Jim Doty, Entrance to Photo Exhibit at Changes
This is your last chance to see my photo exhibit at Changes Salon & Spa in Columbus. There are three days left. Details follow.
Last 3 Days of My Photo Exhibit
Save Your Internet! Net Neutrality Is At Serious Risk!
From the L.A. Times
Do you want to decide on the web sites you visit on the internet, or do you want someone else to control your choices? “Net neutrality” is more at risk now than ever before. Powerful economic interests want to limit what you see on the internet and your freedom of internet choices will be restricted. Read the “Net Neutrality is Dead” article linked below.
Creating a Portrait Using Window Blind Shadows – Part 2
Sarah – Window Blind Shadows Portrait
There are a lot of creative options when creating portraits using sunlight streaming through window blinds.
How to Create a Portrait Using Window Blind Shadows – Part 1
Kristina – Window Blind Shadows Portrait
One of the things I like about winter is the sunlight streaming through my studio windows at a low enough angle to create portraits using window blind shadows. In the summer the sun is too high for me to do this and get the angles I want.
Happy Birthday, Ansel Adams!
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams was born February 20, 2002. He is “the” icon of American landscape photography. Trained as a concert pianist, his love of photography and time spent in Yosemite National Park led him to a career change.
Better Images: Adobe’s Improved “Process Version” for Adobe Camera Raw
Vermilion Lakes Sunset, new (top) and old (bottom) ACR “process versions”. Click on the photo to see a larger image.
Adobe has a new “process version” for Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). This means better image processing for your RAW camera files.
Metering Evening Winter Scenes
Snow Hummocks, Merced River
Just like metering daytime winter scenes, the key to metering evening winter scenes is knowing what to meter and deciding how much exposure compensation to use.
Metering Wildlife in the Snow
Elk in the Snow, Horseshoe Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Metering dark toned wildlife in the snow is a major exposure challenge. It is usually best to avoid large “burned out” areas (washed out, featureless white) in a nature or landscape photograph, but with properly exposed snow, the wildlife can be so dark as to lose all texture. On other hand, metering for the wildlife can burn out the snow.
Metering People in the Snow
Kristina in the Snow
The snow in a winter scene will often fool a camera meter into underexposing a photo, so here are the steps to take to get the right exposure. I throw in a few portrait suggestions too.
Metering Snowy Winter Scenes
Mount Hunter from a Bush Plane. Denali National Park. Alaska.
UPDATE: A revised and expanded version of this article can be found here.
Metering for scenes with a lot of snow can be tricky since the snow fools the camera meter. I see a lot of winter photos online with gray, underexposed snow, which means the camera meter did what it was designed to do and the camera owner didn’t know how to use exposure compensation. The solution is quite simple provided you know what to do.
A February Night in Rocky Mountain National Park
Moraine Park in Late Evening Light. Click the image to see a larger version.
Rocky Mountain National Park can be beautiful any time of year, including late February when I created this image. It’s not too late to catch the splendor of a RMNP winter, and February is a good month to go.
POTD: Minus 40 Degrees
Cougar
With the wind chill in the minus 30s lately, I asked myself, “Who would be crazy enough to be outside in this weather?” Then I remembered taking this photo.
POTD: Before the Photo Shoot
Kristina
It isn’t just the photo shoot that matters. Some of my favorite images happen before the shoot.
Mixing Flash and Ambient Light for a Christmas Portrait
Kristina at Christmas
On Christmas eve I found myself doing Christmas portraits for a friend’s portfolio (she is an agency represented model). There isn’t a lot of space in our living room when the Christmas tree is up so I had to improvise a bit with the lighting and I needed to get the right mix of flash and ambient light for the look I wanted.
This is Your Year to Photograph Snowy Owls
Snowy Owl Sightings, January 2014
This is your year to photograph Snowy Owls since this is one of the best years ever for Snowy Owl sightings in the U.S., especially in the Northeast (map above). Snowy Owls are ranging much farther south than usual this winter.
POTD: Expectations
Expectations
To my eyes there are very few things on the planet that are as beautiful as a mother looking forward to the birth of her child. I love beautiful “baby bump” photography.
Pixology Magazine Recommends Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies
In the January 2014 issue of Pixology magazine, Tim Grey recommends Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies. Tim is a highly respected and sought after digital photography expert and workshop presenter. The composite image above is part of the cover page and part of the page with book recommendations (page 82). Click on the image to see a larger version.
