Camera Skills

To crop or not to crop, that is the question

I have often advocated for minimal cropping and using the transform panel in Lightroom/Adobe Camera Raw to crop within the aspect ratio of the image, while at the same time retaining resolution, write...

Reading the contrast for Black & White

All photography needs contrast – it’s one of the most important elements that shapes every photo’s composition. With colour photography, the colour itself can provide a lot of what we need to understa...

Swarming to Westonbirt

Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire provided a beautiful backdrop for an autumnal Foto-Buzz gathering. I’m not 100% sure what the collective noun is for a group of Foto-Buzzers, but I have some me...

Early insects

None of us get up early out of choice. If you do, then you need to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror. But we do get up early if there’s a chance of good light or perhaps a subject that’s...

Capturing the character of seals in Black & White

I love black & white images, but I don’t often choose it for wildlife, preferring to use an animal or plant’s natural colouration as an integral part of the photograph, writes Andrew James. However, o...

Take off – puffins flying off the sea

Over the years at Foto-Buzz we’ve had quite a few puffin adventures together, so I know many of you have photographed them at different locations. The last two years I have travelled down to Skomer in...

Flashphobia – and how to cure it!

Unless we’re very studio-oriented and using it on a daily basis, flash is a bit of an enigma for most photographers, writes Jon Adams. It’s a mysterious entity we might be happy to use for a burst of ...

Shoot beautiful butterfly photos

We’re currently in full-on Spring/Summer mode and from now on we’re in butterfly season. I love photographing butterflies as they’re such an easily accessible and beautiful subject.

Using extension tubes

When it comes to gadgets and gizmos, one of the things that makes a huge difference - but is often overlooked - is the humble extension tube, writes Jon Adams. If you’re not familiar with these contra...