tip

DL Cade

Quick and Easy Trick For Adding a Black Background to Your Shots Anywhere

Photographer Glyn Dewis shared this cool little technique that lets you work with a black background even if you don't have an actual backdrop with you. It's a fairly common trick that he refers to as "the invisible black background," and it's a nifty little tip that many photographers may want to keep up their sleeve.

Michael Zhang

How to Save Instagram Photos Without Sharing Them on Instagram

Over 100 million people around the world snap photos with Instagram on their phones now. If you like the look of Instagram filters but would rather not broadcast the photographs to the world every time you snap a picture, there's actually a (semi-old) trick you can use to save the pics without sharing them (for iPhone users, at least): all you have to do is turn on "Airplane Mode."

DL Cade

Sea Lion Pup Jumps Into Diver’s Kayak, Makes for Great Photo Op

Have you ever wanted to get pics of cute sea lion or seal pups up close? Well, your best bet may be to grab your kayak or surf board and paddle out -- camera in hand. Scuba diver Rick Coleman discovered this on a recent dive trip off the coast of Southern California.

Michael Zhang

Use Gaffers Tape to Customize the Catch Lights In Your Subject’s Eyes

Photographer Nick Fancher tells us that he recently came up with an interesting way of customizing the catch light in subjects' eyes. If, in your portraiture, you place white or black foam boards to control the amount and direction of bounce light, you can also use white and black gaffers tape to control what goes on in your subjects' eyeballs!

Michael Zhang

YouTube Can Turn Your Photographs into a Slideshow In Just Minutes

Did you know that YouTube isn't just for uploading videos? Google's popular video hosting service also has a special feature designed just for photo slideshows. If you've never considered using YouTube for photos, you may have never noticed the option, but it's right there on the Upload page.

Michael Zhang

Add a Simple Lens Cap Mount to a Tripod Using LEGO Squares

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.

Michael Zhang

Your Breath Contains Harmful Acids That Can Damage Camera Lenses

Do you ever clean the front element of your lens by fogging it up with your breath and then wiping it off with a cloth? If so, you might want to stop -- Nikon says the practice could be damaging to your glass. Apparently human breath contains stuff that isn't too friendly toward camera lenses.

Michael Zhang

Snapping Pictures While You Vote Could Get You In Trouble with the Law

As you make your way to polling places today to cast your votes, you might want to look into your state's laws before pulling out your camera and snapping photographs inside your voting booth. Certain states have pretty strict laws with regard to snapping and sharing photographs of ballots. Earlier this year, Wisconsin election officials specifically warned voters that sharing photos of ballots on Facebook or Twitter is a Class I felony, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $10K fine.

Michael Zhang

The Benefit of Researching a Subject’s Life Before Shooting a Portrait

Here's a nice little video in which photographer Matthew Jordan Smith tells the story of a portrait session he had years ago with American actor/dancer/singer Gregory Hines. After finding himself in a sticky situation with a subject that wouldn't offer the personality and emotion Smith wanted to capture, he reached deep into the knowledge of Hines that he had accumulated through his research; one particular fact saved the shoot.

Michael Zhang

Inkonomics: Why It Pays to Pay a Little More When Buying a Photo Printer

In the market for a new photo printer and not sure what to buy? Here's a tip: shelling out a little more dough on the printer itself could potentially lead to massive savings over time.

The reason is ink, sometimes called "black gold" (or... "colored gold"?). The general rule of thumb in the printer industry is: the cheaper the printer, the more expensive it is to keep it filled with ink.

Michael Zhang

Overhead Bin Full? Pull Out Your Camera Prior to Checking In Your Bag

When overhead bins on airplanes fill up, flight attendants will often ask passengers to gate-check their carry-on bags. If this happens to you, be sure you take out your camera gear out of your bag prior to handing it over to the attendant. It's not just for peace of mind in knowing that your gear isn't being thrown around and abused: major airlines generally have provisions in their contracts that keep them from being held responsible for electronics in checked bags. If the camera is damaged or stolen, you might be out of luck.

Michael Zhang

Protect Your Camera Gear from Burglars by Keeping it In Your Kid’s Room

If you want to protect your pricey camera gear from burglars, one of the safest places in your house (besides a safe, of course) is one that might not be very obvious to you: your kid's room. The Readers Digest published a simple slideshow containing home-proofing tips gleaned from the minds of convicted burglars. One interesting tip is that burglars generally don't go into children's rooms when hunting for valuables to steal.

Michael Zhang

DSLR Acting Strange? Try Changing the Internal Clock Battery

If your DSLR ever dies in your arms or starts acting funny, here's a simple thing to check before shelling out money to have it examined by professionals: the camera's internal clock battery. Redditor Aero93 writes,

So my camera died out of nowhere. No matter what I did and tested, it wouldn't turn on. Canon quoted $400 to check the cam + labor parts. Independent repair guy was around $250. It was too much for me. I decided to tackle the problem on my own. I got the manual online. Started taking the camera apart. I got stuck on one thing.

After that, I started asking around on a forum. Somebody suggested I check the internal clock battery, I didn't even now it existed and its right next to the regular battery. I went out and bought a new one. Boom, camera fired right up.

The internal clock battery is the one that keeps the clock in your camera running even when the main battery is removed. They usually cost about a buck each.