Author Archives: The Napa Photographer

About The Napa Photographer

I am a Napa California area photographer specializing in portrait and wedding photography. I would describe my style as "environmental portraiture", I like to shoot on location and try to seek out the most interesting backgrounds. I am the organizer of a local Meetup.com group, I provide bi-weekly lighting and portrait workshops, you can find my group at: http://www.meetup.com/American-Canyon-People-Photography-Off-Camera-Lighting/ My main photography site is: http://www.robertbakerphotography.com I use a Canon 5D and about a dozen Canon 550EX's triggered with Pocket Wizard Flex TT5's.

May 13, 2013
11:32 am
by: The Napa Photographer

Napa Lighting Workshop 5/1/2013

Starting this blog thing again, sorry for the long absence! As many of you know, I perform a free, bi-monthly photography and lighting workshop in the Napa area. For more information, go to http://www.meetup.com/American-Canyon-People-Photography-Off-Camera-Lighting/ Last week, we went to one … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

April 21, 2012
8:45 am
by: The Napa Photographer

Canon vs. Nikon

The Canon vs. Nikon argument settled? Tweet

Posted in cool photography, gear

April 17, 2012
3:50 pm
by: The Napa Photographer

Shoot on Cloudy Days to Add a Little Drama to Ordinary Portraits

There are a lot of photographers that put their cameras away when the clouds roll in, but for others, that’s when the fun’s just getting started. In today’s post I will provide some tips and tricks that will help you … Continue reading →

Posted in ambient light, exposure, off-camera-flash, photoshop, portrait photography

April 10, 2012
11:13 am
by: The Napa Photographer

Influential Photographers – Part One – André Kertész

Not long ago, I started  writing an epic blog post that was intended to encapsulate the entirety of the hoard of photographers that have influenced me over the course of my career. As soon as I started pulling together the list, I knew … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

April 6, 2012
12:50 pm
by: The Napa Photographer

A Discussion on Good Bokeh and Bad Computers

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted, partly due to a mild case of writer’s block that was immediately followed up by a case of broken computer. Active photographers tend to acquire redundant equipment, partly because we never grew out of our … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized

March 22, 2012
10:22 am
by: The Napa Photographer

Increase your odds of getting the photograph you hoped for with these free tools.

Have you ever gone out to shoot expecting one lighting condition but getting another? Forgetting the boy scout motto is a sure fire way to come home empty handed, or with compromise photos that you know could have been better. … Continue reading →

Posted in cool photography, Landscape Photography, online tools

March 17, 2012
1:52 pm
by: The Napa Photographer

Levitation Photography by Natsumi Hayashi

I spend a lot of time looking at the work of other photographers for inspiration. Every once in a while I’ll find one that makes me jealous, usually because they’ve come up with a concept or an idea that I wish … Continue reading →

Posted in cool photography, portrait photography

March 12, 2012
6:37 pm
by: The Napa Photographer

How (and why) to use your Camera in Manual Mode.

Your camera thinks it’s smarter than you. As we speak at this very moment, it’s smirking in your bag, silently mocking you. It doesn’t have to be this way, it’s pretty easy to gain the upper hand and really take … Continue reading →

Posted in ambient light, exposure, off-camera-flash

March 8, 2012
11:08 am
by: The Napa Photographer

High Speed Sync Part IV – The Reckoning

So far, we’ve discussed three of the five ways to control ambient light when using flash. Today I will complete the list and provide my Pro’s and Con’s analysis of each. The list so far: Fast Shutter Speed + High … Continue reading →

Posted in ambient light, exposure, gear, High Speed Sync, off-camera-flash, pocket wizard, portrait photography

March 6, 2012
12:42 pm
by: The Napa Photographer

High Speed Sync (continued)

High Speed Sync Part III In my last post, I hinted that there are five ways to kill the ambient light. So far we’ve covered two of the five ways: High Speed Sync – Using your shutter speed to dial … Continue reading →

Posted in ambient light, exposure, gear, High Speed Sync, off-camera-flash, pocket wizard