Archive for March, 2010
Memory cards are apparently quite durable
I’ve learned through experience that memory cards are more durable than they seem. I have both SD and SDHC cards, and both have held up perfectly to: being dropped being stepped on a run through the washer — complete with detergent! a run through the dryer — on high heat! rattling around in my wallet [...]
These are a few of my favorite things
When it comes to subjects to photograph, even in my own home there’s no shortage of them. From my husband to my children to my cats to my dog, to even mundane stationery objects that can be quite beautiful in the natural afternoon sunlight, there’s always something I can focus my lens on. But to [...]
Post-processing: yay or nay?
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding the touching up of photographs, particularly digital photographs. A lot of photographers and even photography enthusiasts will argue that touching up the photo takes away its originality and uniqueness, that touching up a photograph is similar to air-brushing a model prior to publishing her photos in a magazine. I [...]
The best & worst colors for self-portraits
Because I participate in the 365 Days project over at Flickr, and have been making an attempt at it every single year since January 2007 (no lie), I have learned a lot about colors and photograph. In general, some colors photograph great, while others do not. For the record, my equipment consists of a Nikon [...]
Bounce that light!
If upgrading from a standard built-in flash on my DSLR to an external flash (the Nikon SB-600, for those interested) has taught me anything, it’s that bouncing the light can create some incredible results. Chances are you may have seen the results of bounced light, even if you don’t necessarily know what it is or [...]
Get off the auto mode
DSLRs are great because of the thousands of possibilities they give you for photography. But for beginners, they also come with an “auto” mode, which is an excellent choice if you’re new to DSLRs and don’t know where to begin. That’s the boat I was in this time three years ago, when I purchased my [...]
Will travel for photo op!
Last year my husband surprised me — the night before, no less — with a surprise trip to my favorite city, Pittsburgh. We lived there for about a year and a half about seven years back, so having the opportunity to go back to the city I fell in love with for a weekend was [...]
Warm temps mean more photos!
As I write this, I’m sitting in a small cafe, enjoying an overpriced bottle of water and an equally overpriced chocolate chip cookie. The sun is shining and the temperature is around 55°. The only thing stopping me from grabbing my kids and my digital camera and heading to the local playground is the fact [...]
Converting photos to B&W
Black and white photographs are timeless pieces that capture the essence of a person, an animal, a passion, or simply a piece of beautiful or poignant scenery. People who are not familiar with photography or are new to it often mistakenly believe that black and white photographs are a thing of the past, falling along [...]
Make the most of natural lighting
Hands down, my absolute favorite source of lighting is the natural source: the sun! But on some days, good sun can be hard to find. I used to think that I had to rush out in the early morning or even late morning to get the best lighting. And while it’s true that sunshine is [...]