Advanced Photography Techniques

August 12, 2011

DPP Solutions: Get Connected

A quick guide to the interfaces for video and audio that you’ll encounter as you get into working with motion

By Mel Lambert
Connecting a DSLR to a peripheral used to be simple. You had a USB cable, a card reader—maybe USB or FireWire—and you were done. Images could move from camera to computer fast and easy. Times have changed, and now DSLRs can connect to TVs, projectors, computers and other devices. You’re shooting stills and HD video, and you may be recording sound... Read more
August 10, 2011

DPP Solutions: AV File Formats

As you get into multimedia, the alphabet soup of file formats can be confusing. Here’s a quick reference guide to common file types.

By Mel Lambert
The following is an annotated list of the data file types you may encounter while working with audio/video recorders and editing systems. Uncompressed Audio Files WAV: Flexible PCM file based on the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) and capable of storing virtually any combination of bit rates and sample frequencies; ideal format for data interchange... Read more
July 2, 2011

See In Black & White

How to understand the role of color contrast in black-and-white

By George Jardine
Back in the days of film photography, creating strong black-and-white photographs was an entirely different process than it is today. One important difference is that when shooting film, each of your decisions was virtually chiseled in stone as you went along. First, you had film choice. If you wanted black-and-white as your final image, it generally... Read more
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April 19, 2011

Mastering Photography Lighting Angles
Understanding a few simple techniques will take your images to the next level
Staff
Most professionals are well versed in lighting techniques for their particular subject matter. Food photographers know how to light food. Jewelry photographers know how to light jewelry; wedding photographers know how to light brides. We’re presenting the following excerpt from Light: Science & Magic by Hunter, Biver and Fuqua (Focal Press) because... Read more
March 15, 2011

Take A Bite

In this excerpt from the book, you can get helpful tips on some of the most important aspects of this specialized class of image-making.

By Lou Manna
The art of food photography requires skill in several disciplines, not least of which is diplomacy in dealing with the client. Above: A rich chocolate dessert lit to eliminate any distractions. Lou Manna’s book Digital Food Photography is a comprehensive guide to the fine points of professional food photography. In this excerpt from the book, you... Read more
November 15, 2010

Four Hot Lighting Looks

Everyone is looking for a way to make his or her images stand out from the crowd.

By The Staff
Everyone is looking for a way to make his or her images stand out from the crowd. Today, when the crowd is huge and websites are selling decent-quality amateur work for $1, that crowd is bigger than ever before. Innovation in lighting is at the core of being a professional photographer, and creating today’s hottest, most in-demand looks is something... Read more
September 1, 2010

The End Of Film Capture, The Future Of Film Archives

Frans Lanting had a large archive of film images when he made the transition to digital capture.

By William Sawalich, Photography By Frans Lanting
When Frans Lanting first clicked his shutter on assignment in the late 1970s, he began a prolific photographic journey that would take him around the world for more than 25 years creating hundreds of thousands of images—all on film. From black-and-white to Kodachrome, Lanting’s medium of choice—like every other serious photographer—was film.... Read more
September 1, 2010

Master Your Image Library

Working on location, travel and generally being mobile require you to rethink how you can best manage your image library for maximum access

Text And Photography By George Jardine
To merge, or not to merge. That is the question. Imagine a time in the not-so-distant future when you truly have just one window into your entire digital photo library. This means, no matter where you are, and no matter what sort of device you’re using, you’ll be able to easily access any photograph you’ve taken since the dawn of digital (admittedly,... Read more
May 15, 2010

Digital Manipulation And The Flair Of Subtlety

Digital photography has transformed the fine-art world.

By Amanda Quintenz-Fiedler, Photography Mallory Morrison
Digital photography has transformed the fine-art world. Beyond merely allowing commercial photographers to produce more efficient and cost-effective imagery, the digital revolution presents artists with new tools to create broad-reaching, high-impact images that can be seen around the world, instantly, with the click of a button. The potential of the... Read more
March 30, 2010

The Balancing Act Of Flash On Location

As professional photographers let go of their expensive studio spaces and make the world their studio, it’s time to examine the needs of a photographer on the go.

By Mark Edward Harris
As professional photographers let go of their expensive studio spaces and make the world their studio, it’s time to examine the needs of a photographer on the go. When studios were the norm, most pros had a space where they’d keep a number of power packs, stands, heads and all manner of modifiers. Today, we’re all working meaner and leaner, and... Read more