Don Komarechka Discusses Macro Photography, Capturing Snowflakes

Matt Theobald of Breakthrough Photography, makers of the world's sharpest and most color neutral filters, joins Chris to talk about the success of his business and his best tips for using lens filters. Matt shares the situations you need to be using filters in, best practices for handling your filters, and the major differences between cheap and well-made filters. He also discusses how filters can assist in various landscapes such as Yosemite and Chicago's Botanical Gardens.  Chris then talks to Matt about Colorado Tripods, and how they're making the world's first titanium tripods. Matt and his team will be at Out of Yosemite 2020 to help attendees use their filters.  Visit Breakthrough Photography to find educational material on buying ND filters, learn about the team, and more.

Rafael Pons joins Chris to discuss PhotoPills, an app that helps you plan your shots during all hours of the day. The incredible app lets you see when and where the sun, moon, and stars will rise and fall, so that you'll never miss the perfect moment.  Listen as Rafael tells us the first thing you should do after downloading the PhotoPills app, previews the forthcoming PhotoPills Camp, and teases the next big feature coming to PhotoPills: Meteor Shower Forecasts. Visit PhotoPills.com to learn more, or jump directly to the iOS and Android store. You can also find the app on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Chris is joined by Sean Bagshaw, who was at Out of Oregon and will join us again for Out of Acadia in 2020. They discuss everything there is to know about Luminosity Masks, including why someone may want to use them and how to avoid going too far in post-processing. Speaking of post-processing, the two chat about replacing skies, one-click photo post processing apps, and why they both prefer to get granular in their editing.  Before becoming a photographer, Sean was a middle school science teacher. He shares how this experience has made him a better teacher in his own workshops and online education courses -- the latter of which is his main income stream. To follow Sean online, visit OutdoorExposurePhoto.com, PhotoCascadia.com, and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Toby Harriman, who will be a featured guest at Out of Chicago in June, joins Chris to discuss how he became a professional photographer, his aerial work, and how businesses research photographers before working with them, no matter their numbers on social media.  As someone who spends a lot of time shooting in Alaska, Toby shares why he struggles to find a camera that can handle the northern winters, and the cameras he relies on. He also discusses how his background in website development gives him an advantage, and why everyone should have their own website for their work. To learn more about Toby, visit TobyHarriman.com, PlanetUnicorn.com, and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Chris hosts a panel with Ian Plant, Ryan Smith, Blake Rudis and Michael Shainblum at Out of Oregon 2019 to discuss how they all make a living in landscape photography and the evolving technology landscape. The discussion opens with how they got started in their craft. Later we learn how they currently make money in landscape photography, how to handle social media, how to build an audience, advice for hobbyists who want to launch their own website, and the best ways to create an eBook -- if you should do it at all.

Photographer Charlotte Gibb joins Chris to discuss what it means to shoot intimate landscapes, her favorite places to photograph in Yosemite, and why winter is her favorite season to shoot there. She also shares her go-to lens, tips for photographing fall's colors, rules for shooting that may not come naturally, and how she turns a simple subject into a masterpiece. Later, Charlotte explains why she prefers to shoot alone, and what she hopes to contribute to our Out of Yosemite conference this February.  You can find her online at CharlotteGibb.com as well as at CharlotteGibbBlog.com, where she writes about her experiences, creativity, and new work. Her technical work can be found at Visual Wilderness.

Nature First co-founder Matt Payne joins Chris to discuss the origins of the alliance, its principles, and to debate whether photographers should share shooting locations.  Preserving nature is important to Matt and many other photographers, so he shares the questions you should ask yourself when you're thinking about giving someone else a shooting location. He also provides specific examples of locations that've been negatively affected by visitors. Later, Matt discusses how he finds his own unique shots to differentiate himself as a photographer, what motivates him to shoot, and what he's learned from his own podcast, F-Stop Collaborate and Listen. Matt will be at all of Out of Chicago's 2020 landscape photography events to offer guidance and lead discussions. Until then, you can find him at MattPaynePhotography.com and on Instagram.

Chris is joined by landscape photographer Ryan Smith, who has his own annual event in the southwest, Outsiders Conference. The two discuss managing photography conferences and preview their respective events coming up in Oregon (October 13 - 17, 2019) and Kanab, Utah (March 20 - 22, 2020). Ryan has a lot of experience with selling his prints, so he talks about what he does to close sales. He also discusses his field tricks: How he likes to stay put in one location, and if he thinks about marketable photos while shooting. Later, Ryan and Chris chat about the responsibility photographers have to the environment, and the principles to remember when becoming a nature photographer (Visit NatureFirstPhotography.org for more). They also discuss Ryan's favorite places to shoot like Utah's White Pocket, which appears to be featured on Apple's webpage for the new iPhone 11 Pro. Visit CaptureIcons.com for Ryan's workshops, and RyanSmithFineArt.com for the photography he has for sale.

Chris is joined by wildlife and landscape photographer Juan Pons, who hit pause on podcasting to start a YouTube channel for fellow photographers.  In their wide-ranging chat, Chris and Juan discuss the state of Sony's camera offerings including the new a7R IV, and why he primarily shoots with the a7R III.  They also discuss the benefits of shooting in Acadia National Park (including the best trails, outlooks, and what animals you can expect to see), and his favorite places to shoot in the world, including Yellowstone National Park.  Juan is a huge fan of Yellowstone, especially in the winter, and explains why he's returned annually for the past 16 years.  Learn more about Juan Pons by visiting his YouTube Channel and website.

Chris is joined by "The Snowflake Guy," Don Komarechka, who discusses UV photography and macro photography. Best known for his work shooting snowflakes, Don explains how he achieves these photographs (including tips on when to use focus stacking) and the Hollywood-level projects it's brought him. Don also talks about how he sets aside time for shooting, his advice to landscape photographers on finding a unique shot, and details his upcoming book Macro Photography: The Universe at Our Feet, which will be released this December. Follow Don by visiting his website, DonKom.ca. Visit SkyCrystals.ca to pre-order his book! He'll be at Out of Longwood later this month.