Short and sweet

1. Using a frame as a compositional element is one of the best ways to create a successful photograph. I captured this woman sitting at the entry of her home in Morocco using the arch as a frame. There are many types of frames; just make sure the frame itself is as sharp as the subject. Complete DOF is essential. 2. Using a wide angle lens for portraiture is unique and visually compelling. I photographed this Karo tribesman in Ethiopia with a 16mm lens. Wide angles have a lot of depth of field, but when shooting this close to subjects, close down to at least f/11 -- though f/16 is better -- to hold focus on the background.

3. When shooting in the desert and there is a lot of dust in the air, the light from the sun is greatly diminished immediately after sunrise and just before sunset. Contrast is low and colors are intense. It’s the best lighting conditions for landscape photography. To make the sun huge, I used a 500mm telephoto. 4. To me, flowers invite artistic embellishments to make them look like paintings worthy of being framed. Spring is just around the corner, so start thinking about using various plugins and Photoshop techniques to create works of art. For this picture, I used one of the filters in the Topaz Adjust group of effects. §