On the cover: The Milky Way above the Church of the Good Shepherd, South Island, New Zealand. This page: Mating lions, Kenya.
When I was first interested in photography, I read every photo magazine I could get my hands on. I bought my first camera, a Canon FT QL and 50mm lens in 1968, so during the late sixties and early seventies, I was like a sponge. At the library I went through back issues of Popular Photography, Modern Photography, and Petersen's Photographic Magazine looking for interesting and creative techniques to try.
Most photo magazines are gone now, but if I were starting out today -- or simply wanting to expand creative horizons -- I would do the same thing using online articles, blogs, and YouTube videos as inspiration. It's easy to forget to try a certain technique when you're in the field, so I would make a list of ideas for inspiration.
Here is an example of a typical idea list I might carry with me:
1. Vertical pano of a great interior
2. ND filter for long exposure with water
3. ND filter for long exposure of clouds
4. Painting with light
5. Off-camera flash
6. Focus stacking
7. Including the sun in the composition
8. Camera movement: vertical blurs
9. Try HDR for twilight photography of a city skyline
10. Smear vasoline on the periphery of a skylight filter for a dreamy type of diffusion
11. Mix small paint samples of various colors and photograph the abstractions
12. Use extension tubes for extreme closeups of insects
Over time, I would try each of these ideas to see what I'd come up with. From reading additional articles, I would add more ideas, eventually caming up with ideas of my own. This stimulated my creativity and netted a lot of very cool images.
Jim Zuckerman
photos@jimzuckerman.com www.jimzuckerman.com
Photographing the
M i l k y W a y
There are two ways to photograph the Milky Way. First, you can use a star tracker in which the camera follows the movement of the stars as they rotate through the sky. The advantage of this method is your exposures can be much longer, thus more detail is revealed in the sky. Most photographers don't have one of these devices, but I will explain how to use them and show the kind of pictures they can take in a subsequent issue of Photo Insights.
Second, we use a tripod and take a simple exposure, preferrably not exceeding 20 seconds. That's
what I did for the picture of the dilapidated grain storage structure, below, taken in the Palouse region of Washington State. Many photographers like to combine a long exposure of the Milky Way and paint with light so the foreground isn't a silhouette; rather, it has detail.
Finding the Milky Way
The Milky Way never disappears from the night sky, but the central core of the galaxy does. The best pictures always show the core because that's where the most intense colors
occur, and it's also the greatest concentration of stars as seen from Earth. You can photograph the galactic core from late February to late October. It's not visible in the months of November, December, and January because the sun is positioned between the Earth and the center of the galaxy during this time.
You'll want to know when the galactic core rises above the horizon. There's no sense setting up for photography at 10pm if the core doesn't rise until 3:30am. It's a simple matter to check online. Ask Google: what time is the galactic core rising tonight? You can also consult a number of smartphone apps that will give you this detailed information. I've used PhotoPills for years.
Light pollution
The best shots of the Milky Way exhibiting good contrast and color saturation are done far away from city lights due to light pollution. In most big cities, you can't even see stars at night. In the lower left corner of the picture on the previous page, you can see a small town's glow in the distance. In this case, the town and its lights were far enough away that they didn't intrude on the night sky. Just be aware
the farther you go from civilization and the darker the sky is, the better.
Lens choice
The best lens for Milky Way photography is a wide angle. The wider the lens, the more of the galaxy will show in your pictures. While you can certainly use a 24mm focal length, I recommed a 16mm or even a 14mm.
Consider also the maximum lens aperture. Night photography requires the largest aperture possible. While you can use an f/4 lens, I recommend instead f/2.8 or larger. The reason I bought the Sigma f/1.8 14mm lens was not only for shooting dark environments like European catherals, but also to shoot the night sky. The tremendous light gathering ability of this lens means I can use a lower ISO and shorter exposure time. Depth of field is not relevant when shooting the sky, so you'll want to use the maximum aperture.
Camera settings
The entire night sky seems to rotate around the Earth but, of course, it's our planet that is rotating. If you use a very long exposure -- say
30 minutes -- all of the stars will become long streaks of light, i.e., star trails. When shooting the Milky Way, that's not what you want. The question is, what is the longest exposure possible before each star becomes a streak?
With a wide angle lens, the answer is 20 seconds. Some photographers shoot the Milky Way with a 30 second exposure, but if you enlarge the image significantly you can see that each star has an oblong shape. This is the beginning of a light streak. If you have an ultra wide angle lens like an 11- or 12mm focal length on a full frame digital camera, you can get away with a 30 second shutter speed, but the ideal is still 20 seconds.
