World Travel Awards – has revealed its 2024 Caribbean and The Americas winners.
Headline victors included Jamaica, which was voted ‘Caribbean’s Leading Destination’, as well as ‘Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination’ and ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board’. Turks & Caicos saw off strong competition to win ‘Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination’, while The Bahamas took the title of ‘Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island Destination’. St. Vincent & The Grenadines was named ‘Caribbean’s Leading Nature Destination’.
This three-minute tutorial from Patrick’s Boudoir Photography is designed for those new to the genre as well as for more experienced shooters interesting in trying a unique, simple, and alluring approach. All you need is a model, your camera, and a room with a window. In other words, no complicated lighting equipment, accessories, and the like.
Apart from the easy approach to lighting, there are a couple other reasons why this lesson is different than most. One is that you’ll learn how to create flattering photos with subjects of every body type. In other words, you don’t need an experienced model who looks like she belongs on the runway. This means you can make gorgeous images of a significant other or an interested friend.
Another unique aspect is that Patrick doesn’t rely upon the conventional style of photographing the subject while reclining on a couch or bed. Instead he demonstrates simple and sensual standing floor poses that that are far more comfortable for “models” who are new to the game—and easier for you to explain.
Patrick demonstrates how to perfectly emphasize a “subject’s legs and bum” with proper positioning and careful composition. You’ll see how slight adjustments in body posture can greatly enhance femininity in a way that will make you and your model proud.
Proper illumination is a key factor with all good portrait photos, and Patrick illustrates how to get the exposure right—with eye-catching highlights and intriguing shadows using light streaming through a large window without artificial illumination.
Patrick walks you through the camera settings that he recommends for this super simple style of boudoir photography. He also provides several valuable editing tips for quickly and effectively enhancing the images you capture.
A beautiful boudoir print makes a great gift for the important woman in your life, so it’s time to get going and elevate your skills. Then head over to Patrick’s instructional YouTube channel where you’ll find many more boudoir photography tips and techniques for shooters and models of all skill levels.
It’s very likely that one or more of the zoom lenses you own utilize a “variable aperture” design. It essential to understand what this means and how these types of lenses affect every image you capture. This tutorial from the Adorama TV YouTube channel explains everything you need to know.
Instructor David Bergan is a NY-based pro who specializes in celebrity portraits, sports photos, and concert photography. His Ask David Bergman website is a meeting place where photographers can submit questions on popular topics and receive an expert reply from Bergman himself.
Today’s episode is a response to this query from a fan: “I have a Nikon 18-55mm DX lens that has 3.5-5.6 inscribed on it. The max aperture seems to be f/3.5 at 18mm and f/5.6 at 55mm. Why is that and how does this work?”
Bergman explains that variable aperture lenses are very common, especially with low-cost kit zooms that are commonly bundled with many cameras. The lesson begins with a brief overview of how lens apertures work in general, just so that everyone is on the same page. Then he describes the various issues you may face when using a variable aperture lens and explains several methods for overcoming their limitations.
These lenses work differently than primes and what are known as “fixed aperture zooms” that maintain the same maximum aperture as you zoom in or out. To the contrary, a variable aperture zoom closes down the maximum aperture as the focal length is increased, thereby offering less versatility in low-light conditions or when the goal is to optimize depth of field and bokeh.
Bergman explains it like this: “If you compare two lenses of the same focal length and one has a wider aperture than the other, the one with the wider opening is going to be more expensive.” Likewise it’s also going to be larger and heavier that the slower lens because it’s a bigger and more sophisticated piece of glass.
He illustrates this point with two Canon 50mm prime lenses—one with a maximum aperture of f/1.4 that sells for around $400 and the other that opens up to f/1.2 and costs about $2000. The price and size disparity can be even greater with zooms because of the complicated construction involved. With these matters out of the way, Bergman moves on to practical considerations when shooting in the field, and these are extremely important to understand.
After watching the video take a look at the Ask David Bergman website to gain insight into the other questions he addresses. Then consider submitting some of your own.
Photographers often struggle to consistently attain fast and precise focus, sometimes getting it right while failing on other occasions. If that sounds like you, todays tutorial will set you free by demonstrating a pro technique that that’s easy enough for anyone to employ .
The topic of conversation is what’s known as Back Button Focus (BBF)—popular among pros but often ignored by less experienced shooters. The beauty of this versatile method is that it always delivers the goods, whether you’re shooting landscapes, wildlife photos, street scenes, or even environmental portraits.
Instructor Peter T. Lambert says he earned an engineering degree “just for fun” but he’s now a working travel photographer with a passion for sharing the secrets to his compelling imagery. He says BFF is an easy-to-master but “essential” tool, and he covers all the basics in barely eight minutes.
The goal of his video is this: “I’m going to share with you how different focus modes work, why BBF is so helpful, and how you can set it up in your camera.”
Be sure to watch until the end because Lambert has a bonus tip that ties everything together so that BBF “allows me to be versatile with different types of subjects or changing conditions without ever having to fumble through my menus.” So grab your favorite camera and let’s get started.
Lambert says BBF comes to rescue when conventional autofocus techniques may fail, like when subjects are in motion, amidst a cluttered scene, and when foreground elements partially block your view. As the name implies, BBF involves reassigning a button on the back of your camera to activate focus (instead of doing so with a half-press of the shutter button).
There’s a quick overview of the focusing modes available on most modern cameras, and BBF works will them all. Then Lambert explains the benefits of separating focusing from the task of capturing a photo with the shutter button. You’ll also learn which focusing modes work best depending upon the specific task at hand.
You’ll become a better and more confident photographer by learning this technique and putting it to use. Just do a bit of practice and you won’t have to worry about nailing focus again.
