As a photographer I am always being told to read this book or check out that book. Usually I will try to pick up whatever is recommended and at least glance at it to see if it’s really THE book that I need to read to become a better photographer.

Since I got back in to serious shooting two books have been mentioned repeatedly, Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera and most recently The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world’s top shooters by legendary photographer Joe McNally.

The Moment It Clicks is not just a recommended read by me, but a true MUST HAVE!! Every photographer, from the new adopters with a simple point and shoot to the most seasoned pro, should OWN this book. This is not a book you read, this is a book you experience.

I will admit to you, I am writing this review without having actually read the book. Simply, I can’t just sit down and read this…it’s not that kind of book.

Each page contains a tip from Joe, be it something he picked up shooting for National Geographic or something he picked up as a photographer at the New York Daily News or just some simple idea that seems obvious once you read it, but just never really entered your mind. Along with each tip is a quick story and photo with how the photo was taken at the end. But these aren’t your usual stories, many of these are inside industry info that one would get if they were out in the field shooting in, oh let’s say Antartica for a Time magazine feature, and got a request from a photo editor.

In the past two weeks since I bought this book I have found myself just picking it up and opening to a page and starting from there. I have a Post-It pad next to the book so I can sticky those tips that I want to remember…my book is now FULL of sticky notes.

Seriously, this is not a book that I received for review, this is a book that I went out and purchased with my hard-earned money and it was worth every penny. I give this book 4 out of 4 stars…10 out of 10…whatever rating system you want to use, The Moment It Clicks rates tops!

Originally posted on 2*3 Photos

Flowers–2, originally uploaded by Dizzle @ 2*3 Photos.

Came across this out front of the REI building in Downtown Denver near the Platte River.

Some folks are great at taking photos of people, some are great at taking photos of things. I am working on my “things”.

So today I went out and purposely did not shoot any images that included people. Instead I focused on flowers and water and whatever else I could find that wasn’t people.

This is my favorite shot of the day, simply because it was my first shot of the day and I think it came out fairly well.

Practice makes perfect…and no one is perfect so I am always practicing.

Enjoy!

Originally posted on 2*3 Photos

For my 34th birthday earlier this month, I treated myself to a solo photography road trip/vacation. I picked up a copy of the book “A Guide to Colorado’s Best Photography Locations” by Andy Cook and chose a sightseeing spot to check out, deciding that I would head up Interstate 70 about four hours away from Denver to Rifle Falls State Park. I couldn’t miss the chance to experience a tropical oasis in this otherwise arid state, featuring three waterfalls, lush greenery and moss-covered rocks. While I was there, I took my tripod and experimented with the effects of fast and slow exposures while photographing water.

I was able to hand hold this shot at 1/60th of a second. The faster shutter speed freezes the waterfall.

At 1/13th of a second, the waterfall is in between worlds of being visibly slowed down, but still showing movement. At this point, you would have to have a steady grip to hand-hold this without camera shake.

A tripod is a must trying to capture this image at f/22 and 3.2 seconds. I tend to favor the slower exposure because I love the dreamy, almost otherworldly feel of the water. Which shot works for you?

Ynestra-soft-focus-1, originally uploaded by ~ Dizzle ~.

I picked up some new photo gear last week and did an improptu photo shoot with my friend Ynestra at a few locations around Denver. After posting up a few photos online I decided to start playing with some post processing techniques to practice for some upcoming senior portrait session.

Trying a soft focus action I created to see how well it works…it works, but probably needs a bit of tweaking to get it spot on.

Storm coming?, originally uploaded by Chester Bullock.

I have been waiting for a long time for the background to be just right to capture this windmill. This morning it told the story I was looking for, almost looking like something from Twister.

Don’t shoot a subject just for the sake of capturing it. Be patient, and wait for it to tell the story you want.

burnt_clouds_2, originally uploaded by ~Tiffany Nicole Photography~.

I captured this image the other day as I was getting out of the car to go in the house. Grabbed the camera from my bag and popped off a few quick shots. Within a 3 minute time span it went from this amazing colorful shot to dark drab clouds that looked swollen with rain.

Weather changes quick, always be ready for that perfect moment in time.