I receive e-mail from time to time with both compliments and complaints.  Fortunately, the former exceed the latter by a considerable margin. 

To contact me via e-mail, please clickhere.

Your can read comments received during1999, 2000,2001,2002and2003. You can also readfeedback from Video Journal subscribers.

Below are reader comments about this web site that have been received in 2004, 2005 and 2006…..

For the last five years I have been banging my head against a wall trying to understand curves. I have the books, the web sites, and all the tutorials, yet until I found your web site I have never been able to get a handle on curves. It took all of five minutes. You make it all so simple and easy. I now know how to use curves properly and see an immediate improvement in the quality of my images. If there is downside to this newfound knowledge, it is that I have to go back and re-adjust all of my favourite photographs, but that’s a small price to pay.

I’ve been experimenting with some of your other tutorials. I have learned more about the hidden power of Photoshop from your web site in one short day than I thought possible. Your tutorials are simple to use, easy to understand, and most important, they are practical for every day photography. I am noticing an immediate improvement in the quality of my images.

Looking for a review on the new Canon EOS 400d (Rebel XTi in US terms I believe), ‘by mistake’, I discovered your Web Site.

Well, after reading -many- other pre-reviews and comments on the 400d I found your article simply the best.
Balanced, frank, USEFUL. And it was not even a review! 🙂 I was impressed.

This guys got some style I said. I keep browsing the site and I read many other articles finding them simply great.
Now, it’s been now more than two hours that I read articles and and I keep reading …
Laughing from time to time of your stiff comment on no-sense camera "features" 🙂

Frankly I’m sick and tired of the ‘commercial’ politeness of camera reviews. 🙂

Reading your articles is really an experience.A very good one. I can tell, your web site is the -BEST- site I’ve ever visited
about photography. And I’m not exaggerating.

What I appreciate the most is your way of writing. Straight to the point. useful digressions, frank and useful comments,
non-biased approach (Even in the L1 Field Report!). Reading your articles I had the impression I could feel your real
thoughts about the camera or anything else you were writing about. The way you write is simply unique. Period.

I am writing with a simple intent: to congratulate you on an extremely helpful and informative website. I also wish to say that as an aspiring photographer, I think that the pictures you take are excellent. Landscapes are not my subject as choice, but you sure do have a good eye for them. Anyway, I know that your website aims to sell videos and make money, but it nonetheless serves as an invaluable source of free and knowledgeable information about photography in general and digital cameras in particular, and insofar as it fulfills that function, I am extremely grateful for your hard work and time. Thank you! I know my email is but a small leaf in the perpetual fall, but hopefully it will help motivate you to continue your work.

For a longtime serious photographer whose main object is to really “see” and to try to communicate that vision,your site is a desperately-needed oasis of aesthetic and human (spiritual?) priorities in the midst of a screaming barrage of endless consumerism and specification mania.

We’ve just stumbled onto your website and honestly don’t have a clue who you are or what your site is truly about, but even a blind man can see that this site is qualitatively different than virtually all others we’ve found which, at best, help us make a photo.

Your’s is the one that speaks to making us a photographer.

W e look forward to exploring your site and mining great wealth from within it.

There are too few communicators like you. In the triangle of Thinkers, Designers and Builders the world often fails to laud the Instructor who comprehends them all enough to link their efforts to obtain a product and make it useful. You are good! Thanks for the Histogram explanation.

There are a lot of sites for photography but rare of them are really reference points. One of these precious rarities is your Luminous Landscape, a very fine centered place where the photography essence find its soul.

I’ve been coming to your site for at least two years now and I’ve found it to always be a pleasure. Your latest project in China is what finally prompted me to write. To my eyes this is the best work you’ve done – quite an accomplishment considering the already outstanding work you’ve published on your site since I started visiting. You’ve captured more than just good photos. Each photo you’ve posted conveys an emotional element that only good art can accomplish. While some of your photos in the past have struck me on this level – I can say that every photo I’ve seen from your China trip has been an inspiration and a joy. Congratulations!

Your web site single handedly raises the intelligence level of photographic discussions by an order of magnitude.

Nothing much comes for free these days, but having just discovered your website I am staggered by the sheer volume of assistance available on the subject of digital photography. This type of dedication can only come from a person who is a true master and enthusiast of his profession and at the same time, a great philanthropist. I have been an ‘amateur’ photographer for over fifty years (I started at ten years of age!) but there is still plenty of room for learning and your easy to follow illustrated tutorials fill in quite a few gaps now that I’ve turned completely over to digital – you’re definitely on my ‘Favorite List’ from today.
Many thanks indeed for passing on your experience to all and sundry and may you prosper well in the years ahead.

I just discovered The Luminous Landscape today and want to congratulate you on a remarkable website. I am a former National Geographic film producer/director/cameraman and teach documentary filmmaking a great deal at the graduate school and workshop level. Your site inspires me in how it provides so much information to your viewers and subscribers, including how it utilizes video as an instructional medium. It is apparent that you have found a great balance between teaching and your continued passionate engagement with the medium.

I normally don’t make contact with individuals concerning what I like or dislike about what they do.  However, I am so impressed with your web site and the images you capture that I felt compelled to tell you how much I appreciate all you do.  The information you provide on your site and in the video journal is invaluable to a fine art photographer like myself.  Your images are absolutely outstanding and set the standard that I strive to obtain each time I go into the field.  Thank you so much for giving me the technical insight and artistic inspiration to reach new heights in my quest to capture and produce fine art photographs.

I have been avidly logging on to LL for a year now, I’ve bought most of the back editions of the Journal, printed out many of Michael’s essays etc., and in comparison to most all other sites that treat the same subjects, this one soars! I think that one of the reasons is that through the journals Michael comes to be recognised as a real person, with a personality and a set of values. In these forums, his posts are always pertinent, patient and courteous …. and that’s what makes this site the best!

