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We've all felt this way as photographers. You start off knowing very little about photography but then with some instruction, some practice, and some simple trial and error, you start to see improvement. You may even see dramatic improvement with your photos. 

This video may be controversial because lenses with maximum apertures of f/2.8 or faster tend to get all the love. That’s because they typically fall into the “premium” or pro category and are so useful for shooting in low light. But slower lenses with f/4 maximum apertures have a few significant benefits too.

Today’s digital cameras have become so adept at almost any shooting situation that, paradoxically, they can inhibit creativity by always delivering a technically perfect result. With little effort, a photographer can produce a sharp, clear, well-exposed image, color balanced and, well, a bit too perfect.

An aperture set at f/2 is twice as big as one set at f/2.8 and four times larger than f/4. What’s Pi got to do with f/stops, and why do we use such a seemingly arbitrary numbering system? Continue reading to learn the answers to these and a few more arcane aperture facts. 

Among the most aesthetically satisfying features of a good lens is the lovely color of the front glass. Check out the ads trying to lure you to new optics, and you’ll see come-hither hues of blue, purple, or yellow—as tempting as a new car’s snazzy finish.

Anthropologists recently revealed that the DNA of modern man differs from Neanderthals, Denisovans and other early human prototypes by a mere 1.5 to 7%. Witnessing lack of driver courtesy on the NY State Thruway, I could have told you that without ever even looking at a genome. But these new facts beg the question: “Why do so few photographs remain?”

Have you ever wondered why your photos look sort of ridiculous after dropping a person or object into the scene? One common culprit is that you neglected to evaluate the light and add realistic shadows where they belong.