The second thing about March is, Spring is in the air! Which is bad for me because my allergies are about to kick in and commence six months of misery.  But all the things that are bad for my allergies are an absolute delight for any photographer.  Trees in full in bloom, colorful flowers everywhere, bright green grass, and lots and lots of warm sunshine.  Spring and summer are great times to be a shutterbug.  One of my favorite things to do is just wander around town with my camera and take photos of all the colorful things I see.  But as wonderful as spring and summer are, I want to talk about winter, specifically winter in Australia.

Of all the places I've been lucky enough to travel to, Australia is still one of my favorites and in my opinion the best time to see Australia is during their winter.  For those who don't know the Australian winter is from June through August.  So what's so good about Australia in the winter?  Well for starters it isn't as hot.   Australia in the summer can be scorching especially in the Outback.  In the winter the temperature in Sydney and Melbourne is like late Fall here on the East Coast, cool but comfortable, think 40 to 60 degree range.  The Outback and areas north which are closer to the equator are a comfortable 75 to 90 degrees.   The cooler weather is especially important if you want to hike the Outback.  The Outback was cool/cold in the morning and night (they do get frost in the Outback) and comfortable the rest of the time.  In the summer the 100 plus degree temperatures can be very hazardous to your health and I don't recommend visiting the Outback during their summer.

The other advantage of winter is less bugs.  Australia is legendary for the size of their insects.  In the summer they spend so much time swatting bugs away from their face they jokingly call it the Australian salute.  The final advantage to Australia in the winter is the price.   I got some amazing prices on hotels and airfare.  Now I can't guarantee you'll get as good prices as I did but there are some nice deals out there if you put the time and effort in to find them. 

Are there disadvantages to winter in Australia?  Yes there are, you won't be sunbathing on Bondi Beach, some of the vegetation and flora aren't as bright, it can be a bit rainy especially in June and sometimes it snows.  The ocean water is colder.  I would estimate the water is about 65 to 70 degrees.  Being from the East Coast I'm used to the colder water.  I was fine in a thin wet suit when I dove the Great Barrier and wore board shorts and rash shirt when I snorkeled.  But I saw a lot of very cold people.  The upside of cold water is almost no Man of War Jelly fish (PSA for our readers, a Man of War tentacle can extend over 100 feet, so you don't need to be near the jellyfish to get stung and this also applies to walking on the beach and stepping on a tentacle so watch your step.)  You're probably wondering are jellyfish that much of a problem.  The answer is yes, every beach in Australia is equipped with jellyfish first aid kits and in the more remote areas a phone to call for help.  

In the end, I think the pros outweighs the cons.  I had a great time in Australia and definitely recommend the trip.  If you do go my one suggestion to you is don't try to see everything at once.  Australia is huge and you have to fly everywhere.  If you try to see everything you won't be able to really enjoy anything because you're always on the move.  Instead choose three or four must see areas and spend extra time and resources in each area.  For me it was Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, The Outback, and Melbourne.  We basically made one giant circle around the country starting in Sydney and finishing in Melbourne.  Even though we didn't see everything we had a great time in the areas we did visit and now we have an excuse to go back.

This month's recipe is Hungarian Goulash.  I love goulash and I have tried many versions and I always circle back to this recipe.  This recipe comes from the 1969 version of Betty Crocker's cookbook.  This is significant because the newer version of Betty Crocker's cookbook significantly alters the recipe and in my humble opinion does not taste good.  So straight from the 60's here is the recipe for Hungarian Goulash.   

INGREDIENTS 

1/4 cup shortening (I usually substitute three tablespoons olive oil, cause I always forgot to buy the shortening)

2 pounds beef chuck or round, cut into 1 inch squares (I like to season my meat with a all american barbecue dry rub from char crust)

1 cup sliced onions

1 small clove garlic minced (I just use a heaping teaspoon from the jar)

1 cup of ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt (This can be adjusted to taste, I put 1 teaspoon of Hawaiian Sea Salt)

2 teaspoons paprika (smoked paprika is very good, just saying)

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Dash of cayenne red pepper

1 1/2 cups water (I personally prefer 1 can of beef stock instead because I really love all things beef and a little extra gravy)

1/4 cup of water

2 tablespoons of flour

3 cups hot cooked noodles (I like egg noodles for this recipe)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt shortening(Or Olive Oil) in a large skillet (I use a 4 qt dutch oven).  Add beef, onion and garlic;  cook and stir until meat is brown and onion is tender.  I always put the onions and garlic first to sweat the onions for about 4 minutes, then add the beef to brown, this way you don't overcook the beef.

2. Stir in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, cayenne and 1 1/2 cups water, mix thoroughly and then cover and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours (I've found that stirring occasionally keeps the goulash from sticking to the bottom)

3. When the goulash is finished cooking.  Blend flour and 1/4 cup of water, stir gradually into the meat mixture, bring to a boil stirring constantly for one minute

4. Serve over noodles

Of course, Chinese New Year isn't the only holiday in February.  It is time to celebrate love on Valentine's Day.  So don't forgot to order your roses and chocolates and keep an eye out for our upcoming Valentine's Day promotion.

In honor of the New Year, this month's travel post is about my trip to China.   Specifically my time in the city of Xi'an.  Xi'an is in North Western China and is the Capital of the Shaanxi province.  It was also the seat of power for Emperor Qin the first emperor of China and was the Capital of 13 different Chinese Dynasties.  Of course Xi'an is most famous for Emperor Qin's Terracotta Army but the city itself is a wonderful blend of old and new.  It's modern cosmopolitan city center sits side by side with ancient Chinese landmarks.  You can go rent bikes and ride along the ancient city wall and then pop into Starbucks for a drink after you're done. 