The lens aperture has to be wide open, of course, to gather as much light as possible. Even though this isn't the sharpest f/stop, the
light gathering ability takes precedent given how dark the night sky is.
Since the exposure time is fixed, and the lens aperture is fixed as well because it can't be larger than wide open, the ISO becomes the determinant of the exposure. Depending on the maximum aperture, I typically shoot at 1600 or 3200 ISO.
To be conservative in my shooting and to insure the images are as sharp as possible, I use either a cable release or the built-in self-timer to trigger the shutter.
Focusing on the night sky
Autofocus mechanisms today are truly remarkable, but they can't focus on stars at night. There isn't enough contrast. Focusing
manually is a problem, too. There is so little light that it's almost impossible to discern tack sharp focus. You can't turn the focusing ring all the way to infinity and expect that to be critical focus; in most cases, it isn't. Lens manufacturers build in a little 'play' to accommodate temperature flucuations with subtle expansion and contraction of materials.
The best way to critically focus on the sky is to focus on a flashlight positioned about 30 feet away with your wide angle lens. This distance is beyond the infinity mark on the lens. Rest the flashlight on the ground or have a friend hold it for you. Point the light at the camera from about 30 feet away and manually focus on the light. Then, make sure you stay on manual focus and don't touch or jar the focus ring. The lens is now truly focused on infinity.
Painting with light
The shot of the abandoned bus, above, and the barn and truck below show what can be done with a simple flashlight. During the long exposure of the night sky, a constantly moving beam of light illuminates foreground subjects to reveal all the color and detail you want. There are a few important things to keep in mind when using
1. The flashlight beam must be constantly moving during the exposure. If not, it's very easy to end up with unwanted hotspots or even areas of the image that are overexposed.
3. Many flashlights, epecially the older-type models, produce a slightly yellowish light. In contrast with the bluish night sky, this looks really good in my opinion. Therefore, I recomend using a daylight white balance.
4. Instead of illuminating foreground elements with front lighting, try moving off to the side so the angle of the light is at a 45 degree angle or even more. This increases texture and dimension in the foreground. §
2. It's impossible to take an accurate light reading of a moving beam of light over the course of many seconds. Therefore, you have to take several test shots before you produce the kind of light you want. Remember that the shutter speed, in this particular scenario, is not a determinant of the flashlight exposure. Instead, it is a) the f/stop, b) the intensity of the flashlight, c) the distance of the flashlight to the subject(s), d) the ISO, and e) the amount of time each portion of the subject is illuminated by the beam. So, if your first test shows too much light on the foreground, and you are not going to change the lens aperture (since it must be wide open) or the ISO, then you have to increase the lightto-subject distance or decrease the amount of time the flashlight illumiates the scene or reduce the intensity of the light possibly by using a smaller and less powerful flashlight.
MUSEUM PHOTOGRAHY
Museums are actually treasure troves of amazing things to photograph.
Beautiful minerals, fossils, antiquities, sculptures, ceramics, biological specimens, and so much more are on display in a single facility. As attractive as the presentations are, though, the problem for photographers is invariably the background. It's usually a mess: Busy, distracting, visually annoying, and it needs to be replaced.
My favorite technique to address this issue is to apply a gradient behind the subject. In the photo above of 'The Resting Warrior", a first
century A.D. Roman work of art in the Ephesus Museum in Turkey, the display is quite nice but the background is very distracting. In the corrected version below, I added a gradient of
Iceland Drone Tour
August 24 - September 2, 2026
color from dark maroon to black. Now the ancient work of art looks like it was photographed in a photo studio under controlled conditions. Much better.
The technique is simple. I selected the artwork and the base on which it is resting using the quick selection tool in Photoshop. I then used Select > inverse which selects everything except the sculpture, which is the background. Next, I expanded the selection slightly to eliminate any telltale line around the subject when the new background was created. I did this with Select > modify > expand, and in the dialog box that appears, I selected one pixel. I then feathered the edge with Select > modify > feather by one pixel.
Finally, I changed the colors in the foreground/ background color boxes at the bottom of the tools palette to show maroon and black. I then used the gradient tool and dragged the cursor down
through the selection creating a gradient of color.
The beautiful and unique specimen of barite crystals in pink dolomite taken in the Natural History Museum in London, above, was ruined -- at least photographically -- by it's display. In this case, instead of using a gradient, I simply replaced the entire background with black. To add a little interest in the bottom of the frame, I used the Photoshop plug-
Bentonite Hills, Utah
April 17 - 22, 2026
Photo Tour
in, Flood, to create a realistic watery reflection.
