September on Boost Your Photography

A Year Ago on Boost Your Photography is a twice-monthly post rounding up all the great content available on BYP that has been published during this same time of year, across the years. It's a quick way to catch up on content you may have missed, including seasonal and time-sensitive photography tips and ideas.

• Getting Started with Macro Photography. This one-stop-shop will have you out and shooting incredible macro and close-up photographs in no time.

• Must Have Apps to Assist Your Photography. The third in the apps series, this post focuses on apps that will help you plan, shoot, and perfect your phone photography. Recommendations are suitable for both Android and Apple devices.

• How to Photograph Architecture. This post contains great tips and advice for shooting architecture, including composition ideas and tips for interior as well as exterior shots.

• Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum. The first in a series of introductory posts about aperture. Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum provides an informative overview of aperture, how to use it, and what the deal is with "f/stops."

• What an Aperture of f/1.8 Can Do for You. This post lays out the basics of wide open aperture and covers common uses and situations for the wide third of the aperture range (around f/1.8 to f/3.5). The first post in this series is Aperture and the F/Stop Conundrum. 

• What an Aperture of f/8 to f/11 Can Do for You. This next post covers the middle range or "who cares" apertures, around f/8 to f/11. Find out exactly when to use these apertures and how you can rely on them as the workhorses of common shooting situations.

• What an Aperture of f/22 Can Do for You. This post rounds out the series by covering the narrow end of the aperture spectrum, up around f/18 to f/22. Find out how to use these aperture values to maximize focus in your image or to slow down your shutter speed for lovely, silky water shots or to create incredible sunburst effects.

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Mid-August on Boost Your Photography

A Year Ago on Boost Your Photography is a twice-monthly post rounding up all the great content available on BYP that has been published during this same time of year, across the years. It's a quick way to catch up on content you may have missed, including seasonal and time-sensitive photography tips and ideas.

• Blue Hour Photography. The blue hour, right after sunset or right before sunrise, is an incredible time for photography. Find out how to make the most of the blue hour with these tips and examples.

• Street Photography. Learn the basics of compelling street photography.

• Capturing Motion in Photography. There are so many ways to capture motion in photography. Find out how with this informative post!

• Summer Round Up. A quick summary of all the posts from the summer of 2014. A great resource for great photography.

• Zooming vs. Cropping: Perspective in Photography. Zooming with your lens is not the same as cropping a photograph. This post discusses the important role of perspective in photography and lays out exactly how "zooming with your feet" differs from simply cropping an image. (This post was written in honor of my beloved 15-year-old Mazda who was retired shortly after this photoshoot.)

• Panning in Photography. Panning is a fun photographic technique for rendering a moving subject. The trick to panning is moving your camera at the same relative speed as your subject. Read the full article for all the details.

• Window on the World. Windows are a fascinating photography subject, but one that need careful consideration when shooting. This post provides tips for shooting through windows, as well as a series of examples that will make you start thinking more about windows, especially when you are traveling.

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August on Boost Your Photography

A Year Ago on Boost Your Photography is a twice-monthly post rounding up all the great content available on BYP that has been published during this same time of year, across the years. It's a quick way to catch up on content you may have missed, including seasonal and time-sensitive photography tips and ideas.

• Top Tips for Better Back to School Photos. Don't wait until the morning of the first day of school to think about how to capture a shot of your child's big day! With a little planning and the tips in this post, you can get incredible, personal shots of that back to school excitement.

• Must Have Photography Processing Apps. Part 2 in the apps series examines popular Android and Apple apps for processing and improving your phone photographs.

• 5 Easy Tips for Better Sunrise and Sunset Photographs. Everyone loves a great sunrise or sunset. Capture the moment like you really experienced it with these quick tips!

• Analyze to Improve Your Landscape Photographs. Knowing what to look for in a landscape photograph can greatly improve your images. Find out how to look back at your own shots and find ways to make them even better your next time shooting.

A group of photographers, via Flickr and 365Project, joined together to do a month-long Book Club of Freeman Patterson's Photography and the Art of Seeing.