In my opinion, Michael’s equipment reviews are an oasis of sanity. Every time I had the chance to actually try out a piece of hardware he reviewed, I found that my experience is practically identical to his, for example the Olympus E1 review, or comparing film scans with digital images. I’m extremely thankful to him for providing real-world, practical input about equipment, instead of just shooting test charts and comparing in-camera jpeg engines. What I want to know about a camera is how it handles when you take it to a forest and shoot actual pictures. That’s what I do. I don’t shoot test charts for a hobby.

This site is absolutely incredible! Since I found it, I come back almost every day! I enjoy reading all these very interesting articles. I am a passionate photographer and i am just beginning to learn about digital photography! Your site is so helpful! Thank you very much for the enormous effort you put into this beautiful site!

Just want say that I really enjoy your articles regarding the Bangladesh venture, especially the second one about your trip experience.  They are truly informative and wonderfully written.  These articles are what distinguish your publications from others (internet or print publication).  Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience with us.  And all of us are making better photo’s because of your thoughtfulness.

I have only recently discovered the luminous landscape website and in the short time that I have had to look at it I have been overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge it contains.
I have particularly enjoyed the blend of technical tips for taking and manipulating photos tempered by the human perspective on the pursuit of photography. The techniques I have learned for Photoshop have radically changed my perception of what is possible, while articles talking about rangefinder cameras have given me a different vision of the possible ways of capturing beautiful photos.

Thank you for your part in helping this site become the invaluable resource that it has.Just a short note of unmitigated praise and support for the BEST photographic site on the net. The quality of the photos as well as the intelligence behind every comment and observation make LL a treasure.

Just simply wanted to take the time to say what a fantastic contribution your efforts and website are to anyone who takes the time to visit, keep up the great work, really appreciate your sense of humour too, sometimes I can almost hear the
exasperation in your voice, and a little sarcasm helps put a smile on my face. Well done and thanks again.

Thanks to Michael Reichman I have learned a great deal on many intricate subjects, as a lithographic printer for over 30 year and fine art experience I know how demanding getting everything just right is. Bravo for work that is second to non and first place in the field of Photography.

Your site is an extraordinary service to the photography community at a critical time in its evolution–the dawn of the digital era. I teach part-time in art school and have referred my students to your reviews and tutorials on numerous occasions. Many thanks for your valuable contribution to photographic education.

Once again you have shown that you are way ahead of the curve on evaluating the impact of new technology on our profession of landscape photography.

This is probably one of the finest and most honest reviews that I have read, on ANYsubject – and as a scientist and past journal editor I know something about reviews.

I wish to thank you and praise your efforts for The Luminous Landscape. I’ve been reading your site for about a year, and I’ve learned so much from it. The knowledge and techniques I’ve absorbed from your articles and
essays about photography (and in particular, digital photography) have helped me to become a better photographer, and I greatly appreciate the advice and skills you have shared.

Just finished your review and wanted to let you know I appreciate it very much.  Although i will very likely never own either, it was a fascinating read and you did your usual masterful job of explaining both the technical and practial issues.  This piece is representative of why you are the most important source of current information on the web on digital photography.

Your article “Canon 1DSMKII Vs. Phase One P25” is the best of its type I have ever read. I’ve seen so many of those agonizing audiophile and car nut and other aficionado-type analyses over the years, but yours is the way they should all be. You put a good and sensible amount of preamble and disclaimer, necessary and appropriate. You commented on the issues and problems with quantitative assessments.  You explain your reliance, in the end, on both relatively objective and relatively subjective criteria. You allowed a good and sensitive amount of humor to come through.

I just want to let you know that you are an inspiration. I love photography with all my heart and soul and to follow your work really fuels my passion. Thank you for sharing your art with us, the world.

 

Your essay on digital camera  reviews really gave me a big smile. It needed to be said, that all those in-depth laboratory-style reviews are mostly missing the point of what makes a camera one´s favourite companion-wherever- you-go, the extension of your hands and vision, the instrument that stimulates your creative mind (I am an amateur from the rolleiflex/leica generation, but all-digital since 2000..) Your reviews are the only ones that really address this aspect. At the same time I greatly enjoy the ´techie-freak´ sites and their camera reviews, but from a quite different perspective. In my opinion they are not at all about photography , but about digital imaging technology and business. And that is a really fascinating world in its own right these days and for some years to come. I am really impressed about the in-depth technology interest and know-how among the internet community. But their style of reviewing and rating of digicams as technical play-things has only a distant relation to the art of photography .Of course the new imaging technology is very important for this art, but it´s like what the wordprocessor did for writers: it made them maybe more productive but not necessarily better writers. Your website is one of my favourites, I thank you and wish you a continuing success.

Read a lot of reviews when I am looking for a camera lens or software. Your reviews are by far the most informative and helpful. You look at the equipment as a tool and judge it accordingly. Please don’t stop what you are doing. I even read the reviews of equipment I will probably never use as it’s nice to know what is out there and how it performs. Good work!

Just wanted to congradulate and thank you for the effort you have put into The Luminous Landscape website.
Finally a site that looks at most aspects of digital photography from a photographers perspective, rather than a technophile perspective!
 
I have found your camera reviews to be a facinating read, the focus on usability, rather than pixel perfect replication, is a true breath of fresh air.
Also several of your photoshop tutorials have improved my post-processing a great deal, especially with regard to digital blending – that tutorial opened my eyes to the world of masks!
 
Keep up the good work!

Just to say that I enjoy the Luminous Landscape very much and have gleaned a wealth of information there. You are a great communicator and have the ability to say things in an
understandable way, finding the correct balance between too technical and too simplistic.

