Mar 20, 2011

Camera: Canon 7D Lens: Canon EF-S 17 – 55mm f/2.8 IS USM Aperture: f/2.8 Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec ISO: 800 Flash: Bounced from ceiling, using a Canon 430 EX II Focal Length: 37 mm Shooting Mode: Aperture Priority Exposure Compensation: -1 step Photoshop: Lightroom Preset ‘Stellar Guru GreenGold‘. I’ve been taking lots of shots in lowlight...

Mar 17, 2011

If you’ve been wondering how the pros get those lovely blurred background in their photos of people, then wonder no more, because I’ve found a nice little video that runs through just exactly how you can get those blurred backgrounds too. By the way, I did a whole tutorial on how to blur the background in your photos a little while...

Mar 9, 2011

I really enjoy gig photography, but it can be quite challenging at the best of times! So I thought I’d put together some of the things that I’ve found most useful when taking shots of local concerts – hopefully you’ll take something from this and go on to to take some great photos of bands in your area. So, without further ado, my 5 top...

Feb 14, 2011

Yep, that’s right, it’s LearningTheLight.com’s first anniversary today – I don’t really know why I started the site on Valentine’s Day 2010 (not the most romantic thing I’ve ever done…!), but at least I’ll always remember the site’s anniversary date now! I’d like to thank everyone for taking the...

Jan 25, 2011

Bryan Peterson is a professional photographer, and author of the fantastic Understanding Exposure book (which you can read my full review of here). He’s done some great photography video tips/tutorials – from how to choose your ‘creative’ exposure, macro photography, storytelling, taking shots after sunset (lowlight photography),...

Jan 19, 2011

Camera: Canon T1i Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens Aperture: f/4 Shutter Speed: 1/80 sec ISO: 100 Focal Length: 50 mm Shooting Mode: Aperture Priority Photoshop: Increased contrast using Curves. Saturation increase. Crop. I took this shot whilst on a walk with my wife and mum on Christmas Day – we were just ambling past this house when this gorgeous dog...

Jan 9, 2011

The Nikon D90 is one of Nikon’s most popular DSLRs, and for a few good reasons: it takes fantastic photos, it doesn’t break the bank, and did I mention it takes amazing pictures? For a lot of people looking to buy their first Digital SLR, they find themselves drawn to either the Nikon D90, or Canon’s T2i (known as the 550D in Europe) –...

Jan 6, 2011

When I bought my Canon DSLR, nearly a year ago now, I absolutely loved it (and still do!), but, after a week or so, I found myself a little frustrated at the lack of focal range with the supplied kit lens – the Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens f/3.5-5.6. That lens is all well and good, and can take some mighty fine photos, but I felt that I wanted to take some more...

Sep 28, 2010

It’s a fantastically exciting time when you get your hands on your first DSLR – I remember when I got mine last Christmas (as a little treat to myself): my Canon 500D was like my new little baby, taking it with me wherever I went. Although I was thrilled with my purchase – and still am, by the way – I soon came to desire a little bit...