Pro Techniques

For all practical purposes, you can narrow your film scanning options down to four choices. There are three types of scanners: drum, flat-bed, and dedicated film scanner. The fourth alternative is to have your film scanned by a professional lab.

Many of the cameras used by Shutterbug readers use SD memory cards. SD stands for Secure Digital, and it’s the most popular type of media for digital imaging. SD has been around for so long that people use this identifier generically, and refer to all variations simply as “SD.” This practice can lead to problems. There are a couple of new kids on the block, and you should know...

Absolutely free support for emerging image makers: qualified college-level students 18 and older may now be eligible to enjoy many of the valuable member-exclusive benefits Canon previously reserved for full-time professional photographers via the new Student Canon Professional Services program — all at no cost. The generous initiative includes perks ranging from expedited repairs and discounted repair services to a dedicated hotline for assistance and mentorship.

For the past three summer seasons Canon has sponsored their Photography in the Parks Photo Contest, highlighting images made by photographers in our nation’s national parks.

My biggest surprise in shooting the famous Carnival of Venice was how accommodating the costumed people were to be photographed. I had assumed that they would become quickly annoyed with all the photographers stopping them and wanting pictures, but the opposite was true. They came out just to be photographed. Some were out as early as 7am and in the sunrise lighting they posed in front of the...

Changing lenses on a digital SLR subjects the interior to invasion by dust and other airborne particles. While we can avoid the problem with prudent handling, eventually we'll have to face the facts: dust will get on the sensor. The imaging sensor, whether CCD or CMOS, is a dust magnet. As soon as the camera is turned on the sensor becomes electrostatically charged. Any...

Consistently achieving accurate color may be digital photography's most difficult skill to master. Shooting the same subject under different lighting conditions can cause unacceptable color variations which can be difficult and time consuming to correct later. Digital cameras have many more color balance options than film ever did, but when the ambient lighting changes from...