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by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Binoculars are a birdwatcher's best friend. They allow you to get close-up views of distant objects without having to actually get close. Some birders use spotting scopes and others use cameras with telephoto lenses, but you may be hard-pressed to find a serious birder without a pair of binoculars at the
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 Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Choosing a lens is a highly personal choice, and that’s especially true for wildlife photography. This is in the realm of the telephoto lens after all. While almost any focal length lens works for landscapes and other types of photography, in general, when it comes to photographing animals in the wild, you'll want to have the longest reach you can. In this guide, we’re going to discuss the factors one should consider when purchasing a lens for wildlife photography.
Focal Length
The first and most straightforward factor to consider is focal
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
These days, everyone has a camera right in their pocket. Smartphones have long been the go-to camera for quick photos of our friends, family, pets, and of course, ourselves. With features like portrait mode, users can simulate blurry backgrounds and isolate their subject for more eye-catching images. What else could you ever need? What if I told you that with the
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Family portraits are a great way to capture a moment in your family’s history. You may find yourself wanting to capture family photos every few years or so, more often when the little ones are, well, little. Maybe you’re looking for a way to take matters into your own hands, or maybe you’ve been taking your own family photos for years and have found yourself being asked to take photos of friends, family members, or even paying clients.
Family portraits can be a lot of fun to shoot. Maybe you’ve been taking photos of your kids and want to
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Photographing pets is something you likely do daily, whether it be with a phone or a dedicated camera. I don’t know about you, but I have thousands of pics of my pup filling up my photos app. After all, pets are part of the family, and we want to capture them in the best possible light. In this quick guide, we’re going to look at 10 ways you can improve your pet photography with practical creative tips and techniques as well as gear.
1. Get to your pet’s level. If there’s one trick to make your images more engaging, it’s to physically shoot
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 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 Jill Waterman · Posted
Instead of an apron, food photographer Joanie Simon wears many hats—commercial and editorial imagemaker, recipe developer, photo educator, Blogger, YouTube Influencer, Livestreamer, and content creator extraordinaire. For more than a dozen years, Simon has built her brand into a powerhouse of creative content and learning, to whet the appetites of both foodies and photographers alike. Her straightforward approach to this specialized field is of value to shutterbugs at all levels of experience, from beginners on cell phones to experienced pros
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 Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Shallow depth of field (DOF) is one of the visual effects that many photographers seek in their everyday photographs. To accomplish this, there is the grail quest for lenses with larger and larger maximum apertures. In the world of macro and
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 Jill Waterman · Posted
Here’s a hot tip: In addition to photo, video, and audio gear, as well as other tech products, B&H carries thousands of books and tutorials covering the fields of photography, video, audio and computers, plus inspirational titles to get your creative juices flowing. For all you bibliophiles out there, we’ve compiled this shortlist of must-have publications spanning photography basics, photo careers, marketing and promotion, business practices, teaching photography, lighting technique, specialty photo subjects, creative inspiration,