A camera is a tool for learning how to see
without a camera
With a multi-megapixel camera in every phone, photography has
become an integral part of daily life. Suddenly, everyone is a photographer. By
one definition, that’s true. By another, it’s not—access to a basket- ball
doesn’t a LeBron James make. This isn’t said out of snobbery. Unlike the
extreme physical abilities required to excel in professional sports, anyone has
the potential to become a better photographer, but it’s folly to equate a
smart- phone photo enhanced by Instagram filters with actual skill in the art.
As the quote from Dorothea Lange implies, “seeing” is at the core of successful
photographs, and it’s a practice that must be learned and refined, supported by
improving your technique. It seems so simple-point a lens, press a button. For
many, that’s all there is to photography. As a reader of Digital Photo,
however, you know how much more goes in to creating a truly good photograph.
It’s not just the subject, the light, the composition, the subject’s expression
nor the action unfolding before the lens that makes a photo something more than
a throw- away snapshot. It’s all of these things and more, and how the
photographer balances them, that elevates an image to something remarkable.
With a multi-megapixel
camera in every phone, photography has become an integral part of daily life.
Suddenly, everyone is a photographer
Now if all that sounds rather lofty, mastery of photography is
simply developing the technical skills needed to solve creative problems.
That’s what every issue of Digital Photo—and particularly our annual How-To
Special Issue—is conceived to help you do. In this issue, you’ll find tips and
tools to improve your photography in a variety of ways, from conceptual to
practical, shooting to postprocessing. Capturing fall colors is perennially
popular, and Meredith Winn offers ideas for getting beyond the grand land-
scape to find other ways to tell the story of the season’s transitions. Time of
day, inclement weather, patterns, reflections and the human element can all augment
traditional autumn scenics. One of Winn’s recommendations is to shoot during
the “golden hours,” the window just after sunrise and just before sunset, when
the sun is low in the sky, and the light is warm and flattering. This is
generally good advice, but more important is learning to “see” the light and
its many qualities. As this becomes second nature, you’ll be able to make
interesting images at any time of day—or at least know when to wait—using
concepts like direction, contrast and color to your advantage. Rick Sammon
explains six qualities of light to consider as you compose.
That’s what every issue of
Digital Photo—and particularly our annual How-To Special Issue—is conceived to
help you do
Sometimes, even the best lighting gear and techniques available to
us aren’t enough to handle extreme contrast of a scene. That’s where HDR, or
high dynamic range photography, can be of tremendous assistance. There’s a
broadly held misconception, or per- haps confusion, though, about what HDR actually
is and how it’s best executed. In “HDR Basics,” we explain true HDR technique,
using multiple exposures from a scene to rescue shadow and highlight details
that would be lost in a single exposure. On the equipment side, we look at some
exciting new technologies that are making it easier to get new photo perspectives.
The article “Remote Control” provides an overview of ways to trigger your
camera from a distance. Many new cameras can even be con- trolled by a
companion smartphone app, providing a live viewfinder and access to camera
settings, in addition to basic shutter release.
Many new cameras can even
be con- trolled by a companion smartphone app, providing a live viewfinder and
access to camera settings, in addition to basic shutter release
Another new technology that, while somewhat controversial, is
nevertheless a new frontier for photographers and videographers, is the aerial
drone. Surprisingly affordable, these systems let you survey the world from
above or explore it in new ways closer to the ground. Ryan Noll test-drives the
DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ in this issue, and has a lot of fun doing it. To really
be inspired, check out Philip Bloom’s cinematic “Koh Yao Noi” (shot with a Phantom
and GoPro Hero3+)
