Photo How To

Hi everybody! I’m very excited to be launching a new Q&A column here in Shutterbug—a magazine I’ve been reading, and been a fan of, for so many years—so it’s truly an honor to be here with you. I invite you to send in your questions to editorial@shutterbug.com (with "For Scott Kelby" as the subject line), and I’ll do my best to answer them in Ask a Pro. OK, let’s jump right to it.

The idea of flying above the earth in a craft composed of a wicker basket and a large balloon lifted by heated air and at the mercy of air current and vectors has always been a subject of wonder and fascination. Indeed, it was the first method by which humans went aloft, a sensation witnessed by amazed crowds in Paris way back in 1783. Fast forward 232 years later, and add hundreds of balloons more, and you get a sense of the thrill you can experience at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, held this year from October 3-11 in New Mexico.

I’ve been an eBayer since 1998 and I’ll admit that buying cameras on eBay can be seriously addictive. Even better (and even more addicting): you can occasionally snag great deals!

Like it or not, gear is a part of the picture in the business of photography and video. While it’s not the whole picture, it can help one elevate their work.

(Photographers of all skill levels benefit greatly from the shared knowledge of our close knit community. The follwoing highly nformative piece by photographer Zhang Jingna originally appeared on the Profoto Blog and includes 14 amazing tips on how to become a professional photographer.)

Since technologies of database management (direct mail) and Internet marketing (websites) have cut into the advertising agencies’ “lock” on buying media space as the only way to sell products and services, the industry has scrambled to reinvent itself. As a result, photographers have felt an impact on their advertising photography businesses.

Exposure systems in digital cameras are highly sophisticated components that can analyze light, contrast, color and all the aspects of a photo instantly. Yet with all the automation and computerization there’s still the need to understand how to get the most from all the available options, to know when to choose a particular mode or metering pattern, when you can rely on automation and when you need to step in to get the best exposure possible. This set of tips deals with the creative use of the various Exposure modes, metering patterns, bracketing features and more.