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 [...]

• 4 Comments

“Fungal photography.” That’s like viral photography, right? Only slower moving and … itchier. Actually, no. “Fungal photography” is the quite literal term used to describe what for many people is a passion – photographing mushrooms. You won’t find much glamour in this little corner of the photography world. Mushroom photography can be dirty – like [...]

• 4 Comments

Scenic photos are a part of almost every photographer’s repertoire. After all, almost no one with a camera can resist snapping a photo of crashing surf, sweeping fields of wildflowers or a towering, snow-covered mountain. Landscape photos seem like they should be easy, yet the final images are often disappointing. How many times have you [...]

• 5 Comments

If you’ve ever studied art, you probably have at least some understanding of form. It’s one of the six classic design elements, and knowing how to use it will help you take photographs that have a creative edge and an artistic quality that greatly exceeds the common snapshot. Form is very similar to its cousin, [...]

• 3 Comments

We all have busy schedules between work, family, friends and our photography. A simple life is the thing of the past for most people these days. But, when it comes to photography, simplicity is almost always the better choice. If you think about it, simplicity works with all the genres. Whether sports, portraits, landscape, street, [...]

• 1 Comment

Here’s a quick quiz: empty space in a photograph is a) good b) bad. You’re right, it was a trick question. The answer is sometimes a, sometimes b, depending on your subject and scene. But the reason I asked you that question is because a common mistake among hobby photographers is in neglecting empty space [...]

• 7 Comments

Over the years, I’ve learned that a lot of photography skills bleed into other areas. If you learn about action photography, it’ll help you learn how to take pictures of waterfalls. If you know how to photograph snow, you’ll probably be good at photographing sand. Another example is macro photography. Very few people know that [...]

• 3 Comments

During the renaissance, painting went through a distinct revolution. Gone were the medieval two dimensional paintings. Artists had figured something out, something significant about the way we perceive the world around us. We call that thing “perspective,” and it’s just as important in photography as it was in painting. The use of diminishing perspective can [...]

• 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, we talked about why sharpening is important and what you can do to sharpen your images in post production with software like Adobe Photoshop Elements. Now that you’re armed with this knowledge, why not take it one step further? Why not learn how to take sharper images from the very start [...]

• 14 Comments

You may have heard about it before. Perhaps you’ve seen a tilt-shift lens or an old-fashioned camera with a bellows. Cameras and lenses like these can be used to shift the most focused part of your image, resulting in some interesting effects. One of them is the “fake miniature” image below. So, if you haven’t [...]

• 8 Comments

So, you want to sell your car on Ebay? It’s a tough market, and buyers are very skeptical, but you can make it happen with a lot of hard work. Aside from being as candid as possible about any defects or imperfections in your product, a few “glamour shots” of you car can really help [...]

• 3 Comments

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 [...]

• 3 Comments

It’s one of the most important elements of being a great landscape photographer. When you know how to get everything in your image as sharp as possible, your photo will definitely stand out. There is a trick to making everything as sharp as possible, and it doesn’t always require you to have the best camera [...]

• 6 Comments

Have you ever gone out to a gorgeous landscape, perhaps a vast open field or an imposing mountain range, taken pictures you thought were going to be the best you’ve ever seen, and then found out later on that your photos look nothing like the landscape did when you were there? If this sounds like [...]

• 11 Comments

Sometimes some of the subjects in your shots are in focus, but other subjects that are a little closer or further away are out of focus. This is an unwanted side effect of having what’s called a ‘Shallow Depth Of Field’.

• 6 Comments