"In Their World" Series - Beetle and Daylily Flower - Michael Brown

"The "In Their World" series involves colorful abstracts in nature, but the key players are the smallest of creatures. I want to show their world as a magical, mysterious, sometimes whimsical place to be, and to show it with some scale. This image is a unknown beetle sitting deep within the throat of a daylily, or hemerocallis."

Equipment Used: Canon 30D, Canon 100mm macro and Kenko extension tube, 1/320 sec., f2.8, ISO400, reflectors, Gitzo Explorer tripod and RRS BH-40 ballhead.

We’re celebrating 7 years!
August 16, 2010 marks the 7-year anniversary of NatureScapes.net. Thank you for your continued support!

Backing Up: 10 Steps to Peace of Mind When Traveling in the Digital Age
by Greg Downing

I travel a lot and I need a safe and reliable way to manage my images while on the road. I have employed a very simple back-up system that has worked for me since I started shooting digital with the invention of the Canon EOS 1"D" series camera. In my view the best system is one that is not only simple but also one that is redundant and safe. Here is what I do, step by step, to ensure my images are safe, easy to access and redundant!

1. I make sure I have enough digital media to get me through a full day's worth of images. This will depend largely on what I am photographing and what camera I am shooting with. I am not a heavy shooter and generally have plenty of space on a few 16 GB drives, even with my higher resolution EOS 5D Mark II or 1D Mark IV cameras.

2. I always carry a laptop computer and at least two flash card readers designed for the fastest download of my images from the media that my camera supports (compact flash cards in my case). If I have multiple ways of hooking these up to my computer I carry one of each (USB, Firewire and Express Card Slot for instance).

3. I carry at least two external portable hard drives. I use USB powered Western Digital My Passport Drives in 250-500GB capacities. These are small 2 1/2" drives that can hold a lot of data cheaply and they come in various sizes. I usually purchase mine from Amazon.com and a recent search brings up lots of options including a 500 GB version for $89.00.

4. Since I run workshops I am rarely away from someone else with a laptop in case mine fails. I therefore format my drives to universally work with Mac and Windows machines so I can access them from any computer. I label each drive with the location and date of the trip - marking one as Primary and one as Secondary.

5. Each night I download all the images that I shot that day to both external USB powered hard drives - in duplicate. I use Lightroom as a downloader but you can do it manually or use a program like Downloader Pro if you're a Windows user or Photo Mechanic if you're a Mac user.

6. I then edit and throw away the easy to spot missed shots from the Primary drive. All the images remain on the secondary drive.

7. I carry at least one of these drives wherever I go in case of theft or loss. I do not put them in my checked bags when flying home. Even if I park at a restaurant the drive goes inside with me and does not stay in the car.

8. When I return to the office after the trip I download all the data from the primary drive to my permanent storage drive as well as a duplicate to my main backup drive. At this point I have 4 copies of my images from the trip.

9. I do not erase the USB drives but, if there is still space, I use them again until they are full of images. Sometimes I can get 3 or 4 trips on each drive. Both drives then becomes a RAW "archives" and at least one gets stored off-site - just in case the office burns down or gets robbed etc. I often carry one of them with me as a "traveling archive" of that series of images in case I want to access them while on the road. That also counts for an off-site backup :)

10. As I edit images in the office and archive and organize them more permanently I create additional back ups to store off-site, but most of the time the images I process for print or web display are separated into separate folders so they are easy to find.

NOTE: If I am using my laptop drive as a Primary and know I have enough space on it for all the images from the entire trip then I can get away with only one external as a Secondary Drive. This is not as safe however as my laptop drive is generally more likely to become corrupted or damaged since it contains the system software and is in use under more demanding conditions and increased heat. I also need to erase them from the laptop eventually and eliminate one of my 4 copies at that point.

Photoshop CS5 - E.J.'s Perspective
by E.J. Peiker

The much anticipated release of Photoshop CS5 is here! I have been using both the Mac and the Windows version for a couple of months now. It is a great update in several ways and falls short of expectations in others. While the features that have been updated or changed significantly are numerous, I'm going to focus on the ones that have most impact to nature photographers. Read full article >

Aesthetics and Photography - How to Create a Portfolio of Your Work
by Alain Briot

1 - Introduction: Creating a portfolio of your work is one of the most important things you can accomplish as a photographer. Unfortunately, relatively few photographers create portfolios because they find the process daunting or think their work is not good enough to be included in a portfolio. Others squirm at the idea that they will have to review thousands of photographs taken over many years. Yet others do not know how to select photographs for a portfolio. Finally, there are those who believe that a portfolio cannot be created by themselves, that such an endeavor has to be conducted under the control of a museum or a gallery or needs to take place in the context of a retrospective of the artist's work. Read full article >

Clik Elite Compact Sport Backpack Review
by Kari Post

As a backpacker, climber, paddler, and cyclist, I spend a considerable amount of time in the wilderness, even when not out photographing nature. Ever since I started backpacking, I've found myself incredibly disappointed by functionality, comfort, and design of photo backpacks.

I've owned and used a handful of photo backpacks. In addition to my own recreational pursuits, I also work as an adventure guide and trip leader which has given me the opportunity to try out a variety of backpacking packs as well. The difference in comfort and balanced load carrying capabilities between the two is like night and... Read full article >

"The first time I slipped these gloves over my hands I was in Heaven! They are incredibly soft and comfortable on the inside and indestructible on the outside. The finger holes designed for photographers are ingenious!"
—Greg Downing

A note from a recent buyer of the Walkstool, George Burke of Oldsmar, Florida posted on ResellerRatings.com:

Customer Satisfaction: Very Satisfied (5 of 5)

Review: "I purchased a Walkstool portable stool from Naturescape.net. GREAT experience. Their price was $79.99. Amazon was $10 more and B&H cameras was $5 more. Shipping is FREE. Ordered late Friday afternoon and received product around noon on Monday.

I checked them out on ResellerRatings first. They only had seven ratings, buy every rating was five checkmarks.

Soon after placing the order, I received an email from buySAFE informing me that Naturescape.net had, at no cost to me, purchased a buySafe "Cerificate of Guarantee." This does three things: Gurantees I get what I orderd, up to $500, or my money back, provides "identity theft protection" and a "low price guarantee" up to $100.

There was a place on the buySAFE email to send a note to Naturescape.net. I send them a short note thanking them for the buySAFE guarantee. I soon received a personal note from the owner thanking me for my business and stating that he is a professional photographer. He suggested I call or email him personally if I had a questions about photography and camera equipment. I know it was a personal, rather than "boilerplate" note because he told me how much he liked his Walkstool.

That is what I call GREAT service!!! I'll order from Naturescape.net again"

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