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.

Understanding Your Camera's Metering, Exposure Compensation and White Balance Settings

Recently, I wrote a post on understanding light, which touched upon different types of light and the color of light. While I briefly referenced white balance and metering in my previous post, I thought it would be best to explore these settings in greater depth because you must understand metering, exposure compensation and white balance in order to properly account for light. Therefore, below you will find an explanation of the metering, exposure compensation and white balance settings on your camera and how to use each setting.

Metering

Metering is how your camera determines what the correct shutter speed and/or aperture should be depending upon the amount of light that enters the camera. Every camera usually has three different metering options, generally referred to as "center-weighted," "spot/partial," or "matrix (Nikon)/evaluative (Canon)." Each option works by assigning a relative weighting to the light in your scene.

Photography Books: How to Photograph Everything

One of my favorite photography books is How to Photograph Everything: Simple Techniques for Shooting Spectacular Images from the editors of Popular Photography. I enjoy this book because it combines beautiful photographs with simple tips on how to photograph over 40 different subjects. Specifically, the book offers suggestions on how to photograph fireworks, the night sky, food, abandoned spaces, concerts, and museums and aquariums. It also contains a brief introductory section on the basics of composition, color, exposure and lighting. If you are new to photography (or just do not use your camera frequently), you might consider investing in this book as it is certain to help you improve and expand your photography skills.

Know Your Rights: What Can You Photograph

Greetings world. Sorry for the posting hiatus, I've had the craziest couple of weeks -- moving + unpacking + trying to sell all of the extra stuff that would not fit into my new place has occupied most of my time. However, now that things are organized in a way that suits my OCD, I am ready to get back to writing!

In light of some of the articles in the news this week, I thought it would be good to write a post on what you can (and cannot) photograph. Knowing what you are and are not allowed to photograph is extremely important for every photographer, however, you should always remember that just because you are allowed to take a photo does not necessarily mean that you should.

Understanding Light

When it comes to photography, you need to understand light. Light is the difference between a good picture and a great picture. As a photographer, you should always be aware of the type and quality of light and you should use it to your advantage. Learning how to use light and produce your best photography in any light is not the easiest thing, but with a little time and practice you can learn how to use light best. 

Natural Light vs Artificial Light

There are basically two types of light -- natural and artificial. Natural light is any light that occurs naturally such as sunlight or candlelight. Artificial light is any light created by humans. Artificial light has a different color than natural light.

Hard Light and Soft Light

You may have heard the terms "hard light" and "soft light" before. Hard light is caused by a small directional light focused on the subject. Soft light, however, comes from a large or filtered light source.  Hard light creates harsh shadows and accentuates textures whereas soft light creates soft shadows and creates a range of tones bringing more detail to shadows. On a cloudy day, the harsh light of the sun is diffused by the clouds creating soft light. Reflected light is usually considered soft light as long as it is reflected from a large source.

Business of Photography: What Should Be In Your Photography Contract

As I have mentioned in previous posts, if you intend to start a photography business, you should always enter into a contract with your client. Contracts protect both you and your client by ensuring both parties understand their rights and obligations. However, unless you were an attorney or regularly reviewed contracts prior to starting your photography business, you probably do not know the type of information that should be in your contract. Generally, every contract contains the same basic information and your standard contract should incorporate this basic information, as well as, a few additional provisions that ensure adequate protection of your intellectual property.

Protecting Your Camera From the Elements

Sorry for the hiatus in posting -- I've been super sick the past week so I have not felt like writing anything. Now, however, I feel relatively better so get ready because new content is coming your way!

As Hurricane Joaquin moved along the eastern seaboard several weeks ago, and I hunkered down for a few days, I thought it would be a good time to prepare a post on how to protect your gear from the elements. I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen people carrying cameras in the rain or snow without any protection. You will often hear people say things like "oh, well these cameras are built tough so a little rain won't hurt it." Maybe a little rain will not hurt your camera today, but a little rain over a relatively long time will destroy your camera.

Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual Mode

One of the hard things to figure out after buying your first camera is when you should move out of automatic mode and into the more advanced options of aperture priority, shutter priority or manual mode. Well, my advice -- get out of automatic mode as quickly as possible and start working in aperture, shutter or manual mode.

Brief Explanation - Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO

Now, there are three principles you need to understand before you can move out of automatic: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Aperture

Aperture is the opening in the lens. When you press the shutter release button a hole opens inside your camera that allows your camera image sensor to see the scene you want to capture. The aperture that you select affects the size of that hole. The larger the hole, the more light that reaches the sensor and the smaller the hole, the less light that reaches the sensor. Aperture is measure in "f-stops." Large apertures are represented by low f-stop numbers whereas small apertures are represented by high f-stop numbers. An easy way to remember this -- the larger the number, the smaller the opening and the smaller the number, the larger the opening.

