how-to

Article: A fearless approach to creating your own videos.Never mind the parachute!

Jumping into video without a net? Want to go viral on YouTube? Here’s how to avoid the fear, the swish, button mashing, and other rookie regrets when planning and shooting a video.

Article: Accent Magenta Skies—AdoramaTV .You Keep Shooting

How do you get your sunsets to look more dramatic? The secret is a specific kind of fluorescent filter!

Article: Digital Photographer Magazine—AdoramaTV.iPad Photography App

This week Mark Wallace discovered a great application that lets you read Digital Photographer Magazine on your iPad.

Article: Picture-taking techniques - Outdoor portraits in the sun.What gear you need to get great outdoor pictures, and how to fight harsh outdoor sunlight...and win!

Whether you're traveling, enjoying a backyard barbecue, or recording your graduate's moment of glory, everyone ends up shooting outdoor portraits. And most are less than satisfied with the results. But a few simple picture-taking tips can soften and flatter those harshly-lit, squinty-eyed faces.

Article: How to photograph basketball games.Make your hoops shots a slam-dunk

Like most things in life, there is good news and bad news when it comes to shooting basketball. First, let’s talk about the good news.

Blog: Video Tutorial: Time Lapse Video with Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended.It only takes a handful of mouseclicks and commands to turn a series of still shots into Time Lapse video clips in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended.

Sure, Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended costs a bit more than the non-extended version, but there are some very cool features and functions in the upgrade, including quick and powerful conversion of still

Blog: How to Lightwrite .A small LED flashlight, a tripod, and long exposures to "write" the whole alphabet on your DSLR's sensor add up to some fun photo projects.

"Lightwriting" is different than "Lightpainting" because instead of illuminating an object, you use a small flashlight to "write" directly on your camera sensor. And by capturing the whole alphabet, y

Blog: Quick Tips to Speed Up Your Compact Camera.Make sure you don't miss that magic moment!

I originally wrote this piece as a guest blogger for our friends over at Techlicious.com, a cool site all about tech gadgets geared towards women. But as holiday gatherings approach, these are great t

Blog: Advanced HDR Tone Mapping in Adobe Photoshop CS4, Part 1.In this two-part screencast series, Jack Howard illustrates some advanced workflows for HDR photographers with Adobe Photoshop CS4.

It's not that there aren't some amazing tools for HDR photographers in Adobe Photoshop CS4, it's just that these tools and tricks aren't all that well-known. In this two-part screencast series, we'll

Article: How to shoot heavenly sunrises and sunsets anywhere.Composition Basics: Gifts from the Sky

Follow these helpful picture-taking tips to get the best shots at the beginning and end of the day. If you've seen one sunset photo, you haven't seen 'em all!

Article: Setting up a New Version of Photoshop.Optimize your preferences and settings

Here's how to make sure the transition from one version of Photoshop to another goes smoothly.

Article: Do You Have The Blinkies?.How your camera lets you know your exposure is wrong

A very useful exposure tool found on some digital cameras is the highlight alert feature that my pal Barry Staver (www.barrystaver.com) calls the “blinkies” or “marching ants.”

Article: Film vs. Digital exposure, and Histograms.The ultimate tool for determining proper exposure

Correct exposure is critical, maybe even more so for digital capture than film, especially color negative film. That because the latitude (the ability to over or underexpose an image) is greatest with color negative film than for any other capture media.

Article: Understanding contrast in exposure.Unlocking an exposure mystery

Contrast is the difference in brightness between light and dark areas in a scene and can be a function of the subject matter, lighting conditions, or a little of each. Controlling contrast in camera can be a challenge.

Article: Understanding Shadows and Highlights.More exposure basics

Light has three major qualities: quality, quantity, and direction. As photographers seeking to master the art of exposure, seeing that light is the key to mastering the art of exposure.

Article: Six scene modes you may actually want to use.Are scene modes useful? These are!

Some scene modes seem unnecessary, but I've used these, and find them very useful!

Article: DSLR scene mode secrets!.The easy way to good exposures

Scene Modes are Program mode on steroids. They turn the whole job of exposure over to camera's CPU to not only make all of the relevant exposure choices—and maybe even ISO and color balance settings--but is biased toward specific shooting conditions. The Scene Mode you choose may even automatically pop-up the built-in flash!

Article: The substitution metering method.A useful exposure tweak

When using the substitution method, you replace an object within the scene with an object of known reflectance, such as a Kodak Gray Card and take a reflected-light meter reading from this object.

Article: Metering for the Brightest Object.Compensate for a misled reading

When taking a light meter reading from the highlight area within a scene, keep in mind that meters used thusly can produce the equivalent of medium gray and underexpose the image in areas of the scene that reflect less light.

Article: Metering for the Darkest Object In A Photo.Coax details out of the shadows without blowing out the rest of the shot

If the shadow areas of the scene are most important, you might be tempted just take a meter reading only from that area. If you do this, you could overexpose the image and cause total lack of detail in some of the highlight areas.

Article: Metering for Brightness Range.Tweak your reading at the time of capture

Even with today's sophisticated DSLRs and many compact digital cameras, the ability to tweak the exposure at the moment of capture--and recognizing what tweaks you need to apply--can make or break your image's quality and content.

Article: Metering for the "correct" exposure.Sometimes it's more of a judgement call

Even with today's sophisticated cameras, the ability to tweak the exposure at the moment of capture--and recognizing what tweaks you need to apply--can make or break your image's quality and content.