The famous gold mask of King Tutankhamun that dates from 1323 B.C. is such an incredible work of art that it needs to be complemented,
not distracted, by a background. In this case, I took two color samples using the eye dropper tool for the foreground/background color boxes, and then used the gradient tool. §
Landscape Technique A wide angle
Wide angle lenses, in some ways, are similar to our eyes. They encompass a wide view, like our peripheral vision, and they have inherent depth of field just like our eyes do.
But in truth, the pictures we take with wide angle lenses are nothing akin to what we see with our eyes for two reasons. First, they exaggerate perspective. Foregrounds are disproportionately large and backgrounds recede and become diminutive. This is a distortion of what we see. And second, backgrounds
seem much further away than they really are. Again, this is misrepresentation of what our eyes perceive.
For those of you who insist that photography is all about capturing what we see with our eyes, this is an inherent problem because it doesn't. Artistically, though, you can use this distortion to your advantage in capturing beautiful and visually compelling landscapes.
The approach I use over and over again is to purposely exaggerate the foreground by plac-
ing the camera, fitted with a wide angle lens, close to foreground elements. This distance is usually between 3 and 6 feet. The wider the lens, the greater the distortion. Similarly, as the distance between camera and foreground is reduced, the distortion increases and whatever is in the foreground -- wildflowers, rocks, a fallen tree trunk -- appears to be unnaturally huge compared to the background.
The picture of Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona, on the previous page was taken with an 11mm focal length, and the shot of boulders on a beach in New Zealand, above, was captured with a 14mm lens. The image at right was taken with a 16mm wide angle. In each case, in varying degrees, the foreground appears exaggerated in size compared to what I saw as I was standing there shooting.
The technique to create landscape images like
these consists of four parts:
1. Use a wide angle lens
2. Place the camera very close to foreground elements
3. Use the smallest lens aperture available to you (usually f/22 or f/32)
4. Find a foreground that is beautiful/interesting/compelling. §
Exotic Birds of Colombia
Sept. 23 to Oct. 3, 2026
Pantanal Photo Tour, Brazil
Jaguars in the wild, birds in flight, caiman, otters and more
Dec. 1 - 9, 2025
Hyacinth macaw in flight
Photography Quiz
1. The difference between f/6.3 and f/9 is:
a. One f/stop
b. Two f/stops
c. Three f/stops
d. Four f/stops
2. Which focal length lens most approximates what we see with our eyes?
a. 35mm
b. 50mm
c. 85mm
d. 100mm
3. ETTL (or iTTL) is the manufacturers abbreviation for the automatic mode for:
a. A portable flash unit
b. Focus tracking
c. Image stabilization
d. Eye tracking
4. A 'leading line' is a compositional technique in which a graphic line (like a river or a fallen tree trunk) takes our eye from the front of the picture to the rear of it. For maximum visual drama, the line should start from:
a. The middle of the frame
b. The upper left corner of the frame
c. The upper right corner of the frame
d. Anywhere along the bottom of the frame
5. Which has greater depth of field: 16mm at f/2.8, or a 400mm at f/16 if both lenses are focused to 15 feet?
a. 16mm at f/2.8
b. 400mm at f/16
6. Which shutter speed will freeze the wings of a hummingbird so they are tack sharp?
a. 1/8000
b. 1/4000
c. Both A and B
d. Neither A nor B
7. Photographers usually use histograms to determine if:
a. The white balance is correct
b. The noise is acceptable
c. The highlights are overexposed
d. The maximum depth of field has been achieved
8. You can eliminate people from a crowded scene by stacking multiple frames in post-processing.
a. True
b. False
9. The most common color to 'blow out', i.e., having no texture or detail, besides white is:
a. Yellow
b. Green
c. Blue
d. Red
10. A digital file from an iPhone can make an acceptable 16 x 20 inch print.
a. True
b False
Answers on page 48
UPCOMING PHOTO WORKSHOPS
FROG & REPTILE WORKSHOP in Kansas City
This is an exciting macro workshop in which you will be able to photograph about 40 species of colorful dart frogs and exotic reptiles. Held in a hotel conference room, Jim sets up natural backgrounds for outstanding photos. The photo at left shows a Jackson chameleon with the background replaced in Photoshop.
June 13 - 14, 2026
CARNIVAL IN VENICE
Photograph amazing costumes in a Medieval environment. We shoot inside a 16th century palace, in an iconic gondola, in a stunning bedroom with traditional Venetian decor, and at other great locations. The photography as well as the experience is phenomenal.
February 7 - 13, 2026
TEXAS BIRDS
Get up close and personal to many species of exotic and colorful birds. We shoot from a blind and get frame-filling shots of cardinals, green jays, crested caracaras, painted buntings, and more. Based in McAllen, Texas.