• Reflections on Week 1 of the August Photography Book Club includes a selection of photographs from different participants along with their thoughts about the book and book club.

• Week 2 of the August Photography Book Club covered sections on "Learning to Imagine" and "Learning to Express." 

• Week 3 of the August Photography Book Club covered how camera's see space and "Visual Design and Tone"

• Week 4 of the August Photography Book Club covered additional elements of visual design including a discussion of color.

• Summer Roundup. A quick look back to all the posts from last summer on Boost Your Photography, all in one place!

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Mid-July on Boost Your Photography

A Year Ago on Boost Your Photography is a twice-monthly post rounding up all the great content available on BYP that has been published during this same time of year, across the years. It's a quick way to catch up on content you may have missed, including seasonal and time-sensitive photography tips and ideas.

• Long Exposure Photography at the Fair(e). A fair or carnival is an incredible opportunity to practice your long exposure photography. Bring along a tripod, and entire world of light and photographs awaits you! Read the full article for detailed suggestions and "how to" instructions.

• Best Options for Printing Your Photographs. Find out which online photo retailer came out the winner, and which ones are recommended for printing your own precious photographs.

• Demystifying the Histogram. Learn how to use your histogram to adjust your shooting in the field and get exactly the image you want. This post also presents examples of specific types of histograms and the images that produce them.

• Puddle Photography Part Deux. Another look at puddle reflection photography with examples from Grand Tetons National Park.

• Black and White Photography: do you shoot or do you post-process? This post lays out a comparison of the various ways to get a black and white image - shooting in-camera black and white vs. shooting in color (or RAW) and post-processing.

• Must Have Camera Apps for Your Smart Phone or Tablet. This first post in the apps series takes a look at apps that you can use to control your camera itself while shooting with your phone or tablet. Includes apps for Android and Apple.

• Keeping Your Camera and Sensor Clean. The post lays out everything you need to do (and have) to keep your camera and especially your camera sensor clean, from basic day-to-day maintenance and prevention to what happens when you end up with a whole mess of dust and grime on your sensor (like in the photo above). Read on for the full details.

• August Photography Book Club: week 1. A group of photographers, via Flickr and 365Project, joined together to do a month-long Book Club of Freeman Patterson's Photography and the Art of Seeing. The first week covered the sections on "Barriers to Seeing" and "Learning to Observe."

• Spring Roundup. The very first round up, this one covered all of the posts from the first quarter of Boost Your Photography, all in one place!

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July on Boost Your Photography

A Year Ago on Boost Your Photography is a twice-monthly post rounding up all the great content available on BYP that has been published during this same time of year, across the years. It's a quick way to catch up on content you may have missed, including seasonal and time-sensitive photography tips and ideas.

• Easy Set-Up for Formal Newborn Photographs. I share some behind-the-scenes how to advice for shooting more formal-looking newborn and family portraits.

• An Introduction to Aperture. To get the shot you want, you need to understand what aperture is and what it can do for you. This post lays out a quick overview of aperture, including a description of the graphic above, and provides links to more detailed posts.

• Teachings Kids Photography, part 2: composition and design. Kids can make incredible photographs, especially when they have a bit of background about how to compose their images and how to include design elements. This post includes example images to get them started.

• An Introduction to Filters in Photography. Filters serve many purposes, from protecting your lens to making skies pop to creating incredible effects. Find out how and why to use the most common types of filters, including UV, circular polarizers, and a variety of neutral density filters.

• Strategic White Balance. White balance is so much more than a "set it and forget it" camera setting. Find out how to use white balance strategically to capture incredible photographs!

• Stacking Photographs: Star Trails and Beyond. An overview of the technique of "stacking" multiple photographs to create extremely long exposures. This technique is commonly used with star trails, as pictured above, but has other applications. All you need is your camera, a tripod, a remote, and a free piece of software to create amazing results!

• Easy Photography Upgrade: Tri-fold Board. Learn some amazing photography tricks that you can accomplish with the help of a simple tri-fold board.

