We Wish You a Mini Tripod

Pre-Black Friday Sale & Expo November 22 & 23.

Pre-Black Friday Sale & Expo!

...it's the sound of early seasonal savings & inspiration!

Beat the "Black Friday" lines & take part in the fun and relaxed  shopping experience at Fort Worth Camera! Representatives from Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Kelly Moore bags, Manfrotto tripods & bags, Tamron lenses & more  will be on hand starting THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY 22nd,  23rd  for demonstrations & HUGE savings!   Fort Worth Camera has tons of gift ideas for the shutterbug in your life! GET A HEAD START ON YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING! The hottest brands, the best selection & the very best service is here at  Fort Worth Camera, this Friday & Saturday at both locations!

Inside Tech Tip: Back-Button Focus

This ‘inside tip’ is one that many pro shooters use – and with good reason.  This technique is used when you wish to focus on a particular subject/object and then subsequently re-compose the image, leaving the chosen object in focus.  Back-button focusing, in essence, gives you the freedom to move between a chosen subject and composition, all the while keeping said object in focus.  Your camera won’t refocus on something that momentarily leaves and/or re-enters the scene. 

The most common method of focusing on a subject is to press the shutter button halfway to signal the camera to autofocus on the subjects. Back-button focusing, by contrast, often uses the * button or the AF-ON button (on some models it is located at the top right hand side of the camera body).  This technique is commonly used in fast-action sports and in busy situations where capturing a moment at the ready is imperative. 

This technique takes a bit of getting used to but, once you do, this technique has many advantages. It can also help you in situations where you need to focus between two subjects, all while recomposing the shot.  Like all techniques, practice is key, and with a little bit of experimentation, you may find the back-button focus technique to be one of the most useful you use.

Get this Fabulous Filter for Holiday Photography:

One of the most important ways to protect your DSLR lens is by using a high quality protection filter.  Our ProMaster digital HGX filter is the perfect partner to keep your lens shielded from dust, dirt, grime and fingerprints.  Its colorless design won’t impact your images in any way other than to protect it from the elements. The REPELLAMAX™ element resistant coating is exclusive to ProMaster and protects your lens while making sure your images remain tack sharp.  Pick up yours today!

The Perfect Accessory for Portrait Photography

Learning to use available light in any situation is a skill that takes patience, creativity and practice.  It is also one of the most valuable and rewarding skills to harness as a photographer.  One thing to remember is that it’s better to follow the light than to fight it; if you first identify where the light is coming from and how it falls, you can then decide how to best utilize it for your purposes.

Having a few tools to manipulate light helps as well.  For example, the ProMaster ReflectaDisc5 in 1 Plus kit is the perfect light-taming tool to keep close.  Its versatile style can be used both indoors in studio or outside for field shooting and includes silver, black, white, gold and translucent reflectors. Whether you need to simply diffuse available light or warm up skin tones, this kit will help you best use the available light for your purposes. It also includes an 18% grey panel to help establish optimum white balance.  Everything’s wrapped up nice and tight in the carrying case.

The ABCs of LED Lighting

While many photographers have grown up – and grown comfortable – shooting with traditional electronic flash units, a growing number of shooters are finding that LED lighting provides some advantages

Promaster LED VL380

Unlike traditional photographic lighting based on flashes, LED lights are ‘always on’ and provide constant illumination.  Having a continuous LED light source may prove beneficial to your subjects when shooting.  When using traditional flash, your subjects’ eyes will continually respond by dilating and constricting due to the flashes of light.  This continued impact of light can result in headaches and can become generally uncomfortable.  It can have an impact on expression and overall mood over time.

LED Lights have also proven themselves to be extremely versatile for photographers that work on both still and video projects.  The right LED light can move between portrait photography and product video promotion as part of an overall lighting strategy. 

The ProMaster LED Studio Light VL380 can be the perfect partner in your venture into using LED lighting.  You can get yours here, just in time for Thanksgiving family photos.

Giving Thanks for Fabulous Family Photos

Thanksgiving brings the promise of food, football and family.  For many, it’s a most favored holiday and it’s easy to see why.   When families gather together to celebrate, we want to make sure we’ve taken plenty of fabulous photos to remember this special gathering. 

Here are some of our favorite tips for making sure the snaps you shoot are cause for celebration:

Fifteen-Minutes Will Save Frustration Later: A few days before family arrives, spend a few minutes getting your gear in order.  If you have images on your memory card, transfer them to your primary computer, verify they transferred without incident and reformat the camera card.  Charge your camera’s battery and, if you have an external flash, make sure it’s charged with new batteries and is in working order.  Also, double-check that your lens cleaning cloth is in your bag.  One rogue fingerprint can kill an entire series of shots.  We have some quality cleaning products for your camera bag.

Also, remember to revisit how to use the timer function on your camera.  After all, you don’t want to just take the photos – you’ll want to be in them as well!

Learn Your Lighting Situation:  If the Thanksgiving feast is being held at your home or at a nearby relative’s house, scout the most likely areas to shoot family photos.  What lighting options are available? Are there large windows nearby to lend available light? Does the room have a low ceiling and few light sources? 

Surveying the possible posing locations and studying lighting can greatly improve your success rate when it comes to shooting quality holiday photos.  You’ll have a sense of where the best lighting is located and can bring additional lighting if needed.  You’re also much more likely to get cooperation from pint-sized subjects if you have all the tough stuff figured out in advance.  All you’ll need to do is pose and shoot!

Showcase Your Storytelling Skills:  Do you have an idea of what you’d like to capture this holiday season?  For example, maybe the all-day cooking marathon in the kitchen always brings a smile to your face.  Thanksgiving photos aren’t solely for the dinner table presentation, although that particular shot is certain to be a favorite.  Document the interactions between loved ones – the offhanded laughs, the shared smiles and the candid conversations exchanged throughout the day.  The outdoor football game, the long walk after an amazing meal and the kids playing in the yard are all great opportunities to create Thanksgiving memories. 

Picture Perfect Posing: Getting everyone to cooperate is particularly important when large groups and small children are involved so your careful planning is about to pay off!  When your family members know that you’ve put a bit of thought into the process, they’re more likely to realize it should be a quick and painless event!

For posed group portraits, you’re more likely to get cooperation from family earlier in the day.  For elderly family members, make sure posing includes a comfortable chair for them to sit and place others around them according to height.  Younger kids can sit cross-legged on the floor in front.  Getting engaged smiles is an easier task if you stay connected to them. One accessory that can assist you in staying connected is a remote shutter release.  It’s one of the most helpful accessories you can keep in your camera bag for shooting family portraits.  Our selection of quality remote releases is priced perfectly for your budget.

Share the Love: With so many choices online, sharing your family photos has never been easier.  Just make sure to get copies to all the family members involved.  For example, some grandparents have a Facebook account while others prefer to have hard copies, so take care to send a set of printed photos if they aren’t comfortable viewing images online.