Search results for: photography basics understanding focal length
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by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Imagine, if you will, a photo shoot. Your subject is a striped, orange cat bouncing off of the walls. You have your camera raised to your brow, finger on the trigger, waiting for the perfect pose. He turns his gaze toward you, but his head is constantly moving. No matter, you quickly fire a few frames, figuring that you finally nailed the shot. You check your shots, only to see a series of blurry portraits.
If this sounds like a situation you’ve been in before, we know the feeling. That’s why, today, we’re taking a look at settings for pet
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Getting a new camera is always an exciting affair. Whether it’s your first interchangeable lens camera or a long-awaited upgrade, there’s almost always new features to explore. Mirrorless cameras are especially exciting as they bring new and intuitive features that boost creativity while making photography easier than ever! Whether you’re new to cameras, shopping for one, or looking to dust off an old hobby, let’s get into setting up our new mirrorless camera.
What Is a Mirrorless Camera?
It’s not often something is named after a feature it
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
There’s an old adage that claims in order to be a wildlife photographer, you need a lot of time and a lot of money. This is only partly true. Many great wildlife photo opportunities can occur in urban parks and even in your own backyard, as long as we know what we’re doing. In this article, we’re going to cover a number of essential tips that will help you become a better wildlife photographer.
If you’ve read our introduction
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Despite what you might have seen on the internet, you don’t need all the money and time in the world to photograph wildlife. Sure, an African safari would be nice, but it is by no means the only way to capture stunning images of wild animals. In fact, regardless of where you live, odds are there’s a vast ecosystem that likely goes unnoticed. If you have trees in your neighborhood, you’re off to a great start.
What You Need to Photograph Wildlife
While gear plays a crucial role in our ability to photograph wildlife, it isn’t everything. In this
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Photography is by definition, the capture of light on a light sensitive surface. That surface could be glass, tin, film, or a digital imaging sensor like those found in most modern cameras. The amount of light that reaches our light-sensitive surface is what we can define as exposure.
A good exposure will look accurate to life or the photographer's creative vision. It will maximize an images quality and
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
What better place to spend a Saturday morning than the zoo. You can enjoy some time outside, all while seeing a variety of both local and exotic animals you'd otherwise never dream of encountering. Zoos also are great place to try your hand at photographing wildlife! In this guide, we're talking about taking our camera to the zoo to capture natural looking images of animals in their element! We'll be covering what you need as well as tips and tricks that'll help you capture stunning, natural looking images of animals.
Above photograph © Mathew
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
As you begin to research cameras, you’ll likely hear some technical jargon about sensors. While it’s easy to ignore some elements of any devices, there’s no way to work around sensors. But what is a sensor and what does it do? In this guide, we’re diving into the often confusing world of imaging sensors. By time we’re done, you’ll have a better understanding of the most significant component in our digital camera.
About Sensors
What Is an Imaging Sensor?
At the heart of our digital cameras sits an imaging sensor, which serves as the digital
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Anyone who has dabbled in pet photography knows that it can be a rewarding yet challenging experience. While pets are considered to be part of the family, they’re still animals who walk to the beat of their own drum and do things at their own pace. Even the best listeners can be easily distracted or have trouble sitting still for more than two seconds. If you’re considering trying your hand at photographing our fuzzy friends, we’ve put together this helpful guide for you. In this guide, we’re going to cover the essentials for those with a
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Photography is, by definition, the capture of light on a light sensitive surface. Exactly what kind of light this is in reference to is up to you as the photographer. When we think of lighting for photography we may immediately conjure up images of on-camera speedlights or big studio lights with soft boxes atop towering light stands.
While these lights can give us control over our scene in a variety of lighting conditions, they're not the only way we can light our images. Natural and ambient lighting can be harnessed to dramatic effect, if we
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Portraiture: It’s one of the most popular and prevalent forms of photography. Although it may seem simple on paper, it comes with its own unique obstacles. Of course, you’ll want to be familiar with your gear. This is essential to all working photographers, but it allows you to focus your efforts on the genre-specific challenges you’ll face.
When photographing people, you’ll find that some folks are photogenic, while others are not. Your job as a photographer is to break down the barriers set by your clients and to put them in the most
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
A lens’s hyperfocal distance—a mathematical combination of lens focal length, aperture or f-stop, and focus distance—is a tool that photographers can use to maximize their depth of field for capturing nearby foregrounds and distant backgrounds in acceptable sharpness.
While you can always dial up your lens’s sharpest aperture (sweet spot), many landscape photographers want as
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Specular out-of-focus highlights have appeared in photographs since the first photos were taken through lenses. In 1997, Photo Techniques magazine introduced the word “bokeh” to the photography world’s vernacular and the out-of-focus areas of photographs have been scrutinized ever since. Before the term, there was certainly discussion about the aesthetics of the out-of-focus specular highlights of a photograph, but until 1997, there wasn’t a good word in the English language to describe the phenomenon. Credit goes to Mike Johnston, article
by Bjorn Petersen · Posted
Despite photography taking mainly a digital form nowadays, there is still immense value in the tactile side of photography, especially in regard to teaching photography. With education being based more in the home at the moment, it can be the perfect time to introduce someone to photography using the simplest and most basic tools. Pinholes are of the most primitive examples of photography but are also some of the most perfect tools with which to teach the basics of exposure without needing to complicate it using abstract modes, shutter speeds,
by John Harris · Posted
I love spending time with my kids, lots and lots of time. And while we are passing all of this time together, I thought I’d have a try at teaching them a little bit about photography. I don’t go into this endeavor with any illusions; they are probably going to end up teaching me.
My kids were both born well after the year 2000 and, I’d argue, that alone puts their visual acumen far ahead of what mine was at their age. Their understanding of photography as a language and their consideration of what can happen inside a frame is much more
by Shawn C. Steiner · Posted
Love it or hate it, high-quality video is now a significant part of the latest DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and point-and-shoots. This is, in part, because of a greater consumption of video content, thanks to faster Internet, impressively good mobile screens, and what I see as a natural evolution of visual media. So, with this higher demand of stellar video content, many dedicated still photographers are making the leap to video. This series is designed to help guide a photographer through the often confusing world of digital filmmaking.
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