• How Long Does Your Camera's Battery Last? Do you know the answer to this simple but important question? Read on for an easy technique for tracking your camera's battery life. Never get stuck with a surprise dead battery again!

• August Photography Book Club. A group of photographers, via Flickr and 365Project, joined together to do a month-long Book Club of Freeman Patterson's Photography and the Art of Seeing. This introduction explains about the book choice and the month-long project

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June on Boost Your Photography

A Year Ago on Boost Your Photography is a twice-monthly post rounding up all the great content available on BYP that has been published during this same time of year, across the years. It's a quick way to catch up on content you may have missed, including seasonal and time-sensitive photography tips and ideas.

• Make the Shot: Spoon Reflection Photography. Have a camera? Have a spoon? Have a great time getting some creative shots using spoon reflections. This how to posts gives you all the tips you need to know to get great shots like the one above.

• Quick Tips for Better Fireworks Photographs. With July right around the corner, what better time to brush up on your techniques for photographing fireworks! This post lays out everything you need to know, including suggestions for equipment and settings.

• Composition: Orientation. Do you think about why you hold your camera the way that you do? Find out how to use orientation intentionally, whether you are shooting horizontally or vertically.

• Composition: Framing. You can use other elements in your image to frame your main subject. Find out how to use framing to make an impact in your photographs!

• 3-Month Baby Portrait Ideas. Images from a three-month old photography shoot.

• Troubleshooting Exposure: how to fix common exposure problems. This highly popular post is a follow up to All about Exposure and provides a detailed how to for using strategies like AE Lock, recomposing, and bracketing to solve all of your exposure issues. Get the picture right the first time, in-camera!

• Travel Photography: Make a Shot List. Traveling at all this summer? Be sure that you come home with all of the shots that you want - find out why and how to make a shot list and get all of the photographs that you are after.

• Postcards from Rainier. A photo-walk through of a recent trip to Mount Rainier National Park, including some thoughts about how to make the best of the photography situations that you encounter when traveling.

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Mid-April on Boost Your Photography

A Year Ago on Boost Your Photography is a twice-monthly post rounding up all the great content available on BYP that has been published during this same time of year, across the years. It's a quick way to catch up on content you may have missed, including seasonal and time-sensitive photography tips and ideas.

• Spinning Fire with Steel Wool Photography. It's easy to capture amazing photographs with steel wool spinning. This article will walk you through all that you need to do to creative these types of photographs safely and easily (even with a point-and-shoot camera)!

• Teaching Kids Photography: shooting modes, focus, and exposure. This is the first in our series of posts about teaching kids photography, based on my experiences running a photography club with elementary and middle school students. Learn about where to start, regardless of whether you are using phone, point-and-shoot, or DSLR cameras.

• Great Advice for Printing and Displaying Photography. A round up of ideas for what to do with your images after you've taken them.

• Top Tips for Camera Memory and Storage. Get in the know about how best to protect, safe guard, and backup your digital photographs and files.

• What the ... White Balance? This break-through post explaining white balance, what it is, and how to make the most of it, is one of our top five popular posts of all time.

• Shoot the Moon with The Photographer's Ephemeris. Another popular post, this one explains how to capture amazing moon photographs by using The Photographer's Ephemeris to plan your shoot.

• Photographing Architecture - watch your lines! The focal length of your camera and the distance between yourself and your subject can cause various kinds of distortion in your images. Learn how to watch your horizontal and vertical lines for better architecture photographs.

• Capture a Day in a Single Image. Learn how to shoot a series of photographs over the course of a day and how to layer then together in Photoshop for a unique image depicting the entire day. Tips, advice, and Photoshop how to all included.

• Maximize Your Tripod. Get the most out of your tripod with these simple tips.

• Cheap and Easy Macro: Comparisons and Recommendations. This summary article provides a quick overview of the most common, inexpensive ways to capture macro photographs, along with links to all the detailed articles about each method. The final head-to-head comparison will help you decide which method(s) may work best for you.

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