Podcast #76 – Conversation with David Ziser – Choosing the right aperture
February 26, 2010 – 8:42 am | One Comment

This week I sat down with David Ziser to discuss a handful of topics including how to choose the right aperture for a particular shot, determining the depth of field for a particular shot, when …

Read the full story »
News

Current news and information about photography and related things.

Product Reviews

Get the scoop on the latest product and see what we think of them and if they are the right products for you.

Tutorials

Tons of tutorials on things like Lightroom, Photoshop, and more.

Podcasts

Subscribe and listen to our weekly podcasts

Shooting and Lighting Tips

Improve your shooting and lighting techniques and take your images to the next level

Home » Archive by Category

Articles in Shooting Tips

On Location: Miami
January 22, 2008 – 10:02 am | No Comment
On Location: Miami

I am out in Miami this week for a trade show but I am going to be out and about getting some great shots and writing up some articles about taking outdoor shots around the beach area. Just wanted to let you know we haven’t fallen off the face of the earth and I will try to post some great shots from the area this week.

Learning to use your histogram
January 5, 2008 – 3:00 pm | 11 Comments
Learning to use your histogram

One of the most useful and yet least understood tools in your digital arsenal is your camera’s histogram. Learning how to properly use and understand your camera’s histogram is the easiest way to vastly improve the amount of properly exposed photographs you take.

Assignment #5 – Winter in your hometown
January 1, 2008 – 4:05 pm | No Comment
Assignment #5 – Winter in your hometown

f you haven’t visited the L7Foto Flickr Group, we post regular assignments to help people have inspiration for taking different types of pictures. This new assignment is for you to go out and take a picture where you live that shows something unique or special about your city and shows what winter in your city is like.

Using a quick checklist
December 27, 2007 – 6:14 am | 6 Comments
Using a quick checklist

f you haven’t visited the L7Foto Flickr Group, we post regular assignments to help people have inspiration for taking different types of pictures. This new assignment is for you to go out and take a picture where you live that shows something unique or special about your city and shows what winter in your city is like.

DSLR Myths – Cold Weather is Bad for Your DLSR
December 5, 2007 – 3:36 am | 8 Comments
DSLR Myths – Cold Weather is Bad for Your DLSR

Here is another in our Mythbusting series. Today we answer the question “is using your camera in cold weather bad for your camera?” This origin of this myth is from anecdotal evidence of people having camera failures and other strange things being attributed to being used in the cold. Is this real, imagined, or a coincidence? Let’s take a look inside this myth and find out what’s really going on.

Common DSLR Myths – Always Use The Lowest ISO
December 1, 2007 – 6:00 am | 41 Comments
Common DSLR Myths – Always Use The Lowest ISO

In the first of our Mythbusting series we are going to look at a common myth that you should always use the lowest ISO number possible to get the best results This is based on the knowledge that the higher the ISO number you use, the more noise (digital artifacts) will be created in your image While this is certainly true, what we are going to examine in this article is wether or not you should always shoot in the lowest ISO number your camera can handle in order to get the best images Will this myth be confirmed or busted?

How to choose a new lens
November 16, 2007 – 1:00 am | No Comment
How to choose a new lens

With so many lens choices to choose from, how can you possible know what kind of lens to get and if it will do what you want? In this article we will walk you through the different features of standard lenses so that you can learn how to pick out the right lens for the type of shooting you do.

Learning to shoot in manual mode
November 11, 2007 – 8:00 am | 18 Comments
Learning to shoot in manual mode

While today’s cameras do a pretty good job when in fully automatic mode, in order to make the most of your camera you should learn how to use your camera on the manual setting. To go full manual you will need to have an understanding of shutter speed, aperture settings, and ISO speed. In this article we will get you going and get you shooting like a pro.

Understanding Depth of Field
November 4, 2007 – 8:00 pm | No Comment
Understanding Depth of Field

When done well, a photograph that has good control over the depth of field can add dramatically to the impact of the picture. When we are talking about depth of field, what we are referring to is a shot were the main subject of the picture is in sharp focus but other elements in the picture are blurred or out of focus. Two key terms to learn here are focal plane which is the area of the image that we want to have in sharp focus and bokeh which is the out of focus sections.

Preparing for a wedding shoot
October 21, 2007 – 8:24 am | 9 Comments
Preparing for a wedding shoot

This weekend I am shooting a small wedding in Anaheim in conjunction with Esquire Photography, and with 5 days to go before the shoot I thought it would be good to go through all the preparation that goes into a shoot like this. A wedding is very different than any other shoot as there are no re-takes, no reschedules, and you can’t make any mistakes or miss any of the important shots. So how do you prepare for a wedding shoot? Simply put, planning, planning, planning!