News

A spring shower can interrupt power. A lightning strike can fry your electronics with 300 million volts. And a sudden, severe drop in voltage can burn an electric motor crisper than a bug in a hot skillet. These very real potential disasters can cost you money, time and possibly your precious digital images. Here’s a list of seven devices that might save your bacon.

Whether you’re a nature photographer, travel shooter, or portrait specialist, you’re no doubt familiar with several “Rules” of composition that are intended to help add impact to your work. There are two common themes running through of all of these guidelines. One is to grab the attention of those looking at your photos, and the other is to guide a viewer’s eye through the image in the way you intend.

Sometimes you need to fix an otherwise good photo by removing a few distracting elements, like overhead power lines or the proverbial fence post emanating from a subject’s head. Other times you may want to create a mind-bending special effect. In either case this task is really easy to accomplish, as you’ll see below.

One of the challenges with outdoor photography is that we’re all at the mercy of Mother Nature. That means dealing with bad light, ever-changing weather, and less-than-ideal skies whenever we’re in the field. For most of us, packing up and going home is rarely an option, so it’s important to know how to make the best of whatever situation you confront

Regardless of the type of images you shoot, without sharp and precise focus your efforts will likely be for naught. There are a variety of methods to use, and the one you choose depends upon a number of key variables.

One characteristic of great portrait photographers is the way they employ empathy to develop a strong rapport with their subjects, and the New York-based visual artist known as Shotti is a great example. He says, “My process relies heavily on communicating with my subjects on an emotional level, and through that connection I am able to get an insight into our shared experiences.”

We all tend to get a bit stale on occasion, shooting the same types of images over and over again, instead of stepping outside our comfort zone to try something new. And that tends to limit our vision and stunt our growth as photographers.