Dear Bubbles

Advice about photography, art, and the creative life

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  • Life,  Photography

    Picture Your Picture

    February 3, 2021 / 2 Comments

      Dear Bubbles: I think that much of my issues is that I don’t shoot enough. Since it’s not my job right now and there’s a lot of life interference, I think that I spend a lot of time re-learning…

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  • Photography

    Keep it in the Field

    January 6, 2021 / 2 Comments

      Dear Bubbles, I assume you take thousands of images. How do you decide which ones to keep and which ones to delete? ~Ed Dear Ed: You know how I like data, so I ran some numbers. In 2020, I…

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  • Photography

    Getting it White

    December 2, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: I tried to photograph snow for the first time last week but all my pictures came back too dark. I was able to lighten them in Lightroom, but I’m wondering if something is wrong with my camera? Do…

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  • Life

    Happy Birthday, Dear Bubbles!

    November 18, 2020 / 2 Comments

    Hi everyone! Wait, where’s the question, you might be asking? Well, we’re taking a break to celebrate a momentous occasion: Dear Bubbles turns one years old today! That’s right! It’s been twelve months and 100,766 words in 52 columns on…

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  • Life

    When Nature Calls

    November 11, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Dear Bubbles: You’ve now told us how to stay safe in the backcountry. Great. But what do we do when we get there and we have to go to the bathroom? ~Backed Up Dear Backed Up: I’ll admit, before I…

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  • Life,  Photography

    Putting it into Words

    November 4, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: In many of your presentations, you mention how you often title a photograph before you hit the shutter button. For someone who is quite literal, if this was a requirement, I would have zero images in my portfolio.…

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  • Life

    Staying Safe in the Backcountry

    October 28, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Dear Bubbles: With your trip into the heart of the Kaibab [Plateau] and your solo SUP in Canyonlands [National Park], I’m thinking you should do an article about planning, preparation, and safety in the backcountry. I know you carry an…

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  • Life,  Photography

    Planning to Not Plan

    October 21, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: How much planning do you do before you go on a photo shoot? ~Doug Dear Doug, Because it’s fresh in my mind and representative of how I plan for most of my outings, I’ll offer how I approached…

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  • Photography

    Shoot for the Stars

    October 14, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Dear Bubbles: How do you photograph stars? Any time I try to, I just get a black frame…help! ~In the Dark Dear In the Dark: During junior high school, any time my family went on vacation, I’d pick out a…

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  • Photography

    Trying on for Size

    October 7, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: In the depth of field calculator app, “distance-to-subject” is required. What’s the best way to take that measurement?” ~Karen Dear Karen: Of the various variables any depth of field (DOF) calculator app asks for, “distance-to-subject” is the hardest…

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  • Photography

    Movin’ and Shakin’

    September 30, 2020 / 1 Comment

    Dear Bubbles: In one of your earlier posts, you suggested you “switched into Intentional Camera Movement mode.” What is that? Is that an option on my camera? If so, where would I find it? ~Ashley Dear Ashley: I’m sorry. I’ve…

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  • Photography

    Mind Those Corners

    September 23, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: I’m sorting and beginning to edit my Grand Canyon rafting pictures. On some of my pictures, I’m seeing edge tunneling. It could have been the neutral density/polarizing filter. Is there a simple explanation for this? ~Hank Dear Hank:…

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  • Photography

    Clearing the Dust

    September 16, 2020 / No Comments

      Dear Bubbles: How do you clean your camera sensor? Do you clean it yourself or take it somewhere? And how often do you do it? ~Dusty Dan Dear Dusty Dan, How do I clean my camera sensor? Verrrrrrry, very…

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  • Photography

    A Slice of Color

    September 9, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: You noted that for web use [of your photographs], you change the color space to sRGB.  What color space are using for your TIF files?  And why? ~Shirley Dear Shirley, Correct, the photos I share online, all JPEGs, in are…

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  • Photography

    Bursting with Light

    September 2, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: You recently posted a picture of a sun with rays coming out of it but you could see detail in the foreground too. How did you do that? I’ve tried to shoot into the sun before, but my…

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  • Photography

    Choose Wisely

    August 26, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: I’ve been told to never shoot at f/16 or f/22. I noticed that you seem to do it all the time. What am I missing? Should I or shouldn’t I shoot at those apertures? ~Audrey Dear Audrey: As…

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  • Photography

    Process on Processing

    August 19, 2020 / 2 Comments

    Dear Bubbles: How much post-processing do you do on your photos? ~Patty Dear Patty: How much post-processing do I do on my photos? None. How much processing do I do on my photos? As is the answer to most questions…

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  • Photography

    Don’t Go Astray on a Bokeh

    August 12, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: In your post last week, you said something about a “bokeh effect.” What is a bokeh effect? I’ve never heard of it before. Thanks. ~Andy Dear Andy, The word “bokeh” originates from the Japanese word “boke” which means…

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  • Photography

    Seeds of Inspiration

    August 5, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: What photographers inspire you (dead or alive)?  And can you throw in one that is not a landscape photographer just to shake it up and see what those marbles in your brain are up to? Is there a…

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  • Photography

    Micro Difference Between Macro and Close-Up

    July 29, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: Is there really a difference between macro and close-up photography? ~Libba Dear Libba: Macro and close-up are often used interchangeably in the photography world. They both mean recording subjects at close distances with a camera. What separates them…

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  • Photography

    Becoming an AIR

    July 22, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: I understand that you’ve been an artist-in-residence at Acadia multiple times. I am a photographer and an avid fan of the national parks. I am interested in applying to the AIR program. Could you tell me what the…

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  • Life,  Photography

    Lust of the Mind

    July 15, 2020 / 2 Comments

    Dear Bubbles: Freeman Patterson said, “There’s only one rule in photography—never develop color film in chicken noodle soup.” Discuss. ~Guy Dear Guy, Freeman Patterson, who lives in New Brunswick, Canada, is one of my favorite modern-day nature photographers. I received…

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  • Photography

    Expand Your View

    July 8, 2020 / No Comments

    Dear Bubbles: In one of your webinars, you mentioned photographing a panorama. I’ve never tried to do a panorama photograph but want to. I think you said to turn the camera vertically, but I’m not sure I heard you right.…

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  • Photography

    Take vs. Create

    July 1, 2020 / 2 Comments

    Dear Bubbles: Why do you create photos? ~Ramen Dear Ramen: I’ve offered insights into my motivations for why I photograph previously in an earlier Dear Bubbles column (“If No One Saw Your Photos”). Given your emphasis on the word “create,”…

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