“Most pro lenses have much sturdier construction than their consumer counterparts.”

I’m a pro photographer and have been for about 30 years. I mostly shoot portraits and a few weddings. I’m not one of those guys who will be first in line for the latest 15-800mm f/1.2 lens. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty much an equipment minimalist. But when I need a lens, I...

Joe McNally is an expert at lighting big jobs with small flashes. Besides being a successful commercial photographer, he also spends a great deal of time teaching. His new book, The Hot Shoe Diaries, is a virtual how-to for setting up complex lighting using Nikon SB flashes.

Normally, when we do interviews like this, we also discuss in detail how some of the photographer’s...

Joe McNally is an expert at lighting big jobs with small flashes. Besides being a successful commercial photographer, he also spends a great deal of time teaching. His new book, The Hot Shoe Diaries, is a virtual how-to for setting up complex lighting using Nikon SB flashes.

Normally, when we do interviews like this, we also discuss in detail how some of the photographer’s...

Our Picture This! assignment this month was Macro World, and readers responded with a dazzling host of images that revealed a colorful, delightful, and often surprising look at a world most folks do not take the time to observe. Photography is a reminder of the moments we often pass by in the rush of daily events, and nowhere is that more evident than when viewing these looks at a close-up world.

Our Picture This! assignment this month was Macro World, and readers responded with a dazzling host of images that revealed a colorful, delightful, and often surprising look at a world most folks do not take the time to observe. Photography is a reminder of the moments we often pass by in the rush of daily events, and nowhere is that more evident than when viewing these looks at a close-up world.

If you’re a regular reader of this column, you might remember I once mentioned that a year after I’d graduated from high school I spent the summer working on a Merchant Marine ship that traveled to Scandinavia, England, and Ireland. It was on that trip that I fell in love with photography (I’d just bought a Minolta SR-T 101) and with travel. In that column I wrote, “I look...

Here Is A Quick Tip List On Letters For The HELP! Desk:
Please confine yourself to only one question per letter. Both postal letters and e-mails are fine, although we prefer e-mail as the most efficient form of communication. Send your e-mail queries to editorial@shutterbug.com with Help in the subject header and your return...

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...

“The warmth of the air, on a summer day.”—The Beach Boys

Clearly one of the most significant advantages of digital capture is that you get to see the results now! There’s no waiting; it’s instant gratification. Nowhere is this more important than when selecting a background for studio photography, even if your studio, like mine, is a temporary basement setup.

“The warmth of the air, on a summer day.”—The Beach Boys

Clearly one of the most significant advantages of digital capture is that you get to see the results now! There’s no waiting; it’s instant gratification. Nowhere is this more important than when selecting a background for studio photography, even if your studio, like mine, is a temporary basement setup.