Cherry Pond by Glen Taylor

Photo Critique – A Pair from Glen Taylor.

Cherry Pond by Glen Taylor

Last week’s photo tip explored the nuances of depth of field, so for this week’s critique I chose two photos by Massachusetts-based photographer Glen Taylor. In the above photo of Cherry Pond in Jefferson, New Hampshire, Glen opted to maximize his depth of field. Continue Reading

Use a fast shutter speed to stop action.

Week 7 – Capturing Motion.

Use a fast shutter speed to stop action.

Last week I talked about varying your aperture to create different effects through depth of field. In a static landscape scene where nothing is moving, you can set your aperture, then use whatever shutter speed gives you a proper exposure (assuming you are using a tripod if your shutter speed is less than around 1/125 second.) However, when part of the scene is moving, your shutter speed becomes just as important as your aperture in determining the final look of your image. Do you stop the action, or let it blur? Continue Reading

Synchronizing develop settings in Lightroom.

Developing Efficiencies in Lightroom’s Develop Module

Synchronizing develop settings in Lightroom.

I find that one of the big reasons photographers do not want to shoot in RAW mode is that they fear spending too much time on the computer. One of the great things about Adobe Lightroom is that it gives you several ways to be very efficient in managing your digital photo archive. One part of Lightroom that all photographers should master is the develop module.  While most shooters love the ability to easily make tone and color corrections to their images in this module, the ability to create develop presets and to apply changes to many images at once make “developing” in Lightroom one of the biggest time savers that digital photographers have in their arsenals.  And in my opinion, the less time I spend on the computer, the better. Continue Reading

First Light On The Auto Road by Jeff SInon.

Photo Critique – First Light On The Auto Road by Jeff Sinon.

First Light On The Auto Road by Jeff Sinon.

This week’s critique features this photo of dawn above New Hampshire’s Mount Washington by Jeff Sinon. The assignment was to try different focal lengths and perspectives and create an image with visual depth and/or compelling graphic design. Continue Reading

A girl boogie boarding at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg, Maine.

Week 6 – Depth of Field.

A girl boogie boarding at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg, Maine.

This week we tackle depth of field, which describes how much of your photo appears to be in focus, from the front of the image to the distant background. Continue Reading

Eastatoe Falls by Charlie Borland.

Be A Local Hero.

Eastatoe Falls by Charlie Borland.

The world of photography has gone through many changes over the past 15 years, and if you have been a photographer for long, you have witnessed many of those changes. The process of capturing an image has changed. The delivery of photography to markets has changed. The markets that license images have changed. Continue Reading

Autumn Palette, Utah, by Bret Edge.

Five Ways to Improve Your Images.

Autumn Palette, Utah, by Bret Edge.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what steps I’ve taken over the last 11 years to become the world’s most reknowned landscape and adventure photographer.  Clearly, I’ve also been daydreaming quite a bit.  Seriously though, here are a five things I’ve done that have contributed to making me a better photographer. Continue Reading

Exposure for Oudoor Photography by Michael Frye.

Three Great Outdoor Photography E-books.

Exposure for Outdoor Photography by Michael Frye.

I recently came across three photo e-books that I thought I’d share with you (don’t tell my publisher I’m sharing these…) I can heartily recommend all three of them. They come from a trio of western photographers who all have a knack for creating unique and compelling photos from some of America’s most iconic landscapes. Continue Reading

Bike in Paris by Gail Mager

Photo Critique – Bike Reflection by Gail Mager.

Bike in Paris by Gail Mager

Bike in Paris by Gail Mager

Last week’s assignment was to create compositions that were simple and featured a dominant subject. I chose the above photo by Gail Mager to critique because I feel it represents both of these concepts really well. Continue Reading

A woman kayaks on the upper reaches of the York River in York, Maine.

Week 5: Composition – Perspective, Depth, and Scale.

In this week’s video, I continue to talk about composition, specifically in regards to perspective, visual depth, and scale. Hopefully, you now have a handle on balance, dominance, and simplicity from the last couple of weeks because you still need to take all of those things into account when applying this week’s tip. Continue Reading