Double exposures are a fun way to add a little creativity to your flower photographs. Sometimes, I’ll shoot a close-up, then pull back and shoot a much smaller version of the same flower—giving it the appearance that it’s “nestled” within itself. Other times, I’ll combine two totally...
Continue readingSeveral years ago, while standing in line at a camera store, I began thumbing through the pages of a book about photographing flowers. I came across a section showing a studio set-up of a single rose wrapped in blue tissue paper in a cone-like fashion. The finished photograph was a close-up of t...
Continue readingSeasons bring changes to the weather that can offer amazing opportunities for unique and terrific photos, but sometimes that weather can be very challenging to a photographer. Extreme cold, extreme hot, wet conditions, blowing dust and sand are among the challenges we have to deal with. I grew u...
Continue readingFlowers are usually best photographed on overcast days. The cloud cover acts as a giant softbox, effectively evening out the light by eliminating all dark shadows. Sometimes, this flat, contrast-free lighting is exactly what I’m looking for. Other times, when I’m in the mood to spice...
Continue readingAs exposed surface temperatures cool, atmospheric moisture condenses in the form of water droplets. These droplets, commonly referred to as dew, can form on grass, leaves, railings and even car roofs in the early morning hours. However, it’s the formation of dew on flowers that can turn a...
Continue readingI heard the sound of quick footsteps first. When they stopped I heard a click. Seconds later, the footsteps started again followed by another click. This pattern repeated itself another three or four times. When I finally looked up, I saw a man briskly walking through a cluster of daffodils. He...
Continue readingConventional wisdom tells us to always keep the sun at our backs when taking a picture. This is a pretty good rule to follow for most subjects – especially if you don’t want details lost under a heavy silhouette. However, always following conventional wisdom will usually result in conven...
Continue readingSpring is finally here and the abundance of blooming flowers will soon present an array of interesting photo opportunities. Tulips are one of the first flowers to make an appearance, and are usually photographed in large, backlit colorful clusters. As beautiful as this may be, these types of sho...
Continue readingThe sun won’t be up for another hour on this cold crisp March morning in Southern Michigan. It has taken three trips to carry my gear down to the water’s edge. As I begin to assemble my craft by the narrow beam of my headlamp, I hear splashes and the rustling of my quarry from the other side...
Continue readingIn my new eBook Visual Flow: Mastering the Art of Composition, I discuss a number of compositional tools and techniques which have been used by the masters of painting and photography for centuries. Composition—the artistic arrangement and placement of visual elements within the picture fram...
Continue readingI’ve lead or assisted at a lot of photography workshops over the last six years and in that time I’ve noted several issues that seem to be common among novice landscape photographers. As I think back to my own early photographic escapades I must admit that I made several of these sam...
Continue readingPhotography in the tropics can be a very challenging endeavor. Aside from the technical aspects of photography (such as shooting in low light and using fill flash) photographers must also come to terms with the fact that they are now dealing with species and ecosystems that are often unfamiliar....
Continue readingWinter is arguably one of the prettiest times to be an outdoor photographer; winter white can transform an otherwise lifeless brown landscape into a magical wonderland. However, winter is also one of the most challenging times to be outdoors shooting. Frankly the biggest limiting factor in winte...
Continue readingWildlife photography can be very exciting. With your adrenaline running on overdrive, it is easy for photographers to get caught up in the action of the moment and just snap away without giving too much thought to our photography. Despite how spectacular the events you witnessed may have been, t...
Continue readingAs a New England photographer, the couple of weeks of autumn’s riotous punctuation to summer is the one annual opportunity that simply can’t be missed. In my region of southern New Hampshire and Vermont, peak color is usually around the Columbus Day holiday. By mid September I find myself ga...
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