What do you do when you lose photos from your memory cards?
Category Archives: General
Warning! Fake Memory Cards at Amazon
Memory Cards in Think Tank Memory Card Holders
Fake memory cards have been a problem at Amazon for several years. The biggest problem with fake cards is card failure and the permanent loss of the photos on the card. Just think about how you would feel if you lost precious, once in a lifetime photos on your memory card. And to make matters worse, you find out data recovery software can’t recover the lost photos from a fake memory card. They are gone forever. Continue reading
Total Immersion Nature Photography Weekend in Beautiful Northern Michigan
UPDATE, June 3: Due to a last minute cancellation we have one slot open this weekend. This is your chance to register. Go here.
Are you ready to take your nature and wildlife photography to the next level? Are you ready to learn the professional secrets that make the difference between good images and great images? Are you ready for a high intensity, action packed, total immersion photography weekend? Come to Park of the Pines on beautiful Lake Charlevoix June 8-10, 2018.
How Many Identities Can One Man Have Before You Get Suspicious? Would You Believe 17?
Either this guy is one of the the busiest and most talented men on the planet or something is very suspicious. I found 17 different identities for this guy that are fit to share in this article (and some that aren’t).
Posted July 10, 2016. Revised and re-posted June 3, 2018.
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part Two
You order a set of lenses expecting to pay $29. Your credit card gets charged several times that amount and you get socked with an outrageous $85.00 shipping charge. You find out later you could buy the same lenses at Amazon for less than $10. You’ve been ripped off.
Posted Aug. 9, 2016. Updated Dec. 2, 2017. Revised and re-posted June 2, 2018.
The Chinese Lens Rip Off! Part One
After reading a glowing review you order a set of smart phone lenses and you are billed over $100. You get socked with an additional $85 shipping charge (the ad said shipping was free). Then you find out you could have bought the same lenses for less than $10. To add insult to injury you discover the great review was from a fake review site and the quality of the lenses is disappointing. You’ve been ripped off.
Memorial Day
U.S. Flags at Sunset, Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni, Iowa
From Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865.
In Remembrance
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Washington D.C. Click for a larger version.
Richard Duane Klug (the name just above the rose) was born January 26, 1946. He died in Darlac Province, Vietnam, November 14, 1967 at the age of 21. He is one of over 58,000 American soldiers that died in Vietnam, and one of over 1.1 million American soldiers that have died in all American wars (almost half of them in the Civil War). It is with a profound sense of gratitude that I reflect on the lives of those who “gave the last full measure of devotion” on behalf of their country.
Video: Every Person has Infinite Worth, Kent Hoffman, TEDx Spokane
This 20 minute video is not about photography. It is about you and your value as a human being.
Video: Into the Wild with Thomas D. Mangelsen
“Catch of the Day”, © Thomas D. Mangelsen
Tom Mangelsen is a world class wildlife photographer. His image Catch of the Day has been called the most famous wildlife image of all time. His book Images of Nature has pride of place in my photography library. In this 12 minute video at 60 Minutes you go out into the field with Mangelsen and Anderson Cooper.
Photo Gallery: Graceland University Choirs
Gallery
This gallery contains 28 photos.
The Graceland University Choirs in Concert. Grove City Community of Christ, Ohio. Click any photo to view the individual images.
Total Immersion Photo Safari in Gorgeous Southwest Colorado
Southwest Colorado in the Fall.
Come spend four exciting days on a total immersion photo safari in beautiful southwest Colorado. Colorado is magnificent in the fall as the aspen turn gold. The safari is September 27-30, 2019. Registration is limited and this photo safari is filling up. Detail are here.
How To Use a Kaidan KiWi-L Panorama Adapter
Camera and lens mounted on a Kaidan KiWi-L panorama rig.
If you are looking for an excellent, inexpensive panorama adapter, the Kaidan Kiwi-L is an excellent choice. It has been discontinued which means you can find it for around $30 – $40 on eBay and other sites that sell used camera gear.
Your Camera Does NOT Capture Reality! (and what to do about it)
O’Haver Lake, Mt. Ouray, Colorado.
You have heard it said a lot, and maybe said it yourself: “This picture doesn’t do the scene justice.” That is often true and for several reasons. One is that digital cameras do not capture reality. No matter how fancy or expensive, digital cameras simply do not capture what your eyes see. That is also true with film cameras. All color photographic films have different color characteristics. Some have better reds, others have better greens or blues. Some are more saturated and others less saturated. But none of them are totally color realistic. So why don’t digital cameras give you realistic images and what can you do about it?
Originally posted December 16, 2015. Revised, expanded, and re-posted May 4, 2018. Updated October 31, 2018.
Video: Ansel Adams, Master Photographer (BBC)
Ansel Adams, BBC Master Photographer Series (1983).
