Author: Jim
Exposure Scenarios
This article is going to get into some specifics on exposure and how you might set up your camera to get the best exposure in certain situations. I will do that by presenting some exposure scenarios you are likely to encounter and show you how I would handle them. My hope is that it ties… Continue reading Exposure Scenarios
Photographing St. Paul’s Cathedral
This is the first in a series of articles about specific location to photograph throughout the world. It is also a chapter from my forthcoming book on Photographing London. It is my hope that these articles become a resource of very specific information and inspiration for your travels. I hope you find it useful, and… Continue reading Photographing St. Paul’s Cathedral
Understanding Dynamic Range (and Avoiding Blown Highlights and Black Shadows)
In digital photography, the concept of dynamic range refers to the difference in light intensities in the scene you are photographing. Think of a scale with something super-bright (like the sun) on one side and something very dark (like a closet with the lights off) on the other. Dynamic range refers to how much of this scale… Continue reading Understanding Dynamic Range (and Avoiding Blown Highlights and Black Shadows)
F-Stops Made Simple
A confusing number that beginning photographers face right away is the “f-stop” number. It is important because it measures one of our three primary exposure controls: aperture size. However, the concept of “f’-stops” doesn’t make sense at first glace and many are confused by it. But understanding the figure is really pretty simple. In this article, I’m… Continue reading F-Stops Made Simple
Getting Started Using Curves Adjustment Layers in Photoshop
What if I told you there was only one tool you needed to affect the lightness and darkness values of your picture? And what if I told you that the same tool was the only thing you would need for all color correction in your picture? Would you be interested in learning that tool? No… Continue reading Getting Started Using Curves Adjustment Layers in Photoshop
How to Remove Unwanted Items from Your Pictures
Mastering the Clone Stamp tool. We all confront the situation where there are people you don’t want in your picture. Or phone poles and power lines. Or imperfections in the picture. We want to get rid of them. The best way is usually the Clone Stamp tool. In the video below, I will walk you… Continue reading How to Remove Unwanted Items from Your Pictures
Getting Started with Night Photography
Night photography immediately solves a huge problem that you confront constantly in photography. That problem is being faced with boring, ordinary scenes. If you take a picture of a building or a standard street scene during the day . . . boring. Yawn. But that same scene at night can be a great and… Continue reading Getting Started with Night Photography
The First Things to Buy (After Your Camera and Lens)
You have a camera. You have a lens or two. You’ve taken some pictures. Now you want to improve your photography and are wondering if there are some things you ought to buy. But you don’t want to spend a fortune, or load up on stuff you won’t really use. Here are my recommendations for what… Continue reading The First Things to Buy (After Your Camera and Lens)
Getting Extraordinary Lighting
You may have heard that dawn and dusk are the best times for photography. And that’s true. The best lighting is almost always to be found at these times. In fact, many outdoor photographers simply put their cameras way between about 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. So step one of “how to get extraordinary lighting”… Continue reading Getting Extraordinary Lighting
How to Create an Online Photography Portfolio
It was only a few years ago that you would need to hire a web designer if you wanted a top notch website to display your photography portfolio. Your choice was either spend a lot of money or go with a junky design. The last few years, however, have seen an explosion in the quality… Continue reading How to Create an Online Photography Portfolio
California Coast: Grey Whale Cove
About Grey Whale Cove Grey Whale Cove is on a stretch of coastline that I have shot many times between Santa Cruz and Pacifica. Along this stretch of coastline, there are cliffs, rock formations, beaches, and even a few lighthouses. I have driven up and down this stretch of highway many times looking for the… Continue reading California Coast: Grey Whale Cove
What You Need to Know About Color (and what you don’t)
Some photographers want to know the details of the scientific process by which their camera captures and renders color. I don’t. Other photographers get particular about very slight differences in shades of color, and will seemingly fuss over slight color changes for hours in an effort to get exactly the right shade. I confess, I… Continue reading What You Need to Know About Color (and what you don’t)
Getting Started in Photography with a $1000 budget
As a guy who has been pretty heavily involved with photography for several years, I get asked one question more than any other by far. I occasionally get asked about a technique used for a particular picture. Or perhaps about places I have taken certain pictures. But most of the time the question I get… Continue reading Getting Started in Photography with a $1000 budget
Applying the Rule of Thirds
There is probably no rule in photography as well known as the “Rule of Thirds.” And for good reason. It serves is a simple yet fundamental principle to use for taking good pictures. In this article I will explain what it is and show you how to use it. If you are already familiar with… Continue reading Applying the Rule of Thirds
8 Tips for Purchasing a Tripod
“When it comes to tripods, you want one that is stable, light-weight, and inexpensive. You can have any two of these characteristics you want, but never all three.” Besides the camera and lens, the tripod is probably the most significant expenditure you will face in photography. Because of the different ways that people shoot, and… Continue reading 8 Tips for Purchasing a Tripod