The Image Doctors Talk Photography

Happy Festivus! We'll start with the airing of grievances December 23rd officially marks the “holiday” of Festivus, and while we don't anticipate participating in any feats of strength, we do have some grievances we'd wish to air. So go put on your best puffy shirt, sit back, and enjoy our list of things that annoy … Continue reading The Image Doctors #169 → The post The Image Doctors #169 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Tips for entering photo contests This week, we take on the subject of photo contests. Both of us have a lot of experience judging photo competitions, and we'll offer our advice and what we look for when judging photographs. The post The Image Doctors #168 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Hot Takes! This week, we're giving our quick takes on our digital photography and cameras preferences. What resolution do we prefer? What form-factor? Tune in to hear our opinions on a litany of photography-related questions. The post The Image Doctors #167 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

A look at the new Fujifilm X-T5 This week, we're taking a look at Fujifilm system cameras. The new X-T5 is the newest member of Fuji's X-trans APS-C sensor bodies, and offers some retro controls and styling. We'll compare it with the Fujifilm X-H2 series cameras, which have control layouts more in line with mirrorless … Continue reading The Image Doctors #166 → The post The Image Doctors #166 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Holiday Gift Guide 2022 It's time for our annual tradition of helping separate you from your money! We'll offer our recommended gear for the holidays and more, including filters, software, camera bags, and even a couple of cameras & lenses. Check out our complete list here. The post The Image Doctors #165 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Smartphone Camera Control Apps Most camera manufacturers have developed smartphone Apps that allow you to tether your camera remotely. This week, we'll look at the pros and cons of these tools, and why they can be a benefit to your photography that goes beyond just a simple cordless remote function. The post The Image Doctors #164 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

The pros and cons of super-zoom lenses This week, Jason is back from his workshop photographing White Sands National Park, and we'll discuss using super-zoom lenses. Newer super-zooms, like the Tamron 28-200mm (Sony E-mount) Nikon's 24-200mm (Z-mount), and the Canon 24-240mm (RF-mount) are quite good compared to their predecessors, but you still need to know … Continue reading The Image Doctors #163 → The post The Image Doctors #163 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Shooting with film in a digital world What's it like shooting film these days? Before their Santa Fe workshop, Rick and Jason dusted off their old manual focus film cameras and did some shooting in the Taos and Santa Fe areas. This week, they discuss the shooting experience along with the processing options available to … Continue reading The Image Doctors #162 → The post The Image Doctors #162 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

New Cameras from Sony & Olympus; Nikon Z9 firmware update This week, we're back from our workshop in Santa Fe, and we'll be discussing the release of some new cameras from Sony & OM System (Olympus), plus the newest firmware for the Nikon Z9. Sony A7r V OM System OM-5 Nikon Z9 firmware 3.0 The post The Image Doctors #161 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Interview with Tony Sweet, Part 2: Photography Etiquette In the second part of our interview with photographer Tony Sweet, we discuss photographic etiquette, especially at popular locations. Photographers bear a special responsibility to treat public locations with the utmost respect to preserve them for future photographers to enjoy. The post The Image Doctors #160 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Interview with Tony Sweet, Part 1: Creative approaches to iconic locations This week, we had the distinct pleasure to interview photographer and workshop leader, Tony Sweet. Tony has been leading photo workshops for over two decades now, and in this part of our interview, we talked about dealing with iconic (and sometimes over-photographed) places, including … Continue reading The Image Doctors #159 → The post The Image Doctors #159 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Who Influenced Your Photography the Most? It's easy to point to big names and famous photographers, but more often than not, your love of photography probably started at home. This week we look back and remember some of our personal influences and how they sparked our creativity and love of the craft. This week's podcast … Continue reading The Image Doctors #158 → The post The Image Doctors #158 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Photographing an Air Show We had the opportunity to photograph the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show last weekend here in Colorado, and we'll share our gear, settings, and what we learned. We'll also offer our hands-on look at the new Topaz Photo AI plug-in, which delivers astonishingly good results for sharpening, noise reduction, and upscaling … Continue reading The Image Doctors #157 → The post The Image Doctors #157 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Nikon 28-75mm f/2.8 Revisited We recently got our hands on the Nikon (made by Tamron) 28-75mm f/2.8 Nikkor Z lens. This is a well-made lens that is very good optically, and is far less expensive than the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8S lens. Much to our delight, the Nikon 28-75mm f/2.8 is an excellent performer for infrared … Continue reading The Image Doctors #156 → The post The Image Doctors #156 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

