Is composition something that can be taught, or is it innate? Probably a bit of both. It is hard to look at photographs by Frans Lanting, Art Wolfe, Galen Rowell, and Dewitt Jones without coming to the conclusion that they were born with some kind of innate sense of composition. On the the other hand, it is clear that photographers can improve dramatically with the right kind of guidance.
Photographic Composition: The Essential Book
The Art of Photograph, Art Wolfe and Rob Sheppard.
Art Wolfe is a world class photographer, and it shows in The Art of the Photograph. There are a lot of books on photographic composition (I own several, and I’ve looked through a lot more in various libraries), but this is far and away the best introduction to photographic composition I have come across. If you aren’t an experienced professional photographer, this book is an absolute must read. (I am assuming professionals already know this stuff.)
How to Choose the Best iPhone Lenses
iPhone photography has become a huge thing. According to Flickr, the millions of Flickr users take more pictures with an iPhone (47%) than any other camera. A lot of iPhone photographers are looking for add on lenses for their phone, and that may include you. So which lenses are the best?
Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies Receives Apogee Photo Magazine’s Highest Rating
Michael Fulks, the publisher of Apogee Photo Magazine, wrote at an excellent review of Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies and gave the text an A++, the magazine’s highest rating. The review follows.
Get a Quality DSLR and Two Lenses for Less Than $500
Refurbished Canon Camera kits with a full one year Canon warranty.
Yes, you can get a quality, name brand Canon DLSR with two lenses for under $500 at Canon USA. If you only want one lens the kit is less than $350. I found these particular specials this morning.
How to Protect Your Camera Gear in the Cold and Snow
Bryce Canyon After An Overnight Snowstorm
It is still really cold out there so be careful to protect your camera gear. Cold and snow can cause a lot of damage to your camera gear. Something as simple as shooting outside and taking your camera inside your house or car can cause hidden damage that won’t show up until days or weeks later. The simple steps in this article could save you hundreds of dollars in repair bills.
Tim Grey Recommends Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies
Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies
With 12 books, hundreds of magazine articles, over a dozen instructional videos, and numerous workshops to his credit, digital photography expert Tim Grey really knows his stuff. In one of his eNewsletters, Tim gives this excellent recommendation for Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies:
Excellent “How To Photograph People” Books
Some of my favorite people photography books.
More photos are taken of people than any other photographic subject. Whether your thing is casual slice of life photos, or you want to do more formal portraits, here are some excellent books to help you take memorable and eye-catching photos.
Nature Photography Books: The Three Essentials
Nature Photography Books
A good photography book can put you well ahead of the game, and these three essential nature photography books (plus maybe a few others) can save you years of time learning things the hard way.
Should You Buy “Gray Market” Photo Equipment?
What is “gray market” photo equipment and how does it differ from “U.S. Warranty” equipment? Gray market equipment (also called “parallel import”) is imported into the U.S. but bypasses the official U.S. distributor. Gray market equipment costs less, sometimes a lot less.
Great Deal? Don’t Get Burned!
Is it a great deal? Or is it a rip-off? You are searching online for a good price and you come across a terrific deal. Are you about to get burned? There are ways you can tell.
Buy What You Can Afford!
The first rule when choosing camera gear is to buy what you can afford. It is hard to enjoy taking pictures if you are worried about how to pay for the camera you are holding. So buy what you can afford now, and upgrade later. And the second rule? We will get to that later.
Buyer’s Guide: Recommendations For The Best Photography Equipment, Software, Books, DVDs, Online Photo Labs, and More
Welcome to my online buying guide for photographers. With over 80 articles it is one of the most comprehensive photography buyer’s guides on the web.
I get lots of photo questions, especially at this time of year, and many of them begin with “What is the best . . . .” They usually come from photographers or someone who is shopping for a photographer. If you are shopping for yourself, or for a photographer in your life, this series is for you.
My “best of the best” series recommends the best photo gear, accessories, software, books, DVDs, online photo labs, and a whole lot more. Thanks to the information in these articles I get emails from photographers thanking me for saving them time, frustration, and a lot of money.
This article is reposted annually in November with some updates in between. Reposted: November 30, 2024. Most recent update: December 19, 2024.
Sarah
Sarah Ellis – Window Blind Shadows.
Sarah was is town Thanksgiving weekend so we squeezed in enough time for a photo shoot. November 27 was the only date that worked for both of us. I had a special project in mind. Early November through late February is the only time of year that the sun is low enough in the sky to shine in the south facing window in my studio. I put a set of window blinds in the window for this part of the photo shoot and opened the blinds half way. Alignment was critical. It took quite a bit of doing to get the bands of sunlight to line up with the pupils of her brown eyes.
Mila Avani, Ore Dock
Mila Avani
Some photographic concepts are planned out well in advance, and some are spur of the moment. This was one of those spontaneous, “in the moment” ideas. Mila and I were doing portraits in the area around Marquette Michigan. It was after dark by the time we arrived at this location and the ore dock was lit up in the background. It just seemed like a great idea to rim light Mila with the lights in the background.