May 12 -15, 2027
eBooks
Click on any ebook to see inside
India Tiger Safari
May 20 - 30, 2026
What's Wrong with this Picture?
There are two things wrong with this picture. First, the foreground cheetah is not sharp. I shot this with a 500mm focal length, and it was impossible to hold focus on both cats. If only one of the cheetahs could be sharp, it should be the one closest to the camera. But my intention was to take two pictures, each one focused on only one of the animals and then, in post-processing, I planned to combine them using Photoshop.
Second, because of the deep overcast lighting, using daylight white balance made the image too bluish. I could have switched to cloudy WB, but I didn't want to take the time because this pose could change quickly. Instead, I knew I could easily adjust the color balance later.
In this version, you can immediately see the colors are correct. In other words, they are warmer than in the original out of the camera image. This is exactly what I saw with my eyes. To do this, in Adobe Camera Raw (or Lightroom), I moved the temperature slider to the right as shown in the screen capture at right.
To make both of the cheetahs sharp, I made a selection using the pen tool around one of the sharp cheetahs, used Edit > copy to place that component in the clipboard, and then Edit > paste to place the sharp image over the soft one. Using the move tool to move the component in place. I then used the clone tool to tidy up the edges.
To take the two pictures of the cheetahs, I had to shoot quickly before either of the cats moved their heads or bodies. §
On Safari: Kenya
March 22 - 31, 2026
SHORT AND SWEET
1. When photographing symmetrical subjects, like this facade and two guards in Hanoi, Vietnam, make sure you stand exactly in the center of the scene. If you are even one or two feet off-center, the image will look skewed which may not be able to be corrected in Photoshop.
3. Landscape photographs of all kinds, from manicured gardens to vast mountain scenes, require complete depth of field. I know art is in the eye of the beholder, but this particular guideline isn't debatable. A landscape in which the foreground is soft or the background is not sharp means the picture is a failure.
2. Art deco details are fun to photograph and they make excellent travel images. Many cities in Europe have examples of this 1920s and 1930s architectural style but Riga, Latvia, is probably the best. There are several blocks in the center of the city that I find to be quite photogenic.
4. Usually you'll get the best pictures of birds in flight when they are just taking off or when they are landing. These are the times when their wings ply the air and you'll be able to capture the most dynamic shapes. This is a martial eagle I photographed in the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. §
Ethiopia Photo Tour
Primitive tribes Active volcano Rock-hewn churches Bizarre landscapes
January 5 - 18, 2027
ASK JIM
Every month, Jim answers a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine. If you have a question you’d like Jim to answer, please drop him a note at photos@jimzuckerman.com.
Q: Jim . . . Small apertures like f/22 and f/32 are not as sharp as f/5.6 and f/8. So why do you recommend closing the lens down all the way when shooting landscapes? Doesn't that make the images less sharp?
Dr. Ed Cohen, San Marco Island, Florida
A: Mid-range f/stops like 5.6 and 8 are indeed the sharpest apertures on any lens. But they are sharp for a single plane of focus. They are not sharp throughout the composition, from the foreground to the background. F/22 and f/32 provide depth of field so the entire image is sharp. Granted, small apertures do cause diffraction and the ultimate sharpness suffers, but all the elements in the scene appear to be sharp. It's one of those compromises photographers make all the time.
If you want the ultimate in sharpness throughout the image, you would have to focus stack with an aperture of f/8. Then you would have your cake and you could eat it, too.
Partial List of Photography Tours 2025 - 2026
AUTUMN in JAPAN
Nov 2025
BENTONITE HILLS, UTAH
Apr 2026
LOFOTEN ISLANDS
Jan/Feb 2026
EXOTIC COLOMBIA BIRDS
Sept/Oct 2026
PANTANAL, BRAZIL
Dec 2025
SCOTLAND'S PAST
May 2026
BULGARIA PHOTO TOUR
Feb/March 2026
INDONESIA WILDLIFE
Oct 2026
CHINA Jan. 2026
INDIA TIGER SAFARI
May 2026
ICELAND DRONE TOUR
Aug/Sept 2026
ARMENIA & GEORGIA
Oct/Nov 2026
Armenia & Georgia
October 26 - November 8, 2026
STUDENT SHOWCASE
Each month, Jim features one student who took beautiful and inspiring images on one or more of his photography tours or workshops. It’s really fascinating how photographers see and compose such different images even though we may go to the same places. Everyone takes great photographs on Jim’s trips.
