How Not To Go Broke Buying Equipment
Scott Fitzgerald once told Ernest Hemingway, “rich people are different from the rest of us.” “Yeah, Hemingway replied, “they have more money.” The cameras and lenses I used to make the images on this blog and are, for the most part, gear that I actually own. The exceptions are images that were captured with equipment on loan from manufacturers I was testing for product reviews. You may be surprised to learn that at after the review...
Understanding Digital Exposure Techniques
“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”—Ansel Adams If you agree that the use of light is one of the key ingredients that differentiate a good photograph from a snapshot, it’s necessary to understand proper exposure. Even with today’s cameras, the ability to tweak the exposure at the moment of capture can make or break your image’s quality and content. Caption: This image of a Dodge...
Advice for New Photographers
Recently a reader wrote asking one of the timeless question that all new photographers ask: Would newer, better equipment improve my photographs?” I get this kind of e-mail from time to time and I wanted to share my response with any readers who might have similar questions. Keep in mind that this is not the answer but is instead just one answer and it’s my answer. Feel free to ask other photographers their opinion and at...
The Do’s and Don’t of Digital Imaging
How many digital photographers does it take to change a light bulb? Three. One to decide how many watts the bulb should be, one to argue with the first person based on something he read on the Web, and another to look at the fixture, tell the first two they’re wrong, and drive to Home Depot and get the right bulb. —Old joke Everybody knows that digital imaging is easy, don’t they? Camera manufacturers and software companies say it all...
Full Frame vs. Full Image
One of the reasons people are sometimes disappointed by prints made from digital camera files is usually not the quality of photograph but what’s missing. What’s missing might be Uncle Bernie who was on the edge of the group photograph you made at last year’s family reunion. It’s not that you don’t like Bernie— when you look at the file on a computer he appears in the image—it’s just that he’s a victim of a difference in aspect ratio...
Why I Like Battery Grips
I get to test new cameras for Shutterbug, this blog and Mirrorless Photo Tips but regular readers know when it comes to my personal cameras I tend to be thrifty. I may get to shoot with high-end expensive cameras but contrary to what many think, after the review they’re returned to the manufacturer. All of my personal gear is funded out of my wallet. Over time, I evolved a simply philosophy and even wrote a post (“How...
Change is Inevitable; Embrace it
“If we don’t change direction soon, we’ll end up where we are going.”—Professor Irwin Corey If there is one constant theme running through the complaints I hear from photographers is that there is too much change. I believe that it isn’t just what seems like a never-ending parade of new product introduction that concerns them but the pace of these changes. Just about the time you think you finally got the handle on all these digital...
