Team BetterPhoto

New Book: How to Photograph Light

Here's a deceptively simple rule: Start paying more attention to the quality of natural light and your photographs will more consistently match your hopes - and your vision.

That's the theme of a new book co-authored by Jim Miotke and Kerry Drager! In The BetterPhoto Guide to Photographing Light, Jim and Kerry discuss - in words and images - such topics as the direction of light, sunrise and sunset, the color of light, moody and dramatic light, the beauty of overcast light, and so much more.

Also covered are techniques for fixing lighting problems: i.e., fill flash, reflectors, and High Dynamic Range (HDR). In addition, the authors cover tricky exposure situations, such as backlighting, snow photography, and low light.

Of course, sometimes you simply have no choice regarding the light. Parades, sporting events, festivals, and other special activities routinely occur in less-than-inspiring lighting conditions. But nonetheless, a good understanding of natural light will help you shoot in not-so-stellar conditions. A key theme of this book is to help you make the most of whatever light you have.

In The BetterPhoto Guide to Photographing Light, you'll learn how to take your photography to new artistic heights!


Book Details:

The BetterPhoto Guide to Photographing Light
Subtitled: How to Capture Stunning Light in Any Situation
By Jim Miotke and Kerry Drager
Published 2012 by Amphoto Books

24-Hour Special: Website Super Sale Returns Thursday!

BetterPhoto's recent 2-for-1 Website Super Sale was such a success. The response was truly amazing!

However, we've heard from many of you who missed out on this opportunity. So, due to popular demand, we are bringing back this special sale for one big 24-hour blast: this Thursday (April 26th, 2012).

You get your choice of either a Deluxe BetterPholio or a Pro BetterPholio, and you receive 2 years for the price of 1. Offer is good for both new sign-ups and renewals.

These websites for photographers are quick and easy to set up, and quick and easy to update. Plus, you have your choice of many unique designs.

(The fine print: Orders must be paid in full, and this sale cannot be used in combination with any other discount.)

Remember, BetterPhoto's 24-Hour Website Super Sale runs this Thursday only (April 26th). Feel free to spread the word, and have fun showcasing your photography!

White Balance: How to Keep It Simple!

By Kerry Drager

White Balance is a popular - and confusing - topic in digital photography. And it's no wonder, considering all the presets and custom options. That's why many photographers simply set the WB on automatic and forget about it. But auto WB can be unreliable at times, with the colors in the photo failing to match the colors that attracted you to the scene in the first place.

In our books - The BetterPhoto Guide to Creative Digital Photography and The BetterPhoto Guide to Photographing Light - Jim Miotke and I point out our preference for using a Daylight or Sunlight white balance throughout the day - from dawn to dusk. Periodically, we'll switch the WB setting (i.e., when shooting in blue-tinted shade on a sunny day or when heading indoors under artificial lighting). Otherwise, Daylight/Sunlight produces the colors just as we want them, so we rarely have to tweak things in the digital darkroom.

One of BetterPhoto's top pros - Jim Zuckerman - uses this WB workflow, too. Check out his beautiful photo and his excellent thoughts on the subject...

(c) Jim Zuckerman

Says Jim Z: "There are many things to think about when you take pictures, both technical and artistic. When you are shooting under the pressure of time (such as things are changing fast and if you hesitate you’ll lose the shot), it makes sense to simplify the things you have to consider. Even when photographing static subjects like the waterwheel in Guildhall, Vermont, I prefer to concentrate on the composition, the light, the depth of field, and the background, and I try to eliminate unnecessary considerations.

"That’s why I always use daylight white balance for all of my outdoor shooting. It produces the best color at sunrise and sunset, and if I find myself taking pictures in shade or after the sun went down, as was the case with this waterwheel, the pictures will have a slight bluish cast that I either accept (which I do most of the time) or I tweak the image in Adobe Camera Raw with the ‘temperature’ slider. It takes only a moment to warm up an image if that’s the look I want, and that saves me from diverting my attention from the important task of getting the picture in the first place."


