PictureCorrect - Photography Tips and Techniques

Photography Tips for Icy Streams, Rain, Icicles and Snowflakes

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

In this article we’ll cover photography tips for overcoming the photo doldrums with water as icy streams, freezing rain, icicles and snowflakes. Icy Streams: A quietly running stream won’t make “tenacious grace” but after it thinly freezes over, it may sculpt the underside of the ice with the gently running water and any air bubbles that get trapped there. The resulting patterns can be very photogenic. Freezing Rain: A special instance of ice is freezing rain. Look for interesting things – grasses, leaves, branches and twigs, etc encased in it. Exposure can be tricky with the reflected light, so bracket your exposures.

Iceland Volcano Eruption Time-lapse

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

In the spring of 2010, the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, erupted, shutting down airways all across Europe. Sean Stiegemeier organized a sponsored trip to the country to capture the natural disaster in a beautiful way. He used his Canon 5D MKII to film a time lapse of the eruption over the course of 1 1/2 days. Dynamic Perception loaned Stiegemeier a prototype of the MILapse dolly, which is now being marketed as the Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly Kit, an affordable alternative to the popular Kessler dollies.

How to Become a Victoria’s Secret Photographer

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

The Victoria’s Secret Holiday catalog features beautiful models dressed in scanty lingerie, but for Russell James, photographing these sexy models is the highest pressure job of his year. A behind the scenes look into Pier 59 Studios in New York City was created by the CNBC network show, Best Jobs Ever. Russell does make it look easy; as the professional models pose and flirt with the photographer, he smiles and states, “If it looks effortless – if it looks like I’m not doing much, then I feel like I’m really doing my job.”

Dynamic Range in the World of Photography

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Look at something other than your computer screen for a moment and take note of the world around you. You should notice bright highlights and dark shadow areas without much of a problem. Film and digital sensors do not see as well as you do. The shadows and highlights may be quantified as numbers that represent the luminance of any scene. The standard measure of luminance is expressed as candelas per square meter or cd/m2. The luminance of the sun is expressed as a ratio of 1,000,000,000:1 or 1 billion candelas to 1 square meter.

How to Balance Strobes with Sunlight in Photography

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

As photographers, we are always trying to capture photographs that pop. That is, images that combine depth and fine details. This short clip explains how to mix strobe lighting with ambient light to achieve just the right feel. In this video tutorial, Jay P. Morgan demonstrates how to effectively use strobe lights to enhance the natural light of the sun. The lesson starts with a recap of essential exposure information, such as always working in manual mode to gain full control of the exposure settings.

Photographer for TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year: The Protester

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

In this nine minute documentary, the making of TIME magazines “The Protester” is chronicled. The Protester, which was included in TIME’s Person of The Year issue, is a series of photographers taken by TIME staff photographer, Peter Hapak, which showcases protesters involved with the Occupy movement across seven countries. Hapak briefly touches on techniques he used to capture the portraits, including a humorous account of bribing one particular subject with breakfast sausages.