Thank you for your well written review of the 8 meg cameras – I have been searching everywhere for a good, down to earth comparison, which is what I felt you provided.  Your writing is very clear and very educational – I really learned a lot and appreciate all the time that you put into it – I can tell it was a lot of work.   I have not found anyone else who has provided this level of review and documented "just the facts" that would allow consumers to make an informed choice.

I just want to say the your site has been the best source of information and "frustration reduction" that I have come across.  The great examples and descriptions  on shooting with my digital camera and using my film scanner have truly been a help.

I am a pro shooting architecture but I shoot scenics and people for fun.  Even with my level of knowledge it is hard to get good advice that makes the photo process easier to understand so that I can keep my focus on the art of shooting and not getting bogged in the technical side.  Keep up the good work on what is now my favorite photography web site!

JUST A QUICK NOTE TO SAY WHAT A TERRIFIC JOB YOU DO OF GIVING THE INFORMATION MOST NEEDED.  AS A WORKING PROFESSIONAL FOR 25 YEARS I ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE HOW QUICKLY I CAN ARRIVE AT A "JUDGMENT" AS TO WHETHER OR NOT A PARTICULAR ITEM IS RIGHT FOR MY BUSINESS.
MANY THANKS.

I found your site by accident a few days ago and was amazed to read the Understanding Histograms piece.
 
It’s wonderful to find some truly knowledgeable technical stuff that is not only concise, but hasn’t been written in such a way that it can only be understood by those who already know the subject. I’ve both written and edited technical articles in the past and have constantly been frustrated by the apparent inability of most technical writers to empathise with the beginner’s position.
 
Photography as a hobby is new to me, and I’ve struggled to find a clear explanation of the use of histograms. Thanks to your site, I now have enough understanding to go and get some practice with them.
 
This site is now in my favourites folder.  

After visitng your site for a number of months, i feel compelled to congratulate you on what seems an un-ending supply of very fine photography; you are truly inspiring. And this compliment is coming from an old timer schooled in large format tri-x and Ilford paper, cold-light enlarging, tripods and small apertures.  For me, you’re on the same page as Edward and Brett, Ansel, Imogene, Strand, Fred Picker…
 
Thanks and keep it coming.

I thought I’d drop you a quick line to thank you for being a beacon of sensibility in a world full of tech heads who don’t seem to take photos!

Thank you for the excellent work in publishing Luminous Landscape. Even though I have been a serious photographer for 35 years, and a professional in the early years, your common sense approach and execellent articles / tutorials have greatly eased my move to digital.

I guess that ‘to inspire’ is what you are trying to do with your site. Well it does. I am a beginner, an amateur, a forester actually… but am inspired to ‘see’ things differently by your photographs. I look and think ‘yeah, maybe I could do that’. The simplicity is what gets me every time.

That you are completely open about method an techniques is also wonderful – not hiding the ‘black-arts’ of the photographer, is again inspiring to us beginners.

i have just finished reading your article _Regarding Digital Camera Reviews_ and am somewhat flabbergasted !
I have been a professional and teacher here in New Zealand for about as long as you have been in the journalist business and a confessed addict of Photo Techniques, and Luminous Landscape. It is one of the few sites where the material you post is USEFUL!( pardon me shouting)., relevant and considered. Thank you for all the work you put into it a. It makes it a lot easier for people like me to get a fix on where to go in terms of acquiring new approaches and considering new materials to adopt. Well Done.
What flabbergasts me?

May I quote: / But I also review film cameras, including medium format, large format, panoramic and underwater cameras
/When did you last do that? As a longtime watcher of this site, I ( and a few million others)watched you publicly make the switch from analog to digital and become a digital zealot. How long has it been since you paid any lip service to those of us who use film(actually I use both) and reviewed a film camera? ( i guess you will be giving us an F6 review soon!). Please think before you put keyboard to screen. You do yourself a disservice. As for this article. Millions like me re wondering what provoked this?
Maybe the email that wounded your pride should be included at the beginning, so we understand what this is all about.
Frankly rants like this do your reputation no good and make you look a complete plonker.
Michael, you are better than this. Give yourself a break, and for goodness sake allow us to keep holding you in high regards.
This is not the way to do it!I must tell you again that in the constellation of photo "gurus" you are in a class by yourself.We are surrounded in all realms by a culture that elevates technology as a dominant consideration of quality. You have not joined the crowd and I thoroughly enjoy reading what are sometimes poetic-like writings of a kindred spirit. I much appreciate what you do.

I want to extend my personal thanks to you for the terrific job you do with your website. Your passion for the profession and your willingness to help those of us striving to improve our photographic technique and understanding is truly remarkable. I find your discussions, reviews, tutorials, etc. to be excellent and especially informative. Your dedication in keeping the content fresh and thought provoking is outstanding. I am sure that there are many readers like myself who are extremely grateful for your dedication to this effort. You do a super job and it is greatly appreciated!

Just a quick word to say how much I enjoy reading the articles on your site – you have one of the best balanced, informative and (often) funny writing styles I’ve had the pleasure of coming across!

I’ve been reading your website for about 3 weeks now and I love it. Your opinions and perspectives on cameras, technique, and philosophy of art are so refreshing. The internet is so full of useless information but I find that each time I visit the Luminous Landscape, I come away with a better feeling of myself as a photographer. Best of luck in all of your endeavors. You are truly one of the great voices on the net (and your photographs rock).

Thank you very much for an awesome website and your efforts in educating other photographers !

Fantastic resource – many thanks! I know first hand the effort in maintaining a popular website, and yours is truly first class!