Business of Photography: Forming Your Business Entity

Congratulations on your decision to start your own photography business. You are embarking upon an exciting adventure that I am sure you will not regret. Well, now that you have made the decision to go out on your own you need to set up a business. While starting a business might seem like a daunting task, it is actually relatively simple -- if you know what you need to do.

Now, a quick disclaimer, this article is for general information purposes only. While I am an attorney, I am not your attorney and nothing in this article should be or is intended to be taken as legal advice. The receipt or viewing of this information is not intended to create any attorney-client relationship.

Most Valuable Photography Accessories

Whether you are just starting out with photography or simply looking to improve your setup, you will quickly realize that the right gear can definitely make your life easier. However, identifying the right gear can be a bit exhausting. Now, when I use the word "gear" I am referring specifically to camera accessories. Why the focus on accessories? Well, I do not believe purchasing new cameras and lenses should be a regular occurrence. Instead, I believe you should focus on taking care of your equipment. However, as with lenses, there are so many different accessories available on the market that you can easily find yourself purchasing equipment that you really do not need. Well, have no fear, I am here! Below is a list of the top 5 accessories I believe will be most valuable to you as a photographer and factors to consider when purchasing these items.

Become A Better Photographer: Go Look At Pretty Pictures

Yesterday evening I attended an event at National Geographic's Headquarters titled "Pope Francis and the New Vatican." As you may (or may not) have heard, National Geographic was granted special access to the pope and permission to document his daily life inside the Vatican. The images and story behind the experience grace the cover of the magazine's August 2015 issue. The event I attended consisted of a panel discussion, moderated by National Geographic's editor in chief, with writer Robert Draper, photographer Dave Yoder and Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Weurl. The magazine has also published a book with the same title as the event, which you can view or purchase here. The panel discussion was fascinating and the images were amazing. The event was the perfect end to what was an incredibly stressful day. As I left Nat Geo with more-than-a-little pep in my step I had the urgent need to go pick up my camera and start shooting. During my walk home, I realized that simply viewing great photography inspires me to BE a better photographer.

Business of Photography: Do I Need Insurance?

I recently submitted an article to Fstoppers that touched upon the legal issues you need to consider before starting a photography business. Naturally, my Fstoppers article was not all-inclusive so I wanted to take the time to touch upon another subject that many people often ask about -- insurance.

Do You Need Insurance?

Before diving into the different types of insurance available, I think it best if we take a moment to think about whether you even need insurance. Start by asking yourself two questions (1) what type of photography do I do and (2) is this my primary source of income. Once you have answered those two questions, make a list of your risks and potential liabilities. For example, a general portrait photographer likely has a smaller risk of loss than a wedding photographer. Wedding photography poses a unique set of challenges since the photographer is shooting once-in-a-lifetime events with large numbers of people. 

Photographers and all their (un)necessary gear

I have not posted at all this week as I have been enjoying a much needed vacation at the U.S. Open. I have been fortunate enough to see many great tennis matches, however I have also seen a lot of photographers and all of their gear. As I watched the guy next to me take out a very fancy and (admittedly) pretty cool dust blower for his camera lens in the middle of one great tennis match, I started to wonder why it is photographers always have so much gear.

If we really take a step back and think about it, my guess is most of us would realize that we likely do not need all of the gear we have. One of my friends recently purchased his first DSLR camera and within the first few weeks of acquiring his new toy, the two of us have already had multiple conversations about the various lenses he needs. During our first conversation I calmly and politely tried to steer him from investing his money in new lenses until he knew his camera and had mastered his current lens. At the end I jokingly said "are you suffering from G.A.S?" "Huh?" he replied. "G.A.S. = gear acquisition syndrome" I quickly responded. We both laughed and he assured me he was not in fact suffering from G.A.S. but I still could not help but wonder a little. 

You are a Business Person and a Photographer

In case you were wondering, I am a business person and a photographer. Oh, and so are you! Whether you are a new photographer or a seasoned veteran, there will likely come a point in your career where you will want to start selling your work. While it is fun to take pictures and display them for your friends and family, it is also nice to have a little residual income coming from something that you love. Well, this year I decided that I wanted to start making money from my photography so I built an online portfolio and began marketing myself. Unfortunately, I was not as well prepared for this undertaking as I originally thought.