Every photographer is planning to go on an African safari some day, even those of us who know we’re probably never going to go on an African safari. But dreaming is fun, and if you don’t really think you’re going to ever get out there in that zebra striped jeep chasing elephants and watching lions [...]

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In the days before point and shoot cameras – back when SLR cameras didn’t have any automatic features at all, everyone who wanted to take photographs had to understand the basic principles of exposure. Film was expensive and you just couldn’t afford to waste a shot on a guess, so you had to really understand [...]

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Funnel cakes, ferris wheels and fun houses – what could be better than a county fair? With all those sights and lights, carnival photos should almost take themselves. Except that they usually don’t. So why is it so easy to capture blurry, chaotic and generally uninteresting shots at a carnival, and so hard to bring [...]

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You’ve saved your pennies, make that dollars and a lot of them, and now you’re ready for a new DSLR. Whether it’s your first one or if you’re upgrading, there’s one question that remains the same: What specs matter? From megapixel ratings to ISO to sensor size to full HD video capability, there’s a lot [...]

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If your last photo shoot was at a zoo or a kid’s birthday party, you might be tired of moving subjects. Don’t worry, every photographer eventually wearies of shooting subjects who turn their butts towards you at the last second (zoos) or who have cake all over their faces (birthday parties). It’s time to relax [...]

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You don’t have to be a professional photographer to understand that manual mode ultimately gives you the most control over your images. But let’s face it, not everyone has the great luxury of being able to pay attention to a camera’s settings. The light changes, subjects move, scenes vary—or maybe you’d rather just enjoy a [...]

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Christmas time is upon us, and I know a lot of you are looking for some fun ways to make your holiday photos more interesting. Well, what better time to introduce you to bokehs than right now? Chances are you’ve got a lot of Christmas lights around the house, and they’re just dying to make [...]

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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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“How do I shoot a pic in a dark area with minimal light without using a flash/flashlight and without camera shake?” is one of my most commonly asked questions. In this article, I’ll show you a few ways you can do it.

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Cameras these days offer a bevy of different modes, so many that it can easily become a confusing ordeal for someone who is just getting into it. You’ve got aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, programmed automatic mode, and of course, manual mode. How do you know when to use which one? Does one particular [...]

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In the Christian religion, the father, the son, and the holy spirit are three distinct parts of one and the same interconnected thing. One is an aspect of the other, and that’s really how I want you to start thinking about photography’s Holy Trinity: the aperture, the shutter speed, and ISO. Whenever you make a [...]

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In my regular 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 aperture changes, the focus lock button, stealing photos, and curtain flashes.

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Your camera has a bunch of different modes, probably many more than you would ever care to learn. Each of them is designed to help you out with one or more shooting situations. In this article, we’re going to take a look at aperture priority mode. It’s one of the main shooting modes on most [...]

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There is a magical hour, a time when the light from the sun shines on the Earth from the side. During this hour, light is warm, soft, and perfect for taking pictures. If the light hits the clouds in the sky at just the right angle, they give off a purplish color that accents a [...]

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Oh no. You scratched your lens. You’ve done it. You promised yourself you wouldn’t allow it to happen. You swore that you’d watch your every move, but it was inevitable. Now one question remains. How much will it impact your images? Do you need to get your lens replaced or repaired right away, or can [...]

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