journal

My best photo this year isn't even a photograph

in

What is real photography?

Choose a camera that fits your needs

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On paper, a new piece of camera gear can be very tempting. Tech gets better, numbers go up, and whatever we already own starts to feel obsolete. But is the newest and greatest what we need to make what we want?

Ever since the Sony ZV1ii I bought off eBay failed on me a few weeks ago, I've been searching for a small video camera to pair with my full-frame setup. When you're filming yourself, a second camera can make a big difference (different angle, timelapse...).

One that keeps coming up, one that almost every influencer out there seems to own and love, is the DJI Pocket. I actually bought the very first iteration of that line (it was called the DJI Osmo back then) many years ago. It was a cool idea, but it came with serious downsides that are still present today.

I was hoping the Pocket 4, which was announced yesterday, would fix some of the issues that kept me from going back to that series of cameras. But it was not meant to be, the main flaws that make it a no-go for me are still there: no swappable battery, no weather sealing, too fragile.

I know I’d wreck that camera within weeks. There’s no way that gimbal survives a few outings with me. If the rain or the cold doesn’t kill it first, of course. And in the very unlikely case it survives being tossed around in the car and into random bags, the occasional drop, and the frequent bad weather, the battery will eventually degrade to the point of making the camera unusable.

On paper, it's nearly everything I want and need. Great image quality, ease of use, features that would actually make my life easier in the field. But paper and reality are not the same thing, a distinction we must be aware of before falling for the latest and flashiest piece of gear.

So the search continues. A Sony ZV1iii with 10-bit and S-Cinetone to match my full-frame camera would be ideal, but in the meanwhile, the ZV1ii and the Canon V1 are the strongest candidates.

Neither can match the Pocket's stabilization, and both are bigger and heavier. But I don’t have to hold my breath when I toss them in a bag, or throw them around in the car. Swappable batteries mean they'll still be usable many years from now.

Spec sheets are useful, to a point. Bigger numbers don’t mean anything if the piece of equipment doesn’t fit your workflow. The best camera is the one you will actually bring, use, and abuse without losing sleep over it. Choose wisely.

This is a photographer's most important asset

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It's not the camera, or the lenses, not even the experience or the vision.

Great photography in Montana... until everything went wrong

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It was being a great day of photography in the Northern Plains... until everything went wrong. Car broke down, one of my cameras stopped working... but I tried to make the most of it anyway.

How (and Why) to do Long Exposure Photography ~ from the CA & OR Coast

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I visit the northern California / souther Oregon coast, and I show you how I go with long exposure photography. From gear, to settings, to why.

One adventure a day keeps burnout away

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I go up to Twin Peaks in San Francisco searching for a little photography adventure. It didn't dissapoint.

I wasn't inspired, so I bought a new camera

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The way out of a creative rut is new camera gear. Or is it?

Photographing a snowstorm in Jackson, WY

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After a 23 hour drive, all the way from the Midwest to western Wyoming, I am rewarded with three beautiful days of photography in and around Jackson.

Last chance for these old lenses

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I have way too much camera equipment, and most of it I don’t even use, so I’ve been on a selling spree lately. I sold a few things including some lenses, but when I found these two sitting on a shelf in the closet, they made me pause. They are the Zeiss 16-70mm f/4 and the Sony G 70-350mm. I made so many good images with these two back in the day… but I haven’t touched them in a while. So, to decide whether I love them or list them, I’m taking both out to Lake Michigan to shoot some amazing winter scenes and see if they can still perform.

Embrace Imperfection and Creative Limitations in Photography

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Fellow photographer Matt Payne had me on his show "F-Stop Collaborate and Listen". We had a very interesting conversation about photography, and how it can be more than an artistic pursuit and become a lifestyle.

The most intense day of my photography career ~ New York City snowstorm

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A huge winter storm dumped tons of snow across much of the US, so I knew I had to go somewhere to photograph an event like this. When I found out New York City was going to get around a foot of snow, I knew what I had to do. I got in my car and drove 700 miles from Indiana to be there for the big day... and it didn't disappoint.

I made a rookie mistake

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I visit Saint Joseph, Michigan, looking for some snow. I get incredible conditions, but I make a rookie mistake.

12 photography lessons from 2025

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I thought 2025 was an ok year for my photography, until I sat down to reflect on the work. It turns out it was a decently good and productive time!

This was intense

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The first snow of the season here in Indiana came in force. We got several inches and I loved every second of it.

I let AI plan my 2,200-mile photography road trip across the country

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My photography road trip across the country comes to an end. In this last episode, I let the AI plot the route back home. I asked it to highlight some lesser-know spots along the way that I could photograph, and the results were... interesting.

Caught in a rainstorm in Death Valley

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The forecast had some rain for Death Valley National Park, so I immediately booked a campsite. I was hoping for some rare conditions in the park, and I did get some of that. The consequences were a bit unexpected, though.

This lens might finally retire my beloved Tamron 28-200mm

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For the last few months, I've been using the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8. It's a wonderful lens, but it comes with serious drawbacks. Will it replace my all-time favorite Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6?

Frustration is unavoidable in photography

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We all feel frustrated about our photography at some point. But the doubs and fears are normal and part of the process. We get to create not because we don't feel them, but despite them.

Photographing the ancient landscapes of Eastern California

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I visit ancient places in Eastern California, both natural and man-made. Mono Lake, the ghost town of Bodie, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, and the Alabama Hills.