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

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 …

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Using Common Filters
June 9, 2007 – 12:24 pm | Comments
Using Common Filters

While there are dozens of different types of filters you can put on your lenses for different effects, there are three very common filters that everyone should have in their camera kit, the circular polarizing filter, the neutral density filter, and the UV filter. In this article we will discuss what these three filters are and the effects that it can add to your images.

Anatomy of a product shoot #2
June 5, 2007 – 3:00 am | Comments
Anatomy of a product shoot #2

We had to do another photo shoot today and we really pulled out all the stops with the new gear we have around. As you can see, this is a very typical product shot on a white background for use on a web page or in a magazine. In the past, we have shown some techniques with hot lights, so today we are going to use some flash units.

Father’s Day Gift Guide
May 31, 2007 – 11:13 pm | Comments
Father’s Day Gift Guide

Father’s Day is coming up, and what Dad wouldn’t like some really nice gifts for his special day? Our staff has put together a list of products and accessories that would put a smile on any man. How do we know your “Best Dad in the World” would like these?… because they came right off our own wish lists.

White Balancing Lens Cap Review
May 31, 2007 – 6:51 am | Comments
White Balancing Lens Cap Review

White balance is an age old problem that is becoming all too modern with so many people moving to digital SLRs. Today’s cameras all have a pretty decent auto white balance settings, from the basic point/shot cameras to the pro SLRs. There are also several “fixed” settings on many of the simple cameras and most of the SLRs like Sunlight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, etc. But as many of you may know, these settings are not always perfect, and sometimes far from it.

Introduction to White Balance
May 29, 2007 – 10:09 am | Comments
Introduction to White Balance

White balance is one of the more confusing aspects of digital photography and is one of the things that really baffles people when they go from simpler point and shoots to more advanced DSLR cameras and can’t figure out why the color of their images is so bad. Today we take a look at white balance and how it affects the color of your photos.

Anatomy of a product shoot
May 24, 2007 – 1:00 am | Comments
Anatomy of a product shoot

We always take our own product shots, while manufacturer shots are usually very nice, they often can be retouched to make products look better than they really are. With the product shots for our articles, the only retouching may be to remove some stray dust.

The Digital Photography Book – Scott Kelby
May 22, 2007 – 8:58 pm | Comments
The Digital Photography Book – Scott Kelby

Learning all of the technical aspects of digital photography can be quite mind numbing for newcomers. Trying to learn about aperture, f-stops, shutter speed, depth of field, and other technical terms can be a bit overwhelming. So what do you do when you know what you want to accomplish but you just don’t know how to go about it?

Gadget Infinity V2 Wireless Flash Trigger
May 20, 2007 – 8:00 pm | Comments
Gadget Infinity V2 Wireless Flash Trigger

For the casual user, the ability to get your flash on-camera in a very inexpensive way can make a dramatic difference in your photographs and for this price, how can you afford not to pick up a set?

Lighting setups by David Berman
May 20, 2007 – 11:56 am | Comments

David Berman is a British news photographer and has posted a narrated slideshow showing some recent assignments with the final photos and then diagrams detailed the lighting setups he used. This is great information to learn how really dramatic photos can be taken. What is nice is that he doesn’t rely on a truckload of equipment, often its just one or two lights with umbrellas (brollys), reflectors, or gells.

Photographer’s checklists
May 20, 2007 – 9:56 am | Comments

Photographers are human and are therefor prone to making mistakes, however, some mistakes as a photographer can cost you dearly. Fortunately for me, my mistakes have never happened on a paid gig. I have however gone out to shoot nature and landscape shots and realized I didn’t have any compact flash cards once, and didn’t have my tripod another time.