Judy Hansen, Ann Arbor, Michigan Venice photo workshop, Ethiopia photo tour, Indonesia wildlife tour
T O I N S I G H T S you would like to read. Jul. ‘19 Jan. ‘20
Subject index for past Photo Insight issues
1/3 focus law Jul. ‘15
3D sphere Mar. ‘16
90 degree finder Mar. ‘13
Abstracts in soap Feb. ‘15
Abstracts, Shooting Mar ‘19
Aerial photography Jun. ‘13
Aerial photography Jan. ‘21
African safari May ‘16
AI plus Photograpjhy Oct. ‘23
AI, Photos-to-AI Oct. '24
Airplane windows Mar. ‘16
Alien landscapes Jan. ‘13
Anatomy of 8 photographs Jan. ‘16
Anatomy of an Action Shot Feb. ‘24
Angled perspectives Jan. ‘19
Aperture vs. shutter speed May ‘14
Aperture priority Sept. ‘14
Aperture priority and other modes Jul. ‘24
Aurora Borealis Apr. ‘17
Autofocus, When it fails Aug. '25
Auto white balance Dec. ‘13
Autofocus, when it fails Apr. ‘15
Autofocus failure Aug. ‘15
Autofocus failure Jan. ‘17
Autofocus challenges Apr. ‘18
Auto ISO Nov ‘17
Auto White Balance Mar’ ‘21
Autumn Foliage Sep. ‘18
Autumn Color Sep. ‘20
Autumn foliage photography Oct. ‘21
AWB versus Daylight WB May ‘24
t Back button focus Oct. ‘18
Backgrounds, wild Nov. ‘12
Backgrounds, busy Apr. ‘13
Backlighting Apr. ‘16
Backlighting Oct. ‘22
Birds in flight Aug. ‘13
Birds in flight Jan. ‘14
Birefringence May ‘18
Birefringence Dec. 24
Birds in flight Mar. ‘16
Birds in flight, camera settings Jan. ‘23
Birds in flight, camera settings Dec. '24
Bird Photography Jun ‘19
Black backgrounds Aug. ‘23
Blacklight photography Feb. ‘21
Black velvet Mar. ‘14
Black and white conversions Mar. ‘17
Black and white infrared Apr. ‘24
Black and white solarization Sep. ‘17
Black and white with color Jan. ‘20
Black and white plus color Mar. ‘23
Blown highlights Feb. ‘18
Blue monochromes Jan. ‘22
Black Plexy Aug. ‘22
Blur, field Nov. ‘18
Blur technique Oct. ‘17
Bokeh Jun. ‘15
Botanical gardens, shooting Apr. ‘22
Butterfly photography Jul. ‘14
Buying nature Jul. ‘24
Camera buying guidelines
Dec. 21
Camera settings for landscapes Feb. ‘23
Camera setting priorities Jun. ‘17
Canon R5 Mar. ‘21
Capturing lightning Jun. ‘13
Capturing lightning Jun. ‘24
Capturing what you don’t see May ‘21
Catchlights Jul. ‘16
Changing perspective May ‘21
Cheap flash stand Apr. ‘13
Children photography Jun. ‘14
Choosing a telephoto lens Dec. ‘20
Chromatic aberration May ‘13
Chrome Dec. ‘18
Cityscapes Aug. ‘14
Cityscapes May ‘16
Clone tool, fixing an issue Sep. ‘17
Clone tool technique Jul. ‘20
Color theory Nov. ‘23
Composites and Light Dec. ‘17
Composites, Secrets to perfect Jun. ‘24
Compositing images Apr. ‘19
Compositing, 7 steps Jan. 22
Composites, How to make Aug. '25
Composition, different approach Jan. ‘15
Content-aware, New Aug. ‘20
Content aware move tool Jan. ‘23
Contrast vs. exposure Jul. ‘15
Contrast, When it is good Sep. '24
Converting to black and white Mar. ‘22
Correcting keystoning Jun. ‘21
Creating a star field Jan. ‘14
Creating Art out of Motion May ‘22
Creating a Sketch Dec. ‘17
Creative blurs Jan. ‘14
Custom functions Jul. ‘23t
Dark backgrounds Nov. ‘19
Dawn photography Jan. ‘17
Dawn photography Feb. ‘17
Dead center Jan. ‘13
Dead center Oct. ‘23
Dealing with smog Oct. ‘16
Decay photography Sep. ‘15
Define Pattern Sep. ‘18
Define Pattern Sep. '24
Depth of field Aug. ‘16
Depth of field confusion Jan. ‘20
Depth of field and distance Dec. ‘18
