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When and why you might want to use ND filters for your photography

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Along with polarizers, Neutral Density (ND) filters are pretty much the only filters most people really need these days. But what are ND filters? How do they work and why might you want to use one for your photography? Put simply, though, ND filters are sort of like sunglasses for your camera to darken down the view coming through your lens.

But how can they really be useful? After all, aren’t we typically looking for more light when we shoot and not less? Well, in this video, Mike Smith gets into the nitty-gritty of ND filters to answer that question, illustrated by images he’s shot using one.

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Which exposure mode should you be using with your camera?

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It’s the age-old perpetual question. And it’s one seen daily in photography forums and groups on social media. What camera mode should I use? And, well, it’s not really an easy question to answer. There are those who are of the “manual, always or you’re not a real photographer” persuasion, but there are times when the other modes work extremely well.

In this video, Mike Smith takes a look at the different shooting modes offered by cameras and offers up some tips as to when might be the right time to use each. And while the names might be slightly different for some brands, these modes are consistent throughout pretty much all brands and types of interchangeable lens camera from 35mm SLRs, through DSLRs to mirrorless.

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What is flash recycle time and how/why does it work the way it does?

If there’s one constant when it comes to flash, whether it’s speedlights or strobes, is recycle time. It’s the time you have to wait for the flash to charge back up between shooting one photo and the next. It applies to just about every type of flash, except for the recent array of hybrid flashes like the Godox FV200.

But what causes recycle times? Why do we have to wait? Can’t it just suck juice from the battery or the socket on the wall as it needs it? Well, nope. It can’t. And this video from photographer Mike Smith explains why.

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How to shoot and stitch panorama when photographing the Milky Way

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The Milky Way looks impressive in photos, and it’s a favorite subject of many astrophotographers. You can give it a new dimension in your images by capturing it in a panorama. In this video, photographer Mike Smith shares a step-by-step guide for creating a Milky Way panorama, from setting up your camera to stitching the images together.

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