techniques

The Difference Is Creative Intent

The Difference Is Creative Intent

Creativity isn’t about shooting randomly — it’s about seeing intentionally. Same setup, two different results. The difference? Creative intent.

The Glamour of Shooting Film

The Glamour of Shooting Film

Capturing the quiet mystery of a moonlit beach with 4×5 film—where craft, memory, and midnight tones come together in a soulful creative process.

A Gobo, a Snoot, and a Sandwich

A Gobo, a Snoot, and a Sandwich

Learn how I used an optical snoot, a few gobos, and a budget lens to create moody, window-style light for a tomato still life. Sandwiches included.

Creative Techniques Using Shutter Speed

Creative Techniques Using Shutter Speed

Shutter speed unlocks creative potential in photography—learn five techniques like motion blur, panning, and light painting to transform your images with artistic flair.

Organizing Digital and Film Portfolios

Organizing Digital and Film Portfolios

In today’s digital world, proper organization of your photography work is essential, whether you shoot film, digital, or both. This article explores how to manage the storage of both film and digital work.

FOCUS: A Study In Creative Vision

FOCUS: A Study In Creative Vision

In a winter photography excursion armed with a Sigma SD1 camera and a challenging 500mm lens, the goal was to create an image that combined precision, abstraction, and the artistic potential of the Foveon sensor.

How To Use The Zone System In Photography

How To Use The Zone System In Photography

Even though the Zone System is over 80 years-old, it is still relevant today whether shooting modern films or digital capture. This article is for photographers wanting to learn more about the Zone System for their particular workflow. We will look at how the Zone System works with a classic film-to-darkroom workflow, and a hybrid film-to-digital workflow. If you are strictly a digital photographer, you will find a better understanding of what the Zone System can offer you as well.

Panorama In Pieces

Panorama In Pieces

While away on a quick personal trip to Marietta, Georgia, I tried using my favorite point-and-shoot camera, the Fujifilm x100t for panorama making. Earlier in the week, I instructed my students to make a panorama using Lightroom (LR), vertical slice shots, and manual focus for their weekly shoot assignment. After a brief walk around Marietta Square, I thought I would try and photograph a beautiful church and challenge the software with vertical and horizontal slices to see if a tourist with a point-and-shoot camera could make a decent-looking panorama and then share the results with my students.