Kase Magnetic Filters

May 18, 2023

Shortly before leaving for Spain in late March I received a package with the Kase Magnetic Revolution ND Kit on my doorstep! I had heard great things about these filters and I was so excited to bring these filters along on my trip. Although this trip was family (not photography) focused, I knew I would be capturing the sights and experiences of our trip and hopefully even get out for a couple sunrises or sunsets.

The Revolution Kit is perfect for me as it includes all of the filters that I use in my work. This kit includes a circular polarizer, 3 stop ND filer, 6 stop ND filter, 10 stop ND filter, and the ring for the filters to attach to the lens. All of these come in a compact filter case. An added bonus that I am really excited about is a magnetic front lens cap. This is a great addition because it means I can cover up and protect the filter when I’m taking a break or moving to a new spot. In the past, I have always had to remove the filter to put on a lens cap.

Another thing I love about these filters is that in addition to the written label on the filter ring to distinguish between the filters, they are also color coded, making it so much easier to grab the filter that I want to use. The 3 stop ND filter is Blue, 6 stop is yellow, the 10 stop is red, and the polarizer ring is silver. For someone whose eyesight is diminishing with age, it is extra helpful to have a way to differentiate the filters without having to try to read the fine print, especially in low light! When trying to grab the right filter as the light is quickly fading or changing, being able to easily identify the one I need means that I don’t miss the shot fumbling with gear.

Most importantly, in addition to being easy to use, their quality is fantastic. The color is neutral so they don’t add a color cast to my images. Also, with this magnetic set, there is a magnetic inlaid ring hidden inside the lens screw thread to improve and minimize vignetting.

I used the filters singularly and stacked during my trip to Spain and was so happy with the results.

30 seconds with the 10 stop neutral density filter in Malaga, Spain

.6 second exposure with the 6 stop Neutral Density filter and using intentional camera movement

Using the circular polarizer to reduce glare and enhance the colors on this gorgeous sunny day in Ronda, Spain

These filters are incredibly easy to stack when you want to use a polarizer and ND filter or to stack more than one ND filter to block more light like in this image below where I stacked the 10 stop and 3 stop neutral density filters to get a 3 minute exposure of these clouds.

After Spain, I traveled to South Carolina in mid April to host my Magic in Hilton Head ladies retreat. This filter kit was a dream to use while on the beaches of Hilton Head Island.

1/2 second exposure with the 6 stop ND filter

I cannot recommend this filter set enough. Have questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m happy to share any information I can.

Kristen Ryan is an award winning and published landscape photographer and educator residing in the Midwest suburbs of Chicago. All images are available for purchase in the Fine Art Store or by request. Kristen leads ladies landscape photography retreats in the Tetons, Glacier NP, Hilton Head, Chicago, and the Canadian Rockies, offers private mentoring .

4 Tasks to Prepare Camera Gear for a Photography Trip

February 22, 2022

Are you getting ready for a photography trip coming up soon? I’m just getting started with my 2022 travels and thought I would share the 4 things I do to prepare my gear before I travel so I’m prepared when I get out in the field.

1) There is one thing that I do before almost every trip I take and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I clean my camera sensor. If you have gone on a trip and come home to upload your images only to find that you have tons of little sensor dust spots, then you know how truly annoying it can be. It is a tedious and thankless job to have to clone out all those spots.

I know that cleaning my sensor a week or two before a trip is one small thing I can do to start out with my gear in the best shape. And clean gear is one factor that plays a part in creating high quality images.

If you have a camera store near you, you should be able to get your sensor cleaned there. (Note: Take it in with a fully charged battery!) You can also get sensor cleaning kits that allow you to clean your sensor yourself. There are a lot of tutorials out there to show you how to do this for your specific camera.

In addition to cleaning my sensor, as I get ready to travel, there are a few more things I do as I get ready to travel or prepare for a day of shooting.

2) As I gather and organize my lenses and filters to pack in my bag, I spend a little time cleaning them and checking them for smudges and spots. Just like camera sensor spots, dirty filters and lenses can also ruin image quality.

