thank you so much for sharing all this information. i truly appreciate it. you have inspired me to get back to photography and ascend the digital mountain. what do you think of the nikon d300? thank you for your advice. milbry polk

G’day Trey.

Just wondering if you have any plans to visit us poor skippy’s in the “land downunder”? We’re (I’m) somewhat jealous of those lucky enough to sit in one of your classes. Can only imagine all the ‘juicey little insider bits’ you give to those more fortunate then I.
So feel free to spend some hard earned and pay us ‘Ozzie’s’ a visit ( promise not to bite you )

Thanks again for this amazing website and for the goodness of your heart to share with us all your skills and knowledge.

Cheers, Greg. )

Oop’s, sorry. My computer had a ‘brainfart’ (or the mice stop running on the treadmill, thus causing all lose of power????)

I love your work and you have inspired me to start with HDR photography. I am planning a trip to Turkey and deciding on what cameras and lenses to bring. Currently I have the D90 and 300 with 11-16 Tokina, 18-200, 105 Macro,70-200 2.8 and 80-400 Nikon lenses. I am contemplating buying the D700 with either the 24-70 or 16-35 lens. Any comments or suggestions?

I am so inspired by your work. Please tell me the Cannon equivalent to your Nikon camera recommendations. I have a Cannon Power Shot SX20IS will that work in trying to get the HDR photo? Do I need to buy a new camera. Thank you so much for sharing.

Theresa

Ok, I’ve got a question,
What are your thoughts on Canon vs. Nikon? When I used to shoot film I had a Nikon, my first Digital Camera though was a Canon Rebel. I still use it and it’s been a joy in my life. I’m quickly approaching the time to upgrade my little baby though and I’m trying very hard not to let my new found Canon loyalty sway me towards another Canon. I seriously want the facts, which is better? If I’m going to spend a couple thousand on a good camera, who do I side with? I like to shoot night photography and a lot of portraits. Can you give me some pointers?
Currently I don’t have many lenses, so I’m at a good place to switch over to Nikon if that’s what I need to do… Any and all advice is GREATLY appreciated!!

THANK YOU!! For all of this, really!!

Trey had a question about camera’s, After looking at your work I really want to get into HDR. I have been looking at several different camera’s and I like the Nikon D5000. Would that be a decent camera to start out with?

Man your work is AWESOME!… and your website is very helpful! Looking for a protege? I have some major talent that could be developed. =) Anyways just wanted to let you know your website is great. Thanks for the help. ~Khye

Hey brother:

Good days!!

U’ve got a great website, I’ve seen some of your photos about Angkor Wat @ Cambodia, Actually I’m a Cambodian poeple who moved to live in China with my chinese wife., I just got accross to your website and read some of your comments, IT’s great, Especially, it’s perfect that you post the Angkor Temple photos here which can share to everyone around the world to know about it, but, I am not so sure about your comments idea about Angkor Wat Temple as I didn’t read full of your meaning in this website. Ok, as I am the one from Angkor Wat, Cambodia, I would like and hope that you could share some more special idea about our Temple in our Country. Thanks…. I am a jobless man in China right now who is trying to find a job here….. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!

Love your work! I heard you on Leo’s show, and it has re-kindled my interest in HDR photography. I’m currently using LR 2.7, but I’m still getting by with PS CS2 (I know … time to upgrade). I’m very impressed with the Noiseware Pro that you suggest (I’ve been using the Nik Define 1.0). Since I’m not ready to upgrade to CS5 yet, would you suggest getting the stand-alone version of the Noiseware? Is there any major difference in that vs. the plugin? Thanks!!!

I am sure someone already have asked this but cannot find Q&A section.
Why do I need auto-bracketing camera? Can I not just take 3 pictures with different exposure, set manually?

Trey,

I stumbled upon this website a few days ago while researching Nikon DSLRs and have been obsessed with it (an understatement, I’ve been literally dreaming about HDR) since. Thanks for that. =D I am so going to try this out. You’re work is amazing (another understatement). I’m thinking about getting myself a Nikon D300s w/ a 18-200mm lens but won’t get my hands on one until Christmas-time. It will be my first DSLR. Any comments on that camera? I noticed it’s between your “good” and “better” camera recommendations. I’d love to go with “better” but it’s just a bit too pricey for me.
Thanks again for my newfound obsession in life!

