […]
Posted on August 16, 2012, 2:12 pm, by QT Luong, under
Books.
Some photographers are known only for their photographs. Ansel Adams was a public figure who enjoyed the spotlight, and used it as a passionate advocate for the things he believed in, photography and environmentalism. A teacher, prolific and talented writer, Adams left us with an unusually large set of writings which gives us a deep […]
Posted on July 27, 2012, 6:19 pm, by QT Luong, under
Books.
Using his technical mastery in the darkroom to create distinctively beautiful prints, Ansel Adams considered print quality to be the hallmark of his work. However, Adams also developed early in his career a great familiarity with other forms of photographic reproductions, working diligently with publishers to create books that would meet his standards. Not only […]
