Sharpen Your Photography Skills, Knowledge and Passion

Photography News January 10, 2022 Quote: “A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.” – Ansel Adams Articles: Create High Contrast Portraits – 11m 38s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLSYUlhObDM   Moon Photography for Beginners – 17m 47s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEmbES-i_oo   Create Amazing Art with Water Droplets – 10m 34s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L1_VDZ8hx8   Portraits at Every Aperture – ƒ1.4 to ƒ16 examples – Julia Trotti – 11m 18s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUFAVpRsMbU   Perfect Eyes with Photoshop Neural Filters – 9m 23s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oSiBIJJsBI   Emulating Sunset with Lindsay Adler – for one device but you can use the same principal with other equipment – 8m [...]

Photography News January 3, 2022 Quote: “I have always been mindful of Edward Weston’s remark, ‘If I wait for something here I may lose something better over there.’ I have found that keeping on the move is generally more rewarding.” – Ansel Adams Articles: How to Succeed at Completing a 365 Project in 2022 – overly restrictive, but has useful ideas (gwe)   Make Real Rays of Light with Flash – 6m 16s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBTzZ-o0DFM   Sensor Crop Factors and Equivalence   One Overhead Light Portrait – 7m2 3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyRWOk1_BVY   Series of Rare and Largely Unseen Photos by Georgia O’Keeffe [...]

Photography News December 27, 2021 Quote: “Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs.” – Ansel Adams   Articles:  How to take pictures that sell – Fine Art Photography, Gary Gough, 27m 10s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx0XChPrvcc   Black or White Background in a Studio – 10m 4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjKOKcv0WIw   Photoshop Compression settings for TIF files – 11m 2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nVh_2Ir2rg   Sensor Size, Perspective and Depth of Field – Photography Tutorials   How to shoot Ice Cold Portraits in Studio – 12m 30s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9MAMOkgWTU   #1 Mistake in Color Photography – 14m 51s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LpocIQxMCo   Thought for the day: Best Photo Present to You? What [...]

Photography News December 21, 2021 Quote: “Photograph not only what you see but also what you feel.” — Ansel Adams Articles: How to Photograph Waterfalls – comprehensive, Gary Gough, 28m 14s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZYXdLRuRI8   How to Create Self Portraits – Brooke Shaden, 23m 54s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyDHuny0-JY   Creating Motivated Light in a Photo – 12m 44s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6sZlhhe3h4   What Sensor Size is Best for You as a Videographer? – or still photographer Yes, The Camera World Changed – Thom Hogan How Many Camera Bags Does a Photographer Need? – a bit simplified but useful starting point. Some of the comments are useful. Thought for [...]

Photography News November 29, 2021 Quote: “…photographers are crepuscular creatures, most active around sunrise and sunset” – Michael Frye on visiting Mono Lake   Articles:  Evenings at the Lake – Michael Frye Johnston's Lens Ramblings (1999) – and read the comments   Light your Model like a Hero or Villain – 8m 13s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpnBnBJ0YIo   Three Secrets To Perfect Skin Tones – Photoshop Tutorial, 10m 34s   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH0XDpEiu7Y&t=3s   Low Key Moody Landscape Photography – 11m 25s, Gary Gould https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni4SMulF4to    Underwater Shooting with Brooke Shaden – 8m 58s, older video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYd19PEWywA    Thought for the day: Photographing Butterflies This is based [...]

Photography News November 22, 2021 Quote: “How high your awareness level is determines how much meaning you get from your world. Photography can teach you to improve your awareness level.” – Ansel Adams Articles: 2021 Natural Landscape Photography Awards Natural Landscape Photography Awards by Michael Frye Reality and Imagination – and see comments   Rim Lighting For Portraits – 9m 25s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ZHtI0dsnc   Low Key Moody Landscape Photography – 11m 25s Gary Gough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni4SMulF4to   Researchers Bundle 24 400mm Lenses into Massive Telescope Array   Thought for the day: Why Dark Video (and Photos) Is A Terrible Blocky Mess Tom [...]

