Blog Posts
Here are some ideas, hints, and tips to help you with various photography subjects.

Understanding the Artist’s Struggle: The Dilemma of AI in Photography
Capture the spirit of times when something new unsettles the existing status quo in art. Many artists, at various points in history, have stood where we as photographers are nowāfeeling the pressure from new, emerging technologies and wondering about our place in the...
āItās The Most Wonderful Time of the Yearā
Yes boys and girls - itās that time of year when the kids at Adobe, ON1, Lumnar and others start to tease us photographers with āwhatās nextā.Over the past couple of years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has improved in areas such as subject, person and background...

Celebrating 14 Years of HoustonPhotowalks: A Journey Together
Celebrating 14 years of HoustonPhotowalks. In this blog post, we reflect on our amazing members, our positive community impact, and the shared passion for photography that unites us. Here’s to our members who make this journey special and to capturing the world together for many more years to come.

Amazon Deal Days – 2023
I'm doing my Amazon Deal Day Shopping. Anything interesting will be added/updated here on this page. BTW: "Lighting Deals" expire, make sure and check the price before adding to your cart. Deals from the following Categories: Samyang Camera Lenses Nikon Cameras Canon...

Is the Seismique Museum Ripping People Off?
Planning to visit Seismique to get some cool graduation portraits, family pictures, or selfies?Ā Be aware of their undisclosed fees, especially if you bring a large group.Ā HoustonPhotowalks never wants to burn a bridge or make it so we can't visit a location again in...
Important Update Regarding Event Fees – Let’s Continue Capturing Moments Together!
Dear HoustonPhotowalks Family, We hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. As a community, we've come a long way since our inception, and we owe this growth to your unwavering support and love for photography. We're writing to you today about some...
Photometer 3.0 Quick Review
Pixelmator released Photometer 3.0 a couple of weeks ago. This is an extension that works ONL with Appleās Photos for Mac app, It isnāt a stand-alone app. Thatās an important thing to keep in mind before you buy. If you havenāt heard of extensions, itās similar to a...

13 Powerful Photography and Video Editing Apps for Windows – Mac Users Will Be Jealous (Unless they use Parallels!)
Take Your Photo and Video Editing Game to the Next Level with These Windows-Only Apps As digital creatives, it's sometimes easy to dismiss Windows-only software applications.Ā We've been told for years that Mac is where it's at.Ā At the same time, many of us are...
ON1 Photo RAW 2023 – Quick Review
ON1 is first out of the gat with their 2023 version of ON1 Photo RAW. The biggest changes - heavy use ofAI when it comes to making selections.ON1 originally started out as a plug-in series for Photoshop (and later for Lightroom, and Appleās Photos app). It now comes...
2022 M2 MacBook Air Review
Iāve been debating for a while about trading in my iPad Air for the new M2 MacBook Air as a backup and travel laptop. The iPad is a good intent consumption device, but I've always found it difficult to work into regularly using it for image editing. Ā Iāve been using...
What’s Next for Photo Editing Software and Computer Hardware
At our lunch and learn at Becks Prime in July, we discussed two main topics - whatās next for some of the major photo editing software programs, and what to to consider when it comes time to update your computer hardware. Firstā¦..hereās what some of the major photo...

WINNER: 11th Annual Fix-Joe’s-Busted-Images
We have a winner! Every year as part of keeping things fun even when it's too hot outside to photowalk, we do a "Fix Joe's Busted Images" contest, where I toss out a few of my photographs and challenge members to edit them. And anything goes. No Holds Barred. Over the...

XPOZER: A New Way To Hang Prints!
XPOZER.COM is a new and safe way to hang large gallery prints.Ā As photographers, weāre always on the hunt for our next favorite shot.Ā With Xpozer's reusable frame, you can swap out images as often as you want!Ā The frames are very light, and the hanger attaches at a...

A Photographer’s guide to Amazon Prime Day 2021, Live Blogging the Good Stuff
Prime Day is June 21 & 22, 2021 Each year, HoustonPhotowalks digs through the Amazon Prime Day Deals and finds photography-related gems. I will be looking for things of interest that fall in these categories: computers, electronics, travel, and camera and posting...

The Great Migration of Northern Serengeti 2021
It's time to sign up! Hello Folks! HoustonPhotowalks and BrambleBerry Tours is teaming up with another discount for a Safari Tour in Northern Serengeti!. The folks at BrambleBerry are offering HoustonPhotowalks members a sweet $1,000 discount, but we are limited to...

Holiday Discount! $300 off our Serengeti Tour!
Final Chance for a Discount! Here's a great last-minute Christmas gift idea! Sign up before January 5th to receive a $300 discount! BrambleBerry tours is offering a $300 Holiday discount for this once-in-a-lifetime trip!SIGN UP today so you can join this amazing 7...

Insta360 Black Friday Deals!
Up to 40% off on the BEST pocket 360 cameras! You guys have seen me at photowalks taking group pictures and event videos with either my Insta360 Nano attached to my iPhone, or my updated Insta360 ONE X. They are super slick, very small, and can make full 360 degree...

