February, 2013:

A sailboat enjoys a close encounter with Eschrichtius Robustus – Click to enlarge

One of the benefits of living in San Diego is the opportunity to go out in shorts and a T-shirt on a sunny, 80-degree day in February to observe the annual migration of the Eastern Pacific Gray Whale.

My photo-partner Julie and I loaded up our long lenses and boarded a Hornblower Cruise ship at 1:30 PM, joining about 100 other passengers on a vessel that could easily hold three times that number. Plenty of elbow room made it easy to always get a spot at the rail for a good view, and a good shot. (more…)

Photo gear tends to arrive at my door faster than I can use it, or even test it.

And that’s not just because I have bad habit of shopping on Amazon after too many beers (although that’s true), but because gear manufacturers are constantly sending me stuff that they want me to review.

I know, it’s a problem many of you would kill to have.  And I’m not complaining.

But it does sometimes become frustrating to look at all the cool toys lying unopened on my camera counter, toys I would like to thoroughly test and review for you, and which I simply don’t have time to mess with.

So, in an effort to clear some things off my “Gear to Review” list, I’m going to give you a quick tour through a bunch of recently arrived stuff that looks useful. (more…)