Ever had a situation where you were trying to manual focus on something that was very difficult to see in your view finder?  Maybe it is a subject very far away, or maybe you are using a very shallow depth of field and you can't quite tell if the exact plane you want is tack sharp.

If you have a relatively modern DSLR, you switch your camera into "live view" mode.  In live view you can now see your composition on the back of the camera.  Now, using the zoom feature on your camera (much the same way you would zoom on an image after you shoot to check focus), you can zoom in super close on the area you wish to have tack sharp.  Adjust your manual focus ring until you've got what you need, then turn off the "live view" mode. 

Shoot your photo and you'll have perfect focus, even on subject which you can barely see in your view finder.  Works like a champ.

The internet is full of camera reviews ready to tell you what camera to buy.  The problem is, that more often than not, what you are getting is a long list of features and statistics which mean little to the average first time DSLR buyer.  Often laypersons get sucked into a specific camera based on a feature set which sound "neato" but in reality has little or no importance at all in how you use your camera.  The features which truly matter are often downplayed (or deliberately excluded) from the marketing materials so that manufacturers can focus on their latest gimmick.

The following article covers those features/attributes of DSLR cameras which are most often presented in reviews, and attempts to explain their importance (or complete lack of importance) and where to focus your research.

This excerpt from The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques by Joseph Mascelli kinda below my mind with how easily it explains good composition.  It really does cut through all those "rules" (which have their place for sure, but I think boil down to this overall theme of simplicity described below).

“The secret of good composition can be explained in one word: simplicity. A complicated or cluttered composition, even though it obeys all rules of good composition, will not be as effective as a simple one. Simplicity does not imply starkness. A simple composition is economical in use of line, form, mass and movement; includes only one center of interest; has unified style which harmoniously integrates camera angles lighting, tonal and color values.

Fall is an amazing time to photograph landscapes and nature, however, just pointing the camera at the pretty colors is not likely to get you a wall hanging.  Even if it does, it's just a wall hanging like a thousand others.  So what can you do to help spice up the your fall photography?  Here's some ideas which may help inspire a better day of shooting on your next fall photography trip.

It’s not necessary to take a trip to somewhere exotic just to get an interesting photo.  Everyday life is filled with amazing photo opportunities and often they can be found right within your own neighborhood.   Urban areas are prime with ever changing subject matter and circumstance, so grab your camera and see what  you can find within the borders of your own city or town.  The following article is full of great advice on how to make the most from a jaunt around around town with your camera in hand.

Just a few quick pointers to help improve your portrait photographs.

• If you use strobes instead of continuous hot lights, you will get larger pupils from your subject.  Nearly always this is considered more attractive and engaging.  (note: if you can’t get the large pupils naturally you can still get them in Photoshop.)
• Try and get a “catch light” in the person’s eyes.  That is the little cresent shape highlight caused by reflections of lights in a person’s eye.  (once again, this can be done in post, but looks better if you can do it on location.)
• Use your subject’s far cheek as a background for the nose.  By this I mean don’t let the outline of a person’s nose extend beyond the cheek.  That draws lots of attention to the nose and exaggerates any imperfections.
• When shooting a full figure.  Shooting from belly button level instead of standing level will make the person look taller.

HDR Hotography is a relatively new way of taking photographs which allows for new frontiers in artistic expression by the photographer and new advances in image capture by your camera.  The basic concept of HDR is the blending of multiple exposures to produce a wider range of visible details in a photograph.  That's the short description.  If your ready to dig into the detailed step by step instructions on creating HDR photos both in your camera and on the computer, then please read on.

Copyright laws and registration of photography images is complex and no fun at all.  Not for us artistic types anyway.  So more often than not, photographers know little to nothing about what their rights are and more importantly how to protect their work.  The following article is not going to dive into too much of that since entire books can be written on the subject.  What you will find below is a brief overview of your rights.  Then I tell you why it’s all for nothing if you do not register your artwork as well with the government.  Finally and most usefully I take you step by step through the registration process to show how relatively easy it is to protect your work.  This is basic information you can’t do without as a photographer or visual artist.

The following tips are a consolidation of ideas I picked up from listening to an interview with Ami Vitale.   I highly recommend watching/listening to the entire video as there is a whole lot more to the interview than these few bullet point.  The actual full interview can be found within the PhotoShelter Blog ( PhotoShelter website ).  You will find many great interviews and blog insightful articles on the photoshelter site.

Architectural Photography: Photographing a building or home can involve a whole lot more than one might think.  There are a myriad of issues to deal with and because so much of a good architectural shot is done in post production, you must make sure that all the necessary photos were done right before you hit the lab.   I’ve written out some great things for you to consider while doing your architecture photography (in particular for Realty Photography where homes are involved).