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The Leica Freedom Train
In 1925, after 12 years of testing and prototypes, Ernst Leitz II released a small landscape camera at the Leipzig Spring Fair. The Leica I was designed by mathematician Oskar Barnack, who was hired by Ernst Leitz Sr. for the purpose of designing this camera. The camera had a shutter speed range of 1/20 to [...] -
Proper Handling of Old Photos and How to Remove them from Albums
You can cause quite a bit of damage to old photos by handling them incorrectly. In many cases, the damage is not immediately noticeable so it’s easy to become complacent in your handling of them. But, deterioration is an on-going, natural process and you do not want to do anything that will speed that process [...] -
Underwater Photography Tips for Beginners
Ten Underwater Photography Tips geared towards beginner underwater photographers. It’s not on the list of 10 underwater photography tips, but it bears mentioning: Practice. Practice both your SCUBA skills and your photography skills. The more experience you have underwater, the more comfortable you’ll be and the better photographs you’ll take. Now, onto 10 Underwater Photography [...] -
One Shot v. AI Servo v. AI Focus
Canon cameras have three different Auto Focus modes. Learn which mode to choose when you're shooting: One Shot v. AI Servo v. AI Focus. -
What is Archival?
What is Archival? Archival paper has to meet standards set by The Library of Congress, International Standards Organization (ISO) and American National Standards Organization (ANSI). It is a permanent, acid-free paper intended for documents of value. The paper must be acid free with a pH of 8 – 9.5. There can be no brightening agents [...] -
Archival Matting for Fine Art Prints
Archival materials must be used when conservation framing for museums and art collectors. There are official requirements that must be met for materials to be defined as archival. I’ll address that in a later post. Last week, we discussed Archival Linen Tape for attaching mounting and backer boards. This week, we’ll take a look at [...] -
Photography Tools: Linen Tape
Acid-free Linen Tape, with a neutral pH is a necessary tool for any photographer interested in preserving and protecting their photographic prints. -
5 Tips to Improve Your Photography
5 Quick Tips to help you improve your photography, no matter your experience level. -
Photographing Meteor Showers
Tips for photographing the Perseid Meteor Shower, including shutter speed and camera settings for shooting the meteor shower. -
Fun with Bokeh
Bokeh is the out of focus area in a photograph. I'm not going to go into the technical parts of bokeh. Instead, I'm going to look at a fun way to play with bokeh in your photography. -
All About Lens Flare
Lens flare can be an unplanned challenge when shooting, but it doesn’t have to ruin your photograph. -
Digital Camera Back up Storage Devices
When you're on a long trip and taking a lot of photos, storage becomes important. One option is a portable data storage device - think external hard drive meets card reader. -
Dry Mounting versus Matting
There are number of different methods for readying a print for hanging. Here, we're going to touch on three of the most popular methods: Dry Mounting, Conservation Mounting and Box Mounting. -
When to Crop a Photograph
While it's best to nail your composition in camera, sometimes it's necessary to crop a photograph in post production. -
Photographing Graduation Tips
Graduation is a big event for everyone in the family. There's a lot of pressure on the family photographer to capture it right. Here are some tips to help you get great pictures of your grad on the big day! -
How Many Megapixels Do I Need? (Digital Photography Terms, Part 3)
Guidelines and a chart for determining what megapixel camera will best fit your needs. -
Digital Photography Terms, part 2
An image sensor is a flat piece of silicone with photosites (light sensitive diodes) that capture light in the form of photons. -
Digital Photography Terms, part 1
The first part of a series about digital photography terminology deals with bits, pixels, bit depth camera resolution and megapixels. -
Quick Tips to Better Landscape Photography
6 quick and easy tips to consider when photographing in the outdoors. Take your photography to the next level! -
Add Depth to Your Photography
Incorporating a secondary subject into the foreground of a photograph will add depth, interest and movement. -
Tripod Tips
5 Quick Tips for using your camera tripod properly to prevent motion blur. -
How to Photograph a Sunset
6 Quick Tips for Photographing a Sunset -
Black and White Photography Tips
Without color, other elements become much more important in an image. Recognizing those elements and learning to incorporate them into a composition is key to photographing great black and white images. -
Perfect Exposure Weather
Cloudy skies create a diffused light, great for capturing detail in the shadow and highlight areas of your photograph. Here are some reasons to go shooting in the rain. -
How to Put Together a Photography Portfolio
No matter the reason for the portfolio, following certain guidelines will help you assemble the strongest representation of your work. -
Photographing a Lunar Eclipse
The next Lunar Eclipse will be Dec 20 - 21, 2010; here are some exposure tips to help you photograph it! -
What to Look for When Buying a New Camera
Buying a new camera can be overwhelming. There are so many different models and options. Here's some information to help you choose the camera that is right for you. -
Holiday Portrait Tips
Here are a few holiday portrait tips to guide you through the season. -
10 Tips for Photographing Fall Foliage
Here are some tips for photographing fall and making your images stand apart from the crowd. -
10 Tips for Photographing Halloween
Ham it up; fill your frame; jack-o-lanterns, how to photograph ghosts ... and much more! -
Camera RAW
Many cameras give us the option of shooting in RAW, JPEG or both. In my experience, most professionals are shooting in RAW but the same can't be said for hobbyists. There are Pro's and Con's for each format. I'm not going to tell you what you should be shooting. But, I am going to ask you, Are you shooting that format for the right reasons? -
Explaining Camera Modes
One of the questions that I'm asked most often is, "what do the modes on my camera do?" Most digital point and shoots and SLR's have the following modes: -
Photographic Filters, Part 2: Polarizers and Neutral Density Filters
Polarizing and Neutral Density filters work similarly in both color and black and white photography. Polarizers will deepen blue skies, increase color saturation, remove / reduce glare and reflections in water and glass, cut through haze, increase contrast, etc. -
An Introduction to Photographic Filters
In black and white photography, filters are used to adjust shades of gray. The human eye can see about 200 different shades of gray. The eye perceives light differently than film or digital sensors. By using filters, photographers control shades of gray in order to reproduce a scene, photographically, the way it's seen with the eye. -
5 Quick Tips on How to Photograph Fireworks
5 Quick Tips on How to Photograph Fireworks 1 – Use a Tripod. I can’t stress how important this is. Fireworks are best shoot with a slow shutter speed, and as a result, the camera will be sensitive to any movement. Also, the tripod will help to shoot over people’s heads, if necessary. 2 – [...] -
Why Are My Pictures Blurry?
Whether you're shooting film or digital, these tips will help you identify the cause in your blurry photographs. -
How to Take Better Vacation Photos
How many times have you looked through your vacation photos and picture after picture is of a person standing in the middle of the photo (blocking the background so you can't tell where it was taken), squinting through the sunlight with a dark shadow (from a baseball cap) hiding their face, grinning (uncomfortably) at the camera? How many times have you shown your vacation photos to friends, with a running commentary the entire time because the photos just don't tell enough of the story? Here are some photo-tips to help. -
10 Beginner Steps for Photographing Your Pets with a Point and Shoot Camera
Anticipate your pet’s next action and focus your camera in on that spot before your pet gets there. Sit and wait until your subject enters the frame and then snap the shutter. When you’re doing this, have both eyes open so you can see your framing and your pet. -
Control Depth of Field with F-stops, lens selection and distance to subject
At its simplest, Depth of Field (DOF) is the area that's in focus in a photograph, from near ground to background. There are several ways to control your DOF: