The Dear Bubbles Library
Welcome to the Dear Bubbles Library!
While the Dear Bubbles articles are presented on this website in chronological order as they are published, I’ve put together this list of the more-than-100 articles, grouped by category and organized to move through a logical progression of topics.
These columns were specifically created to address YOUR questions and challenges in photography, art, and the creative life. Whether you move through it in sequence or explore following your curiosity, each column offers practical guidance, meaningful insight, an occasional groanworthy joke, excessive references to pie and bubbles, and encouragement to help you expand your photographic knowledge and creative practice in self-expression.
You can also search the entire Dear Bubbles website by clicking the magnifying glass icon on the right side of the menu bar and typing in keywords.
Don’t see what you’re looking for or need? Send me your question and you could end up on Dear Bubbles in a future post! Learn more at https://dearbubbles.com/ask-a-question.
Are you ready to be well, be brave, and be wild? Go forth and create!
Technical:
| Dear Bubbles Article Name (and Link) |
Date Published | Topic |
| RAW vs. JPEG | July 2, 2025 | File formats (RAW and JPEG) |
| Modus Operandi | December 4, 2019 | Exposure: aperture and shutter speed |
| Taking Control | May 20, 2020 | Camera modes |
| Setting Yourself Up for Success | November 27, 2019 | Understanding camera settings |
| Histogram is Out of Shape | March 11, 2020 | Histogram and exposure |
| Get it White | December 2, 2020 | Metering and Zone system |
| Having F.U.N. with Silhouettes | June 5, 2024 | Exposing for backlighting (blacks/shadows) |
| Another Dose of Depth of Field | April 1, 2020 | Depth of field, exposure |
| Trying on for Size | October 7, 2020 | Measuring depth of field distances |
| Hyperfocal Distances vs. the Infinity Setting | June 4, 2025 | Difference between hyperfocal and infinity settings |
| Choose Wisely | August 26, 2020 | Choosing aperture, diffraction |
| Got Your Back | December 4, 2024 | Back button focus |
| Stacking it Up | February 7, 2024 | Focusing stacking |
| Bursting with Light | September 2, 2020 | Sunbursts |
| Bracketing: When One isn’t Enough | March 3, 2021 | Bracketing |
| Don’t Go Astray on a Bokeh | August 12, 2020 | Bokeh (blurred backgrounds) |
| Restoring Balance | June 17, 2020 | RAW and white balance |
| Shoot for the Stars | October 14, 2020 | Astrophotography tips |
| Shedding Light on Dark Frames | November 3, 2021 | Dark frames & long exposure noise reduction |
| All About ME (Multiple Exposures) | May 4, 2022 | Multiple exposures/photo montage |
Gear and Techniques:
| Dear Bubbles Article Name (and Link) |
Date Published | Topic |
| The Best Camera | October 2, 2024 | Using mobile devices as a camera/iPhoneography |
| Switching Gear | April 29, 2020 | Transition from DSLR to mirrorless |
| Becoming One with the Right Tripod | February 19, 2020 | Buying and using a tripod |
| Protecting Your Lens | October 6, 2021 | Purpose of a UV filter |
| Polarizing Decisions | November 2, 2022 | Using a polarizer |
| Mind Those Corners | September 23, 2020 | Vignetting with filters |
| Graduating to Grad NDs | January 8, 2020 | Using graduated neutral density filters |
| Get a Move On | May 27, 2020 | Photographing moving water (neutral density filters) |
| Making a Splash | October 1, 2025 | Photographing waterfalls |
| Blowing in the W Word | April 5, 2023 | Tips for photographing in high winds |
| Movin’ and Shakin’ | September 30, 2020 | Intentional camera movement (ICM) |
| Putting Your Eye in ICM | December 6, 2023 | Intentional camera movement (ICM) |
| Widen Your Horizons | November 5, 2025 | Using a wide-angle lens |
| Expand Your View | July 8, 2020 | Panorama orientation and process |
| Micro Difference Between Macro and Micro | July 29, 2020 | Macro (micro) photography |
| Get Closer | April 1, 2026 | Extension tubes overview |
| Extending Your Reach | May 3, 2023 | Using extension tubes |
| The Glow-To Orton Effect | April 2, 2025 | The Orton Effect |
| Bring it All | February 2, 2022 | What lens to bring on an outing |
| Reformatting Memory Cards | September 6, 2023 | Formatting vs. deleting images on memory cards |
| Common Mistakes with Landscape Photographs | May 6, 2020 | Landscape photography tips |
Creative:
| Dear Bubbles Article Name (and Link) |
Date Published | Topic |
| Once a Beginner, Stay a Beginner | March 2, 2022 | Advice to beginners, keep learning |
| Picture Your Picture | February 3, 2021 | Visualization, dry shooting |
| Planning to Not Plan | October 21, 2020 | Visualization, planning |
| Color or Black and White | December 11, 2019 | Color theory, converting to black and white |
| Not So Black and White | September 7, 2022 | Photographing in color (RAW) vs. black and white |
| Entering the Third Dimension | December 8, 2021 | Conveying depth (lines, layer, and light) |
| The Viewer on My Mind | March 4, 2026 | Human perceptions and the visual journey |
| Seeing the Light | August 3, 2022 | How to see contrast |
| Blue My Mind | May 7, 2025 | The Blue Hour, lighting conditions |
| Midday Enlightenment | March 5, 2025 | Photographing in the middle of the day |
