Digital Photography School published an article saying
Raw. It’s the ultimate test of someone’s acceptance of your status as a professional because it’s one of the first things that a mildly keen just-starting-out-er will pick up on in their search for photography knowledge. But even though it’s one of the first things you’ll likely learn, it’s also one of the most confusing elements for a beginner.
Read the full article here
Digital Photo Secrets writes;
We’ve spent so much time talking about what you should and shouldn’t do in photography that we often forget that there is a time and a place to break the rules. You’ve heard about the rule of thirds before, but did you know that it’s okay to break it every once in awhile? Or what about the assumption that your subject always has to be in focus? Did you know you can create some pretty surreal effects by leaving your subject unfocused?
Earthbound Light published an article that starts;
Users of Adobe Photoshop Elements have long envied some of the cool features only available in the full version of Photoshop. Chief among these is true layer masks. There are workarounds to add layer masks to Elements, but Adobe has finally given in and added the real thing to the new Elements 9.
Read the full article here.
Here are the projected image winners from the January competition for which the set subject was A Fork, A Hat and a Light Bulb.
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Forked Lighting | Feather in Cap Variation | A Lightbulb, a hat and a fork |
| Roger Lee | Fiona Nell | Marisa Baschiera |
 |  |  |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Boardwalk | Softly | Run Run Run |
| Roger Lee | Paddy Howes | Gavin Whiteford |
 |  |  |
The full list of projected image scores can be found in this PDF document
High key photography is a technique that can produce some stunning images, but it may not be self evident to many people how to get similar results. The trouble is, where do you start? If you are interested in creating beautiful high key shots, here are 12 unmissable tutorials to get you started and a few shots for inspiration.
Read more: Light Stalking » 12 Unmissable Tutorials on High Key Photography
Newer photographers often confuse terms like “zoom” and “telephoto”, so with that in mind here’s a short blog post brought to us by Canon New Zealand – SLR History that clarifies some of the terms used to describe lenses.
The most important part of what makes an SLR camera so versatile is the lens, and there is a huge variety of lenses available on the market today. Choosing the right lens is important, but it can often be a complicated and confusing process, especially with all the different types available.’ Chromatic aberration’, ‘fixed-focal-length’, and ‘aperture zooms’ are terms which confuse many of us, but with this simple overview about some basic types of camera lenses, their uses, and some interesting facts you may not have known, you’ll be snapping away with your new favourite lens in no time.
Camera Lens – A guide to a few of the different types on the market
In a blog post Kent Weakley writes
Okay many of us take this one for granted. However, in a recent class, a student asked me “which eye am I supposed to look through the camera’s viewfinder with?” The answer is – your dominant eye. We all have one eye that’s stronger than the other, or that we prefer more than the other.
He goes on to show how to determine which is your dominant eye and explain how those with left eye dominance have an advantage when using a DSLR. Read the full post at the link below.
Are You Using Your Correct Eye When Photographing?
Creative Commons image from familymwr taken by SGT Pablo Piedra.
Scott Kelby writes about ten things he would tell new Lightroom readers.
I got the idea for this post from an excellent post from Rob Sylvan (Rob is one of our Photoshop Help Desk gurus, as well as a Lightroom author and instructor), called “10 Things I Wish I Could Tell Every New Lightroom User.”
Rob’s article ran on Scott Bourne’s must-visit PhotoFocus.com site, and he had lots of really great tips for new users (here’s the direct link). I thought his idea was brillliant, and I sat down and started thinking about what I would tell new users, and then I thought I oughta do a similar post (with a different list of ten).
I was thinking of using a different name for mine, but then Rob wound up coming to to my Boston “Photoshop for Digital Photographers” seminar, and afterward he even gave me a ride to the airport. During that ride to the airport, although we didn’t talk about his post, I felt that somehow there was an implicit permission to run with his idea [
] so with apologies (and full credit) to Rob (and Scott Bourne), here’s my own list.
From the Digital Photography School blog.
Are you a stickler for little details? Well, if you’re a photographer, you had better be. Discovering the rule of thirds is a big milestone for any photographer. Suddenly, you realize that all you ever did before was center your subject right smack dab in the middle of the frame, because that’s where the camera’s focus grid is located. Makes sense right? The rule of thirds took you to new heights in your photographic journey, moving your subject off to one side or another in your frame, or to the top or bottom. But don’t some of these photos look a bit crowded being so close to either side of the frame? Sure it works in some cases, but what if there was still another rule you could incorporate into your photographic repertoire?
Divine Composition With Fibonacci’s Ratio (The Rule of Thirds on Steroids)
From the Earthbound Light blog.
Sometimes the question comes up as to why Adobe makes so many products that overlap each other in function. But sometimes the question gets asked a different way. With all these seemingly similar programs, which should you use? Here’s my take on sorting out what to make of Lightroom versus Photoshop versus Adobe Camera Raw versus Bridge.
Helderberg Photographic Society