This past month I had a great time out on the Racetrack in Death Valley. I took a group of clients out for some night photography under a pitch black sky… oh and of course to take classic photos of the Racetrack as well. (Highlight photos to be shared this week so stay tuned.) Being in a star trails kind of mood I didn’t make it long into my drive to Death Valley from San Francisco without the itch to pul

One of the greatest features of digital photography is the automatic recording of exposure information in the EXIF data of each photo. Unfortunately back in the day film photographers lacked this luxury and had to meticulously record exposure information for any and all photos they wanted to take note of. If you weren’t a good note taker then your exposure information was lost or left to your fading memory. Thi

There is a lot to be said for immersing yourself in Nature. In this day and age it is just too easy to lose yourself in the day-to-day of life. Ironically life out side of our day-to-day routine is the real world and we have to remind ourselves to visit it. Once you step out to see the world without distraction you can’t help but bond with the land, sea and stars. It is… liberating, in the truest sense. (

Photography tools are no longer just confined to what is in your camera bag. One of the most important tools I use in my photo shoots is my mobile phone, home to numerous reference and feature rich applications. Being able to reference and use the following applications for my adventures in night photography has made it easier for me to plan photo logistics and successfully capture  high impact photography. If you do

One of the most attractive features of Death Valley is it’s very graphical landscape. By day you’d likely miss the details that make Death Valley so attractive photographically, but just as the sun rises or sets it all becomes clear. Zabriskie Point is one of the most famous and popular lookouts to witness this transformation.  Famous as a sunrise location the eroded mountains pick up color and contrast.

The desert always brings time in to focus when I visit. Desert features are formed at such a slow pace that it is tough to imagine. Some features of the desert take decades, centuries and even millennia to form. With this in mind it’s always a treat to arrive and see something that is fleeting not just in relation to my visit, but to the larger span of geological time. Knowing that the formations I photograph t

And now for something completely different. Thanks to Borrowlenses.com I made use of Canon’s new 8-15mm zoom fisheye lens. In some weird way I really fell in love with the 8mm focal length that has 180º field of view. What you’re seeing in this photo is a view straight up. Within the circle is every star in the sky visible at this one moment and the band of stars seen from the upper left corner down to th

It’s good to be back from Death Valley National Park. I was fortunate on many fronts while in Death Valley National Park. The members of my Racetrack photo tour were great, we had unbelievable light and incredibly clear skies to enjoy every star in the sky! Weather conditions were unseasonably cold with temperatures dipping down below 26F, but that didn’t slow us down. Conditions at Badwater this trip wer