Photography How-To

Explore our Photography How-To Guides, a curated collection of tutorials designed to help photographers of all levels improve their skills. From mastering camera settings to advanced composition techniques, each guide provides clear instructions, practical tips, and illustrative examples. Click on any guide below to access the full article and deepen your understanding of photography, whether you are just starting out or looking to refine your craft.

Promaster Variable ND filter

Neutral Density Filters Explained

How to pick a neutral density filter. Get all the details on how to use a neutral density filter and compare the different brands. If you’re going to do waterfall photography, you’ll need a neutral density filter to achieve the milky water effects.

Ricketts Glen State Park Waterfall. Pennsylvania waterfalls.

How to Photograph Waterfalls

A step-by-step guide to shooting long exposure, milky waters, and waterfall photography images. You must have a neutral density filter to do this in bright sunlight or even at midday.  The previous article covers this topic in great detail. If you’re looking for the best waterfall location in the United States, we’ve got our Ricketts Glen State Park waterfall photography article.

Judges Shack, then. alien reaching for the Milky Way.

How to Photograph the Milky Way 

There is an art to photographing the Milky Way, and it’s essential to educate yourself on all you need to know before attempting it for the first time. The Milky Way is only visible at certain times, in certain places, and under certain conditions.

Read all you need to know on our page to ensure that you do it right the first time!

G master photography - Extra Eyes Photo Tours Class

Master Photography – Tips for Beginners

Photography Tips – Master Photography by Pamela Goodyer

Don’t miss the opportunity to read some valuable advice from Pamela Goodyer, a renowned photographer. Whether you’re just starting or have some experience, there may be some tips here that you haven’t heard of before and could benefit from.

Dundas canceled up close upstate New York while ghost hunting.

How to do Ghost Hunting Photography

Get some advice from Pamela Goodyer, a renowned photographer and mystic/psychic. It’s hard to focus in the dark and get apparitions in your images. Here is all you need to know about how to do it.

Lake Placid New York golf course sunrise photography

ISO FOR BEGGINERS

Mastering ISO is a fundamental step for anyone starting out in photography. Understanding how to manipulate ISO settings enables you to move beyond your camera’s automatic mode and take more creative control over your images. By adjusting the ISO, you can effectively manage the camera’s sensitivity to light, which is crucial in various lighting conditions.

Shutter_speed_pool

SHUTTER SPEED FOR BEGINNERS

Mastering Shutter Speed is a fundamental step for anyone starting out in photography.

Essential Techniques for Every Photography Enthusiast

Individual article will give you the details on different topics.

When approaching waterfall photography, timing becomes crucial. Early morning or late evening provides ideal lighting conditions with fewer crowds. A tripod remains essential for these long-exposure shots, allowing water to transform into smooth, silky textures. Most photographers find success with exposure times between 1/15 and 30 seconds, depending on water flow and desired effect.

Night photography presents unique challenges worth mastering. For crisp star images, remember the “500 rule” – divide 500 by your focal length to determine maximum shutter speed before star trails appear.

Neutral density filters prove invaluable for daylight long exposures. These dark filters reduce the amount of light entering your camera, allowing for longer shutter speeds even in bright conditions. A 6-stop filter allows 1-second exposures to extend to 64 seconds, perfect for smoothing water movement or creating dramatic cloud streaks.

Ghost hunting photography requires entirely different considerations. High ISO performance becomes critical since flash often disrupts the atmosphere investigators seek to preserve. Modern cameras handle ISO 3200-6400 admirably, though dedicated ghost hunters often prefer full-frame sensors for their superior low-light capabilities. Many paranormal investigators use infrared-modified cameras to detect temperature variations invisible to the naked eye.