Canon 400mm F/4 DO IS II With 2x Extender – INSANITY!
Just how well does the Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS II perform with a 2x extender? You won’t believe your eyes…
Gear of the Year – 2016
What new gear did I come to rely on in 2016? Which items outperformed my expectations and what has earned itself a permanent place in my gear closet?
Ski Photography Tips in the Telegraph
I recently worked with the Telegraph newspaper from the UK to compile a series of winter sports photography tips for their travel supplement. These tips are now available online here.
Gear Check: New Lens – Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS II
I’ve added the Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS II to my kit recently, so I thought I’d write a little about that decision, and explain what I’m most likely to use it for. When the Canon 5D Mark II came out many years ago, I purchased it as a kit with the original 24-105 f/4 L IS and used that lens for some years. It was responsible for creating some of favourite images back then, although you could not call it an absolutely stellar performer in terms of image sharpness. It was adequate for professional use, but never blew my …
New Discount For Readers: Save 10% on Formatt-Hitech Filters
Whenever possible, I try and work with my friends and partners in the industry to bring you guys a discount on the products that I use. When it comes to filters, I use the Firecrest ones from Formatt-Hitech, so I’m pleased to be able to offer you guys a 10% discount on everything in their online store. Simply use the coupon code DanCarr10 at the checkout. If you want to see what kind of filters I use, make sure you check out the filter section of my gear guide. NOTE: Formatt-Hitech have two websites, and the coupon code will work …
Behind the Shot: Railway Through the Rockies
This photo was taken at a famous spot called Morant’s Curve, which is viewable from the edge of the Bow Valley Parkway, just outside Lake Louise, Alberta. It’s hard to imagine a view that better sums up many people’s image of the Canadian Rockies! When I’m in the Canadian Rockies, I usually drive along the Bow Valley Parkway to get between Banff and Lake Louise. The parkways runs parallel to the much faster main highway, but there’s ample opportunities to see wildlife if you take the more scenic parkway. Near the Lake Louise end of this road, the famous Morant’s …
How to Add an Instagram Gallery to Your Website
Instagram is one of my favourite ways to share my work, and on my website I have a page where you can view my latest Instagram posts. A few people have asked me how I created this Instagram gallery, so I wanted to address it here in the Readers Questions section of the blog. Firstly, this site runs on WordPress so for this particular solution, I’m afraid you’re out of luck if your site doesn’t use the same platform. One of the most powerful things about using WordPress is that there are tens of thousands of plugins available for it, …
Think Tank Photo Holiday Specials
Our friends at Think Tank Photo have announced two holiday special offers on their award-winning camera bags. The first is their Outlet Center, which is chock full of huge discounts. And second, through December 31st whenever you buy a Think Tank rolling camera bag you will receive Road Warrior Kit for free. The Road Warrior Kit features 10 Red Whips cable ties, a Cable Management 10 pouch, an AA Battery Holder and a Travel Pouch. That’s $54.50 worth of accessories FREE! And don’t forget, with our special relationship with Think Tank you will also receive a free gift when you …
Gift Ideas for Photographers: 2016 Edition
Every year I put together a gift guide on Shutter Muse at this time of year, and it’s usually one of the most popular posts of the year. Over the past few years I have been carefully monitoring which products people click on in these guides, and this helps me craft a list of items that I know people are really going to be interested in! There’s something for everyone in this year’s guide, and even if you don’t need to shop for a gift right now, it’s a great way to check out some of the awesome little gadgets …
Gear Check: LensCoat LensSack
Anyone that dabbles in wildlife photography should have a photography bean bag in their kit. There are many opportunities to photograph wildlife from a vehicle, whether it’s your own car or a jeep on safari. When you do that, you’ll need a place to rest your camera! In fact, bean bags are much more useful than that. You can also use the on the ground to get beautiful low angle images of shorebirds on a beach, or any number of other small creatures. The first bean bag I got was the Gura Gear Sabi Sack, now sold by Tamrac under …
Behind the Shot: Crowfoot Mountain Reflections
Dramatic weather during sunrise at Bow Lake in Banff National Park. With so many elements to this image, it was a tricky one to balance visually.
My Biggest Annoyance with the Canon 5D Mark IV
There’s no such thing as the perfect camera, and whilst I have been extremely happy with the 5D Mark IV in general, there’s something that really began to frustrate me on my recent trip to The Canadian Rockies: Cropped 4k video. Although Canon might tell you otherwise, the 5D Mark IV is not a camera that has been designed for video professionals. It lacks even basic video camera software functions like focus peaking. That said, it does shoot in 4K and delivers video files that can look pretty good. Since I had this 4k capability in my day-to-day camera, naturally I …