My name is Russell Goldstein. I am helping manage as a friend a photographer “Ava Weinstein”.
I her your link, I hope she is inspired by the subject and photos.

Here is a little info about her from http://www.avaseyes.com

I have touched so many people in my life and I have always came out on the receiving end. I have a love for life and a contagious spirit. I am a photographer and digital artist. I was born, and still am legally blind.
Ava Weinstein

thanks for sharing,about digital camaras.

Hi Trey!!! I’ll always read this part since I’m buying my first dslr in December. Thank you for simply being an awesome person!!! More power to you!

As an alternative to the G11/G12, check out the Canon S95. Same sensor, faster lens, RAW, auto-bracketing, and $100 cheaper!

I’ve been using an entry level D60 for too long, I need something professional that I can still afford on a budget. What’s your opinion on the new D7000?

hey trey i happened upon your wonderful site/blog let me tell u its great i had asked about using ur fireworks picture for my up n comin novel but upon further reading your site i figured it would b a no n i probly couldnt afford it first out of the starting gate but ty ill keep in contact love ur site on photography it will help me in my future photography im concentrating on my writing for couple o months soryy im goin on n on im just so excited i found u.

Trey – I’ve been following your site for over a year now, ever since I bought my Nikon D3000, and its been a great inspiration to see your photos daily and has helped me become a better photographer. After catching a hint of what you’re running to processing the photos in the Hans Zimmer story, I noticed (not sure how I overlooked it for this long) that you don’t have any hardware recommendations for processing the photos and creating the HDR goodness. Do you strictly rely on Macs, or do you ever venture over to the Darkside of the Force (where I prefer it) and use Windows (or dare I say Linux), and if so, what do you have running under the hood? If you had to make some recommendations what would they be? And while I’m thinking about it, with your CS/coding background, have you ever dug in to the camera firmware? The most annoying thing about my D3000 and D90 is the lack of auto-bracketing and 3-exposure max (respectively), which has nothing to do with the hardware itself, and “enabling” then to shoot 3/5/7/N exposures is just a custom firmware away.

Hi Trey! Found your website just now and I’m amazed by how much stuff is in it. High five for sharing your photography tips, music/book lists, and a little of your personality with everyone.

Hi Trey, ive just finished watching the photo-walk video in Austin and was just wondering do you have plans to do one in the UK as they look awesome and looks like i could learn a hell of alot

Love this!. Excellent blog, idea, photos and all. You damn rulz.

Hi Trey,

Real good job, thoughts on the eye-fi card.

Ment to tether your iPad with your camera via wifi.

http://www.eye.fi/blog/from-eye-fi-to-ipad

Keep well, as I said, great job!!!

Hi Trey, First off love your site. As someone really just starting out you break a lot of confusing info down to an easily understood level. Thanks for that.

I have a question, I currently have a Nikon D80 and two lenses a 18-135mm and a 55-200mm. I bought it as a package in 09′ before a trip to Thailand. It took great pics and I really do like the camera. I have been thinking of upgrading since I can still get a decent price for the body and even better for the package I have.

I am trying to decide if I should upgrade to the D90 you recomend or stick with what I have and start aquiring more lenses. I like to shoot a lot of landscape scenery (road trips in the southwest US) and motorsports (car racing and showing at concours events) photography. I do like to shoot car in montion video but I use a contour HD for that and it seems to work fine.

If you recomend sticking with the D80 what would you recomend as a next lens ?

Thanks

Michael

First let me say that I’ve been a big fan of your photography for several years. I have many of your pics (from your flickr) set up to be my screen backgrounds. Your HDR photos are incredible and the stories behind the photos captivate me. In fact, your work has kind of inspired me of late have been bitten by the photo bug. I am looking to make my first step into a camera purchase and have been consider a Nikon D5100. I wondered if you have had any hands on time with this camera yet and if it would meet your requirements for shooting HDR shots.

Thanks for all your great pictures and I am very jealous of your experiences at NASA this last week.

Bry

(Person from comment#61) Have you used D5100? This seems like a nice camera as well. Based on the description, I see that it supports auto bracketing as well as it has a dedicated button for HDR.

