Questions regarding technique, as opposed to style, hardware, or software.
23
votes
9answers
1k views
How can I take pictures of far-away mountains to the South?
I'm trying to take some pictures of a pair of mountains to my south. The distance is about 20 miles away. I'm running into the following problems, and I'm wondering what you guys might suggest to get ...
18
votes
5answers
679 views
What are some effective techniques for photographing subjects who wear glasses?
What are some effective techniques for photographing subjects who wear glasses?
I am sorting out my collection of digital images as I install new software, and find there are many images that would ...
16
votes
2answers
557 views
How do event photographers balance “spontaneous” snapshots versus well-executed shots?
I am not a professional photographer, but I often play at "event photographer" for family events and sometimes informal work events. I find myself struggling with a desire to capture candid snapshots ...
11
votes
7answers
493 views
How do I get proper focus when photographing lightning strikes?
I've been lucky to have the opportunity to photograph several large thunderstorms in Colorado recently, however I ran into a couple issues. The first issue I've run into is getting proper focus.
As a ...
13
votes
7answers
2k views
Where can I see examples of great photos from cheap cameras?
I am looking for examples of really great photos made from cheap (sub-$250) point-and-shoot digital cameras. I have a group of friends who are just getting into photography, and I thought it might be ...
13
votes
6answers
1k views
How can I take a picture of the moon as part of a night landscape?
I recently saw this scene while on vacation:
What I would like is for the moon not to be completely blown out, but to also get reflections on the water. If I expose for the reflections, the moon ...
12
votes
6answers
2k views
How were these Astronomy Photographer of the Year images produced?
Looking at the winner of Astronomy Photographer of the Year, I'm wondering, how can one produce shots like these:
...
12
votes
5answers
3k views
How do you make a shot look like it was taken at night?
Okay, so I was watching a movie recently, and there was a night scene. The whole valley could be seen in light, and there were some stars as well, and the actors could be seen, but it just looked like ...
12
votes
12answers
2k views
How do you protect your camera when taking pictures in inclement weather?
Title basically speaks for itself: How do you protect your equipment when you are shooting in severe conditions? Rain? Severe heat/cold? Snow? Fog? ... Other? What sorts of techniques do you use to ...
1
vote
4answers
1k views
What is considered “sharp enough” w.r.t the landscape pictures from a DSLR with F16?
This image was shot with a Canon 5D (the older one) with a EF24-105mm f/4L lens.
The lens was set at 45mm at f/11, and the shutter speed was 1/90 of a second which was +0.5 from the meter at ISO ...
19
votes
3answers
1k views
What is Miksang Photography?
I'm curious about a photographic technique called 'Miksang photography.'
What is Miksang photography?
What are some resources for helping me to learn how to 'do' Miksang photography (or incorporate ...
14
votes
3answers
557 views
What are good techniques for photographing newborns?
As the proud parent of a new baby, I am eager to take beautiful pictures of my newborn daughter. However, I've found that although it is easy to get stunning pictures of older babies, the charm of ...
13
votes
2answers
566 views
Capturing vapour or faint steam
I was trying to capture a scene that was in a dark area with a bright background. There was faint steam that I wanted to be the focus of the picture. I tried first by having a very large aperture and ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
What are some good techniques for using a monopod while shooting sports?
What are some good strategies/techniques for using a monopod while shooting sports?
I'm doing a lot of shooting of Figure Skating right now, and am finding the camera and 70-200mm lens is heavy ...
7
votes
5answers
720 views
How to take nice shots of glass-facaded buildings?
I need to take photos of some buildings which have glass facades as a building shell.
They have around 10 floors.
What lens, composition, lighting, time of day are appropriate for this kind of ...
7
votes
4answers
945 views
How to take sharp photos while using maximum optical zoom?
When I shoot with high zoom (above 3X on my point-and-shoot camera), the sharpness of the picture seems to come down. Is it a feature of all cameras or is it due to higher sensitivity to camera shakes ...
1
vote
6answers
395 views
What are some artistic techniques that can be performed with lenses?
I have recently been attempting to perform various different techniques for taking pictures, like using a tilt-shift lens, freelensing, HDR photography, and a couple others.