Muslim Street

Muslim Street

But my favorite thing was visiting the Muslim Market at night(Western China has a large Muslim population).  The market is a Chinese street fair, that only comes to life at night.  They close down the street and the vendors and store owners on the street, set up tables and booths all along the street and sell a wide assortment of goods.  What made it so much fun was this isn't something tourist generally visit, so it was an unfiltered look at the people of China and how they live. My wonderful guide Frank took us here after I asked him to take us out at night to shoot some photos.  Thank you to Frank for taking such good care of us, even though he didn't quite understand why the crazy American photographer wanted to take pictures at night.      

I love taking photos at night.  With all the buildings lit up, the mood and vibe of the city just seems more magical to me.  It was no different in Xi'an.  The city is beautiful at night.  Especially the ancient Bell Tower.  I had seen the Bell Tower lit up the night before going to dinner and couldn't wait to go get a photo.  Interesting fact about Xi'an, the traffic in the city center is so bad that they created underground pedestrian tunnels for people to cross the street.  One of these tunnel entrances is across the street from the Bell Tower and around the tunnel entrance is a cutout that leads up to the street and that is where I decided to set up my tripod.   When I shoot at night I like to keep the camera in aperture priority mode at f/16 at ISO 100 and I let the reflective meter in the camera read the light in the scene.  In this case it was a ten second exposure.  Needless to say with such a long exposure a good tripod and a remote shutter release are a must.  I set my white balance to 3200 Kelvin because most cities still use tungsten bulbs at night.  Though this slowly changing and I'm seeing more LED lights in the cities I visit.  One of the neat things with a ten second exposure is all the traffic that was going by left wonderful streaks of light in my shot.  The end result was one of my very photos from the trip.  All in all a very worthwhile evening out.

My second favorite thing I saw in Xi'an was the Terracotta Warriors.  The neat thing about visiting the Terracotta Warrior site is that the Chinese government just built a hanger over the dig site where the statues were found.  There's even a sign showing where the farmer first found the statues.  So when you visit you're at an actual dig site and you see archaeologist working on the site repairing and cataloging their finds.  Each site is called a pit and there are three pits all together and a museum.  This is probably one of China's most famous attractions, not only for tourists but for the locals as well.  So needless to say it was super crowded and we were packed in like sardines. 

Terra-Cotta Warriors Museum Terra-Cotta Warriors Museum

As you can see in the picture, the dig site is pretty big and well lit but flash is not allowed and there were lots of soldiers there to enforce this rule.  So for my photo "Stone Sentry",  I used my trusty 300 f/4 IS lens to shoot close ups of the Terracotta Warriors.  I love this lens, because unlike other long lenses it is very light and easy to hand hold.  In general most f/4 lenses are lighter and easier to hand hold as compared to their heavier f/2.8 brethren.  Being able to hand hold a long lens is very important because a lot of places I go don't allow tripods or there isn't enough time or space to set one up.  I used ISO 3200 and shot at 1/250th of second at f/4.  Now this does break the rule that your shutter speed should equal your focal length for sharp pictures.  But my lens has Image Stabilization built in, so I pushed the envelope and it worked out pretty well. 

Our recipe of the month comes from Ken Hom.  My Grandma loved using recipes from his book, "Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood" and passed this book down to me.  I don't think it is in publication anymore but you may find it online somewhere.  Traditional Pepper Beef is one of our family favorites.  But for reasons unknown to me, Grandma always called this dish Pepper Steak.  Plus she made a few alterations.  One she added tomatoes.  Usually she quartered four tomatoes and added them to dish last mixing them into the sauce.  Then she would lower the flame and let the tomatoes simmer in the sauce for about 15 to 20 minutes.  The end result is amazing stewed tomatoes.  Whether you choose add the tomatoes is up to you.  But I've found even people who don't like tomatoes love to eat them when added to this dish.  Second she used baking powder in the marinade instead of baking soda.  I'm not sure what the difference is but Grandma used baking powder, so I use baking powder.  Third Ken likes his peppers and used three which is overkill(unless you really like peppers), one pepper is just fine.  Lastly is a couple alterations I made.  One the recipe calls for 1 pound of flank steak.  I love meat so I usually double the amount to 2 pounds and then I triple the amount of marinade.  So instead of 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce, I use 6 teaspoons (or 2 tablespoons).  Basically I just multiply everything by three.  Finally, a note for anyone who has never cooked Chinese stir-fry before.  The flame is very high when you cook this way, just two notches or so below its highest setting.  So you will see some smoke coming from the pan when heating the oil and hear very loud sizzling when you throw the food in.  This is normal and should calm down once the food is in the pan or wok.  Also the oil does tend to spit if your not careful.  For example never put garlic from a jar into the hot oil or you will have hot minced garlic flying around you kitchen.  Put the onion first then the garlic second.  But stir-frying food this way is worth it because you don't over cook the meat and combined with marinade your flank steak should be soft and tender.  Finally a thought about the leftovers.  If you happen to have leftovers reheat them in a wok (or a pan will do) and add three tablespoons of Madras Curry Powder (I use the Natco Curry powder from World Market).  Once the sauce is warm serve over spaghetti noodles.  Viola instant second meal.  

Traditional Pepper Beef by Ken Hom

3 Tablespoons Peanut Oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil works as well) for the pan.

MARINADE

1 pound flank steak

2 teaspoons light soy sauce (I use thin soy sauce)

1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cornstarch

VEGETABLES

1 onion sliced

1 pepper

4 tomatoes (optional)

3 cloves garlic minced or crushed (I just use minced from a jar)

SAUCE

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

1/2 cup of chicken stock

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

OTHER

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut steak in half, then cut thin slices, 2 inches wide, cutting against the grain.  Mix the beef with the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, baking powder, and cornstarch.  Let it sit for 20 minutes.

Next combine the ingredients for the sauce, put the chicken stock, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and stir well then set aside.

Slice your pepper, onion and if adding quarter your tomatoes.

Heat a wok or deep pan unit it is very hot.  Swirl in the 3 tablespoons of peanut oil(or Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and when it is very hot and smoking, add the beef and stir-fry for 3 minutes.

Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of oil.

Reheat the wok and oil, toss in the garlic and onions, and stir-fry for 3 minutes.  Then toss in the pepper and the sauce and cook over high heat for 2 minutes.  Pour in the oyster sauce and continue to cook for 2 minutes.  Mix well, return the beef to the mixture and continue to cook for another minute.

OPTIONAL

Put in the quartered tomatoes and mix well with the sauce.  Lower the fire to a simmer and cover the wok or pan and let the dish simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring once or twice.

Serve over rice.

Welcome to our new monthly newsletter.  Our hope is to use this newsletter to show you what were are working as well as entertain you with tales of our travel adventures.  As a bonus we intend to add a recipe of the month to each newsletter (Just because we love to cook).  We are also excited about the new items for sale.  In addition to our wall art and home decor available on Fine Art America.  You can now also purchase photo novelty items, like mugs, t-shirts, yoga mats, and so much more.  We also have several digital art projects that we are working on for the upcoming year.  Some of the things we are working on are, digital art showcasing Arizona, Toronto, Iceland, as well as unique composite art.

One of our most recent pieces of digital art is "The Princess".  This photo was taken in the lower Antelope Canyon which is located on the Navajo Reservation near the town of Page Arizona.  The canyon is about a four hour drive from Phoenix and about a two hour drive from the Grand Canyon National Park (I went with Detours tour company out of Phoenix, thank you to my guide Mark).  Westwind will fly you into Page via a charter plane and then take you on a guided tour on the ground.  Antelope Canyon is a narrow slot canyon which you descend down into via metal ladders and steps.  All of the tours of the Canyon are run by Navajo tour companies with local Navajo guides (We used Ken's Tour, thank you to my guide Tim).  Antelope Canyon is one of nature's great wonders, the colors and shapes of the narrow canyon walls are dazzling.  As a photographer, it was really fun to shoot photos in the canyon and also a unique challenge.  The Navajo don't allow the use of flash and tripods are only allowed on special photo tours of the canyon.  The sun light that filters down into the canyon changes around every corner.  For this trip, I was using a Canon 5d MK II with a 27-70 f/2.8 lens.  I used manual mode at ISO 6400 and kept my shutter speed at 1/60th of a second so I could shoot hand held.  I rotated my aperture between f/4.0 and f/11 dependent upon the lighting condition.  The other challenge was capturing the canyon's unique beauty.  Finding the best composition that showed the curves, color, and shadows of the canyon walls was a lot of fun.  My only complaint is I couldn't stay there longer.  It was a great experience, which I recommend to everyone. 

Our January recipe of the month is the Taco Crescent Ring.  This recipe combines two things I love to eat, Pillsbury crescent rolls and tacos.  I've made this twice and both times it was great.  I like to serve mine with salsa and sour cream.  I got this recipe from the Pillsbury website.  https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/taco-crescent-ring/a52fade5-13ce-483a-b1d6-55c22aeb5c5a

Prep
20 MIN
Total
45 MIN
Ingredients
5
Servings
8

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced ripe olives, taco sauce or salsa, as desired

Steps 
1
Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning mix and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until slightly thickened. In medium bowl, mix beef mixture and cheese.
2
Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 16 triangles. On ungreased large cookie sheet, arrange triangles in ring so short sides of triangles form a 5-inch circle in center. Dough will overlap. Dough ring should look like the sun.

3
Spoon beef mixture on the half of each triangle closest to center of ring.

4
Bring each dough triangle up over filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around ring until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little).

5
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices.

It's the trade show season again in the photo industry.  The time of year, when the camera manufactures trot out all of their new toys for us to drool over.  With Photokina over and Photo Plus Expo winding up, it's time to sort through all the new cameras that were released.  

The most interesting thing to me about both of these trade shows is how the cell phone has changed and is currently influencing the photo industry.  The first  cell phone theme that you hear over and over, is the apparent death of  the point and shoot market.   Cell phones, have supposedly made point and shoots obsolete.  Why carry an extra camera when you have a phone, which in a lot of ways is better than a dedicated point and shoot.  But don't tell Sony this.  They just released the excellent new Cybershot RX 100 V.  It has a 20.1 Megapixel 1 inch sensor and an equivalent 24-70 f1.8-2.8 zoom lens.  Plus it shoots 4K video.  This beauty will set you back $1000, so it probably isn't for the casual photographer.  On the cheaper end,  one of the few point and shoots at Photokina the Lumix DMC-LX10 which has a 20 megapixel 1 inch sensor, will "only" cost $699.  Photokina also showcased another response to the cell phone onslaught, with many manufactures looking to the past and hoping nostalgia will convince you to buy their cameras.  Specifically the rebirth of the instant camera. Why instant, you may ask?  The answer is simple, these cameras can do the one thing a cell phone can't do and that is is print your picture.  Polaroid helped start this trend by bringing back the famous SX-70 instant camera and continued the trend at Photokina with the new snap touch, which has a small screen on the back and a 13 megapixal sensor.  Leica got in on the act at Photokina, with the Leica SoFort instant camera that uses Fujifilm Instax mini film.  If you've got a spare $300 it's a pretty cool camera.  Lomography also introduced an instant camera with their Automat film camera.  This uses the same Fujifilm Instax mini film as the Leica but is expected to retail for $149.  Not to be outdone, Fuji who like Polaroid has been leading the instant film charge, introduced a new square version of their Instax film and said new cameras for the square format are coming next year.  The square Instax film is a modern spin on the old Polaroid 600 film.  They also introduced a black and white monochrome option for the Instax mini film.  It will be interesting to see if other manufacturers follow this trend next year.

