Explore Photograph Live

In this podcast we look at two projects that we are working on this year. The first is an Amazon Kindle eBook on Photographing Southern Illinois. The second project is finishing up the 101 Southern Illinois Waterfall Project and printing it in a Limited Edition Version and a Paperbook Version.

We are always trying to "inch-out" that little extra bit of quality from our photos and our gear. One of the problems we face as photographers is that there is now an abundance of quality gear and this can make it hard to decide where to begin and what to choose.There are many factors when choosing gear that fits your creative needs. As a nature photographer, I have accumulated over the last decade gear that matches my current creative ability and affordability. Quality gear can sometimes come at a premium, but don't think you have the most expensive gear to start out. What is more important is the creative process. Spending more time learning the basics of photography and then experimenting is more valuable than any $1,000 camera. Take your time, learn, then research what gear that can take your creative vision to the next level.

Hey, I've listed the items we talked in the show down here, so if you missed anything you can reference here for links of things we talked about. Hope this helps you Photographic Journey! - GaryThe 5 Apps Discussed in this PodcastSun Surveyor - Available for iOS - $9.99 (one-time) and Andriod $7.99 (one-time) - Great tool not only for sunrise and sunset, but will also give times for the golden hour and blue hour. One tool that I find invaluable is the Live View, which allows you to see augmented reality of where the sun will be positioned every day of the year.Google Maps - Free for iOS and Andriod - The go-t0 app for marking locations while researching, watching tv, listening to podcasts. The great thing is you can mark and save locations by putting stars or hearts all over the place, so when you do eventually go to these areas you will have a general idea of places you want to visit and photograph.All Trails - Available for iOS and Andriod - $29.99 yearly subscription - Why pay $30 for a hiking app? TOPO maps! Although Google Maps can do a lot of cool features, what it lacks is accessibility to topography maps. Now if you are not familiar with topography maps and you are a nature photographer now is the time to learn. The main reason is it will show you lots of public land boundaries and show you the contours of the land. Although this will not take place of a stand-alone GPS receiver or paper maps, it's a great piece of equipment in your photography tool bag.AccuWeather - Available for FREE for iOS and Andriod - Ok, really a weather app? Absolutely! What's good photography without interesting weather? Of course, there are many good weather apps out there and you may have your own that you prefer, but here are some of the reason I like AccuWeather. The first is called Looking Ahead, this feature gives you a quick glimpse of important weather systems that may be on its way. One of my favorite items is estimated totals for rain. The second reason I prefer AccuWeather is it gives an estimated Cloud Cover percentage for the day. This allows me to plan accordingly, not only for sunrise and sunset, but indicates if the light will be diffused enough to photograph for the rest of the day.Snapseed - Free - Available for iOS and Andriod - Out of the 5 this is the only app that deals with post-production. The main reason I prefer Snapseed is not only is it free from Google, but under the Tools setting it has a feature called Tune Image which allows me to quickly edit for highlights, shadows, and contrast. This does a great job when you are doing quick edits out in the field and uploading to social media, especially when you don't have time to edit in Lightroom.So, that's the 5 Apps That Will Improve Your Photography. Don't see your favorite app on this list or disagree with the five? Leave us a comment below and I just may revisit this topic on a future episode.Hope these suggestions help. Please take time to Subscribe to our E-mail List and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or where ever you listen to this podcast from. Thanks! - Gary MarksBTW - The links above at this time of publishing are not affiliate links. I do not get paid by directing or recommending you to these apps. I personally have purchased them with my own money and enjoy using them.

Discover why exploring your local surroundings give you expert knowledge on your area.

There are many great places to explore and photograph in the world, but do you ever think that your own backyard is one of those places?

Hi, my name is Gary Marks and in the episode I fumble with my mic and setup the upcoming podcasts.