Any photographer knows that the middle of the day casts the harshest and most unflattering light. It’s the light just before and after sunrise and sunset that we covet. But, if you go to a weather site and look up when sunrise and sunset are set to occur, you might be scratching your head since [...]

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Planes, trains and automobiles. And don’t forget buses and mules. Whichever form of transportation you use for your next vacation destination, I’ve got some tips that will help you capture some memorable photographs that you’ll be proud of and will be excited to share.

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Opinion: Man I’m tired of hearing this. It seems like every photography forum you join has this inherent bias against sunset photos. It’s always the same charge too. Sunsets are overdone. They’re “cliché.” So what is that supposed to mean? Now we can’t enjoy photographing this particular subject because a few people are tired of [...]

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What makes an image beautiful? For many, it’s color. But your camera isn’t going to give you great colors out of the box. It’s a ‘dumb’ piece of equipment. Even with all of our sophisticated computer technology, your camera is still guessing which settings will reveal the best photo. Most of the time, it’s wrong, [...]

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How many times have you taken a picture near sunset or twilight, only to get back a much darker image than the one you originally envisioned? It’s so common that I thought I’d a share a photo from a fellow reader with the same problem. Jimmie Lee wonders why his Fujifilm camera keeps giving him [...]

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There are two types of light in this world; direct light and indirect light. Each of them serves a unique purpose in photography, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. Direct light is straight on, sometimes harsh and sometimes warm and colorful. For example, without direct light, the image to the right wouldn’t be nearly [...]

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Have you ever been walking down the street and seen the sun coming just over the horizon of a building or a landmark in a really interesting way? Ever wish you were smart enough to bring your camera with you on that day so you wouldn’t miss it. I know the frustration. Over the years, [...]

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What would HAL do if he could take a picture? He’d probably look me straight in the face and say, “I’m sorry Dave, but I can’t let you do that.” In all seriousness, your camera is a lot like HAL. It’s got all this technical gobbledygook and sophisticated light metering algorithms built into it, but [...]

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Backgrounds are an important part of any image. They set the context, and can make a dull image interesting. Most of us are constantly in search of a background with character, feeling it will add something extra to shot. And it does, but sometimes it does so at the expense of what’s truly important. Here [...]

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Ever thought about pointing your camera up at the sun? Your immediate reaction is probably a lot like mine. NO WAY! Well not so fast. It depends on the kind of camera you’re using. If you’ve got a digital SLR, you’ll be totally fine. If you’re using a point-and-shoot model, you might get into trouble. [...]

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I remember the first summer I got my digital SLR. Back then, I was just getting into everything you could do with, and I was positively fascinated with sunsets. I wanted to capture all of the colors, the reds, the purples, the in-betweens. The light at sunset is like nothing else. I remember religiously dropping [...]

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Still having trouble figuring out shutter speed? Some images simply require a certain shutter speed in order to be possible at all. Shutter speed doesn’t just control the amount of light that gets into your camera, it is also used to freeze motion, create silky smooth waterfalls, or blend light trails. If you’ve always wondered [...]

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Very few things are as beautiful as the sunset. The pinks, the oranges, and the yellows burn an image in our minds that is unlike anything else. It’s easy to appreciate the beauty of a good sunset when it’s happening right in front of your eyes, but it’s much more difficult to capture it with [...]

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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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There are a lot of myths and rumors spreading around the photography community, and none is more popular than the myth that you should expose for the sky on a bright sunny day. Doing so can lead to some pretty disastrous consequences. In this short article, I’ll show you why.

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