Trey, I just discovered your website through Dark Roasted Blend. It was my first introduction to HDR photography, although I have been involved in photography for many years and digital for about 15, I tend to learn just enough for my needs. I am hooked!!! After doing some research and looking at many different programs, I have narrowed my options down to either Photomatix or Oloneo PhotoEngine. What are your (or anyone’s) thoughts comparing the two? I guess I would lean towards more natural looking photos, if that helps. Second question – Photoengine has a ReLight feature which automatically senses all light sources and lets you adjust each one separately! Is there an easy way to do that with Photomatix, without using PhotoShop, which is out of my price range? Being an existing light devotee, it seems like a feature I would get a lot out of. Taking all the features and end results into consideration, would it be worth the extra $50 for the ReLight feature in Photoengine, and do the other Photoengine features measure up to Photomatix? I don’t want to buy a program for one option, and find out the rest of the features and the end results were not worth it! I hope all you experts who have been having fun with HDR for years will have some advice for a total newbie! Thanks!

Trey Hi,
Another oap revisiting a life long interest in photography.
Any thoughts on using a fujifilm X100 for HDR.
Enjoying ‘A world in HDR’ a really good read.

Very best regards

Alan Lofting

trey howz sony nex ? if i want to start photography????

hi Trey, I am enjoying your tutorial. I purchased it through the Groupon offer and I am wondering where I find the 138 homework files… thanks.

Hello !!

Love your site, your photography is amazing !

Do you have the program for purchase? i would like to get it for my computer – the same thing as the iphone application.

I love it !!

Thank you.

i love it

Hi All,

I have a D7000 and 18-55mm f4.5-5.6 / 35mm f1.8 / 55-200 mm VR f4.5-5.6 and looking for some faster lenses and also a wide lens.
I noticed there arent many fast DX lenses and will probably need to shop in the FX range.
On a $3000 budget i cannot make up my mind.
Below are some groups of $3000

Tokina 11-16 F2.8 / Nikon 24-70 f2.8 / Nikon 70-300 f4.5-5.6
Tokina 11-16 f2.8 / Nikon 70-200 f2.8
Tokina 11-16 f2.8 / Nikon 50mm f1.4 / Nikon 80-200 f2.8
Tokina 11-16 f2.8 / Nikon 85mm f1.4 / Nikon 70-300 f4.5-5.6

Any other suggestions

Hi Trey,
I’m considering the d7000. Is the fact that it can only bracket 3 shots a problem for HDR?
Thanks,
Jim

oliver lefevre – If I was you, I would sell your 18-55, and your 55-200, then buy the 11-16 F/2.8 and the 70-200 F/2.8. Use your 35mm F/1.8 for all the range in between… With my setup I find myself using my Nikkor AF-S 12-24 F/4G @ 12mm, or my AF-S 70-200 F/2.8G VRII, Occasionally I use my 50mm F/1.4 inbetween.

Its also worthy to remember that there is really no need for a fast wide angle lens. I never shoot my 12-24mm faster than F/8, usually I shoot it at F/16… The point of a wide/super wide angle is to have a massive depth of field, where everything in the frame from near to far is in focus… Likewise shots taken with these lenses are usually tripod mounted shots.. so there really is no need for an F/2.8 wide angle.. On DX, the Nikkor 12-24 F/4 is great, especially F/8~F/16 where you would typically shoot it. On my D3 (FX) my most used lens in the Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm F/4G, again, n ever shot faster than F/8, rarely faster than F/11, mostly at F/16 to F/22.

Hello. Thank you for your amazing photos. They inspire me. One question that I continually had as I viewed through your pictures… the Sky. Can you provide information on how you create the skies? This would be an amazing Ebook I would promptly buy. Until then, any pointers ??

Thank you!

I purchased a week ago the Best Value Package and I can’t access the courses webpage??
I was able to download the material.
Please help.
Thx
E

Hey Trey -

So I’m completely new to HDR, and have very little background in photography, but of course, I’m here b/c I’m very interested in learning about it. As I’m trying to wrap my head around this, I have a question that may seem kind of dumb.

Take your shot from the middle of Congress Ave looking towards the Capital (I’m an Austin native so I LOVE the views). In order to get the streaking of the headlights and taillights, this would be the result of a long exposure, right? Assuming that is correct, how are you able to combine the long exposure with AEB? Meaning, I can understand how you can get one shot with a longer exposure, but how do you get 3 (or 5 or however many shots of different exposures), with the longer exposures? Hmmm, does that make sense?