Depth of field and obliqueness May ‘21
Depth of field, shallow Apr. ‘20
Depth of field vs. sharpness Nov. ‘20
Diagonal lines, Using Aug. '25
Double takes Apr. ‘20
Drone photography Mar. ‘23
Drone, Lessons from a tour Oct. '24
Drop shadows Apr. ‘19
Dust, Minimizing Aug. ‘19
Dust specks May '25t
eBook, how to make Jan. ‘13
Elevated vantage points Aug. ‘23
Eliminating people from photos Jun. ‘22
Embedded in Ice Oct. 17
Energy saving bulbs Sep. ‘14
Equidistance and telephoto lenses Apri. ‘23
Exploring the power visuals of AI Mar. ‘23
Exposing for the sun Sep. ‘16
Exposure, the sun Jul. ‘13
Exposing for snow Dec. '24w
Exposure technique Sep. ‘13
Subject index for past Photo Insight issues
Exposure, snow
Jan. ‘14
Exposure triangle Nov. ‘14
Exposure, to the right
Exposure compensation
Apr. ‘15
Sep. ‘16
Exposure compensation Mar. ‘21
Extension tubes Dec. ‘13
Extension tubes Jul. ‘23
Face sculpting Apr. ‘21
Face sculpting Feb. ‘22
Festival photography
Fill flash
Sep. ‘20
Sep. ‘13
Filter forge Feb. ‘13
Fireworks
Jul. ‘13
Fireworks, Compositing Jun ‘20
Fisheye lenses May ‘13
Fisheye lenses Feb. ‘15
Fisheye fantasies Oct. 21
Fixing parallax Oct. '24
Flash backlighting May ‘15
Flash, balancing exposure Oct. ‘15
Flash, balancing off-camera Dec. ‘18
Flat art Sep. ‘16
Flexify 2 Mar. ‘20
Flood fixes problems Nov. ‘19
Floral Portraits, Indoors Aug. ‘21
Flowers May ‘15
Flower photography
Flowers in harsh light
Focus on the eyes
Apr ‘21
Jul. ‘16
Dec. ‘20
Focus points Mar. ‘15
Focus points Sep. ‘20
Focus stacking Mar. ‘17
Focus stacking Aug. ‘19
Focusing in the dark Oct. ‘16
Foreign Dancers, Photographing Nov’ 17
Foreign models Jun. ‘13
Fractals, generating Sep. ‘13
Fractals Jul. ‘19
Framing May ‘17
Framing Jan. ‘24
Freezing ultra action May ‘17
From Terrible to Beautiful Aug. ‘19
Fun with paint Oct. ‘16
Fundamental ingredients Apr. ‘13
Fundamentals That Make Great Photos Jan. ‘19
Fun With Christmas Lights Jan. ‘21
Fun with Food
Graphic Design Jul. ‘20
Garish imagery Dec. ‘15
Generative fill Jun. ‘23
Getting money for used gear Jan.’ 22
Getting the blues out Dec. ‘23
Great subjects Apr. ‘15
Great ceilings & HDR Panos Jul. ‘19
Green screen Mar. ‘13
Ground level shooting Oct. ‘22
Grunge technique Feb. ‘13
Harsh light, the problem of Apr. ‘24
Heavy Lens Debate, The Feb. ‘23
Helicopters, Shooting from Mar. '25
HDR, one photo Apr. ‘13
HDR at twilight May ‘13
HDR, realistic Jun. ‘15
HDR, hand held Dec. ‘16
HDR, hand held Nov ‘17
HDR, hand held Jul. ‘18
HDR panoramas Jun. ‘16
HDR, choosing the number of frames Jun. ‘22
High wind Apr. ‘17
Highlights Apr. ‘14
Highlights, overexposed Feb. ‘15
Histograms, Why I Don’t Use Jun ‘19
Histogram problems Apr. ‘20
Home nature projects Jun. ‘23
Hotels with a view Mar. ‘20
Humidity Oct. ‘13
Hummingbird photography Apr. ‘13
Hyperfocal distance Jul. ‘13
Image resizing Aug. ‘18
Implying motion Sept.‘14
Impossible DOF Feb. ‘16
Impossible DOF Jan. ‘17
Indestructible camera bag Dec. ‘14
Infrared photography Jul. ‘14
Insane ISO settings Dec. ‘22
Interiors Oct. ‘15
iPad: Loading photos Aug.‘17
iPhone photography, pros and cons Apr. ‘22
Jungle photography Dec. ‘14
Kaleidoscopic images Jan. ‘15
Kaleidoscopis images Aug. ‘20
Keystoning Nov. ‘23t
Keystoning, correcting Aug. ‘15
L Bracket Feb. ‘18
L Bracket Feb. ‘21
Landscape photography Dec. ‘12
