"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination" is one of my favorite John Lennon quotes. Think about it and you'll realize that it's true. I was thinking about this quote when I was photographing a pond near my house. I was trying to envision how the pond would look if I used Photomatix Pro from HDR Software on a set of seven pictures (each taken at a different exposure setting).

How totally cool! Vincent is the man. I will be adding Canon 5D workshops (shooting and editing) to my 2009 schedule. Hope you can make one!

Dick, a former RIT professor, adds: "I always reminded my students that a caption is part of the photograph, part of the gestalt--just as the choice of mat and frame, and the size of the print and the surface of the paper, etc."

Last week I had the pleasure of giving a short lecture at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in NYC. One of my Photoshop heroes, Katrin Eismann, Chair of the Digital Photography Program, had invited me to share some of my photographs and travel adventures from my books, as well as my philosophy on the all-important business side of photography. To start off my session, as I often do, I asked the students to answer this question: What does your photography mean to you?

The majority of famous painters “illuminated” their subjects from above and to the left. For whatever reason, we seem to like that kind of lighting. Here are three of my pictures that illustrate that lighting technique. Hey, if it works for famous painters and if it works for me, it will work for you! In very low light and at night, your eyes have an ISO of about 800. Mid-range digital SLRs have a high ISO setting of 1600, and high-end SLRs have high ISO settings of 1600, 3200 and even 6400! So in effect, a camera can see better at night that you can - so don’t stop taking pictures when the light gets low and when the sun goes down.

Many years ago, I attended a seminar given by a professional photographer who said something like this: “Every decision I make is a business decision.” I took his comment quite seriously, making many decisions over the past 20 years based on the final and potential financial outcome of the project - be it a book, assignment, speaking engagement, workshop, seminar and so on.

Hey All Check out this video that I have on YouTube. I created it on my Mac using Keynote, Garage Band and Snapz Pro X. Basically, I first created a slide show in Keynote. Next I selected some cool music in Garage Band. Then, playing the slide show and the music, I recored the whole thing with Snapz Pro X for a cool presentation.

Hi All I just saw the movie, Mongol. It is one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen. The photography is stunning, breathtaking.It's a must-see for movie-goers - and anyone interested in filmmaking. Check it out and I think you'll get some good ideas for photographing people and events. I was in Mongolia last year taking pictures for my new book, Face to Face. I took this photo at the Chingis Khan Calvary Ride festival. These guys are from the real Mongolian army. Once a year they put on this show.

Hey All - Here are a few pictures of some kitty cats that I've photographed around the world. They have several things in common: they were originally RAW files (which have a wider exposure latitude than JPEG files), all were cropped (because I like to fill the frame with the subject) the kitty cats were all photographed with my Canon 100-400mm IS lens at f/8 (the sharpest f/stop on that lens), and I took all the photos close to eye level (because I like to see eye-to-eye). One photo is different. I know it's kinda obvious, but someone asked me why? As soon as I post this note, I'm going to try to find out the answer. Any guesses out there? If so, post away!

Hey All I hope some of you can join me for my live Web Cast on June 26 at 1 PM NY time. I'll be sharing my favorite photographs (including this "love bite" photograph that I took in Botswana) and, of course, my favorite tips and techniques. Basically what happens is that through the magic of the internet, attendees can see what I am doing on my monitor. I'll have my Keynote show opened and will scroll around to find pictures that illustrate certain digital photography techniques - as well as some of my photo philosophies. I'll also be sharing some of the pictures in my latest book, Face to Face. All you have to do is sing up. Space is limited. I know all my family members will be rushing to sing up fast..... so don't delay :-)