Crop Corner

Weather permitting, on Wednesday, October 27 in the U.S., (Thursday, October 28 in other parts of the world) a total eclipse of the Moon will be visible in much of North and South America as well as Europe and Western Africa. This is an exciting event for astronomers and it can provide great picture opportunities to photographers as well. Photographing the moon is relatively easy compared to other celestial bodies, because it's relatively close to the earth. The tips that follow will show you how to photograph the moon under normal circumstances, or under eclipse conditions.

Testing 1-2-3: Putting Your New Digital Camera through its Paces and Getting a Digital Photography Lesson at the Same Time! The first time I cracked open the 207-page instruction booklet with my camera I must admit to being more than a little apprehensive. Why did such a tiny camera require such a thick booklet? And why didnt it come with a magnifying glass so that I could read it without squinting? Start by taking a look at the manuals table of contents to familiarize yourself with how it is organized. There will probably be a section that covers preliminary information, such as loading batteries, inserting media, and turning the camera on. Another section may cover common operations such as taking, viewing, and deleting pictures. You should also see headings in the table of contents for using menus to edit camera settings and transferring your pictures to a computer or viewing them on a television. There should also be a section (usually in the very back of the manual) that offers some troubleshooting tips.

This simple Three-Step Method is the secret of every successful photograph ever taken. We teach our students to consider these three steps every time they look into the viewfinder. To consider them before they press the shutter button. When our students mail in their photographs for analysis by their instructor, the instructor starts by commenting on what we call the three Guidelines. Of course, the instructor analyzes other elements of the picture too - focus, exposure, filters, etc. But the key to every good photo - and the essential element of every great photo - is adherence to these three Guidelines.