Landscape photography Apr. ‘14
Landscape photography Nov. ‘16
Layer Masks, The Power of Feb. ‘22
Leading Lines Aug. '24
Lessons Learned from Extreme Cold Feb. ‘24
Light fall-off Feb. ‘14
Light painting Dec. ‘21
Lighting a face Oct. ‘13
Lightning photography May ‘20
Liquify Feb. ‘18
Liquify Distortions Sept/Oct. ‘19
Lenses, Essential Aug. ‘23
Long lens portraits Oct. ‘18
Long Lenses for Flowers Jul. ‘20
Low light photography May ‘15
Luminar 4 Jan. ‘20
Macro flash Nov. ‘12
Macro flash Sep. ‘14
Macro flash Aug. ‘15
Macro flash Aug. ‘22
Macro flash advantage Feb. '25
Macro photography and DOF Feb. ‘22
Macro trick May ‘19
Managing soft focus Jul. ‘21
Mannequin heads Apr. ‘16
Metering modes Nov. ‘16
Meters, How They Work Jul. ‘18
Meters, when they fail Dec. ‘16
Subject index for past Photo Insight issues
Metering situations, Impossible
Middle gray
Jul. ‘19
Nov. ‘15
Midday sunlight, The Challenge of Feb. '25
Milky Way, Photographing the Aug. '25
Minimizing dust on the sensor Nov. ‘21
Optical infinity Jun. ‘16
Mirrors Jan. ‘19
Mirror images
May ‘23
Model shoot Jan. ‘17
Moon glow Oct. ‘16
Mosaics Jun. ‘17
Mundane to Ideal Nov. ‘19
Museum photography
Museum photography
Natural Light Portraits
Negative space
Mar. ‘13
Aug. '25
Aug. ‘21
Jan. ‘16
Neon edges on black Aug. ‘14
Neutral Density filters Jun. ‘18
New depth of field preview Mar. ‘24
New shooting style Mar. ‘24
Neutral Density filters and water Mar. ‘22
Night photography Feb. ‘14
Night Safaris Jun. ‘18
Night to Twilight Dec. ‘17
Noise reduction Feb. ‘17
Off-camera flash Jan. ‘24
Oil and water May ‘20
Online Nature Mar. '25
Organization of photos Mar. ‘18
Out of focus foregrounds Jan. ‘20
Paint abstracts
May ‘13
Paint abstracts Aug. ‘21
Painting with light Sep. ‘15
Pan-blurs Sep. '24
Panning motion Dec. ‘16
Pano-Mirrors with a twist Jan. ‘18
Parades Sep. ‘13
Parallax, Correctingt May '25
Parallelism Nov. ‘19
Parallelism and DOF Feb. ‘21
Perspective, Super Exaggeration of Dec. ‘21
Photo shsaring Apr. ‘23
Photo terms Nov. ‘22
Photographing Christmas Dec. ‘23
Photography to Art Dec. ‘17
Photography solutions Jan. ‘18
Photoshop, content Aware Nov. ‘12
Photoshop, sketch technique Apr. ‘13
Photoshop, replace background Apr. ‘13
Photoshop, actions palette Dec. ‘13
Photoshop, layer masks Feb. ‘13
Photoshop, the clone tool May ‘13
Photoshop, soft foliage Oct. ‘13
Photoshop, mixer brush tool Sept. ‘14
Photoshop, b & w with color Jun. ‘14
Photoshop, drop shadows Jul. ‘14
Photoshop, creating texture Feb. ‘14
Photoshop, face mirrors Feb. ‘14
Photoshop, liquify Mar. ‘14
Photoshop, face mirrors Aug. ‘14
Photoshop, digital spotlight Sep. ‘14
Photoshop, enlarge eyes Nov. ‘14
Photoshop, darken the periphery Dec. ‘14
Photoshop, mirror images Dec. ‘14
Photoshop, beam of light Apr. ‘15
Photoshop, polar coordinates Mar. ‘15
Photoshop, chrome May ‘15
Photoshop, actions palette Nov. ‘15
Photoshop, cut and paste Nov. ‘15
Photoshop, geometrics Oct. ‘15
Photoshop, plugins Oct. ‘15
Photoshop, multiple selections Apr. ‘16
Photoshop, sharpening Apr. ‘16
Photoshop, Flood plugin Apr. ‘16
Photoshop, Desaturation Aug. ‘16
Photoshop, making a composite Aug. ‘16
Photoshop new tool May ‘20
Photoshop, place one element behind Aug. ‘18
Photoshop, the pen tool Feb. ‘16
Photoshop, canvas size Jan. ‘16
Photoshop, using the earth Jun. ‘16
Photoshop, define patterns May ‘16
