Photography tips, gear reviews, and other camera-related info from Tom Bricker.
One of the dirty secrets of Kyoto photography is that the reality of what you’ll end up shooting is rarely the serene, uncrowded temples and peaceful landscapes you see in marketing photos. To the contrary, most images of Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kiyomizudera, Yasaka, and other locations are taken incredibly early in the morning […]
Yosemite National Park’s Firefall at Horsetail Fall is a natural phenomenon visible for ~3 weeks each winter. This post offers tips from my experiences, best dates & viewing locations, new reservation info, California snowfall, and more. (Updated February 2, 2021.) First, you can read about my most recent photography attempt in Firefall Snowy Weekend Photo Report from […]
It’s Christmas season in Southern California, which means two things: palm trees covered in lights and gorgeous sunrise and sunset skies! After a week of traveling when I landed at LAX last night, I decided to check the weather and noticed conditions were predicted to be ripe today in Laguna Beach for a nice sunrise. […]
Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park is one of my favorite spots in California. This is the location famous for its mysteriously moving rocks, and in this post, I’ll share photos I’ve taken at Racetrack Playa from the couple of times I’ve camped out there, plus info and tips on reaching this difficult-to-access location. […]
Focus stacking is a way of achieving greater depth of field by combining multiple photos in Photoshop, each shot having different areas of the frame in focus. This is a photography technique I’ve used sparingly, (most recently in the Death Valley and Big Sur photos in this post) because it’s a bit of a hassle. […]
The Voigtländer 10mm f/5.6 Hyper Wide Heliar E is a revolutionary lens, and as a member of the ultra wide angle “cult,” it was one of my motivations for jumping back into mirrorless photography with the Sony a7 III. This photography review weighs the strengths and weaknesses of the lens, with sample photos I’ve shot while […]
I’ve purchased the Sony a7 III to make another foray into mirrorless photography. In case you didn’t follow my previous misadventures in mirrorless, I wrote about them in “Why I’m Going Mirrorless: Volume I,” which discusses my initial excitement and enjoyment of the Sony a7R II. The follow-up to that is “Why I’m (NOT) Going Mirrorless: Volume […]
Thanks to craggy peaks, pristine lakes, and more, the Canadian Rockies is one of the most iconic photography locations in the world. Yoho, Jasper, and Banff National Parks feature Canada’s finest mountain ranges, making these places a bucket list destination for many photographers. Even after visiting all of these places, the Canadian Rockies remain on […]
The Sigma 14mm f/1.8 lens is yet another groundbreaking lens in the Sigma Art line. This photography review weighs the strengths and weaknesses of this ultra wide angle prime lens, with sample photos I’ve shot while traveling with the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 over the last six-plus months. A few years ago, I said my “Dream Team” of […]
Today we wandered around Kyoto enjoying the cherry blossoms that are reaching full bloom. Realizing most people aren’t planning a trip to Japan during sakura season, adding even more to our already multi-thousand word Kyoto Cherry Blossom Viewing Guide & Sakura Season Tips post might be excessive. Instead, I thought a photo update might be […]