Black Friday Offer: Add an extra day to Serengeti Tour FREE, $250 value, now until November 30th!
Black Friday Week: Free Extra Day! Sign up before November 30th to receive a $600 discount *AND* a free extra day of tours! BrambleBerry tours is offering an additional day of photography during our Serengeti tour for $250. This includes another night stay,...

Amazon Prime Day Deals!
Photography, Electronics and Photography-travel Related Amazon Deals Today is Amazon Prime Day, the internet's global garage sale of "stuff" that our favorite online retailer wants us to buy. To help you find interesting items to consider, I'll be posting items I find...

HoustonPhotowalks Members Now Receive 15% Discount on Boris FX Products!
Boris FX, a company that builds software for the entertainment industry has recently released a version of its software aimed at Photographers. Its a bit pricy, $9.00/mo or $99/year, but for those wanting to add more zing to their images, or need to do complicated...

The Pain of Advertising
HoustonPhotowalks manages events and RSVPs through the Meetup.com platform.Ā This means that members have the ability to submit complaints to Meetup.com about groups or the group organizer (or both).Ā A recent complaint was submitted about how HoustonPhotowalks...

Mobile Tools: Apps for Planning Photo Trips and Editing Photos
Last week we had a fun zoom webinar with Jonathan in Barcelona.Ā He's a street photographer and photography tour guide that's using is lockdown time to teach phone photography techniques.Ā You can check out his classes on AirBnB, the price is extremely reasonable and...

Update to previous post (Updating your Meetup.com Email Settings)
As we continue to communicate virtually rather than in-person, some members are still a little confused about emails and notifications.Ā Our only way to communicate with members is via meetup's online email system, so organizers have to rely on members to allow...

New Canon Cameras, Meetup Membership Fees and Our Budget
Today, Canon officially announced the new EOS R5 and EOS R6 Mirrorless cameras, and they are already available for preorder. Canon EOS R5 Body ($3,899) Adorama or Amazon Canon EOS R5 + RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM ($4,999) Adorama or Amazon Canon EOS R6 Body ($2,499)...
HPW Member get a 15% Discount for PORTRAITPRO and PORTRAITPRO BODY! Offer good until August 2nd.
The good folks at Anthropics Software have supported HoustonPhotowalks with discounts and giveaways several times over the years. I'm really excited to announce that for the next month, until August 2nd, 2020, they are offering HoustonPhotowalks.com another great...

Fun with Zoom Backgrounds
It looks like Zoom and GoToMeeting events are going to be around a while for many of us. And more than one person has asked me about my zoom backgrounds. First off, I suggest using your own photography. I mean, we are a photography club. š But at the same time, some...

Updating your Meetup.com Email Settings
HoustonPhotowalks rely quite heavily on email notifications to make sure you have the best possible experience when you attend our events. To help you not miss important notices, we’ve created this handy How-To, to help make sure you don’t miss anything important.

Special Luminar Summer Sale Ends Today
One of our long time sponsors, Skylum (formally MacPhun) is running a special for their partner websites. You can find their ad on our Member Perks web page, and our discount is usually $10 or $20 (depending on what you buy). But for today (Tuesday, June 16th, 2020),...

Updates to eBook Files: A Photographer’s Workflow Part 1 – Security and Backups
Yesterday I had an amazing time teaching another Workflow class with the HoustonPhotowalks.com club.Ā In this class, we discussed security, file storage options, and backups.Ā I updated some key parts of the presentation for 2020, as well as updated the class...

Essentials for Traveling to Remote Photography Locations
Want to capture incredible photographs? Some of the best locations that can provide you with that prized shot are often located within remote parts of the world. Understandably, it can be very difficult to not only get to these places but haul all your equipment to...

3,100+ Portrait Photography Poses Card Bundle at PhotoWhoa
I get weekly updates from various companies about "deals" for photographers. It's usually sales on new Photoshop Actions or Lightroom Presets, or a new gadget for your camera bag. Today, the folks at PhotoWhoa posted an interesting product that I wanted to pass along...

Prime Day Deals, Live Blogging of Interesting Deals
Hey folks!It's Amazon Prime Day, the day that Amazon checks it's shelves, wipes off some dust and sells at hourly-expiring discounts. While I'm going through the list, looking for stuff I need (want), I'm posting interesting things to share.If you also see something...

Security is Step 1 in Your Photography Life, Both Business and Personal
Security and Passwords are extremely important to the Photographer's Workflow How can you prevent being a victim?Ā Or worse yet, having your friends, family and photography followers victimized by emails that they think came from you?Ā Use hard to guess passwords and...

