Photo How To

For those on a budget it’s tempting to purchase an inexpensive 2X teleconverter to double the focal length of a lens you already own, instead of spending big bucks on a powerful super-telephoto zoom. But does this really make sense in terms of image quality, or are you better off just cropping your photos?

As we’ve mentioned in the past, photographers tend to think Adobe created Photoshop exclusively for them. But the truth is there are many other types of avid users, from graphic designers and art directors to web designers and other content creators.

The wide-angle lens is a popular choice for capturing expansive landscape vistas, travel photos, and architectural shots. But depending upon the scene, your vantage point, and whether or not you’re able to avoid tilting the camera up or down, unsightly perspective distortion may occur.

Sometimes you take a photograph and while the main subject looks great, the background is really weak. The solution is to simply place your subject against a more interesting background, right? Well, not so fast.

Serious landscape photographers tend to carry a lot of lens filters, including those for enhancing colors, to others that reduce the amount of light entering the camera and enable slow shutter speed effects. In the video below, you’ll see what an experienced pro says is the one filter he never leaves home without.

For those new to wildlife photography, birds provide a great opportunity for capturing impressive images. If you’re lucky enough to have a wildlife refuge nearby, that’s a great place to start. But you can also make some great photographs in your own backyard.

All photographers strive to make images with maximum sharpness and detail, but depending upon conditions that goal isn’t always easy to accomplish. Sometimes you can improve soft photos during the editing process, but the preferred approach is to use proper shooting techniques so you get what you want in the camera.