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When a photo feels too dark, the obvious solution is to increase the Exposure slider. But here’s something worth knowing: Making a photo brighter and making it look brighter aren’t necessarily the same thing. In fact, simply increasing exposure can sometimes make an image look washed out without actually improving it. Related: only a little […]
If you’re willing to get up before sunrise this week, you may be able to photograph one of the night sky’s more unusual sights. It’s called zodiacal light—sometimes nicknamed the “false dawn.” Unlike the Milky Way, aurora, or a meteor shower, zodiacal light isn’t something happening far out in space. It’s sunlight reflecting from countless […]
Photographers spend a lot of time trying to eliminate camera shake and motion blur. For this exercise, you’re going to do the opposite. Set your shutter speed to around 1/10 of a second, leave the tripod at home, and photograph an entire session handheld. The goal isn’t to make everything sharp. It’s to discover what […]
If you’ve spent any time planning Milky Way photography, you’ve probably heard the same advice: Shoot during a New Moon. It’s good advice—but it’s also a little oversimplified. A New Moon creates wonderfully dark skies, but you don’t necessarily need to wait for the exact night of the New Moon to photograph the Milky Way. […]
When planning a night of Milky Way photography, most photographers check the cloud forecast first. But some astronomy weather apps also display two less familiar measurements: seeing and transparency. They may sound similar, but they describe very different atmospheric conditions—and one is usually much more important for photographing the Milky Way. What Is Atmospheric Seeing? […]
If you’ve ever photographed stars, the Milky Way, or a distant landscape, you’ve probably heard this advice: “Just set your lens to infinity.” It sounds simple. Turn the focus ring to the ∞ symbol and distant subjects should be perfectly sharp. Except that’s often not what happens. Many Lenses Focus Past Infinity In photography, “infinity” […]
If photographing the Milky Way has been sitting on your summer photography list, September is giving you one more excellent opportunity. The new moon arrives on September 10, 2026, creating several evenings with very little moonlight to interfere with the night sky. For photographers across much of the Northern Hemisphere, this is also one of […]
Every photographer hits it eventually. You pick up your camera, look around, and… nothing. The light seems boring. Your neighborhood feels over-photographed. You’ve already photographed the flowers, sunsets, pets, streets, and local landmarks a hundred times. It feels like you’ve run out of things to photograph. But you probably haven’t. The problem may simply be […]
Have you ever photographed an incredible landscape, only to look at the image later and wonder why it feels strangely flat? The mountains were dramatic. The view seemed enormous. Yet somehow the photograph doesn’t capture the same sense of space you experienced in person. One of the easiest ways to fix this is a composition […]
Landscape photographers often want the same thing: sharp detail from the foreground all the way to the horizon. Two techniques can get you there—hyperfocal distance and focus stacking—but they work very differently. Quick reminder: Our top deal of the month ends tomorrow. There’s just 1 day left to get the Tack Sharp Photography Guide at […]
