David Azbell submitted this image taken with a Canon Powershot SD300, with an exposure of 1/200sec at f/5.6, with no ISO available, taken from a tour bus. The frame is really not helping the image. Without it this is a nice scenic shot. There are so many layers of interest in this photo and the colors are great.  It is possible that the windows of the tour bus had a polarizing film that added to the vivid colors. The curved fence in the foreground works as a leading line guiding the viewer through the image. This is a nice wide angle shot of this city scene. 

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets four stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!

Adapted from The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Nature Photography by Jim Miotke. (Watson-Guptill Publications, 2007; $25)

Anmol Tandon submitted this image taken with a Canon Powershot G3, with no other data available. Anmol has captured the Eiffel Tower up close, and while we have all seen photos of the famous landmark from top to bottom, this photo gives you a much better feel for the detail. Despite being a night shot, the digital noise is not bad. If the plan was a nice symmetrical shot of the detail, a step back would have given Anmol more to work with in terms of cropping or straightening the image and centering the tower in the frame.  Another step to the left would also have helped with the symmetry. If showing the amazing detail of the structure up close was the plan, this works. The blue lights are slightly overexposed, a smaller aperture could have helped give the lights a twinkle effect instead. Overall this is a nice image and one that does capture a viewer’s attention. 

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets three and a half stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!

•    Arrive early to get scene-setting images and learn your way around. You’ll also be able to shoot the wedding party as they arrive with the dress. Set your white balance to Outdoor and use a low ISO for these shots, then switch when you move inside.

•    If the wedding is in a church with a backlit altar, overexpose so that the couple doesn’t end up in silhouette. If the church allows, shoot from the sides of the altar for individual shots with better lighting, as well as photos of the family sitting in the front row.

ADAPTED FROM BETTER AVAILABLE LIGHT DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE FARACE and BARRY STAVER (FOCAL PRESS, 2009; $30)

For one week every year the streets of Pamplona, Spain are home to one of the most famous and dangerous running events. It pits Man vs. Beast in the ultimate test of speed and courage, to see who can be the last one standing. And as we can see from this photos taken by Anindha Parthy a freelance photographer from Australia who used a Canon 5D Mark II, and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, not all of the runners are lucky enough to get through the race without injury.

This is the first day of the historic event, so if you have any images you would like to share with the popphoto.com community take a trip to our Flickr page, our Twitter page and our popphoto.com forums.

Have a question about the photos? Contact Anindha at anindha@vividphoton.com.

Warning: Images below may be considered graphic.

Laurence Asuncion submitted this image taken with a Canon 40D, with an exposure of 1/500sec at f/2.0, ISO 320. Laurence enjoys this photo because of her expression, which means regardless of the technical merit, this is one of those photos he will always cherish.  The black and white works here and the exposure is good.  The depth of field from using f/2.0 helps to isolate the subject and takes care of any clutter that may be in the background.  Overall this is a nice photo, although it could be stronger with another element in the photo to add scale or more interest.

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets three and a half stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!

•    Shooting a landscape late in the day? With your back to the sun, chances are your shadow will end up in the frame. If you can’t come back at another time of day, try moving and shooting at a different angle.

•    When an object casts an unwanted shadow, wait for a cloud to cover the sun. Or zoom in over the shadow—best when there’s a lot of foreground area.

•     Try mixing shadows and sun. Some scenes benefit from dappled sunlight. (This might confuse your lightmeter, so be sure to bracket your shots.)

•    Make a shadow your subject. It works well when you get an interesting shape on an uncluttered background. Look on a clear day just after dawn and before dusk, when shadows are long.

ADAPTED FROM 101 QUICK AND EASY SECRETS TO CREATE WINNING PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATTHEW BAMBERG (COURSE TECHNOLOGY, 2009; $30)

Even if there aren’t any planned post-Fourth of July firework displays in your area this week, it doesn’t mean you should point your camera away from the sky. You will have a great opportunity on Tuesday to test out your astrophotography skills by photographing a full moon, which is one of the best times to capture the moon with your camera. And to help prepare you for this event here are three easy tips, courtesy of the “3 Ways To Shoot the Moon” feature from the June issue of Popular Photography by Kathleen Davis, to ensure you get the best photos of one of the most notable fixtures in the night sky:  

1. When the moon is full, follow the Sunny 16 rule. Because a full moon on a clear night reflects sunlight just like the earth on a clear day, avoid getting an overexposed ball or an underexposed foreground by setting your aperture to f/16. Determine your shutter speed using the formula 1/ISO. For example, if you’re shooting at ISO 200, the shutter speed should be 1/200 sec.

2. In other phases, open up the aperture. As the moon waxes and wanes, its brightness stays the same, but there is less light overall, so adjust by 2.5 stops in the first or third phases, and 10 or more stops when it has a thin crescent shape to get a good foreground exposure.

3. Get it early and late. The best time to capture the moon is 10 to 20 minutes before sunrise or after sunset. The moon is distinct then, but there is still enough light to capture detail in the foreground—a rising or setting full moon is best. Look for it directly opposite the sun in the sky (in the east at dusk and the west at dawn).