Yet another God-forsaken photography blog.
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Hanging with the Pelican – A study in “working” the shot
Stupid bird kept moving his head! There were a lot of variables to keep track of. There was heavy wind and the woman's hair was blowing all over the place. Also, the pelican was moving its head all over the place and when a pelican is looking sideways, you have a shot. When a pelican is looking away or directly at you its narrow head disappears into its neck and you lose your shot.
February 25, 2018/No comment
Moving Violation: Capturing a Speedboat Crash – Photo of the Year
Well, this was a first for me. I was photographing pelicans, fishermen, and tourists (in that order) on the Fourth of July weekend in Santa Barbara, when I stumbled upon a boat crash about to happen, caught the entire incident as it unfolded, and became an unwitting witness in the ensuing civil case.
February 23, 2018/No comment
The Ambulant Photographer 2017 Year in Review
2017 was a very busy year. Photography is not my main gig and I was heavily focused last year on growing certain aspects of my business to run themselves a bit more independently which should afford me some more free time to do things like run around the world making photographs.
February 21, 2018/No comment
Hands-On with the Meike 28mm XF Lens for Fujifilm Cameras
Straight talk: I absolutely love this lens. For $81, this little 28mm f/2.8 brings a lot to love. TEASER: I recommend this over Fuji's 27mm f/2.8 any day.
July 24, 2017/2 Comments
Hands On with the Meike 50mm XF Lens for Fujifilm Cameras
For $89, this little 50mm is a lot to love. Compact, light, sharp & fast, it's a very discreet and capable street lens, but its capability comes at a cost.
July 4, 2017/2 Comments
Hands On with the Fujifilm XF 18-55mm R LM OIS Zoom Lens
I don't like zooms. There, I said it. And having said it, this is my favorite zoom lens. If I do carry a zoom around it's this one. It's light, small, and solid. At no point does this little guy feel like a "kit" lens.
June 12, 2017/No comment
The Ambulant Photographer – Venice Beach, CA – June 2017
I love shooting in Santa Barbara. I truly do. And yet, there's not a whole lot going on here outside of retail shopping and watersports. I've reached the point where my close friends are starting to make fun of me over my every growing -- and very respectable -- library of California Brown Pelican images. They're great, but it does get old shooting in your backyard everyday. Once you've covered all of the landmarks and monuments you really do start to pine for something outside of the norm.
June 11, 2017/No comment
A Stunning Contrast in Venice Beach, CA
As a steadfast and general rule, I do not shoot the homeless. While some people can pull this off very well, much of what I've seen is largely exploitative or just a cheap-and-easy shot. The only times I have gone *there* is when I see an opportunity to serve a larger narrative. This time was different.
June 1, 2017/No comment
Prague Part 2 – Sandra the Fire Dancer
This is the 10th post in a series chronicling my photography project through Spain, France, Poland, & Prague. Sandra the Firedancer. This woman brought it.
February 21, 2017/No comment
Prague Part I – Charles Bridge & River Vltava
This is the 9th post in a series chronicling my photography project through Spain, France, Poland, & Czech Republic. Prague. Oh man.. What can I possibly say about Prague. This was my second time in this incredible city. This first post will focus on the Charles Bridge and the River Vltava.
February 20, 2017/No comment
Our One Day in Kraków
This is the 8th post in a series chronicling my photography project through Spain, France, Poland, & Czech Republic. I particularly fell in love with Kraków when I first visited the city in 2001, freshly engaged to Pausha and abroad for the first time in my life. Where the subject of Poland was concerned I was fascinated, and still am.
February 9, 2017/No comment
Hands On with the Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Lens
The Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Lens is at the same time one of my favorite lenses and one of my least-used lenses. I use it to "bring the drama" and I get close with it. Here's a look at why I love this lens and how I use it in my everyday work.
January 15, 2017/No comment
11 Photography Lessons 2016 Taught Me
All in all 2016 was one hell of a year. As I do at the top of each year, I’m currently ruminating on what I’ve learned, where I’ve grown, and where my growth has maybe been stopped or slowed. I’m not a big fan of listicles, but I’ve got one here for you anyway. What started out as a list of 3 or 4 items that I have learned over the year quickly Tribbled into a list of 11 items. Let’s dig in.
