Articles on Photography

All You Ever Wanted to Know about Exposure The most fundamental skill you need in photography is the ability to make the correct exposure.  You can have the greatest ‘eye’ but if your images are not correctly exposed you will never be able to make a fine art print.  In addition you will take some great photographs only to be frustrated when you try to render them as prints... Read more   Mastering Exposure - The Next Steps In the first article on exposure (All You Ever Wanted to Know about Exposure) we discussed the exposure basics, the four variables you have to work with – the intensity of the light, the ISO setting, the f-stop and the shutter speed.  We made the comparison of light with water.  With this analogy, getting the proper exposure is the same as filling a glass of water (or whatever).  In this article we'll take a closer look at the kinds of challenges we face getting the best exposure.  But first let's take a quick review....  Read more

Creative Use of Exposure You may have thought we said all there was to be said in the first two article.  Well, believe it or not there’s more  – how to use exposure creatively.  We can start by talking about the four variables.  Let’s not get into the last variable, light intensity, just now. Rather let’s start with aperture and shutter speed.... Read more

Essays

Musings on Personal Style Ever since I attended my first workshop two years ago I’ve been pondering personal style.  At first I had no clue as to what my personal style was.  But as time has gone by and I become more aware of the kind of work I produce, the idea of a personal style is starting to become clearer.  So, I plan to write a number of posts on personal style and my journey of self discovery.... Read more

What Constitutes a Fine Art Photograph? At shows I'm frequently asked the following questions: "Do you use filters?" "Do you enhance these photographs?" "Are these colors real?"   The answer is simply, "Of course."  But I often want to respond, "If these were paintings would you be asking me whether the colors are real?  Or would there be an assumption that as a painter I interpreted the scene before me and selected the colors that contributed to my artistic vision?"  This leads to another question.  "As an artist, is a photographer any less free to express her feelings by whatever means the medium allows?  Is a photographer expected to hold to a different standard than a painter, sculptor, poet, novelist or composer?"  So, "Of course" is the simple answer but there is oh so much more behind it. Read more

Interpretation is Art “Now perhaps this guy is truly a remarkable photographer and I know the talent is there to make photos look beyond realistic, but these three stand out to me like no other photos I've seen, and like I said, I've seen a lot over the years. I can't exactly explain,... Read more

Serendipity Sometimes the things you go chasing after elude you.  Try as you may, it’s not meant to be.  This particular day started at 3:00 AM when the alarm went off in my tent.  I crept out of Belle campground as quietly as I could to make the hour or so drive to the location where I wanted to greet the sun - with camera of course.  When I arrived Orion was standing huge on the eastern horizon, still clearly visible in the dark sky.  But it wouldn't be dark for long....  Read more