More Satisfying Photos

Last week we talked about Image Stabilization, also variously referred to as Vibration Reduction, Anti-Shake and Anti-Blur. This week let’s look at a different feature that is often confused with Image Stabilization. Its name may sometimes sound similar but its function is completely different. This menu option, which is available only on SLR cameras, may [...]

Some cameras have a menu setting to turn noise reduction on or off. “Noise” is the random white or colored specks you sometimes see with long exposures. Noise may sometimes be referred to as “artifacts”, though technically these are something different. The technical name for the noise reduction process is called “Dark Field Subtraction”. (Clearly, [...]

“A 200 page manual? Really?” “All I want to do is push the button and have a great picture come out.” “I don’t want to have to take a college course to figure out how to turn the thing on!” Cameras have been doing basically the same thing since the early 1800s. So why is [...]

Continuing yesterday’s post on telling a story with flower photos, today I focus mostly on greenery. Strawberries grow so thick that you often can’t even see the bright red berries hidden under the carpet of green leaves. This was a small patch of strawberry plants, perhaps only as large as a suitcase. That necessitated a [...]

Not every photographic mistake ends up in a picture that is bound for instant deletion. Here is a case in point. This photo has a number of technical flaws and yet there is just something about it that I love. Yeah, I kind of wish the guy in the red Phillies cap and the girl [...]

Most “serious” photographers favor Aperture Priority. In fact, the more self-important ones have a disdain for almost any other setting and will often try to sell you on why you should only shoot in Aperture Priority. Aperture Priority can be a very useful shooting mode but there is a case to be made for all [...]

Automatic is the all-purpose setting most people use 90% of the time. On simpler cameras, it may be the only mode (or one of the few) available. It is generally indicated by the word AUTO, a green outlined box or a picture of a camera. Automatic mode is convenient in that you can just quickly [...]