Another way cellphones are affecting the industry is how DSLRs are being viewed.  It was long assumed that any "serious" photographer would only to choose to use a DSLR.  But that is proving not to be true.  The Chicago Sun Times fired their photographers and handed phones to their reporters.  Apple and ESPN came together to give a reporter the iphone 7 and shoot from a fans point of view at the U.S. Open in Queens.  Those photos were published in the ESPN magazine.  Now as a professional photographer I personally don't ever see the day when I will put down my DSLR in favor of my phone.  But I do recogonize how the cell phone is fundamently changing my industry and pushing it directions we never dreamed about.  

The camera manufacturers response to this at Photokina and Photo Plus seemed to be the more megapixels the better.  Which means expect to see more higher megapixel cameras than every before.  Nothing showed this philosphy more than the star of the Photokina show, the Fujifilm GFX mirrorless medium format camera.  With it's DSLR like body and big 51.4 megapixel sensor it is a very nice camera.  But it also comes with a nice big price tag with the price expected to be between $8000 and $10,000 for the body only. It is squarely aimed at the high end pro or the well heeled enthusiast.  As is Phase One's new IQ1 100 megapixel medium format digital back which retails for $33,000. Both of these cameras will produce amazing pictures which no cell phone can ever hope to match.  

On the more "affordable" side are four very nice cameras.  Canon released two new cameras.  The Canon 5d Mark IV with its 30.4 megapixel full frame sensor which costs $3500 for the body only and the Canon M5 Mirrorless with a 24.2 megapixel APS-C sensor which costs $949 for the body only. Sony also released two new cameras.  The Sony Alpha a99 II with a 42.4 megapixel full frame sensor which costs $3200 for the body only and the Sony Alpha 6500 mirrorless camera with a a 24 megapixel APS-C sensor which costs $1400 for the body only.   

In the micro 4/3 sensor world both panasonic and Olympus showed off some nice new toys.  Olympus showed off their new mirrorless camera the PEN E-PL8 with a 16 megapixel sensor which costs $549 for the body only.  Olympus also teased a new flagship camera.  Panasonic introduced several new Lumix cameras, starting with the high end DMC-G85 mirroless camera with a DSLR type body, it has a 16 megapixel sensor and will cost $897 for the body only. The Lumix DMC-FZ2500/FZ2000 are all in one cameras with a 24-480mm equiv. F2.8-4.5 lens and 20 megapixels it a big camera with a big price of $1199.  I find the micro 4/3 market segment interesting.  They seem to exist in a world inbetween cell phones/point and shoots and DSLRs.   The sensors in these cameras aren't much bigger than a cell phone, so they make their stand on being the low cost alternative to the DSLR.  They are aimed at the people who want better optics then the cell phone but don't want to pay for the size or price of a DSLR.  Olympus in particular has excellent lenses.  But even they are trying to seperate themselves from the cell phone by going big.  Yes 16 megapixels sounds smaller then the 42 megapixels on the Sony a99 II but on a micro 4/3 sensor, 16 megapixels is huge.  As cell phones advance, it will be interesting to see how long the micro 4/3 market will last.  

One name you may have noticed was missing was Nikon.  They timed their new camera releases with the summer Olympics and did not have any new photography cameras at the trade shows.  They did have a presence at the trades with their new action video camera the Keymission which is a Gopro rival and was timed to steal some of the thunder from the Gopro Hero 5 which was also released.  The fact that Nikon decided to focus on video at the photography trade show, is interesting to say the least.  

As you can see a lot of goodies were introduced at the fall trade shows.  In my opinion all of these cameras are very interesting but some are more practical and useful than others.  The medium format megapixel monsters are nice but the cost of the camera, not to mention the cost of storage and computing power puts them in the not practical or useful category for almost everyone.  The retro instant cameras are nice but they seem best suited for those who want to have fun at parties or share photos with friends which makes them impractical for pros but good for casual photographers.  The DSLR and mirrorless cameras that were introduced are the most useful for pros but if you're a causal photographer the DSLR offerings are way more more camera than you need and the mirrorless cameras are little pricey.  You might want to look at the older models, like the Sony Alpha 6300, entry level models, like a Canon Rebel SL1 or look at some of the micro 4/3 offerings.    

Last year, I did a blog post on sports photography tips.  In the post I stated that a DSLR is the best camera for the job.  Even though this remains true, I recently had a conversation with someone about the post and they pointed out to me that many people either don't want a DSLR or can't afford one. This person went on and asked, "How would you shoot a sports event with a point shoot camera?" Great question, I've always shot sports with a DSLR and never really thought about shooting with a point and shoot.  So I pondered the question and came up with some tips.  As luck would have it, a friend got tickets behind home plate for Alex Rodriguez's last game at Yankee Stadium and asked me along. What better place to test out shooting sports with a point shoot?  So with my trusty Canon Powershot SD870 IS, I set off to shoot some photos.  Here is a cropped photo of A-Rod's last hit as NY Yankee that I took with my point and shoot.

