The key to a landscape image may not be the landscape itself. — I’ll start by saying that this is not a new piece of advice. Landscape photographers have heard or said this before: By including a person in a landscape image, you give the viewer a sense of scale. In other words, you give them a measuring stick — an idea of…

It’s highly debatable, that’s for sure. — Photography is full of “debates” — issues discussed at length on forums and elsewhere, where there’s no clear answer. “Raw vs JPEG” is a big one, for example. Let’s not get started with that one. Today I want to lay out the arguments on both sides of the back-button focus…

I’ll explain. — We all have happy accidents in our photography. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) once said: “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” So, it’s ok to get lucky. But I don’t think you can evaluate your photography…

They’re not hard to do, but they can make a big difference — Modern digital cameras are powerful machines. It’s crazy how smart they are. Really. They might join forces and rise up against us if we’re not careful. So, it just makes sense to take full advantage of all of the image-making features our cameras offer. And I think there are 3…

As it turns out, they’re not boring at all. — I have a few fern shots to share with you. You heard me. Fern shots. As in, shots of ferns. Sounds somewhat boring, I know. When most people think about ferns, they think about an office plant that sits on top of a filing…

A photographer can tell. — Hollywood has depicted photographers countless times. From Jimmy Stewart’s character in Rear Window to Spiderman’s Peter Parker, we see photographers portrayed frequently in movies, and on television. And most of the time, the acting is perfectly fine. Sometimes it’s even exceptional. (Mr. Stewart never disappoints.) But sometimes, if you’re a…

Seattle’s Pike Place Market has it all. — Everyone enjoys a good farmers’ market. The sights, smells, and sounds of a busy market can be fascinating, even if you’re not a “foodie”. And, if you want to visit one of the oldest farmers’ markets in these United States, you have to swing by Pike Place Market the next…

This is really all there is to it — It’s fairly well known that photographers are cool. Even if we do say so ourselves. We strut around with expensive equipment slung over our shoulder, equipment that non-photographers (i.e. ordinary citizens) don’t know how to use. We feel special because, of course, we are. We’re “photogs”. …

There’s so much to see — There are a lot of well-known quotations in photography. So many that I’ve written an article about some of my favorites. One of those favorites comes from the great documentary photographer Dorothea Lange: “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” As I mentioned…

In my humble opinion, anyway. — When people offer photography tips, they really are trying to help. Sure, sometimes they’re also trying to show off their knowledge and experience. But underneath that, they’re usually trying to impart wisdom and advice that they think you need. And sometimes they’re just plain wrong. I wrote an article last…

Nature always finds a way. — The expression “nature always finds a way” has been around for a while. I actually wanted to title this article that way, but after doing a quick search, I found that it’s been done a few times before. So, I came up with a different headline. …

Sit back, relax, and welcome the sun. — A new day slowly reveals itself. It doesn’t just appear, like turning on a light switch. You probably knew that. But how many times have you watched the arrival of a new day? I confess that I haven’t watched as many as I would like. …

Complementary colors can earn you complimentary comments. — Flowers are colorful. Obviously. And when we photograph flowers, we want to highlight their beauty as much as possible and create an image that’s enjoyable to view. In other words, a photograph that’s pleasing to the eye. And one that pops. Of course, there are many different ways to accomplish…

A still photograph can represent much more than a single moment. — A still photograph is just that… still. It’s a moment in time, frozen, captured. But of course, that’s not the world we live in. Our day-to-day lives are not simply frozen moments, but a continuous series of events through time. So, recording that series of events would have to involve…

Grab your camera and get out there. — Winter seems to blanket the world with snow. The result is an environment that seems to not have any visual interest, due to a lack of color. Not true, I say. Yes, the coming of winter chases the leaves and flowers away and replaces them with bare branches and cold…

Yes, and I’ll tell you how — I suppose the title of this article gives away my entire point. So, let’s get right to it, shall we? We all take bad photos sometimes. More often than we’d like to admit. The fact is that the ratio of “bad” photos to good ones is, well, let’s just say…

I love nature, but I’m no outdoorsman. — I love nature. I love the intricate details found in everything from the fibers of a spider web to the branches of a giant oak tree. The beauty of a sunrise. The majesty of a bird of prey. You know — all that stuff. And capturing that kind of natural…

Spring will come, eventually. — Now that the holiday season is over, we here in the northern hemisphere are looking squarely in the face of a long, cold winter. I’m sure there are some people who don’t mind winter at all. These would be your skiers, your snowboarders, your ice skaters, etc. I’m not one…

A simple and fun project that also helps you celebrate the season. — Every year, just before Christmas, I set up my tripod in some chosen place in or around my home, in order to capture my yearly Christmas image. The image is always a still life of some Christmas holiday decoration. Yes, there are commercial motives behind this, because I do offer…

It’s important to know the community you’re joining. — Photographers are a social bunch. We like to talk to each other, to get each other’s opinions and critiques, to ask each other questions. Of course, that all involves sharing images. But it mostly involves a lot of talk. In many cases, this all happens in the context of a…