Hey Trey,

I have been doing a ton of research to try and find the right camera for my budget. My frustration is that the d7000 and its awesome new sensor has only a three stop autobracket with a maximum step of 1ev (that would mean three sets of shooting to get the nine stops on say a d300 – and of course the risk of nudging the tripod or the beautiful clouds moving…)

so my question is, now that you have me hooked and loving hdr am I better off going with the d300 (refurbished so i can afford it haha) and its additional stops or the d7000 and its upgraded sensor- knowing that it will be the only camera that fits into my budget for a long time…

Thanks,
Kyle

Hello
Do you ship your cameras and photo gear to Mexico??
I know that some items can be off your list.

1. Camera houses
2. Lenses
3. Camera related accessories 
4. Studio gear, strobes, stands, backgrounds and so on
5. Printers
6. Programs
7. Underwather gears for cameras.

Please let me know if you ship these items to Mexico and what items who is not shipped.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Best regards from
Willy Nilsen 

I’ve learned some new things from a blog post. One other thing to I have seen is that typically, FSBO sellers will reject you actually. Remember, they can prefer to not use your companies. But if anyone maintain a reliable, professional connection, offering support and staying in contact for four to five weeks, you will usually manage to win a discussion. From there, a house listing follows. Cheers

I enjoy the work you do Trey, the pictures speaks louder than words!

WELL! WELL! WELL! Wup t do! That’s just great Mr. Man, that’s just great! You people make me sick with all your encouragement and your “you can do it” ideas. Who are you to remind us that we’re not looser? Who are you to tell us that being great isn’t the same as being popular? Who are you? Who are you tell us to be open to all of our desires and artistic passions? Well Mr. Man, maybe we like defining ourselves by what other people think or feel. Did you think about that? HUH? Did yah? Maybe we want to chase the money rather than allow our creative drive and your encouragement to cause us to reinvent ourselves through our art. Maybe all we want is to place seventh in a five person race. We were all doing fine at the bottom, but because of you we have to open our eyes and mind to art. Because of people like you Mr. Man, we are encouraged to review new tools and software and have fun with our art. Thanks! But seriously, thanks for all you and your does. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Former Bottom resident,:)
Hosea

Trey, thanks for the details on your gear! Unless I missed it, you don’t discuss your tripod/head. I believe I spied a Really Right Stuff full-size ballhead in one picture above. What do you normally use for your tripod? I’m a semi-pro photog, and saving for a D3S right now. I’m trying to decide if it’s really worth the extra several hundred bucks to go for a gitzo/RRS setup versus a good Manfrotto setup. Thoughts?

still …. as always … my bestest blog

Hi Jeniffer,

I’m sending you a message – if you see this first, please email me at support@stuckincustoms.com with your Groupon number, and I’ll get you situated.

Well, just as I was getting my courage up and checking and re-checking my bank account to buy the d700, out pops the d800. Are you changing your recommendation in this category? Or should I look for a refurbished d700?

Thanks for the tip, Colin.

Just bought Photomatix Pro and I love it, my images are way over the top but i love the effect so much, just need to learn to tone it down a little, A question for anyone who might have the answer, an image straight from my camera is 5184 x 3456 (17.9 mp ), after putting the images together in Photomatix Pro the image comes out at 2584 x 1717 (4.4 mp ). Is there any way to keep the original file size after processing with Photomatix.

Thanks.

Mark.

There is a young artist that I keep up with through Facebook offering all of her camera equipment in a bundle deal. It sounds like a good deal to me. Here is the link she has it listed on: 
http://knoxville.craigslist.org/pho/2892529894.html  I thought about this site as soon as I realized I couldn’t afford it myself. If you’re not interested in it, maybe it will help someone else get a good start.

Trey now has a D800 

I’m not sure about that one in particular – I use the RRS head – and I’ve tried the pano one, but I don’t do many panos.

Greetings
I am hoping you could recomend a fixed lens digital camera that shoots in raw in the $400-600 range.  I will be going to several events in the near future and they only allow ‘non-professional’ cameras, defined by a non-detachable lens.  I appreciate your help and really enjoy your work.
thank you,
Robert

Just wondering your thoughts on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, with the Leica lenses. It seems like a great camera.

