Photography Life

Just yesterday—for the second time in a short time—I managed to leave my neutral density filters at home by accident. Let’s set aside what this says about the state of my absentmindedness! Photographically, instead of simulating the ND filter through image averaging, I decided to try something else: taking the drone out of my backpack, for which I fortunately remembered the ND filters this time.

Often, new camera gear is thought of as something we choose in order to expand our possibilities as photographers. Faster cameras, more megapixels, machine-learning denoising, and sturdier tripods all seem to only bring benefits. But the situation is not so simple, because buying and reading about new gear has quite a few hidden downsides. I’ll tell you about four of them in this article, and it could help you rethink your next purchase.

With a digital camera, it doesn’t cost a cent to press the shutter. And, as is often the case with a free and unlimited resource, our prehistoric hunter-gatherer genes take over and the memory card soon overflows with thousands of photos. The joy and excitement of taking pictures is then replaced by the tedious task of sorting and culling on the computer. But as I’ll show you, Nikon DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have a number of tools that make this situation a little easier.

In today’s article, I’ll be reviewing the Leofoto Ranger LS-325C Carbon Fiber Compact Tripod. I chose this tripod carefully to balance my needs, and now I’ve used it for nearly a year in various conditions. How has it held up?

It doesn’t matter whether you live in Nebraska, Mongolia, or like me, in the Czech Republic. These places, far from the nearest sea, would be biologically poor and dull without the beneficial influence of islands. The immense biodiversity of this planet is fundamentally dependent on their existence. Without exaggeration, it can be said that islands are the true cradle of evolution.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so nervous rock climbing as I did this week. The reason wasn’t really the thirty meters of air below my feet as I hung on the rope, photographing climbers beneath me. The shiver running down my spine had more to do with the camera I was shooting with and the fact that I was responsible for it “with my life.” I have to admit, I breathed a big sigh of relief when I finally rappelled back to the ground with the Leica SL3 still safely in my hands. You’ll soon be able to read my full thoughts on shooting with this unusual camera. For now, let me share one photo from yesterday’s climb—and of course, the latest news from the world of photography.

It’s probably a strange time for me to start a big photo book project – I haven’t been able to do very much photography at all for the last few weeks, since I’ve been busy moving apartments! Not much time to take landscape photos along the way, unfortunately. But in another sense…

Adventure, discovering unknown landscapes and creatures, long journeys far beyond civilization. All of that belongs to wildlife photography as naturally as a fish belongs to water. But consider this: right now, some photographer might be on a plane to photograph the very animals that live in your backyard. And similarly, you might be planning a trip to their corner of the world to photograph species they find ordinary. So, is travel necessary for wildlife photography?

Hasselblad just announced the followup to their medium format X2D camera, the X2D II 100C. The new camera is an improvement in many ways, most notably the addition of continuous autofocus (AF-C) and the lower price. Hasselblad also announced a high-end 35-100mm f/2.8-4 E lens at an unexpected price. Here’s what you should know!

When I close my eyes, I imagine standing at the edge of a towering cliff somewhere high in the Andes. The sun is setting, painting the landscape in golden light. A perfect chance for a proper landscape photo, and yet I have a supertelephoto attached to my camera. So, I take the photo with my phone instead. These are exactly the moments when having a smaller camera in your pocket would come in handy. Maybe a Ricoh GR III, like I carried on my spring trip to Spain. Or better yet, the new GR IV?