Depth of Field – Taking Creative Control

Depth of Field is the range of distance within the subject that is acceptably sharp. It will vary depending upon camera type, aperture and focusing distance. The Depth of field (DOF) does not abruptly go from sharp to un-sharp however gradually transitions from sharp to un-sharp. There is no drastic point where the clarity or sharpness falls off, it is a gradual degradation in sharpness. Essentially, depth of field is focusing on one...

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Composition a Matter of Thirds
Dec30

Composition a Matter of Thirds

So what is composition? “Composition is the art of planning or arranging the visual elements within a photograph for deliberate effect.”[1] It can make a photograph more appealing, powerful, help it tell a story or make it unbalanced and unappealing. Composition covers a wide range of elements such as light, shadows, line, shape, texture, color and patterns. These elements when arranged, or composed, will yield a result...

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Autumnal Retreat
Dec07

Autumnal Retreat

Autumn, my favorite time of year; you see with new eyes that which you previously took for granted. Your routine commute, which you snooze through suddenly, captures your attention and has your head on a swivel. I try to get out every weekend to hike somewhere especially spots I enjoyed during the spring & summer and plan a long weekend or a vacation somewhere where the leaves are at or near peak color. This year it was Plymouth...

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Using Photography to Benefit Others
Nov25

Using Photography to Benefit Others

This is not about the basics of Digital Photography, this to me is about the Holidays, time, talent character and what you do with it to benefit your fellow human beings here and now. So bear with me and read on to discover what a team of thousands are doing on December 4th this year to benefit their fellow man. Last year I heard about this movement, Help Portrait, so I investigated it and was surprised to discover the simplicity of...

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White Balance
Nov08

White Balance

White what? you say. Yes this is a concept that if you have never had your camera off of Auto you are not familiar with, thats OK you will be soon. White Balance refers to the temperature and therefore the color of the light you are attempting to capture.  To the human eye a white sign looks white regardless of where it is, in the shade, under Fluorescent lights, in full sun etc… The camera, no matter how much you paid for it,...

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What File Format to Use
Oct15

What File Format to Use

This is as personal as CANON vs. NIKON and it also depends upon the type of photography you are doing. So first lets just get a handle on each one, first up JPEG. JPEG – is a commonly used method of lossy compression for photographic images. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in...

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