What to look for in a new computer Is it time to think about upgrading your computer? A good computer is the centerpiece of the digital photography workflow. In this week's episode, we'll discuss our own experiences and advise what features are important in choosing a new computer for digital photography. Rick and Jason both … Continue reading The Image Doctors #155 → The post The Image Doctors #155 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

New products, photographing Croatia, & more! This week we're back to talk about the lates product announcements and Jason's recent trip to Croatia. Notable announcements this week include: Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 in Nikon Z-mount (first 3rd-party AF lens for Nikon Z system) iPhone 14 Pro with a 48MP sensor We also answer a question from … Continue reading The Image Doctors #154 → The post The Image Doctors #154 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Going Big: Medium Format Digital Systems This week, we're talking about the latest in medium format digital systems. These cameras will easily get you to 100 megapixels (or more) and deliver incredible dynamic range and detail. Most medium format digital camera systems are designed for studio photography, but you can take them in the field … Continue reading The Image Doctors #153 → The post The Image Doctors #153 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Flash photography in the age of high ISO We received a question from one of our listeners, who wanted to know if we used flash anymore. Given the amazing high ISO performance of today's digital cameras, you might thing flash is unnecessary. However, there is still a role for flash photography, especially for indoor events, … Continue reading The Image Doctors #152 → The post The Image Doctors #152 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

High Country Wildlife Photography We took our annual trip into the Colorado high country this week, driving to the top of Mt. Evans. Along the way, we photographed mountain goats, bighorn sheep, marmots, and other alpine wildlife. We'll talk about what gear we used, and what settings worked for this style of photography. The post The Image Doctors #151 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Sharpening Your Images This week, we're discussing image sharpening. If you're not sharpening your images, you're probably not getting the best quality out of your files. In-camera sharpening can be particularly poor, and often leads to more noticeable noise. We'll walk you through the steps we use to sharpen (and apply noise reduction) and the … Continue reading The Image Doctors #150 → The post The Image Doctors #150 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Photographing a Street Parade Last weekend, we attended the Pikes Peak Pride festival, and had a fantastic time photographing the colorful parade-goers and the parade itself. It was a great way for us to get more comfortable photographing people in a public setting. We'll tell you our approach to photographing this event, what we did … Continue reading The Image Doctors #149 → The post The Image Doctors #149 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Printing Your Photos Once upon a time, the only way we could share photos was by printing them. Now, thanks to the internet and social media, sharing photos has become a digital experience. This week, we discuss the value of printing your photos, the tools and workflow we use, and the ease of using online … Continue reading The Image Doctors #148 → The post The Image Doctors #148 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Architectural Photography This week, we're talking about architecture photography. Architectural subjects are easy to find, and a very typical subject when you're traveling or even in your own home town. It's more than just photographing buildings! We discuss some creative approaches that we use when photographing architecture, including tips for post-processing your images. Join us … Continue reading The Image Doctors #147 → The post The Image Doctors #147 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Should you upgrade to mirrorless (2022 edition) We've talked about the pros and cons of mirrorless camera systems before, but we thought that this would be a good time to revisit the discussion. With newer and more mature technology, and many systems to choose from, mirrorless cameras are here to stay. The real question remains: … Continue reading The Image Doctors #146 → The post The Image Doctors #146 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

iPhone Photography Secrets This week, we're discussing some of the (somewhat) hidden features in the iPhone camera app, including portrait mode and the new RAW capture feature available in the iPhone 12/13 Pro models. We've found ourselves re-thinking our photo workflow for iPhone photos in ways that we didn't think possible! New Nikon Z30 & … Continue reading The Image Doctors #145 → The post The Image Doctors #145 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