Video: The Story Behind Ansel Adams’ “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico”
“Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” is probably Ansel Adams’ most famous image. This YouTube video is by Swann Auction Galleries.
The Ansel Adams Series
Ansel Adams. Photo © Yousuf Karsh. Used with permission.
Ansel Adams is the best known American landscape photographer and he has had a profound influence on a lot of photographers. Many of his images have become icons of the American west. He is one of my favorite photographers and I periodically dive into one of his books for inspiration. I have written several articles about Ansel Adams plus articles inspired by the concepts he taught. There are several YouTube videos, including an excellent full length documentary by PBS. The links follow.
Most recent update, February 1, 2021.
The “Monkey Selfie” Copyright Case is Over, Court Rejects PETA’s Claim
Naruto, Photo by David Slater
The Monkey Selfie copyright case case is finally over. In 2011, Naruto, a crested macaque, took David Slater’s camera and took several selfies. In 2015, PETA filed a suit claiming Naruto owned the copyright to the photos, not Slater. The 9th Circuit found in favor of Slater. Continue reading
Happy Birthday, John Muir!
John Muir
John Muir was born April 21, 1838. He had a profound influence on how Americans viewed our wild lands and his influence led to the establishment of many of our National Parks and other protected lands. He was nicknamed The Father of our National Parks. Most of our parks are closed due to the coronavirus so make plans to visit sometime in the future.
Here are photos from some of my favorite National Parks along with quotes from John Muir.
The Best National Parks to Photograph in Spring
Ocotillo. Big Bend National Park, Texas.
Believe it or not, spring has finally arrived in areas of the country that were dealing with a lingering winter. Which national parks are at their photographic best in the spring? Here are my choices, grouped by state from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to and want to go back to again, plus the ones I haven’t seen and most want to photograph. Don’t forget, this is national parks week and many of our national parks are having special activities all week long.
National Park Week (and Fee Free Day), April 21-29, 2018
National Parks Collage. Click for a larger version.
April 21-29 is National Park Week and April 21 is a fee free day! The National Park Service is partnering with the National Park Foundation to celebrate our national parks. It is time to head to one of our national parks.
Free David Muench Photography eBook!
Photo by David Muench.
You can get a free 122 page photography ebook if you subscribe to the Muench Workshops newsletter (the newsletter is also free). David Muench is a world class photographer. His work has inspired me for years.
How to Be A Better Wildlife and Nature Photographer
Great Egret. Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Fremont, California.
When I posted this photo on one of my Facebook pages, a friend posted this happy comment:
“I LOVE this egret photo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at the right wing trailing in the water. How DO you capture these?!”
Good question.
My Two Favorite Introductions to Landscape Photography
My two favorite introductions to landscape photography.
How to Photograph Landscapes by Joseph Lange and Digital Landscape Photography by John and Barbara Gerlach are my favorite introductions to landscape photography.
David Muench Picks His Favorite National Parks
Sunset, “The Window”, Big Bend National Park, Texas.
David Muench is a world class landscape photographer. So when he recommends his favorite national parks, I pay attention.
Winter Photography Hot Spots
Last Light on El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California.
I know, April seems like an odd time of year to write an article on winter photography hot spots. But I was going through old photography magazines before consigning them to the recycling bin and found a great article on winter photography hot spots.
Posted April 3, 2018. Updated April 9, 2018.
Finding Wildlife
Wildlife Location Guides
Looking for wildlife this year? If you want to photograph wildlife you need to find wildlife. A good wildlife location guide can send you to the right places and save you hours or days of frustration looking in all the wrong places.
Same Location, Dramatically Different Images
Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park. Photo © Sue Anne Hodges.
I came across an article on the prettiest drives in America. One of the photos that jumped out at me is this excellent photo of appropriately named “Thunder Hole”. Kudos to Sue Anne Hodges for this image (and my thanks to her for permission to use this image in this article). It is filled with action, intensity, and drama. You can feel what it would be like to get drenched if you were at the end of the observation area.
How Long Will Your Photo Lab Prints Last Without Fading?
Estimated Print Life from Wilhelm Imaging Research
Would you rather pay more money for a print that will fade in as little as 5 or 6 years, or would you rather pay less money for a better print that will last up to 50 years? People pay more money for prints with a short life expectancy all the time. Why? Because they don’t have the right information, and they may have no idea that prints have such widely different life spans.
Photos and Stories That Move Me: “The White Rose”
Hans (left) and Sophie Scholl with Cristoph Probst (right), leaders of “The White Rose” resistance movement. Munich Germany, July 1942.
Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie were part of “The White Rose”, a group that opposed Hitler and the Nazi party. Hans served as a medic on the Eastern (Russian) front from late July to October 1942. One month later, 300,000 Germans were trapped in Stalingrad and only 5,000 returned to Germany. . . .