Photography Bucket List: Goodwood Revival

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The Goodwood Revival was hiding there on my photography bucket list before I even realized it. I’ve been obsessed with cars for as long as I can remember, but it took a fateful bus ride and a chance meeting with Nova Scotia-based automotive artist Paul Chenard, to introduce me to the event that would dramatically boost my creative confidence and completely re-map what I thought was possible with my photography career. In 2011 I was living Halifax and had somehow managed to become the official photographer for both the local track Scotia Speedworld and the Maritime Pro Stock Tour. Regularly …

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How to Stack Canon Extenders

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Firstly, if you aren’t familiar with the use of extenders, sometimes called teleconverters, I’d urge you to read my existing in-depth guide to using extenders for your photography. Extenders allow us to extend the focal length of compatible lenses, and they come in a variety of magnifications. For Canon lenses, they are available in 1.4x or 2x variations, and we’ll be focussing on extenders for Canon cameras in this particular article. Stacking extenders simply means using more than one of them simultaneously, and for Canon lenses the solution is quite simple. On the other hand, the solution for Nikon lenses …

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tamrac anvil super 25 review

Tamrac Anvil Super 25 Super Telephoto Backpack Review

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I’ve had the Tamrac Anvil Super 25 in my office for a few months now, and I’ve taken it on a couple of wildlife photography trips here in Canada, packed with my Canon 200-400 f/4 L IS attached to a Canon 5D Mark IV. That’s exactly the kind of setup that this bag is designed for; A super telephoto lens and a camera. In my experience, there’s two scenarios where a bag like this is a useful piece of kit. Firstly, when you’re shooting a sports event and your super telephoto lens doesn’t fit into your regular roller bag or …

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Epic Photography Trip Around Iceland’s Ring Road

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This past October, I spent a little over a week in Iceland and was completely blown away by the photographic possibilities. That’s not to say my expectations were low going in. Like many, Iceland has been on my proverbial bucket list for some time, complete with mental snapshots of dancing aurora and volcanic landscapes. I’d just never really made it a priority to visit, as it lingered perpetually on the “some day” list thanks to its remoteness and the never-ending list of places to explore in my own backyard here in the Yukon. But when my better half got the …

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Luminar Keyboard Shortcut Guide

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I’ve just started testing out the impressive new Luminar editing software from Mac developers, Macphun. There’s a good reason why Apple have picked these guys for the Best of the Mac App Store for 5 years in a row! Luminar has a lot of powerful features, and allows layer-based editing which is something sorely lacking in Adobe Lightroom. On top of that, Luminar doesn’t require a subscription like the Adobe apps. Whenever I learn new software I always like to collate all of the keyboard shortcuts so that I can begin to work on a nice fast workflow. Editing photos …

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New Reader Discount: Save 10% on Formatt-Hitech Filters

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Whenever I can, I try to work with my friends and partners in the industry to bring Shutter Muse readers a discount on the photography gear 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 ShutterMuse10 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 …

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Hasselblad X System Crop Factor and XCD Lens Full Frame Equivalent Focal Lengths

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Medium-format mirrorless systems are a great way to get into photography with a larger sensor than a full-frame 35mm sensor, so long as you can afford the higher price point. Whilst cameras like those of the Hasselblad X System and the Fujifilm GFX Format are pricey; they are still less expensive than traditional “full-frame medium format” cameras which use even larger sensors. In this post, I’ll show you how to calculate the Hasselblad X System’s crop factor (and reveal the answer) and the 35mm equivalent focal lengths of all Hasselblad XCD lenses, including equivalent f-stop from a depth of field …

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Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E VR Review

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Exploring the Creative Possibilities of a Super Telephoto Lens I’ve been a Nikon DSLR shooter for over 10 years now. Starting out with the small but mighty 6-megapixel D70S that did so much to crack open the hobbyist/amateur market, I’ve been lucky enough to build up my skills and photographic repertoire just as digital photography technology seemed to evolve and mature in parallel. For many, that initial leap in to the DSLR world is soon followed by the realization that the performance and creative capabilities of any camera are limited nearly as much by lens choice as by megapixels, shutter …

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