Blog List – Modern

Flashing a damselfly

Flash isn't everyone's cup of tea but when it comes to small subjects like this damselfly then it can prove incredibly useful, writes Andrew James. There's nothing special about this little damsel, it's one of the common and tiny electric blue damsels you see everywhere. Common maybe, but still abso...Read More

10 things to consider when shooting a portrait

I don’t think of myself as a portrait photographer but since I am an unashamed all-rounder I do frequently end up taking portraits, whether that’s just for fun or for work. When talking to photographers over the years, the idea of shooting a ‘portrait’ seems to instil the fear of God into many peopl...Read More

Zoom or prime telephoto?

There are several compelling reasons to use a telephoto zoom lens in preference to a telephoto prime lens, writes Andrew James. The most obvious of these is the flexibility offered by a zoom in terms of focal length. In lots of cases (though not all), the old argument that a zoom lens will not give ...Read More

Long lens landscapes

A wide-angle lens is often seen as the go-to optic when it comes to landscapes, writes Andrew James. Although they're more associated with wildlife and sport, long lenses can be just as useful to the budding scenic shooter and that's what we'll look at in this video. 

Can we travel lighter?

The more places you go, the more you want to see all the other places you haven't been to yet. I think this is called the travel bug! But is it really possible to travel lighter when you are a photographer visiting these new and exciting destinations? Writes Andrew James.

High ISO landscape photography

It’s okay to shoot landscapes at higher ISOs when circumstances require it, writes Andrew James. Everything I’ve ever heard said or seen written tends to demand that when you take a landscape shot you do so at the lowest ISO that your camera has as if it is the law!

Calibrating your computer screen

If you think the colours on your computer might not be true then you need to have your computer screen calibrated to make sure that the colours you are seeing when editing your work are accurate, writes Andrew James.

UV Filters

In the film days, a UV Filter's function was, as the name suggests, to block out ultra violet light rays from hitting the film and degrading image quality, writes Andrew James. As DSLRs have an internal filter that does this, the need for a UV filter on the lens has significantly diminished.