| Out of the Fog | February 1, 2023 | Tips for photographing in fog |
| Falling for Fall | October 5, 2022 | Tips for photographing fall colors |
| The Art of Not Sucking | January 15, 2020 | Staying motivated while learning |
| Coming Un-Done | July 3, 2024 | Photographing “differently” |
| Playing Favorites | December 18, 2019 | My favorite photograph (so far) |
| Bubbling Over–100th Article | November 6, 2024 | Why bubbles I love bubbles, follow your curiosity |
| Favorite Place to Photograph | August 6, 2025 | Connecting with place vs. experiences/moments |
| Developing Your Style | December 25, 2019 | Where photographic style comes from |
| Better Shot Than Mine | August 4, 2021 | Dangers of comparing to others |
| Mind Your Monkey Mind | September 1, 2021 | Mindfulness and taking inventories |
| Counting to Three | September 4, 2024 | Mindfulness and invisible gorillas |
| Getting in Your Head | June 1, 2022 | Mindfulness, mushin, and combinatory play |
| Going for the Gold | August 2, 2023 | Wabi sabi, letting go of perfection |
| Thawing Brain Freeze | July 5, 2023 | Fear of missing out (FOMO) |
| It Takes Two | January 22, 2020 | Conceptual blending, photo celibacy |
| Keeping it Fresh | February 12, 2020 | Finding flow and inspiration, the creative process |
| On Breaking the Rules | June 2, 2021 | Mindfulness and visual language |
| Help-U Haiku | June 3, 2020 | Using haiku to connect verbal with visual language |
| Putting it into Words | November 4, 2020 | Using verbal language to drive visual language |
| Lust of the Mind | July 15, 2020 | Curiosity, breaking rules |
| The Impossibility of Creativity | June 10, 2020 | Why creativity is hard |
| May I Have Your Attention Please? | April 15, 2020 | Attention span, staying motivated |
| If No One Saw Your Photos | January 29, 2020 | Why we photograph |
| Seeds of Inspiration | August 5, 2020 | My inspirations and influences |
| Bubbles Bookshelf | June 7, 2023 | Books for landscape photographers |
| Adjusting for the Blues | July 6, 2022 | Photographing during hard times |
| Framing Our Emotions | August 14, 2024 | How life affects photography |
| Stand in Front of More Interesting Stuff | May 5, 2021 | Depending on internal vs. external factors |
| Take vs. Create | July 1, 2020 | The language we use |
| Real Photographer | June 24, 2020 | What’s a photographer? iPhoneography |
| Learning More But Getting Worse | November 15, 2019 | Staying creative and motivated |
| Realistic Expectations | July 7, 2021 | What’s real in a photograph? |
| What’s Real | March 6, 2024 | Artificial intelligence in photography |
| Listening to the Moment | December 5, 2025 | Mindfulness and establishing connection |
| Know When to Fold ‘Em | January 7, 2026 | When to stop photographing, definition of good photograph |
| Keep it in the Field | January 6, 2021 | Critiquing your work |
| Searching for the One | November 1, 2023 | Deciding which photo to process |
| What’s Enough | December 7, 2022 | What to do with your photographs |
| Get Your Ikigai On | March 25, 2020 | Valuing yourself and your work |
| Resolving Resolutions | January 3, 2024 | Setting intentions through words (not resolutions) |
| Word for the Present | January 1, 2025 | Setting intentions through words (not resolutions) |
| The Power of Possibilities | January 5, 2022 | Power of asking “what if” |
| On Camera Club Competitions | February 5, 2025 | Encouraging creativity over competition |
| A Photo a Day Keeps the Photographer at Play | January 4, 2023 | Photographing a 365 project |
| Live Your Dreams Now | January 1, 2020 | Photography vs. writing; living your dreams |
Processing:
| Dear Bubbles Article Name (and Link) |
Date Published | Topic |
| DAM! Sorting Out Image Management | March 18, 2020 | Digital asset management |
| Two-for-One: Sunglasses and Processing | April 22, 2020 | Polarization, processing |
| Process on Processing | August 19, 2020 | Processing approach |
| A Slice of Color | September 9, 2020 | Color space |
Business:
| Dear Bubbles Article Name (and Link) |
Date Published | Topic |
| Celebrating Lucky Number 13 | March 4, 2020 | Life and photo lessons as a freelancer |
| Self-Publishing a Book | April 8, 2020 | Book publishing tips |
| Becoming an AIR | July 22, 2020 | Applying for an Artist-in-Residency |
| Bubble Wrap | February 26, 2020 | Shipping prints in bubble wrap |
| A Fair Exchange | April 3, 2024 | Giving away your photos (vs. sharing or selling) |
| Your Very Own Website | February 4, 2026 | Creating your own photo website |
Outdoor Skills:
| Dear Bubbles Article Name (and Link) |
Date Published | Topic |
| Staying Safe in the Backcountry | October 28, 2020 | Planning, preparation, and safety in the backcountry |
| Going Solo | February 5, 2020 | Traveling alone |
| When Nature Calls | November 11, 2020 | How to poop in the woods |
| All Charged Up | March 1, 2023 | Charging batteries in the backcountry |
| What SUP? Paddling with a Camera | April 7, 2021 | Protecting camera from the elements |
| The Grand Approach | October 4, 2023 | Photographing the Colorado River and Grand Canyon while rafting |
| Clearing the Dust | September 16, 2020 | Cleaning a camera sensor |
| Going on a Sandimental Journey | April 6, 2022 | Protecting gear in sand |
| Drip Drip Hooray | September 3, 2025 | Photographing in the rain |