For beginners in the world of photography, getting a good grasp on the types of lenses available and when you might want to use them is an important step. So, given that there’s a lot of glass out there, we thought we’d share this basic lens intro from Pentax. Read more…

We’ve shared some funny pictures in the past that illustrate how distance, not focal length, changes perspective — but nothing beats a video walk through. So, in this short video, photographer Mike Browne explains why you should treat your zoom lens as a series of prime lenses, and not the equivalent of getting physically closer to your subject. Read more…

Over the past 12 years, I have spent countless hours finding myself in places that many would deem “the middle of nowhere.” I’m not there in awe of the bland landscape, yet instead I am staring up into the blue sky in hopes that the tiny little air molecules above me will develop into beastly, photogenic thunderstorms.
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After shooting music events, Perth-based photographer Perry DeGennaro keeps the media passes and wrist bands as mementos. Recently, however, he started realizing that he wanted a better way to store and display them. He had an old mannequin arm lying around, which he decided to put to good use by mounting it to his wall. The arm makes for an eye-catching display — every time he returns from an event, he simply hangs the lanyard from the should or wraps the wristband around the wrist.

Image credit: Photograph by Perry DeGennaro and used with permission

Want to win the most prestigious press photo contest in the world this year? It’s okay if you don’t shoot with the latest camera gear — just make sure your work stands out from things that have come before.
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Last week, we wrote on how you can use LEGO pieces to keep your lens caps on your camera strap when they’re not protecting your lenses. A reader named Fearn quickly pointed us to a similar tip published over at Sugru at the end of last year. Instead of using camera straps, however, they suggest tripods as a sturdy way of keeping track of the caps.
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Is your Adobe Lightroom running slowly on your computer? Adobe regularly receives questions through social media regarding sluggish photo editing, and recently decided to start compiling the non-traditional solutions that work onto a single helpful page. In the Lightroom Help section of the Adobe website, there’s now a page titled “Performance hints“.
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A couple of days ago, we featured a BTS video showing how portrait photographer Greg Heisler got a great Time magazine cover shot of Michael Phelps before the 2004 Olympics using some creative techniques and a lot of preparation.

In this video, part of the same Master Series, Heisler discusses photographic techniques and how they can actually mask your vision if you rely too heavily on them. Read more…

Photographer Zack Arias created this video titled Signal vs. Noise to help his fellow photogs refocus their lives and careers. His advice: “Look for the signal in your life, and not the noise.” Arias writes,

As 2012 was coming to an end [...] I felt as though my brain was full. There wasn’t any more room in it. I can’t take any more information. My head was filled with noise and trying to find anything of any substance was difficult. I would do my best to remember what I was going to the store to buy, but when I walked in the door I couldn’t remember. I’d sit in meetings with my studio manager where she would ask about the direction for the new year and I’d draw a blank. “I don’t know.” My mind was filled with thoughts but I couldn’t string them together in a coherent way to save my life.

Each year I take the month of December off from social media. I like to disappear, go work on stuff, and come back feeling fresh. Nearing the end of 2012 I knew I needed to leave all of that behind sooner than December and most likely stay off of it until the spring. My mind was stuck on static and the volume was set to eleven.

Arias has developed a number of strategies for strengthening signal and killing noise. Head on over to Scott Kelby’s blog for the whole shebang.

It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Zack Arias! [Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider]

Fungus is one of the banes of a camera lens’ existence. In humid environments, nasty things can begin to happen if some fungus spore-laden dust particles make their way into your lens. To prevent fungus from growing inside a lens, photographers often silica gel packets to control the amount of moisture in and around their glass.

For a fancier solution to this problem beyond simply stuffing desiccant packets inside your camera bag, check out BRNO’s dri+Cap System. It’s a set of lens and body caps that are designed to keep your lens elements nice and fungus free.
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