Posts by David Swindler
Making an Image, Not Just Taking an Image
In this inaugural episode of the Images in Focus Photography Show, Juan Pons and David Swindler discuss the thought process behind making great photos. Topics include choosing your composition, defining the background, how to tell a story, and what kind of shot settings you should use! Learn how to plan your shots before you ever…
Read MorePreparing Images For Print
You’ve put so much time and effort into it – traveling to distant locations, going out early and late in the day, and finally capturing those perfect conditions! Returning home, you spent hours post-processing your favorite images and now you have a final product you are proud of. What’s the next step? It seems so…
Read MoreSequator Procedure (PC)
To help reduce noise in high ISO shots, stacking is becoming a popular option for astro-photographers. First, you must take a number of shots back-to-back with as little delay between them as possible. This means you won’t want any kind of 2-second delay or long exposure noise reduction turned on. Second, you’ll take anywhere from…
Read MoreStarry Landscape Stacker Procedure (Mac)
To help reduce noise in high ISO shots, stacking is becoming a popular option for astro-photographers. First, you must take a number of shots back-to-back with as little delay between them as possible. This means you won’t want any kind of 2-second delay or long exposure noise reduction turned on. Second, you’ll take anywhere from…
Read MoreLong Exposure Noise Reduction
Long Exposure Noise Reduction is a feature we talk a lot about on our night shooting workshops. Most photographers don’t have a clear idea what this function does or why it is necessary. In this article, we’ll explain what is Long Exposure Noise Reduction (LENR), when and where you should use it, and then compare…
Read MorePhotographing Lightning
Photographing lightning is one of the most exhilarating things you can do as a landscape photographer! Chasing storms will really get your adrenaline pumping and Mother Nature’s light show can be mesmerizing. But lightning is also dangerous, so safety is a primary concern. In this article we’ll discuss the safety concerns along with techniques for…
Read MoreToroweap: Past and Present
Toroweap is a secluded section of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon that you can visit using a high clearance vehicle. It offers a more dramatic view of the Colorado River than the more popular and accessible sections of the park. Upon reaching the edge of the canyon, you can look straight down and…
Read MoreSouthern Utah Fall Colors
Southern Utah Fall Colors produce intense shades of reds, oranges, and yellows are the perfect compliment to the desert scenery. Unlike other areas, the fall season here is very long – nearly 2 months in total! The leaves begin to change first in the highest elevations and eventually the color makes it’s way down to…
Read MorePhotographing Slot Canyons
What comes to mind when you think of slot canyons? If you’re like most people, you’ll envision that perfect beam of light coming down into Antelope Canyon. But most people don’t realize that slot canyons come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are mossy green and verdant. Others boast bold, colorful stripes in…
Read MoreHow to Master Long Exposures
I like long exposures since they show a view of the world we can’t see or appreciate with our own eyes. It’s one of the few forms of photography where the image on the camera can look better than the scene does in person! The image above is a geyser shot from a tall vantage…
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