Digital Camera Filters - A Guide from Brenda Tharp

In her BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog, Brenda Tharp takes on filters in a very insightful and a very thorough way - offering lots of tips, thoughts and techniques. She includes photo examples, too, including a nice before-and-after sequence on polarizers.

Read more here...
http://insights.betterphoto.com/2009/11/a-guide-to-digital-camera-filters.html

For my own photography, I use digital camera filters too - particularly the polarizing filter. I use the polarizer most often for minimizing glare and boosting colors on reflective surfaces.

In fact, I almost always avoid a polarizer to deepen a sky when shooting with a wide-angle - especially in the horizontal format. Wide-angle with a polarizer can cause uneven or patchy polarization in the sky - with some areas looking unnaturally over-polarized (very dark) compared to under-polarized areas (very light). That's because polarizers work at an angle to the sun, with the wide-angle/horizontal taking in such a wide sweep of sky that the amount of polarization can vary widely across the frame.

Of course, as with everything in photography, there can be exceptions, so don't take my "rule" as gospel! Still, being aware of the issue is important. Then you can decide for yourself how things look when previewing in the viewfinder (or double-checking the LCD monitor). Be sure, though, to rotate the polarizer when viewing, in order to find the proper orientation!

Winter Photography: How to Expose for Snow

Check out Rob Sheppard's new Instructor Insights blog, which includes many tips, techniques and thoughts on snow photography and snow exposure:

http://insights.betterphoto.com/2009/11/winter-photography-snow-exposure.html

Here are a few of my own thoughts on the subject:

I really make use of one of digital photography's great benefits: the LCD monitor. I always used to admire the large-format photographers (those who use the view cameras that require a big cloth for viewing and focusing). Often they use a Polaroid back on the camera, and take a quick pic to check composition, light-to-dark contrast, etc., before taking a "real" picture. Now, with my DSLR, I can do something similar. For example:

For setting my White Balance, whenever I'm in doubt, I can take some quick shots with different WB pre-sets to determine the best one! This comes in handy in wintertime, since light really affects the color of snow (i.e., bluish tint in shade and on overcast day). This works in other settings too. Recently, during the NYC Summit, it was overcast ... Daylight WB looked too blue, Shade WB too warm, Cloudy WB just right.

For exposures, I'll also do a quick test - check the highlight warnings and/or double-check the histogram. Especially with snow scenes, I want to make sure the snow doesn't appear too dark (since bright white can fool a camera's meter into underexposure), but also to make sure brights aren't clipped at the right (loss of detail - in other words, blown out). Then, if I determine that the best exposure is, say, with a +1 exposure compensation, I can shoot with confidence (with the +1) until either my composition changes radically (i.e., more or less snow) and/or the light changes ... times when I would re-evaluate.

Outdoor Photography Tips: It's All About the Light!

Brenda Tharp is one of the most creative travel and nature photographers around, and in a new blog, she points out the value of light:

"I’ve had many times where the light is what really made the picture - not the subject, necessarily, but the light and the way it defined the subject."

Check out Brenda's excellent BetterPhoto Instructor Insights post:
Travel Photography Tips: It's All About the Light!

How to Take Better Pictures? Work at It!

A "commitment to the craft" is the advice of professional photographer Ibarionex R. Perello. In his BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog, Ibarionex writes:

"The only way one gets better as a photographer is by shooting. Reading books and magazine articles, surfing the Web for camera and lens reviews, watching videos are all well and good, but it eventually comes down to getting up, walking outside, and making photographs. And as I often tell my students, it's about the willingness to go out there and make a lot of bad photographs as you explore and try to understand what you are seeing."

Read the rest of his photo blog here: Do Your Best Photography: Commitment to the Craft

Digital Exposure: How the Histogram Works

For me, the histogram is one of the best and most useful tools to be found on a digital camera - whether it's a simple point-and-shoot or the most sophisticated DSLR cameras.

I use the histogram regularly to double-check exposures. Now if I'm shooting action or candids, I won't look at the histogram after every shot - I don't want to miss a key image while I'm looking at the monitor! But I will check it as often as possible. Especially if the lighting doesn't change, once I've checked to make sure I'm not clipping important highlights, I can be confident of getting the exposure just right for a series of shots in those particular conditions. Then, when the lighting changes or when there's a lull in the action, I can double-check things ... I'll even run a "test" shot to make sure the camera is reading the scene the way I want it read! Of course, it's easier to check with stationary scenes. :-)

But how does the histogram work? For many digital shooters, it remains a mystery.

Doug Steakley has written a terrific article on the subject. Check it out at BetterPhoto.com: Digital Exposure: Histogram Made Simple

Take Better Digital Photos: Slow Down!

One of the biggest mistakes I see students make when they are photographing is that they are in such a rush, says pro shooter Ibarionex Perello in an excellent BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog. Here's more:

"They see something interesting, something that makes them stop in their tracks and inspires them to make a photograph. And that's what they do. They make 'a' photograph. And then they are eager to rush on to the next thing. They haven't even gotten started. They haven't even given themselves time to really see what they're seeing and they're off looking for the next best thing. That's no way to live a life and that is not a way to be a photographer."

Read more of what Ibarionex has to say - and see some of his fine images - here: Take Better Digital Pictures: Slow Down!

