Outdoor Photographer March 2023

As I write this, we’re just a few days into the new year, which makes it a fitting time to introduce myself as the new editor of Outdoor Photographer. If you read this section in last month’s issue of OP, you are aware that the magazine’s long-time editor, Wes Pitts, has moved on, replaced by me, Dan Havlik. My name might ring a bell for you because just recently I was editor of Digital Photo and Digital Photo Pro, OP’s sibling publications. Prior to that, I was the Editor-in-Chief of Shutterbug magazine and have worked in the photo industry for over two decades. All of which is to say, Wes has left OP in good hands, you can rest assured. It’s also fitting that even though I’m writing this in January—magazine…

Gary Hart is a California-based photographer and writer focused exclusively on landscapes, large and small. A Sony Artisan of Imagery, Hart shares his passion for nature’s beauty in his award-winning blog and in photo workshops in the U.S. and abroad. See more of his work at garyhartphotography.com. Conservation photographer and author Dave Showalter is focused on the American West. He works throughout the ecosystems of the Intermountain West and has published two books prior to Living River: Sage Spirit—The American West at a Crossroads and Prairie Thunder—The Nature of Colorado’s Great Plains. See more of his work at daveshowalter.com. Justin Black is a photographer, writer, and explorer from Washington, D.C. A leader in his field, his photographs of the world’s diverse landscapes and the creatures and people that inhabit them have been…

Agathla Peak By Jimmy Day “Sometimes when you travel, you happen upon a hidden gem. That was the case when on my way to Monument Valley, I drove by Agathla Peak. It’s quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Agathla is a volcanic peak soaring 1,500 feet above the desert floor, easily viewable from US 163 just outside of Kayenta, Arizona. There’s no public access since it stands on Navajo lands. The name Agathla derives from the Navaho name aghaala, meaning “much wool.” The wool is thought to actually be the fur of pronghorn antelope and deer.” See more of Jimmy Day’s work at www.jdaypix.com. Rhapsody In Blue By Marti Phillips “This is a blue hour blend taken at Badwater Basin in California’s Death Valley National Park. The foreground was shot at 6:43 a.m., and the…

The long-awaited Sony A7R V finally arrived late last year to great expectations. The A7R V uses the same 61-megapixel, full-frame sensor as its predecessor but includes more processing power, a dedicated AI-based processing unit, a new autofocus system, new In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) and much more. There’s much to like about the A7R V, and it’s clearly one of the best mirrorless cameras on the market. But does it offer enough new features to warrant upgrading from the A7R IV? Read on to find out. Design & Handling At first glance, the Sony A7R V looks a lot like the A7R IV. While there are many similarities between the two cameras, some differences, both big and small, result in a significantly better user experience. For starters, the A7R V now has a…

Photography is an art, not a sport. There’s no winning at photography, and no one should be keeping score. This is my belief, and I’ve stuck to it my whole career. I’ve never entered a photography competition or contest, and I never will. Don’t get me wrong; I find nothing wrong with photographers who see merit in entering competitions. I think shooting for a contest can be an excellent exercise in developing your talent. Being competitive isn’t something I feel helps me grow as I’m my worst critic and always think I can do better. Art is subjective, and it cannot be given a grade. You can like or dislike a photograph and have favorite images that move you for different reasons, but I don’t see how you can give a picture…

There’s no getting around it: Photographing wild animals is extremely challenging. So many elements are outside our control. Our subjects speak a different language, can be highly mobile and often try to get out of sight as fast as possible—before we even press the shutter. This genre of photography presents a unique set of demands, including knowledge about the natural behavior of wild animals and their habitat. Flexibility and patience are the names of the game. Nothing is guaranteed. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when faced with these realities. A good place to start is to confront the major challenges about wildlife photography and work backward from there. Here’s how. 1. Wildlife Is (Often) Fast And Flighty It’s easy to underestimate how quick we must be to capture a wild animal in action, both…