Search results for: photography tips solutions how to use a monopod
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by Allan Weitz · Posted
If wanderlust is starting to get the best of you, consider upgrading your camera gear before heading out on your next outdoor adventure.
1. Clean Your Gear
Your first order of business should be to make sure your camera bodies and lenses are clean and in proper working order. To learn more about cleaning and optimizing the performance of your cameras, camera sensors, lenses, and other photo essentials, refer to the tips I offer in
by John Harris · Posted
What can you do with a high-end telephoto lens? Be a boss, is what you can do. I mean, c’mon! Strutting around the sidelines or cuttin’ through the bush with one of these beasts resting on your shoulder―not only do you look tough, but you’re also carrying a lens that you need to get the best photos in sports and wildlife photography. When I say best, let’s not underestimate the greatness of photographers who can create wonderful images with a wide-angle lens or even a telephoto of lesser quality, but to really excel in the disciplines of
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Image “sharpness” has been the goal of many photographers over the years. Some photographers seem to nail the “razor-sharp” or “tack-sharp” image every time, while some struggle to capture a truly sharp image.
Photographs ©Todd Vorenkamp
Before we start, know that there are basic ways photos end up not being sharp.
1. Movement Either the camera, or the subject is in motion during the capture.2. Optics/Electronics Soft focus, soft lens, etc.3. Atmospheric The amount and quality of air between the camera and subject.
Here we will break down all
by Jill Waterman · Posted
Jean Fruth is a diehard baseball fan. “Growing up in New York, with two great hometown teams, how could you not connect with the sport?” she asks. As a teen, she worked in a restaurant owned by serious Mets fans who had season tickets, “And they would take me to games,” she reminisces. “And my grandfather was a Mets fan, listening to games on the radio.”
Such formative influences foreshadow her ultimate path to becoming one of baseball’s preeminent photographers, yet it took many years of exploration for Fruth to put a plan into action. “My
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
We have probably all seen images in which the photographer has panned with the action—photos where the subject is in fairly sharp focus and the background is blurred due to the motion of the camera. The subjects you might have seen in action panning photos include cars, trucks, airplanes, runners, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. Done well, action panning photographs are a pleasure to look at and, believe it or not, action panning is not the most difficult technique to learn with your camera. However, getting great results can be a bit of a
by Bjorn Petersen · Posted
Using flash is one of the technical aspects of photography that’s difficult to understand, mainly because it’s something you cannot really see with your own eyes. Working with natural light, you can usually envision how your shot will turn out, and then when you become a bit more skilled, you can even envision how the effects of aperture and shutter speed will affect your images. Working with flash further complicates our visual relationship to what we’re photographing, since it’s an additional level of abstraction we’re adding to the mix
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Photography from the window seat of an airliner is becoming a controversial topic. Before we talk about how to get awesome photos, let’s have a chat… First of all, no one seems to look out the windows of airliners today, and many passengers give the evil eye to those who do not close their window shades. Fact: Future airliners may be made without windows at all. This saves manufacturing costs, and builders have realized that no one seems look outside anymore because they are staring at glowing screens or sleeping. Another fact: The Washington
by tom kirkman · Posted
After posing for a few gigabytes of formals in a hall, you can sense the wedding party’s palpable relief when, weather permitting, it’s time to take it outside. If you’re lucky enough to have nicely landscaped grounds, it’s a great opportunity to stop fighting with the tungsten light sources inside and take advantage of that flash-friendly sunlight.
Whether you’re just starting out as a wedding photographer or a friend asked you to shoot his or her wedding or you’re a seasoned professional, you’ll need some kind of help to maximize your
by Shawn C. Steiner · Posted
There are plenty of ways to change the look of your film or video; it could be by changing the aperture, turning on a light, or even simply taking the camera off the tripod. If you really want to start experimenting, though, one of the most interesting (and fun!) ways of doing this is to start playing with the frame rates. Relatively speaking, it wasn’t all that long ago that inexpensive cameras started to shoot in Full HD at 24 fps, so we are exceptionally lucky today that options like the
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Airplanes and helicopters are very cool, and an air show offers a collection of cool aircraft. And, if you are like me, you want to not only take a ton of photos at air shows, you will want to come away with a bunch of “keepers.”
Photographs © Todd Vorenkamp
A USAF Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle in afterburner
1. Planning
Air shows are fun for everyone, and, if you just want to go to see cool
by Elizabeth Groeschen · Posted
Guaranteed to be the one camera that is always on you, your mobile phone’s camera may or may not be your camera of choice, but it’s better than none! Here are a few tips to help you use what you have, or whip your budding mobile photography hobby into better shape.
If you’re anything like me, throughout the day, your phone is constantly being juggled; it’s stuffed in a pocket on the way outside to walk the dog, held with a wallet upon entering the subway, slipped into a bag during your commute, and often misplaced at least once during your
by Josh Taylor · Posted
If there’s one word you can use to describe photographers who mastered their craft before there were such things as auto-exposure, autofocus, auto-flash, or digital imaging, it’s resourceful. These guys and gals had tricks up their sleeves that would let them meet practically any challenge, and a host of ingenious ways to take their creativity to new dimensions. Here are eight of their timeless tricks that are useful, easy to execute, and fun. We also hope they inspire you to come up with your very own.
1. Create soft-focus effects with
by Joseph Albanese · Posted
Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” Over time, the origins of that quote have become muddy. Some attribute it to the Baltimore Grotto, a caving club whose members feared their activities would mar the landscapes they so enjoyed. Whatever the origins, it has come to stand for an ethos encouraged by many outdoor organizations that promote responsible recreational uses of our outdoor spaces. One activity that does not alter the scenery is photography. All you are doing is capturing the essence of an area—the blues, greens, reds, and
by Joe Reifer · Posted
When we travel to amazing places, taking pictures allows us to show our friends and family what we saw. Composing the perfect photo is a process of pointing your camera at something interesting, and shooting at the right time. But what if the people viewing your photos could virtually stand where you were standing, and look around, fully immersed in the scene?
360-degree panoramas are a unique and exciting way to let your viewers explore your pictures. If you’ve played with Google Street View, or have seen a real-estate listing with a virtual
by Ralph Lee Hopkins · Posted
Stellar sea lions, South Marble Islands, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Southeast Alaska. Making sharp images from a moving ship requires shooting with a fast shutter speed and being prepared to capture the moment. It had been raining all day in Glacier Bay when the weather finally broke. The soft side light highlighted the steam coming off the animals. (Canon DSLR, 100-400mm, f/5.6 @ 1/1000, ISO 400)
Every travel photographer has a bucket list of dream destinations. There are a number of wild places in the world that are best visited