Archive for the ‘FAQ’ Category
What Camera Should I Buy on a Budget?
My wife insisted I post this. I wrote all this in e-mails the past couple days trying to help a technologically-challenged sister buy a camera for her starting-out-photo-student brother, and they are in different countries, so cannot shop together.
Here is the little background: because these suggestions are for a specific situation. The student-photographer-in-question will have [...]
It Just Feels Right
I have finally moved back to Lilliput, as my Dad would say (well, I guess as Jonathan Swift would say). My family and I made it back to the little county of Sanjiang, tucked at the juncture of China’s Guangxi, Guizhou, and Hunan Provinces. It is not much, but having been mobile for two years [...]
What Flash Should I Buy for My Camera?
Want to move into the world of flash and do not know where to start? What flash should you buy? Where do you even start learning how to use the flash? Do you just clip it on and set it to automatic, or do you dare explore the beautiful and expansive world of off-camera flash?
A [...]
What Focus Points Do You Use?
Ok, that is not exactly a frequently asked question, as I claim, but…well…it should be! There are way too many accidentally out of focus pictures out there. Out of focus can be cool, sure, but only if it is on purpose. Some of the great photographers had out of focus shots, but that was for [...]
What Do the Aperture Numbers Mean?
How many of us have looked at the numbers that represent our aperture and wonder what in the world they mean? Why those numbers? Why not something more simple?
Yes, the numbers given to aperture size can be a little confusing, so I will explain, because I do not want you ignoring your aperture just because [...]
Loud Shutters Work Against the Photographer
Why should we even care if our camera shutter is loud or not? What is the benefit of a quiet shutter? Well, it all depends on your shooting style as to whether is makes a difference or not. Ok, that is not totally true. Let me say it this way, some people care, some people [...]
Event Photography Tips
Do you need to shoot an event? A conference? Meetings? Even if you are not a paid photographer for some event, are you just the one folks turn to for that spur of the moment shot of a guest speaker that nobody guessed would be as good as he was?
Here are some tips, gleaned both [...]
Quality Difference Between 6MP and 12MP
Should you set your camera to take the biggest photo size possible? Are more pixels better? You know, I would like to think people are actually asking themselves these questions, but somehow I seriously doubt it. Call me weird. If you are, though, maybe my experience recently in answering these questions for myself might help [...]
How To Choose a Compact Camera
I went through a process just recently that I see as one of the most common questions asked: “What camera do I buy?” In the last entry, I happened to have answered the same question, but for people looking at entry-level SLRs. This time, I am talking only of compact or point-and-shoot cameras. Of course, [...]
How Do I Take Children Portraits Without Fake Smiles
Anybody who has taken any photos of children knows that fake camera smile so many children have. Once they know you are taking their photo, they produce this “smile” which comes across a little different than they intend. Actually, adults’ photo smiles are not all that great either, but having a little more practice (and [...]
How Do I Convert Color Photos to Black & White
I accidentally found a versatile and easy way to convert color photos to black & white, and those are two words we like to see together. I have tried out many methods of converting photos to black & white, some incredibly versatile and powerful, but difficult to use, and some very simple, but with no [...]
What Camera Should I Buy?
Good luck on me actually answering that one to your satisfaction! Recently though, I have taken it upon myself to begin shopping for what camera my brother should buy for his needs, even though he has not chosen to buy a new camera just yet. So, maybe a few of my own thoughts into what [...]
Why Does My Camera Wait Before Taking the Picture?
This is what I not-so-affectionately call the “digital wait”. It is mainly a problem with “point and shoot” (aka “compact”) cameras. It is dreadfully annoying and, more often than not, makes us miss the shot we really wanted to take.
The explanation is quite simple, but what to do about it is not. Basically, the problem [...]
How Do I Set White Balance?
Good question. Ever wonder why your photos turn out way too blue or red? Well, unless you were shining a red flashlight on the scene, it is undoubtedly a problem with the white balance setting. I will not get too much into the nasty details of white balance here, but try to give a quick [...]
What Filters Do I Need for My Digital Cameras?
I have thought much about this topic the past few weeks. I have heard countless digital photographers say there is not a need for filters anymore, because the desired effects can just be edited on the computer in post-processing. Some traditional folks take it too far the other way and say that filters must be [...]
