I tend to separate light into two distinct areas—that supplied by the one true light source, the sun, and the other by the inventiveness and ingenuity of people, namely flash, a controlled explosion, and continuous, usually some form of filament, spark, and vapor, or controlled burn. My tendency is to seek out natural or ambient light whenever I can, mainly because I like the hunt and the...

As the mixed bag of camera reviews in this month’s issue shows, there are many ways you can travel the photographic road these days. These range from the arcane to the elaborate, from pocket-sized digicams with extensive controls to full-fledged pro systems with interchangeable film/digital backs. The system you choose will necessarily match what you like or need to capture, be it casual...

I have used just about every type of lens in my work, from super wides to fisheyes and PCs to mirrors. I have worked with super teles that focused “like buttah” to clunkers that when in AF mode chattered like hyperactive squirrels. While some lens choices are always dictated by the shot at hand, I thought I’d share some advice about lenses based on my experience with both...

It seems only a few months back that I did a similar obit/reminiscence on black and white printing papers from Kodak. The subjects of this month's eulogy include both film and digital passings, with one being a venerable company that has departed photography altogether. I don't write these items for morbid or even sentimental reasons, but to note the passing of an era...

Travel photography evokes all sorts of images, from the 19th century vistas in fading albumen prints to satellite images made miles above our planet. The aim of most travel work is to share a sense of place, a feeling of "being there" that only the camera can...

It goes without saying that digital has changed lots of things in photography. One matter that requires more thorough investigation is how it affects optics and assumptions we have made about the design, recommendations, and even the naming conventions we use. While this column length does not allow for full discussion I'll raise some of the issues and open the floor to our...