PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS AND TRICKS
Article: Which Lens Should I Use?
Submitted by Mary
Ann Schneller
Uploaded: 10/06/2008
Ira "The Answer Man" Schneller and His Articles
Club member Ira Schneller has graciously
agreed to supply highly informative and sometines entertaining material
from his Answer
Man newsletter
columns for this space on our website. Just in time for catching the
fall foliage, his first column is entitled "A Feast of Color" with
tips for making the best of your photographic outings.
We will add more columns as they are received and eventually group them
by topic. In the meantime, they will simply be listed on this page, which
you can use as an index; click on the links below to go to the listed
topics.
If you would also like to post a tip to this website, please contact
the webmaster. It can be as short or long as you like, and can
include graphic examples, including photos.
INDEX OF IRA SCHNELLER'S ARTICLES
Getting the most from RAW.
RAW is an extremely important tool for the digital photographer, however.
There are three reasons why photographers should use it, I believe: they like
processing images; they find limitations, causing them problems when shooting
JPEG; and they need the increased flexibility RAW offers. RAW shouldn’t be an
automatic format to use because another photographer says so—that can lead to
frustration in the time spent at the computer and when working with the RAW converter.
Photographing in the Snow.
Winter arrives all too soon in many parts of our country. Leaves
drop from trees, frost outlines bare branches, lakes and ponds freeze
over, and we see the season’s first snowfall as photographers pack up
their cameras and gear until next year.
But wait! Snow makes winter a perfect time for photographers to head
outdoors.
Getting Out and About.
Many
amateur photographers, interested in photographic techniques and
enamored of equipment, nevertheless feel some measure of uneasiness
over just what they ought to shoot. There exists a sort of
agreement by concensus that certain things make better pictures than
others; the World, by this means, is reduced to a series of categories. You’ve
got your landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and so forth.
RUT BUSTING: Beat the photographic
doldrums—try these tips to help rekindle your creativity.
It’s
not a word nature photographers use in polite company. It’s
our dirty little three-letter word—never spoken, hardly thought. The
word? Rut, as in, “I’m in a rut”; “You’re
in a rut”; and “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t
get out of my rut!”
Using Polarizing and
UV Filters Properly.
In many ways, I still photograph
like a film photographer. I try to think how I did it back
in the days before digital. Trying to create an image in
the camera on slide and print film without being able to see
it immediately afterward was challenging.
Autofocus Tips and Tricks.
A full 15 years have passed since the first commercially viable autofocus
SLR was introduced (the Maxxum 7000) and the technology has improved
significantly since then. Even so, some photographers consider AF
suitable only for snapshooting. Others insist that even the best
systems are far from reliable. They relate stories of missed opportunities
while the AF system hunted for focus in low light or set focus for
an inappropriate subject area. If you’re not fully satisfied
with the AF performance of your camera, this article is designed
to help you and answer some questions.
Adapt Your Equipment
to Your Expertise.
When someone asks me what equipment
I recommend, I always ask, “What do you want to do?” Knowing
how you will use the equipment helps me narrow my recommendations.
Each subject you photograph requires special tools to get the
job done right.
Workshop Retrospect – The
Fast Track to Effective Learning.
Some important
things Ira has learned at workshops that have improved his images,
such as how to control depth of field, macro techniques, tonal
control, and capturing "the definitive moment".
Avoiding Dumb Mistakes.
From
leaving your bag or backpack unzipped to forgetting extra batteries
or shooting with film or cards, this column advises us how to avoid
common dumb mistakes smart photographers sometimes make.
The "Outdoor" Classroom.
It's
well known that you can't learn photography just by reading about
it. Here Ira describes some important things you can learn just by
watching an advanced photographer in the field.
Abstractions: A
look at Photography as Art.
At the simplest
level, abstractions are portions of larger scenes that have
been distilled down to the type of individual design elements
used in abstract art.
Designs In
Nature.
Find your way to becoming a better photographer
by finding a photograph in everyday situations—no matter
how unlikely.
Seven Deadly
Fears.
Ira identifies the inner fears many photographers
encounter that can keep them from practicing their craft or marketing
their work and suggests ways to overcome them.
Great Images
Close to Home.
See why Franz Lanting said, “You
can’t expect to do well in Africa or any other exotic location
until you’ve mastered your own backyard.”
Wildflower
Photography.
Learn how to control all of the elements
that you need to successfully photograph wildlife flowers.
Creativity
Killers.
Things photographers say or think that
keep them from making their best images.
Background
Check.
How to use backgrounds to help create stunning
images.
Winter Photography
Tips
Nine Important
Photo Tips
Recommendations
by renowned photographer Douglas Kirkland
(particularly for photographiers in the digital age)
"A
Feast of Color"
"My Camera
Isn't Good Enough"
"Exposure
- Remedies" |
