Taking photos that include stars and other heavenly objects obviously involves a stable tripod, no wind and a clear night sky. It also doesn’t hurt to gain permission (as I did) to enter property that gives you a unique vantage point
Guide Numbers and Watt-Seconds: Related?
Whenever I think about hauling lighting equipment to a location, the question comes up: Should I take a.c. strobes, extension cords and power bars, or will a couple of hot-shoe flashes, umbrellas and stands do it? Hmmmm…I know what I’d
A Fine Photographic Mess
When it comes right down to it, I’m a bit lazy when it comes to scouting out new locations for my still photography. By pointing to an unknown spot on a map and getting in the car to drive there
Just for Laughs: How Not to Use Studio Strobes
It’s obvious that some overseas companies rely on (bad) software that literally translates every word from their language into the closest English word, but, of course, completely out of context. It’s a good thing that this particular product I purchased
Good Ol’ Country Comforts
It’s surprising how many times you glance around…and in that instant in time…you see a perfectly framed picture. How many of those times did you actually have a camera with you? As it happens, this is one time when I
Dangerous Old Films. Achtung!
The images in this gallery were taken by my great-great uncle, Heinrich Schildknecht, an Austrian “alpine” photographer. The 4″x5.75″ negatives were given to me by his grandson when I met him in Europe several years ago. It’s difficult to date
Are Point-and-Shoot Cameras Really That Good?
As someone who shoots stock images using SLRs, it may seem strange that I find it necessary to have a digital point-and-shoot in my possession. Not so strange when you consider that the lenses, resolution and exposure modes are starting
Bear Necessities When Shooting The Grotto
I love “magic hour”. That’s the time around sunrise and sunset that photographers prefer, except the getting up before-the-crack-of-stupid part. It’s not so much the early rising that bothered me on the morning that I set out well before sunrise into
Coloured Gels for the Camera-Mount Flash: Cheap and Cheerful
Occasionally, colouring the light from your camera-mount flash can add drama to a shot without having to lug around a powered strobe head. Some flashes come with plastic snap on filters, but if they don’t, here’s an inexpensive and simple