I just wanted to write to you to express my grattitude and admiration for the time and effort you put into your work. I’ve recently finished a photograhy course where I learnt the finer points of B&W printing aswell as digital imaging. I must confess though that I found your essays of much greater learning than I ever did at school. I think your a great teacher and a great writer with the ability to make things very clear. I’ve gone through so many websites and books trying to find help with making fine quality digital prints but up until I discovered you everthing else was confusing. I love the fact that your about the only person I’ve come across that writes "real world" reviews on equipment. It’s refreshing to hear it from someone so obviously passionate about photography as yourself.

I just wanted to drop a line to say how much I enjoy reading your site, it is continuously challenging and refreshing, you never seem to stop questioning what photographing really is, what it takes, what it gets. I have learned more from this site than from a thousand books, the techniques, the perspective, the daring dare. Thanks!

I really enjoyed reading your reviews and thoughts.I really like your last words there in 1D Mk II review (But where else will you learn if the controls are easy to use when wearing gloves? :-))

I don’t like those lengthy reviews other site post, and yours really is what I am looking for, really practical! All the best to your work, and enjoy shooting with gloves on! 😎

I have been visiting your web site on a daily basis for the past several of years. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all of the time and effort you and your contributing authors put into producing quality information about photography and photographic equipment. Your Tutorials and Understanding Series have provided me with invaluable tips and information that has helped to make me a better photographer.

I have come to really appreciate your approach to equipment reviews and find that I tend to gain the most useful insight about a piece of equipment from your articles. While there are several other very good photography review web sites, many of which provide extremely detailed reviews of the latest equipment, I have found, as you often point out,
that what really matters is how a piece of equipment actually works in real life. After reading many of your reviews, I have gained a good understanding of your tastes, likes, and dislikes. Your reviews are always honest and strait forward. I value our opinions and conclusions.

I have devoured the LL and cannot begin to tell you how much I’ve learned, and how your erudite, non-pedantic and interesting content has added to my love and practice of photography.

I returned from Toronto and just wanted to thank you for sharing your work at the Pikto gallery. Your pictures are beautiful, with a painterly quality that is incredibly soothing. The colors are striking and compositions so simple, which for me creates more impact.

Thank you for the time and energy you have spent changing the way we carefully consider the selection of our ‘tools’. Your website represents the epitome of what the web can do – specific and general enlightenment, through the vehicle of a complex subject (in this case photography – and art.)

I just want to let you know how valuable Luminous Landscape is. I find something new (at least to me) virtually every time I log in. Timely, interesting, to-the-point news, tips, reviews, techniques. I especially appreciate your emphasis on getting out and taking pictures (rather than getting too hung up on the technical stuff). I’ve been a photographer for 30+ years, just getting into digital in the past year. It’s very exciting to be learning new things, and that’s translated into a lot more energy to making photographs.

Anyway, thanks from a very satisfied subscriber. I’d gladly pay even without the video journal.

I really enjoy your site and it’s refreshingly unbiased and frank views. You have megabytes of excellent technical content and also great editorials such as Clearing the Air and Telling the Story. With todays magazines so full of praise for poor products due to being at the mercy of advertisers for their existance it’s nice to be able to rely on someone who can provide information in a purely honest and forthright manner.

I greatly appreciate your articles , congratulate you and wish you good luck , and most important , keep saying the things you do – they make exceedingly good sense to me !

I believe your approach of scrutinizing the technical specifications, revealing the ups and downs of a product with testing and topping it off with a healthy does of reality is truly the best way to review a product. I realize more and more everyday that you can’t satisfy everyone and the way that you handle it is superb. I appreciate your candid approach to telling-it-like-it-is. That’s a rare quality these days. Thank you for all your work and please keep it up.

I have been a frequent visitor to your site and wanted to thank you for the energy, entusiasm, and discipline that you devote to the medium. You are creating a tremendous resource!

No other photo resource or web site has pushed me forward more than your website. Thanks a lot for a marvellous, inspirational and friendly place in the web.

I just wanted to say thanks for putting all this information up on the web and sharing your expertise. It seems a competitive field and it’s so refreshing to find someone who seems keen to encourage others in their photographic pursuits. Also, the information you provide is really useful and helpful. Not to mention your gorgeous photographs which have me all inspired now to go out and shoot photos.

*Very* nice site; reading it obsessively. Your opinions seem well considered. Thanks for putting together such a great (free) resource.

I just took the plunge into serious digital photography with a D1s/G5/Photoshop CS/2200 combo and as the thrill of the year end purchase wore off I suddenly felt like an idiot who’d just bought a Ferrari but didn’t have a driver’s license. Then I found your site!! Bravo and thank you, Michael.

Wow what a site you have. Great info. Pages load fast with no ad pop ups, material very organized (and a heck of a lot of work no doubt). The Brickworks and the Iceland images are simply amazing EVEN on a laptop screen. Inspiration AND education-sweet. Many, many thanks.

Your evaluations were simply great. I use similar gear in my income pursuits and agree almost completely. Its not often I run across a site where the signal to noise ratio is so very high…as in Lots of signal and little noise. Your are to be commended. First for taking to time to share what you’ve learned and then to do it so complete and accurately.

Just wanted to thank you for providing an extremely useful website. I have recently purchased dozens of photography books, at a cost of hundreds of dollars, yet, quite often, I
turn to your tutorials and "understanding series" for information I can understand and rely upon.

2003

Words are not enough, I am highly impressed and more with your web site, there seems to be an endless list of topics that I must read, since I found the Luminous Landscape site I have not visited any other.

Thank you for an amazing site. I visit daily in anticipation of a new article, review, news item, or another beautiful picture. You’ve made me realize I have a long way to go in the quality of my work and I strive harder because of it. Thank you!

Thank you for providing such a wonderful service and excellent content to us. It is just an amazing site you have. I really enjoy reading it daily, and diving into the depths of your experiences. I am a better photographer because of them.

