Like pretty much everything, photography requires practice. I always liked how certain careers use the word practice- the practice of law, my yoga practice, medical practice, etc. Pretty much across the board I think we all get better the more we do. When I teach my intro digital SLR class, I always urge my students to find quiet, slow time to practice their photography. When you are trying on a new skill or refining an existing one, you can't do it well in a stressful, distracting situation. For example, practicing using wide open f-stops to achieve shallow depth of field while chasing your 18 month old around the crowded zoo. However, taking a little time to roam around a botanical garden (like I got to do today) is exactly what you need in that situation.

So, your mission is to carve out a little bit of time to take photographs for no reason other than to play, test, experiment and learn. Take 100's of images and take each one a few times until you get it right. Take notes and deep breaths. Try new ways of framing up the shot. Your photography practice will certainly thank you for this and your creative spirit will as well. It may sound a little bit silly but your camera and you need time to bond. You have to be able to use your camera quickly, change settings and be comfortable with the controls. All of that comes with time and practice.

Today the kids, Steven and I explored the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. They had an exhibit on carnivorous plants. I love playing with shallow depth of field. I love the way the objects slowly vanish into nothingness and blur. While I roamed the conservatory today I experimented with shallow DOF and close-ups.

Tech notes: All of the images below were shot in either manual mode or AV mode on my Canon 5D Mark II using my 28-70mm F.2.8 lens. Most of them were shot using F2.8 to maybe F4. Most of these are straight out of the camera (except for the BW ones and the one with texture applied).

Are you inspired? Already know where you're going to go? I can't wait to see what you come up with and I really hope you will share it with us. Leave links to your images, blogs, etc. in the comments section below or add your images to my Monday Lesson Flickr Pool. Don't be shy!

Hello friends! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. Today's lesson is about using clipping masks in Photoshop. For those of you who already know about clipping masks, this will be pretty basic for you. If you do not know how to use clipping masks, you will be singing my praises after watching this video. I'd love to see your own experiments after you watch this video. Make sure and include links to your creations in the comments section or submit them to our Monday Lesson Flickr Pool.

Have a great week!

Chase Jarvis, creator of the Best Camera iPhone app says "the best camera is the one that with you". I completely agree! You might be able to take amazing images but if you don't carry a camera around with you the great images will be lost. I'm a huge Apple fan but I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of the iPhone camera. I know they are making strides and the new iPhones are supposed to have a better camera, which will be a great thing. What I do love about the iPhone is that I have it with me all the time and, therefore, have a camera with me all the time. Whether you shoot Apple, Blackberry, Motorola or whatever...what matters is that you have fun with the one that you have!

For today's post, I have compiled some of my recent favorite iPhone shots for you. It's my little homage to the mobile camera. Mobile cams aren't perfect but they are there and, when you get used to it, you will find that they have their own distinct charm. It also helps to explore the wide variety of apps that can make the iPhone experience better. Here are just a few of the ones that I have played with. Please share your favorite mobile shots and favorite iPhone apps with all of us by leaving a comment in the comments section below the post.

My absolute favorite!

Sloppy Borders

Flickr

DOF Master

TiltShift Generator

Old Camera

Sepia Camera

Prime or zoom? What is a prime lens anyway?! How do I know what lens I need? These are all questions that I get asked on a regular basis from both clients and students.  Usually when you buy a consumer grade digital SLR camera it comes with a lens. It is usually not a very good lens either. So, today I am going to talk a little about lenses and give you some general guidelines and recommendations.

These guidelines are, in some cases, generalizations so take the time to do some research on lenses before you buy. This is especially true if you are planning to buy a very expensive lens. I like to read reviews, ask friends and even try them out myself by renting lenses or borrowing from someone.

Canon has two levels of lenses. There is the less expensive consumer group of lenses and then there is the L-series lenses. You can identify an L-series lens by it's red stripe around the front section of the lens. L-series lenses are more expensive and generally better made. Most L-series lenses have rubber seals that make them dust proof and water tight when paired with the right camera body. They are said to be made with better materials, namely the lens glass. They are supposed to be sharper around the edges of the frame as well.

Let me explain the difference between a prime lens and a zoom lens. A prime lens is, quite simply, a lens that does not zoom. It has only one focal length vs. a focal length range like a zoom. When you use a prime lens you have to move yourself around in relation to the activity instead of zooming in or out with your lens. I use almost all prime lenses in the studio. Why use prime lenses instead of a zoom? There are many reasons to explore the world of prime lenses so let me give you a few. Prime lenses are usually sharper than their zoom counterparts, especially around the edges. They are often smaller than your zoom lens, which makes them easy to tote around and also lighter. Fixed focal length lenses are usually also faster, which means they have a wider aperture or f-stop setting. Prime lenses are also often cheaper than their zoom counterparts.

One of the best reasons to own a zoom lens is for its versatility. This is very true when it comes to chasing your kids around the park. I use my 28-70 mm f2.8 L-series lens a lot when I am traveling and taking pictures of my children. It allows me to travel light (often with only one lens). Zoom lenses also require fewer lens changes which make for less sensor cleaning. Changing your lens is one of the ways in which dust can get into your camera and onto your sensor. Many of the new camera bodies are self cleaning though making the dust issue not a very big deal. Zoom lenses also make for less lenses in the camera bag.

Here is a list of some of my very favorite zoom lenses:

Canon L-series EF 70-200mm f2.8: I love this lens because it is so flattering for portraits! It's heavy and bulky but very, very beautiful.

Canon L-series EF 24-70mm f2.8: this is my all-purpose-chase-my-kids-around-travel lens. I do not, however, use it at the studio or when doing my own creative image taking. I like my primes and the 70-200 for that sort of shot.

My favorite prime lenses:

My all time fave! the 85mm f1.8: this lens is perfect for my studio portraits. I use it and my 50 mm prime lens the most of all my lenses.

This is the 85mm I wish I had, 85mm f1.2 but that's just me being greedy.

The 50mm lens that I use the most, 50mm compact macro f2.5

This is the 50mm that I dream about.

Canon EF 28mm f1.8: I enjoy this lens but don't use it as regularly as the others. If your camera is NOT full frame like the 5D you may find this lens or a lovely 35 mm prime more useful in some ways than the 50 mm. That is something you will need to experiment with and see.

If you are an amateur shooter or have a limited lens budget (like most folks!) then you will want to check out this post that I wrote about non name brand lenses and how lenses are priced.

Happy Monday, hope the info on the lenses is helpful. Do you have a favorite lens? I'd love to know why. Leave us a comment below and tell us about what you use and why.

I have gotten a lot of requests to do a lesson on how to create storyboard/collage style layouts in Photoshop. In this video, I show you one way to do a simple layout with four 5x5 images. There are a million and one ways to do everything in Photoshop including this type of layout. This is one of the simplest ways. I hope you enjoy the video and please leave links to your creations in the comments section below or upload them to our Monday Lesson Flickr pool. I can't wait to see what you create!