I come from an era where, to shoot in low light, you had three options: use a faster lens; a faster film; dose up your chemical brew or stretch the dev time. Times were tough but at least you learnt the hard way.

These days to ‘do it in the dark’ you still have to juggle the lens aperture, burn up the ISO setting — then, if else has failed, resort to post processing with software.

Author Worobiec admits to a fascination when things we’re ‘accustomed to seeing in daylight are transformed … when viewed at night.’ In his opinion, the modern DSLR makes the task of photography in low light much easier and uses the book to explore the techniques you can apply in-camera and post-shoot to help successfully capture low light images.

Opening topics of The Complete Guide to Digital Night and Low Light Photography include the camera’s exposure options of auto, Program AE as well as aperture and shutter priority and manual; then he moves onto the sticky topic of RAW versus JPEG … and comes down heavily on the side of RAW. As he should!

In this post Udi from DIYPhotography.net shares 4 DIY hacks and mods to convert simple boxes into photography tools.

Boxes are all around us. We get them in mail. we bring them from the store. Heck, we even got one when we bought our digital camera.

Have we ever stopped a minute to think what those boxes can do for us in other aspects then storing?

Below are 4 box photography hacks and mods for your pleasure. Click the title of each to go to the full tutorial on how to do it!

1. The Simple (Boxy) Light Tent

This hack is maybe the most known hack of them all. With a medium sized box and some diffusion material (silk, sketching paper, baking paper…) you get a pro studio for photographing small objects.

Making one can not be easier – cut three sides of a box and glue some sketching paper – about 5 minutes of work.

The idea is simple. The light that enters the box is diffused by the sketching paper. This diffusion eliminates hard shadows and create beautiful specular highlights.

In today’s post Véronique da Silva from www.dasilvafoto.com answers a question asked by a few DPS readers. “Could you give us some tips on directing models and everyday people for portraits?”

A great portrait is not just a great face! There is much more behind it! I will concentrate on some basic ideas that will help you in either of these scenarios.

First off, the rules of engagement. How do you create an atmosphere of comfort that inevitably allows your subject to be photographed? I can only share the secrets that seem to work for me.

1. LISTEN & RESPECT

Most people are not used to being listened to. I love interacting with people and I am genuinely interested in their stories and experiences. I smile a lot and I listen. I promote discussion and an exchange of ideas where the subject feels important and supported. There is no judgment – only compassion, empathy, and understanding for another human being.

2. RELAX

If you find yourself to be in a nervous or anxious mood, your subject will feel and respond to it by shutting down. The sooner you relax and check your insecurities at the door, the quicker you will both find yourself in a space of trust.

3. TRUST

Trust yourself. Trust that you can always count on doing your very best. Mistakes happen, but you should not let fear of failure guide you. We have all been in situations where batteries fail, memory cards fill up, equipment breaks…. Perhaps the scariest one is when your creativity fails you, when you just cannot find the magic, when you run out of ideas. While we cannot always have fantastic shoots, remain positive and trust that your different photo experiences will make you grow!

4. BE GRATEFUL

Be grateful for these amazing moments in time you get to share with different individuals.

One of the most common email requests that I get are from those heading up local photography clubs asking if they are able to use our tutorials in their newsletters or classes.

I get these emails on such a regular basis that I thought I’d write a post outlining how our content can be used by these groups.

While the written content on DPS is protected by copyright we do give permission to local photography clubs and some schools to use our tutorials for educational purposes under some circumstances and conditions (outlined below)

1. Content may not be reproduced online on another website – ie you may use it in your club or school if you print it out for members/students or even to email it out – but not to publish on your site.
2. Credit must be given to the

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Weekly Assignment

This week we made use of Shadows in our assignment. The use of shadows can add depth and dimension to a shot, or even an entirely new element. Our winner this week was fbroschart‘s Eggs and Whisk. This shot was an easy favorite among the judges this week. The way the shadows on the eggs mimicked the shapes on the plate, combined with the curves of the egg created a great shot. But not only that, the shot made great use of depth of field, contrast, and composition. Our first runner up was duna‘s Fabric Ceiling. While the shot nearly has the look of leaves, it was actually a fabric ceiling at Denver International Airport. The shadows really helped to add dimension …