Now for a few musings – and it will be short!

First up, one thing that irks me when I listen to some of our judges going on about vignetting and cropping and other editing tricks that must be applied is how they suggest that is the only solution to a high score. Wrong! Sometimes less is more – you must use that editing skill set judiciously! Here is an article that illustrates what I mean in fStoppers by Levi Keplar. Please read it.

Secondly, an article by Eric Kim on how to stand out as a photographer – every suggestion he makes has some value. Eric also has some quite fascinating images to illustrate the article. He makes some points about marketing, but in reality what he stresses is that you should aspire to be yourself – not one of the flock! Does that sound familiar?

On that same theme, this article by Taissia Iv in Light Stalking that discusses how to discover your personal style as a photographer. Many of us have a style – but it can take time to find it. The tips she suggests are simple – Take as many photos as you can, find your own personal genre and define your editing/retouching preferences. Not that hard when you think about it – but she has some good advice in the article you may appreciate.

To change tack a bit here are two semi technical webcasts – a video (also available as a podcast) on how a camera works – and one on hyperfocal distance on YouTube that will help you get that super depth of field.

Finally, my obsession with B&W continues with these stunning monochrome landscapes by Michael Kenna in MonoVisions magazine. You will be inspired!