Leaf Shutter + ND + Flash: A Fuji X100s Daylight Primer

Right about now I feel like Alice in Wonderland, holding the "drink me" cup. Having a leaf shutter, a built-in 3-stop neutral density filter and a real chip in a compact camera is opening up a whole new world of possibilities.

But with these possibilities come some quirks, some compromises and a few technical things to be mindful of. What you need to know about leaf-shutter compacts and daylight flash, below.

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Good Stuff, Free: Joey L. on Creative Live, Now

UPDATE: Too late, it's over. If you are just seeing this now, you snoozed and you losed. You missed it for free, but you can still purchase the archive from CL if you want.

Just a quick heads-up: for three full days, photographer Joey L. is teaching all day live on Creative Live. And it's free.

So far it looks like really good stuff, and definitely worth your time.

:: CreativeLive.com ::

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Bluebirds and Stink Bugs

We have a bluebird nest in our backyard. There are two fledglings, and this is their dad.

To me, bluebirds have always had a specific connotation (i.e., the "bluebird of happiness," or more lately, "Twitter"). But this guy is a fearless badass. He'll fight off other birds, cats, squirrels—and photographers—if they get too close to his nest.

And for two afternoons this week, this particular bluebird led me down a photographic rabbit hole.

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Cuba: Traveling Light, Chasing Light

I've just returned from a week in Havana, Cuba. Without an official assignment of any kind I found myself wandering the streets with absolute minimal gear, looking for and studying light.

Consciously paying more attention to light is something I have been working on, and I can't imagine a better place to indulge that effort than in this amazing city.

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Traveling Light

Having traveled more in the last five years than in all of the previous forty three, I finally feel like I have found a comfort zone as a traveling photographer. Though lugging far less gear, I'm still protected with backups for critical items.

Looking back just four years, there is now a huge difference in the way I approach my gear pack. A walk-thru and my reasoning, below.

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Greg Heisler BTS: Bono/Gates for Time

This video marks the last of Profoto's Greg Heisler BTS series.

In today's BTS, Heisler does some pretty cool problem-solving before the fact only to get blind-sided with the bison head on the day of the lightning-paced shoot.

Yeah, I said bison head. No, actually Heisler said that…

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Warm Your Big Flash at the Source with Glass Shells

Remember when we talked about gelling your light mods, and how some almost aren't worth the trouble?

If you frequently light people with large soft boxes, you can choose to warm your light up right at the source. Read more »

On Assignment: Cafeteria Lunches

One of my favorite things about being a photographer is that if you pay attention, stories are everywhere. But the trick is paying attention—even if that story is presenting itself after you have had a drink or two at a New Year's Eve party.

That's where I met Judith Schardt-Shure, a cafeteria manager at a local public middle school. We asked each other the typical "So, what do you do?" party questions, and the 30-minute discussion about cafeteria food that followed left me wanting to know more—and wanting to make sure other local parents knew, too.

Which is exactly why I have developed HoCo360 over the last three years. It has now turned into what I had for 20 years as a newspaper photographer: a license to be curious.

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Doctor Who as Lighting U.

We have a rule in the Hobby household. If the kids can get ready for bed quickly enough, we get to watch an episode of Doctor Who together. It is one of those rare shows that is equally enjoyed by every member of our family—including two middle-aged parents, a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-girl.

That alone is remarkable. And as good as the show is, I've lately found myself watching it for the lighting as much as the imaginative story lines. A look at perhaps the most Strobist-y show on the TV dial, below.

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