‘Camera Corner’ Archives
Annie Leibovitz $50M Archive
Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz has serious financial problems. She has a $24 million dollar loan coming due. How does someone that makes millions of dollars get to be $24 million in debt? To pay off that loan she is selling her lifetime photographic work. Some have [Read More]
For Photographers, Time Is Money
Most people get involved in photography because they want to create some kind of art. But if you want to make a living as a pro photographer, you must approach photography from a business perspective. Suppose you own a retail photography studio and want to earn enough to [Read More]
Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
This is the kit lens that comes with the new Nikon D700 digital SLR. It is a midrange 5x zoom that goes from wide angle to telephoto. This is not going to be a technical review of the lens. For that, try this Lab Test Report on photozone. This is just my impressions using [Read More]
Photo Tip: Set White Balance Manually
Back in the days of film, there were only two kinds of film: daylight and tungsten. Most pros shot on transparency film and most of that was daylight balanced, which is 5500 degrees Kelvin. Type B Tungsten film is balanced for 3200 K. (Less common Type A Tungsten film is [Read More]
John Knoll: Expose To The Right
Here is a fascinating article from luminous-landscape.com about Photoshop creator John Knoll’s ideas about exposure for digital photography. This is a must read if you are shooting Camera RAW format. Maximizing S/N Ratio in Digital Photography The takeaway seems to be [Read More]
Nikon D700 Full Frame Digital SLR
I recently reported that I have been shooting with an entry level digital SLR for the past five years– a circa 2004 Canon EOS Digital Rebel. The Rebel has a cropped sensor which means it is much smaller than a standard 35mm film frame. Well I finally moved up to a [Read More]
Zeiss Lenses for Nikon and Canon
When it comes to optics, no name is more respected than Carl Zeiss. The best lenses in the world have been made by the German lens maker Carl Zeiss since the 1840s. High end camera makers like Swedish Hasselblad have exclusively used Zeiss lenses for decades. And [Read More]
My Take on Shooting RAW or JPEG
Photos courtesy of Amazing Travel Photos The question whether to shoot RAW or JPEG with a digital SLR was address in this article RAW vs. JPEG. The basic conclusion seemed to be that RAW allows more flexibility and theoretically higher quality, while JPEG is simpler and [Read More]
My First Digital SLR: Canon EOS Digital Rebel
A lot of people ask me what kind of camera I use. Sometimes when a citizen sees me on the street working with a model they remark that I must have an expensive professional camera. Well I am rather embarrassed to say that I use a cheap digital camera. It is a Canon EOS [Read More]
Digital Camera Sensor Size
In a previous article I wrote how the sensor size in your digital camera makes a big difference in image quality. All other things being equal, bigger sensors are better. But camera manufacturers make it difficult to find out how big your camera’s sensor is. Here is a [Read More]
Ideal Day Jobs for Photographers
Some photo bloggers have been writing about the sorry state of the photography business. The latest story making the rounds is about how Time Magazine paid $30 for a cover photo. See Time Magazine Cover Photo Ripoff from photographer and blogger Mark Stout for a discussion [Read More]
Has the Internet Devalued Photography?
Track the value of photography over past 20 years. [Read More]
Does the Camera Body Matter?
A novice photographer asks: “Does the camera body have any effect on image quality? Can I get a top-quality image with a consumer-level camera, or should I spend big bucks on a Pro camera? Lens and Film Stock Back in the days of film the two most important things with [Read More]
Photography or Photoshop?
Sometimes we see a great picture that could only have been created with Photoshop. There is heavy compositing, retouching and image manipulation that would be impractically to accomplish in-camera. Inevitably, someone asks: After all that manipulation, is the image even a [Read More]
Old Is Beautiful
In photography, old is beautiful. Now you probably thinking, “You’re just saying that because your old! We all know that people are most beautiful when they are young.” Yes, there is certainly beauty in youth. But I am talking about things: buildings, [Read More]
Cameramen Wear Many Hats
A fashion photoshoot is not unlike shooting a scene for a movie. In both cases you are capturing the performance of the talent on film. For a movie it involves takes of an actor at 24 frames per second on motion picture film. For a photoshoot it is still frames of a photo [Read More]
Abandoned Places
Belgian photographer and airline plot Henk van Rensbergen photographs old, abandoned buildings with smashed windows, empty factories overgrown with plants and vines, and obsolete industrial complexes that are slowly being reclaimed by mother nature. It is quite beautiful [Read More]
Photo Tip: Strobe on a Stick
Here is another tip for photographers doing doing photoshoots with models: Take the flash off the camera and put it on a stick One of the easiest ways to improve your pictures is to take the flash or strobe off the camera and put it on a stand off to the side. This is how [Read More]
Photo Tip: Use Manual Exposure Control
Here is a tip for photographers doing doing photoshoots with models: Always Use Manual Exposure Control What I do is use an incident light meter with a dome. I have a Minolta Autometer IV F which I have used for about 15 or 20 years. Set it to ambient mode and take an [Read More]
The Best Season for Location Photography
What is the best time of year for location photography? Now! Models will often ask when is the best time for shooting on location in southern California. The answer is during the winter. January and February are the best months. Now I know it can get cold posing in a bikini [Read More]
