Archive for November, 2006
Stopping down a Canon EF lens
If you're used to manual lenses, you know how easy it is to stop them down. If you are a little bit more advanced than that, and have 'graduated' to more advanced lenses, stopping down a lens (i.e making the aperture smaller) while it is not attached to a camera body can get a little problematic. There is a way to do it, however...
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25 quick portraiture tips
#1: Take Advantage of Digital Features For Children Photos Sometimes posed shots do not turn out the best. #2: Get in Close! Don’t cut out someone’s face when taking portrait photos. #3: Shoot From a Kid’s Eye Level Let your digital photo show the world as it is seen by the eyes of a child.
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The Photoshop tool palette
The Palette is your single most important point of contact with Adobe Photoshop. Your palette might look slightly different from the picture on the left, depending on your version of the software, but most of it will be very similar or the same. Step 1 towards becoming a true Photoshop wizard is to master the tools - so here's a rundown of all of them, what they do, and how they can help you. You're welcome...
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New photo of the day contest
I quite frequently get e-mails for people who want me to promote their site, and I can't blame them. After all, this website rules more than words can possibly describe (I guess I've been reading a little too much of Maddox' work recently). A large proportion of the sites I get e-mails about are various competitions etc, and most of them are complete and utter rubbish. So when I got an e-mail from Will, suggesting I have a look at his photo of the day competition website, I was elated - finally, a decent example of how it should be done!
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Digital workflow
So, I have a shitload of photos. I don't know how many, actually, but there are a fair few - about 35 thousand, i reckon. And somehow, I manage to keep them organised. Mostly. I'm a strong believer in finding your own way of working, and my system isn't without flaws, but if you can draw any experience or help from any of this - all the better!
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New entry-level Nikon
Blah-blah-Photocritic doesn't write about products-blah-blah-whatever. I'm excited about the launch of the new Nikon D40, and I'm a self-professed Canon man, so god knows you should be excited too! The D40 is the newest, most inexpensive member of Nikon's entry-level digital SRL range, announced only a few days ago. To reduce cost, some features of the D50 have been simplified to give a suggested retail price of only US$600 with the 18-55mm G-II kit lens.
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Event photography
One of the many ways you can make money as a photographer is to specialise on events. Weddings, christenings, and all sorts of other events where people make memories can be lucrative business. The great thing is that all you need is a good camera, lots of memory cards, and some business cards. Let me show you how...
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Go on, indie kid, you know you want to.
So, you're a fan of independent cinema, are you? How do you feel about turning your photos into what could have been still frames from an indie movie? I found a tutorial that does just that over on Art World, but to be honest, I thought it wasn't well enough thought through, and in addition, I immediately spotted a couple of possibilities for improvement... So here's my take on the same subject!
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Photocritic celebrates 1st anniversary!
I'm not one for lame internet acronyms, but I think OMG is in order in this case. Photocritic - also known as the very page you are reading right now - is about to celebrate its 1st birthday! Keep reading for statistics, tidbits, big thank-yous, and other soppyness. Follow me, if you will, for a quick stroll in our archives, and note in particular the oldest entry, about Photo Matrices. The year was 2005, the month was November, and the date is a little bit fuzzy, because I have since imported all the posts into WordPress - the blog software powering Photocritic - but give or take a couple of days, Photocritic in its current inception was born a year ago today.
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Marketing your stock photos
When we first wrote about Photostockplus, a discussion was sparked as to whether there is any point in spending money to make money. I realise this whole thing is turning into a bit of a saga, but you guys keep asking such great questions that I can't let it lie. Long-term reader Andy asked: After reading the original post I was immediately interested in signing up for photostock plus. It sounds like a great idea. My only question is how effective are their marketers? Does the site get enough traffic that it wouldn’t be difficult to make a profit with a modest sized portfolio? Of course, they were all excellent questions, and I didn't have any of the answers. But hey, that's why I'm a journalist, right? So I decided to call up the company and interview them, to see if I can help find you guys some answers...
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My day job, if it can be called that, is being a writer. I've got one book out there so far and it's awesome, so go ahead and buy a copy! It's available from 
In front of you, five hyperactive men with guitars, drums, and microphones. Behind you, five thousand fans. In your hands, a camera... You're going to need more than just a little bit of good luck to pull this one off. That's where this book comes in.
Take a Canon EOS 450D. Attach a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens. Hit the streets of London. See what happens.