Photography News November 8, 2021 Quote: “Today, we must realize that nature is revealed in the simplest meadow, wood lot, marsh, stream, or tidepool, as well as in the remote grandeur of our parks and wilderness areas.” – Ansel Adams Articles:  7 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS guaranteed to help you improve! – Gary Gough 19m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzHl2tT5i6M   Understanding ISO Selection vs. Effective Dynamic Range   How to Save a Terribly Lit Portrait in Lightroom – 17m 11s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUgCIBRIAbQ   16-35MM Wide Angle Seascape Photography – 13m 47s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO837E-LIq4   High Light - Low Ceiling, building a home studio – 9m 27s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-MQXlkIdgY [...]

Photography News November 1, 2021 Quote: “The negative is the score, and the print is the performance.” – Ansel Adams Articles: Major New Feature in Lightroom Classic ver 11 – 9m 39s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSiGfMty73Q   How Botticelli revolutionized portraits – Art history in 10 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcjeSMICLz0   Lightroom Classic v11 – The New Masking Tools – Julieanne Most, 8m 29s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRGdi85tikU   Photography Tip guaranteed to make you a better photographer – Gary Gough – 52s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtCsSgovV_8   Conceptual Photography Speed Edit – 4m 17s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy4VNfL422s   Photoshop 2022: 9 New Features with Pros & Cons! – 14m 36s (this and the two [...]

Photography News October 20, 2021 Quote: “Now to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.” – Edward Weston Articles: Bokeh Background Using Water – 8m 15s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gShr3ZWwroQ   Shooting on Black instead of White – 10m 21s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSUPmEoQBgg   Photographer Reveals the Power of Perspective With Playful Compositions – ideas for Forced Perspectives   How to shoot Dance with Motion Blur & Detail – 6m 4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpDqh90NsKM   Who Do You Believe? – Thom Hogan Comet Leonard – October/November/December   Thought for the day: [...]

Photography News October 13, 2021 Quote: “There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” — Ansel Adams Articles: Photo Tip: Why Drama Matters with Lindsay Adler – 1m 54s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dpn80WdowY   Mixing Flash With Candle Light – 8m 2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyBygiEzuuw   How to Easily Fix Blue Sky Gradients in Photoshop Imaging before photography, Part II – The Aristocrat   10 Step Guide to Shutter Drag Portraits – 14m 21s (Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap1ny-9CnH8   Black and White Portraits in a Studio – 12m 27s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR-jfwTvKN8&list=PL821B7D720DEA39FA   Thought for the day: Dust and Cameras A camera that [...]

Photography News September 6, 2021 Quote: “I try to make a connection with the people I’m photographing and then I try to disappear” – Deanne Fitzmaurice    Articles:  Master Curves from Start to Finish in Photoshop – 23m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvyiydd2dMc   Visual Design Of A Photograph – 1h 40m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9RQ6YPVWhA   Better Photographic Composition – Beyond the Rule of Thirds – 2h 3m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtcD84l9eUw   How to Create Portraiture that is a Work of Art – Lindsay Adler – 1h 59m (I’ve taken a couple of classes from her, I really like Lindsay’s work) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJLIK_t7kx0   Fashion Shoot Without Fashion Clothing – 17m [...]

Photography News August 30, 2021 Quote: “A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” — Edward Steichen Articles: How to See a Photograph and Mentally Frame It As You Shoot – 1h 12m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy9Y5OWj_Jc   An Intro to Photographing the Planets   How to Create Artistic, Dreamy, Soft Focus Flower Photography – 8m 31s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1trDaFZOUE   Negative Space at Beaches – 6m 30s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnDbX02zmfk   Why Your Photos Don't Have to Be Pin-Sharp   Astrophotography from $100 to $10,000 – 35m 16s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc1v6BjHm8U   Thought for the day:  There is a subculture on [...]

