Outdoor/Travel

Years ago I took a photograph of prayer flags at a Buddhist monastery in Bhutan, and as I was shooting the image I wished I could also shoot video to record the movement of the flags and the sound they made as they danced in the wind.

Just as there's no one way of taking any kind of photograph, there are several different ways of photographing animals. You can, for example, choose to do a portrait or a close-up or portray the animal as part of the landscape. Browsing through...

Photos © 2004, Steve Bedell, All Rights Reserved

I love shooting outdoor portraits! As a matter of fact, it has become my "signature style." During my busy season, I may take over 400 outdoor exposures in a single day, so I'd better be able to do it well and do it fast. An element of my style is that I don't use flash. Many photographers do, and...

Every avid outdoor photographer has discovered some key accessories which help to solve problems in the field. Whether through trial and error, from reading about photography, or with the guidance of a workshop instructor, these soon become an...

Are you tired of hearing locals say, “Shoulda been here last week,” after driving to a likely destination to view and photograph autumn foliage? Improve your odds of finding the red and orange leaves you crave by downloading the most respected nationwide fall leaf map and one of the best fall resources in the country. 

"What are you photographing?" I was so lost in the scene in my viewfinder that it took a few moments before I realized she was talking to me.

"All the textures and colors in the...

When photographing animals on an African safari, sharp photos are a gift to bring home and it all centers on proper technique. Use the “sweet spot” on the lens; with both of my shorter lenses it was around f/5.6 or f/8. On the longer zoom, I found f/5 or f/5.6 gave me needle-sharp and distortion-free images. With the animal at rest, always put that focusing spot on the eye. On longer distances or perhaps with the animal moving, place that spot on the shoulder or flank to keep a decent depth of field throughout their length.