The styles that I want to ...
16
votes
5answers
1k views
When would one need manual focus override?
In lens reviews, ability to override auto-focus manually is often referred to as a good (and important) feature.
I have rarely, if ever used that feature, so I feel I might be missing out on an ...
11
votes
3answers
581 views
How do you photograph Christmas Lights?
How can you best photograph Christmas lights? I've had tons of problems, the auto-meters don't work at all, and I'm fairly clueless, other than to get a tripod and keep trying until something ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
How can I improve stitching of nadir and zenith shots in 360º hemispheric panos?
I am trying to implement full hemispheric panos as a product for Realtors and for another project I am working on, but am having problems with my software stitching the zenith and nadir points. My ...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
How do you use dodge and burn in post-process to enhance a photograph?
How do you use dodge and burn in post-process to enhance a photograph?
In lightroom, I've used dodge only to dial back some of the more drastic global settings in specific areas, but that's really ...
7
votes
5answers
671 views
How to avoid dark window when shooting from inside
I am shooting a window with heavy sun light on it. When I get far enough from the window, the yellow curtain does not become too dark and is somehow visible (the second image). But as I get closer to ...
7
votes
3answers
651 views
Is Center-weighted metering a type of spot-metering?
Does center-weighted metering use the same camera/lens adjustments as spot metering with the exception of the focus which is in the center? Or is there a technical difference in the way ...
5
votes
3answers
958 views
How do I get crisp indoor or low light images from my point and shoot?
I have a digital camera Canon PowerShot. I notice when I try to take any pictures other than a non-zoom, outdoor picture in good lighting the picture comes out blurry and grainy. I have tried a ...
3
votes
2answers
720 views
Is it really better to not half-press to focus with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1?
Fujifilm's new camera uses contrast-detect autofocus, and the current Internet hand-wringing is over whether this is a horrible critical flaw or not. As often happens in such discussion, a bit of ...
9
votes
2answers
674 views
How do I get adequate depth of field in macro photography?
I have been messing around with some Macro Photography using the techniques (and a reversal ring) described in a blog post by @ElendilTheTall My main issue is that I am having a hard time getting the ...
7
votes
3answers
290 views
What tips can you offer to take pictures of dogs?
Okay, so a friend of mine asked about photographing his dogs, and I realized that I really don't have much of a clue what are the best ways to photograph pets. I can take a few stabs at it, but I ...
6
votes
4answers
550 views
Should I prefer raising ISO or lowering the shutter speed in a low light condition?
Example:
1. A "still" object/scene.
2. Night time.
3. The only light source you have is: a tubelight on a wall.
Provided, you want sharpness all around so you won't maximize the aperture.
Flash ...
5
votes
3answers
214 views
Taking sports and action shots with regular lenses
I do not shoot action or sports photos. I was asked to shoot a friend's soccer game. I am not looking for perfect magazine quality images; however, I'd like to maximize the quality of my shots with ...
5
votes
1answer
386 views
What is the logic behind “Brother Backlit Sky” in the book Understanding Exposure?
I don't know if this question is too specific, but after reading Understanding Exposure, I can't understand very well the reasons and logic behind Brother Backlit Sky and their brothers. Although I ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
What's the best way to take a picture of an LCD or CRT screen?
I have seen many bad pictures of LCD and CRT screens. How do I get a good picture of an LCD or CRT screen?
4
votes
2answers
225 views
Why do the noon skies look nasty in these photos, and what can I do about it?
Posted for evaluation. Why is the sky so nasty? These images where shot at high noon with a polarizer. Is there a way to "clean up" the sky. Keep in mind also these have already been processed in post ...
3
votes
2answers
365 views
What does it mean to produce a single photograph using “525 separate exposures”?
Per this question I looked at this article and in the second entry labeled "People and Space: winner" there is that quote from the photographer that it was produced using "525 separate exposures". [*] ...
1
vote
3answers
161 views
What flash unit should I choose for taking photos on a night boat cruise?
I'm going to a boat cruise tonight in London. With the following kit to choose from:
Nikon D7000
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8
Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6
Nikon SB-400
Yongnuo YN-465
I need to make a choice ...
