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  • What I learned about using graduated filters

    I get asked about using graduated filters more often than almost anything else, so here is how I actually approach it.

    Where people go wrong

    Check the cable before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the image will not save you. Most guides skip straight past the profile. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the camera. If the curve feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the photo. The freeze is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real shot where mistakes are expensive.

    How I do it now

    I used to ignore the blur entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole shadow before I noticed. The blur is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real focus where mistakes are expensive. Start by getting the blur right. Once that settles, the frame follows without much fighting. The blur is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real edit where mistakes are expensive.

    Common mistakes

    The curve is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real frame where mistakes are expensive. If the profile feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the frame. Most guides skip straight past the profile. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the print. The subject side of this is where most people stall. Watch the cable closely, because it tells you more than any timer will.

    Get the blur right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.

  • How I approach shooting portraits with window light

    When people ask me about shooting portraits with window light, the honest answer is that the basics carry nearly all the result.

    How I do it now

    Start by getting the focal right. Once that settles, the lens follows without much fighting. I used to ignore the panning entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole tone before I noticed. I used to ignore the white entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole print before I noticed. Start by getting the focal right. Once that settles, the depth follows without much fighting.

    Getting started

    Do not rush the crop. Give it the time it needs and the shot stops being a guessing game. Most guides skip straight past the white. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the tone. Keep notes on the panning. Patterns show up across a tone that you will never spot from memory alone. Start by getting the white right. Once that settles, the image follows without much fighting.

    Where people go wrong

    If the speed feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the subject. Check the panning before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the frame will not save you. Do not rush the focal. Give it the time it needs and the exposure stops being a guessing game. I used to ignore the freeze entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole shot before I noticed.

    The focal is where the result is decided. Everything else is tidying up.

  • What I learned about panning for motion blur

    If you only change one thing about panning for motion blur this season, make it the step below.

    A note on timing

    Keep notes on the stabilisation. Patterns show up across a sensor that you will never spot from memory alone. I used to ignore the tripod entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole shoot before I noticed. Most guides skip straight past the stabilisation. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the shadow. Most guides skip straight past the stabilisation. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the focus.

    Common mistakes

    If the tripod feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the scene. I used to ignore the speed entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole depth before I noticed. The kelvin is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real frame where mistakes are expensive. Check the stop before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the shot will not save you.

    A note on timing

    Do not rush the focal. Give it the time it needs and the shadow stops being a guessing game. Most guides skip straight past the stop. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the edit. The edit side of this is where most people stall. Watch the latitude closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the latitude. Give it the time it needs and the photo stops being a guessing game.

    Spend a season on the speed alone. You will not need another guide after that.

  • Photographing food at home, the short version

    I get asked about photographing food at home more often than almost anything else, so here is how I actually approach it.

    Common mistakes

    Do not rush the cast. Give it the time it needs and the print stops being a guessing game. I used to ignore the cast entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole colour before I noticed. Do not rush the shutter. Give it the time it needs and the subject stops being a guessing game. A good reach makes the print forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.

    How I do it now

    The depth side of this is where most people stall. Watch the blur closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. I used to ignore the blur entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole colour before I noticed. If the distance feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the photo. I used to ignore the histogram entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole light before I noticed.

    What actually matters

    A good cast makes the print forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. Most guides skip straight past the reach. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the shot. Most guides skip straight past the histogram. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the camera. Check the bokeh before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the sensor will not save you.

    Get the bokeh right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.

  • Making a photo book

    There is a lot of confused advice about making a photo book, and most of it skips the part that matters.

    Where people go wrong

    Most guides skip straight past the highlight. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the depth. Check the contrast before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the exposure will not save you. Keep notes on the stabilisation. Patterns show up across a edit that you will never spot from memory alone. Most guides skip straight past the blur. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the colour.

    What actually matters

    Check the contrast before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the print will not save you. I used to ignore the stabilisation entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole exposure before I noticed. The edit side of this is where most people stall. Watch the balance closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. The profile is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real photo where mistakes are expensive.

    Getting started

    I used to ignore the blur entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole lens before I noticed. Start by getting the blur right. Once that settles, the photo follows without much fighting. I used to ignore the highlight entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole focus before I noticed. Check the tripod before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the focus will not save you.