Get a Beautiful Photo of the Day - Free!

BetterPhoto.com sponsors one of the most popular - and prestigious - photography contests on the Web. The contest judges also select inspiring and motivating images for the Photo of the Day newsletter.

It's easy to subscribe to any of BetterPhoto's four free photography newsletters, including POTD. To subscribe, go to this page:

http://www.betterphoto.com/subscribe.asp

Travel Photography: Capturing Cityscapes at Twilight

The most beautiful time to shoot both large and small cities is twilight. So says top pro Jim Zuckerman, who has traveled the world in pursuit of great subjects and great light. Jim also teaches for BetterPhoto's digital photography school, and he recently discussed the topic of shooting cityscapes at twilight in an Instructor Insights blog:

Travel Photography: Cityscapes at Twilight

Enjoy!

Photographing People: Natural Light Portraits

By Kerry Drager

f4 @ 1/90th sec., 50mm, ISO 400

A photogenic subject, a great location, and soft overcast light were ideal ingredients recently for an outdoor portrait photography session. Of course, a red umbrella added visual interest too. :-)

I captured these images at the BetterPhoto Summit in New York City's Central Park on a fine autumn day. It was late afternoon and Summit workshop participant Barbara graciously posed. The solid gray sky acted like a giant softbox to provide very pleasing and even light.

Choosing a low f/number (wide aperture) helped create a shallow depth of field - important to separate the sharp subject against a blurred background.

The right subject and the right light just seem to deserve multiple compositions!

Additional info on shooting portraits outdoors: Get inspired in Kerry Drager's online photo class that covers natural light and creative composition. In addtion, BetterPhoto's online digital photography school offers exciting courses on photographing people and natural light portraits.

Note: Both photos copyright by Kerry Drager

DSLR Camera: Exposure Vs. Noise

Here are a couple of topics that are of interest to any digital camera shooter: exposure and noise. Rob Sheppard - Outdoor Photographer columnist - takes on both in his BetterPhoto.com Instructor Insights blog:

"Noise, that annoying sand-like texture in a digital photo, has been seriously attacked by all major DSLR camera manufacturers. But one thing you don’t hear too much about is how exposure is still a limiting factor. In fact, exposure becomes more critical with higher ISO settings. So if you underexpose a high-ISO exposure, you are likely to make that noise visible."

Read more of Rob's thoughts and tips: Digital SLR Cameras: Exposure Vs. Noise

Night Photography Techniques: Reflections in Rain

When pro photographer Jim Zuckerman shoots cities at night or twilight, he's "always happy if there is a light rain or drizzle. The wet pavement or cobblestone glistens and reflects all the lights, and it enhances the photography considerably."

"It's necessary to protect camera gear from the water, of course, but the hassle of that is well worth getting great images of reflections while photographing at night or twilight".

Read more from Jim's BetterPhoto.com Instructor Insights blog - complete with a very colorful twilight scene of a rainy Krakow, Poland:
Night Photoraphy Techniques: Wet Pavement

Street Photography: Approaching Strangers

For pro photographer Ibarionex Perello, approaching and photographing strangers has produced many memorable photos. In his BetterPhoto Summit tutorials and in his online photography courses - such as Portrait Photography Using Available Light - he shares tips and techniques for street photography. Here's what he has to say:

"I know that there is a lot of fear and anxiety about approaching people, but it's been my experience that the worst thing is not that they say 'no'. The worst thing is actually the anxiety and tension we feel at the thought of approaching someone, not the actual rejection when it does happen. And since people say yes more often than they say no, it's a worthwhile thing to do."

Read more in his BetterPhoto Instructor's Insights blog: Approaching Strangers: Street Photography.

Full Frame DSLR Camera: Necessary for Sharper Pictures?

"From many years of classes and also from judging a lot of photo contests over the years," says Rob Sheppard in his new BetterPhoto Instructor Insights photography blog, "I can definitely say that the biggest impact on sharpness is from camera movement during exposure. This can be a big issue with less-expensive lenses, not because they are bad lenses, but because they are 'slow' lenses (referring to aperture) and often mean shooting at slower shutter speeds that increase the possibility of unsharpness due to camera movement."

I totally agree with Rob ... but if possible, be sure to read his entire blog:
http://insights.betterphoto.com/2009/11/full-frame-digital-camera-sharper-images.html

Enjoy your photography!

New York City - Street Photography

We're back from another successful BetterPhoto Summit photography summit - this time, an outstanding adventure in New York! Ibarionex Perello loves NYC and, in his new Instructor Insights post, he talks about the terrific street photography opportunities available in such a great walking city. Check out his photo blog: Street Photography in New York City. Ibarionex, by the way, also teaches for BetterPhoto's Internet photography school, including this excellent online photo class: The Pursuit of Light

Tripod: An Essential Camera Accessory!

In his new BetterPhoto Instructor Insights blog, Rob Sheppard discusses the value of tripods. Says the editor-at-large for Outdoor Photographer magazine: "Many photographers think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars for a lens, but complain about spending the same for a tripod. Yet a good tripod can make or break the sharpness of any lens."

Read more at...
http://insights.betterphoto.com/2009/11/camera-tripods-an-essential-photo-accessory.html