Low-Key Photography
The term “low-key” refer to any scene with a high lighting ratio, e.g. 8:1, especially if there are high proportions of shadowed areas.
In Low-Key images the tone is darker with a great deal of contrast, usually creating large black fields in the photo. It is very common for Low-Key images to give special attention [...]

To sign up please visit World Wide Photo Walk - Historic Santa Rosa.
We will gather in front of the Pacific Market at 9:00am to introduce ourselves and take a quick group photo before we get on our way.

After the photo it is all up to you to either follow some of my suggestion or take [...]

High-Key Photography
High-Key means that the overall key tone of the photo is high.
The key to successful high-key photography is working with flat and ample lighting and at the same time avoiding the use of dark subject matter. White-on-white makes for the best high-key photos.
There are three characteristics of high-key photography:

First is that the photo’s tone [...]

Lines: Building Blocks Of Shapes, Patterns and Textures
If you want to attract a viewer to your images the best way is to emphasize line, shape, patterns, and textures.
Composition and line play a key role in all photos. A line is a shape that is longer than it is wide. Lines can [...]

Aperture and Depth of field
As a photographer I cannot emphasize the importance of having a good sense of knowledge of how Aperture and depth of field are related.
In a previous article (F-Stop is NOT an F-word) I explained the nomenclature commonly used for aperture is f-stop.  Aperture and f-stop relate to the size of the [...]

April Showers
This time of the year with its crisp and clear air is magical for getting those beautiful wet pavement shots.
At night after (and sometime during) a good rain the wet and shiny streets of your local (or not so local) downtown city reflects the brilliant lights to create colorful and vivid [...]

F-Stop is NOT an f-word
What exactly is an f-stop anyway?
The term f-stop is sometimes confusing due to its multiple meanings. In photographic terms it can mean the size of a lens aperture or an EV (Exposure value) of light.
Lens aperture -corresponds to the aperture opening of the lens. The smaller the number the
bigger the aperture [...]

Perspective
As humans we perceive three dimensions because we have binocular vision. Our camera sees only in monocular therefore we need to (as photographers) use perspective to show depth.
To portray size or scale of an object be it large or small, introduce something into the composition that is of familiar size (telephone [...]

Candids

Candid photos are not difficult but they do require some practice, patience and preparation. Timing is critical to candid photography. With modern day DSLR cameras pre-setting the focus point is not as necessary as it once was. Having said that, getting it close should be part of your practice, [...]

Panning
Panning takes some practice to nail down. But with practice and good timing this effect will convey movement like no other technique. Panning allows us to keep the subject in focus while allowing the background to blur.
The basic idea behind panning is a technique where you follow your subject with a [...]