Well, not really. But it will make your photographs better. I know what you’re thinking. “White balance? Isn’t that technical? Eyes. Glazing. Over.” Don’t worry, it’s really simple to understand, just as easy to adjust, and it will make your photographs better.
… Continue reading Choosing the right white balance setting will change your life!
[Notice the byline? Please welcome Elizabeth West to Photodoto. Elizabeth is a writer by profession and a collector of historic images of women. She’s also recently jumped into the digital camera market with both feet and currently shoots a Canon EOS 30d, Olympus 740 UZ, and a Canon Digital Elph (which she won in a Photodoto photography contest!). You can learn more about her writing and collection at her websites: Eduwrite at Cornerhost and EWestPhotos. — John]
Depth of field is a concept dear to the hearts of many photographers. Briefly, it means the depth of the pictured area that appears to be in focus. People describe this area as being shallow or deep. Some may refer to it as narrow or wide. The words don’t matter, but the concept does.
I was reading a discussion the other day about how shooting in RAW mode saved some under-exposed shots. Accepted wisdom seems to be that correcting under and over exposure is much easier/better with RAW than JPG. Without making any judgments, I decided to try it out and see if it was true.
… Continue reading RAW vs. JPG: Correcting under/over-exposure
“A portrait is a likeness.” Digital Portrait Photography and Lighting by Catherine Jamieson and Sean McCormick (published by Wiley) starts with this simple definition and premise and goes on to declare that “the photographic portrait may well be one of the more important social tools we have.” It’s no secret that I love making portraits—it’s probably my favorite type of photograph. So I was excited to finally find some time to read this book.
… Continue reading REVIEW: Digital Portrait Photography and Lighting
I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to try out Photostockplus.com, a unique site that allows photographers to not only sell stock licensing rights to photos (like iStockPhoto) but also to sell event prints at prices you set through a turnkey, customizable e-commerce system. The combination makes it a one-stop solution for selling event photos and also the “left overs” from events that could be used as stock.
“To take photographs means to recognize—simultaneously and within a fraction of a second—both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one’s head, one’s eye and one’s heart on the same axis.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson
You’ve probably heard people say they make photographs. Maybe you thought nothing of it. But making a photograph is a distinctly different approach to photography than taking. Taking implies coming upon or discovering something, lying in wait, to grab or trap. When you take photos, you go into the world and you find scenes to capture. Making implies building a scene from parts. Creating something from nothing. Choosing which elements to include and which to exclude.
I love making portraits. People, especially faces, to me, are a fascinating subject. So expressive and varied—there is emotion and character and life in every subject.
A reader asks,
Dear Photodoto,
I want to take great photographs. What gear should I buy to improve my photography?
Dear reader, to take great photographs you only need one piece of gear in addition to any camera: a photographer. Haha. No, seriously.
… Continue reading What gear should I buy to take great photographs?
A month ago I wrote about some myths and misconceptions about the differences between RAW and JPG formats. And at the end of that article I asked of RAW, “Is the quality really better?” Continue reading to find out what I learned. The answer may surprise you.
Still life photography is the photography of inanimate objects purposefully arranged and lit. There’s something very satisfying about capturing something exactly as you pictured it in your mind. The items themselves, their arrangement, lighting, and camera settings are all meticulously controlled to produce the desired result. Still life photography is arguably the most technical of the photographic disciplines. Because the scene, the lighting, and the camera are all under your control, it is good training for becoming proficient both technically (camera control) and artistically (composition and lighting).
