Browsing all posts in Photography.

RAW vs. DNG

The debate on whether to import and post-process files as RAW or as DNG (Digital Negative) is almost as heated – and opinionated – as whether to shoot with Canon or Nikon. The long and short of it is, “it depends,” and “it’s up to you.” There is no “right” answer. RAW files are digitally [...]

Lock in the Light

I was standing at the top of a mountain when I took this picture (click to enlarge). The wind was blowing, my hands were freezing (even in Arizona, it’s cold at an elevation of 7600 feet in January), it was about 4:30 in the afternoon, and I was completely blown away by this LIGHT. This [...]

Backgrounds and Backdrops Outside The Studio

Last week, on the subject of backgrounds and backdrops, I focused on the studio environment; a place where the photographer is in control. I thought it would be good to complement that article with one where the photographer has less control; outside the studio. In doing so I’ve decided to list a number of things [...]

Studio Backdrops/Backgrounds

When you look at most professional portraits you might think that the photographer had a really nice studio in a room of their home or even a really nice space in an office building or a retail building. The truth is that most photographers have their studios in old warehouses, garages of their home or [...]

Noise Reduction in Lightroom

The technology contained within today’s DSLR cameras enable us to take startlingly clear photographs in near-darkness. Sensors are more sensitive, ISO’s go up to 12,000+, and lenses get faster and faster. However, that capability to take photos in low light costs us in the way of increased noise. Noise is that “grain” you see, which [...]

Thoughts on Family Photos

I don’t think we tend to take pictures with the thought in mind that people in future generations will be looking at them. We figure we’ll always be around to clarify the photos – who is in them, where they were taken, when they were taken, what the occasion was that prompted the shot. Or, [...]

Short Tips and Thoughts

This is another of those times when I want to talk about a few different subjects, none of which alone seem to make an entire article. A lot of these come from questions people ask and even comments made to articles Tiffany and I have written. View from Bird Bridge Greg Stephens is a nature [...]

Decorating Your Home with Your Photography

Happy New Year to all our readers from Tiffany and me. I thought it would be fun to start the New Year discussing what to do with all the photos we’ve accumulated over the years. While most of us probably put some of our images on a web site like Flickr, Smugmug or 500px, that’s [...]

Your Weekend Project – Portraits Without Faces

The art of capturing a person’s portrait without including their face is gaining popularity in lifestyle photography. I see it quite often in family portraiture and wedding photography as well. It’s a fun way to include aspects of your subject’s personality that isn’t immediately apparent in their smile. This New Year’s weekend, I encourage you [...]

My Lightroom Workflow

A few folks have sent messages, asking for advice on how to manage a post-production workflow that includes hundreds of photographs. So I thought I would share with you all my personal workflow for post-processing, using Adobe Lightroom 3. Since my husband and I went off-roading last weekend, I have 171 photos to process of [...]