Sometimes, one wonders whether it is still necessary to repeat it, but it is important (No! critical) to backup digital data as soon as we approach our first computer. Worse, for a (digital) photographer, it’s now critical. Don’t we all have lost already one or more images because of a hard disk crash, a capricious…
My personal prophylactics in order to avoid loosing memory cards and photos on memory cards: Always format the memory card in-camera (formatting on a computer may not be right for your camera, same thing about formatting on another camera) Always wait 3 seconds before ejecting the memroy card (or check the red LED flashing on…
Travelling for photography is an activity loaded with stresses and constraints of all kinds. Much more so than if you merely go and shoot street photography downtown. All the more if this includes at least one flight to destination. Pros and those who did suffer a lot from these situations collected enough experience to build…
What could be more frustrating that holding a DLSR camera worth thousands of bucks and not being able to focus on the subject in front of you? So, I collected a few excellent guides or tutorials which provide good summaries (I think) of the possibilities of these cameras when it comes to autofocus or AF.…
Fall is coming back. The attentive photographer will remember that it’s time to start expecting mist and fog. These are creating excellent conditions for interesting photographs. When? Fog does not appear in any weather conditions but it is relatively predictable. More or less, for a misty morning, you will need to have a relatively warm…
Summer is coming and the 4th of July celebrations (in the US, of course) are upon us. This means that we will have the opportunity to shoot fireworks, this ever-wonderful show. Usually, we will get only a few minutes to shoot and we don’t want to wait until next year for another opportunity. So, here…
This month, YLovePhoto will try an help in shooting photos where many think that only a pro can succeed: A live music concert. This is where many a difficulty converge to make the work of the photographer more painful. However, experience shows that a few tips (Y-tips, of course) will help a lot. Most of…
After a long absence when we collected a few GIMP-related links but we did not publish them, here is a new list of useful tutorials and tricks for the users of GIMP the GNU-Linux and Windows-based photo edition software. GIMP still being free, these free resources are all the more welcome: photo credit: andyspictures 60+…
Once again, YLovePhoto is here to offer its advice to optimize our photographs in the most varied environments. Car racing (or motorcycle racing) is assuredly a favorite spot for photographing an exceptional subject: bright colors, shiny metal, technical expertise, intense concentration around competition, everything is present. So, here are a few tips to start motor…
Shooting photos from a helicopter is not your everyday’s experience (even when your name is Philip Plisson). The price for an hour of flight is high enough for ensure that you’ve got all the aces in your hand for a Manhattan island aerial tour, a flight over the Iguazu Falls or a wildlife observation over…
After the family’s children, polls show that photographers repeatedly shoot their pets (dog, cat, bird, gold fish, etc.) more than any other subject. And this is quite normal since they are a subject quite easily accessible but also quite emotionnally charged. photo © 2009 Autumn & Phill M. | more info (via: Wylio) So, this…
In our culture of fast-food restaurants, jet planes and instant messaging, we have no longer any time left. Anyway, during the time of a weekend afternoon, you can become a better photographer. Without even shooting one single frame. Open a photo book and start looking for what makes these images great to your eyes. Go…
Even without being a pixel-peeper, an extremist of image quality, if you use a big DSLR or a compact 200€ camera, you will quickly discover that the digital photographer enemy is digital noise. It will bring up little blurry masses, a kind of not-so-fine grain noticeably reducing the quality of our photos. But there are…
« 2011, Neiges et Glaces du Monde » (2011, Snows and ices of the world) is a project of Marion Jonchères, French mountaineer, sportswoman, adventurer to the end of the world. During a full year, this frail young woman will face cold and altitude while climbing icy summits all over the world, on all continents.…
Sometimes, I need to get new inspiration for my photography. I feel my photography eye is dead. Don’t we all? Here’s what I can do to help start again with fresh ideas, new energy for photography: Open a photo book and start looking for what surprises you and is different from your own work: Different…
While sorting and choosing the photographs of my recent trip to Botswana, I quickly remembered a list of criteria I like to use to objectively (more or less) decide which pictures are worth extracting from the huge bunch of files in the memory cards of my photo camera. photo credit: mikebaird As a matter of…
This is a very simple web application created by FutureLab AG. Tourist Remover is part of the graphics software suite Online Photo Manager SnapMania. It works quite simply: You take several pictures of the same location or the same monument. There is always one or more ugly tourists on the photo, but they are never…
The plague of many photographs and photographic hardware devices is of not being able to produce nicely sharp pictures, nearly crunchy images (Nota bene: I do understand that this is not the ultimate goal of a photographer and that many a picture is technically mediocre or fuzzy or foggy and still is a great photograph).…
Photography is an art that needs to be learned. Like the Jedi knights of Star Wars, you need to go through a long learning phase and you may become a true Master. However, this goes through respect for the rules of the photo Jedi. 1. Learn, Young Padawan A photo Jedi is not taught, he…
You just dropped your photo camera or a lens in water; What can you do now if it was not weather-sealed or water-tight? The first thing to do is to remove all electrical power source. Electricity does ugly things to metal and electronics. So, start by removing the batteries right now. You may be able…
Some of you may be interesting in giving us some information leaks. It may seem that your privacy may be difficult to be kept in the process, but there are a few ways to protect it. I can give you some information and some advice. I would not divulge the sources of my information if…
When you are in a plane of a light plane flying near a mountain range, it is quite tempting to shoot a few landscape photos; But the conditions will stay very difficult for the photographer. There are many traps and the results may loose a lot of quality compared to what you expected. For example,…
This is one surprising idea: Make your expensive camera so ugly that nobody will try to steal it. This is the extremist extension of a solution I already use: In order to reduce the risk of theft, you can use gaffer tape and cover all distinctive marks and logos. Your SLR may still look bulky,…
When you’re traveling far in order to satisfy your complementary needs for exoticism and photography, you will have to go through the Customs and/or boarding controls of the airplane. A few things would be good to keep in mind in order to ensure this is a better experience. Here are mine: Pack everything really fragile…
Some itemized advice for shooting B&W digital pictures: B&W loves textures and fine grained surfaces Check your light Use low ISO: Image noise is more visible in B&W Check your composition: The lack of colours will make your spectator more attentive to a a bad framing Before converting to B&W, do all the cleaning and…