Yesterday I wrote a little bit about histograms and dynamic range. Histograms are a very useful tool for evaluating an exposure. You should activate the histogram display on your camera and learn to use it. But you must remember that a histogram does not, by itself, say anything about image quality. Histograms must be evaluated within the context of the image that they represent for them to have any value.
… Continue reading There is no such thing as a “perfect” histogram
Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake? — Leonardo da Vinci
Have you ever shot a photograph of someone with their back to a bright source of light such as the setting sun or sky? Was the person underexposed (too dark)? This is a direct consequence of what is called dynamic range and “compromise” metering being done by your digital camera. The human eye is an amazing thing. Modern cameras don’t even come close to touching the capabilities of your average, human optic system. One astounding feat is its ability to see detail in every part of a scene consisting of a huge range of dark and bright areas. You can see detail in shadow and in bright areas simultaneously. It’s something you take for granted — until you start taking photographs with a digital camera.
… Continue reading Managing dynamic range through better metering
There were over 180 high-quality entries in the Grand Opening contest. Thank you to everyone who participated. It was a pleasure going through the entries even though it was incredibly difficult to narrow it down to just three who would take home the prizes. The judges were looking for technical excellence, adherence to the theme, and visual impact (the ones that really caught their eye). But these three winners stood out with unanimous appeal. So, without any further delay:
… Continue reading Photodoto Grand Opening contest winners announced
What’s really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of the extraneous. If you strive for simplicity, you are more likely to reach the viewer. — William Albert Allard, National Geographic
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
— Albert Einstein, Smart Guy
Like a cluttered room in a house or an overstuffed closet, a photo with too much random stuff can make it difficult for a viewer to find the subject. How many times have you taken a photograph of something only to have something else completely unrelated (and unwanted) in the frame like a car or a telephone pole? This isn’t to say that all photos should be minimalist affairs with a single subject and a plain background ala Apple Macintosh ads. But you should strive to only include elements in a photo that add something to it rather than serve as distractions. One way to do this is to simplify your compositions.
… Continue reading Learning composition: simplify, simplify, simplify
Trying your hand at pinhole photography is easy and can be a lot of fun. Pinhole cameras pre-date autofocus and megapixels. They hearken back to a simpler time when a camera was literally just a box with film in the back. Photos made with pinhole cameras exude a fuzzy, low-fi charm that’s hard to resist. That said, it’s not for everyone, but I hope you’ll give it a try. If you’re anything like me, you’ll feel a little magic happening when you see that first photo. It’s sort of like stepping back in time. Have I convinced you? Do you have 30 minutes to spare? Read on to find out how to get started.
… Continue reading Make a pinhole camera for Worldwide Pinhole Photography day
Imagine standing before a canvas of sky, your camera in hand as the sun dips below the horizon. That’s where my journey with silhouette photography began.
I learned early on that these shots are more than just pictures; they’re stories waiting to be told. They convey drama and emotion through stark contrast and simplicity.
In this piece, you’ll learn how to harness light sources like that dipping sun, tweak your camera settings for those crisp silhouetted subjects against bright backgrounds, and tap into post-processing tricks to polish off each shot. By the end, capturing gorgeous silhouette portraits or creative landscape outlines will seem less like luck—and more like second nature.
… Continue reading Techniques for Creating Eye-Catching Silhouettes
There are many things that go into the concept of “composition.” Composition is a defining characteristic that separates a forgettable snapshot from a photo that has a strong impact on the viewer. It’s more important than mega-pixels, more important than what equipment you use. This will be the first in an ongoing series to try and demystify this pretentious-sounding subject and show you how thinking about composition, even a little, can help you improve your photos. We’ll start with a few basic concepts and some guidelines you can follow that will help you start creating images with impact and that draw the viewer in.
… Continue reading Learning composition: basic concepts and framing
I recently finished a task that turned out to be undeserving of my procrastination and left me with a welcome sense of relief. I made a backup of every digital photograph in my collection, over 15,000 images, spanning nearly 6 years from early 2000. It had been far too long since my last backup. It was easy, didn’t take a long time, and now I know that these treasured memories will be safe if something catastrophic ever happens to the hard drive they are stored on. Here’s how I did it.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be spending holidays with family and friends, eating, laughing, and, of course, making lots and lots of photographs. At our annual holiday gatherings there are an abundance of children.
And children make great subjects for photography except for one problem: they don’t sit still. A moving target is one of the most difficult things to photograph. Read on for some tips that should help make things a little easier.
… Continue reading How to Capture Action Reliably and with Style
