Pro Techniques

In most parts of North America, March signifies the beginning of spring, but it's the April showers that bring the best flowers. By the end of this month, gardens all around us will be lavished with vibrant colors making a highly appealing...

The skies have been a source of fascination for humankind since our earliest days. But only in the past 100 years or so has photography provided tools to enable people to capture, view, and enjoy the astonishing images astronomers were privileged to see in their elaborate telescopes.

Active photography entrepreneurs sometimes feel like they're working in an information vacuum because their workday leaves little time for rubbing elbows with their peers. Further complicating the isolation, it's natural for professional photographers to regard other pros as competitors, someone with whom it's unwise to share proprietary business details. It would be great to anonymously compare truthful notes. In this light, we welcome this peek behind the (shutter) curtain provided by Aftershoot.

A full 15 years have passed since the first commercially viable autofocus SLR was introduced (the Maxxum 7000) and the technology has been improved significantly since then. Even so, some photographers consider AF suitable only for snapshooting.

I don’t have to light up rooms or freeze fast action very often—travel photography doesn’t usually call for that, and, besides, I really prefer to shoot in natural light. Fortunately, most of the time I can, but there are instances when a flash will make the difference in a picture by narrowing the scene’s contrast range, making it possible for the camera’s sensor to capture the details in shadow and highlight areas. Often flash is the only way for me to make a picture, as I don’t have the luxury of coming back when the light is better.

Most people find the bones of animals fascinating. Nature photographers are usually drawn to them like a magnet, and when they are in a particularly beautiful environment, they make captivating subjects. Too often, though, bones are scattered in an unattractive way or they are laying in dirt or underbrush that isn’t especially appealing. In that case, it’s a simple matter of arranging the various elements so they are more pleasing.

Natural History
When Steve Gottlieb took this picture in 1985 he’d been practicing law for 10 years. Photography was his hobby, and his hometown, Washington, D.C., was his favorite subject.