3) I charge up my batteries and make sure I start with a full battery in my main camera, my back up camera and an extra one for each. Then I put my charger right into my bag or suitcase so I don’t forget it!

4) Since I want to start out with an empty memory card with lots of space for my new images, I check to be sure all the images are uploaded and backed up in two places. Then I format my card so it’s ready for more exploring! While it is my typical workflow to upload and back up upon return from a shoot, it’s always a good idea to double check before formatting a card.

These steps set me up for success with clean gear ready to start off my next photography outing in the best possible way. I hope they serve as a helpful reminder to you for your next trip!

Chasing Magic Coffee Table Book

March 23, 2021

The last year has been a time when our world explorations were cancelled and ‘social distancing’ ruled our physical interactions and connections with others. Disappointing in so many ways, and yet sometimes great things come out of adversity.

It all began with an idea…

Two years ago, Amy Miller, a friend and alum of my workshop, The World Around You, came to me with an idea. She is not only a talented photographer but also a graphic designer with a growing interest in designing books. Amy was dreaming of a coffee table book that would celebrate the work of the female landscape and nature photographer. She envisioned us collaborating and launching the idea into our community of female nature photographers.

It felt like we must have been on the same wavelength because when she approached me, I had been lost in thought about ways to continue to nurture the photography and connection among the women in my community. I was looking for a way that we could celebrate each other’s art, share our knowledge and experiences, and foster connection. There is joy in the solo experience of photography but so much beauty in finding ways to collaborate and share with likeminded artists. Ideas of a collaborative website, blog, magazine, etc. were running through my head on a daily basis, but I hadn’t quite landed on anything yet.

Amy and I had a couple brainstorming sessions about the book and came up with some preliminary ideas and set the idea on the back burner to let our ideas ‘marinate’, if you will, and checked in with each other occasionally.

In the meantime, a friend introduced to me to a platform called ‘Mighty Networks’ and my vision of an online space for a female nature community was created in February 2020 with Women Capture Magic. The vision for this space was to be a place where female nature photographers could come together to share, learn, inspire and connect.

After the pandemic began in March 2020, the world felt heavy, exploration was no longer, and there was a yearning for social connection. Once again, Amy and I were on the same wavelength. Not even a week after I was thinking to myself that this would be a perfect time to launch the book project, I got a message from Amy saying we should revisit our brainstorming and move forward. This time, we finished our session with a very solid vision and we were on our way. The next step involved asking our talented friend, Megan Arndt, to join in the project. Megan was the perfect person to come into this idea in the formative stages, as we collectively narrowed and polished the vision for the themes of the book and how we wanted to approach collecting images, creating the book itself and eventually announcing it. It felt like the perfect time to bring together female artists from all over the world in a collaborative project that celebrates the way we see the world!

Women Capture Magic was the perfect place in which to launch the book. The community is filled with talented and inspiring female photographers who respectfully and kindly support and encourage one another. We could not have been more thrilled by the enthusiastic response from the community and blown away by the amazing images submitted for consideration.

The Chasing Magic coffee table book is collaboration of 136 female photographers with images falling into 10 themes: Vast, In Motion, Intimate, Signs of the Season, Let’s Adventure, Dramatic, Into the Woods, Wild, Seeking Serenity, and After Dark. Each chapter is introduced with the words of one of the artists included in that theme. Each image is showcased on its own page and a selection of images within each theme share a “Behind the Shot” story of the image.

8 x 10 Hardcover book. 180 pages containing the art of 136 photographers around the world!

Amy and Megan were a dream to work with and we learned a tremendous amount about the process of putting a project like this together. The layout was beautifully designed by Amy and the final book exceeds all our expectations!

I am so happy to share a few images of the book and its contents but have to tell you my product imagery does NOT do it justice!

The book is available for sale in the Blurb Bookstore and a quick search of ‘Chasing Magic’ will bring up all 3 available versions of the book: our feature Hardcover Coffee Table book, a Softcover book and a luxury version printed on Pearl Paper.

Chasing Magic Hardcover features an Imagewrap cover with a durable matte finish and premium 100# lustre paper inside. See more of the Classic Hardcover Version Here.

Chasing Magic Softcover features a flexible, glossy cover and premium 100# lustre paper on the inside.

Find the Softcover Version Here

Chasing Magic Luxury features an Imagewrap cover with a durable matte finish and high-end 140# pearl photo paper inside. View the Luxury Version Here.

Special Note: Blurb frequently offers coupon codes for discounts in their bookstore.You can sign up on Blurb so you don’t miss these announcements if you are interested in saving on your purchase. Who doesn’t love a good promo code?!

Kristen Ryan is an award winning and published landscape photographer and educator residing in the Midwest suburbs of Chicago. All images are available for purchase in the Fine Art Store or by request. Kristen leads ladies landscape photography retreats in the Tetons, Chicago, and the Canadian Rockies, offers private mentoring and teaches an online landscape photography workshop, The World Around You.

The next run of The World Around You begins April 19th and is open for registration!

4 Tips for Capturing Mother's Nature's Atmosphere Part 2

March 25, 2020

A couple weeks ago I posted an article encouraging you to get out and capture Mother Nature’s Atmosphere in the fog, snow, rain and frigid temperatures. I believe that dramatic and inclement weather can create incredible opportunities for some of the most unique and compelling nature images. These moments happen amongst stormy skies and when the weather clears just enough to let light through. I also believe that even in what appears to be a dreary day, there is beauty to be found if we open our minds and think creatively to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

So today I have 4 tips for capturing Mother Nature’s Atmosphere:

1) Let go of Expectations -

Head out with an open mind and without expectation for what you will capture. As a general rule, I try to do this whenever I go out to shoot but I think it is especially important when the weather is behaving unpredictably. Sometimes we can have a particular kind of beauty or image in our heads and that can blind us from seeing a different kind of beauty right in front of us.

The image below is captured at the iconic Oxbow Bend on a winter’s morning in 2016. Beyond these trees is typically where you would see Mt. Moran but on this morning, you would not know the Tetons were there. Instead of driving past, I captured the beauty of the mist and snow among the trees. While I hoped for a different view that morning, I made the most of what WAS in front of me and I really love the winter magic in this image.

2) Consider Different Focal Lengths & Perspectives - As landscape photographers, we are often drawn to the grand view and wide angle scenery. Sometimes the beauty will be in the expansive scene. But often we can find it in smaller segments of the landscape.

An overcast evening with low lying clouds at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park created a beautiful atmosphere surrounding the Emerald Lake Lodge & its iconic restaurant view. Across the lake I was drawn to the way the low clouds mixed in the tr… — An overcast evening with low lying clouds at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park created a beautiful atmosphere surrounding the Emerald Lake Lodge & its iconic restaurant view. Across the lake I was drawn to the way the low clouds mixed in the trees and reflected in the still waters of Emerald Lake. While I captured the wider view and loved it, I also used my telephoto lens to capture a smaller and more detailed scene. This is one of my favorite recently edited images.

One of the days of the September 2019 Magic in the Tetons retreat was extremely overcast and rainy. While we enjoyed a little extra sleep and a nice breakfast in town together, we also were determined to find some beauty in the day. The sky above wa… — One of the days of the September 2019 Magic in the Tetons retreat was extremely overcast and rainy. While we enjoyed a little extra sleep and a nice breakfast in town together, we also were determined to find some beauty in the day. The sky above was pretty dreary but the low clouds were beautiful as they floated through the evergreen trees. I grabbed my Sigma 150-600 to capture the atmosphere on the side of the mountainside. As much as I love my Teton views, this is one of my favorite images from the retreat. And I love how it shows the beauty we found even in some of the dreariest conditions.

3) Be Patient - Sometimes Mother Nature’s dramatic weather is spectacular in an obvious way, such as when a storm is brewing and the ominous clouds are passing over the mountains or ocean in the distance and you can comfortably capture the incredible drama. Other times, she brings consistent rain or overcast clouds. There are days the cloud cover or rain simply does not let up, but holding patience for a partial clearing, or even a single moment of light, can lead to incredible images. In those brief periods of light between the dreary skies, or waiting out the downpours, we can find amazing beauty. Sometimes even a lackluster sunset can become colorful a short while after the sun goes below the horizon.

While in Turks & Caicos, my husband and I rode our bikes 3 miles to the edge of South Caicos for sunrise one morning. While we were there, we got caught in a downpour and we ran off to an abandoned building for shelter. Instead of leaving, we wa… — While in Turks & Caicos, my husband and I rode our bikes 3 miles to the edge of South Caicos for sunrise one morning. While we were there, we got caught in a downpour and we ran off to an abandoned building for shelter. Instead of leaving, we waited out the rain as I was hopeful that the clearing of the clouds would create some beautiful light. Not only did we get a bit of clearing, but we also got a beautiful rainbow, and actually a hint of a double rainbow too!

On this evening of the Magic in the Tetons retreat, we arrived a little before sunset to rather cloudy skies. I found the intense blue clouds and yellow fall foliage to be a stunning contrast. Sunset itself was quite lackluster but we held on for aw… — On this evening of the Magic in the Tetons retreat, we arrived a little before sunset to rather cloudy skies. I found the intense blue clouds and yellow fall foliage to be a stunning contrast. Sunset itself was quite lackluster but we held on for awhile just waiting well past when the sun went below the horizon. Our patience paid off as about 20 minutes after ‘sunset’, this incredible pink appeared in the sky, enhanced by the long exposures we were shooting.

4) Get Out There!

Even when the forecast is questionable, get out there anyway! Yes, sometimes you may get skunked but quite often you’ll find unexpected beauty or the weather will break at just the perfect moment. There have been so many times I have gone out in rain, freezing rain, or overcast clouds wondering if the shoot would be a bust and come home with images I love. In some cases Mother Nature surprised me by bringing a well timed clearing or beautiful colors in the clouds. Other times I found beauty in unexpected ways.

On this day in Banff National Park, the clouds covered the mountains and the sky was dreary and overcast, but a brief window of light came along at the perfect time over Bow Lake. In the drive from Lake Louise to Bow Lake, the clouds left little hop… — On this day in Banff National Park, the clouds covered the mountains and the sky was dreary and overcast, but a brief window of light came along at the perfect time over Bow Lake. In the drive from Lake Louise to Bow Lake, the clouds left little hope of finding this beauty, but there it was. Worth the effort!

As my friends and I drove 20 minutes from Dana Point, CA to Crystal Cove, the rain came down on us. We knew our efforts may be in vain, but we were only there for one more night and we wanted to make an effort. This was also an outing to see this pl… — As my friends and I drove 20 minutes from Dana Point, CA to Crystal Cove, the rain came down on us. We knew our efforts may be in vain, but we were only there for one more night and we wanted to make an effort. This was also an outing to see this place that was so special to my friend, Brynn Schmidt. As we parked, the rain was beginning to let up and we could see the makings of incredible light. We practically sprinted to the beach and could barely set up our tripods fast enough. I don’t think we even spoke to each other for 30 minutes and we raced to capture the beauty in front of us. When we left our hotel earlier that afternoon, this sunset would never have been what we predicted. Go out anyway! It won’t pay off every time, but sometimes it will.

Lose your expectations, open your mind, practice patience and perseverance! Capture the beauty of Mother Nature’s atmosphere!

While at the moment, many places are off limit to us as we ‘social distance’ and ‘shelter in place’, I look forward to when I am able to travel again, both locally and across the world. In the meantime, I am traveling virtually through my image catalog and finding many images yet to be edited. I’m storing away my ideas and inspiration for the day I can travel again and hope you do too! In the meantime, reach out to me if you' have any topics you’d like to read about as we shelter in our homes. Stay healthy!

My online landscape photography workshop, The World Around You, is now open for registration! Sign up at Click Photo School.

Kristen Ryan is an award winning and published landscape and fine art photographer and educator residing in the Midwest suburbs of Chicago. All images are available for purchase in the Fine Art Store or by request. Kristen leads ladies landscape photography retreats in the Tetons, Chicago, and the Canadian Rockies, offers private mentoring and teaches an online landscape photography workshop, The World Around You.

