Opinion

If I were taking a photography-based word-association test, and the word coming my way was "tripod," my response would be "absolutely essential."

If you were a detective you would look for motive as a prime clue as to who did the deed, but how many times have you really thought about your own motivation for making photographs? The mystery all photographers eventually attempt to solve is: just motivates me to make pictures and to process images in my own unique way? Kind of like trying to figure out the meaning of life, I guess, and using your photography to help you answer a small part of that question.

Do you like long exposure photography? Have you ever wondered what the best lens is for capturing long exposure shots? Well, long expo shooter Attilio Ruffo has answer based on his vast experience capturing long exposure images.

It's another one of those age-old questions for photographers: what's better for photographing wildlife, zoom lenses or prime lenses? In the below video, photographers Tony and Chelsea Northrup put both zooms and primes to the test while weighing the pros and cons of each.

Before you get any ideas about drafting a posse and coming after me with tar and feathers because of my computer platform preferences, let me explain—please. Because I write about digital photography I must use both PCs and Macs so that I can deliver balanced stories and explain computer functions to our entire audience, not just one group or the other.

People often ask me, “What sort of lens should I buy as my second lens?” and my answer is always the same: “What sort of pictures would you like to take?”  I’m getting that question a lot right now because a zillion people got new cameras over the holidays. There are so many options I’ve decided to deliver the answer in two installments. But first, let’s take a close look at that kit lens that came with your camera.

Before you bought your last camera, did you weigh the pros and cons of the sensor’s aspect ratio? My guess is no—not in the face of more solemn considerations such as style, trim, and a boastful shoulder strap.