Great info here. Thanks a lot Trey!

You wrote that the Really Right Stuff tripod supports 11 pounds. I think that’s a typo because it says it supports 50 pounds on their website.
You might have persuaded me to get one…

Thanks aagain,

Jordan

So I bought the Nikon D800 (love it) and now I need a faster computer. Otherwise, I have to go walk my dog between processing…and if it’s a picture of the sun, I need to walk my dog twice, throw the ball around the yard, push my dog in the pool (which he hates) and then I come back all muddy while I’m still waiting on my computer to process my picture. (Notice there is no “s” at the end of “picture”…that’s not a typo.) Do you have any recommendations on a faster computer? I’m using an HP AMD Turion II duel-core Mobile M620 2.50 GHz with 4 GB RAM 64 bit operating system on Windows 7.

Hi Benjamin,

I can throw a few recommendations at you – first, try building your own on a site like newegg.com instead of going with the HP ‘package’ computer. A bunch of those HPs and Dells and such come preloaded with a bunch of software that you don’t need, and they can slow things down. Also, these computers typically break down at two points: RAM speed and hard drive speed. These are elements that can make these components cost more, and the typical buyer doesn’t usually know what to look for. A huge drive or a lot of RAM isn’t everything – it’s the speed of both of those that matters as well.

If you want a super-fast tank of a machine, you can cut corners on things like the case and skipping DVD burners and such and get something really good for well under $2k. Your most expensive components would likely be your video card and motherboard.

Trey runs a solid state hard drive (different kind of hard drive technology, much faster) and loves it. As an audio guy, I’m stuck waiting until the tech improves. Those drives will continuously slow down over time as the sectors constantly get rewritten – not exactly clear how they’ll hold up in the long term for stuff like photo processing, but I think Trey’s had his for about a year now with no slowdown, so that could be a good place to invest. When shopping hard drives, look for a good balance between size, price, and speed – usually the point where all of these meet isn’t quite in the solid state territory, unless budget isn’t really a concern and you don’t mind the extra money per megabyte.

If you want a bit of advice, hit me up at luke@stuckincustoms.com.

Trey, I was wondering what you thought of the pistol grip ball heads and if there was one you might recommend for the entry level.

Hello Trey,
first of all let me just say you inspired me to take on photography on a more serious manner. I just picked up my Nikon D3200 which leads me to this question. The camera so far is great the pictures are amazing but it doesn’t have the auto bracketing feature. Now I looked it the bigger and more expensive cameras that does but only maybe 3 steps. I thought you need at least 5 shots so for that the D800 would be the right choice which is out of my budget. Do you think adjusting the exposures manually is too much hassle for a DRI image? Maybe it would take too long and lose the light in the process?

I’m curious what is your take on this. Maybe you could highlight this for people in your blog so when they make a purchase they keep it in mind how important this feature is in a camera.

Thanks for the great advises and the amazing pictures. You are a true inspiration!

Trey, first I want to thank you for the great art and knowledge you share with us every day. I would love your recommendations for a lightweight travel tripod that I can pack on my motorcycle. Perhaps a “good, better, best”. Thanks in advance!

We use Rackspace !

A photographer can be anyone who likes to snap a picture. Therefore,
think about all of us who carry around a cell phone with a built-in
camera. My iPod Touch 5th Generation even has HDR function on its camera. On the other hand, very few of us on the planet of “landscape
photographers” I think that is less than 1/10th of 1% total are still using large format sheet film. A
double-exposure cityscape scene can be breathtaking as so much
sharpness, detail, and tonal range is retained in an 8″x10″ sheet of
Velvia transparency film (about 5,285 megapixels). However, the overall vision should still be a work of art. Have you ever seen up-close a gallery print by Rodney Lough, Jr.? The very best and brightest of us have always been counted among the few. The rest of us are content with our Japanese DSLRs and Windows PCs – all the while awaiting the next upgrade so that our pictures will not become obsolete because we think it’s the equipment that makes the pictures and not the photographer. Hee hee!

Go to borrowlenses.com and rent a few lenses. Take some pictures that intrest you and see what would be your most useful lens. For indoors and low-light I would get the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX. For general outdoor use an 18-200mm VR zoom would cover most situations. Add the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX for Nikon and you have a complete lens set for the Nikon DX format.

cool set! thank you for this list!