Order Today and Have it By Christmas! Great Gift for Photographers!
Great gift for the photographer in your life. Order today (Saturday) at Amazon and ask for two day delivery. This is one of the highest rated photography books at Amazon.com. It covers the “basics” like other “Dummies” books but it covers intermediate and advanced photography skills too. You are getting a beginners book and an advanced book all for the price of one book. Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies is highly recommended by beginners and professionals alike and it has received top reviews from photography magazines. Lean more here and order it at Amazon.com.
Christmas Gifts for Photographers – 2013
Gifts for Photographers
Looking for the best photo gifts for a photographer? You’ve come to the right place. I have dozens of gift recommendations with prices starting around $7.
(Originally posted Nov. 13, 2013. Updated Dec. 20, 2013.)
Q&A: Copyright Registration Process
Copyright Certificate of Registration
Question: So….You have to get a copyright on each photo, not a group of them, right? Is it a hassle? I’ve thought of doing it from time to time.
Originally posted Dec. 19, 2013, Updated Dec. 13, 2016.
The Best of the Best: Recommendations For The Best Photo Gear, Books, Software, and Online Photo Labs
The best of the best cameras, accessories, photo books and more.
This time each year I put together a collection of articles recommending the best photo gear, books, DVDs, software, calendars, online photo labs, and a whole lot more. The articles are revised every year throughout the holiday season, some of them extensively. The list of linked articles follows.
(Originally posted Nov. 13, 2013. Updated Dec. 18, 2013)
Tripod Head Recommendations: Some of the Best of the Best
Kirk Enterprises BH-3 Ball Head with Arca-Swiss style quick release
The short list.
3-Way Tripod heads:
Manfrotto 056 3D Junior Head (replaces 3025)
Manfrotto 3025
Manfrotto 115 3D Super Junior Head (replaces 3028)
Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head
Ball Heads:
Slik Pro Ballhead 800
Kirk Enterprises BH-3
Kirk Enterprises BH-1
Really Right Stuff BH-40
Really Right Stuff BH-55
Tripod Recommendations: The Best of the Best
Looking for a tripod? Choose wisely. Other than a camera and a good lens, nothing can make a bigger difference in your photography than a good tripod. This is the place to find information, recommended models, and links to more information.
Lightroom & Photoshop: The Essential Books
Lightroom & Photoshop: The Essentials
If you are serious about digital photography and you use Lightroom and/or Photoshop, these books are “The Essentials”.
Inexpensive ($9 – $117) Gifts for Photographers
Flash adapter and umbrella for an shoe-mount electronic flash.
There are a lot of practical and inexpensive gifts for photographers. Here is a nice list of items from $7 to $100. All of these items can be found at my photography store (powered by Amazon.com with Amazon’s terrific ordering, shipping, guarantee, and service). Most of the items below are in the Photo Goodies section. Prices are current as of this update but they do fluctuate so they are approximate.
(Originally posted Nov. 14, 2013. Updated Dec. 17, 2013.)
Camera Choices: Using Full Size Test Images from DPReview.com
I’ve been recommending DPReview for years in my photo classes and online. It is one of the best camera review sites. One of the nice features is the ability to download full size JPEG test images of their “standard studio scene” for comparison purposes.
Lest We Forget. One year ago today.
Newtown Connecticut. December 14, 2012.
Sandy Hook Elementary staff members killed December 14, 2012 while trying to protect the children.
Great “How To” Flower Photography Book by Tony Sweet
“Pink Cosmos Double” by Tony Sweet
If you want to turn your images of flowers into true artistic expressions, this is the book for you. Fine Art Flower Photography, Creative Techniques and the Art of Observation by Tony Sweet takes you well beyond the typical flower photography guide.
Excellent “How To Photograph People” Books
More photos are taken of people than any other photograph subject. Anyone can take snapshots. If you want to take more memorable and eye-catching photos, here are some excellent books to help you do just that.
The Best “How To” Nature Photography Books
Some of my favorite nature photography books.
Want to be a better nature photographer? Read anything by John Shaw, Galen Rowell, Art Wolfe, Freeman Patterson, Tim Fitzharris, George Lepp, Larry West, Arthur Morris, Allen Rokach, John Netherton, Leonard Lee Rue III, Brenda Tharp, Tony Sweet, and the Stackpole (publisher) nature series. Now for some of the “best of the best” books to look for. These are my favorites out of hundreds of photography books in my library.