When You Want It All–3 Steps To Maximize Depth Of Field

Back in the day when my students actually shot on location together, pre-virus, discussions on depth of field were a continual topic. This was partly because some my students had just moved away from full camera automation, the dreaded “P” …

A Color Photographer’s Conversion To B&W

Text & Photography by Chuck Place© I have been a photographer for over 40 years and recently have developed a real interest in black & white photography. Like all photography, it’s a journey and I am inviting all of you …

Drone Photography–It’s All About Altitude

Often I am asked if composing a photograph with a drone is the same as creating an image at ground level. It is similar, of course, but being able to make large adjustments to the altitude of a camera adds …

Magic Hour Photography: Get Creative And Capture The Drama

Few photographers can resist shooting a beautiful sunset. Clouds build up, color starts to develop, you have a perfect ocean or lake surface for great reflections or you found some fascinating trees or buildings to silhouette against the colorful sky. …

Halloween Photo Shoots: A Return To Childhood Fun

I’m a big fan of Halloween and I love photography. That’s the beauty of October. I get to combine two of my great passions. As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, harvest season in my area kicks …

Aerial Drone Photography: Capturing The View From Above

All the world seems to have gone drone crazy, and for a very good reason. The camera viewpoint is totally unique and gives you access to locations you can’t reach by foot. They can fly lower than a helicopter, are …

Forced Perspective: Add Drama And Depth To Your Photographs

Standing in the middle of Taos Pueblo, I was trying to decide how I would photograph the impressive five-story North Building. I knew I would use a technique called Forced Perspective to emphasize the scale of the building and create …

Mastering The Rule Of Thirds For Beautiful Compositions

When I first started to get serious about my photography, I would go out for a few days photographing landscapes and come home totally exhausted. Just the mental process of creating a balanced compositions with my 4x5 view camera would …

Pro Tips For Beautifully Exposed Sunsets

Have you ever been frustrated with a badly underexposed photo of a beautiful sunset sky? Everything had fallen into place. Interesting clouds had built up over your favorite piece of shoreline and with the sun on the horizon, color was …

The 2 Big Hurdles To Creating Amazing Backlit Photographs

Backlighting helps control contrast in a scene, creates beautiful rim lighting effects, enhances color of translucent subjects and helps models relax in front of the camera by eliminating the need to squint into the sun.