January 2, 2017/No comment
The ruins of Ogrodzieniec Castle, Poland
The ruins of Ogrodzieniec Castle, Poland: This is the 7th post in a series chronicling my photography project through Spain, France, Poland, & Czech Republic.
December 24, 2016/No comment
Auschwitz – Poland
This is the sixth post in a series chronicling my photography project through Spain, France, Poland, & Czech Republic. Oświęcim, Poland – A Trip into Auschwitz.
December 7, 2016/2 Comments
Katowice Poland – A Shining City with a Dirty History
This is the fifth post in a series chronicling my photography project through Spain, France, Poland, & Czech Republic. Katowice, a city with a dirty history cleans up its act.
October 16, 2016/No comment
That Time We Popped into France for Dinner
This is the fourth post in a series chronicling my photography project through Spain, France, Poland, & Czech Republic. We popped into France for Dinner.
July 30, 2016/No comment
Europe 2016 – First Stop – Barcelona (Image Gallery)
This is the third post in a series chronicling my 2016 summer photography project through Spain, France, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
July 5, 2016/No comment
Always Work Your Shot
“Working the Shot” is a pretty straightforward concept. It says that you you shouldn’t just run up to anything that catches your eye, photograph it and call it done. Instead, you should consider staying with whatever it was that caught your eye in the first place, and really explore that situation. Take multiple shots, move about the scene, explore a variety of angles and perspectives, allow something to unfold, and in short, fully document whatever it was that you observed and deemed worthy of committing to film, or memory card, or what have you.
June 30, 2016/2 Comments
Europe 2016 – Après nous le déluge
Kazdyn and I have participated in what was essentially a 19-day photography expedition. For me, a photo-walk normally runs 2-3 hours unless I travel 90 minutes to LA or some ...
June 7, 2016/2 Comments
Heading to Europe – What’s in my Bag?
I’m heading to Europe on May 19th for a 3-week long photowalk through some of my favorite cities. I’ll be moving through Barcelona, Cadaqués, and Figueres in Spain and will ...
May 15, 2016/6 Comments
3 Different Stories in Under 5 Seconds
I've been thinking a lot about storytelling lately and how much influence my preconceived notions can have on me finding what I seek when I'm out working the street, or more importantly, what effect my expectations have on me failing to find what I seek.
March 31, 2016/No comment
Don’t Leave the Camera at Home
Carry a camera with you, and make the best images you can with the tools you have. You won't get a second chance to make that once in a million image.
October 4, 2015/2 Comments
Fuji X-T1 First Impressions
I've had the Fuji X-T1 now for a few weeks and here's my first impression of working with this camera: Holy Shit -- Holy Shit -- Holy Shit! Okay, thanks for listening. I do realize that this isn't tremendously insightful (have I mentioned that I'm a really terrible product reviewer?) so I'll share my second impressions.
January 29, 2015/No comment
10 Photography Rules I Learned in 2014
2014 Was a very strange year for me, both personally and for my photography. I learned some things along the way, and I’ve put aside ten of those things here to share with you. I’d love to know if any of these things resonate with you at all. Keep in mind, these are not 10 universal rules of photography. Not by any means. They are 10 rules for me. Ten things that I’ve learned through the course of pounding my head against the wall over and over again while chasing my own muse. What’s interesting to me is that none of these 10 rules is technical in any way. They’re all process stuff, the feely stuff. The artist stuff.
January 25, 2015/2 Comments
The Big Switch – Canon full frame DSLR to Fuji Mirrorless
I’m more inspired than I’ve ever been before, I’m having more fun and truly I feel that I’m now doing my best work. I may just be in love.
January 2, 2015/No comment
The Little Camera that Changed My Mind – Fujifilm X-E2
While packing for a recent trip to NYC, I decided to leave my Full-Frame Canon 6D at home and bring instead only my Fujifilm X-E2 and a single "kit" lens, the excellent Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 medium zoom lens. I've been very apprehensive about investing in this system because until this trip I simply was not convinced that I could produce the same level of image quality from a smaller, "toyish" camera system.
November 15, 2014/3 Comments