Capital Photography Center Blog

July 10, 2019

10 Tips For Shooting the Moon

Marie Joabar

July gives us the Thunder Moon, so named by the Algonquin when spectacular electrical storms would rake the skies. Another common name is the Buck Moon referencing the new antlers which grow on deer buck's foreheads around this time. 

Here are 10 tips to help you capture the moon in any month of the year from planning to exposure settings and more.

June 19, 2019

Travel Tips for Photographers

Marie Joabar

Summer is here and for many that means vacations and travel. Wherever you’re going, chances are you’ll come home with a few souvenirs and your memory cards full… proof that you enjoyed every minute.

There’s a lot to think about when traveling with your gear but the first consideration is deciding WHAT camera equipment to take and then, HOW you’re going to take it. Also think about how to get the best shots and how to back up images as you travel. 

May 29, 2019

Tips For Using External Flash

Marie Joabar

Good photographic light isn’t limited to the sun, it comes from many different sources, some we can control, some we cannot. Use the sun to your advantage but when you want to add light to a dark scene or skillfully sculpt it for a certain effect, you'll find your off-camera flash unit one of the best tools in your bag.

May 8, 2019

Community Building Through Social Media

Kristen McNicholas

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram aren’t just ways for us to communicate upcoming classes, photo tips or student highlights, it’s our way to build a community of photography-loving folks around the Washington, D.C. metro area and areas far beyond. 

April 9, 2019

Interesting Places to Photograph

Beth Haubach

Finding new and unique ways to photograph the world you see EVERY day can zap your creativity and lessen your enthusiasm for photography.   Our new RESOURCES tab will definitely help with this as we have added a section titled INTERESTING PLACES TO PHOTOGRAPH. Give it a look and you'll find a comprehensive list of locations and events and also the links to them all.

March 28, 2019

Tips for Photographing Waterfalls

Marie Joabar

Spring is typically the best time to photograph waterfalls. The melting snow and the season’s rains increase the flow and volume of the streams and rivers making them more powerful than at any other time of the year.

March 7, 2019

Move In Close with Macro Photography

Marie Joabar

With spring just around the corner, it's easy to anticipate all the beautiful subjects we can capture. Whether you enjoy the flowers in your own garden, wildflowers in fields and meadows, or the exotic variety you find at your favorite botanic conservatory, learning to take better close-ups is a lesson in macro photography.

February 19, 2019

Tips For Backing Up Your Photos

Marie Joabar

By now you’ve probably heard the saying, “it’s not a matter of if your hard drives will fail but when.” It’s a certainty that drives will fail and computers will crash, yet many people still don’t have an effective backup plan in place.

When your photo collection over the years is lost or destroyed, it’s a sad reality. Take time now to get your backup plan in place and protect your irreplaceable images. 

January 13, 2019

Tips For Capturing Better Snow Scenes

Marie Joabar

Photographing your favorite subjects in snow offers a special way to make winter memories. No matter what your favorite snow subject, exposure can be tricky.  Our camera’s light meter is easily fooled by the brightness and underexposes snow scenes resulting in dark photos with washed out, gray looking snow. These tips can help.

January 1, 2019

6 Tips To Improve Your Photography In 2019

Marie Joabar

Whether you’re packing up the holiday decorations or finalizing your 2019 resolutions list, we’re all beginning fresh for 2019. What will the new year hold for you?

For your photography, this is the perfect time to sit down with your photos from 2018 and with a critical eye, determine your weakness(es) and where the opportunities for improvement lie. Here are some broad categories to help get you started.

Further down, you’ll find tips from some of our instructors, give them a look.

December 20, 2018

Celebrate Photography This Holiday Season

Marie Joabar

Celebrate the voice photography gives you now at this festive time and throughout the year. Check out these past holiday Blog articles, perhaps you'll find some fresh ideas for your holiday photos.

November 15, 2018

Camera Picture Styles and Lightroom Profiles

Marie Joabar

Whether we’re setting a Picture Style in our camera or using Lightroom’s Profiles, we can tap into these creative tools to make our images pop. Let’s look at each and discover how we might use them.  

October 26, 2018

Inspired In Italy

Marie Joabar

What an amazing week we had on our first international photography workshop exploring Tuscany! With a group of 9 workshop participants, we set off to capture exciting images and all came home with memory cards filled.

October 4, 2018

Photo Shows and Expos

Marie Joabar

We'll find 2 of the most popular photo shows and exhibits this fall and we want to share that information in the hope you’ll make it to one of them and find inspiration or learn new techniques to take your photography to the next level.

Our favorite show is NATURE VISIONS PHOTO EXPO on November 3-5.

September 12, 2018

Tips To Capture Fun At The Fairs

Marie Joabar

Most of us think of the state and county fairs as summertime events but you’ll find many held in September as well.  Loved and anticipated by many, these annual events began in the early nineteen hundreds as a way to bring people together to showcase area farming, livestock and agriculture.  Today’s fairs continue that tradition but also offer a wide assortment of entertainment as well, such as music, carnival rides, circus tents and more.

For the shutterbug, these fairs offer endless opportunities to photograph during the day or night, indoors or out, the possibilities are many.