Search results for: photography tips solutions understanding angle of view
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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
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
The sun. Always on. Always overhead (of some part of the planet). Always free. Always a consideration for every photograph taken outside of a windowless studio or closet. The sun is nature’s free light source for photography and video. Regardless of whether you are making a landscape image, architectural photograph, portrait, macro shot, street photo, etc., sunlight, or the absence of sunlight, is a critical ingredient in the image.
Photographs © Todd Vorenkamp
by John Harris · Posted
Landscape photography is often considered the realm of the wide-angle lens, but as my editor made clear in the pitch for this article—“It isn’t all about wide-angle.” And she is right: As photographers, we tend to grab the 35mm (or wider) lens when we are inspired by our vistas. Could it be the sheer scale—the vastness of the oceans and mountains—that enchants us? And is it human folly to try to encapsulate what cannot be confined? Do we want to replicate what our natural angle of view perceives, or, perhaps, is it the distortion created by
by John Harris · Posted
After our introductory lesson to creating narrative and telling personal stories with smartphone cameras, I asked my kids to advance their skill set by telling visual stories using a more advanced, more versatile camera. In this case, they’re using my Sony Alpha a6500 mirrorless
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 Cory Rice · Posted
When many people think of special effects, they think of dimly lit rooms, expensive computers, and complicated software. While this may be an accurate picture if you are editing a blockbuster action movie, digital still photographers can do a lot to their images even before transferring files off their camera. The following guide covers some of the more popular in-camera effects on the market to consider when purchasing a new camera or for better understanding the camera you already own.
Film Simulation and Color Profiles
In recent years,
by Paige Denkin · Posted
It’s common knowledge that things won’t go according to plan. Deadlines will be missed; projects will go awry, and part of the adventure is learning to roll with the punches. But this felt like more than a few punches—we felt defeated. Our renovation process took a turn for the worse, not once, but twice. After five months of heartbreak, heated arguments, and two renovation companies with less than noble intentions, our 29' Airstream ended up in my childhood backyard. Our timeline had us on the road by mid-January, but life had other plans for
by Dawn Wayand · Posted
Your camera is an extension of you in your studio. What you shoot with can be just as important as how you shoot. Choosing the right gear to help you perform better during a photo shoot is worth careful consideration. In this article, I will discuss cameras, but go more into depth on lenses, light meters, and care kits for your gear to help give you a better understanding of each and what features to look for when purchasing each component.
Robert Olsen;Model: Kristin Rutty
Digital Cameras
There are a few different types of digital
by Jill Waterman · Posted
Defined in the fine arts as a point of interest that makes an art work unique, in the realm of optics the term “focal point” also refers to the site where parallel rays of light meet after passing through a convex lens, or diverging from a concave mirror. In its broadest sense, a focal point in a photograph is synonymous with a photographer’s point of view. After all, what interest is there in an image without an author standing behind it?
Focal points have a tremendous effect on the reading and appreciation of any given image, so let’s dive
by Allan Weitz · Posted
Sometimes, the phrases, acronyms and strings of numbers or number-letter combinations used to identify photographic hardware or techniques can be daunting to the uninitiated neophyte photographer.
We've prepared a list of the basic terms. Have we left any out that you think should be added? Please let us know!
0-9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I |
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
The job of a photographic lens is to capture light and bend it toward the film or digital sensor. The refraction of light exerts a variety of side effects on the image projected onto the film or digital sensor. Your understanding of how this bending can affect the image may factor into how you compose your images.
Anomalies and Lens Distortion
Glass, crystal, liquid, or plastic lenses made for photography are never “perfect”—just like the lenses in our own eyes. Photographic lenses often comprise multiple lens elements. Because of the way
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Depth of field (DOF) is defined as the area in a projected image, forward and aft of the focal plane, which also appears to be in focus in the image. When you pass light through a lens and focus that light to form an image on a piece of film, digital sensor, projection screen, etc., the area of the image that is in true focus is razor thin—the focal plane. Everything else is out of focus, to some degree. However, because of the subtlety of the out-of focus regions, we do not notice the softness of the image until, as objects are located
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
There is a great deal of confusion surrounding crop factor, and it is particularly difficult to explain, but let’s give it a try, shall we?
Before we dive in, let me dispel two vicious rumors related to crop factor that are circulating through the photography (Internet) world today:
Crop factor does NOT affect a lens’s focal length.
Crop factor does NOT affect a lens’s aperture.
Before you scroll to the bottom of the screen to leave a comment to the contrary, let me explain why I am stating these facts…
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
The primary measurement of a lens is its focal length. The focal length of a lens, expressed in millimeters, is the distance from the lens’s optical center (or nodal point) to the image plane in the camera (often illustrated by a "Φ" on the top plate of a camera body) when the lens is focused at infinity. The image plane in the camera is where you will find your digital sensor or film plate. If you are an optical engineer, this is important