There are countless stories of photographers who question themselves about whether they should or should not press that shutter button. In some cases that decision has led the photographer to a Pulitzer prize. Others, to a controversial discussion about the ethics and responsibilities of the photographer. Photo ethics is even a topic of study for almost all photojournalism majors in college. Ultimately it really boils down to what risk the photographer is willing to take and then living with that decision after. For most of us, as casual shooters not involved in the realm of journalism, the decision seldom, if ever, comes up. But it does happen. Take the events of 9-11 for instance. As the horrific scene of chaos unfolded almost every aspect of that day was captured by a camera. Not all of them were handled by professional journalists. I would even go out on a limb and guess the majority of the images from that day were from cell phones and point and shoots. Large, drastic event...

Meet Evan, my grandson, a precocious three year old. As you can see, he is quite comfortable being in front of the camera. I guess when you are born into the family of a photographer you come to accept having a camera in your face as normal. As you can see, he is quite the ham. Every time I point the camera at him he'll look into the lens and say "cheese". He is also fond of pressing the buttons on the back of the camera. At first it was just the fun of pressing buttons. As he became aware that the buttons actually do something he got a kick out of the preview button and the live view button. Trust me, he knows the difference.

There are times when I will take a photo without any clear idea of what I am going to do with it. It could be that something in the subject doesn't spark my creativity or I may have hurried through the process. Whatever the case, I will often take a photo just to document a location or event. We all do this. Such was the case with Motif No.1  located at Bradley Wharf in the harbor town of Rockport, Massachusetts earlier this year. You can see my version of the location here. Diane and I had gone there with a bunch of friends from a local camera group to photograph the various points of interest. Motif No.1 is a fairly famous attraction having been made famous by local artists including Lester Hornby and John Buckley . In this tutorial I am going to show you one process to take a ho-hum image and add a little pizzas to it. Several techniques are utilized that can be adapted and applied to your own work and I'll point those out. Overall, this is a very simple process...

It all started with a grand idea. Set up a large scale photo shoot with multiple stations, multiple models and a variety of lights for members to use and experience. Invite qualified members to showcase their talents manning the stations and, heavy sigh, hope for the best. It took months of planning, hours of late nights and the coordination of many people but, I have to admit, it was all well worth the planning. Everyone who put in their effort helped to make this first big event a roaring success. All the stops were pulled and everyone came through far beyond expectations. Far beyond expectations.

The internet is full of great photographers who are open and willing to share their knowledge with beginners. No matter what you are trying to learn, there is a tutorial, video or pod cast that goes along with it. As you start mining these resources you will come to find a favorite photographer or that one or two 'go to' sites. Here are a few YouTube channels that I found have overall good quality information for beginners and advanced shooters alike.

LCD4Video SB-60 Collapsible Speedlight Softbox Kit - 24" I love a bargain.  Who wouldn't?  If you have read some of my previous posts you know how much I love eBay. I recently received an email from a member informing me of a sale at ProCam.com on a strobist style softboxes (shown here from the seller's web site). You know, the kind that folds up nicely and fit on your speedlights. They are great for off-camera lighting. Of course I had to order a set. I have three speedlights in my arsenal but only one portable softbox between them--I had bought a similar one a while back on eBay for about $40 and I love it--so a couple more would complete my set. The ones on sale were listed as originally being $79.95. Of course I chuckled to myself at that price knowing that it was grossly over inflated. But I figured that at $20 bucks I couldn't go wrong. I actually received my order very quickly. I was surprised and delighted since I had a photo shoot that weekend I...

What was it like to shoot in the days of film? Those of us who have made the transition from film to digital have fond memories and mixed emotions about the change over. Some embrace the new technology while others miss the " good ol' days ". Myself, I love the vast possibilities digital offers and that is why my old film cameras currently reside in a drawer collecting dust. Recently I read a post on PhotoCamel.com   about how someone with a digital camera could replicate the feel (aggravation, frustration, suspense, joy...?) of shooting film. The ensuing forum conversation ranged from, "what's the purpose,"  to, "what a great idea!"  I thought I would share this little exercise with you.