Photographic Composition: The Essential Book

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The Art of Photograhy, Art Wolfe and Rob Sheppard.

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.)

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Jennifer Blakeley Recommends Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies

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Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies

Jennifer Blakeley does beautiful newborn photography. Her celebrity client list includes Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green; Vanessa and Donald Trump Jr.; and Jocelyn Towne and Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory). She is also the founder of Alphabet Photography. A highly respected and award winning Canadian photographer, she has also worked with the Canadian Olympics Gymnastic Team.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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“Freedom from Want” by Norman Rockwell

When I was growing up, we spent many a Thanksgiving and Christmas at grandpa’s house. Thanksgiving was a much anticipated and happy time. We would often leave home on Wednesday afternoon after dad got home from work. It was a long 7 hour drive to Grandpa’s house in those pre-interstate highway days, so it would be really late by the time we arrived.

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Some of the Best All Purpose Photography Books

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photography books

This is a list of books that were the most helpful to me when I took a serious interest in photography, and I continue to refer to them. These books were written back when film was king, but that makes them all the more valuable to today’s digital photographers. Some digital photography books get so lost in technical information that the heart and soul of photography can get lost. The best film photography books are about light and shadow, subjects, form, texture, line and shape – all of which applies to digital photography.

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Books and Calendars from the Master: Ansel Adams

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Ansel Adams - Half done, Merced River, Winter

Ansel Adams: Half Dome, Merced River, Winter. © Ansel Adams Publishing rights Trust

I have no idea when I was first entranced by the photos of Ansel Adams. There is a wonderful, luminous quality to his work. Small wonder he is America’s best known landscape photographer. Collections of his work would make a worthy addition to any photographer’s library. This is also the time of year that Ansel Adams calendars pop up like snowstorms.

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Beautiful 2017 Calendars

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Just a few of the many beautiful calendars in my Amazon.com photography store.

Just a few of the many beautiful calendars in my Amazon.com photography store.

As I write this article there are five calendars hanging on the walls of my office. They provide year around photographic inspiration. Each year I choose a few calendars for my office, mixing up the locations and photographers from one year to the next. I also choose an extensive selection of beautiful landscape, nature, and astronomy calendars for my photography store (which is powered by Amazon.com) so photographers like you (and anyone else who loves beautiful images) can choose one or more calendars that will inspire you throughout the year.

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Satellite Communicators: The GPS Messaging Devices That Can Save Your Life

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DeLorme inReach Two Way Satellite Communicator

The original DeLorme inReach Two Way Satellite Communicator

You need help. You can barely move. You are far enough from the trail that no one can hear your voice. You have no cell phone signal. What do you do?

Every now and then you hear tragic stories about people who lose their lives simply because they didn’t have a cell phone signal and couldn’t call for help in an unexpected emergency. A $260 – $340 satellite communicator would have saved their lives.

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Putting Together a “Studio in a Backpack”

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Portable Studio in a Backpack

Portable “studio in a backpack” set up and ready to go.

If I am visiting family and friends and traveling by car, I usually bring my “studio in a backpack”. I never know when I might be asked to do some portraits and having some studio gear along helps create better images (especially when natural light is not a very good option). If you want to do portraits on the road (or even at home), these items are very useful. You can order these items from Amazon via the link at the end of this article.

Posted Nov. 22, 2016. Updated Nov. 8, 2017.

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Light Modifiers (Softeners) for Speedlites

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Umbrella, flash, and flash bracket on a tripod.

Umbrella, flash, and flash bracket on a tripod.

Photographers are always looking for ways to soften the light when doing portraits. The light from an accessory flash can be quite harsh so there are a wide range of modifiers to soften the light for more pleasing portraits. Here are my favorites for both on-camera and off-camera flash.

Posted Nov. 22, 2016. Update Nov. 20, 2017.

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Tripod Head Recommendations: Some of the Best of the Best

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Kirk Enterprises BH-3 Ball Head with Arca-Swiss style quick release

A good tripod head will save you lots of frustration. For still photography I recommend two types of tripod heads. If you do a little of everything you will want a quality ball head. If you only do landscape of architectural photography and you want precise separate controls in each axis of motion, you will want a 3-way head.

 

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Inexpensive Gifts (Starting at $8) for Photographers

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Flash adapter and umbrella for an shoe-mount electronic flash.

Flash adapter and umbrella for a shoe-mount electronic flash.

There are a lot of practical and inexpensive gifts for photographers. Here is a nice list of items from $8 to $130. To make them easy to track them down, most of these items can be found at my photography store (which is 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 (Nov. 22, 2016) but prices do fluctuate. Some items can be temporarily unavailable.

Originally posted Nov. 24, 2015. Updated and reposted Nov. 22, 2016.

 

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Radio Controlled Speedlites: Yongnuo YN600EX-RT vs Canon 600EX-RT

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Yongnuo 600 EX-RT Speedlite and Yonghuo YN-E3-RT Transmitter.

Yongnuo 600EX-RT Speedlite and Yongnuo YN-E3-RT Transmitter. Click to see a larger version.

Should you spend $499 on a Canon 600EX II-RT speedlite, or $138 on Yongnuo’s nearly identical clone, the YN600EX-RT-II? And what about the radio transmitters? Canon’s is $285 and the Yongnuo copy is $95.00. So you can buy three Yongnuo speedlites plus the radio transmitter for a little more  than the price of one Canon speedlite. The price advantage is clear, but what about quality, reliability, and service issues? (Prices as of November 18, 2020.)

Originally posted November 22, 2016. Updated November 18, 2020.

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Some of the Best Off-Camera Flash Equipment

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There are lots of advantages to getting your flash off the camera, and it is probably much less expensive than you think. If you already have a shoe mount speedlite and if your camera has a built in pop up flash a simple $35 optical slave (see below) is all you need to get your flash off the camera.

Posted Nov. 22, 2016. Updated Nov. 21, 2017.

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The Best Closeup Photography Equipment

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Forget-Me-Nots, Thorne-Swift Nature Preserve, Michigan

Forget-Me-Nots, Thorne-Swift Nature Preserve, Michigan

There are several ways to do closeup photography. Closeup filters, extension tubes, and macro lenses are the most commonly used options. The best gear for you depends on your preferences, how you want to work, the subjects you are after, how much stuff you want to carry, and what you want to spend. I cover your best options.

Posted Nov. 22, 2016. Updated and expanded Dec. 9, 2016.

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GoPro Hero5: Amazing, Small, Inexpensive, HD Video Cameras

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The new GoPro Hero 5 lineup.

Looking for a small, mountable, “ideal for sports and action”, inexpensive, high definition video and still camera with a waterproof housing and image quality that Lucasfilm (the Star Wars people) calls “amazing”? This camera will go anywhere and mount just about anywhere. Prices range from $399 to $199, depending on the model (which is a lot less than your typical DSLR with HiDef video).

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The Best Digital Cameras – 2016 (Including 2010 – 2015)

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Canon 5D Mark IV DSLR

The holiday season is here and I am getting the usual questions about which digital cameras I recommend. The camera lists below will point you to the highest rated models. You can start with these lists and then narrow it down to a camera with the specific features you are looking for. I will help you in that regard with some information and advice on choosing a camera. The lists below will be updated throughout the holiday season as new reviews for highly rated cameras become available.

Posted Nov. 19, 1016. Updated Dec. 2, 2016.

This is one in a series of articles on The Best of the Best Photography Equipment, Software, Books, Magazines, DVDs, Online Photo Labs and More.

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“How To” Series: Off-Camera Flash

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Margarita

Margarita, Studio Portrait with Off-Camera Flash

Twelve articles (links below) to get you started with off-camera flash. The equipment you will need and how to use it.

Getting your flash of the camera opens up a whole new world of photographic possibilities. And the really good news: the equipment is way less expensive than it used to be. If you are ready to get started, I just finished writing (or re-writing) a series of articles on off-camera flash that covers the equipment you will need and shows you how to use it. .

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