Photographer Coach

As we all know, the purpose of art is more to inspire than to entertain. Historically, Amazon has been all about entertainment and products, but now the mega-retailer appears to have entered a pseudo-artistic realm, quite possibly by accident and without its own knowledge! Amazon’s product offerings have apparently inspired a multitude of creative writers. Read the rest

Photography Exhibit
by Ed Snyder

Exhibit Location:

Mugshots Coffeehouse
2100 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Phone: 267.514.7145

(21st and Fairmount, across from Eastern State Penitentiary)

**Free Opening Reception: July 9, at 7 p.m.**

Ever come across some unexposed expired film? Instead of relegating it to a landfill somewhere, why not shoot it? You may be pleasantly surprised by the results!

Exhibit runs July 5 – August 1, 2009 Read the rest

One of the oldest photographic compositional tricks is to choose your setting and wait for a subject to enter into it. Set your shutter speed, aperture, and focus ahead of time, and just wait for that decisive moment when something enters the frame to complete the picture. You can even mount the camera to a tripod some distance away from yourself, then trigger the shutter release with a remote cable (or wireless remote) whenever you choose. That way, the subject never even suspects having been photographed! Sounds simple. Should produce an instant masterpiece, right? Read the rest

Spring and summer are the high season for weddings, and if you’re like most people, you’ll be invited to one. God forbid you’re asked to take the wedding photos, as this tends to produce high anxiety in most people–leave that to the pros. However, you might want to just take some snapshots of your own! The bride and groom will enjoy seeing informal snapshots of the day. In fact, they often place disposable cameras at each table at the reception to encourage people to do this! Read the rest

Unless you’re one of the unfortunates who summer where they winter, you’ll go on vacation this year. Simply EVERYONE takes vacation pictures to remember the good times. What kind of camera should you take and how do you ensure getting great shots?

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Nothing provides new photographic opportunities better than a change of scenery. If you can’t afford a trip abroad, then a change of season will do. Springtime in the Northeastern United States is a good example. With azaleas, dogwoods, and cherry blossoms in bloom, the world just looks like a better place! And why not capture it in photographs? Read the rest

What IS this creature? And why would someone hold it? Regardless, it makes a fine photo, don’t you think? One of the most common things to do with a camera is photograph your pet. And if you don’t have one, shoot someone else’s pet. Pet photography is easy on one hand, yet difficult on the other. Read more to see why. Read the rest

Review: Panasonic DMC-FZ30K / FZ30S

8 MP SLR-like Fixed-lens Digital Camera

Buy from Amazon.com

So you’re looking for a camera more sophisticated than a pocket-sized point-and-shoot, but don’t want to deal with the big bucks and big size of an SLR? This camera may be for you. The Panasonic DMC-FZ30 falls into the category of mid-sized, fixed-lens digital cameras—a bit more camera than a pocket point-and-shoot, yet smaller than an SLR. Price-wise, the FZ30 falls between the two: around $500 for the FZ30S (silver body) and $900 for the FZ30K (black body).
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This is one of my favorite photographs, a study of a statue of Eros and Psyche (Eros is kind of like a grown-up Cupid). Since I’m posting this around Valentine’s Day, I thought it an appropriate image for discussing statuary photography. The statue is a copy of the famous Antonio Canova sculpture, one of which resides at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The one I photographed was atop a tomb at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood California. If you like angels, a good place to shoot them is in a cemetery (pun intended).
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