In this special 4th of July edition, the Gadget Guy shows you some cool, compact tripods with tips on how to use them to make better fireworks pictures.

Text by Chris Zuppa | Photo by Stephen J. Coddington

Watching a space shuttle launch is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even if it is from afar. It’s not just the moment of witnessing history unfold and feeling the rumble caused from the shuttle’s liftoff, it’s also the anticipation, the fingers-crossed feeling that the launch won’t be scrubbed and the effort to travel to Florida’s east coast wasn’t in vain. You’ll end up making wonderful memories from the entire experience of traveling, waiting and meeting the people who have come so far—as far as Australia and England in some cases. If you do make the trek, here are some practical travel and photo tips.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis roars off of launch pad 39 B at the Kennedy Space Center September 9, 2006 as it begins the flight of STS-115. 

If you do photograph the launch, share your photos with us in our community photo gallery. ... Read more

What: Digital SLR workshop
When: February 22 - 24 (deadline to apply January 26)
Where: Poynter Institute for Media Studies, St. Petersburg
Cost: $895
Details: So you have a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) reporting tool. Now what? Learn how to document and review video coverage from the field and how to download it to your computer to edit, with an appreciation for good quality and compelling visuals.
Explore recent case studies and effective examples of video journalism produced with these new hybrid reporting tools and get tips on how to best use your versatile new DSLR in your media company’s newsroom.  To apply, visit Poynter's website.
You’ll learn:

How to compose and capture compelling still and full motion photographic reportage.
How to maneuver and manage the fundamentals of these newDSLR cameras.
About the important similarities of light and sound integration in multimedia reporting
Ways to enhance accuracy and integrity in your relationships and reporting.
Basic Editing steps to get your content back to your publications.

Who Will Benefit:
Print and audio journalists transitioning to video for the web; multimedia reporters seeking to improve their photographic knowledge.

Are you curious about what can be achieved with your cell phone camera?  Revisit these images that St. Petersburg Times photographer Melissa Lyttle made with her iphone last year.  Then, if you'd like to learn more about how to get the most from your own cell phone camera, consider the following workshop being offered by the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) in Tampa.
 
What: This two-hour workshop will teach students how to utilize the most ubiquitous form of photographic technology today, the camera phone. As a class, we will cover basic photographic techniques such as the use of lighting, composition and digital image editing. Students will leave with a basic understanding of how their camera phones function and how to get maximum quality when using them.  Read the FMoPA description for more detailed information about the workshop.
 
When: Saturday, January 22, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., or Saturday, February 5, 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
 
Visit the FMoPA website for a complete listing (with descriptions) of more photo classes.

Ok photographers out there, we need your help.  
Over the past year or so, Times photographers have offered tips on how to improve the quality of your photographs.  Some tips have been technical in nature, and some have been personal.  What they all have in common is their simple, easy to follow suggestions meant to help elevate your work in a tangible way.
Browse through the tips we've offered so far. 
Now, it's a new year, and we'd like to hear from you.  What photographic question(s) would you like our staff to address?  What topic(s) would you like to see us offer tips about?  Write your suggestions in the comment area under this blog post, or visit us on Facebook and write a message there.  Either way, we'd love to hear your thoughts.

St. Petersburg Times photographer Jim Damaske shares these tips for creating the proper exposure when photographing a snowy, sandy, foggy, or other white scene.
 
Remember when photographing snow you'll want to overexpose a little bit for the white subject matter to be white in your photo.  Your camera's meter wants to average a scene out, so if your scene is all white, the meter will give you an exposure that will make it grey.  I usually overexpose about one stop so I still have a little detail (also known as information in the digital age) in the light areas.  Same goes for other mostly light scenes like sand and fog, since we don't have snow here in sunny warm Florida, brrrrr.
  ... Read more

St. Petersburg Times photographer Edmund Fountain shares his tips on improving the quality of light in your photographs.

In this photographer's opinion, the best light for documentary photography/photojournalism is the late afternoon or early morning sun.

It has no substitute. Anywhere.

Early morning/late afternoon light has a warm glow to it that is difficult to duplicate. The problem is that most of us are not always photographing in late afternoon/early morning sun. Instead, we find ourselves at a friend's birthday party, or in a dark room, or some other place where it is difficult to make beautiful images. Not to worry, we can just turn on the flash. ... Read more

I had a lot of fun photographing our cross country runners of the year last week. I grabbed my mag lite before leaving the house, and figured I could always try painting with light for a little different look. When Katelyn Greenleaf, the top girl in our county from Northside Christian, came into the studio with her parents, I tried explaining what I was doing, as I was popping a strobe and then running around their daughter with a flashlight in the dark for 20 seconds at a time. After a few good tries, I could tell her folks were curious what it looked like so I asked them if they wanted to see what I was doing. This is where digital photography comes in handy. Once they looked at the back of the camera, they got really excited and were commenting how cool and fun that was.

... Read more

The Intermediate Photography class from the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa was developed for students who already have a working knowledge of their camera. It is somewhat of a unique class, as it is a "Whitman's Sampler" of photography genres. The class consists of four Saturdays in different environments and settings where students are challenged to shoot cityscapes, action photography (sports), portraits (studio), and flora and fauna using macro photography and strobist style lighting techniques. Composition, exposure, white balance, and depth of field are all challenges in these differing genres.

Upcoming class at the Museum: Photography 101 - January 5, 2010 through February 2, 2010

Visit the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts website for more information.

[Text by class instructor Chip Weiner]

Photo by Mike Comstock ... Read more

Summer is well under way, which means many of us are packing our bags and hitting the road to explore someplace new. Travel is an opportunity for discovery, and what better way to capture the experience than with photographs? We invite you share with us some of your best travel photos. Email travel photos to vacationphotos@sptimes.com. We will run the best ones in the Sunday Latitudes section of the St.Petersburg Times, and also here in the Globespotting section of All Eyes. To see even more reader travel photos, go to the travel section of our community photo gallery. To view galleries of some of our best photos and purchase reprints, visit our online Photo Store.

Want to take quality vacation photographs? Here are a few tips from Times photographer Scott Keeler to improve your photography skills and the content of your images on your next trip.

After you arrive at your destination, check local newspapers and media outlets for ongoing and upcoming events that may provide interesting photography opportunities. Festivals and farmers markets, such as this Christmas market in Germany, are good examples of events for your photography. People make interesting subjects for your photographs. Don't be afraid to approach subjects and ask if you can take their photograph. Most people are happy to be in your frame. ... Read more