Tonight: Supermoon, Jupiter and Jupiter’s 4 Moons
Stellarium: Jupiter and it’s four moons tonight around 9:15 pm local time.
After you look at the supermoon tonight, the last supermoon until Oct 7, 2025, look at Jupiter, the brightest object below and to the left of the moon. With 10X binoculars and something steady to rest them on, you can see Jupiter’s four Galilean moons. It is a pretty sight. Galileo spotted these moons in December 1609 or January 1610 and by March 1610 he figured out from their motion they were Jupiter’s moons and not stars. This diagram (above) shows you which moon is which tonight. Ganymede and Callisto are quite close together.
How to Get the Best Results from the Best Online Photo Labs
The lab you choose and the kind of file you send to your lab can make a huge difference in the quality of prints you get back. How do you pick a good online photo lab? How do you get the best results from your lab? What color space should you use for your digital files and how do you convert your files to the right color space? How big a print can you make from your digital files?
7 Years Ago Today at the Sugar Shack
The Sugar Shack, Arlington Vermont, October 23, 2017.
If you have been following this series of articles you know I spent several wonderful days in Acadia National Park. On my way home I did some exploring in western Vermont. I stopped at the Sugar Shack in need of a rest break. Once I got inside I was hooked. They sell incredible Vermont maple syrup that is made on-site. It comes in several flavor strengths. The strongest flavor, which is my favorite, will curl your toenails. If you are at the Sugar Shack you can sample the different flavor grades and see what you like. You can order from their online store (link below) in several different sizes.
7 Years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – Oct 22
Dawn Otter Cliff, Acadia National Park. October 22, 2017.
The next day in my Acadia National Park series. This is the last day of my trip.
How to Find and Photograph Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also called C/2023 A3. Cropped. Click the image to see a larger version.
Comet C/2023 A3 over Lake La Shane, Iowa. Venus is at the lower left. A jet left a vapor trail that is slowly dissolving. This is cropped from the original image. The whole image is next. Continue reading
7 Years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – Oct 21
Dawn on top of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park.
From October to March, the top of Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the continental U.S. to be touch by sunlight. There are places farther east, but Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the U.S. eastern seaboard. Over 200 people had gathered here to catch the moment.
7 Years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – Oct 20
7 years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – Oct 19
Otter Cliff and Granite Ledges at Sunrise, Acadia National Park.
It was my one and only trip to Acadia National Park. I can see why it is rated one of our best best national parks to visit in the fall.
7 years Ago Today in Acadia National Park – October 18
The Milky Way, Acadia National Park. October 18, 2017.
My evening in Acadia National Park. I arrived after dark and created images of the night sky and the Milky Way. Then a car drove by and created these light streaks.
How to Choose, Correct, and ID Football Photos for the Newspaper
Fighting it out in the trenches.
When I photograph a football game, the local newspaper doesn’t want dozens, much less hundreds of photos. I usually select 6 – 12 images to send to the Lamoni Chronicle and they choose the ones they want to publish.
Why (and How) You Should Optimize Your Digital Images!
Lamoni’s Annual Fall Festival. Before and After.
This article is about why you should optimize your digital images, with a brief example as to how to do it.
No camera, no matter how expensive, can capture the full range of light and dark tonalities that your incredible eyes can see. No camera, no matter how expensive, can capture the full range of colors that your eyes can see. But you can make up for some of the differences by optimizing your images using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).
Lamoni’s Annual Fall Festival (LAFF)
Lamoni’s Annual Fall Festival (LAFF)
Every year in the fall, Lamoni Iowa has it’s annual fall festival, commonly abbreviated LAFF. I wander the street that is blocked off for vendors and take random photos. Sometimes people specifically ask me to take pictures of them. Out of the dozens of images I create, I usually pick 9-12 to send to the local newspaper and they pick a handful or more to publish. Click any of these images to see a larger version.
Colorado is Gold! Go Now!
iPhone snapshots. Click image for a larger version.
It is not too late too catch the spectacular fall colors in Southwest Colorado. All of these iPhone snapshots were taken on a September 29 trip over Marshall Pass with a side trip to O’Haver Lake. At each stop (there were many) I took a photo or two with my phone and I took a variety of images with a DSLR. I framed different parts of the overall scene and I often did horizontal and vertical versions. My photo excursion took 3 1/2 hours.
“It was a dark and stormy night.”
Cadence
We planned on shooting at midnight when the moon was high enough in the sky to do portraits, but we got clouds, lightning, and wind. So we went with it.
Fall Color Photography Guide to Marshall Pass and O’Haver Lake, Colorado
Marshall Pass is a beautiful fall color drive in southern Colorado, and still pretty much a secret. It does not turn up on most lists of the most beautiful fall color drives in Colorado. It is a beautiful drive with a lot of fall color photo opportunities.