Crop Corner

Selective focus is one of the main techniques used by professionals to simplify their photographs and focus attention on the intended subject of the picture. It can eliminate a distracting background by throwing it out of focus. In this installment of Digital Dialog, NYI's resident digital guru, Jim Barthman, starts by reviewing what selective focus is, how it has traditionally been used by professionals to add punch to their pictures, and how you can create the same effect with pictures taken with digital cameras.

This month, NYI Associate Dean Jerry Rice has written the Photo of the Month Review. Jerry's keen eye can help readers decipher any type of photograph. A lifelong lover of fine photography, when Jerry talks about photographs, everyone at NYI listens. We know you'll enjoy Jerry's observations on this month's photograph. 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.

Wildlife photographer, Ian Andrews, shares some tips on what to shoot and where to shoot in January. January can be one of the cruelest months of the year to photographers, but it can also be one of the kindest. Freezing temperatures can make it treacherous underfoot and on the roads. The comforting warmth of the central heating can have a very firm grip on the less dedicated. But with a little planning and forethought, the first month of the photographic year can be very rewarding. Get your kit ready the night before, right after you have checked the morning's forecast. Clear frosty mornings hold the greatest rewards. Remember spare batteries, as they fail far quicker in the cold.