7 Tips for Finding Inspiration

January 17, 2020

As we begin a new year and new decade, what are you doing to find inspiration? Sometimes it can be hard to stay inspired in our craft day after day. Some people thrive on having a very focused project. Others like to shoot as inspiration comes to them. This can also vary with our stage of life or stage of photography too. I used to thrive on having a project and a “due date” in my first few years of learning. Now I prefer to shoot when I feel the inspiration and try not to feel pressure to create on any kind of timeline.

Whether you are feeling motivated or looking for inspiration, here are 7 tips for finding inspiration in the new year!

1) Go for an early morning walk. Morning walks have been somewhat thrust on me by my walk-loving golden retriever. However, I find that the routine of our 2 mile walk after the kids are off to school is more than just a good active and mind clearing way to start the day. Much of the year, our walk occurs within a couple hours after sunrise and as we walk, I am always noticing the way the light shines through the neighborhood. There is nothing unusually beautiful about our neighborhood, but just noticing the way it lights up the dew drops on the grasses or filters through the trees leaves my mind feeling inspired as I frame images in my mind. On a couple of occasions, I even grabbed my camera when we got home and went in search of the same beauty slightly closer to home. I wonder what you’d find in your neighborhood in the morning light.

The bokeh I envisioned among the grasses day after day while walking the dog in the morning light!

2) Take a field trip to a local park, arboretum, forest preserve, or city! Make an effort to plan a day or even a couple hours visiting a local area of beauty. Maybe you bring your camera or maybe you just leave it at home and spend the time observing with your mind. Sometimes when you go without your camera, your eyes will see even more opportunities to come back to at a later date. Occasionally, when we have our cameras, we can get stuck on the first opportunity we see and miss the other beauty we might have explored. Go alone for quiet thoughtfulness or grab a friend and make it a social outing! Do you have a place you haven’t visited lately?

One of my favorite local spots to visit when I need a creative fix!

3) Listen to inspiring music. The best photographs make us feel emotion. The best music does the same thing. For me, listening to certain music brings specific types visions to my mind and others take me back to past memories or stages of my life. Instrumental music will often bring visions of nature for me; such as waterfalls or rustling trees, etc. Listening to music that makes me FEEL something deep inside inspires me to want to capture images that also make me FEEL emotion. What kind of music inspires you?

4. Get out at night, sunrise or sunset! Getting outside to witness nature during sunrise or sunset when the light is dynamic and colors are golden is sure to help revive your inspiration. The quiet of sunrise always revives and calms my mind as well. Getting out to shoot at night, when everything looks different is a great way to find inspiration. Night is more unexpected and we can create some interesting images that have a stronger impact that the same scene might during the day. Our cameras often capture colors and scenes at night that we miss with the naked eye. Where is a place that you have never explored with your camera at night?

Chicago has a magic that comes alive at night!

5. Explore a different genre. Maybe the landscape is drab and dreary in the winter and is leaving you uninspired. Look for some details that are enhanced by beautiful light or atmospheric fog. Grab some flowers and experiment with macro photography inside or try food photography. Try some self portraits and experiment with light and composition. Sometimes just picking up the camera can yield inspiration. Is there a genre that intrigues you in which you might explore some more?

Macro flowers Kristen Ryan Photography-001.jpg

6. Learn or practice a new technique. Get those Neutral Density filters and tackle long exposures or try some panning on the water or trees. Spend some time learning new creative post processing techniques while you are uninspired to shoot. Post processing is one of my favorite things to do on the dreary winter days. In fact, sometimes I’m thankful for those dreary days because otherwise I might never get my editing done! What technique has been on your to-do list to master?

Merge of a long exposure for the clouds and quick shutter to freeze the foliage!

7. Plan a trip and/or Explore a new place. If nothing else works to inspire my creativity, traveling or exploring a new place always does. Certainly it is most desirable to travel somewhere exotic or extraordinarily beautiful but even less extraordinary places that are new to you can awake your mind to the beauty of the world. Even a day or weekend away in a new place can inspire creativity. And if you come back home to feel uninspired again, at least you have some images to experiment with in post processing!

