Browsing all posts in photography tips.

Three Bad Photography Habits I’m Going to Break

1. Relying on one shot. Believe it or not, often times when I photograph something I’ll just take one or two shots of it, then move on to the next thing. It’s like my attention span won’t allow me to consider that it may take a half-dozen or more shots to really get it right. [...]

The Importance of Perspective

How large do you suppose these rocks are? Could you pick them up in your hand? Step over them? Are they the size of your bed? Your car? Your house? Well, now take a look at this photo: That’s me up there! Here’s another angle. Here’s another one. Pretty mountain stream? Or enormous Upper Falls [...]

Expose for the Sky

A reader recently asked, “I’ve read a lot of photography articles where they say to “expose for the background” or “meter for the subject”, then “recompose and shoot”. When I do that, it still doesn’t work! My camera just adjusts the exposure for whatever I’m focusing on. For instance, if I want to take a [...]

Six Tips For Overcoming Photographer’s Block

By Steve Russell This isn’t going to be one of my usual 1,000+ word articles but for some people it may be more important than an article on the difference between bokeh and depth of field. Over the last two years I’ve seen enough comments here and on our Facebook page to make me believe [...]

Zone Focus Explained

Zone focus is a technique that allows the photographer to essentially “set and forget” the aperture and focus. When used correctly it adds speed and convenience to your shooting experience, especially in situations when fast-moving subjects outpace auto-focus capabilities. Zone focus is also known as “f/8 and be there,” a term that was coined by [...]

Quality Gear That Won’t Break The Bank

I often get requests from folks to recommend photography gear – cameras, lenses, accessories – that won’t “break the bank”. You don’t need the most expensive, latest and greatest wizzy-bang gadget for GREAT photography! You just need great working knowledge of photographic principles, and practice practice practice. There is no such thing as “making due” [...]

15 Tips for Wild Flower Photography

By Steve Russell When I posted the article last week about personal photography project ideas one of the ideas/suggestions was photographing wildflowers. While wild flowers are generally more numerous and varied in the spring or rainy season, depending in what part of the world you live, they can be found almost year round in most [...]

Pet Photography 101

Fans of our Facebook Page heard the news that there would be no Beyond Megapixels article last Friday because my husband and I were in the process of rescuing a dog from our County animal shelter. While I don’t intend to turn this site into a forum for Public Service Announcements, I would encourage everyone [...]

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

By Steve Russell 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 [...]