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January Table Of Contents
Staff  |  Dec 15, 2011  | 
On The Cover
While we don’t offer a formal “Buyer’s Guide” for this time of year we thought we’d bring you a host of gift ideas that (only) a photographer might love, including tripod heads, tabletop tripods, and the always popular gimbal mounts. And for good measure we mixed in a roundup of today’s most fashionable camera bags aimed at the distaff side and a trio of cameras that cover the gamut from advanced amateur to semipro.

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Newsletter
Telephoto Lenses: Up Close And Personal
Jim Zuckerman  |  Dec 15, 2011  | 
Photographers love telephoto lenses. We can’t always get close to the subjects we want to shoot, and a telephoto lens allows us to fill a significant part of the frame with them. That makes a picture with a lot of visual impact. Virtually all subjects are dramatized by the use of a telephoto—wildlife, children, sports, nature, architectural design, flowers, and more.
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Newsletter
Studio Photography: A Basic Setup Might Be All You Need
Jim Zuckerman  |  Dec 15, 2011  | 
Shooting in a studio intimidates a lot of photographers, but the truth is it’s not hard at all. There are a few basic lighting configurations to learn, and with the immediate feedback from the LCD monitor on the back of the camera, you can see immediately if you have the lighting, the pose, and the expression you want. In addition, you don’t need a huge space and it’s not necessary to spend thousands of dollars on lighting equipment. You can even set up a mini-studio with a $10 photoflood and a background with a white wall or a piece of black fabric.
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Newsletter
Monochrome Color: Seeing And Creating
Jim Zuckerman  |  Dec 15, 2011  | 
Monochromatic color themes have been around since the inception of photography. Toning black and white prints with a sepia toner was begun at a time when photographers could only dream of color. The noxious fumes made the darkroom work memorable, to say the least. With digital technology, we can get the same look of a toned print. When I first started learning Photoshop, I translated my knowledge of the darkroom into the digital world. In other words, I learned how to create in the computer the same effects that I had been creating in the darkroom.
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Newsletter
December Table Of Contents
Staff  |  Nov 21, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 01, 2011  | 
On The Cover
Are you thinking of turning pro? You should go for it, but not until you read this issue first. Through our exclusive interview with Chase Jarvis and our Twitter tips for photographers, you’ll see there is a lot more to marketing yourself than in the past. Business aside, we have breaking tech news: a new archival DVD called the M-Disc. We also have tests on the latest pro equipment to help take your photography to new levels. Our cover shot, by Lindsay Adler, shows what you can accomplish with Broncolor’s Senso lighting kit for example.

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Newsletter
Splash Of Color: Contrast Color With More Muted Tones
Jim Zuckerman  |  Nov 16, 2011  | 
One of the ways to draw attention to a subject is to find—or set up—brightly colored objects in an environment of a muted or earth-toned background. The eye is immediately drawn to color, and this is a poignant way to make a powerful and dynamic visual statement.
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Newsletter
Shocking Colors =Maximum Drama: Surprising Combinations Can Dazzle The Eye
Jim Zuckerman  |  Nov 16, 2011  | 
Photographing subjects with outrageous combinations of colors is a lot of fun. As great as complementary colors are, and as pleasing as subtlety and mood are, there’s nothing quite like color combinations that virtually knock your eyeballs out of their sockets! Combinations like orange and lime green, deep purple and red, and orange and magenta are extremely potent in drawing attention. Sometimes these juxtapositions of color are found in nature (surprisingly enough) but often they can only be found in man-made objects. One of the reasons I love photographing festivals is because the costuming is frequently shocking and outlandish.
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Newsletter
Mixing Color With Black And White: A Great Combo That’s Easy To Create
Jim Zuckerman  |  Nov 16, 2011  | 
Combining color with black and white is a way to focus attention on a subject or one aspect of a picture. This is similar to throwing a background out of focus so our concentration is directed to the in-focus part of an image, or placing a black background behind something so we have nothing else to look at except the subject. You make one area of a picture color and convert the rest of it to black and white, and it is a very unique way to direct a viewer’s attention where you want it.
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Newsletter
It’s the Photographer, Stupid!
Ron Leach  |  Nov 16, 2011  | 
When industry mavens get together to ponder the future of photography, all too often the discussion centers around megapixels, file formats, sensor configurations, optical design, storage options, and other technical minutiae. Of course there’s nothing wrong with those prognostications, particularly since many of us are techno-nerds. It’s also true that sophisticated tools undoubtedly play an important role in a photographers results.
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Newsletter
November Table Of Contents
Staff  |  Oct 17, 2011  |  First Published: Nov 01, 2011  | 
November 2011

On The Cover
This month we feature lighting tools, techniques, and tips from pros covering new gear, new lighting options, and some great lighting setups and ideas. Each of our product reviews contain tips as well and can help you decide which type of setup is best for the type of images you want to create. We cover lighting accessories as well, those modifiers that can help you make creative lighting decisions that bring a unique look to every image. Finally, we cover the wide range of wireless TTL lighting systems that can free you to make great shots in the studio, or on location. Our cover shot, by Lindsay Adler, shows just the kind of great effects you can achieve using the gear and tips featured in this special issue.

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Newsletter
The Power of Protest Photography
Ron Leach  |  Oct 17, 2011  | 
A “great” photograph isn’t necessarily a beautiful photograph. In fact, some of history’s most compelling images have been those that made a statement about contemporary culture or motivated people to support a cause. These days, the power of photography to instigate social change is perhaps most evident in documentary images of public protests here and abroad.

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What Is White Light?: How Your Camera “Sees” Color
Jim Zuckerman  |  Oct 17, 2011  | 
Many photographers use the term white light without knowing its precise definition in photography. After all, there are many types of lighting that we could be talking about, such as the sun, the lamps in our living room, fluorescent fixtures, open shade on an overcast day, late afternoon sunlight, a mercury vapor street lamp, or flash. Which one of these should set the standard by which we judge all other light?
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Newsletter
White On White: Exposure Techniques And Options
Jim Zuckerman  |  Oct 17, 2011  | 
One of my favorite color combinations is white on white and I want to introduce this approach to using color because the results can be so beautiful.

There is something ethereal and captivating about images that are devoid of the colors that we associate with the spectrum. Images that are primarily white seem pristine, intriguing, and they will complement virtually any type of home or office décor if you are looking to frame some of your photography.

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Newsletter
Window Light: Classic Illumination, Proper Exposure
Jim Zuckerman  |  Oct 17, 2011  | 
When I refer to window light, I am talking about the soft lighting that comes in through a window when it faces north or when the sky is overcast. This is one of the most attractive types of light photographers use, and it has been a source of inspiration for traditional artists over the centuries when they painted portraits of people, still life images, and the interiors of magnificent works of architecture.
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Newsletter
Photojournalism in the Digital Age
Ron Leach  |  Sep 20, 2011  | 
Ever since early man scrawled his thoughts and experiences on the inside of a cave, “journalists” have helped inform the public and shape the course of society. And never has the role of the reporter been more important than it is in today’s complicated, fast-paced world. While the Internet has opened the floodgates of news and information, it has also transformed how reporters, photojournalists and news organizations go about their business.
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