Light has four major qualities: quality, quantity, color and direction. No matter what exposure mode you select on your DSLR or mirrorless camera, seeing how light in a scene affects a photograph’s overall impact is the key to mastering the art of proper exposure. Yes, its just as much art as it is science because the final exposure controls the image’s mood.

And the truth is that for 90% of photographs that you’ll make, any one of your camera’s automatic modes do a fantastic job in producing correct exposures but its those last 10% that’ll kill you.

These days most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras that have direct monochrome capture options also let you apply digital filters to produce an effect as if you had placed a camera filter in front of your lens. If you’re new to the world of traditional filters for black and white photography, here’s a quick primer and how it will affect your images.

National Make A Difference Day brings community service to a whole new level each year. Organizations join forces on the fourth Saturday in October to make a difference, big or small.

“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables