Jon Sienkiewicz Blog

For the legions of photographers who used film cameras in the past, a screw-in type photo filter is as normal as fingerprints on an iPhone. But for those who started their photographic journey with a digital, even the word filter can be confusing. Does it plug into Photoshop or screw into a lens? Are they like the AA filter that covers an imaging sensor, or do they fit in a Mister Coffee? If you don’t own any filters, you’re missing some fun. Here’s a quick guide to buying one for your DSLR camera.

Who needs an external hard drive these days? I mean, if you have the Cloud you have everything, no? Wrong! You do need at least one external hard drive in your life to back up your photos. Here’s a handy checklist to help you select the best model(s) for you.

Cleanliness is next to sharpliness, at least where camera lenses are concerned. A few specks of dust can be overlooked, but when the front element has been tagged with a thumbprint it’s time for cleaning. 

Shooting three film types at the same time was an impossible dream back in the days of film photography. But today with my Fujifilm X100F it becomes standard operating procedure. 

Shooting incredible color infrared (IR) photos is fascinating and surprisingly easy if you use the right tools and techniques. In this two-part story we first look at the conversion of a DSLR to shoot IR photos, and then later in Part 2 we explore everything you need to know to get great infrared imaging results (setting White Balance, Channel Swapping and post-processing techniques). Ready for some mind-blowing colors? Read on…

Do your friends often tell you that your photographs are so good you should become a professional? Do you sometimes stare blankly at the pages of National Geographic and hear a voice inside your head that says, “I can do better than that!”? Do you post on Instagram more than 70 times a week? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, read on—and unleash the master picture-taker that’s lurking in your soul.

You have common sense enough to know that you need a spare battery, high capacity memory cards, USB card reader and, for sure, a subscription to Shutterbug, so we won’t restate the obvious. But there are a few other things you really should have to maximize the fun and function of your new camera.