Image by Aloberyn

My first foray into digital photography was with a small Canon point and shoot camera. I immediately fell in love with the medium due to being able to take large amounts of shots at no cost, being able to see shots immediately after taking them and the ease at which I could use the images in different ways.

However there was one one aspect of digital photography that I immediately began to hate – shutter lag.

In the first few shots that I took with my new point and shoot I realized that pressing down the shutter release didn’t mean that the scene that I was looking at would be captured just the way I saw it – there was at least a 1 second delay before the shot was taken.

Most modern day digital cameras have cut down the annoying shutter delay/lag problems significantly. In fact the only camera that I’ve tested with any significant lag has been my new camera phone (the Nokia N95 – which has a 5 megapixel camera in it – but which is annoyingly slow to use). Most point and shoot cameras these days will not have a noticeable shutter lag, however I still get asked about it a lot.

One of the reasons that I suspect many still think they suffer from shutter lag is that they don’t allow the camera time to focus. I realized this earlier in the week when out with a point and shoot user and watching their technique. They would see a scene – lift the camera to their eye and immediately hit the shutter in one jerking movement – expecting an instantaneous result.

Of course the camera needed a moment to focus and the resulting small delay while it did so was labeled ’shutter lag’ by my friend.

The following tutorial on how to make and convert a bucket shield to give flowers some protection from the wind and a nice strong background was submitted by our most prolific forum members – JiminyClickit (he’s posted over 1600 messages in our forums.

Are your outdoor shots blurred by wind?
Do you want photos with black backgrounds?
Would you prefer to leave blooms alive?

With a minimum of cost and effort, you can shield your subject from wind movement, while providing a strong background contrast, and without having to pluck it and set up indoors. By surrounding a bloom, or lower stalk, or tree branch with a suitable bucket device, great photos will be easier to capture without damaging the plant (especially good if it’s not yours).

From simple to more complex, the usefulness of this method will be determined by your individual needs. The size of the container, the material of which it’s made, your choice of holding / mounting it will all play a part in its successful use. Here are a few directions, suggestions and tips to get started.

Some tools you may need:

• scissors
• small saw
• craft knife
• plastic tape

Some materials you may need:

• plastic bucket (oval)
• ¼ inch wing nut
• ¼ inch bolt, 1” long
• plastic tape

This introductory tutorial on Surf Photography has been submitted by Ryan Cardone from Ryan Cardone Photography.

Being eaten by sharks, broken bones, getting run over, or even drowning; these are just some of the risks involved in surf photography, but when you get that one shot, it is all worth it!

I have been a surfer for most of my life and it was only natural for me to take my love for photography in the water. Surf photography really gives me a feeling that is indescribable.

I am dealing with the same elements that the surfers are dealing with. If they are getting barreled, most likely I am getting barreled. Just that feeling is an enough rush for me, but when you get the film back or see the photos on the computer it is that much better.

Every shot I have taken from the water has a great story. Here are some tips to use so that you can go out and try surf photography for your self.

Equipment for Surf Photography:

Here’s our video tutorial for the week – this one is quicker than last week’s and is simply how to whiten teeth using photoshop.

There’s no sound – so just read along with the instructions on the video tutorial.

Whiten Your Teeth In 60 Seconds With Photoshop – video powered by Metacafe

This week’s photoblogger of the week is Jóhann Guðbjargarson from the stunning photo blog – gudbjargarson.

Jóhann lives in Iceland and his photography reflects his travels around his country and the world. He’s been generous enough to share two beautiful images with us, to tell us a little about his digital camera kit and to share 3 digital photography tips.

Jóhanns digital camera kit:

• Camera: Canon EOS 5D
• Canon lenses: Canon 35mm f1.4L, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, 100mm f/2.8 Macro, 17-40mm f/4L
• Other gear: Apple 17″ MacBook Pro
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
• Adobe Photoshop CS2
• Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Drive
• Epson Stylus R2400 Photo Printer

Jóhanns Photography Tips:

Tip nr. 1:
Experiment with the creative settings on your camera, like the exposure modes (Tv, Av, M). I use Av 95% of the time and pay close attention to shutter speed. If the shutter speed is too little to handle the lighting and Aperture I use ISO to allow more shutter speed. Handle this settings along with ISO and aperture is vital to understand the camera and to gain full creative control over your photography.