Outdoor Tips

It's back—our annual collection of ideas to keep you and your camera happily occupied for hours.

1. Don't Go Anywhere Without It!
It's a photographic truism that you can't get the picture if you don't have a camera. How many times have you missed out on a great shot—or at least, a nice record of something...

Ways to be bright when it gets dark.

Low-light photography can yield some amazingly striking and unusual images. But it also presents a problem. You need a fast enough shutter speed to prevent camera-shake-induced image blurring, and sometimes to "freeze" a moving subject. You often need to shoot at a small enough aperture to provide adequate depth of field. You want to use the...

Ask a group of photo enthusiasts what they have done recently to improve the quality of their images, and many will likely respond by describing the purchase of some fancy new piece of gear. Others may discuss the technical mastery of a new technique, while a few may credit a visit to an art gallery or museum for their newfound inspiration.

In fact, great photographs are rarely the result of...

Photography is all about light. But wherever there's light, there are shadows lurking nearby. And therein lie some great photo ops.

Exposing Shadows
Contrasty shadow scenes can fool reflected light meters, such as those built into cameras. A spot meter enables you to meter the most important highlight area, and determine an exposure that will give...

Back in our July 1998 issue, we gave you seven hot tips for great summer photos. As summer approaches this year, we present you with seven more hot summer photo tips.

1. Bug Somebody!

Summer bugs can be annoying. But they can also make great photo subjects—challenging, and rewarding. Because insects are on the smallish side, you'll probably need some type of close-up...

Sun & Games Fun with the sun...and more

1. Sun Stars
Your wide-angle lens at its smallest aperture can turn the sun into a star in your photos—fitting, since the sun actually is a star. The effect occurs because the tiny aperture diffracts the incoming light rays a lot. This diffraction causes the star effect. You can include the sun as a compositional. Photo by...

The world looks different from the air, and aerial photography thus offers some unique photo opportunities.

If you're not a pilot, probably the best way to get aerial photos through a flight school at your local general-aviation airport. Training planes can fly fairly slowly, and the instructors will be familiar with the area's airspace, and experienced at...