All About ME (Multiple Exposures)
Dear Bubbles, How do you do multiple exposures? ~Barbara Dear Barbara, I remember learning about multiple exposures almost 20 years ago. I stood at my kitchen table anxiously unwrapping the package containing my latest roll of film. I had expected…
Going on a Sandimental Journey
Dear Bubbles: Any trouble keeping sand from ruining expensive equipment? Paul Dear Paul: On the third afternoon of my recent Death Valley Sheography workshop this past January, a massive windstorm rolled through the basin. Clouds of sand swirled in every…
Once a Beginner, Stay a Beginner
Dear Bubbles: You’ve been at this photography thing for a while. What advice would you give to beginners? ~Just Started, But Excited! Dear Just Started, But Excited! Congratulations on your new start! Welcome to the wonderful world of photography, where…
Bring It All
Dear Bubbles: What lens should I bring to [insert any location]? ~Every photographer at one point in their life Dear Every photographer at one point in their life, Easy! You should absolutely bring the lens that most closely resembles the…
The Power of Possibilities
Dear Bubbles, You’ve been writing this column for two years now. What one question do you wish someone would had asked but hasn’t yet? ~A Curious Cat Dear A Curious Cat: Has it really been two years already?! Thanks for…
Entering the Third Dimension
Dear Bubbles: Even though I’ve been in classes of all sorts, and I’ve been taught the things, I’m still not getting the great depth in my images that I see in yours. I know about foreground, midground, and background, but…
Shedding Light on Dark Frames
Dear Bubbles: Something weird is going on with my camera. Sometimes, but not always, after I shoot an exposure, I get a message on my screen saying my camera is “processing.” What is being processed? And why does it take…
Protecting Your Lens
Dear Bubbles, Do I really need to buy a UV filter? If so, should I keep it on my lens all the time? When using other my filters, too? Thanks, ~Marie Dear Marie, Marie, dahling, listen: you don’t have to…
Mind Your Monkey Mind
Dear Bubbles: When you go on a shoot, how do you quiet the chatter in your head? I get out there and sometimes it feels like a monkey jumped into my brain. Sometimes I can’t get it to shut up,…
Better Shot Than Mine
Dear Bubbles: I have angst when I am taking a picture. I am always afraid other photographers see things I don’t or they have discovered a better spot than me. When I went to Grand Teton National Park, I wanted…
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…
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.…
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:…
