by NIck Kelsh | Oct 31, 2015 | Blog
If you shoot the picture before the sun goes down you’re just going to have too much overall light and the mood won’t be right yet. Patience is required as you wait for the right balance of overall light and pumpkin glow. Conditions will vary—shade from trees and...
by NIck Kelsh | Oct 30, 2015 | Blog
With so much of good photography, being there is about 90% of the battle. If you’re fortunate enough to find one of these scenes in front of your camera count your blessings. Photographs like this are practically the definitive version of what comes to people’s minds...
by NIck Kelsh | Oct 22, 2015 | Artificial Light, Halloween, Subscriber Photo Tips
Someone posted on our Facebook page and suggested that the best way to photograph your own trick-or-treaters was to do a dry run at your own front door from the perspective of of a potential victim/candy supplier. We tried to hunt down this tipster and luckily Lori...
by NIck Kelsh | Oct 17, 2015 | Halloween
Well, what would you do with a smashed pumpkin? Okay, okay, I smashed it to photograph it, I admit it. I had the face shot of Alexander and decided to make it more ghoulish. I did it in PhotoShop and used layers. That part was pretty straightforward. I put my wireless...
by NIck Kelsh | Oct 17, 2015 | Halloween
There were many things to consider when I photographed this ghost in a graveyard, but most important for me was not getting arrested. It was 5AM. I was standing in the middle of a cemetery wearing white gloves and doing something that looked like some kind of Pee Wee...
by NIck Kelsh | Oct 10, 2015 | Halloween
I really think the kids will love this. My boys got a kick out of it and they’re fairly accustomed to having their image goofed with and displayed in public. I guess it goes with the territory of being a photo tips guy’s kid. Curves can make your little monsters even...
by NIck Kelsh | Oct 4, 2015 | Blog
Yesterday I took the boys to a Revolutionary War battle reenactment in our neighborhood. The Battle of Germantown took place in 1777 about ten blocks from where we now live. One of my history buff neighbors has a map showing that the colonial army marched down the...
by NIck Kelsh | Sep 30, 2015 | Blog
Composition is the one thing I find so difficult to teach. It almost always boils down to a discussion of the rule of thirds or an even blunter approach—don’t put your subject in the middle of the frame. The rule of thirds is totally valid and certainly not putting...
by NIck Kelsh | Sep 26, 2015 | Blog
Every once in a while there’s a big Bruhaha about the appearance of the Super Moon. The moon apparently closer to the earth than it’s been in the last thousand years or since last March depending on who you ask. It happens about every two years. I put Super Moons and...
by NIck Kelsh | Sep 24, 2015 | Blog
My father was seriously injured in World War II. It happened in a small town on the Rhine River in Germany in March 1945. Gen. Eisenhower said the bridge there was worth its weight in gold; it was a well built railroad bridge that could support war ending tanks...
by NIck Kelsh | Sep 9, 2015 | Blog
Today was finally back to school day for the Kelsh family in Philadelphia. (I was going to say for the Kelsh boys but believe me, it’s back to school day for the entire Kelsh family. At least two of us are beyond relieved.) The boys are in a new school building this...
by NIck Kelsh | Aug 31, 2015 | Blog
It hangs in the air through the early weeks of fall…that back-to-school energy! Even if you don’t have school age kids there’s the sense that everything starts up again after the lazy, hazy days of summer. That’s certainly true for us here at...
by NIck Kelsh | Aug 25, 2015 | Blog
Molly shot this lovely, fun picture on the first day of school and I just wanted to point out how it works on multiple levels. Obviously, it’s a great picture that will bring all of the compliments and kudos we all hope to get every time we take a picture. It’s really...
by NIck Kelsh | Aug 25, 2015 | Blog
There are weddings and graduations and births and back-to-school. It’s just one of those classic childhood, family moments made for photographic memories. And it’s also something that happens fairly quickly— it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Often times, a...
by NIck Kelsh | Aug 24, 2015 | Blog
We want you to share your back to school photo stories with us. Use the hashtag #backtoschoolstories when you post on our Facebook wall, or on your Twitter or Instagram feed, and let’s share in all the emotions surrounding back to school. But first, let’s...
by NIck Kelsh | Aug 24, 2015 | Blog
For even more Back to School photo tips and ideas, click here for our dedicated Back to School page.
by NIck Kelsh | Jul 13, 2015 | Blog
Is black and white photography better than color? There are certainly strong arguments to support that position. It’s not as silly as it sounds. This conversation was prompted by my seven-year-old son. He told me the other day that “too many of your photographs are...
by NIck Kelsh | Jul 3, 2015 | Blog, Fireworks, Fireworks
Many people think that professional photographers “just know” what the perfect settings are for any given situation. Nothing is further from the truth. The skill is simply being able to guesstimating a good starting point, and being able to know which...
by NIck Kelsh | Jul 2, 2015 | Fireworks, Fireworks, Free Tips
A staple of any celebration worth its while is the big fireworks display at the end. If you would like to capture the magic of the night, I’ve compiled some tips for you in this infographic (Hint: share it—your friends will appreciate it!) Plus be sure to read on...
by NIck Kelsh | Jul 2, 2015 | Blog
Very likely the most memorable experience you’ve ever had with fireworks was with sparklers. Large fireworks displays are a huge part of all manner of public celebrations, but getting your own little hands on something that’s magically shooting sparks in the dangerous...
