Navigating the complexities of landscape photography, particularly in the vast wilderness, takes more than just capturing images. It’s about the entire journey, from planning and visualizing to experiencing the majesty of nature firsthand. This adventure, especially in remote locations like New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, gives you a chance to express your unique perspective and emotions through your work.

Coming to you from William Patino, this inspiring video showcases the profound connection between a photographer and the natural world. Patino emphasizes the importance of the journey leading up to the moment of capture, highlighting the anticipation, challenges, and eventual triumph when all elements align perfectly. His approach to scouting, planning, and immersing himself in the environment showcases just how much it really takes to come away with a meaningful image. For photographers, especially those drawn to the unpredictability and allure of the outdoors, Patino’s experiences underline the significance of patience, resilience, and creativity in the pursuit of worthwhile shots.

Patino’s adventure through Fiordland National Park is a testament to the rewards of venturing into the unknown. His detailed preparation, from analyzing topographical maps to physically navigating the terrain, demonstrates an essential commitment to preparation, both for photography and safety. The emphasis on early morning light and atmospheric conditions further illustrates the dynamic nature of landscape photography, where timing and perspective are everything. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Patino.

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out our latest tutorial, “Photographing the World: Japan With Elia Locardi!” 

Australian police are investigating an allegation by a photographer that he was assaulted by singer Taylor Swift’s father on Tuesday.

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Ben McDonald, 51, said Scott Swift, 71, hit him in the face as he and his pop singer daughter were getting off a yacht and headed to a car.

A video broadcast by Australian media shows Taylor Swift, who is concealed beneath an umbrella, walking with her father and security guards along Neutral Bay Wharf toward a car at about 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Camera flashes go off before two voices — reported to be a photographer and a guard — accuse each other of touching umbrellas, BBC News reported. It is unclear whether the footage captures the alleged incident.

McDonald said the singer had already entered the car when her father “charged in” and attacked him.

“I’ve been doing this for 23 years and I haven’t been in a situation where someone’s hit me in the chops,” he said, adding he had not provoked the incident.

A representative for the singer had a different take on the incident.

“Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water,” the representative told The Guardian.

New South Wales Police said in a statement, “The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now under way by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command,” New South Wales Police said in a statement.

Swift wrapped up the Australian leg of her Eras Tour in Sydney on Monday night.

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Renowned photographer takes director’s chair for “The After”

Isa Soares sits down with director and co-writer of “The After,” an Oscar-nominated film dealing with themes of grief and empathy.

If you missed all the hubbub when it was initially announced, the Humane AI Pin is an entirely new type of device that’s designed to replace your smartphone. You wear it like a lapel pin and it works a bit like a Star Trek Next Gen communicator. You tap the front of it to interact and, from that point on, it’ll respond to your queries like a supercharged Alexa.

Sounds a bit bonkers, right? Well, it gets even more bizarre. There’s no display and if you want to use it without speaking, it’ll project a monochromatic UI onto your hands, which can be controlled via a series of finger and hand gestures.

This is the kind of weird product that would normally be shrugged off by the masses, but there’s a serious team behind it. The company was founded by husband and wife team ImranChaudhri and Bethany Bongiorn, both former Apple employees who worked on the iPhone, giving it more credibility than you might expect.

First encounter with a wild AI Pin

While I was wandering the endless halls of MWC Barcelona, I happened to stumble across some Humane staff hanging out at the Qualcomm booth, and they were all wearing the elusive AI Pin.

The first thing that struck me about the device is how small it is. It looks smaller than the DJI Mic 2, for example, and considering all the things it can do, that’s very impressive. Next came the projector, which was so much brighter than I imagined it would be. However, we were standing in a dimly lit exhibition hall, and this thing will need to compete with daylight if you’re using it outside, so I suppose it needs to be.

What didn’t surprise me, though, was how awkward it looked to use this projected UI. Yes, it’s super cool, and it draws a crowd, but practicality is not its strong suit. I get that the idea is all about moving away from screens, but the single colour preview of a photo is a prime example of its shortcomings. It almost looked like a QR code as it was projected onto the Humane employee’s hand!

But is it any good at taking pictures?

Of course, smartphones are used for much more than web access and communication. For a lot of us, it’s the main way that we capture photos and videos. The Humane AI pin can do that, too, and I was very excited to see how they looked.

I was shown some images and videos on taken with the Pin on the Humane rep’s smartphone. Obviously, this is something that a phone is better for, as the pin doesn’t have a display. Unfortunately, I can’t show the images here, as they’re the staff member’s personal family photos, but I did get a decent look at the quality.

Images come out in a square-ish aspect ratio with an extremely wide FOV, probably equivalent to around 12mm in full-frame speak. There’s no barrel distortion, and the pictures looked very detailed and high quality, as far as I could tell. The reason for this super wide angle is that the Pin is something that you wear, rather than something you point and aim like a camera. So it needs to get as much in frame as possible.

This isn’t going to result in the most inspiring compositions, but it could work for quick snaps of scenes you want to remember. According to Humane, the idea is to keep you in the moment, rather than viewing precious moments through your smartphone display, and it starts to make sense from that perspective.

I only saw a short video clip, but it was displayed in a more traditional 16:9 aspect ratio, and again, the quality looked better than I expected. Stabilisation looked decent in the short clip, too. It made me wonder if it’d work for hands-free POV shots, like when you’re riding a bike.

Even after seeing the device being used in the real world, I’m left with more questions than answers. Humane thinks this device can replace your smartphone, and I’m not so convinced. As an additional accessory, though, who knows, it could turn out to be the next big thing.

If you’re interested in giving the AI Pin a go, it will begin shipping in April, with a retail price of $699.

For more on mobile photography, check out our guide to the best camera phone.

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Taylor Swift’s father accused of assault by photographer in Australia

An Australian photographer filed a police complaint against Taylor Swift’s father for allegedly punching him as the superstar left a concert afterparty in Sydney on Tuesday.