Optimum image quality is the holy grail of all photographers regardless of whether they shoot portraits, landscapes, wildlife, or just about any other type of images. And when photos fail to meet expectations, it’s easy to blame our gear or the shooting conditions we confront.
Guess what? Even professional shooters screw up on occasion; so don’t feel too bad about making mistakes. The trick is to not make the same error twice, and one way to avoid that is to learn from the foibles of experienced pros.
(Editor’s Note:Exploring Light is a monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in Canon Explorers of Light education program. This month's column is by Bob Davis, with great tips for shooting sharp photos of wildlife and birds in flight.
In 2004 I was out late one night for a walk on the beach, as I often did to de-stress from a long day at work. This night was particularly beautiful, with a full moon shining overhead, so I decided to bring my camera and tripod along to take some oceanscapes. I found the perfect location, set up my gear, and opened the shutter of my camera for a long exposure. While the exposure was running I accidentally bumped my camera. When I checked the image and saw that the light from the moon had left a streak going across the sky I had an epiphany. My mind raced at the possibilities of using my camera and the moonlight to draw images in the sky, and from that moment on I was a light painter.
Spring is in full bloom, with summer barely a month away, and it’s time to pull out the macro lens, brush up on your technique, and start thinking about close-up
Whether the view before you is an expansive vista, a majestic mountain scene, or a stunning seascape, there’s a good chance you’ll reach in your bag, pull out a wide-angle lens, and mount it on your camera. But that doesn’t guarantee a great image unless you avoid a few common errors.
The first thing most landscape photographers do upon arriving at a location is pull a trusty wide-angle lens out of their bag. It's true that telephoto lenses are growing in popularity for this purpose, but today's tutorial is all about making the most of whatever wide-angle prime or zoom that you own.
We're all looking for new ways to expand our repertoire and b&w infrared (IR) photography is a great technique for capturing awe-inspiring images with an otherworldly look. Today's quick tutorial with instructor Richard Herzog demonstrates how easy it is to get the job done in the camera.
Here's a unique tutorial from bird photographer Shelley Pearson who treats us to an uncommon mix of information, gorgeous imagery, and inspiration for nature and wildlife shooters. In the next five minutes you'll learn how to unlock the beauty of backlighting effects.
In may be a new year, but it's still "Tutorial Tuesday" at Park Cameras—a leading retailer in the UK that posts weekly photography lessons for their customers and the rest of us who want to improve our skills. Today's episode is all about employing exposure bracketing in the conventional way, as well as for other tasks you may not have used it for in the past.
Are multiple exposures a happy accident or a stroke of creative genius? Well, that depends if you created the image with intention or if it was a fortunate mistake. This tutorial from the Adorama TV YouTube channel explains everything you need to know for giving images a unique look by creating impressive double exposures in the camera.
Outdoor photographers often spend time in Photoshop pumping up the intensity of pale blue skies in their images. But in the video below you’ll how to get the job done in camera with a few simple settings.
If you’ve never used a hand-held light meter, the difference between incident and reflected exposure readings may be unfamiliar. It’s a very important distinction that helps explain why many photographers invest in a hand-held meter, despite the sophisticated exposure capabilities of today’s advanced digital cameras.
Today’s modern digital cameras offer insanely high ISO options, and conventional wisdom is to avoid them and go no higher than at least two settings below the maximum. But according to one top pro, there are times when is OK to use the highest ISO setting available.
One was the first man to walk on the moon; the other arguably the greatest athlete of all time. I’ve photographed both Neil Armstrong and Muhammad Ali, among hundreds of other celebrities over the years.