Jon Sienkiewicz

Remember Altman Camera? This year marks the 40th anniversary of Altman’s closing. Why was it important? Because when it closed in May of 1975, Altman’s was the largest camera store in the world. And Altman’s stocked everything. Not just a lot of stuff, everything. 

Photographers depend on the physical characteristics of light to apply their craft, yet the average Joe knows surprisingly little about how light works. It’s not necessary to be an optical engineer to take great photos, but having a basic grounding in the physics of light could help you understand some of the defects found in nearly all lenses (to one degree or another) and the effect that imperfections have on images.

Whether the holidays bring out your “Humbug!” or your “Ho, ho, ho!” there’s one thing you must admit: it’s the most colorful season of the year. And all of those colorful lights are just begging to be zoomed, blurred and pleasantly smeared. Here are two common techniques that are easy to try.

You know better than to carry a camera in your trouser pocket, but who wants to look like they’re wearing a goofy fanny pack? Manfrotto offers what is arguably the best compact camera belt pouch ever made. Best looking, too. Want to know why I think so?