One of the most important fundamentals that you need to learn and apply is to shoot to properly capture the highlights, and then later develop to bring out the shadow detail. If you overexpose the highlight detail it can not be recovered. So learn to read your histogram in the field and confirm that you… Continue Reading
Most photographers only ever work with natural light or on-camera flash. Meaning they shoot with the light they find outdoors or in their homes. I have taken many of my favorite images in natural light to be sure, but learning to take control of light and craft an image is an incredibly rewarding experience. This… Continue Reading
I first became aware of nik filters in January of 2009 when I attended my first Imaging USA trade show. Professional Photographers of America hosts the annual show and the trade show is akin to a photographer’s heaven. I quickly became a huge fan of the power and versatility nik packed into each of… Continue Reading
Hello everyone, Adobe announced today that their subscription based Lightroom CC software will now become Lightroom Classic CC. This potentially confusing name change is to make room for a new product which will assume the old products Lightroom CC name. Confused? Read on. Lightroom Classic CC is what we have always known it to be… Continue Reading
By slowing down your shutter speed (1/15sec) you can get some very interesting motion into otherwise static images While in Washington DC last week I was able to get out one morning with my tripod for some early morning photography as the city came to life. I am increasingly drawn to longish exposures. For at… Continue Reading
Every photographer should have a circular polarizer. It removes glare from reflective surfaces such as water, glass and canvas. In the examples above and below I adjusted the polarizer to maximum effect, then turned it until there was little or no effect. The difference is substantial. The glare in the image below would be very… Continue Reading
Last year I made two trips to Mansfield, Ohio to photograph the reformatory where Shawshank redemption was filmed. It is such an interesting place. As a reformatory it was chartered to educate and teach new skills to the inmates in an effort to help them find legitimate work once they were released. Inmates had the… Continue Reading
I spent much of the past few days in the woods in West Branch Michigan with the Mud Chuggers 4×4 club at their Annual Sno Blind event. I have been attending and photographing the event for several years. The main attraction to off-roading for me is the opportunity to get out the woods and experience the… Continue Reading
I have been experimenting with extreme time exposures. This image was shot in early October while driving to Drummond Island. I used a 10 stop neutral density filter and the resulting exposure worked out to be 271 seconds. The extremely long duration allowed time for the clouds to “streak” across the image. The tree also… Continue Reading
I teach numerous people in a variety of different ways. I often hear “there is so much to remember…how do you do it”? The same way you manage to drive your car everyday without incident (hopefully). You do it repeatedly until muscle memory takes over. Have you ever rented a different car when you travel? The… Continue Reading