Right now there is a lot of excitement about predictive autofocus. Mirrorless cameras have been ushering in this technology in a big way, but it has actually been around awhile in DSLRs. The basic idea is you focus on a subject using a predictive autofocus pattern or mode, and then the camera will stay focused Read More
Shooting Tips
Travel photography speedlight solutions
I’m working on our online travel photography class right now, pulling and editing 500 new images from travels around the globe. It has been really interesting looking through a database of a million images and reliving some of my favorite travels and most memorable shoots. How could I forget traveling to Northern Ireland on a Read More
Puffy Birds
Ten below zero this morning….and that is a perfect time to photograph puffy birds. What are puffy birds? One thing we teach in our online bird photography class is understanding a little about bird behavior, and how that can improve your wildlife photography. Birds trap air in their feathers to stay warm. If it is Read More
Customizing Camera Buttons
One thing cameras offer today is the option to customize buttons on the camera body. Each new camera seems to give us more choices to assign different functions to different buttons. Things like focus peaking, level and metering modes can all be assigned to different buttons. But for me the most obvious is setting a Read More
How many megapixels do you really need?
We get this question a lot. Should I get the 24MP or 45MP new camera? One criteria that is often mentioned is how big of a print you can make from your native file size. This is especially of interest to those who print at home. Some photographers have ink jet printers that make 17×22″ Read More
Reducing noise
Improved high ISO performance in today’s cameras has changed the way I shoot. I just spent my morning in our backyard bird blinds photographing in low light. How low? Murky enough light that I was using ISO 12,800 on my D6. Yep, and getting terrific files. If you would have told most photographers a few Read More
Beyond 1x Macro
We’re finishing up our online cabin fever macro class, and today we are discussing getting really close. As in closer than your macro lens can get. While we will be discussing extreme close up lenses, we will also look at getting your standard macro lens even closer for 1.5x or 2x magnification. Extension tubes are Read More
Perspective and Tension
We have been doing a lot of online image reviews during these stay at home times, and landscape images have been a hot topic. One thing I see a lot of is a technically perfect image…but no tension in the image. What does this mean? Think of tension as eye movement, not necessarily drama or Read More
Focus Peaking Landscapes
This week during our online advanced landscape class we talked about maximizing depth of field, and figuring out where exactly to focus in an image. Traditionally photographers have used techniques like depth of field preview, hyperfocal distance and LCD image review to check critical focus. I still use my depth of field preview button on Read More
A quicker way to autofocus
Modern DSLRs have extensive menu systems. Each new camera seems to offer more customization options, which is good for photographers. When I first buy a new camera, I know I will spend a hour just going through the menu and setting my preferences, as well as setting different functions to different controls on the camera. Read More