Receiving the e-mail from Richard Photo Lab that “Your Order is Ready!” is pretty exciting. It was like Christmas morning, wondering what presents await. Yesterday, I received my negatives and prints I ordered from the first rolls. I wasn’t planning to order prints every time, but I wanted to see how they would look, and I’m glad I did. There is something really special about holding a printed image, and it was even more beautiful than the scans! I see photographers post it again and again, but it bears repeating. Print your images! Rarely do people look through their hard drives when reminiscing, but there is a simple joy…
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This week, I began “A Travel Story with Kevin Miyazaki,” an online course in travel photography hosted by Jessica Kaminski’s JsKool and featuring the talents of Kevin Miyazaki, a well-regarded professional photographer who has traveled the world shooting for publications such as Conde Nast Traveler, Martha Stewart Living, and The New York Times. Atop this post is part of our first assignment, one of three each week during this month-long class. So, I will be a bit busy over the next month, but I hope to learn better storytelling through photography, and I’ll post up some more shots once the class is completed. In the interim, enjoy these outstanding travel…
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This edition of “What’s in My Bag?” is our post-trip report on the camera gear we used for our trip to Eleuthera and Harbour Island in the Bahamas. I’m changing up the gear I use the more trips we take. Let’s take a look to see what was worth the effort, and what just ended up being dead weight. I still love my Think Tank Airport AirStream roller bag, and I can’t think of a better bag for the job. Once again, we encountered a small plane (this time from Miami to North Eleuthera), and all roller bags had to be checked. As is my practice, I put my primary camera body…
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After our trip every year, I look back and try to work on something for next year – – developing better technique, buying better gear, trying new things. This year, I’m trying an old thing – – film. My first “real” camera was a Canon Elan II, a gift from my husband when our children were young. I moved up to a Canon Elan 7n, and resisted moving to digital. I finally took the plunge into digital in 2007 with the purchase of a Canon 40D. Luckily, all of these cameras, and my current camera, a Canon 5D Mark II, use the same lenses, so I was able to move…
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I have had the fortune to live in a relatively small community with a wealth of photographic talent. When you think of great photography, Milwaukee probably isn’t the first city to come to mind, but I am constantly impressed by the level of professionalism and skill we have locally. You can share in the wealth by participating in a wonderful class sponsored by Milwaukee’s own JsKool. JsKool is the creation of Jessica Kaminski, an amazing local photographer who, in addition to professional shoots and exhibits, hosts classroom and online education in her JsKool. The class I am so excited about is entitled “A Travel Story with Kevin J. Miyazaki.” Kevin…
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Join us for the 9th Annual Coalition of Photographic Arts (CoPA) Members’ Exhibition! CoPA is an organization of photographers, ranging from long-time professionals to novice hobbyists. Founded in 2004, the organization’s mission is to “develop appreciation, promote growth and support the creation of photographic arts in the Greater Milwaukee Region.” The group hosts monthly meetings, oftentimes featuring guest speakers, to address issues important to the photographic community. Aside from the serious stuff, it’s a great way to meet some really nice people. For more information on CoPA, read here, and consider becoming a member. Annual memberships for students are $25 and are $55 for the big kids. Members have the…
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Taste of the Caribbean takes us to Harbour Island in the Bahamas, a short 10-minute boat ride from the northern end of Eleuthera. This island known best for the famous Pink Sand Beach on its eastern shore, is also home to some fantastic restaurants, including Sip Sip, known for cocktails and gossip, “sip sip,” but also for delicious food by chef Julie Lightbourn. The spicy conch chili can be found on the menu every day at Sip Sip, but don’t come for dinner. Sip Sip is open for lunch only, and is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so plan ahead. It should not be missed. For more on our trip to…
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If you read our posts on Eleuthera, you can tell that we loved the pink sand. I had seen many photos of French Leave Beach and Harbour Island before our visit and some looked a bit unreal – – almost a cotton candy hue. I suspected that many of these images are the result of a heavy hand on the saturation slider in the photographer’s post-processing. Often we take a photo, and are frustrated in that it did not capture the color that well. We snap a shot, and the beach looks white or beige, not what we saw at the time. Is that sand really pink? To see…
