Shutterbug 101

Say hey with photos of your pet

Lara Hartley — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:38:04 +0000

SPOT THE WONDERDOG: Ah mom, these sunglasses are way uncool.

As we get close to the Holiday season, you may be tempted to photograph your pet for your annual greeting cards.

EX-BOYFRIEND: Come on Spot the WonderDog, hold up your ears.

Photographing one’s pet can be a challenging and sometimes exasperating event. But by following a [...]

Say hey with photos of your pet is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Why, oh why? Some questions answered.

Lara Hartley — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:51:28 +0000

Today we are going to address some questions from a friend in Bakersfield. Thanks Linda!

Q: Why does it take so long for my camera to fire when I push the button?

A: Digital cameras have a nasty little problem with slow shutter release times. From the time you “push the button” until the shutter actual fires [...]

Why, oh why? Some questions answered. is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Faster shutters for fast wings

Lara Hartley — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:05:16 +0000

Wildlife photographer Ron Wolf aims his big Canon lens at the hummingbird feeding station during the recent photography workshop. Visit Ron's Flickr stream for some great images. www.flickr.com/photos/rwolf/

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to take a workshop with noted bird photographer Bob Steele during the Kern River Preserve’s Hummingbird Festival. The Weldon [...]

Faster shutters for fast wings is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Movin’ on up (to a digital SLR)

Lara Hartley — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:50:52 +0000

A hawk was close enough to my car on a telelphone pole allowing me to photograph it with my 300mm lens with a 1.4x teleconverter.

You love your point & shoot digital camera but now you yearn for something more. A camera that offers more versatility and interchangeable lenses. A camera that lets you get [...]

Movin’ on up (to a digital SLR) is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Still movement

Lara Hartley — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:40:55 +0000

Last time we talked about using your camera in manual mode and the relationship between aperture and shutter speed. Reiterating — aperture controls depth of field and shutter speed is important for stopping movement — or not stopping it.

Sometimes you want to freeze the action — a kid kicking a soccer ball, the tight end [...]

Still movement is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Eye of the beholder

Lara Hartley — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:39:12 +0000

So many times people say “I don’t know what to shoot.” You never know what will catch your eye so you just have to get out there and be open to possibilities.

Galen Rowell said once “I almost never set out to photograph a landscape, nor do I think of my camera as a means of [...]

Eye of the beholder is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Terrifying words — ‘Manual Mode’

Lara Hartley — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:30:52 +0000

The lens aperture on a camera acts like the iris and pupil in your eye, opening and closing to let in varying amounts of light. Photo by Curtis Fletcher / stock.xchng.com

What’s with this manual mode stuff when we have a camera that does perfectly good auto?

There are times when you are going to want [...]

Terrifying words — ‘Manual Mode’ is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Picture Perfect Vacations

Lara Hartley — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:34:16 +0000

It’s the height of summer! And what does that mean? Summer vacations of course. You have planned the perfect vacation – to the mountains, the beach or even a foreign country.

Your bags are packed, the car is stuffed with kids and toys and you are ready to go.

Wait, do you have your camera?

Aha! The bag [...]

Picture Perfect Vacations is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Up close and personal

Lara Hartley — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:33:37 +0000

Today we continue with a lesson on candid portraits, that is, portraits shot outside of a portrait studio. In this situation you have two choices: shoot tight on just the face and shoulders, or shoot wider to allow some of the environment to show.

Tighter is good when the background is distracting, or when you want [...]

Up close and personal is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA

Windows to the soul

Lara Hartley — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:34:53 +0000

Good portraits are one of the hardest photographic skills to come close to mastering. Notice I didn’t say “master” because I am not sure anyone ever masters the art of photography as it is a lifelong learning process.

There is a huge difference between a snapshot and a candid portrait. Today we are going to talk [...]

Windows to the soul is a post from: Lara Hartley at DesertUSA