Editor's Notes:

• Jim Zuckerman is a top stock photographer and published author who teaches many excellent online photography courses at BetterPhoto.com, including Perfect Digital Exposure and Taking the Mystery Out of Flash Photography.

• Jim Z is also a contributor to both of the upcoming BetterPhoto Guide books (co-authored by Jim Miotke and Kerry Drager): The BetterPhoto Guide to Creative Digital Photography (subtitled "Learn to Master Composition, Color, and Design") and The BetterPhoto Guide to Photographing Light (subtitled "Learn to Capture Stunning Light in any Situation", and due out in April 2012).

Special Offer Ends January 19th!

At BetterPhoto's online digital photography school, we have been blown away by the number of people who have joined our new and improved Master Photographer Training Program.

And more good news! Due to its popularity, the special bonus offer - a free coaching session with BetterPhoto founder Jim Miotke - has been extended until 6 p.m. this Thursday (Jan. 19th) Pacific time.

Get Better Family Holiday Photos!

Over at BetterPhoto Instructor Insights, Peter Burian has shared some excellent tips and techniques for capturing great holiday pictures of your family. Here's a direct link to the blog:

How to Get Better Family Holiday Photos

Member Spotlight: Cindy Hamilton

(c) Cindy Hamilton

BetterPhoto has been really important in my life since spring of 2005. It seems hard to believe that every day I react to the Photo of the Day as I open up my computer, and I’ve taken just about every course there is to take.

A group of us took Jim’s One Year Course, and many of us are still friends today! I have just gotten back from taking a portrait workshop in Knoxville with Terri Beloit, who lives just south of Seattle. She’s been a friend since that One Year Class and we still manage to get together once a year or more.  Despite the fact that the workshop was about people, we managed to get in two days of nature/landscape photography in the Smoky Mountains first! There are so many friends from that group, and we still connect either personally or through Facebook.

I have been a photographer for only about 12 years. My first “good” camera was a Nikon film camera and I still use many of my lenses from that. What really jogged me into taking photography more seriously was the advent of digital cameras combined with finding Better Photo!

As a former teacher for 42 years, married to a college professor, I love to travel, since we would mutually have summers off. We have traveled to Russia, and much of western Europe and have relished every minute of capturing those trips. I only wish I had had the skills then that I am developing now, for way better pictures. Many of my favorite classes at Better Photo have had to do with travel photography.

I am most inspired by capturing humor in my pictures whenever I can. Capturing the beauty in a child’s face is exhilarating, but it’s even better when that face shows surprise, or love, or heart-tugging emotion, and a genuine belly laugh is contagious.

Given a good mix of photographing children/families and some beautiful scenery and street scenes, I can be content for hours. I love relaxing photography when I can wait for the sunrise or sunset, but I love the rush of a fast child session, too.

If I could return to one place to take better photographs than the last time, it would be Ireland. I would take my 70-200 lens, one wide angle lens and my 50mm lens, or the new 24-120 lens, which is great for travel.

I still haven’t decided what kind of photographer I’m going to be when I grow up!

Cindy Hamilton

See more of Cindy's work in her Website

This photo of Cindy was taken by Terri Beloit

Member Spotlight: Fran Saunders

Fran Saunders

There are two things in art that move me: those that touch my heart and those that excite my senses.  I am, therefore, drawn to images that show emotions and those that make me feel as if I’ve been touched.    On the one hand, I love to photograph human and animal expressions that reveal something about the way the subjects are feeling or thinking.  On the other, my images tend toward texture shots, those that show detail, surface patterns and depth.

(c) Fran Saunders

It has taken me a long time to discover these inclinations.  Long ago, a psychology professor said I was a “touchy-feely” type person and surrounded myself with the sensations of different textures.   She thought that because I was severely hearing-impaired, my other senses, particularly my eyes and sense of touch were more meaningful to me.  Then, a several years ago, a visitor to my very first solo exhibition said, “Is it true to say that you see beauty in simple things?”  And more recently, a fellow artist remarked on how she loved the detail in my images.  They say you should listen to your viewers, and how true that seems to me now.  After heading in a trillion different directions with my art, I am now settling into my personal style and hope to be doing more of this type of work in the future.

(c) Fran Saunders

(c) Fran Saunders

I was one of those baby boomers who loved her Kodak Brownie.  All through my life, I've had an avid interest in taking photos.  About a year before I retired in 2006, I received my first DSLR and have never looked back.  I'm firmly entrenched in the Canon family, where my 24-105mm f/4 is my street lens of choice, although I usually carry two or three to particular shoots.

Just before I retired  I also discovered BetterPhoto.com, and I've literally lost count of how many classes I've taken.  I now have a firm grounding in photographic principles and take classes many times just for the fun of it.  Of course, I need to push myself to see that the quality of my art matches my knowledge!  I've particularly enjoyed working with the many wonderful instructors at BP, and believe their critiques and interest in my work have inspired me to keep learning and growing, two things I hope will last a lifetime.

(c) Fran Saunders 

See more of Fran's work in her Premium Gallery

 

"I didn't feel like an artist"...can you relate?

                                    © Deborah  Sandidge                       © Deborah  Sandidge

During my review of our customer experiences, I check in with our students and read the reviews from their courses.  I saw this testimonial from one of Deborah Sandidge's students. When I read Susan's words, it echoed what we hear from a lot of our photographers, "I didn't feel like an artist before"

"I have always wanted to be an artist but never felt I had the talent. This class and the skills I acquired with Deb's help, started me on the path that until now I had only dreamed of. Although I am not that well versed in Photoshop, Deb was right there offering support and assistance. I was able to accomplish even more than I hoped for. She immediately responded to emails and requests for assistance and was quick with critiques and tips. She was extremely motivating and an excellent instructor! FINALLY I feel like an artist. Thank you Deb, for teaching this class and sharing your talents. Please create a part 2!" By Susan Shingleton member since: 5/27/2009

Was there a turning point with your photography that you felt you could call yourself a photographer or artist? We'd love to hear from you.

Deborah Sandidge is the author of the book, Digital Infrared Photography, teaches two excellent online photo courses right here at BetterPhoto.com: Digital Infrared Photography and Photoshop: Enhancing Images and Creating Works of Art.

161 BetterPhoto Enthusiasts - 108 cities

About BetterPhoto Meetups Everywhere

• 161 Photo Enthusiasts
• 108 cities

It's not too late! Join up now:

http://www.meetup.com/BetterPhoto/

Largest Meetups list

How to Use Off-Camera Flash Outdoors

By Kerry Drager

Longtime pro photographer and BetterPhoto instructor Jim Zuckerman offers lots of great tips and techniques on photography. Here are Jim's expert thoughts on using off-camera flash outdoors:

(c) Jim Zuckerman

"When I visit a place more than once," says Jim Z, "I try to come up with different ways of photographing subjects that I shot previously.

"A case in point is the stone carving (above) at the archeological site, Ephesus, in Turkey. I photographed it in the shade two years ago, so this time I used off-camera flash. This created texture and depth, and at the same time the rocks, dirt, and weeds that could be seen behind the ancient artwork became black and therefore unobtrusive.

"I triggered the flash with a Pocket Wizard and had another person hold it at about an 80-degree angle. I wanted to largely eliminate the effect of the ambient light, so I used the LCD monitor on the back of the camera to help me determine the exposure. I increased the shutter speed and reduced the size of the lens aperture until the ambient light was only contributing a small amount and the primary light source was the Canon 580 flash.

"Don’t think that professional photographers know exactly what settings to use in a situation like this. We don’t. Since we can’t know exactly what we will like until we see it, we simply use trial and error until it looks good."

NOTES:

• Learn more about Jim Zuckerman and his online photo courses.

• Jim Z is also a top contributor to two new BetterPhoto Guide books (co-authored by Jim Miotke and Kerry Drager): the just-published The BetterPhoto Guide to Creative Digital Photography and The BetterPhoto Guide to Photographing Light (due out in April 2012).