I was very pleased with this shot.  It had the ball in frame, it had context and it was fairly sharp.  So how did I get the shot?  I believe the two most important aspects to shooting with a point and shoot is anticipation and understanding shutter lag. Anticipation, is basically knowing the sport you are shooting and anticipating the action. Shutter lag is a little bit more complicated.  Most point and shoots and camera phones for that matter, use some form of LCD screen. The image you see on the screen is being projected from the sensor in the camera.  So when you press the shutter, the camera must first shut off the screen to switch to capture mode and then shoot the picture.  This results in shutter lag.  Most modern point and shoots have a shutter lag of two seconds or less.  Older cameras, like mine, can have a shutter lag of greater than two seconds. Two seconds doesn't sound like much time but in sports it's an eternity.  To understand how anticipation and shutter lag effects your shot, lets examine how I got the A-Rod shot. First I anticipated the action I wanted to photograph, in this case A-Rod swinging at the ball. I know that a major league pitcher can get a ball to home plate in about two seconds, so accounting for shutter lag I know that I have to press my shutter just as the pitcher is throwing the ball in order to capture A-Rod swinging at the ball.  I also know that if I wait until A-Rod swings to press the shutter, I will miss the shot because of the shutter lag.  So I focused on A-Rod in the box and waited until the pitcher was just about to throw the ball to press the shutter and the rest as they say is history. 

So how does this all apply to Mom and Dad photographing their child's sporting event?  First lets stack the odds in your favor. You should start by switching to sports mode.  Every camera has a sports mode.  The sports mode is good because it tells the camera to focus and shoot in the best manner for sports.  Next turn off any kind of digital zoom because it doesn't help.  Make sure your Auto ISO is on.  Lastly turn off you flash because a point shoot flash is to weak to freeze action or be effective from any distance. Now let's go through some examples.  Example one your child is playing goalie on the soccer pitch.  You see the attacker streaking down the pitch to shoot at the net.  In anticipation of the action you want to capture, in this case your child making a spectacular save.  You should focus on your child.  Press the shutter just as the attacker kicks the ball at the net and you should get your shot.  But with one caveat, and that caveat is know the skill level of the children you are photographing.  If this is a pee wee league they don't always have a lot of force behind it and you can get away with waiting  a tick or two after the kick is made and still get the shot.  But if this is high school soccer you need to make sure you are pressing the shutter just as they are kicking the ball at the net.  Bottom line use your own judgement on how fast the ball will travel and then adjust as necessary.  Another example, is your child is a shooting guard on a basketball team.  You see the team setting up a pick and roll for your child. You anticipate where your child is going to come off the screen and point the camera there.  Once your child comes off the screen immediately focus on them as they are waiting for the pass.  Press the shutter immediately after he/she catches the pass to capture them shooting the ball.  The same caveats from the other example apply here as well.  

Finally, I would like reiterate a few tips for sports photography whether you shoot with a DSLR or point and shoot.  Don't get tunnel vision.  Which basically means be aware of  the action around you.  For instance in the last example be aware of where the defender so you can anticipate a pump fake to shake the defender before the shot.  Anticipating these sorts of things will help you be ready to get better shots, like a defender sailing by as your child shoots the rock.  Make sure when you frame your shot to keep the ball and/or defender in the frame for context. Sometimes a wider shot which shows the crowd is cool, not everything has to be tight closeups. Don't forgot the quiet moments. Take pictures of your child on the bench laughing with their friends, talking with their coach, warming up, or shaking hands at the end of the game.  Last and most important have fun.  

What is a filter and why do photographers use them?  The most basic answer is a filter is a photographic tool that alters, color temperature, lighting, or creates special effects when taking photos.  Filters are primarily used for outdoor photography, though there are occasions when they are used indoors. They are placed on either the front of the lens or in a slot in the rear of the lens.  There are two types of filters, circular which is screwed on to the front of your lens or rectangular which is either placed in a filter holder which is also screwed into the front of the lens or in the rear slot in your lens. So in a world of digital cameras, computers, and photoshop are filters still necessary?  The answer is a resounding yes.  These are the filters I think every photographer should still be using.

The first filter is a polarizing filters.  There are two types of polarizing filter, linear and circular.  For the modern dslr you must use a circular polarizer other wise your autofocus will not work.  What is a polarizing filter?  In short the filter cuts down glare and haze while increasing contrast.  It is particulary good at making clouds in the sky pop and taking reflections out of glass.  If you are shooting landscapes or buildings outside you should definitely have a polarizer on your camera most of the time.  Remember when you use a  polarizer the filter will cut your exposer by about a stop and a half.  So if your exposer is 1/120 at f 16, you must adjust your exposer to 1/120 at f 11 with the filter on because the filter cuts the amount of light that passes through the lens.  

The next type of filter you should have is a graduated neutral density filter.  A graduated neutral density filter has a neutral density filter on top to cut the amount of light coming in and is clear on the bottom.  They come in various strengths from one stop to three stops.  These filters are very important for landscape photographers but benefits everyone.   The reason you need these filters is that as photographers we are taught to photograph scenes with clouds because it's more interesting.  But big puffy clouds on a bright sunny day act like diffusers and reduce the amount of light reaching the ground.  So what happens is the clouds are brighter then the scene you are shooting so whether you use an incident meter or a reflective meter your subject will be exposed properly but the sky will be washed out and have no definition.  To solve this you use a graduated neutral density filter.  To properly use this filter you must first take two exposers one of the clouds and one of the subject on the ground.  The difference between the two tells you the strength of the filter you need to use.  So if you expose the clouds at f22 and the subject at f11 then you know it is a two stop difference, so you need to use a two stop graduated neutral density filter.  Line up the top half of the filter with the sky and shoot your subject at f11, your subject and sky will now have the same exposer.  

