Jon Sienkiewicz Blog

Most digital cameras don’t come with memory cards these days. Instead, many have onboard memory where you can store a handful of images. The amount they include is usually meager, but it’s better than nothing.

If we’re to believe what it says on the energystar.gov website, breaking a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb is a scary proposition. CFLs contain mercury, the same stuff that’s in the fish we’re not supposed to eat. The gov’s FAQ suggests that if a mishap should occur, the first steps include ordering people and pets to vacate the area, airing out the room by opening a window for 15 minutes or longer, and shutting down the central forced-air heating system.

I’d forgotten how much fun Cokin Creative Filters can be. You remember Cokin—slotted plastic filter holder that attaches to many dissimilar lenses via inexpensive adapters, and square filters made of CR39 acrylic resin. The idea that is you can use the same set-up on just about every lens you own, even if they have different size filter threads. And because most of the filters are square, you can slide them up and down in the holder to adjust the effect. The few round filters can easily be rotated for the same reason.

Photographers are an inventive lot. Most have of us have improvised one thing or another in pursuit of our obsession, be it a soft-focus diffuser made from a discarded nylon stocking, studio lamp handcrafted from a Home Depot shop light, or a gadget bag recycled from an army surplus gas mask pack. But here’s a bonafide useful tool that Greg Montano, owner of Dexter’s Camera in Ventura, California, created more-or-less out of necessity, and has been using professionally since.

A reader asks how to restore color in selected areas of an image that has been converted to monochrome. Photoshop users can follow these steps.

What’s proper etiquette when capturing chow with a digital camera? If you like to shoot your food, here are a couple handy tips. 

Just as certain as the crocus and grape hyacinth that burst on the scene seemingly from nowhere, another sure sign of spring is my reliance on a few familiar gadgets to help me celebrate the season. Here are three of the accessories I’d be hard pressed to do without.