Article: Selenium Prints in Photoshop Elements.Emulate an alternative print process

To prolong print life, darkroom technicians often toned their prints in Selenium, which preserved the prints. As an extra benefit, Selenium prints had a distinctive warm-golden tone overall plus rich, full blacks that enhanced the look of the print.

Article: Color Solarization in Photoshop Elements.A groovy "Old School" darkroom special effect

One of the reasons I loved my black-and-white darkroom as a kid was that it was fairly easy to set up and use.

Article: Photographing Waterfalls.You're never far from a waterfall. Here's how to shoot 'em.

The great joy of photography is that it often takes you to inspiring subjects that make you feel happy. That’s how I became a happy waterfall addict.

Article: Lift the Fog Off Your Photos.Using Adobe Photoshop's Black and White Point Adjustments

In the past I've said a black and white point adjustment is the first thing that should be done with most images. I’ll show you how to do it here.

Article: How to Publish an “on demand” photo book.Self-publishing books, thanks to the Internet and computer technology, has never been easier.

The geek term for printing one or more books only when you want them is “print on demand” and Blurb.com is one of the websites that lets you produce your own books in quantities as few as one.

Article: Why You Should Self-Publish Your Photo Book.Self-publishing books, thanks to the Internet and computer technology, has never been easier.

Most photographers dream of accomplishing two things in the publishing world: Having their work appear in National Geographic or other magazines and showcasing their photography in a coffee table book. I can’t help you with the first one but can with the second.

Article: How to photograph wildlife in your backyard.Your next subject may be hiding under your deck

Whether you live in the city or the ‘burbs, critters are plentiful. During your staycation, you can hone your wildlife photography skills by capturing winged and pawed creatures in your yard or in the ‘hood. (What--you've never seen a pidgeon before?)

Article: Backlight mode.Your guide to digital camera scene modes

A strong light behind the main subject usually fools the camera’s built-in automatic light meter—and the results can be awful. The subject’s face is often too dark because the camera, in its attempt to achieve correct overall exposure, can be over-influenced by the background.

Article: Text/Text Capture mode.Your guide to digital camera scene modes

Generations ago, spy movies depicted secret agents covertly snapping pictures of confidential government documents with tiny Minox and other “microfilm cameras.” That was all technologically possible, but in truth, the results were probably so poor that the Cold War lasted far longer than it should have.

Article: How to dress for a family photo.Matching colors help unify the image

If you’re going out for a family photo, doing it yourself, or are photographing other families, there’s one visual element that will tie the photo together in a nice, neat bow: clothing.

Article: Look sharp with Unsharp Mask.Unblur your photos

"What is Unsharp Mask, and how do you use it to sharpen pictures?" is a question that we get often from readers. This tip provides the answer.

Article: How to work with Adjustment Layers.A look at Photoshop Layers, Part II

Layers is one of the most powerful features of Photoshop and I use them in every image. Here's one reason why.

Article: Proofing and reviewing prints.How to make sure it's picture-perfect

When making a proof print, I often use 5 x 7 paper to save costs and time.

Article: Ultimate Image Quality.Getting serious about image quality

Are your photos as good as they can possibly be? Almost certainly not. Not if you aren’t practicing the principles of ultimate image quality. Would you like at least some of your pictures, say those once-in-a-lifetime shots, to reveal ultimate image quality? Well, then, let’s get started.

Article: Image Editing Advanced Workshop - Fixing a Washed-Out Sky.Use a virtual graduated filter--and a mask

The soft light of a day with light clouds or fog is wonderful for photography, but if you include any of the sky in your composition it will be boring and washed-out white.

Article: What is Depth of Field?.Digital Camera Basics

If you've ever wondered why some photos have a sharp subject but everything else in the foreground and background are out of focus, but other photos are sharp from near to far, it's all about depth of field (DOF).

Article: Fixing a Broken Wing....and learning how to extend a canvas size and add missing elements

I've been having fun and frustration shooting at an egret rookery.

Article: Virtual fill flash.Use masking and layers in Photoshop to make up for poor lighting

Open up those shadows!

Article: Composition Basics: That's Deep.Create the illusion of depth in landscape photography

One of the creative problems inherent in all photographs is that they're flat.

Article: Artistic photomontage effects.Blending layers in Photoshop and other image editing programs can lead to wonderfully creative surprises

Download these three images and follow along with me using these low-res versions of my working files and your image editor as I show you how to create some stunning effects that rely on blending interactions between image layers.

Article: BUYING GUIDE: Compact Digital Cameras.Ready to go digital?

Start small and you'll be in for a big surprise!

Article: A slide sandwich--with a dash of digital.Digital composites are easier to put together than slide sandwiches--all you need's a blender!

I was shooting at a wetlands area at sunrise--a target-rich environment--with my Canon 20D and Sigma f/4.5 500mm lens. The full moon was about an hour away from setting. Wouldn't it be great if I could get a shot of birds flying in front of the moon?

Article: Be Prepared: The day of a location shoot.A digital shooting checklist, Part II

As much fun as it is to get to a new location and start shooting immediately, I've learned from experience (sometimes bitter experience!) that it's best if you first pause for a few moments to organize your thoughts and your gear.

Article: Pinpoint closeup lighting.Here's a nifty way to get professional-looking images of small-scale-subjects

Sometimes, modeling (a lighting effect caused by placing the light to the side of your subject) isn't the best way to light your shot. Here's how to get flat lighting--the opposite of modeling.