Archive for February, 2007

Be careful what you sign!

We've talked about how photo licencing works before, but it seems as if people are just not learning their lessons. So, as the newest instalment in our Photography Business article series, an important reminder... The newest horror story comes from a website called UK Expert. If you sign up to their website, and click 'ok' on the terms as conditions (Let's face it - when did you last read the terms and conditions to anything), they are trying to get you to sign over the copyright to your photos. Yikes! The lesson today? Read the terms and conditions before you upload any photos. Seriously.

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Doing a photo critique

I've spent a lot of my days critiqueing stuff. Back in the days, when I did a lot of writing, I went to Folkehøgskole. (kind of like an artistic boarding school where you faff about for a year while you decide what to do with your life. As far as I know, it's a Scandiwegian concept -- I've written more about the folkehøgskole over on Everything2.com). Part of the school idea was to give each other feed-back on writings done in class. Giving feed-back on something is really easy. Giving useful feedback on a subjective matter -- such as photography -- is, in fact, extremely difficult. That's why I've created sort of a check-list with some tips as to how I like to do critiques.

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Rediscovering black and white

In our newest instalment of the photo critique series, I'm taking a look at a series of black and white photographs taken by Kevin Bost. In the process, I'll be exploring why Black and White photography still has a valid place in today's colourful society...

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Clean your imaging sensor!

DSLR sensor chips collect dust. That is a Photoshop-time-consuming fact of digital life. At The Sun, whenever we send in our DSLRs to be otherwise repaired, one nice little bonus is that (along with the obscene repair bill) they come back with a freshly cleaned CCD. Which, of course, lasts for about a week. Two if you are lucky.

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Review: The Lensbaby lens

A good while ago (see this post), I discovered the phenomenon of the lensbaby lens. Basically, it's a bendable lens that you can use for creative effect. It means that you get what essentially is a tilt/shift lens which allows you to work with creative selective focus, extreme macro photography, and lots of creative freedom. I recently got my grubby paws on a Lensbaby, and ever since, I've been a complete convert. I recently spent 4 days exploring Madrid, and despite of having a lot of expensive glass, I ended up only using the Lensbaby lens throughout the whole trip.

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DIY Digital Picture Frames

Photo frames are an easy way to add some gusto to your images. The future of this particular business, of course, is digital photography frames. You just upload some of your favourite photos to the frame, and then the frame cycles through the photos for you. If the frame is cleverly enough disguised and lit, it looks like a perfectly normal frame, with the only difference that the photo changes before your very eyes!

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The rule of Thirds

What is this rule of thirds thing anyway? Basically, it's a rule of the thumb designed to help you compose powerful images. As with most rules in photography, it is important to learn it, understand it, and make it your friend, before you start breaking it. The biggest argument is that once you know what conventionally creates a strong photograph, you can make informed decisions as to how you can adapt and bend the rules to create even stronger compositions. The great thing about the rule of thirds is that you can use it as little or as much as you want: It's always there, and you use it when you need it.

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Don’t buy camera gear via Froogle etc

It's old advice, but it certainly hits the spot... Since the dawn of the commercial web we have been warned to not be suckered by "too good to be true" online deals. Keep your friends close and your credit card closer. Over and over scummy retailers are exposed but a quick name-change are back online trading their crap, fake or purely imaginary goods.

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White Balance Explained

You may have spotted the lightbulb, cloud, electricity and woodshed symbols on your camera's screen or menus. You may have also ignored them as being yet another degree of complexity that you don't need to know about. Alternatively, you may have seen people on the Internet earnestly discussing colour temperature and swearing by all sorts of essential products that will guarantee perfect results, if you re-mortgage your house this one last time. And ignored it as another expense that you can probably do without. Well that thing you're ignoring is one of the most powerful ways of making your photos convey the scene you wanted to capture: white balance.

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In defence of the Holga

Regular followers of Photocritic know I don't have a lot of time for the Holga, as illustrated in this post. The response to that post was ear-deafening: The blogosphere (ick I hate that word) went mental at me in the defence of the Holga. The other day, Robin McAulay tried to be a little bit more eloquent of the Holga. He succeeded, and offers the following guest article...

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