Summer Fun, Previous “Fix Joe’s Busted Images” Entries
Houston summers are HOT, and humid.Ā So HPW tries to find stuff to keep the creative photography juices flowing even if it's too hot to spend a lot of time shooting.Ā Of of the ways we keep you busy is with photography challenges, such as Fix Joe's Busted Images....
Congratulations to our 10th Anniversary Winners
Hello Everyone! Thank you for coming out last weekend, I had a blast and I hope you did too. We had several winners in our door prizes, listed below. HUGE thanks to Betty for grabbing these images for us. In-person winners:Lee Filters Protective Field Pouch - Sabina...
10 Years of Fun, Photography and a Positive Impact
10 Years of Fun, Photography and a Positive Impact Although "photography" is the subject we all have in common, it is the friendships and social aspect of HPW that binds us.Ā Ā On May 18th, 2019, we will celebrate 10 years of photography, friendship, and fun with a...

Special Speaker at HPW10: Karen Butts!
Karen Butts Master of Photography Certified Professional Photographer https://www.naturalimagesbykaren.com PPA Five time MEDALIST - PPAWe are very honored to haveĀ Karen Butts of Natural Images By Karen Photography as our speaker. She will be doing a presentation based...

Insta360 has joined the HoustonPhotowalks Member Perks and Sponsor Program!
HPW Welcomes Insta360! Good News everyone, the makers of the Insta360 Nano, that little camera you guys see me using to take 360-degree images, has joined the Member Perks and Sponsorship program! You can now get the Insta360 Nano S, the upgraded version of what I...

Ok, we’re not really moving to Google Plus – or riding metro in our underwear
Not going to lie.Ā I enjoy April 1st. For those that have a keen eye, you knew the moment that I said we were moving to Google Plus, that it was a joke.Ā And you probably know that we aren't really going to ride Metro Rail in our underwear.Ā At least, I really hope...

How Photowalks are Organized
This is the nitty-gritty roadmap details on how Houston Photowalk (HPW) Organizers and Hosts plan events. Sit bag and dig in. This is what our volunteers do to make sure you have a great Photowalk! Why Does It Take So Many Words To Explain How Houston Photowalk Events...

New iPhotography Composition Video Course, With Discount
NOTE: This post originally appeared on the "Good Stuff" portion of our old website. The links in this article are affiliate links, purchases you make from these links may generate revenue for this website. New iPhotography Composition Video Course, With Discount Many...

Shooting in the Rain (on a Budget)
The conversation of canceling a shoot due to the rain came up recently, and I always remind folks how much money production crews spend bringing in a fake-rain setup. So its pretty awesome when Mother Nature provides rain for free. Shooting in the rain can be a lot of...

For the Casual Camping Photographer – A Shopping List
Ok, I'll admit it ... Taking folks to places they would otherwise never visit, or even know about, is a huge kick for me. It is one of the biggest parts of running HoustonPhotowalks that I enjoy the most. Quite often, people attending these tours are provided a...

The “Nice Shot” Comment Myth
Comments on Photos, good or bad? Most people appreciate and maybe even crave feedback, especially positive. When it comes to photography, there are those who are very comfortable providing constructive, well-crafted critiques. These paragraphs of personal opinions are...

Using an iPhone / iPad for Document Storage
The iBooks App Many folks know that their iPhone and iPad can read books using the iBook App from the App Store. Its free and very simple to install. What many folks don't know is, it can be used to store things other than just ebooks. My iPad is full of PDFs I've...

Low Light Photography Class ā Products Discussed
In Part 1 of our photography class, āA Focus On Gearā, we discussed many different products and how to evaluate what will work best for your needs. As promised, here are a list of products and brands that Iāve used over the years, and some comments on each. A Good...

Working with Large File Repositories and Backups
We shift files back and forth trying to find the best backup strategy. But the activity of moving files around only increases our chance of loosing important data. At one point or another, we've all lost a file forever. Maybe it wasn't a significant tragedy, or maybe...

Sharing Images on Facebook Groups (most bang per share)
Get the most out of your Facebook Image Posts (and keep from getting ignored) As a member and admin of several Facebook groups, I see a lot (a LOT) of posted images. This often includes unintentional pitfalls, missed opportunities and non-preferred behavior by members...

Photography Travel Packing List
Checklists are lifesavers. Checking a list can make sure you don't arrive in Belize with a perfectly good camera and tripod -- but no tripod quick release plate. The 24Moves Photography Travel Packing List About once a year, I update my photography checklist just...

Safer Lightroom Catalog Backups
Backups are crazy important. No matter how "good" hardware gets, nothing is 100% reliable. So everyone should have two backup strategies -- a backup medium and an off-line backup (even if it is just a USB drive you keep in your desk at work!). Workflows and Backups...

Why Do We Walk?
Please note: This was originally published on our former website The "Three Reasons" We occasionally talk about the "Three Reasons" we photowalk. This page provides a bit of depth to the subject. In brief, the "Three Reasons" are Fun and Safety (we hang out together...
Photowalk Checklist
There's nothing worse than getting to an event and realize you forgot something. Event photographers usually (religiously) use checklists to make sure everything is ready on event day. Here is a version of my Event Checklist, modified for photowalks (and includes a...