Milky Way over the Barn Kristen Ryan Photography-001.jpg

8 Tips for Landscape Photography on Family Vacations

June 6, 2019

If school isn’t out where you live, then it is likely starting to wrap up! Summer is finally here and this is a popular time for family vacations. Long, carefree days and so many options for travel in weather that encourages outdoor activities.

One question I am often asked is how I am able to capture landscapes when traveling with my family. So I thought I’d share some of my thoughts and tips as summer vacation preparation is upon us!

1. Have Realistic Expectations! A family vacation is just that, a ‘family vacation’ not a ‘photography vacation’. On a photography trip, we can chase the light to our heart’s content and make that the number one priority. On a FAMILY vacation, our loved ones and our family experience is the top priority. If you have a love for landscape photography like I do, I do not think it is unrealistic to take a little time for yourself to shoot and fulfill the creative need, just like a runner is filled up by a daily run. And if you are traveling somewhere beautiful, you will want to capture some of those scenes. But you won’t get every sunrise, sunset and top photographic location. I come home with images I love, and many in good light, but I do not explore in the way I would on a photography trip. Going into the trip with unrealistic ideas just creates disappointment and that is not what you want for your experience with the people you love.

2. Ask Locals for Tips and/or Research Top Photo Ops - Before you go, research your destination’s top photographic spots! If you are visiting for a short time, you will want to know the hot spots ahead of time. Choose the ones that are reasonable to get to for sunrise or some that would be fun for the family to explore. In addition to Google, ask some locals for tips. This may be local photographers or even hotel or restaurant employees.

3. Get Up For Sunrise - This is one of my top tips! Sunrise is one of the most beautiful and peaceful times of day. Even when I visit a very populated location, sunrise not only has some of the best light of the day, but it also is a time I can experience the beauty of nature with the fewest other people around, often completely by myself. My family also likes to sleep in so I am able to sneak out for an hour or two in the morning before they are ready for the day. I get my landscape fix and start the day in a positive way without my photography taking away from family time.

4. Scout locations While Exploring during the Daytime - As you and your family explore, consider if any of the locations would be great spots to come back to for sunrise or sunset (if opportunity allows). Always look for spectacular views, interesting lines, foreground and framing elements.

5. Include Your People in the Frame - Landscapes are not always void of people and quite often including a human element in the frame can enhance the strength and impact of your image. The human element can create a great sense of scale and a stronger story. Including your own loved ones in your images adds more meaning and sense of experience for you as well.

6. Keep Your Camera With You Often - When it is convenient and makes sense, keep your camera with a versatile lens (24-70, or 24-105 would be my top picks) around your neck during your exploring so you can capture those special moments or gorgeous views as you come upon them. Unless you are shooting long exposures or in low light, a tripod isn’t necessary to capture gorgeous images and memories.

7. Get in the Frame - This tip is not necessarily landscape related, though could be. Adding yourself into the landscape is also a great way to add impact to your images. But take the opportunity to set your camera on a tripod and capture yourself with your family. You’ll never regret doing it, but you very well may regret it if you don’t.

8. Let it Go & Enjoy! - Sometimes it is just best to put the camera down and enjoy your family and the experience. The creative process can take a lot of energy at times, and sometimes it is just best to let it go and give all that energy to just enjoying your loved ones. It is just an image after all. The people in your life are worth so much more.

BONUS TIP #9: Plan a trip FOR your photography! Sign up for a workshop or retreat or plan a trip for yourself where you can go and make chasing the light and top locations your number one priority. Gifting yourself this opportunity is truly invaluable. And when you know you will get this dedicated creative time, it is easier to miss out on opportunities when you travel with non-photographers.

Where will you be traveling this summer? I’d love to hear about it in the comments :)

Kristen Ryan is a landscape and fine art photographer residing in the Midwest suburbs of Chicago. All images can be purchased in the Fine Art Store. Kristen leads ladies landscape photography retreats in the Tetons, Chicago, and the Canadian Rockies, offers private mentoring and teaches an online landscape photography workshop twice a year.