Why you should "manual zoom" - even if you have a zoom lens.

We all do it, even me ... using the zoom lens to match the space we have to shoot in rather than thinking about what we want the image to actually look like.

What we should be doing is using the focal length that gives us the image we want rather than what is convenient to shoot. What do I mean by that?

Pretty much every consumer camera comes with a zoom lens in the wide to telephoto style. Around the middle of zoom range will be a point where the picture would have the same look as what your eyes see. If you held a picture frame in front of your face - about one foot away if its a 4x6 frame (and about 2.5 to 3 feet if its an 8x10) what you see through the frame is what you'd see with lens at about mid point. (Exactly what point that is depends on the lens and camera combination.)

At the wide angle end, more stuff side to side and top to bottom is included than you would naturally see if you looked through a picture frame, which can distort things that are close up. But, it does help create a sense of place and brings the viewer into the picture.

At the telephoto end, you crop down and isolate your subject, which also slightly flattens the image - which is flattering for portraits. But, it doesn't give as much sense of place as the wide angle does and slightly distances the viewer.

Both ends of the telephoto lens - and points in between - are "the right choices" depending on what you're trying to say with your image.


So here's a couple of exercises. 

Manual zoom: Take a picture of someone, start at the telephoto end, zoomed in as much as possible and framing their head and shoulders. You'll have to move yourself to get the right framing. Now zoom out just a touch and then move closer to get the same framing in the image. Now zoom in a little more and again move forward. Do this several times until you're at the most wide angle and probably standing just inches from your subject. Review the images and note how the person looks slightly different in each of the shots.


Choosing the look: Take a series of shots with the camera set to the widest point of the zoom. Just wonder around your house, or the park, or other place of your choice, only using that one setting for your lens. Now go to a middle point and repeat the exercise, doesn't have to be the same subject, just random photos - but you move back and forth to get the framing you want rather than zooming in or out. Now go to the most telephoto setting and repeat this process one more time.

When you review the images, see how you look at things and frame them differently - as well as how the subject of each photo relates to its surroundings based on how you set your zoom lens.

In the end you should have a better idea of whether you want to integrate your subject in its/his/hers surroundings, or isolate your subject, and which point in the zoom will give you the effect you want. This is much better control of your images than just zooming the lens to a convenient but perhaps inappropriate setting.

Ed Verosky - portrait, boudoir and editorial photographer

Photographer Ed Verosky is a photographer you should check out and see what he's up to with his current projects. Working in portraiture, boudoir, glamour and editorial photography, he brings a unique artistic eye to his images. One of his projects you can see on the site is X-Reel - based on b-movie and stag films, he photographs in a gritty, film like style.

You can learn lots about photography and he current photography on his blog at that site.

To keep up on what Ed is doing, and get additional information not on his blog you should sign up for his newsletter at:  www.veroskyphoto.com/signup.html

I recently bought his ebook 100% Reliable Flash Photography - and even though I've been doing photography for many year, I did pick up a some really good ideas.  One thing you can apply is systematizing your flash photography - settle on one or two settings for your flash and always use it (or them), and you'll be better able to handle changing conditions. Ed has some great advice in this book on how to apply that idea. A great value for only $9.95. 

I'm not affiliated so I don't get paid if you buy, I just think for $10 you shouldn't pass up this great deal.

Ed also has ebooks on boudoir and beauty photography - check his blog to learn more.

Asignment - get out and shoot

If you're reading this, you're probably very interested in photography and learning to become better at it. Of course there's lots of information at the site BestPhotoLessons.com - which you should devour - but you also have to "do" photography.

So your assignment: get out and shoot something, anything, anywhere, every week Or even every day) from now until you can't get out of your hospital bed and your family gathers around you.

Its a simple assignment. But hard to do. But, doing something you love to do - even when its "in the way of life" is important to us as humans.

"What you do today is important because you are trading one day of your life for it."

Don't know who said that, but it is profound.

Book Review - Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

(click on image to purchase this item from amazon.com)



This book is a fantastic way to get more creative - not just about learning to draw but to see whatever you're creating in a more meaningful way. A big part of any creative enterprise, from drawing to photography to writing a screenplay, is to get at the feelings about the subject - not just create an accurate representation. This book taught me more in a few lessons that 20 years of reading dozens of other books and looking at art.

You don't have to a be "talented sketch artist" to get going on the exercises in this book - just a willingness to do the exercises. I'm a photographer, and can draw a little. But I'm nothing compared to most artists who use pencils and pens. However, I still got so much out of this book and doing the exercises and have been able to push my photography even further because of it. So, yeah, by now you've probably guessed I highly recommend this to anyone who is pursing a creative career or just a creative life.

Hack a Canon

http://lifehacker.com/387380/turn-your-point+and+shoot-into-a-super+camera

Well, I don't know if I'd call it a Super Camera, but this hack is pretty cool if you want to push your Canon point and shoot into a better camera. The Canon Hacker's Development Kit, aka CHDK, is a firmware enhancement you put on your camera's memory card and it does magic.

What does this do to it? You can get RAW files for better images, you can add Motion Detection for security or shooting lightening, etc. You can play games on your Canon P&S. Some of the tricks are really cool, like way higher shutter speeds such as 1/12,500 or faster - which is faster than my dSLR Canon 5D, or really really slow like 65 seconds - yes over a minute.

If you like to shoot videos and - like me - are disappointed with your P&S's short video capture time, this hack will be something you'll have to do.

There's quite a few scripts being developed for this hack to add even more new features. Someone even developed a game to play on your P&S.

NOTE: I have not tried this myself, so don't know how good or stable the hack is, but would love to hear from someone who's done it.

Lots of people coming by

Yesterday, BestPhotoLessons.com had 139 people come to the site and viewed 350 pages.

I just compared the yearly stats and every year visitors just about doubles. We've almost had as many visitors so far this as we had last year.

It's really gratifying to see so many people using the site. Thanks to everyone who visits.

And if you would like to suggest more things you'd like to see here, by all means leave a comment or email us.

Wisdom by Andrew Zuckerman

Gorgeous photos and essential wisdom from those who've experienced life and have made a difference, photographed and produced by New York photographer Andrew Zuckerman.

We should all take these lessons to heart - and for the photographers, be inspired both by the photography and scope of this book, which includes a DVD with the interviews.


The Trailer:








Also see the web site for the book if you want to learn more and see the "making of" - great for us photographers. www.wisdombook.org