After arriving in the dark, it became rather apparent that this was going to be a trip of extremes. Ice was starting to form on the puddles in the road and long gone was the burning heat of Mesquite Dunes. We had relocated to the lesser known Eureka Dunes, a few hours north. There in the moonlight was the largest dunes I have ever seen, dwarfing Mesquite entirely.

In November 2011, I undertook a fabulous adventure to explore and photograph the California deserts. It’s been a long time ambition to photograph Death Valley and one that has taken a while to organise with my good friends Mac and Bryan. Finding a time when all of us were free took was the hardest part, taking over a year, but L.A bound, I could sense the trip would be filled with excitement.

I have been using the Apple iPad 2 for a few weeks now and am finding more and more applications that are both life enriching and extremely useful to photographers, away from the usual photo apps. I thought I would highlight one I just installed about half an hour ago, the rather amazing AirDisplay.

Many photographers are perhaps considering the iPad 2 as an addition to the travel kitbag, whether home or abroad; but come on, it’s just a glorified iPhone right? A games and web surfing machine? Wrong, very wrong indeed. If you want to change the way you work and give youself true convenience, information on the move and much, much more, then read on, as this could be the ultimate photographic tool for the travelling photographer.

There has been a lot of posts on my Twitter feed the last couple of days regarding the remarkable Sigma 50mm f1.4, with questions about its sharpness and vignetting mainly. I thought I would post the results of its bigger brother, the Sigma 85mm f1.4, to follow onto my last post. I shot a few test images up on the moors when teaching a 1-2-1 workshop which I thought I would share.

Ever considered using an 85mm lens for portraits? Of course you have. What about landscapes? Well perhaps… how about macro? After buying a set of Kenko extension tubes a few years ago, I began to experiment with all my optics and the effect they had on them.

With modern software becoming ever more sophisticated and complicated, the myriad of keyboard shortcuts, trackpad swipes and function key combinations seem ever harder to remember. After five years behind the computer processing images in both RAW and Photoshop, I have to say I do have rather a lot of memory allocated to remembering the most bizarre of actions, across both Mac and PC platforms.

After reviewing the amazing Vanguard 10x45 ED glass optics last year, I have rekindled my youthful passion of birdwatching with some pace. The quality of optics available on the market to the enthusiast are becoming so good that when another company, Eden Web Shops got in touch with me requesting I take a look through their glasses, I jumped at the chance to try another focal length out in the field.

Two men, one bored afternoon, a steel ring, a rubber glove and some washing up liquid?! I’m out of here! No, you have it all wrong, welcome to my tutorial on adapting manual focus lenses for digital cameras. Learn to adapt and test alternative lenses, bring manual focus lenses in the digital age.

Whenever you think about purchasing a new tripod head it’s very easy to imagine yourself satisfied with a safe bet made from one of the usual corporate manufacturers. Whether it’s a three way head, ball head, or perhaps one of the more precision based geared heads, many of us handing over our money to a big company convinced that a matching set is the way to go.

Do you want a compact 12mp system that almost rivals a 5D, fits in your pocket and produces knockout results? A landscape camera capable of truly remarkable images, with RAW output that will literally make you double take? A hiking companion without compromise? Bridging the gap at last, the GF-1 has me spellbound.It has a killer feature - depth of field preview and a Live View zoom feature, just like my DSLRs. I can actually focus my landscapes hyperfocally without…

For landscape photographers tripod head is personal preference, but if you haven’t yet tried shooting with a ballhead then its time to reconsider. Vanguard SB250 and 300 ballheads bring quality high spec ballheads into an affordable sphere, with features and build only found on expensive niche products until now. If you are a considering an upgrade and the choice seems overwhelming, then start by considering the Vanguard range as you are in for some surprises.

Looking for a lightweight tripod? Are you thinking there are only two companies that can be relied on 100% then its time to think again. Perhaps it’s just down to a little education; well I know it was in my case. An in-depth review of the Vangaurd Alta-Pro 283CT, a compact carbon fibre tripod to rival all others in field. A broken leg and a trip to the USA got me smiling with content as I fell in love with this sturdy, lightweight and above all versatile tool…

An in-depth review of the Nikon 14-24 used on the IDsIII, its versatility, image quality and trade off used on this fabulous camera. Images and detailed thoughts about practicality and using this adapted Nikon G mount to Canon EOS adapter created at 16-9.net