Your appraisals of lenses have helped me select which ones I should get, without having to listen to what the salesmen say. Your reviews are worth much more than any sales literature.

Thank you for making the Luminous-Landscape website available to me. I’m not a pro photographer, and never will be. There is a lot to learn from you website and I enjoy it very much. I appreicate that the examples are free of the horrid examples that make photos appear like something out of an Andy Warhol horror movie. Keep up the good work and, a thousand times over, thank you.

I just reviewed your Brickwork images….OUTSTANDING!! and the metaphor of architecture to landscape theme invokes a feeling of abstract realism ( my own term here)..This borders on photographic pioneering! Congrats Michael and these NEED to be published….!!!

Just wanted to say I have followed your site for a few years now and I find it consistently inspirational, thought provoking and informative. I can honestly say I have learned more genuinely useful techniques for digital imaging from your site than all the so called digital imaging reference books I own put together. So thank you for a wonderful resource.

Why haven’t I bothered to say so before? Actually I was prompted to write because your recent Toronto Brickworks series blew me away. Spellbinding images superbly executed.

Just a note to express my great appreciation for the Brickworks photos. They are stunning, but what has been the most useful thing to me is the very basic metaphor of "seeing" architecture as landscape. It’s one of those simple perceptual paradigms that makes all the difference, and frankly I would never have thought about it except through your idea and a demonstration such as this.

Thank you and your contributors for the great Web site. I very much appreciate the many valuable insights and candid evaluations. This is definitely one of my frequent favorites.

I must quickly take a moment to applaud you on your superb website! It has changed quite alot about my life… I have combed your site at GREAT GREAT GREAT lengths and it as helped me to make a number of very educated decisions concerning technique, (digital blending) and equipment. Most importantly, it as provided me with an endless source of inspiration to get out there and shoot non-stop and pay careful attention to what I am doing. Thank you so much.

Your website is absolutely superb, and I’ve found nothing else even remotely approaching your combination of technical information, feet-on-the-ground common sense about some of the hardware issues that too many folks get caught up in, and–most important–sheer aesthetic mastery anywhere else on the web. Your photos, even on my monitor, are breathtaking,

Just felt like writing a short email to congratulate you on your site. With the inevitable introduction of digital technology to photography it’s easy for people to get caught in the technology glare like frightened rabbits where you’re so mesmerised by the light that you forget you’re supposed to get out of the way and take photos! So it’s great to find a site that concentrates on the real issues, how to take great photos and the mechanics of photography be it film or digital.

Anyway, the site is fantastic and a welcome balance to the more technically focused sites around.

Thank you for putting together a great photography website. It’s amazing how you cover so much! I’m very impressed.

I am always impressed with your work, honesty, and practical knowledge. You are a legend in my mind.

Just watched #8, and then went back to watch an earlier one. What really strikes me is that the photographic advice remains current, comments about digital technology, even only two years old, are a hoot. We live in a highly compressed time space with digital.

Michael — The quality of your ‘Reviews’ are one of the principal reasons I support this site. Your forthright style, informed analysis, and willingness to provide an unequivocal "Not recommended" are both refreshing and invaluable.

Most of us here don’t have the time or talent to evaluate the barrage of products in this brave new world of digital photography. Thanks for shedding some welcomed light on the subject. Much appreciated.

This is the site I’ve been looking for! Clean, concise, articulate tutorials with concrete examples, as well as articles and essays covering everything from the technical to artistic aspects of digital photgraphy. This site immediately went under ‘Favorites’ in my browser window. I’m thrilled to have found you – keep up the great work!!

I am writing simply to say how grateful I am for your site. It is not only informative and informed, but it is encouraging.

Just as a comment: your web site is a useful service because it is not biased and is relatively straightforward in its discussions. If I could just quit my day job to take more pictures, life would be grand.

People are often very quick to complain, but not necessarily so quick to pass along a word of praise. I just wanted to thank you for providing the Video Journal jewel case inserts recently posted to your website. Being a subscriber since the journal’s inception, I downloaded and printed all eight. I thought the inclusion of a Table of Contents was a very nice touch. Guess I can toss the list I was keeping on a sheet of legal paper! ;>)

It seems like a simple thing to post these covers, but, as I’m sure you know, it is often these seemingly minor, elegant touches that keep a customer happy. From a print of yours that I recently received through Photo Techniques, to these jewel case covers, and, through to the Luminous Landscape website itself, everything is always first-rate and, obviously, pushed to a higher standard. I, for one, feel that all of us involved with photography are better off thanks to your efforts. Keep up the good work!

Thank you very much for providing such a wonderful, straight-to-the-facts site (not to mention the beautiful photographs that truly inspire). I check this site daily and am continually impressed with it’s content.

I have only just got to have a look at the photos on your essay and they are fantastic, I have rarely been able to find such artistic nature images in all my searches on the web.

Thank you for maintaining your website. Your site will make me a better more inspired photographer. Thanks for helping me.

What a wonderful site. thank you on behalf of all of us amateurs who need the wisdom of folks like you and who are willing to donate it.

I have spent most of the last week running through a significant part of your site; tutorials, essays, the understanding series and odd bits of the other stuff.

During that time, I have learnt more about digital photography and Photoshop than I would have thought possible. To be honest, 8 weeks ago you could not have convinced me that I would have embraced digital to the extent that I have done. This has been made possible largely through your Video Journal and the information on lula.wpengine.com.

My initial sojourns into digital were spectacular unsuccessful. I couldn’t get my head around Photoshop, and Paint Shop Pro didn’t quite do what I needed. Then I started to look seriously at your website, and your Instant Photoshop and Photoshop workflow tutorials settled most of the mud swirling in my head. Thank you – these are both excellently written and comprehensive, and I have recommended them to several people since coming across them myself.