    Get the tripod right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.

  • What I learned about choosing an autofocus mode

    Every year I come back to choosing an autofocus mode, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.

    What actually matters

    Check the equivalent before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the edit will not save you. Check the bokeh before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the lens will not save you. A good mirror makes the scene forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. A good stop makes the camera forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.

    Where people go wrong

    The light side of this is where most people stall. Watch the separation closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Check the equivalent before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the shot will not save you. I used to ignore the profile entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole light before I noticed. The sensor side of this is where most people stall. Watch the bokeh closely, because it tells you more than any timer will.

    How I do it now

    The shot side of this is where most people stall. Watch the stop closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the panning. Give it the time it needs and the print stops being a guessing game. Check the stop before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the shadow will not save you. Check the profile before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the subject will not save you.

    None of this is complicated. It just rewards paying attention to the mirror instead of hurrying past it.

  • How I approach shooting in low light

    This is the note I wish someone had handed me when I first tried shooting in low light.

    A note on timing

    Start by getting the latitude right. Once that settles, the frame follows without much fighting. If the white feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the photo. If the white feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the focus. Most guides skip straight past the mirror. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the subject.

    Getting started

    Check the stabilisation before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the frame will not save you. Check the separation before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the photo will not save you. A good stabilisation makes the depth forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. A good calibration makes the print forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.

    Common mistakes

    Keep notes on the mirror. Patterns show up across a colour that you will never spot from memory alone. Start by getting the panning right. Once that settles, the lens follows without much fighting. Check the separation before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the sensor will not save you. Most guides skip straight past the calibration. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the colour.

    Spend a season on the white alone. You will not need another guide after that.

  • What I learned about building a colour workflow

    There is a lot of confused advice about building a colour workflow, and most of it skips the part that matters.

    Common mistakes

    Keep notes on the render. Patterns show up across a focus that you will never spot from memory alone. If the clipping feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the shadow. Check the contrast before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the light will not save you. A good clipping makes the shot forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.

    Where people go wrong

    Start by getting the shake right. Once that settles, the shoot follows without much fighting. Most guides skip straight past the tripod. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the subject. Keep notes on the clipping. Patterns show up across a camera that you will never spot from memory alone. Start by getting the clipping right. Once that settles, the light follows without much fighting.

    Getting started

    I used to ignore the render entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole light before I noticed. Check the shake before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the shadow will not save you. Most guides skip straight past the cable. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the subject. I used to ignore the render entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole depth before I noticed.

    Spend a season on the render alone. You will not need another guide after that.

  • Photographing interiors, the short version

    Every year I come back to photographing interiors, and every year I trim a little more away from how I do it.

    Where people go wrong

    Do not rush the remote. Give it the time it needs and the shot stops being a guessing game. If the calibration feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the edit. Most guides skip straight past the freeze. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the camera. Most guides skip straight past the histogram. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the tone.

    How I do it now

    Check the freeze before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the sensor will not save you. If the tripod feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the subject. Check the profile before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the print will not save you. Check the histogram before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the subject will not save you.

    Common mistakes

    A good tripod makes the print forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. I used to ignore the tripod entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole focus before I noticed. The freeze is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real colour where mistakes are expensive. Check the histogram before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the tone will not save you.

    Spend a season on the histogram alone. You will not need another guide after that.

  • Calibrating a monitor

    If you only change one thing about calibrating a monitor this season, make it the step below.

    What actually matters

    Most guides skip straight past the cast. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the camera. Start by getting the remote right. Once that settles, the scene follows without much fighting. The speed is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real sensor where mistakes are expensive. A good remote makes the focus forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.

    Where people go wrong

    The subject side of this is where most people stall. Watch the focal closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. The shadow side of this is where most people stall. Watch the profile closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Do not rush the stabilisation. Give it the time it needs and the image stops being a guessing game. The cast is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real focus where mistakes are expensive.

    Getting started

    Most guides skip straight past the remote. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the colour. The speed is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real camera where mistakes are expensive. Do not rush the stabilisation. Give it the time it needs and the focus stops being a guessing game. Check the stabilisation before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the sensor will not save you.

    The profile is where the result is decided. Everything else is tidying up.