Sorry about the lack of an update yesterday - my schedule has gotten crazy in the past few weeks, and I’m trying to find time to write. Daily updates should continue as usual soon as things calm down again.

Something astounded me today: I didn’t realize there are people who aren’t using digital camera card readers.

I had a new photographer for the paper come in and drop photos off for the first time, complete with her Rebel XTi and USB cord.

“You know you can do that without the camera, right?” I asked.

“What, really? How do you do that?”

After a minute-long introduction to the handy-dandy USB card reader, I had a new convert to the cause. The fact is, there is little or no reason to be using your digital camera as a card reader. An external card reader has a ton of benefits and costs next to nothing. Find out more after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lupe Fiasco at Northwestern University

Concert photography is one of the most fun assignments a photographer can get. It’s the best seat in the house, and you get to document it all. But with the wrong equipment or the wrong approach, bad photos can spoil your night.

There’s no doubt that concert photography is a difficult assignment to shoot. It’s dark, the stage lighting is constantly changing, and the band is always in motion. It’s enough to drive even the most seasoned professional batty.

While I can’t profess to be an expert at all things concert, I have had to shoot shows on occasion. Here’s how I get through the night and get shots that work.

Read the rest of this entry »

Newer digital SLRs like this A100 from Sony have included an image stabilization feature inside the camera itself. Why aren’t offerings from Nikon and Canon following suit?

With camera manufacturers releasing their next generations of digital SLRs, one feature that’s gaining a lot of attention is in-camera image stabilization. While it’s one of the big selling points in Sony Digital SLRs like the A100, both Canon and Nikon continue to eschew in-camera image stabilization in their own new offerings. Are both Canon and Nikon simply behind the times? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is no.

Read the rest of this entry »

A photography umbrella gives the photographer a greater level of control over the lighting in a photograph like this.

I talk about lighting and flash photography a lot at Cheapshooter, but it’s with good reason. Lighting can be one of the best ways to make expensive-looking photographs on the cheap. Everything else - poor digital camera, subpar lens - can be forgiven if the lighting looks good.

I qualified my statement because photography lighting can also become expensive really quickly. I stay away from talking about expensive studio strobes and soft boxes - that’s for another site (and another photographer with more money) to handle. In my own photography I stick to cheap solutions, and I’ve found that one great way to achieve beautiful lighting is with a photography umbrella.

Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Dave Watts

A polarizer is a tool that comes in handy a lot in photography. Polarizers increase contrast, deepen the blue of the sky and reduce harsh and distracting reflections. They’re a great tool, as long as your camera is set up to accept them. And for the point-and-shoot photographer, that’s where it all falls apart.

Polarizers require a filter mount to attach to the camera, a feature absent on most consumer-level point-and-shoot digital cameras. But never fear. There’s an easy way to polarize your images that doesn’t require any mount or filter at all: sunglasses.

Read the rest of this entry »