Q. What are my options when I am shooting raw,  but running out of space on the memory card and forgot to bring another?

A. Switch to shooting in jpeg large..you will have a lot of space on the card…better to get a jpeg than nothing.

Q. My camera gives me an error message or stops working: How do I prevent myself from tossing the camera into the ocean?  (start with #1 and work your way down the list if nothing is working.)

1. remove and replace the battery; power up again.

2. replace the battery with a new one.

3. after doing the above, and camera isn’t right, return to default camera settings.

4. upload the latest firmware

5. Call a rep from the manufacturer. (Actually, this happened to me. The ability of my camera to auto focus was lost, I couldn’t get the center focus to even appear on the viewfinder; the rep was able to talk me through some repeated button pushes and the auto focus worked afterward.)

Q. The sky is bright blue, I’m shooting with an ultra wide angle and there is a dark blue blob in the middle of the image. What do I do?

A. Take off the polarizer or turn it so there is a negative effect…polarizers cause uneven skies on ultra-wide lenses.

Q.I am photographing a waterfall, it is cloudy but the water is still very reflective..what should I do?

A. Use a polarizer to cut the glare and slow your shutter speed to get flowing soft water.

Q. I am at the beach at sunset, but the darn sun is too bright on the horizon..How do I control it?

A. Use a reverse Neutral Density filter…it is darker in the middle, put the darkest part on the sun.

Q. I am at the beach and want the water to look misty and ethereal..what do I do?

A. Use a polarizer and a 5 stop  or 10 stop ND filter for a long exposure…use an aperture of around f16 or f18 and ISO 100.

Q, I am stuck shooting in the middle of the day on vacation…it is sunny, bright, blue skies with harsh shadows…how do I handle this?

A. Bracket three images.  convert them to an HDR image, then use a program like Silver Efex Pro to convert to black and white…because of the HDR treatment, the image will be dynamic in black and white.

Q. It is a cloudy, windy, overcast day…not good for photography…Is there anything I can do to shoot?

A. Pull out a 10 stop ND filter…it will give the clouds movement and drama, convert to black and white if necessary.

Q. I am shooting some scenes in the forest during the fall..it is windy as hell..what should I do?

A. Don’t fight the wind, let the grasses and trees move in the image for a unique shot; the stability of tree trunks will ground the shot.

Q. It is sunny, but I want to shoot a waterfall and there are specular highlights and too much brightness..

A. As a last resort, put on a 10 stop ND and polarizer, sometimes it will give an interesting result..otherwise use a telephoto lens and zoom in on a shady part of the falls, if possible.

Q. The sky is too bright in all my images, what will help?

A. Use a graduated ND filter to control the brightness of the sky and even the exposure…the 3 stop is my favorite, because a 1 stop is almost totally useless, and a 2 stop is often not enough.

Q. I am photographing the horizon on the ocean should I use a graduated ND or a hard edge ND?

A. Use a hard edge ND on a hard edged horizon.

1. Learn your camera, read the manual. It isn’t necessary to learn everything about the camera; I only select the options that work for me and my type of photography: landscape.  But what I do know is that, in the dark, I know where every button is and what it does…
2. Practice:  give yourself projects, even if it is for only a week.  Shoot something that appeals to you for 7 days, every day, in different places, light, etc..if you are daring, try this for a month…if you are determined, try what I did: a 365 day project. I am still recovering from PTSD associated with shooting every day for a year…let this be a warning to you.
3. Take a class online or at a local college and learn something new about photography..there are Desktop Publishing (Photoshop) classes at CCRI; also, digital photography classes.  When I began using a DSLR, I took classes because my images left much to be desired.
4. Try a different lens.  Don’t use the lens you regularly use, change it up for a new perspective. If you have a point and shoot or smart phone, use it…when I am driving and see something of interest, I stop and photograph it.

   

5. Use A (auto) on your DSLR when necessary…who cares what people think..don’t tell them.  I was in a cathedral in Scotland, where the ceiling was very dark, the place was crowded, there wasn’t a lot of time, so I put it on A and got a great shot of the ceiling.
6. Look at photographs by photographers you admire; look at art by great painters…what is it about their images that speaks to you? Emulate them as a starting point for your own creativity.
7. Download some plugins and play with them:  Topaz, Nik, or Tiffen.
8. Stop worrying about the Rule of Thirds!  Shoot with graphic elements in mind…diagonals, curves, leading lines.
9. Don’t worry about the club competitions…if you shoot only for competition and worry about what a judge would like, you are lost. Ask members of the club whose work you admire to review some images and give insight on what might improve them. Take advantage of critique nights to bring images.
10. Take a workshop with a photographer whose work you admire…not just anyone who happens to do workshops.  And remember, a good workshop leader will give you input and help improve your photography. Go with the best you can afford, even if only for a few days-a few days with a top notch leader trumps two weeks with someone who isn’t knowledgeable.