Back when I was a wee lad, I got my introduction to professional photography by shooting weddings. I remember one of my first when the bride’s uncle introduced himself while carrying a brand-new Hasselblad loaded with more accessories than a new Cadillac. He looked at my used and battered Mamiya C33 and just smiled. Can you imagine shooting weddings with a Holga? Well kiddies, that’s...
“I never think of the future—it comes soon enough.”—Albert Einstein
What lies ahead this year in photography? Even Hogwarts’ Professor Sybill Patricia Trelawney would have to admit that the noble art of divination isn’t 100 percent perfect, so what chance do I have with a rusty crystal ball, or maybe it’s just an old ball bearing? During 2010 the...
While the annual PMA show is rooted in traditional photography, digital technology is becoming more and more a part of the event. So much so that it was a challenge to see everything that might be considered digital at the show, but I tried. Any...
"Life is like a 10-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use."--Charles M. Schultz
Retouching Tools One of the biggest challenges facing aspiring portrait photographers is retouching. Few of us are perfect. In fact, Cindy Crawford once said, "Even I don't look like Cindy Crawford when I get up in the morning!"...
Pro shows are a great time to catch up on the latest in lighting gear and trends, so we asked Joe Farace, who does lighting equipment tests for us here at Shutterbug (type Joe’s name in the Search box at www.shutterbug.com to see the wide range of gear he’s tested) to roam the floor at the WPPI show to see what’s hot. His report covers new equipment that caught his eye there but, while there’s plenty to read about, this is not intended to be a full report on what’s new in the category. Some of these products will be covered in future issues, with promised updates from Joe. Also, the show was a few months back, so most, if not all the gear, you read about here is available now. Check our web page news for new products and developments, and follow our in-depth lighting test reports that appear regularly in Shutterbug.—Editor
Despite lens makers’ ads to the contrary, photographers don’t always want or need tack-sharp photographs, especially for wedding or bridal portraits. The use of creative or selective blur when applied in the digital darkroom to an otherwise ordinary photograph can create a mood or look that fits an impression of the original image more than its reality, but sometimes the distinction...
I think my urge to customize cameras comes from a love of cars. I can’t seem to leave my cars alone and each one has touches that make it unique. I think that’s why everybody gets really personal when it comes to finding, using, and often treasuring photographic accessories, gadgets, and gizmos. It helps if the source is obscure, foreign, and off the beaten track, which only adds to the exclusivity. And why not? The whole idea is to seek out photo accessories that accomplish something camera and lens manufacturers didn’t think to make but perfectly fills a niche in your own photographic pursuits.
One of the few problems with digital image capture is you tend to shoot more photographs than you otherwise might if you had to pay for all that film and processing. Oh sure, I know that nobody's giving away CompactFlash or SD/MMC cards, but as the cost per MB for media continues to drop, we tend to...
One of the few problems with digital image capture is you tend to shoot more photographs than if you had to pay for processing them. (You really have to pay for all these extra images--there is no free digital lunch--but that's a topic for another story.) If you're gonna shoot lots of pictures...