I’m not in the habit of writing fan letters, but now I am obliged to acknowledge just how much The Luminous Landscape has improved my digital photography. Like a gourmet meal, everything about your site reflects knowledge, skill, and great care in both preparation and presentation. As a struggling digital fine-art photographer, I have resisted the almost daily urge to subscribe to your Video Journal–until now, that is. The recent articles on signal-to-noise and contrast enhancement were so helpful that I can no longer justify not subscribing–either piece of information is easily worth the subscription cost!

Thank you for helping me to become a better and more successful photographer.

I still learn more from this site than all other sources combined. In fact, I learn things on LL that I have never seen anywhere else. My images are much the better for it, and the entire process of working with photography is much more enjoyable.

I’ve been reading your site for the past year and it has been a great help. The tutorials and understanding series contain a lot of great information, all cleary put.
So, a big thank-you and please keep up the good work.

This is simply the best website on photography that I ever visit. Thank you for hugely assisting my (gradual) transition out of the chemical darkroom into the digital world. It has helped that I am a Canon and Epson 2100 user!

I think a lot of the anti-digital argument is very analogous to the CD revolution in recorded music. Many people seem to get so used to a given set of artifacts that they will not accept new ones – even if the new ones are a demonstrable leap forward.

I view your site a couple times a week to see your main photo and I must say the current photo "Vertical Landing — Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. June, 2003" is AWESOME!

It’s now in my top 10 list of photos. Thanks!!!!

My buddy and I have traveled to some of the places you have photograhped. At times, we have seen these magical moments, but do not have the ability that you do to capture the magic of these areas. You have a gift, and we appreciate the opportunity to view your work. Thanks, and keep clicking.

Just a quick note to again thank you for having the intestinal fortitude to tell it like it is in your tests, instead of glossing over the negative aspects of products you sample. The downside is in time manufacturers will likely avoid sending you products they know are less than satisfactory… the good news is you have developed a stellar reputation among pro and advanced amateur shooters, and if you don’t receive something to review we can probably assume it isn’t worth owning!

Your attention to detail, in depth analysis, and open mind to technical advances all provide for an excellent read on whatever the subject may be. And your photographs speak for hemselves.

I just looked at your new Death Valley pictures, and they are really the kind of work that is so uplifting that it must encourage other artists to imagine new possibilities for their own work and life. Thank you.

Your website is oozing with information…thanks for all the "how-tos"! I have found your site to be the most helpful when I have a question relating to photograpy.

I’ve been reading your website for a few months now and the content is absolutely amazing. To me, your articles are far more engaging than anything Phil at dpreview has ever written. The pictures on your site are absolutely stunning as well. I’ve learned so much about composition just by going through your pictures. I just wanted to say thank you for the inspiration, the content on your website, and your beautiful photographs.

Over the past year I’ve found your site very useful and honest in its reviews and comments. While not always in total agreement it is one of the best.

What a delight to find a web site that reviews cameras, etc. from a ‘REAL’ user’s perspective and honestly describes the real life gripes one may only find or think of after spending/wasting money on something that after using we often make excuses for it’s short comings just to camouflage our real disgust and disappointment with the item. Just a ‘huge’ thank you for you’re time taken in the many reviews that you have provided, and from the perspective you approach each one with….. Some may take you to task for the seemingly harsh reviews of some of the hardware but I find it very refreshing to see the honesty in those reviews. I for one from this point on when thinking of a photo hardware related purchase will surely make this webb site one of, if not the, first stop I make in helping me make my decisions.

Thanks again for you’re very much appreciated work!!!

Congratulations on a wonderful site. I’m relatively new to photography, and your site has been a great resource for learning. Everytime I look at it, I find new and wonderful things to read.

I’ve just read your comparison on the 1DS and medium format film. I’m only an amateur, and a begginer at that, but I found it very informative, as I have other articles on your site. I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it, and how interesting I found it. As someone with scientific training, I also want to compliment you on your excellent technique and detail. I look forward to reading more in future.

Your site has been an extraordinary find for me. It is precisely what I needed to bring me up to speed and though I’ve just begun mining your site I know I’ll be exploring there for some time to come. So thank you for you kindness in assembling this marvelous site and also for sharing with me you many valuable insights into the art and science of digital photography!

You have a wonderful site. I’ve been a photographer for nearly 35 years and I have never received as much useful information from one source as I have from your website.

What a fantastic web site !!!!!! In my opinion this is the best web site on the net this specialised subject – it is so informative and easy to follow.

I encourage you to continue your independent and critial reviews because there are very few if any other places that one can find critical comments in view of the powerful commercial interests.

Your love and passion for the visual image is captivating and inspiring. Thanks.

What impressed me the moment I stumbled upon your site is that for the first time, I am reading about equipment being used by a professional. The good, bad and ugly about these equipment, ease or lack of in use, and most importantly how they are viewed by a working pro. No lab tests, no gimmicks or out of this world tests that in the end do not answer one question: do you really like this piece of equipment, and whether you like the results it yields. You do that. You evaluate that piece of equipment for the use it is intended to, and the passing or failing grade is totally dependent on whether it does the job it claims to do, and how well or badly. Simple, straight and honestly. and your judgement is also simplicity itself, you call a spade a spade. No sugar coating, no kiddy glove, no twist in words.

Your site is an welcoming oasis in a sea of mediocrity.

Let me add to what must be a growing pile of congratulations on both the Luminous Landscape website and the Video Journal, both of which I enjoy on a daily basis. The PC Magazine rating is richly deserved.

Your web pages are amazing, full of great info. Thank you so much for documenting all of these thoughts and ideas.

A quick note to tell you that after 50 years of pro shooting your site is the greatest tool i’ve EVER found pertaining to knowledge about our art. Thank you for being there!!!!!!

I’ve been lurking on LL pretty much every day for the last 5 months or so. You’re a beacon of light (sort of like your Big Sur picture) to the digital world which most of the time seems like the blind leading the blind.

Just wanted to compliment you on a truly excellent & informative photographic website! I truly enjoy it’s style and the valuable info it offers.

I felt like dropping you a note just to say thanks for having put together such a wonderful web site. My understanding of photography has grown, as well as my ability to make better images, as a result of the information that has been made available on The Luminous Landscape.

By the way, I just recently purchased a Canon EOS-1 Ds and I absolutely love it. I’ve always wanted to be able to have the convenience of shooting 35mm and have the quality of medium format and now I have it. Dreams do come true:-)

The Luminous Landscape is a gathering of specialised information from knowledgeable contributors pretty much without equal. Thank you.

Thanks so much for creating the best photography site on the Web.

I find your tutorials the best and the easiest way to improve my understanding of digital photography, and am learning composition by viewing your images.

This is the best online photographic educational resource I have found. You are an extremely clear communicator and I deeply appreciate your constant consideration of what is practical when addressing some of the more technical aspects of photography. I also appreciate your balanced approach – there is very little dogma here which is rare for someone who is such an accomplished expert.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Luminous Landscape for the past year or so, and wanted to send you my personal thanks for taking the time to put up such a great photographic resource for all of us. It has been an immense help to my skill as a photographer.

Just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks for the real content. Such a refreshing experience to actually stumble upon useful information on the web. Too cool. Thanks for taking the time to get it out there.

Thanks for a great web page. Persons like yourself make the web a great place to go for information and I hope that you are rewarded by providence for your efforts.

Having just spent a couple of hours perusing your site, and learning things, and enjoying the time spent, I have to write you, however briefly. Your site is certainly the most enjoyable and beneficial site for an avid-but-amateur photographer like me. It is a marvelous accomplishment.

Its not just the photo’s which are breathtaking, nor the ariticles which are filled with good information, it is the fact that a professional puts this all available, even turtorials, to amateurs like me.

I must say that your web site is one of the very best photography sites around. You have the best practical advice and reviews. Your choice of what to compare and contrast is absolutely the most logical and cutting edge information available. From printers to camera bodies and lenses, you answer the questions that beg for comparisons (the same questions that I ask myself) and can’t be found anywhere else.

I must humbly commend you on your site and your efforts in photography. Each time I view your site, I am blown away by your articulate and highly-educational articles and pictures. You provide an exceptional resource.

Ireviewed a number of items on your site today. Congratulations, it is outstanding! Amazing depth of material and superbly written.

I would like to thank you for your creative website and its numerous contributions to photography as art. I enjoy reading your articles, and assure you they have influenced my work.

What an awesome site! I can’t recall learning so much about any subject is so little time. Just a few evenings of reading and I feel that I’ve digested an entire row of expert books… The ‘Tutorials’, ‘Essays’ and the ‘Understanding Series’ are priceless.

I am a professional photographer in Seattle. I recently learned of your site via my quest for the Holy Grail -film vs. digital conclusion- and simply want to say thank you for all your work. Your writing is intelligent and apparently unbiased & Your conclusions speak for themselves.

I would just like to take this opportunity to compliment you on your site. I just came across it via a link and was overwhelmed with the amount and quality of information that you have offered. As an amateur photographer, I’ve never taken the time to do this for any other site and I have seen very many. However, yours is truly worthy.

I want to tank you for the very nice, clear and bold tutorials that I enjoyed reading evry paragraph. thanks also for allowing compete and free of charge acces to all those informations.

Thank You for the many informed insights. You help to educate us and eliminate so many dead ends and misconceptions. I applaud your efforts.

I have just found your fascinating site and would just like to register my appreciation and thanks. While pondering digital cameras generally (again), I found your essays highly interesting, particularly regarding resolution and image quality. My goodness what a very refreshing change from the poorly informed and generalised ‘puff’ of commercial magazines.

Thank you very-very much for your wonderful site. I enjoy very few things more than your articles.

Thank you for providing such an informative website. Your skill at teaching is exceeded only by your fantastic photography which I have been admiring since happening upon your website while researching the 1Ds.

This one to tell you that I do find your web site among the best ones regarding the quality of information found on the matter of photography, be it analog or digital.

Just a quick note to say I love your site. Some of the best photography of the best places in america. Great quality, large images, too. Thanks for making them available. (I just wish there were more of them! Or better yet – that I were out there!)

Your frank and forthright opinion have impressed me the most. I learn something new every time I visit your site. In all honesty I think this is the best site for photography on the internet. Keep up the good work.

I would like to congratulate you on the quality of your online site. It has to be the best I have seen for photographers both amateurs like myself and I am sure for professionnals as well.

I can say without a doubt that your info is the most comprehensive of all that I have seen on the web.

I’d just like to thank you for a beautiful web site. i’m not a beginner in photography nor in photoshop, and yet i have find a lot of very helpful information. So now, whenever somebody ask me an advice about digital photography or how to start with photoshop, i just give them link to your web site.

You are making a great contribution to photography, and this site is an incredible resource. Long may it continue!

What an awesome website you have! Your photography / writing leaves me breathless.

Thanks for the outstanding 1Ds review. Compared to the death march through the specs typical of most reviewers, yours is a refreshing and illuminating exposition.

I have just finished reading your 5 part report on the 1Ds, and I wanted to express my gratitude. You covered the bases in relevant detail, permitting yourself to instructive, informative, and subjective. This is the triple threat when it comes to critique. My hat’s off to you.

