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5 Things That Cause Blurry Photos

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Photo by Steve BerardiI recently wrote an article about why sharpness isn’t always that important. I argued that relative sharpness is what really matters, and not so much absolute sharpness. As long as your subject is sharp relative to other parts of the photo, that should be enough to make it stand out.

I still strongly believe in that idea, but I also want to make clear that I’m not saying your photos should be “blurry” — there’s still a minimum level of sharpness you should strive for, unless you’re intentionally trying to make things look blurry (i.e. you want to show motion).

If you think some of your photos are too blurry, and you don’t want them to be blurry, then here are five things that could’ve caused the problem: [Read more…] about 5 Things That Cause Blurry Photos

4 Steps to Photographing the Milky Way

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The Milky Way arcs over Bryce Canyon in this 7 frame image stitched together in Photoshop / Photo by Jeff Stamer
The Milky Way arcs over Bryce Canyon in this 7 frame image stitched together in Photoshop / Photo by Jeff Stamer
Technological progress in camera sensor sensitivity during the past decade has dramatically enhanced low-light photography. The ability to photograph the Milky Way is perhaps the most awe-inspiring result of these advances.

This post will give you the basics you need to start making your own Milky Way images. If you really get hooked and want more details, check out my more detailed post. [Read more…] about 4 Steps to Photographing the Milky Way

How To Make the Jump To Manual Mode

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At first, manual mode can seem a little intimidating. Finding the right exposure just doesn’t seem as simple as finding the right f-number, does it? That’s probably why most photographers start with Aperture Priority mode before jumping to full manual.

But, shooting in manual will put you in complete control of the image making process. And luckily, there’s an easy way to make the jump to manual mode, while still treating it somewhat like aperture priority mode. Here’s how: [Read more…] about How To Make the Jump To Manual Mode

7 tips for photographing waterfalls

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waterfall
Photo by Steve Berardi
Hiking trails to waterfalls always seem to be the most popular trails. There’s a good reason for this: as humans, we’re naturally drawn to water. It’s one of our most basic survival instincts. Not only do we love the sight of water, but we love the sound of water falling against rocks, and we love the feeling of cold water on a hot day.

So, naturally, waterfalls are also a popular subject to photograph! Here are a few tips for capturing them: [Read more…] about 7 tips for photographing waterfalls

How to use the “special” RGB Histogram

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IMG_0506fA few weeks ago, I explained how to use the histogram to get a better exposure. And although the default histogram will give you a general idea of an image’s exposure, there’s actually a special histogram that’ll tell you a lot more: the RGB histogram.

Here’s how it works:

If you understand the regular histogram, then the RGB histogram is simple: it shows you the histogram of each individual color channel (red, green, and blue).

The bad thing about the regular histogram is that it lumps all these color channels together, making it hard for you to see if you’re underexposing or overexposing a specific color channel. And, on some cameras, I’ve heard that the regular histogram only shows you the green channel. [Read more…] about How to use the “special” RGB Histogram

How to use the histogram to get a better exposure

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histogram-titleOne of the first things you probably want to know after taking a photo is whether or not you got your intended exposure.

You might be tempted to look at the preview on your LCD screen, but when you’re shooting photos outdoors in the sun, those previews can be very deceiving, making your photos look much brighter than they actually are.

So, how do you know if you got the right exposure? Well, one way is to use the histogram. [Read more…] about How to use the histogram to get a better exposure