It’s almost time to get out and shoot one of my favorite nighttime subjects. Fireflies—lightning bugs for you fellow southerners—make exciting photographs, especially when you show them in their environment. Check out this blog post about one technique for shooting fireflies in a jar. Also, if you want to read about fireflies in general, check ...

It’s time for another meteor shower! April’s Lyrids are predicted to peak in the early morning hours on Sunday, although it’s worth going out on Saturday morning as well. The Lyrid meteor shower is not a major shower, producing maybe 15 – 20 meteors an hour on average, but meteor showers are unpredictable and you never ...

I never intended to write this post, or even discuss its contents with anyone. Some things are best kept secret, and I always thought this was one of them. However, recent events have caused me to change my mind. People ask me all the time if I’m related to Ansel Adams. I always smile and ...

Among the first hurdles for night photographers is how to focus the camera in the dark. Unfortunately, you never really get over this hurdle. There are only varying degrees of frustration! If you’re young and have excellent vision, you can probably focus visually at night on subjects that are fairly well lit, such as street ...

Few subjects generate as much confusion and debate in digital photography as does White Balance. When I first switched from film to digital, I was sweating bullets thinking about it. People were telling me that it was the most important thing I needed to learn and if I didn’t get it right, I was screwed. ...

Please read Part One first, so you know what being a Triprostitute is all about. Until recently, my workhorse tripod and travel tripod were Gitzos, same as with many of you. Mine are the old kind, with legs that rotate so you have to extend and retract them in the right order. I never did get ...

I have a confession to make. I’m a Triprostitute. There, I said it. In my years as a photographer, my camera has mounted just about everything around that has three legs. Big ones, little ones, and everything in between. Some made me very happy; some disappointed me greatly. But for some reason, I had to ...

Let me just go ahead and tell you that if you have any interest in becoming a full-time photographer, you aren’t going to like what I’m going to say. In fact, I’m bracing for the hate mail. Try to be gently, and remember that I’m only being honest and trying to help. I received an email ...

There’s always something new and exciting to photograph! That’s one of the reasons I enjoy night photography so much. With all of Heaven and Earth to explore, a curious and imaginative night photographer never runs out of subjects. A decade ago, I spent an autumn night in the West Virginia Highlands photographing the night sky. A ...

One of the things I LOVE about teaching an online night photography class with my friend Donna Eaton is seeing some of the terrific images submitted by the students. One of the things I HATE about teaching an online night photography class is seeing some of the terrific images submitted by the students! I love it ...