I have updated my Lightroom workflow outline to include some of the newest settings of Lightroom 3. This outline includes guidelines I use for importing, editing, processing and exporting my images in Lightroom. Please post any questions you have about my Lightroom workflow on my Facebook and Twitter pages.
Click here to download the PDF version of my Lightroom Workflow.
In preparation for my upcoming Photo Plus Expo DSLR workshop I’ve updated my Canon 5DMarkII custom settings outline. Whether you are looking to optimize video or stills on the 5D Mark II, this pdf has everything you need to get your 5D up and running including notes on setting Picture Style and using Lightroom to develop images with specific Picture Style settings as well as more detailed sections on video and audio settings. I also talk about my settings for white balance, color space, speedlites, custom functions and more. As always if you have any questions feel free to post via Facebook or Twitter.
Click here to download the PDF version of my Canon 5D Mark II settings. I hope you find them useful!
The Canon Digital Learning Center has just released a four-part series on the making of my short documentary The Fall Line with sections on developing a story, Canon lenses, lighting and production tools and sound gear. I was very excited to team up with Canon to make this instructional series on shooting video and audio with Canon EOS cameras and lenses. Check out the videos on the Canon Digital Learning Center page by clicking here. Please post any questions you have about video and audio on my Facebook and Twitter pages as I will be providing more in-depth instructions and insights on shooting video with Canon cameras in future posts.
The Huffington Post writer Steven Crandell wrote up this article on my recent presentation at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. The article features clips from my Annenberg talk and my ongoing stills and video projects. Thanks to Steven Crandell for his time and interest in my work!
I am leading three exciting Canon workshops coming up this year for photographers of all levels in beautiful destinations in the West and New England. The first workshop will be coming up in April – see below for details and check out the Canon Digital Learning Center website for information.
My Moab workshop, “Arches National Park and Spectacular Cowboys”, will held on April 9-10. This action-packed workshop is in the heart of Utah’s canyon country. On Saturday we will explore the magnificent landscapes of Arches National Park, finding unique ways to capture the sandstone monoliths. On Sunday we will shoot action scenes and environmental portraits with authentic cowboys; if time permits we will explore a vineyard alongside the Colorado River. I will provide detailed classroom instruction before each shoot, and will share my secrets to capturing the elusive “dramatic moment.” The magnificent Red Cliffs Lodge is our base for the weekend, with a multimedia classroom, a vineyard, restaurant, and cabins alongside the Colorado River.
I will also be teaching a Canon workshop in Acadia National Park – “Acadia National Park: A Seaside Photography Adventure” – on the weekend of August 6-7. This is one of the most beautiful locations on the East Coast — after Saturday morning’s classroom instruction and gear handouts, we will explore coastal landscape images and lighthouse scenes through sunset. Get ready to make true fine art images for your wall! Sunday morning we will spend half a day shooting portraits and action shots of working lobsterman in pictureque Bass Harbor, with instruction emphasis on lighting, composition and getting the most from your models. We return to the classroom Sunday afternoon for Lightroom processing instruction and print making.
The third workshop will be in Aspen on September 24-25, at the height of the high-country foliage season. We will photograph the stunning Maroon Bells mountain range with shimmering yellow aspen trees; and also spend a day shooting cowboys on a cattle ranch. This workshop will be posted soon on the Canon Digital Learning Center website so check back for details soon.
I am honored to be speaking at The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, January 27 for the IRIS Nights Lecture Series. In this Canon-sponsored presentation, I will share behind-the-scenes stories of recent assignments, from exploring rare ice caves to covering the dangerous lives of underground coal miners. I will also screen my latest DSLR film projects, including flying with F-16 fighter pilots. Tickets for this event are available on the Annenberg website starting today, Wednesday, January 19 at 12 p.m. PT. The lectures sell out quickly so make sure to get your ticket early! For more information please click here.
I was very honored to have two images from my year-long project on F-16 fighter pilots recognized in the top 25 images of American Photo Magazine’s “Images of the Year” photo contest. My image of Staff Sergeant Joseph Imeraj (foreground) and Technical Sergeant Daniel Bateman of Colorado’s Air National Guard 120th Fighter Squadron returning from a tour in Iraq was the contest’s Photojournalist Runner-up. This is one of my favorite images, as it was an incredibly powerful experience witnessing 250 airmen welcomed home by a large crowd of loving family and friends. I was wiping tears away while shooting these airmen embracing their loved ones for the first time after a 60-day tour in Iraq. This image was made using a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III camera and a EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 1/25th sec, f/6.3, ISO 400.
The second image of an F-16 fighter pilot flying above two other fighter jets during a training flight in Colorado was the Personal Project Runner-up. I shot this image from the backseat of an F-16D fighter jet using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and a EF15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens at 1/200th sec, f/5.6, ISO 200.
The images were taken for an assignment on the fighter pilots of the 140th Wing at the Buckley Air Force base in Aurora, Colorado for the July 2010 issue of 5280 magazine.
I was very excited to hear that Southwest Airlines’ Spirit Magazine received four Pearl awards from the Custom Publishing Council for their June issue on former Marine Corps medic Jacob Hyde and his service dog Mya. I had the incredible opportunity to spend time with Jacob and Mya and photograph them for the touching piece “How Mya Saved Jacob.” The magazine won a gold award for best cover and best feature article (for another article in the issue) and silver for the feature article “How Mya Saved Jacob.” The issue also won a bronze award for best overall design award. The CPC created the award to honor excellence and success of custom publishers, namely magazines, web publishers and newsletters.
Many congrats to Spirit Magazine and to writer Kate Silver for her excellent piece on Jacob and Mya. To read the feature story “How Mya Saved Jacob” and see images from the issue, please click here.
