The beautiful designs and colors that can be found in the feathers of many species of birds offer wonderful photo opportunities. You can create frame-filling shots of unique patterns, and it’s also possible to make interesting arrangements of the feathers that become a unique art form unto itself.
Although some outdoor photographers prefer to shoot everything by available light, electronic flash can be surprisingly useful. In the past, it was difficult to produce a natural looking effect with flash in outdoor photography without a bit of expertise. All too often the results appeared to be artificial, with a harsh effect caused by flash becoming the primary light source.
Nurturing neophyte film photographers and movie makers, supplying photo schools with film cameras, and helping photographers of all levels learn how to use legacy film cameras, Michael Raso and the Film Photography Project volunteers have engaged with tens of thousands of film users around the world via a monthly podcast, by answering emailed questions and by conducting workshops. If you're into film of any size, shape or format, visit the FPP website and tune in to a podcast.
Leaves haven’t started falling on Daisy Hill, but soon will be, and just as quickly the number of leaves needing to be raked reminds me of the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of websites I’ve looked at and written about for Web Profiles over the years. The best are presented here but there are almost as many—maybe more—near misses that fail to make the grade because they lack focus. Not the pictures, mind you, but the purpose of having a site in the first place. While it may seem obvious to you it may not be to the person who lands on your homepage. Fall is a good time to reappraise and perhaps redesign your site for the New Year, giving it not just a new look but also a new purpose. Set a goal for your site and make sure that everything from the colors used to the words and images that appear go toward achieving that goal.
I’m writing this in mid-December as I’m making plans for a February trip to Vietnam. As those plans are shaping up, it might be a good time to talk about how I decide what to take on my photo trips and how I try to ease it all through the world’s airports.
The gear I take depends on where I’m going, how long I’ll be there, and what I expect to accomplish. One thing I know from the...
I’m sure that everyone who has ever owned a camera has taken pictures of flowers. It’s impossible not to. Flowers are too beautiful to resist, and there are so many species and varieties that you could devote your entire life to shooting nothing but flowers and hardly scratch the surface.
Since the development of photography in the early 1800s, there has always been a strong tradition of photographers using their work to promote conservation and social justice issues. One need only to look at the development of the National Park System in the United States to see the impact early photographers had on conservation. William Henry Jackson, with his 1871 Yellowstone photographs, helped push through legislation that established Yellowstone as the world’s first National Park. Another well-known example of a conservationist photographer was Ansel Adams, whose tireless efforts both as a photographer and as a 37-year member of the Sierra Club’s Board of Directors led to the establishment of Kings Canyon National Park in 1940.
My life in photography changed one fall morning at the Frederick County Fair. A numbness on my right side indicated that I was joining the more than 600,000 people nationwide who suffer from strokes each year.
Thankfully, others around me recognized the first signs of my stroke and rushed me to a nearby hospital. During my 25-day hospital stay, I had ample time to...
Ah, Palm Beach. Just the mention of the name brings images of wealth and power to mind. Exotic cars, palatial estates, beautiful people, exclusive stores, and there's so much more--crystal skies, blue-green waters, the Intercoastal Waterway, yachts...
“You need to establish a connection with the food in front of the camera,” observes New York-based food photographer Francesco Tonelli (www.francescotonelli.com). “I can do a better job photographing a dish when I can picture myself eating it. That’s the frame of mind I need to be in so that I can capture the...
"When showing your
portfolio it is a good idea to offer up a variety of choices--some verticals,
some horizontals, some wides, and some tight details."
The brilliant, ever-elusive emerald green and red quetzal. Mist enshrouded cloud forests that evoke a mysterious and eerie beauty. The melodic song of the bellbird. Howler monkeys calling to each other in their distinctive, bellowing way. These are just some of the images that describe the lovely Central American country of Costa Rica.