Photoshop, paste into Nov. ‘16
Photoshop, b & w with color Feb. ‘17
Photoshop, open a closed door Apr. ‘17
Photoshop, palettes May ‘17
Photoshop, My favorite plugins Jan. ‘20
Portrait options Jan. ‘19
Portrait techniques Nov. ‘15
Portraits Mar. ‘13
Portraits, mixed lighting Aug. ‘14
Portrait Professional Nov. ‘19
Portraits, Lens choice Sept/Oct. ‘19
Portraits, side lighting Sep. ‘17
Portraits, window light Mar. ‘15
Portraits, outdoors May ‘17
Post-processing checklist Dec. ‘13
Post-processing: Contrast Aug. ’17
Practicing graphic design, Part I Dec. ‘22
Practicing graphic design, Park II Jan. ‘23
Practicing graphic design, Part III Feb. ‘23
Pre-capturing technology May ‘23
Predictive Focus Sep. ‘18
Problem/solution Apr. ‘17
Problem Solving in Photoshop May ‘22
Problem with cruises Jan. ‘18
Protecting extremeities from the cold Dec. ‘22
Protecting highlights Dec. ‘12
Puppies Jan. ‘15
Puppy photography Feb. ’18
Rays of Light Mar. '25
Reflections Feb. ‘13
Reshaping faces Oct. ‘22
Restoring old photos Jun ‘20
Ring flash, advantages Jul. ‘21
Ring flash versatility Oct. ‘21
Rule of Odds May ‘22
S-curves Aug. '24
Safari May ‘13
Safari strategies Jul. ‘15
Seeing as the lens does Nov. ‘14
Seeking Cool Snow Photos Jan. ‘21
Selective filtering Mar. ‘18
Selective focus Jun. ‘15
Subject index for past Photo Insight issues
Self-critiques Jul. ‘13
Self-critiques Oct. ‘13
Self-critiques Nov. ‘20
Sensor cleaning Jun. ‘18
Sepia and dark contrast Jun. ‘15
Sepia, Traditional look of
Shade May ‘14
Shady side Jun. ‘18
Shadows define the shot Dec. ‘23
Shadows, Paying Attention to Mar. ‘18
Sharp, 6 reasons why photos are not Apr. ‘24
Sharpness problems Mar. ‘14
Shooting from helicopters
Shooting in Inclement Weather Nov. ‘22
Shooting thru glass May ‘24
Shooting through textured glass May ‘23
Shooting through wire mesh Sept. ‘14
Shooting into the light Jun ‘20
Side lighting Jan. ‘24
Silhouettes Jun. ‘13
Silhouettes, How to make Apr. ‘22
Silhouettes, Exposing for Sept/Oct. ‘19
Silvered landscapes Mar. ‘20
Sketch, How to Make Jun ‘19
Skies make or break a picture Aug. ‘21
Sky replacement Nov. ‘20
Sky replacement strategies Aug. ‘22
Snow exposure Nov ‘17
Snow exposure Nov. ‘19
Soap abstracts Aug. ‘23
Soft light Jan. ‘13
Smart phone photography May ‘19
Some people are clueless May '25
Stained glass Mar. ‘17
Star photography and noise Jan. ‘18
Stock photography Sep. ‘14
Sunrise & sunset Jan. ‘19
Symmetry Aug. '24
Tamron 150-600mm Apr. ‘14
Ten reasons photos are not sharp Jan. ‘19
Texture, Adding Mar ‘19
Texture Mapping in 3D Jul. ‘21
To Polarize or not to Polarize Jun. '25
Too much lens Jul. ‘24
Topaz AI Gigapixel Mar ‘19
Topaz glow Jan. ‘15
Topaz glow Sep. ‘17
Topaz Impression Sep. ‘15
Topaz Remask 5 Oct. ‘17
Topaz Simplify 4 Dec. ‘12
Topaz simplify 4 Jun. ‘14
Topaz Studio Apr. ‘18
Total solar eclipse, How to shoot Mar. ‘24
Translucency & backlighting Nov. ‘18
Travel photography Feb. ‘ 13
Travel portraits Mar. ‘14
Travel tips Apr. ‘14
Travel photographer’s guide Jun. ‘17
Tripods, not allowed Jun. ‘24
Tweaking exposure on the fly Apr. ‘23
Twilight photography in the rain Apr. ‘19
Quiz answers
1. a 2. b 3. a 4. d 5. a 6. d 7. c 8. a 9. d 10. a Your score 90% - 100%: You could have been a pro 80% - 89%: Your glasses probably need a new prescription 70% - 79%: Just don’t quit your day job
