Light informs the content of an image. It shapes and creates volume out of a two-dimensional image, and leads the viewer's eye into and through the scene. Indeed, the literal definition of photography is "drawing with light." This month we asked readers to send us images under the heading "Directional Light," and the response was overwhelming, and...

Lots of people don't know that Pentax built the first Japanese-made Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. In 1952 the Asahi Optical Company of Japan created the Pentax (PENTAprism refleX) line of cameras and were the first to incorporate a penta-prism viewfinder and reflex mirror system into a camera they called the Asahiflex I. This camera featured a cloth curtain focal plane...

Lots of people don't know that Pentax built the first Japanese-made Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. In 1952 the Asahi Optical Company of Japan created the Pentax (PENTAprism refleX) line of cameras and were the first to incorporate a penta-prism viewfinder and reflex mirror system into a camera they called the Asahiflex I. This camera featured a cloth curtain focal plane...

Regular readers of this column know that Asia in general is a favorite place of mine. In fact, I cut my teeth in Asia: prior to being a travel and stock photographer, I was an editorial shooter, doing magazine stories and contributing images to books. I also did commercial, corporate, and annual report photography all over Asia.

Now I have a new...

Regular readers of this column know that Asia in general is a favorite place of mine. In fact, I cut my teeth in Asia: prior to being a travel and stock photographer, I was an editorial shooter, doing magazine stories and contributing images to books. I also did commercial, corporate, and annual report photography all over Asia.

Now I have a new...

One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is about the proper, or "best," way to sharpen images for printing or web use. Almost everyone has struggled with getting this right. Software has improved greatly over the past couple of years, both within Adobe's Photoshop, which recently added the Smart Sharpen filter, and with third-party tools like...

One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is about the proper, or "best," way to sharpen images for printing or web use. Almost everyone has struggled with getting this right. Software has improved greatly over the past couple of years, both within Adobe's Photoshop, which recently added the Smart Sharpen filter, and with third-party tools like...

Let's begin by saying that I'm primarily a nature photographer and have used flash very infrequently, that is, up to now. When I first received the unit it was in a black case and on first look I thought, "This is a lot of stuff. How am I going to use all of this, much less carry it in my camera bag?" Well, it isn't quite as much as it seems.

Let's begin by saying that I'm primarily a nature photographer and have used flash very infrequently, that is, up to now. When I first received the unit it was in a black case and on first look I thought, "This is a lot of stuff. How am I going to use all of this, much less carry it in my camera bag?" Well, it isn't quite as much as it seems.

For years photographers have extolled the virtues of taking portraits on overcast days or during the "sweet light" that occurs near the beginning and end of every day. On cloudy days, the contrast range is reduced, allowing you to capture detail throughout the image, from the brightest area to the deepest shadow. Near sunset, you also get a reduced contrast range, with...