Tag Archives: Tutorials

Happy Thanksgiving

Canon 40D with 50 mm lens on a tripod. Since our faces were in the same plane, f8 was more than enough to keep us all in focus. Thanks Eric for taking our picture.

Happy Thanksgiving! This year I dragged out my portable studio for the Thanksgiving get-together.

Since I’ve made it a point to ask my students if they used their cameras over the weekend,  I felt I better “walk the walk not just talk the talk.” Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving

Getting yourself inspired & self-motivated, no, not self-medicated

As a photography instructor, if you were to ask, “What’s toughest to teach in photography?”, I’d have to answer, “How and where to find Inspiration or Motivation.”

The concepts, the technical wizardry, the f-stops and so on, my students will get. Some faster than others. Eventually that stuff sinks in.

After all, there are only that many controls on the camera. Aperture controls depth-of-field. Shutter speed controls whether you freeze the motion et cetera…assuming you just stick with available light and a few lenses. Continue reading Getting yourself inspired & self-motivated, no, not self-medicated

Tips to learn how to use any digital camera

Face it, those Canon radio commercials touting how easy it is to get shots like the professionals, are effective. You’ve gone out and bought a digital single lens reflex camera. Prices are crazy low.

You can get a very nice Canon 40D, although that’s just for the body by itself, for under a grand.

Now that it’s unwrapped and in your hands, batteries charged and memory card inserted, start reading the owner’s manual from front to back. But really who wants to do that?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the thick manual. Here’s what you should learn step-by-step to just “operate the camera.”

I say “operate” because these steps will give you a jumpstart if you have experience with film and are making the transition to digital. Continue reading Tips to learn how to use any digital camera

Digital Photography Toolkit–Hardware

So, for the professional photographer who works on location, here are hardware suggestions that can help avert a “photo disaster.”

  1. Plentiful supply of an assortment of batteries whether rechargeables or disposables. Radio slaves might use 9-volt batteries, triple or double As.
  2. Proprietary batteries for digital slrs are problematic and pricey but they tend to hold the longest charge. Some manufacturers have battery holders that allow you to pop in double A’s.

    The battery grip for the Canon 40D for instance accepts 2 proprietary Canon batteries or 8 double A’s.

    It is obvious that without power, you are “up the creek.” Everything you do depends on you having power whether it is ac (alternating current) or dc (direct current). Continue reading Digital Photography Toolkit–Hardware