November 21st, 2007
Nikon World has an article with Dave Black discussing light painting techniques. If you’re not familiar with it, light painting is just what it sounds like: during a long exposure, use a light source (flashlight, laser pointer, flash gun, etc.) to paint a scene. The article goes into more depth about different techniques that can be used for small objects like a flower to large scenes like an ice climber.
It’s a fun technique and good for any bored photographer with a camera, a dark room and a flashlight.
November 18th, 2007
Editorial Photographers has an article featuring Chip Simons essentially interviewing himself. It makes for a decent read for when you are feeling a little down in the dumps creatively. Chip reminds us of a few lessons that are always helpful to take to heart like, “Shoot whatever you want that make s you happy and gets you excited about shooting more and more.”
June 2nd, 2006
An interesting experiment with some nice results, Matthew Wheeler has created photos shot through a lens made of ice. It’s obviously not the sharpest or fastest lens, but the results are actually worth a look especially considering the lens was probably melting while he was taking some of these shots.
From Wheeler’s site:
“Matthew Wheeler took his first picture through an ice lens in response to a challenge by Scientific American and CBC calling on listeners to light a fire with a lens made entirely of ice. Too easy by far - Matthew took it one step farther and started photographing the natural beauty of his surroundings through the ice lenses he made.”
June 2nd, 2006
Check out wonderful time-lapse photography at cosmotions.com. Some of these nighttime nature shots are lovely and watching the stars spin over mountains is a fantastic sight.
Loading up the large images can take some time, but it’s worth the wait.
June 1st, 2006
The May issue of Travel Photographers Network is up and worth a look. The June articles include a guide to shooting Scotland’s lovely Isle of Skye and a good portrait series from Rajastan, a review of Adobe Lightroom and other worthwhile pieces.
June 1st, 2006
Digital Photography School has an article about taking better candid photographs. There are a few good reminders here for when you’re shooting without the subject’s knowledge.
Recently, however, while travelling, I have been getting away from candid photography. I have preferred approaching subjects and getting to know them a bit more before taking their photo. If I’m lucky, the photos appear candid because they have become comfortable with me and my camera. I find the results have a greater intimacy to them and I get the added bonus of interacting with some great people.
These close-up candids are a extremely different from raising a long lens at someone from across the street. The skills required are just as much interpersonal as they are photographic. The fact that most of the people I’m dealing with are from foreign cultures whose language I don’t speak and thus, the challenge is even greater. By no means have I mastered the techniques involved, but as I travel, I’m gaining more of the courage needed to continue trying it.
Of course, surreptitious shots can have their value too, and for those occasions, have a look at the article mentioned above.
May 31st, 2006
Brian Dilg has an interesting gallery of retouching examples that show the before and after of a photo and his thorough adjustments to the original image.
These pictures remind us that in this age of ubiquitous Photoshop trickery, what you see is no longer what you get.
As a side note, this site doesn’t seem to load up properly in Safari, so you might want to check it out in another browser.
May 31st, 2006
If you’re a photographer lacking inspiration, check out some of the top sites on this list of the best photoblogs. Maybe the work of others can get you going.
And of course, if that doesn’t do the trick, there’s always my article on Breaking Shooter’s Block.
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