Your Next Step: Simplifying Your Message
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
Recently, I have judged a few photo competitions. In doing so, I found myself making the same comments over and over again. It was helpful to me because I now think I have a clearer understanding of what you are struggling with in your photography (whether you know it or not) and how you can address it. First, let me talk about the things I’m not seeing photographers struggle with. For example, I’m not seeing pictures with exposure problems. Most photographer beyond true beginners seem to have that figured out. In addition, very often the pictures I see are reasonably well-composed ..read more
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Creating Super-Files for Huge Prints
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
Everyone wants to make big prints, and for the last few years that is something I have been doing a lot of. I have been making aluminum prints to display at art fairs that are, at a minimum, 36 inches long, going up to about 72 inches long (although I have gone to 96 inches long). Prints like this – especially when they have high detail – tend to amaze people, and at art fairs I get asked about 50 times a day how I do it. This shot of Downtown New York is actually made up of 25 pictures. With the camera tilted vertical, it is a 5-wide panorama and each shot consists of a 5-shot bracket.I ..read more
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The Importance of Location to Your Photography
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
It often gets said that “you can take a great photograph anywhere.“ I actually take issue with this statement, even though I acknowledge it is probably technically correct.  Is it possible to take a great photograph anywhere?  Sure, I suppose it is possible. It is just that it is extremely difficult and very unlikely in most locations.  I mean, you can stand in your kitchen and take pictures all day and it is possible that you might end up with a great shot or a gallery of images on your kitchen.  But it is so unlikely as to be meaningless. Very often, people I teach go out and take photograp ..read more
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Super Simple Flash
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
My wife and daughter at the Rallye Des Princesses in Paris – the sort of event you might want to “run and gun” with a flash. If you want to take amazing portraits with complete control over your flash unit, this article is not for you.  That is way beyond what we are going to do here.  Rather, this article is for those that want to “run and gun” with a flash unit (think wedding photographer at the reception).  It is also for those that are unfamiliar with using a flash unit and just want to dip their toe in the water.  In short, it is for those who want to get started with a simple flash met ..read more
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Do You Still Need to Learn Photoshop?
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
Most people are using Lightroom to edit their photos at this point.  We’ve also seen the rise of non-Adobe products like Luminar, Capture One, and other alternatives.  These will all do much of what we all used to use Photoshop for, and in many cases they are all the photographer really needs to dramatically improve their photos. That said, Photoshop is still the most powerful post-processing software on the planet.   But with that power comes an obtuse interface and a steep learning curve.  It took me a few years to even feel marginally proficient in Photoshop (and after many more years I’m ..read more
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Next Level Bracketing (Video)
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
Bracketing is one of the most useful tools in digital photography.  In this video we go beyond auto exposure bracketing (AEB) to see how you can take control of the process to make your pictures even better.     The post Next Level Bracketing (Video) appeared first on Outdoor Photo Academy ..read more
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Big Results from a Small Sensor (Video)
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
In this video tutorial, you’ll learn techniques to make your camera create files that rival – or exceed – those created by more expensive cameras with larger sensors. The post Big Results from a Small Sensor (Video) appeared first on Outdoor Photo Academy ..read more
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How Sensor Size Affects Your Photos (Video)
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
What is the real impact of different sensor sizes?  It can be confusing.  You’ve probably run into photographers that look down their noses at anything but full frame cameras.  At the same time, you may have heard from evangelists out there shouting about the greatness of micro 4/3 cameras.  So what impact does sensor size make?  Does it really matter? In this episode we take a look at how different sized digital sensors affect your photography.  You’ll see where it has a big impact and where it doesn’t in the areas of: resolution angle of view depth of field dynamic range low light perfo ..read more
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Picking a Tripod (Video)
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
Most of the advice you hear in the photography world tends to push you into buying a super-expensive tripod.  Usually that means spending $1000 or more.  That seems excessive to me, and I think you can get an excellent tripod that will suit all your needs for much less.  I recommend something in the range of $100 – 350.  Here is how I think you might go about doing that.     The post Picking a Tripod (Video) appeared first on Outdoor Photo Academy ..read more
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All About Neutral Density Filters (Video)
Outdoor Photo Academy
by Jim
4y ago
If you are not familiar with neutral density filters, I can promise you that adding one to your arsenal will dramatically impact your photography.  It puts you in control of the water, whether that is the waves of an ocean, currents in a creek, or the appearance of a downtown fountain.  It also allows you create movement in clouds.  As such, it is enormously useful to the outdoor photographer.  We’ve already talked about what to buy here and here and also what not to buy.  Now here is a video that ties it all together and shows you what you need to buy and use neutral density filters.     The ..read more
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