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Sunrise Barn Photography — Avoid This Autofocus Mistake!

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Join me for a sunrise barn photography session in the countryside — and learn from my big mistake! In my last barn video, several images were slightly out of focus, and after reviewing the footage I realized why: my autofocus switch had been bumped to manual inside my camera bag. Today, I’m back out before sunrise to fix that problem, capture better images, and walk you through my full process. We’ll talk about: How I set up for sunrise barn photography Why my autofocus kept turning off Using exposure compensation to protect highlights Working around power lines, haze, and diffused light Tripod + vertical composition issues with the F 38 plate What to do when the light doesn’t cooperate Why getting out and shooting — even on imperfect mornings — always teaches you something If you enjoy landscape photography, barns, countryside scenes, or learning from real world mistakes, this video is for you. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to help grow the channel! #sunrisephotograph...
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I Took a Wrong Turn… and Found This Sunrise

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Sometimes the best photography locations are found completely by accident! In this video, I head out before sunrise to photograph a location I discovered while taking a drive through the rolling hills of Northern Kentucky. I wasn’t looking for a famous photography destination or an iconic landscape—I simply noticed something interesting while taking a different road. Armed with my Leica SL2, I return before sunrise to see what I can capture. From mist drifting across the fields to golden light, trees, rolling hills, old barns, and even a possible sunstar, this photography adventure is a reminder that you don't have to travel to the Tetons, Iceland, or the Faroe Islands to create meaningful landscape photographs. Sometimes the next great photography location is right down the road. The biggest takeaway from this video? Take a different route. Look around. Pay attention to what catches your eye. Then get up, get out, and take the photograph. 📷 In this video: Sunrise landscape ...
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Sunrise Glow at Hartig Nature Preserve — Kentucky’s Hidden Landscape Gem

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Join me for an early-morning landscape photography adventure at Hartig Nature Preserve, where I set out hoping to photograph a sunrise panorama overlooking the Ohio River, Kentucky, and Indiana. The original plan doesn't quite work out—the overlook has become overgrown and the view is largely blocked—but that's often how landscape photography goes. Instead, I work with the conditions I have, including beautiful morning atmosphere, fog, golden light, and a riverboat pushing a long string of barges down the Ohio River. Along the way, I experiment with different compositions, discuss my camera settings, work with an L-bracket, and try to capture the riverboat as it moves through the scene. I also explore several other photographic opportunities around Hartig, including straw bales, wildflowers, berries, an old stone wall, and reflections along the water. Later in the video, the conversation turns toward something every photographer can relate to: how much camera gear do you rea...
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Photographing Sunrise at an Abandoned Golf Course

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Join me for an early-morning photography adventure at Fox Run Park in Independence, Kentucky, as I explore this beautiful former golf course with my Leica SL2 in search of a sunrise landscape photograph. I had never visited Fox Run Park before, and this was a last-minute decision to get out of the house and see what I could find. I arrived a little later than planned, but the sunrise was still producing beautiful light and reflections across the pond. In this video, I work through several compositions, including vertical and horizontal landscape options, while photographing the sunrise, trees, mist, and reflections on the water. I’m shooting the Leica SL2 at ISO 100, using apertures around f/11–f/16, along with a circular polarizer. One of the things that makes Fox Run Park especially interesting for landscape photography is its history as a former golf course. There are plenty of paths, mature trees, open areas, and water to explore, and I can already see the potential for some gre...
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Taking My Leica SL2 to Africa?! Here’s the Plan Plus Channel Updates

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Is taking a Leica SL2 to Africa a crazy idea? In this Garage Talk episode, I’m sharing some important channel updates, talking about why I’ve started printing more of my photographs, and responding to some great comments about my decision to use the Leica SL2 for my upcoming South Africa safari. I’ll be traveling to South Africa in October, with plans to photograph landscapes around Cape Town and wildlife in Kruger National Park. That trip has me thinking carefully about my camera setup—and whether an older camera like the Leica SL2 can really handle the demands of African wildlife photography. I explain why I enjoy shooting the Leica SL2 despite its limitations, why I chose to simplify my photography gear, and how I’m planning to use a rented Lumix S5II alongside the SL2 to give myself phase-detect autofocus when I need it. I’ll also be renting a Sigma 500mm f/5.6 for the trip and pairing it with the S5II for wildlife, while using my Leica SL2 with the 70-200mm f/2.8. My 24-105mm ...
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Leica SL2 Wildlife AF Test: Can It Really Track Bison?

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Today I'm putting the Leica SL2 autofocus system to a real-world wildlife test at Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky. The goal is simple: can the Leica SL2 actually track wildlife reliably? I've been testing the SL2 in different conditions, and this time I wanted to give its autofocus system a tougher challenge. I'm photographing bison while shooting through a fence—adding plenty of potential distractions for the camera's focusing system. I'm using the Leica SL2 with the Sigma 70-200mm, and I also test the setup with a teleconverter. I put the camera's Tracking AF, Spot AF, and Field AF modes through their paces to see how they perform with moving wildlife. The results surprised me. The Leica SL2 isn't necessarily the newest or most sophisticated wildlife camera on the market, but this test shows that it can track wildlife and produce some very usable images when you understand how to work with the autofocus system. I'll also talk about one issue...
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20–30 Trains a Day Run Through This Main Street?! | Leica Q Photography

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La Grange, Kentucky is one of the most unusual small towns in America — because freight trains run right down the middle of Main Street! 🚂 In this video, I take my Leica Q on a one-hour photography walk through historic downtown La Grange, Kentucky, just outside Louisville. The goal is simple: one camera, one lens, one hour, and see what kind of images I can capture. La Grange is known for its historic downtown, beautiful old buildings, murals, restaurants, and — most famously — railroad tracks running directly through Main Street. There can be 20–30 trains passing through town each day, and I was hoping we'd be lucky enough to photograph one. After walking around photographing the architecture, murals, historic buildings and small-town details, the moment finally happens — a freight train comes right down Main Street! 🚂📷 Along the way, I also talk about the challenges of photographing in harsh midday light, the Leica Q settings I'm using, and my ongoing struggle to beco...
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