Canon has been advertising this great new telephoto lens and I am very excited Canon decided to use a photo I shot this spring with the EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS II USM lens for their ad layout. This fire image was part of an ad campaign I shot for Polartec’s newest flame-resistant clothing. I was very impressed with the quality of this lens during the shoot – the lens helped draw in the intensity of the fire behind the subject and compress the scene. It also handled really well in the low light and extreme conditions on this shoot. This lens is now an essential on all of my photo shoots.
Photo taken with the Canon EOS-ID Mark IV and EF 7o-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, 1/160th sec at f/3.5, ISO 400.
Check out the latest issue of Southwest Airlines’ Spirit Magazine for my images of the pilots of the 140th Wing of the Colorado Air National Guard. In addition to flying F-16s, many of these amazing pilots also work as commercial pilots for airlines such as Southwest. Please click here to view images from the magazine.
The cover of Cabela’s latest fly fishing catalog features my image of fly fishing guide Glenn Melus casting in Maroon Lake. We shot on a beautiful fall day at the lake near Aspen, Colorado and the whole crew donned waders in order to shoot at this spot in front of the Sievers Mountain Range. With the sun hitting Glenn on his right side, we added a large reflector behind Glenn to rake light on the left side of his face. I varied the compositions by using a Ewa-Marine underwater casing and shooting some images partially underwater. A big thank-you to Jason Brazda from Cabela’s for his art direction on location.
Image details: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, f/7.1, 1/640, ISO 400.
I’m excited to head to New York next week for the Photo Plus Expo. I have a great line-up of seminars, listed below. I hope to see you all at PPE!
Thursday October 28:
11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Canon rear stage:
Live Speedlite Demo!
Working with models and real-world light, Tyler will demonstrate, 1-, 2- and 3-light setups to get the most from today’s small and powerful Canon Speedlites. Free and open to the public.
1:15 to 3:15 p.m. in the seminar halls:
DSLR Motion: Shooting Powerful Multimedia Projects
Making the leap from stills to DSLR video is a big transition—learn how to maximize your learning curve as well as your earning potential in this not to be missed seminar. Award-winning photographer and filmmaker Tyler Stableford reveals the essential elements of DSLR capture, storytelling, editing and marketing. Stableford, one of Canon’s Explorers of Light, will share his latest DSLR film projects, along with detailed behind-the-scenes discussions. Sponsored by Canon; register online at www.photoplusexpo.com
Friday October 29:
10:15 to 10:45 a.m. at the Manfrotto booth:
High Adventure: Behind The Scenes And In The Air With F-16 Fighter Pilots
Free and open to the public.
1:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the Canon rear stage:
Live Speedlite Demo!
Working with models and real-world light, Tyler will demonstrate, 1-, 2- and 3-light setups to get the most from today’s small and powerful Canon Speedlites. Free and open to the public.
3:45 to 5:45 p.m. in the seminar halls:
Adobe Lightroom 3: Processing For A Professional Look
Shooting in variable outdoor light poses significant challenges to photographers. In this detailed seminar, award-winning adventure photographer Tyler Stableford shares his Lightroom processing secrets to give your images a polished, world-class look. Tyler will discuss both basic and advanced workflows for photographers looking to create exceptional color and black-and-white images. Sponsored by Adobe; register online at www.photoplusexpo.com
Saturday October 30:
12:15 to 1 p.m. at the Canon main stage:
DSLR Video Showcase
DSLR video showcase of flying with F-16 Fighter Pilots, and a special screening of Tyler’s award-winning short film The Fall Line. Free and open to the public.
The Fall Line has been selected to screen at the prestigious Banff Mountain Film Festival on November 6 and 7. I am honored to share Heath Calhoun’s story at this festival – the top of the outdoor film festivals – and this screening will be the Canadian premiere. The film will be screening at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 7 at the Eric Harvie Theatre and Margaret Greenham Theatre at the Banff Centre (see the complete schedule here).
The film is a moving documentary on 101st Airborne Ranger Heath Calhoun’s tortuous recovery after losing his legs in a grenade blast in Iraq. Calhoun discovers an innate talent for ski racing on the ski slopes of Aspen, Colorado and earns a coveted chance to represent his country again — as an athlete on the 2010 Paralympic ski team. To see a trailer of the film, please visit my website.
I am very grateful for all of the people I worked with for this film and want to especially applaud the efforts of organizations and events like the Paralympics working to get people with disabilities back on their feet, and in Heath’s case, on a sit-ski. Please visit www.paralympic.org to see these amazing sports events happening all over the world.
The dirt and sawdust came out for these workwear shots appearing on the latest Cabela’s workwear cover and inside spread. We found some great construction sites in the Roaring Fork Valley and thanks to the models and real-life working men Steve Fischer, Mike Patch and Daniel Rincon, we got some great shots. Here’s a behind-the-scenes photo from the inside cover shot:
Our friend Jack, an eighth-grader who helped us out for a school job-shadowing project, was a pro at the reflector and filled in some light on Daniel from a dirt pile on the construction site. With the direct light on Daniel’s left side, we needed some more fill on his right side, which the reflector did nicely.
Image details: Canon EOS – IDs Mark III, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.
As part of my ongoing collaboration with the SanDisk Extreme Team, SanDisk is running this ad on their compact flash cards, featuring several of my Aspen and Snowmass skiing images. My camera gear always includes the SanDisk Extreme Pro 64 GB compact flash cards, an essential for extreme conditions out on my skiing shoots. With their fast read/write speed, large capacity and durability, I can shoot for hours and know that these cards will hold up in the cold.