When to “go big” Previously, we talked about the “going small” approach to photography. This week, we discuss the pros and cons of “going big.” Do you really need a large camera system? Is your smartphone camera enough? The post The Image Doctors #144 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Traveling through Portugal & Major Lightroom Updates! We're back this week after Rick returned from a vacation trip to Portugal. Many times, our travels don't always line up for “pure photography” so Rick will discuss how he used his OM System OM-1 and his iPad Pro to work on his photos while traveling. Earlier this … Continue reading The Image Doctors #143 → The post The Image Doctors #143 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Nikon 800mm f/6.3 PF lens review This week, we're joined by our good friend and colleague, Eric Bowles. Eric is the Director of the Nikonians Academy, and he recently purchased the Nikon 800mm f/6.3 PF lens for Z-mount. We sit down to discuss his initial thoughts on this super-telephoto lens, and how he's been using … Continue reading The Image Doctors #142 → The post The Image Doctors #142 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Understanding Image Stabilization Systems Most, if not all, of today's digital cameras offer some form of image stabilization (IS) system. Today we'll give an overview of the different types of IS systems, and what you need to know about using them in the field. New APS-C Canon Mirrorless Cameras Announced Earlier this week, Canon introduced … Continue reading The Image Doctors #141 → The post The Image Doctors #141 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

APS-C format cameras: Useful tool or orphaned system? This week, we're discussing the current state of APS-C format digital cameras. Almost all early DSLR cameras utilized a “crop sensor” format (meaning smaller than the 24x36mm 35mm standard format. The APS-C format offers approximately a 1.5x crop factor as compared to 35mm format, and has long … Continue reading The Image Doctors #140 → The post The Image Doctors #140 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Uses for the DNG raw format Adobe's DNG “digital negative” raw format was developed as an open standard over 20 years ago. What originally started out as an alternative raw format 20 years ago has instead morphed into something quite different, but incredibly useful. This week, we discuss the pros and cons of DNG files … Continue reading The Image Doctors #139 → The post The Image Doctors #139 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

How to handle busy or visually overwhelming locations Have you ever been to a location where there is just so much stuff that you don't know where to begin? It might be a forest, a city street, or a junkyard like Old Car City, where Jason led a workshop last weekend. In this week's show, … Continue reading The Image Doctors #138 → The post The Image Doctors #138 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Hands-on with the Olympus OM System OM-1 Rick recently got his hands on the new OM System (formerly known as Olympus) OM-1 mirrorless camera. This new micro 4/3 format camera delivers many features worthy of “flagship” designation, including an improved EVF, subject-detect AF, and up to 120fps RAW capture. There are also some areas for … Continue reading The Image Doctors #137 → The post The Image Doctors #137 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Nikon Z9 firmware 2.0 announced Today, Nikon announced firmware update 2.0 for the flagship Z9 mirrorless camera. We'll unpack what's been announced, what we like, and what improvements we'd still like to see in the Nikon Z9. The new firmware will be available on April 20th, and has lots of major improvements for both still … Continue reading The Image Doctors #136 → The post The Image Doctors #136 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Choosing a Telephoto Lens This week, Nikon announced the new 800mm f/6.3S Phase Fresnel lens, which weighs in at a stunningly svelte 5.2 lbs. Although good telephoto lenses tend to be expensive, there are some good options out there that won't completely break your bank. This week, we'll discuss current options for long (400mm+) telephoto … Continue reading The Image Doctors #135 → The post The Image Doctors #135 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Small kits vs your smartphone camera With both of us having some vacation travel recently, we started asking the question about the role of smaller camera systems, and whether or not it's better to simply use your smartphone when traveling casually. Even “small” camera systems are too big to fit into a coat pocket easily, … Continue reading The Image Doctors #134 → The post The Image Doctors #134 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Field Report: Two months with the Nikon Z9 This week, Jason revisits the Nikon Z9, which he's now been using for two months. Jason recently published a wildlife photography settings guide for Nikon Z9 users. We'll also recap some recent product announcements. Note: we'll be off next week on vacation. New Products for Photographers Olympus … Continue reading The Image Doctors #133 → The post The Image Doctors #133 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

We're back, and this week we're discussing photography locations in our home state of Colorado. Colorado is a beautiful place to photograph, but there's some challenges associated with living above 5000′ elevation. We'll offer some places we love to photograph, plus some locations that we generally avoid due to crowds and other pitfalls. Find us … Continue reading The Image Doctors #132 → The post The Image Doctors #132 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

