Blue Pixel

I was on the road teaching a workshop last week, and part of it involved giving a little how-to on the basics of off-camera flash. The group was amazed at how easy it is. That’s true now, but it wasn’t always that way.
Read on...

I received an email from a friend who's headed to Iceland and hoping to photograph the northern lights (aka the aurora borealis). He was looking for tips on how to be successful, and after responding to him, I thought this might make for a nice blog post. Whether you're shooting northern lights, a starry sky or New Year's eve fireworks, the basics are the same.
Read on...

As photographers we know the importance of light, composition, background, exposure, and moment. But sometimes what you really need for a unique photo is a lot of lens, and that can help you make a photo no one else is able to.
Read on...

As someone who loves taking pictures, I try to have a camera whenever possible. It's not always convenient to carry an SLR, though, and point-and-shoots can be disappointing. So I was happy to hear that Nikon was entering the "small camera with larger sensor" market. And after using the J1 for a couple of weeks, I've become an ardent fan.
Read on...

I’m often asked what gear I take when traveling. And the answer is always the same – it depends on what I want to do. In the case of our recent vacation to Italy, the plan was to relax and enjoy the time together, not be out shooting from pre-dawn into night. Which meant little gear. But I still hoped to make some nice photos.
Read on...

My wife and I just returned from a vacation to Italy (yes, it was wonderful).The second night there, Sharon was tired and went to bed early, so I decided to take a walk. And was reminded once again that skill is important in photography, but luck can be even better.
Read on...

One of my favorite accessories when doing flash photography is a VALS - Voice Activated Light Stand. In other words, a person you can direct to put a light where you need it. Recently my wife Sharon played this role for me, and is just one of the many reasons I love her :)
Read on...

Most of the time photographers tether their camera to the computer for instant feedback during a studio shoot. In my case, it was so I could deliver photos faster.
Read on...

PC (Perspective Control) lenses were first developed decades ago to bring tilt/shift functionality to 35mm cameras. View cameras have always been able to do this, but since 35mm cameras didn't have bellows, they couldn't. I recently had a chance to spend some time shooting one of the new models, and found it to be a lot of fun.
Read on...

When I got started in photography, one of my first accessories was a cross-star filter. It created a cool effect on night shots, and believe me, I needed all the help I could get. These days I still use filters, and mostly for special effects. Now I hope that they help make an already nice scene more interesting.
Read on...