Photography News August 16, 2021 Quote: “All I have done before the age of 70 is not worth bothering about” – Hokusai Articles: Is Ansel Adams Still Relevant?   Promoting Passion: Speed Edit – Brooke Shaden – 2m 23s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv924-xcLj0   Scott Kelby’s 10 Amazing Landscape Editing Tips – 25m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW23oYjmlgQ   How to Create Depth in Color Images Using Black and White   Night Photography Webinar with Jeff Sullivan & Harold Davis – 1h 28m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtjzPDDfghk   How to Use an Optical Snoot – 16m 35s Thought for the day: Why Study Paintings? You are a photographer. So [...]

Photography News August 9, 2021 Quote: “The three elements I look for to make a photo: Light, Layers, Subject” – Deanne Fitzmaurice Articles:  Symbolism in Fine Art – Brooke Shaden – 9m 14s Creating Artist Books and Portfolios – Harold Davis – 1h 18m How to Make the Best of a Bad Location 'My Camera's Not Good Enough' and 7 Other Stupid Things Photographers Say Shot on iPhone 12 – Everyday Experiments: Full Bloom – Apple – 3m Photographing the Heart of an Active Volcano – 20m Thought for the day: What is a Great (Photographer/Photograph/etc)? I was struck by a comment by someone commenting on an [...]

Photography News August 2, 2021 Quote: “There should be nothing in the image that isn’t helping the story” – Deanne Fitzmaurice Articles: The Black & White Still Life, Part 2 - Harold Davis – 1h 2m How to use textures in Photoshop – 14m 25s Shoot and Edit Otherworldly Photos in Night Mode with Maria Lax – Apple, 8m 15s Landscape Photography Tips for Better Photos with Colby Brown – 8m Why Better Edges Make Better Photos Fine Art Master Photographer Reveals His Thoughts Behind Two Scenes Thought for the day: Live Photos Ever take a picture of a baby/child/cat/dog/deer/teen/whale and when you take the picture they are [...]

Photography News July 26, 2021 Quote: “There use to be a joke among ‘serious’ photographers that in order to get into the Sierra Club calendar you had to have blurry water” – Stephen Johnson Articles: The Use of Reflections in Your Photography The Window Seat: 36 Tips for Taking Amazing Photos from Airplane Windows Landscape Photography in the World's Most Boring Location – 22m How To Remove POWER LINES in Lightroom – 8m An odd lens, STF (Smooth Transition Focus) Creating a bold fashion image using a fisheye lens! – Lindsay Adler, 10m Thought for the day: Dynamic and Static Range of a Camera System II There [...]

Photography News July 19, 2021 Quote: “However, once you've satisfied your index finger's first impulse, you need to step back, think, observe, and analyze. There's almost always a better shot lurking, but to get it requires your brain to be fully functioning, not just reacting.” – Thom Hogan Articles: How the Light Placement Alters Your Subjects 8 Things You Should Do Before Going to a Photography Workshop Thom’s Buzz Wave Theory – background on camera release dates, etc. Peak Interest, not Peak Camera – Thom Hogan on features vs number sold Using Google Earth to Plan Landscape Photos Art Wolfe’s Intimate Landscapes Thought [...]

Photography News July 12, 2021 Quote: “…above all else, take the shot.” – Thom Hogan Articles: All the Ways to Get to Black and White from Raw – Thom Hogan B&H Photo class (2 hours) The Perils of Certainty – Thom Hogan What is duotone? Artistic v Technical Balance in Photography – John Greengo The 2021 Audubon Photography Awards: Winners and Honorable Mentions Is Dynamic Range Important in Landscape Photography? Thought for the day: Leading Lines The current contest in the FB group “We Love Half Moon Bay” is on leading lines.  There were a number of questions by photographers as to what is a [...]