Realistic Expectations
Dear Bubbles: Congratulations on your recent photography exhibit. I noticed powerlines on the ridgeline in one of the photographs (the one with the rainbow from the Green River). I hope you won’t be offended by me asking, but why didn’t…
On Breaking the Rules
Dear Bubbles: I keep hearing once I know the rules, I should break them. I don’t get this. How do I know which rules to break and when to break them? I just want to make a good picture! Help!…
Stand in Front of More Interesting Stuff
Dear Bubbles: I’ve attended a number of your presentations over the last few months. All have been insightful. The concepts, especially ones pertaining to creativity, have been intriguing and helpful. I’ve been following the idea, “If you want to be…
What’s SUP? Paddling with a Camera
Dear Bubbles: Do you stand-up paddleboard with your camera? How does that work? How do you protect it? Aren’t you afraid of falling in with it? ~A Nosy Nellie Dear A Nosy Nellie: I sure do! Traveling on rivers and…
Bracketing: When One isn’t Enough
Dear Bubbles: Do you bracket your exposures? Should I be bracketing? ~Confused Dear Confused: The answer to both questions—as with most questions related to photography—is, it depends. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “bracket” as “to take photographs of at more than…
Picture Your Picture
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…
Keep it in the Field
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…
Getting it White
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…
Happy Birthday, Dear Bubbles!
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…
When Nature Calls
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…
Putting it into Words
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.…
Staying Safe in the Backcountry
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…
Planning to Not Plan
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…
Shoot for the Stars
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…
Trying on for Size
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…
Movin’ and Shakin’
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…
Mind Those Corners
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:…
Clearing the Dust
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…
A Slice of Color
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…
Bursting with Light
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…
Choose Wisely
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…
Process on Processing
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…
Don’t Go Astray on a Bokeh
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…
Seeds of Inspiration
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…