You are definitely an island of reality amongst a sea of misinformation.

I appreciate your straightforward, pragmatic approach, your real-world thoroughness, your sense of humor, and your artistry. Thank you for your wonderful website and the marvelous articles and reviews you put on it.

My compliments on your web site. It’s first rate, and undoubtedly the best resource on the net.

Thank you for your multi-talents, your dissemination of information is a blessing to us all.

Michael, I have to tell you that your site is the best on the web for photographers who use photoshop! I have been a photographer for many many years using film, but when entering the digital age I was somewhat overwhelmed with all of the new tools and techniques I needed to learn. I have learned much more from your pages than anywhere else out there, including the numerous books I’ve read. It’s simply supurb! Thank you so much!

Three cheers for your recent "Why Don’t They Get It?" article! It was so well written (and timely) that I found myself muttering "Yes! Yes!" as each point was made. Your injection of humor, mixed with your unparalleled perception of the photographic industry, is just another reason I truly enjoy The Luminous Landscape and subscribe to The Video Journal.

Your web site and articles are one true source of excellent and highly-accurate information for any serious photographer. I enjoy your work immensely.

This site may be the closest any of us will ever get to Photography Heaven!

I visited your website today and found it to be one of the best and most informative photography websites that I have ever visited. As for your images, they are beautiful with lighting that takes one’s breath away — even on my small computer screen! Many thanks for making your website available to photographers who, like me, are always in search of ways to learn and improve their photography.

I was blown away by the wealth of information and the website content. Thank you so much for offering such valuable information without charge and, more important, commercials. I intend to access this site extensively.

Your website is absolutely the best. What a wealth of solid, helpful, truthful, honest information. If only more people in more endeavors held such high standards. It is a joy to visit. Thank you for your efforts.

Thanks for all the effort you must have put into this stellar site. It is very much appreciated.

…have spent the entire morning on your site. It is a godsend. Meaningful content, well written, and beautiful to look at. Thank you so much.

I have been coming to your web site for the last 3 years and am in awe of what you have done. You have no peers. You definitely stand in a class all by yourself. What a lot of work you have given to us!

I have gone to many seminars, workshops, & schools for digital photography, as well as Photoshop. You by far have taught me more off your web page than any of the above.

I am knocked out by your website! From the time I touched my first hand-me-down Argus C3, through earning my MFA and right up to this day, I’ve been transfixed by photography. I have watched excellent photographic publications come and go. I have a personal treasury of some of them. This is all to say that it has been a long time since I’ve experienced the kind of enthusiasm that I do for The Luminous Landscape. It’s balance of deep content, technological common sense and beautiful imagery is gratifying.

Excellent web-site, your entertaining and truthful tutorials follow my own photographic philosophy to the letter! Great to read someone else stressing that the glass on the front of your camera and how to use it well produces better work than endlessly changing equipment for the latest fad… I’m a qualified working professional and use Contax & Zeiss, Sinar & Schnieder and Mamiya RZ systems every day for Commercial, Industrial, Architectural & PR photography; I arrived at this equipment choice because I understand what is needed to produce high quality CONSISTENT results. That is what this site teaches so well. My college tutors used to say understanding techniques and achieving consistent working methods are vital to success. Every student should use your site as standard reading and stop buying amateur magazines.

I’ve gained a great deal of knowledge from your site and thank-you for its existence.

Your site is a feast. Thanx for your sustained, and sustaining, efforts.

Thank you for your thoughtful and highly useful website. Truly one of the gems of the web in the Photography world.

Excellent (and successful) attempt to improve an already outstanding web-site, Michael!! You should be very proud of your creation. It means a lot to a great many people. I definitely include myself among them, and wish you every continued success!

I really must say that your site is of the best that I have ever seen! The reviews, the tutorials, the wealth of knowledge that you share is simply awesome.

Keep up the fantastic work. Your ‘Luminous Landscape’ web site is among the highest quality and most useful photographic web sites I know of.

I just want to say thank you for your wonderful site. It is one of the few sites (and the only photography site) on my ‘check habitually’ list. It is always of high quality and always enjoyable.

Thank you for the most informative, intelligent and articulate site on digital photography.  As a newcomer, your site has been enormously helpful.

Luminous Landscape is by far the finest photographic site and resource on the web. Inspirational.

Thanks for all your effort in creating and publishing the Luminous Landscape site. Your content (both photographically and written) is first class and irreplaceable.

Your well written and informative pages have been a breath of fresh air among the rude clutter of less informed posters.

Thank you for making both your valuable observations and opinions, and your "real-world" experiences available to those of us that appreciate quality and excellence. Your talent and descriptions make it a lot easier for guys like me to get a better grip on the reality of digital photography.

You have a tremendous website.  Also, you review all the cool esoteric stuff that interests me.

Thank you for your wonderful website – so much valuable and inspiring information!

Please know that I read your site religiously and am glad that you take the time to produce it.

Thanks for your excellent, informative, useful, interesting site.

Your new PS workflow article is superb, keep up the good work you one of the few still feeding the masses with something useful!

Thanks for your excellent, informative, useful, interesting site.

Your site is wonderful, a daily asset.

Congratulations on providing one of the best fine art photography sites on the Internet.

What an amazing wealth of material you and your colleagues have provided from the beginning. I know that creating and running The Luminous Landscape has required an enormous amount of time, energy, and hard work. All of that effort is reflected in the quality of the product, as well as in the enjoyment and learning that we all derive from the Web site and the video. I truly hope that your personal feelings of satisfaction in these accomplishments are proportional to the happiness and benefits that the Luminous Landscape brings to me and thousands of other members of the Luminous Landscape community.

Your can also read comments received during1999, 2000,2001,2002and2003

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