The final filter you should have is a variable neutral density filter.  The main difference between this filter and a graduated neutral density is that there isn't a a clear bottom.  A variable neutral density filter is great because you can dial in how strong the effect you want.  In the past photographers would have to carry four or five neutral density filters each in a different strength.  Now this one filter does the work of all five.  This filter is a great creative tool because it is specifically designed to cut the light that reaches the sensor.  By reducing the light, it allows you to use slower shutter speeds even in full sunlight.  As an example if you're photographing a waterfall at golden hour and your exposure is 1/125 of a second at f16.  You have the perfect light but you want the creamy effect of running water which you can't get with your current shutter speed.  This is where the neutral density filter comes in.  You can use the filter to lower the shutter speed three stops.  So now your exposure is 1/15 of a second at f16.  So now you have the perfect golden light and the creamy effect of running water.  One PSA for all new photographers, when using this filter you should always be using a good tripod and a cable release.  I don't not recommend attempting to hand hold the camera.  

Are there any filters you should use if you're taking pictures inside?  When photographing inside filters are not really neccessary because most indoor filters were designed to correct color temperture but modern dslrs can adjust their white balance to correct these issues without a filter.  As an example when everyone used film a common indoor filter was the FL-D which was used when photographing in a building with flourescent lights.  When you used film if you didn't use the FL-D your photos would have an ugly green tint because florescent bulbs have a color temperture of about 4200K and film had a temperature of 5700K.  In modern cameras the FL-D isn't necessary because you can just change your white balance to florescent.  Even that isn't always necessary because the auto white balance is actually pretty good.  I do use a diffusing filter to soften the image and cut contrast.  These filters come in many names, I use the Tiffen black mist pro which comes in varying strengths.  Basically these filters soften the skin tones while maintaining sharpness.  If digital has a flaw it is when you photograph people it is too sharp and every blemish, wrinkle, and scar jumps out.  These filters lessen that effect.  Whether you use this filter is a personal choice, some people like it, some don't.  

And there you have it the filters every photographer should have and use.  Filters are a great tool, that will enhance your photography, so I hope you will give them a try.  

The ultimate problem with digital, is technological obsolescence.  What is that?  It's the envitable fate of all technology.  What was once new and cutting edge ultimately becomes outdated and no longer practical or useful.  Everything eventually goes the way of the eight track, VHS tape, or My Space.  The reason this is a problem is that you can't possibily keep up with or predict the changes in technology.  Five years ago everything was optical media, now everyone is in the cloud.  Even the file format we will be using five years from now may change.  There are many contenders to replace the omni present jpeg. The second problem with technology is that at some point it fails.  Your computer crashes, your phone gets broken, or tablet bricks because the latest OS outstrips your hardware.  Every piece of hardware eventually gives up the ghost for one reason or another.  Because of this I agree withe experts that the only way to truly preserve your digital memories is to print.   

So here's a primer for printing.  First make sure you use a good photo lab, like Mpix or Shutterfly.  Make sure the lab uses archival paper.  After printing make sure you put your photos in a archival safe photo album or an acid free photo storage box.  The reason photographers use archival paper and archival safe photo albums is because the acid in the paper will eventually stain and discolor your photos.  Other things that will cause color fade or warp your photos is heat and moisture, so try to store them in a cool, dry place.  Direct sunlight will also damage your photos so if you choose to frame and hang your photos place on the wall that has the least amount of sun.  

One final note about preserving your digital memories.  Even though I feel printing your photos is the best way to ensure twenty years from now you can share your photos, it goes without saying that you should also be backing up your photos.  On your cell phone make sure you use the auto backup feature, either the ICloud for Apple or Google Photos for Android, so this way if you lose your phone or if your phone dies, you won't lose your data.  If you use a digital camera make sure you download those memory cards and back them up.  Google photo gives unlimited storage so at the very least you should back them up there.  I personally save everything on two different external hard drives and two different cloud accounts.   Also look into a catalog program like Lightroom to organize your photos.  Finally, it is important to note that, no matter what type of backup you use it is not permanent.  Because of the relentless march of technology you will probably have to transfer your media several times in your life time.   How many of you still have home movies on VHS?   So you should view your backup as a temporary place to store photos until you have to move on to whatever is next on the technological horizon.  

In the last few years mirrorless cameras have gone from being fringe players in the camera market to being industry leaders with a significant market share.   But what is the difference between a mirrorless camera and a DSLR?  That's a question a lot of people have aksed and there seems to be some confusion about the answer.  So let's take a look at some of the differences of each type of camera and some of their strengths and weaknesses.  

The most obvious difference is that one has a mirror and one doesn't.  Why does this matter?  Because the mirror affects how the camera focuses.  There are three types of autofocus, phase detection, contrast detection, and hybrid.  A DSLR cameras uses phase detection and mirrorless cameras uses contrast detection.  Some newer mirroless cameras like Sony's just announced A7rII uses hybrid detection.  On a DSLR, phase detection takes place when the mirror reflects the image on to a seperate sensor which compares two reflected images to find the distance. On a mirrorless camera, contrast detection is done on the image sensor of the camera, so focus is determined by the light striking the sensor and the processor uses focus peaking to determine optimal focus. The third type, hybrid focus, uses phase detection lenses on the image sensor to find the distance and then fine tunes the focus using contrast detection by the processor. Of the three types of focus, phase detection is the fastest which gives the autofocus speed advantage to the DSLR cameras.  Contrast detection tends to hunt for the proper focus making it slow and not as responsive as phase detection.  Is this a deal breaker?  No, for most casual photographers and even some pros the hunting by the contrast detection is not much of an issue for everyday photography just a bit annoying. The new hybrid focus systems look promising.  Each generation of the hybrid system gets faster and better.  But there are still some technical hurdles to overcome, so hybrid systems still lag behind phase detection. So if you're photographing anything fast or you need to track a moving object, you would do well to stick with a DSLR.  