How We Use Autofocus This week, Jason & Rick discuss some of the recent advances in digital camera autofocus systems, and how they've changed (or not) the way we shoot. We'll talk drive modes, AF-area patterns, and the recent implementation of AI-based subject-detection in higher-end mirrorless cameras. In the end, we'll share the settings we … Continue reading The Image Doctors #131 → The post The Image Doctors #131 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Raw formats: Compression, bit depth, & more This week, we are happy to announce a travel photography workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Oct. 20-23, 2022. It's limited to 6 participants, so be sure to check it out! There's been renewed interest in compressed RAW formats lately, specifically with both Canon & Nikon offering smaller, … Continue reading The Image Doctors #130 → The post The Image Doctors #130 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Nikon Z9 Hands-On Review Jason recently received a Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera, and we both had a chance to use it in the field. This week, we'll discuss the major new features it offers Nikon users, and discuss how those features can change your approach to photography in the field. The post The Image Doctors #129 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

When to use HDR in your photos 10 years ago, it was commonplace to see extreme HDR tone-mapped images all over the photographic community. Between cameras with better sensors and a change in tastes, HDR isn't all that noticeable anymore. This week, we look at the role HDR plays in our own photography and the … Continue reading The Image Doctors #128 → The post The Image Doctors #128 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Hands-on with the Nikon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 S Z Nikkor zoom lens This week, we were able to get out and do some test shooting with the new Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 S Nikkor Z lens. We found this lens to deliver excellent performance and sharpness even when paired with the Nikon 1.4x Z teleconverter. But is … Continue reading The Image Doctors #127 → The post The Image Doctors #127 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Hands-on with the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 S This week, we just got evaluation copies of the two newest Z-mount Nikon lenses. Since we haven't had a lot of time to put the lenses through their paces yet, we'll give our first impressions. This week, we're primarily discussing the 24-120mm f/4S lens, including build and handling, … Continue reading The Image Doctors #126 → The post The Image Doctors #126 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Photographing Holiday Lights ‘T is the season for festive holiday light displays! This week, we'll offer our tips and tricks for getting impactful shots of holiday lights, including the best times, places, and equipment to use. Nikon Announces Two New Z-Mount Lenses Earlier this week, Nikon announced two new Z-mount lenses. The Nikon 28-75mm f/2.8 … Continue reading The Image Doctors #125 → The post The Image Doctors #125 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Customizing Your Camera Functions & Controls Today's digital cameras, especially mirrorless ones, offer a tremendous amount of customization. This week, we'll take a look at why you should customize your camera functions & buttons, and share our most frequently used settings. Join us for a virtual holiday party! We'll be live online December 26th for … Continue reading The Image Doctors #124 → The post The Image Doctors #124 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

The Importance of Ergonomics When Choosing a Camera This week, we go beyond megapixels and autofocus to look at the importance of ergonomics in choosing a camera. Whether it's the control layout, button size, or customization options, there's a lot more to camera design than just the sensor alone. The post The Image Doctors #123 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Interview with Jessica Odell: Thoughts on the Nikon Z50 It's thanksgiving week here in the USA, and with the focus on family this week, what better way to celebrate than to bring some family on the podcast. Jason's sister, Jessica, visits us today to share her experiences using her Nikon Z50, which she got at … Continue reading The Image Doctors #122 → The post The Image Doctors #122 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Photographers 2021 It's time for our annual holiday gift ideas for photographers episode! This year, in addition to our list of traditional “stocking stuffers,” we also offer up items that we really just enjoy using. You can check out some of our favorites with the list below. Stocking Stuffers for Photographers … Continue reading The Image Doctors #121 → The post The Image Doctors #121 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Self-Inflicted Creative Barriers, and How to Avoid Them This week, Rick and Jason are discussing their recent photo trips. Rick traveled to Monument Valley, while Jason was leading a photo workshop in White Sands, New Mexico. In both cases, they discovered situations where their creativity could have been stifled by getting too “locked-in” to a … Continue reading The Image Doctors #120 → The post The Image Doctors #120 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.

Adobe completely revamped the way masking works in Lightroom, including the addition of AI-based selections. This week, we'll talk about what we have learned so far regarding making selections in Lightroom Classic 11. The post The Image Doctors #119 appeared first on Jason P. Odell Photography.