Close

Member Login

Invalid username or password.
Incorrect Login. Please try again.

Not a member?

Sign up and join a community that's passionate about exploring the world of photography.

How-To

Valuable tips, tricks and techniques for every step of the photographic process.

Most Recent: 

  • How I Shot This: Pool Boy

    Color or black-and-white? Let the scene decide.
    • By Debbie Grossman on December 16, 2008

    Leasha Overturf, 39, got started as a photographer in high school, when she borrowed a camera from a student who had it on loan for a class. The ticked-off teacher forgave Overturf when he saw her potential. After earning a BA at Southern Illinois University, she moved to Chicago and worked for several photographers, including, for the past 15 years, Paul Elledge. Now she's not only his production assistant, she's also his co-teacher.
    Q. What are we looking at in this photo?

    Related Topics:

  • Your Best Shot - September 2006

    Winning photos from our readers.
    • By Pop Photo Staff on December 16, 2008

    1st Place: Art Glass

    Related Topics:

  • Digital Toolbox: How to Sharpen

    How to use Photoshop CS2's Smart Sharpen to kiss blur goodbye.
    • By Debbie Grossman on December 16, 2008

    Sharpening is one of the most misused functions of Adobe Photoshop. Sharpen too little and your picture's fuzzy; sharpen too much and your photo will look "digital" in the worst way. But Photoshop CS2's new Smart Sharpen tool can help you avoid these missteps and get great, crisp photos every time.
    A "Sharp" Image
    Even your most perfectly focused photos probably have a little blur in them. Whether that's due to your lens or image processing, a little sharpening can add a lot of pop. You may be surprised what a difference it can make.

    Related Topics:

  • Back to the Future

    Luigi Colani's early-1980s camera designs for Canon were years ahead of their time.
    • By Russell Hart on December 16, 2008

    People of a certain age grew up expecting that as adults they would drive antigravity cars and live in geodesic domes. Those people now find themselves wondering what happened to that space-age future. As fast as technology moves -- and anyone who follows digital photography knows how fast it does -- it rarely keeps up with the visionary notions of science fiction and techno-pundits.

    Related Topics:

  • You Can Do It: Slasher Art

    Paint with light while you dance in the dark.
    • By Josh Mccullock on December 16, 2008

    To paint abstract forms with light, you have to start with a very dark room -- not absolutely black, but close. The LED headlamps I use are the type popular with mechanics and campers, and can be found in most hardware and camping supply stores, as well as online.
    The Gerber Triode ($20, street, www.gerbertools.com) is inexpensive and has perfect LED spacing and a long battery life. I also recommend a digital camera, because this technique relies heavily on trial and error to get the exposures and the shaping of the light trails right.

    Related Topics:

  • Your Best Shot

    • By Pop Photo Staff on December 16, 2008

    1st Place: Jamming Jellies
    Underwater photography without getting wet? Sure, just ask SNEHENDU KAR. A professor at UCLA's School of Public Health, the 72-year-old likes to photograph at the Long Beach (CA) Aquarium. To avoid flash glare, he positioned his camera at a 45-degree angle as close to the aquarium window as he could get it without touching the glass, and prefocused on a spot.
    "I had to take hundreds of pictures for just a few that came out well," he tells us.

    Related Topics:

  • The Fix: Center of Interest

    We make three of your best shots even better by honing in on the center of interest.
    • By Debbie Grossman And Dan Richards on December 16, 2008

    Altared State
    Taylor Miller, Lawrence, KS
    The Problem:
    We thought that the real subject in this photo was the angled beam of light, slicing through the frame diagonally. A few too many picture elements distracted from it, as did the overly bright floor and altar railing.

    Related Topics:

  • Picture Doctor: 4 Ways to Tame Flare

    Prescriptions for Better Photos
    • By Dan Richards on December 16, 2008

    Are you mystified by light spots in your photos like the one here? They're not ghostly spirits or film flaws, they're flare: unwanted light bouncing through the lens onto the film or digital sensor from a bright source, such as the sun, streetlights at night, or lamps indoors. The spots are visual echoes of the source. Here's how to beat flare:

    Related Topics:

  • PopPhoto.com's College Photo Contest Grand Prize Winner

    Julie Goodwin of Middlesex Community College in Connecticut wins the grand prize.
    • By Jay Defoore on December 16, 2008

    Julie Goodwin's top two passions are photography and dance, so it stands to reason that good things would result from the combination of the two.

    Related Topics:

  • Lighting: Tone Deft

    How to light-and not light- dark skin.
    • By Peter Kolonia on December 16, 2008

    There's no real secret to correctly lighting dark skin. Light normally, meter and expose correctly, and you should get accurate skin tones and fully textured skin surfaces.
    That said, there's a real difference between lighting relatively dark skin and lighter skin. Light complexions are somewhat tolerant of underexposure, but intolerant of overexposure. Ever had a pale subject's skin blow out when your flash got too close?

    Related Topics: