I know I’m always saying to avoid chaos in your photos, and let’s face it, what could be more chaotic than Christmas morning? But fear not, you can get great Christmas day images that are unencumbered by mountains of empty toy packaging, Grandma’s oh-so-cheesy collection of porcelain elves that seems to be in every single [...]

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You can take a great photo anywhere. No, really. Field, junk yard, basement or parking lot–every place has a photo hidden in it somewhere. Your job as a photographer is to look at each new location as you would see it through your viewfinder. When you’re in that basement, find the beautiful, broken down chair [...]

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I’m just going to say this outright. Taking indoor photos of sporting events is hard. I’m not saying it’s impossibly hard, but it is most certainly a challenge to any photographer. If you can come away from a shoot with a photo that’s both properly lit and sharp, you’ve probably outdone everyone else at the [...]

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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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Good photography, just like any art, should tug at our heartstrings. Images should make us feel one way or another, and if they don’t, we tend to ignore them. What you photograph is important. We’ve shown how subject selection can seriously impact the mood of your photos. But there’s something else that goes beyond this. [...]

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Flash is a very powerful tool in photography, but it only works as well as the person behind the camera. Great pictures are destroyed with flash as easily as they are created. Most of time, I advise you to avoid flash altogether. This time, I’m going to show you an alternative that might just allow [...]

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If you only had one lens to use, what would it be? That’s the question we’ll attempt to answer. Lenses come in all shapes and sizes, but some of them are better at capturing the majority of what’s out there. As you’re about to find out, there is no answer that applies to everyone. There [...]

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This question comes from reader Rick Bergesio. He’s tried the red eye flash setting on his camera, and it hasn’t done much to reduce red eye in his night shots. If the system isn’t working as advertised, then what’s going on? Why do his photos still have problems with red eye?

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The best camera is the one you have with you. Digital SLRs and medium sized point-and-shoot cameras are great, but they are always limited by their size. The camera phone is different. Because it’s your phone, you’ll always have it with you, and that means you won’t miss a single photographic opportunity.

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When it comes to getting accurate colors, nothing is better than nailing your white balance settings right on the head. If the white balance is even slightly off,it can produce a highly noticeable bluish or reddish tinge. Sometimes the tinge is desirable. It can enhance the appeal of clouds or night time photography. But if [...]

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As a general rule, you’re used to me being the ever-optimistic “go for it” guy who tells you that you don’t need to best camera setup to take great photos. And, for the most part, this is totally true. There are a lot of cases where you don’t need the fanciest setup, just a knowledge [...]

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The great indoors can be the most challenging place to take pictures. There usually isn’t enough light, meaning you’ll either end up with dark or blurry images if you aren’t careful. But you don’t need to purchase a bunch of expensive flashes and other gear to get more consistent photos indoors. Just try some of [...]

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Have you ever taken a photo that has a blue or orange tinge to it? It wasn’t there when you took the photo, but it’s definitely there on your image. That’s what happens when your camera’s auto white balance setting doesn’t get things right. Why does it matter so much? Can I fix it later? [...]

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