Another major difference is in lens selection.  DSLR cameras have been around for a long time so there a lot of lenses available from both the manufacturer and third party vendors.  Mirrorless on the other hand is still relatively new so the selection of lenses is slim(but growing) and telephotos are hard to come by.  The possible game changer is lens adapters which allow you to use either Canon or Nikon lenses on a mirrorless body.  The main problem with lens adapters is that they don't allow you to autofocus non-native lenses or if there is autofocus it is so slow you might as well stick to manaul focus.  The new A7rII hybrid autofocus seems to be taking steps to solving this issue but I feel using Canon or Nikon lenses on a mirrorless body might still be one or two generations away from being practical.  So if you need to use a good telephoto or prefer a large lens selection stick to a DSLR.    

The biggest difference between a DSLR and a mirroless camera is size.  Without a mirror and a pentaprisim, a mirrorless camera is smaller and lighter than a DSLR and are far easier to carry around.  A mirrorless camera with an APS-C image sensor is about the size of an old point and shoot but it has all the same functions as a DSLR.   Even the full frame mirrorless cameras are much smaller and lighter then their DSLR counterparts.  Such size and portability is very appealing to casual photographers and pros.  Anyone looking for a good travel camera that easy to carry around, should definitely take a look at the available mirrorless cameras.

Another difference is mirrorless cameras use an electronic viewfinder versus an optical viewfinder in a DSLR.   When you look through a mirrorless camera's electronic viewfinder it shows you what the sensor sees.  So what you see is exactly what the sensor will photograph.  Electronic viewfinders are also brighter. Overall electronic viewfinders are very nice and I like them.  There are few trade offs,  the most notable is they drain battery life.  Another is there is a slight lag when you take a photo and the viewfinder blacks out.  There is some debate as to how useful they are in low light situations but I think they work fine.  In comparison, a DSLR's optical viewfinder shows you a reflected image of what is seen through the lens.  The optical viewfinder also crops the image slightly so you're not seeing the whole scene.  So you have to be mindful of the edges when you frame your photograph.  But again if you need to track moving objects or photograph anything really fast, you can't beat an optical viewfinder.  The reason is you never lose sight of your subject through the viewfinder, even if you're shooting continously because there is no lag or blackout.  

The last major difference is that in my opinion mirrorless cameras are better suited for video.  The reason they are better goes back to the mirror or lack there of.  When a DSLR shoots video the mirror on the camera goes up and stays up meaning it can't use phase detection to focus.  This meant you couldn't autofocus when you used older DSLRs to shoot video.  New DSLRs solve this problem by switching to contrast detection so that the camera can focus when the mirror is up.  But in my opinion they lag behind the mirrorless cameras which don't have a mirror and already use contrast detection. Yes, some movies and tv shows use DSLRs to film scenes.  They do this because the lenses on the DSLR are better.  But to overcome the focusing issue they use very expensive camera rigs with follow focus rings.  These rigs are not very practical for the casual shooter, or the pro who shoots primarily stills.  So if you want a good all around camera that can shoot good still picutres and good video I would use a mirrorless.   

As for image quality, neither type of camera has an advantage over the other.  Digital sensors are very good today and you will get very nice pictures no matter which type of camera you choose.  So these are the some of the differences between a mirrorless and a DSLR camera.  Both types of camera will take excellent pictures and bring much photographic joy.  Which one you choose will ultimately be dictated by your photographic needs and goals. 

One of the great joys of parenthood is watching your child play a sport.  You sit in the stands and cheer their every move and revel in their joy of the game.  Naturally, you want to preserve these moments.  Freeze time for just a second, so that years from now you can look back and smile.  So how does one shoot sports photography?  Let's start with the equipment.

I recommend that you use a DSLR camera.  In a nutshell a DSLR camera has the best autofocus and speed, the ability to use different lenses and a viewfinder. There are plenty of choices to choose from but all you really need is a 24mm APS-C camera.  Entry level cameras like the Nikon D5500 or the Canon Rebel T6i are excellent choices.  If you want to step up in class, the new Nikon D7200 or the Canon 7D II are good choices which offer better autofocus and speed then the entry level camera but cost significantly more.   Some of you might be wondering about full frame 35mm cameras. There a lot of people (especially sales people) who will try to sell you on the "advantages" a full frame camera.  But the truth is any advantage a full frame sensor may or may not have is not worth the extra cost. The APS-C 24mm camera is more camera then you'll need. 

The best lens for you camera is an 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 all in one zoom.  Nikon makes a version of this lens, Canon has an 18-200mm version, Sigma and Tamron also make an 18-300mm version of this lens for, Nikon, Canon, and Sonly Alpha lens mount.  The reason I recommend this lens is that it, in my opinion, gives you the best bang for your buck.  It's a versitile all around len, that allows you to shoot wide angle to telephoto zoom and everything in between without changing the lens.  It can be used for sports or any other family functions, vacations, birthdays, recitals, etc.  You want to able use your camera for more than sports.  When purchasing this lens make sure you get the latest model which has optical image stabilization, if it doesn't have image stabilization it's the older model.  Also make sure you purchase the lens made for APS-C cameras.  There are full frame variants of this lens, so don't get confused.  Speaking of full frame lenses, if you have an APS-C camera, make sure you buy lenses made for that sensor size.  There is no need to buy full frame lenses for a 24mm sensor, it just wastes your money.  

