Landscape Tip #5

When the fluffy clouds appear overhead I often think it’s time to grab the camera. There’s something magical about capturing these soft tufts of cotton. It’s easy to capture those puff balls.

Dial Back

Here I framed the large cloud formation using the lovely hanging willow branches. Although the clouds show up with lots of detail, I’d like to see a more dramatic effect.

To add impact, I simply decreased the exposure slightly. You can do this easily by adjusting the camera’s exposure compensation by -1 stop. For an even more dramatic effect, you can reduce the exposure by – 2 stops.
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Nightlife Tip #1

Bright lights against a dark background often create attractive and exciting scenes. Here’s a simple tip for making your nightlife photos appear tack sharp.

Bright Lights of Broadway (or elsewhere)

You may be surprised to know that many night scenes have an abundance of light. A dark background can often fool us and the camera’s exposure metering too. In this photo, the haze surrounding the marquee is caused by overexposure.

To make the scene and theater marquee appear without the haze, I’ve used the camera adjustments to provide less exposure. For this shot, I’ve dialed back the exposure by -2 stops, making the lettering appear sharp.
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Action Tip #2

Today’s digital cameras make it easy for you to snap exciting action photos. Here’s an obvious tip for taking advantage of one of your camera’s impressive capability.

Patience Counts

A common practice is to snap as soon as the action begins. Here our young swimmer has started his run down the diving board and I’ve stopped the action using the camera’s Sport mode.

A few minutes later, a second diver took to the air. This time, I waited patiently until his body was fully extended in the air – just before his huge belly flop. The “pose” tells the story.
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