Blog

Tips on How to Make Your Photographs Tack Sharp

One of the first things a photographer should learn is to make his images “tack sharp”. This is another way of saying that the subject of the photo is properly focused and the details are sharp with proper contrast.

Always focus on the subject that you are trying to show is the most important aspect of the overall image. This is something that most amateurs neglect. They will focus on the background instead of the bird or on the bird instead of its eyes. Getting the focus accurate is the first step to a sharper image overall.

Achieving a tack sharp photograph is a lot easier once you understand the many ways one can decrease the aberration or movement that shows up in the photograph because of too wide an aperture, camera shake or a slight breeze at the time. (more…)

Best All Around Lens on a Budget

Recently, I was asked a question by my niece that I’m sure a lot of young (or old) beginning photographers are thinking also. What is the best all around lens to buy for my digital camera (dslr) that would cover both wide and telephoto ranges? Keeping in mind that she is on a low budget and would prefer to only carry one lens around with her. (more…)

5 Exercises to Becoming a Better Photographer

So you’ve bought yourself a new digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) and you have been shooting everything that moves and doesn’t move but your images are still not right. Why you ask yourself is this the case? (more…)

Remember Polaroid

I watched a documentary last night from 2012 called “Time Zero – The Last Year” about the demise of Polaroid and the new company that has created a whole new process to re-create the instant film phenomenon that was rampant in the 1960’s and 1970’s. (more…)

Cool Accessories for Your Camera or Smart Phone

Thanks to the power of social media and the internet I’ve been able to find a lot of cool things that I will be looking at purchasing to make my photography excursions a little more convenient. Anything that can reduce or eliminate my tasks at hand to allow me to focus more on the actual project I am attempting to do is a good thing in my opinion. (more…)

Using Filters in Photography

I remember back when I was a younger lad with a full head of hair and an old Olympus OM1 35 mm format camera trying to figure out how to achieve better results with some of the compositions I was focusing on. I started experimenting with filters when shooting landscapes or oceanscapes and sunsets to see if I could get the look I was after. (more…)

Beautiful Sunsets

With summer just around the corner you may find yourself with the urge to capture some magnificent sunsets in your area. Sunsets can be unbelievable with ranges in color intensity that will blow you away. Over the years I’ve taken a good number of sunset shots with different cameras (more…)

Composition in Photography

Composition in photography is one of the very first things an aspiring photographer should learn. It is not that hard to grasp and eventually becomes instinctual. I learned a long time ago to go with my gut feeling when seeing a potential image while driving or walking around with my camera. At first though my feelings were confusing. I wasn’t sure if the horizon should be centered or straight. Should the sky take up most of the frame or just a part of it. Where should I place the flowers or trees in the photo? Why do my images always look washed out? (more…)

Welcome To My Canvas

Hello all, my name is Paul Smith. I am (at this writing) 55 years young and have been shooting images since I was in my teens. I didn’t start getting serious until a close friend and I decided to join the Comox Valley Camera Club in my thirties. I have been dabbling in photography off and on ever since. Because I have never pursued a professional career in photography I had to get a day job. (more…)