Podcast: Embed
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In this episode, Jim talks photography for most of the episode, but at the start of the episode he announces Income School, a new website (and podcast!) that he has spent the last several months creating. Income School teaches how Jim earns a living online while working for home blogging and podcasting about what he loves–photography. So if you're interest in starting a blog or earning a living at home, check it out!
What's in this episode
- How do you get a landscape in focus when you have a foreground element close to the camera and a background far in the distance?
- How to pack camera gear for backpacking and you want to have gear accessible but are hiking.
- What focal length is ideal for shooting the moon
- How high or low your tripod should be for shooting landscapes
- and more!
Resources mentioned in this episode
- Jim's doodad of the week: Okay, this one is only tangentially related to photography. It's aText for the Mac, which is a text expanding program that helps Jim's productivity.
- Income School, a new website and podcast about blogging and podcasting to earn a living from home.
- How to connect a camera to an iPad wirelessly using an eye-fi memory card.
- Join the Improve Photography Travel Group specific to the Oregon trip here, or join the group for the Iceland trip here. Photography workshops are really expensive, so I'm going on these trips with readers of Improve Photography all around the world to give you a workshop-like experience for free! It doesn't cost anything to go on a trip with the travel group–just pay for your own travel expenses and come join us.
- Submit Questions for the Podcast
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Great podcast, Jim!! I LOVE doing nature photography and can’t wait to begin incorporating some of the great advice heard in this episode when I am officially retired in two short weeks. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise!!
I was very disappointed in your comments about the Micro Four Thirds range of cameras. I’ve gone from shooting a Canon 7D to an Olympus OMD-EM5. I would but up it’s featurie and capabilities against all but the very top of the line DSLRs. True, I don’t have the range of lenses available, yet. For anything but action photos MFT cameras can take on the big boys.
I really enjoy your podcast and website, but I think maybe a trip around the web or to B&H might be in order!
I was very interested in the listeners question about carry camera gear while hiking. As an adult scout leader, I have gone on many backpacking, canoeing, mountain biking and skiing trips with the troop and have researched and tried many different ways of carrying my DSLR so that it’s protected, but quickly accessible. The best solution I have found is a chest camera bag that I wear in front, with straps going around my back to keep it from moving around. My current favorite bag is from Dakine, but I have also used others from MROCK and ThnkTank. These are all top loading bags designed to be worn in front. They are just big enough to hold a DSLR with a telephoto lens attached. These bags offer great protection from dust, sweat, rain (with a rain cover), etc., and provide quick access to your camera without the need to slow down or stop to dig out your camera.
With my camera in the chest bag, I can use a conventional backpack for food, water, rain gear, extra lens, etc. I will also usually attach a pouch to one of my backpack straps in front to store spare batteries, memory cards, wipes, etc. Then I can also use the backpack waist belt to carry an additional lens, etc. I have found this system to work really well for me and it has allowed me to capture great photos of our scouts in action.
I disagree with your comments about tilt-shift, Jim. As landscapes are your specialty, I have long been curious to hear your thoughts on TS lenses. (I shoot with the Canon TS 24mm.) Of course you’re right that TS lenses add a “level of complexity,” and sure, that is a valid reason to steer people away from them…unless you’re simultaneously recommending focus-stacking. Talk about adding a level of complexity!
I’m not against focus-stacking. It’s a perfectly valid way to accomplish deep focus. But it seems bizarre to imply that focus-stacking is simpler than learning to use a TS. Equipment versus software: different people will find one easier than the other. Moreover, once you invest the effort to learn TS—and like flash, it isn’t actually all that difficult once you wade in—there are all kinds of creative things you can do with it. Yes, the toy effect, but there’s much more. I recommend “The Tilt-Shift Lens Advantage” by Darwin Wiggett and Samantha Chrysanthou. It’s a great ebook. (I’m not affiliated. I bought the book after finding it via Google.)
More generally, I’d suggest this gets at an issue you’re going to encounter increasingly with your podcast. Many of us have been listening a long time and, due in part to your help, we are improved photographers. Accordingly, we are looking for bigger challenges. If your podcast were still in its first month, then sure, steer us away from TS. But we’ve been working together awhile. We’re game.
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