New Article on Capital Photography Center

I just had a new article published on Capital Photography Center's website on the law and business. Please feel free to check it out. I've written about Capital Photography Center's classes before and I have taken quite a few classes with the company, as well. So, if you live in the DC-NOVA-MD area, definitely consider taking a class with them!

Infrared Photography: Life Pixel Experience

Before Christmas I decided that I would like to begin experimenting with infrared photography. To give you the short explanation, infrared photography enables you to capture the wavelengths of light that are usually not part of the visual spectrum. Modern cameras tend to filter out most infrared light. However, with infrared photography, the photographer uses film or a modified camera sensor sensitive to infrared light to capture the infrared light that would otherwise be filtered out. As a result, the photographer is able to create false color or black and white images with a dreamy, surreal effect. If you would like a more in-depth explanation on infrared light take a look at one of the following articles: introduction to infrared photography, what is infrared photography, or Wikipedia infrared photography.

Greetings World - I'm Back from My Hiatus

Greetings readers! I took a brief break for the holidays+January, but now that we are officially in February, I am BACK! So stay tuned for upcoming posts on such interesting topics as infrared photography and my adventures during Snowpocalypse!

Camera Gift Giving Guide: Mirrorless and Compact Cameras

Time for the second part of my camera gift giving guide -- 'tis the season for electronic toys in the form of mirrorless and compact cameras. I will begin by explaining the difference between the two types of cameras.

Difference Between Compact and Mirrorless Camera

What is a Compact Camera?

Compact cameras (also known as point and shoot cameras) tend to be small and very light. They are equipped with automatic mode and various "scene" modes such as fireworks, landscape, portrait, sport, etc. Unlike a DSLR, you cannot adjust settings such as aperture or shutter speed. It is meant for the person that wants to point and shoot, giving the camera full control over the settings.

What is a Mirrorless Camera?

Mirrorless cameras (also referred to as interchangeable lens systems) fall between a compact camera and a DSLR. Like compact cameras, these cameras tend to be light and are equipped with auto mode and multiple scene modes. However, unlike compact cameras, but similar to DSLRs, these cameras allow the user to change lenses and are equipped with aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual mode. Mirrorless cameras use smaller lenses and have smaller image sensors than DSLR cameras, but the image sensor of a mirrorless camera is much larger than that of a compact camera, which results in nicer images. Basically, a mirrorless camera offers you the versatility of a DSLR in the size of a compact camera.

Camera Gift Giving Guide: Nikon 3300, 5500, and 7200 DSLR

In light of the holiday season, I thought I would write a couple articles on camera gift giving. You might want to begin by reviewing my previous post on what you should think about when buying a new camera. The post will help you think about the type of features you need (or want) and will help you understand terms like "megapixels" and "sensor size" that are often throw around.

One thing to note, in this post, I will only touch upon entry-level DSLR cameras. All of these cameras have a cropped sensor meaning if you have old lenses from an old film camera, those lenses will produce a different sized image when used on any cropped sensor camera. Nikon uses the letters "DX" to identify a camera with a cropped sensor. I will write another post on full frame cameras, but be aware, full frame cameras are really geared more towards the semi-professional to professional photographer. In the meantime, check out this article if you are interested in learning more about the differences between a crop sensor and a full frame sensor.

DSLR - Nikon D3300, D5500, D7200

Now, let us begin this gift-giving guide by thinking about entry-level DSLR cameras. I am a Nikon girl -- always have been. I love the quality of the cameras, the lenses are amazing and I believe they offer a good value for the money.

Creative Mornings

Last month a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to attend one of the monthly talks held by Creative Mornings. Intrigued, I agreed to attend the event and decided to do a little research on this organization. I learned that Creative Mornings is a breakfast lecture series for the creative community. One Friday morning a month, attendees come together for coffee, breakfast and a chance to listen to a short talk. Each meeting is free of charge and open to anyone. While the program initially started in New York, cities all over the world now host Creative Mornings gatherings.

 Seeing as how this was my first event I did not know what to expect, but the experience was incredibly exciting and invigorating. The speaker for November in Washington D.C. was Kelly Towles an emerging street artist in DC. Aside from the energy I gained from simply being around creative people, I really enjoyed his talk because it served as a reminder that I need to believe in myself more.

Someone Stole My Work - What Should I Do?

If you put your work on the internet, eventually, one of your images will get stolen. When that happens you will likely feel a flurry of emotions -- shock, anger, frustration, and maybe even a little excitement (it is nice to be wanted). But, eventually, you will likely settle on anger and want justice.

Let me be clear, if you download an image off the internet without the author's permission, you are stealing. If you happen to "borrow" a site design or vector from another website, you are stealing. Unless the artistic creator explicitly states that you have a right to use their intellectual property for FREE, you do NOT have the right to download, use, or borrow anyone else's work (even for personal use). Besides, it is bad karma so just avoid it.