A few tips for shooting outdoor sports photography.  First you need to set your autofocus, on the Canon you should set the autofocus to the AI servo mode, on the Nikon, Pentax, and Sony you should use either AF-C or AF-A.   These autofocus modes help you track moving objects, when you focus.  Next you should set your mode dial, to S if you are using a Nikon or Sony, or Tv if you are using a Pentax or Canon.  This is shutter priority mode on your camera.  The general rule in photography is that you use a shutter speed that is equal to the long end of your zoom to shoot hand held.  So that means with an 18-300mm lens you need a minimum shutter speed of 1/300 of a second to prevent blurring.  This rule applies even with the image stabilization in your lens.  So make sure you set your shutter speed to 500.  This is a nice general speed that will freeze action and make sure there is no blur.  Remember 1/500 of a second is a starting point.  Dependent on where you are shooting you make need to adjust your ISO, so that you can shoot this speed.  If you are outdoors and it's cloudy or overcast set your ISO to either 3200 or 6400.   You might also need to drop the shutter speed 320. Understand that at higher ISO you will increase the noise(the grain like objects in your photo). Experiment with your camera to see what noise level you are comfortable with.  Noise can also be reduced in a program like Lightroom or photoshop elements. 

Shooting indoor sports photography is a lot trickier.  Dependent on where you're photographing your child, there may not be enough light to shoot clear pictures.  So to start you should increase your ISO to either 3200 or 6400.  Once again set your autofocus either to AI servo for Canon or AF-C or AF-A for Nikon, Pentax, or Sony.  You should set your mode dial to A.  This is aperture priority mode.  In this mode you set your aperture to the widest setting, so for the the 18-300mm you would set it to 6.3.  You may also need to adjust your white balance for either tungsten or fluorescent.  Make sure your optical image stabilization is on, as this will help shoot hand held at a slower shutter speed, also I found keeping your elbows close to your body helps keep your camera steady when shooting with a telephoto lens.  Lastly turn off your pop up flash. In most indoor settings you are too far away for the flash to be effective.  The ultimate problem with shooting this way is your shutter speed may be to slow to freeze the action so you may get lots of blur.  What about an f/2.8 lens you say?  Unfortunately, no one makes an  APS-C f/2.8 telephoto except for pentax.  So your only option is a full frame 70-200mm f/2.8.  As stated earlier I don't think using a full frame is worth it. Plus having a f/2.8 is helpful but it is no guarantee that you'll be able to freeze the action.  Ultimately you must decide, if spending a minimum of $1200 on a lens is worth shooting a few shots indoors.  In my opinion unless you're getting paid, the lens is not worth it.  I've also been asked about monopods and this is a tricky subject as well.  A lot of venues don't allow spectators to bring monopods or use them for safety reasons. Because of this I would say that you should not use a monopod indoors.   So my advice is try the steps here and see how your photos look.  If you can't capture the action try shooting when things are relativley still.  For example, if your child is preparing to shoot a free throw in basketball or team mates high fiving on a volleyball court.  Capture the emotion of the game.  See if you can capture your child celebrating a good play or talking with his/her coach.  If all else fails, try video taping the game.  All DSLR cameras have video capability so take advantage of it.  Make sure you set your mode dial to P and start filming.  Having video is not a perfect solution but it's better then nothing.

Some final thoughts for you about sports photography.  Always try to capture the ball in frame to give context to your picture.  Anticipate the action.  For example, if you child is on first base and you think the steal sign is given get ready to capture the action at second base.  Don't ignore the quiet moments,  like your child sitting on the bench with their friends, warm up drills, or waiting in the on deck circle for their turn at bat.  Be mindful of your surroundings.  Balls and pucks have a strange way of always finding the person holding the camera, so pay attention.  Don't get to close to the field of play, you don't want to become part of the action.  Lastly enjoy your child's sport moment and have fun.  

Canon was the big dog at the show.  They introduced a lot of  new cameras and a new lens.  But the stars of the show were the Canon 5Ds and the Canon 5DsR.  Both cameras sport a whopping 50 megapixel full frame sensor.  The difference between the two cameras is that 5DsR doesn't have an anti-alias filter, which in theory gives you sharper picture at the expense of moire (moire is wavy stripes that appear when in your photographs when you shoot naturally occuring patterns).  From a tech geek point of view these cameras are pretty cool.  50 megapixels in a portable body for under $4000 is a neat trick.  From a practical stand point these are specialty cameras which are intended for a narrow niche because most people honestly don't need 50 megapixels.   The 5Ds will set you back $3699 and the 5DsR will cost $3899.  For those of you looking for something practical, Canon also introduced to new Rebel cameras.  The Rebel T6i and T6s both have 24 megapixel APS-C sensors. The T6i wll cost $799 and tack on an extra $100 for the T6s.  These entry level camera's represent pretty good upgrade over the older Rebel models. What's the difference between the two?  They are almost identical and the difference is subtle.  Basically if you're a person who likes to control the functions on the camera the T6s is for you.  On the other hand if you like things simple, and don't want a lot of buttons to worry about, the T6i is for you.

Nikon also introduced a new specialty camera the D810A. The camera is designed for astrophotography.  The specs are identical to the D810 which has a 36 megapixel full frame sensor.  But the infra-red fliter has been modified so it sees the lights from the stars and nebulas better and it gives better long exposures.  For all you well heeled stargazers this camera is for you.  Expect a price in the range of $3000 to $4000.

Pentax also introduced a new camera, the Pentax K-S2.  This is nice little entry level camera comes with a 20 megapixel, APS-C sensor.  It has wi-fi, fully articulated LCD, and is weather resistant.  It will cost $799 when it is released.  The nicest thing about this camera is it still uses the k mount. So anyone who still has older legacy lens from when they shot a Pentax film camera can use this new camera with their old lenses.  For those of you who are waiting for a full frame Pentax digital camera, Pentax said that they are working on one and it may make an appearance by the end of the year.

Last but certainly not least is Olympus.  Olympus has released the new OM-D E-M5 Mark II.  It has 16 megapixel micro four thirds sensor.  Early reports indicate that this camera is pretty good upgrade over the well respected previous model.  I'm not a huge fan of the micro four thirds mirrorless cameras but Olympus makes nice cameras and they look great.   This beauty will cost $1099 when it's released.