I’m not one to avoid asking sometimes inappropriate questions. When I was getting my hair cut one day, I thought, why not? I asked the stylist what makes her give someone a bad haircut. I figured people aren’t perfect. Stylists probably mess up on occasion just like everyone else, and I’ve been the recipient of [...]

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Where your subject looks in a photo says a lot. If your subject is staring directly at the camera, most people take the picture a lot less seriously. Whoever you’re photographing clearly knows they’re being photographed, so it’s like running into an acquaintance on your walk to work. You both say hi to each other, [...]

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If you’ve been around since the beginning of digital photography, you no doubt understand how much progress we’ve made. Today’s models make the first digital cameras look incredibly weak, and the reason is resolution. For a lot less than you would have paid back then, you can get a digital camera with ten times the [...]

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Once you start getting more into digital photography, you realize quite quickly that it isn’t for people who are averse to carrying things. If you get a nicer digital SLR camera, you’ve got to bring the camera, the lens, a few filters, and most likely a tripod. With the following tips, you can keep your [...]

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Here’s a fun effect to play with. If you’re old enough to know who Andy Warhol is, this image should strike a chord. We’re going to use a few simple tools in Photoshop Elements to transform an ordinary digital photo of a banana into something with a little more panache. Let’s get started!

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Have you ever wanted your pictures just a little bit brighter or darker than what your camera gives you? Sure, you can always go into Photoshop Elements and adjust it after the fact, but shouldn’t the camera allow you to do it as you’re taking the photo? Why can’t you just pick an exact shutter [...]

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We spent the last portion of this series out in the country taking pictures under starlight. Now we’re going to head back into the city to figure out what the buzz really is all about. There’s no shortage of night time light and interesting figures in the city. From the neon to the bright and [...]

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opinion The Key To Great Photography Is A Good Lens, Right? You wouldn’t be the first one to think that. Quite a few inexperienced (and sadly, experienced) photographers seem to believe this, and it’s completely false. In the grand scheme of things, the lens you’re using is one of the least important aspects of photography. [...]

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Everyone loves photos of kids! It’s great to capture their many expressions as they learn about the world (or just when they’re being goofy). As kids are usually very photogenic, it doesn’t take much effort to take great shots that create a record to look back on as they grow up. However, kids also have [...]

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From day one, we’re taught to avoid motion blur in our photography. That’s because most motion blurs are unintentional. They are the result of you shaking the camera ever so slightly as you press the shutter button. What results usually doesn’t look all that interesting because there is no underlying theme. With that said, there [...]

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If you’ve ever been out for a walk on a moonlit night, you know how powerful the light can be. Sometimes moonlight is so bright you can actually see far off into the distance. Believe it or not, it’s entirely possible to take a moonlit or starlit picture that appears as though it was taken [...]

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We don’t go on vacation to spend more time with computers. We go to get away from them. Naturally, there’s a problem when you want to share the pictures you’ve taken on vacation with your family. With no computer in sight, how do you email them to your loved ones? Is there an easy way [...]

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What message do you want to get across with your photography? Are you using it to create something beautiful, or do you want to make a statement? For me, it’s usually a little bit of both. I’ve seen tons and tons images of places or things that are supposed to be meaningful, but they just [...]

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Those of you who read my tips know that I don’t have a very high regard for flash. I think it usually gets in the way of taking a good photo, and it tends to suck all of the natural beauty from your images. If you want a sure-fire way to turn a potentially good [...]

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In my Ask David column, I answer common questions from my readers. By answering them here, I hope to help everyone else who might have this problem, and not just the person who asked the question. Today, we cover White Balance, RAW images, slow shutter speeds and a few questions on lenses.

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