Author: Jim
Nail the Exposure With Spot-Metering
You shoot in manual mode. You know in general how the camera meters light. You know in general how the metering modes work, including spot-metering. You understand all of that, but still the question arises: how exactly should you go about metering a scene and setting the proper exposure? In this article I will show… Continue reading Nail the Exposure With Spot-Metering
Get Proper Exposure by Understanding Camera Metering
We photographers spend a lot of time worrying about exposure settings. Virtually anything you read will stress shooting in a manual mode so that you can control the exposure. But underpinning this is an assumption that we know, or that our camera knows, the proper exposure level in the first place. In other words, we… Continue reading Get Proper Exposure by Understanding Camera Metering
Best Practices for Eliminating Spots in Photoshop
In a sense, there is nothing simpler than removing unwanted spots or small items from your photos using Photoshop. You just select the Spot Healing Brush, click on the spot, and presto – no more spot. It couldn’t be simpler. But when you are shooting outdoors things can be messy and you will sometimes find… Continue reading Best Practices for Eliminating Spots in Photoshop
10 Keys to Successful Tripod Use
Using a tripod opens up a world of possibilities. It allows you to use slower shutter speeds than you would otherwise be able to use. You can blur out the water in waves or waterfalls. You can create star trails. Or you can just make sure your shot is tack sharp. But to do so,… Continue reading 10 Keys to Successful Tripod Use
5 Easy Steps for Curing Your “Auto Mode” Addiction
Most people getting started with photography begin with their camera in Auto mode. In fact, everybody does. At some point, however, the thought begins to creep into your mind that you should be shooting in some other mode. You begin to see others’ photography and their control over the camera and would like to do… Continue reading 5 Easy Steps for Curing Your “Auto Mode” Addiction
Should I Start with a Prime Lens or a Zoom?
Which is better: a prime lens or a zoom lens? And which one will be best when getting started with outdoor photography? These are common questions and, while there may not be one set answer that fits everybody, we can go a long way toward answering these questions for most people. What are Prime and Zoom Lenses?… Continue reading Should I Start with a Prime Lens or a Zoom?
White Balance Simplified
In most areas of photography, it seems that the advice is to go as manual as possible. Manual controls give you better control over your camera and afford you more options and flexibility. For example: It is best to shoot in a manual mode so that you can control the exposure settings. Otherwise the camera… Continue reading White Balance Simplified
The 5 Best Resources for Planning Travel Photos
Vacation time! Time to pull out the camera! I’m going to give you one tip that will make your travel photos 100% better. And that tip is: don’t just show up with your camera and photograph whatever you bump into. Plan a few shots. Think about some places you want to photograph ahead of time… Continue reading The 5 Best Resources for Planning Travel Photos
An Easy ISO strategy
A recent convert to manual mode recently asked about a simple way to think about which ISO to use. There are a lot of things that require mental energy when you are shooting, and the last thing you want to be devoting your brain-space to is the ISO setting. So here is a way to… Continue reading An Easy ISO strategy
Free Course on Photoshop Elements
I’m writing today to let you know that I am posting a new course on editing photos using Photoshop Elements. Based on my conversations with people lately, it seems that a lot of my readers use Photoshop Elements to edit their photos. And if you are not using any photo editing software at all, Photoshop… Continue reading Free Course on Photoshop Elements
Panama City: Night Shot Through Glass
Here is the next example for you to use in your own photography. This photo is obviously a night shot with some streaking lights. So you have that element. But I want to show you this photo because it involves an additional problem that you will probably run into sooner or later. I had to take this… Continue reading Panama City: Night Shot Through Glass
How to Maximize Attraction to Your Photos
We all have trouble evaluating our own work as others will see it. As we sit at our computers, we get to the point where we cannot see the forest for the trees. Not only that, but if we do manage to decide what will attract someone’s eye, we need to decide what to do… Continue reading How to Maximize Attraction to Your Photos
7 Steps to Eliminating Digital Noise
Digital noise has long been a plague for digital photography. It is where you get a random pattern of off-color pixels (usually darker) in your image. It generally becomes a problem at high ISOs and in long exposures. You can think of it like having your stereo speakers buzz and pop when you have it… Continue reading 7 Steps to Eliminating Digital Noise
Getting Started with Landscape Photography
For people that really enjoy the outdoors, the attraction to landscape photography is probably obvious. But I have never been a particularly “outdoorsy” person or a great lover of nature. And I certainly don’t like getting up at dawn. Yet, even for me, there is nothing better than getting out early in some remote location… Continue reading Getting Started with Landscape Photography
Understanding Focal Length
The world of photography has a measurement to tell you how “zoomed in” or “zoomed out” you are. It is called “focal lengths” and today I’m going to explain the scale and show you how it works. Why should you take the time to understand this? There are a couple of reasons: it will help you… Continue reading Understanding Focal Length