Loyalty checks

Keeping the faith in photographyBy T Martin For Nikon enthusiasts eagerly awaiting news of what how Nikon intends to respond to Canon’s 1D Mark II, there is a lot of speculation, but not much detail. Some of us particularly adamant Nikon users are facing new options, though, and there is some fear that the most hardened Nikon users might be looking into Canon products. A professional photographer friend of mine recently confided that he was frustrated with Nikon’s slowness…

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Picture-perfect friendships

Capturing memories to last a lifetimeBy T Martin It’s the terrible teens: today you’re the best of friends, but tomorrow could mean scrapping in the schoolyard about what “he said she said.” During these years of growing pains and the inevitable roller coaster of emotions they bring, kids look long and hard for stability and lasting relationships. As they grow older and apart from one another, people rely more and more on pictures to help them remember the joys…

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Ready? Get set? Oh, now what?

Preparing for a successful photo shoot, page 1 of 3By T Martin “Why don’t you just use rechargeable batteries?” This is what an amateur model asked me at one of my last model shoots in 2003 as I loaded batteries into my camera. The fact is I do, but her question posed an interesting point about being prepared at photo shoots. There are a number of things to do before a model shoot if you want to be fully…

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A bit high strung

Guitar photos boost forum hitsBy T Martin For the record, I’m not a big guitar fan. I’m a mellower sort who enjoys piano, jazz, gospel and some R&B. I have friends, cousins, even a brother who play guitar, perhaps contributing to my need for diversion, but I’m not big on guitars. Even so, when my best friend asked me to photograph his guitars for some quick photos to post on eBay.com last May, I grabbed my Minolta DiMage 7…

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Passenger side, best friend’s ride

Scrubs get better photosBy T Martin Last November, I was invited to chaperone neighborhood youths on a field trip to Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Though I suspect the invitation was a direct message to me, the purpose of the trip was for the children to get a tour of the college and some lunch afterwards. And though I wasn’t particularly interested in the tour, I found a number of interesting photos at the college, as well as in…

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Experiment with your camera, part 2

Play with camera settings at nightBy T Martin Last month’s article on using manual camera settings to experiment with available light photography ended with an outdoor night photo of John Mull. This month continues the available light story with more night photography tips. Get your tripod, and make sure your camera has fresh batteries! Beginning last August, I got myself on a night photography kick and just started taking the camera out at night to try something different or…

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Experiment with your camera, part 1

Play with camera settings for effectBy T Martin Looking to break up the monotony of regular snap-shot photography? Want to unleash the creative photographer within? Turn off the automatic flash and have some fun with just the light provided by your surroundings. Oh, and dust off that tripod; start keeping it handy. When you use only the light around you without the help from your camera’s built-in or add-on flash, you are photographing “available light.” This is great for…

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