Wichita Wildlight Photographic Society

Sunsets are one of the most popular things to photograph, but they’re also one of the easiest scenes to get wrong. If you’ve ever taken a sunset photo only to find the sky looks washed out and colorless, your phone likely exposed for the darker foreground instead of the bright sky.

How to Photograph Sunsets on Your Phone Without Blowing the Sky - PictureCorrect Sunsets are one of the most popular things to photograph, but they're also one of the easiest scenes to get wrong. If you've ever taken a sunset photo only to find the sky looks washed out and colorless, your phone likely exposed for the darker foreground instead of the bright sky. 📱 Summer Escap...

When Stuart Palley began photographing California wildfires in 2013, the data already pointed toward more serious wildfire problems ahead. Over the next 13 years and nearly 200 fires, he watched that prediction come true. Fire seasons grew longer, fires burned faster and more aggressively, and January 2025 brought an inferno to the hills of Los Angeles at a time of year that usually felt like a safe time.

Terra Flamma: meet the photographer using wildfire as light For 13 years, Stuart Palley has been creating striking images of wildfires that keep getting bigger, faster and harder to predict.

Composition in photography is the way you arrange the elements within your frame: where you place your subject, how you use lines and shapes, what you include and leave out. Along with light and exposure, it’s one of the three pillars of a good photograph. Strong composition is what draws a viewer’s eye into an image, guides them through it, and holds their attention, turning a snapshot into a photograph worth looking at.

What Is Composition in Photography? A Complete Guide Composition in photography is the way you arrange the elements within your frame: where you place your subject, how you use lines and shapes, what you include and leave out. Along with light and exposure, it's one of the three pillars of a good photograph. Strong composition is what draws a viewer's...

Every time I go on vacation, I run into the same problem: I start with an empty bag, pack one camera, and think that’ll be enough. Five minutes later, I come back to my bag and pack another one. Just in case. Then I see there’s still room, so I pack a lens. Or Two. Then memory cards and batteries. Before I know it, I’m stuffing my bag to the brim like a Looney Tunes cartoon. I bring five cameras, but I only end up using one or two of them.

How I Pack Less Camera Gear on Vacation (And How You Can, Too) Every time I go on vacation, I run into the same problem: I start with an empty bag, pack one camera, and think that’ll be enough. Five minutes later, I

Pull focus on a video clip from a near subject to a far one and watch the edges of the frame. On many lenses, the image seems to subtly zoom in or out as the focus shifts, as if the lens is quietly inhaling and exhaling. That is focus breathing, and once you have noticed it you cannot unsee it. For photographers it is usually a footnote. For anyone shooting video, it is one of the defining differences between a photo-first lens and a lens built for video or cinema, and it explains a large part of why true cinema lenses cost what they do.

Focus Breathing: Why Videographers Demand Better Lenses | Fstoppers Focus breathing shifts your frame as you pull focus—invisible in stills but distracting on video. Discover why cinema lenses cost more and how optical design suppresses this magnification change.

In a previous article, I walked through the process of capturing an HDR in the field and merging it in post-processing. But this is only the beginning of the work to get the shot I saw in the field. The real game is played in the subsequent post-processing of the HDR file, where making both global and local corrections allows for reconstructing the light and, hopefully, the atmosphere I saw that day. Let’s break down the process.

Post-Processing an HDR File: A Case Study PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels

The eye-catching image of a red fox poised to catch a crab mid-air on a seaweed-covered shoreline in Norway was captured at 2 AM in broad daylight – now it has just earned its 5th prize, awarded by the Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers.

Photographer Cecilie Bergan Stuedal shot the multi-award-winning image titled Aerodynamic crab under the midnight sun in Finnmark – a phenomenon leaving the region with daylight for 24 hours a day.

Shot at 2 AM in broad daylight, this DSLR wildlife image wins its 5th award "I spent several nights in the midnight sun with a small family of foxes here in Finnmark," says photographer

July Meeting Information

Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 6:30

Meetings and programs are free and open to the public without obligation.

LOCATION: Meetings are held at the Old Carnegie Library Building at 5th & B Ave, 425 SW B Ave, Lawton. Enter through the “tunnel” on the Southeast corner of the building at ground level, near the bus stop. The gate is locked, so press the doorbell button. Someone will buzz open the lock so you can get in. For a photo of the building and entrance, click here
For more information, email: [email protected]

1. PROGRAM: How To Use a Flash Attachment with Your Camera” by Clem Wehner
Do you have a flash attachment, but don’t really understand how to use it with your camera? Clem will explain how an external flash is supposed to be used, what its various modes are, and how to use them. You’ll learn how to use modes like ETTL, ITTL, TTL, Auto, manual, etc. You will understand the settings on both your flash unit and in your camera. Clem will give you tips on how to make flash photography the simplest lighting you’ve ever done. Don’t have a modern flash unit? Not to worry, Clem will show you how to use an old one, maybe even one you picked up at a garage sale for a dollar. He’ll explain what “guide numbers” mean and how to use them and how to easily determine the correct f/stop to set in your camera. He’ll even show you how to use your flash unit without having to adjust any settings at all. Simple! Does shutter speed matter in flash photography? The answer may surprise you! Why do some photos have a wide black strip on the bottom half? Learn about “sync” speed and how to use it correctly. You’ll see all about flash diffusion and how it can turn lousy lighting into great lighting. Clem will show you how to make your own diffusers out of common things like paper napkins for no cost and how to use them. Come find out about “bounce flash” and what it can do for you. There’s probably even a “catchlight panel” in your flash unit that you didn’t know it has. You learn how to use it or how to use two of your fingers instead. Find out why you need to use flash all the time, especially when shooting in bright sunlight! If you want to improve your ability to take great photos in all kinds of light and use that flash unit you’ve got wasting in your camera bag, then don’t miss this program! Come learn to use one of your best tools. Bring your camera and flash attachment (and flash instruction manual if you have it).

2. PHOTO SHOW AND TELL:
NO REGULAR SHOW AND TELL
If you’d like to participate in our 3rd Challenge – Abstract Nature - please email 1 image (taken between 6/11 & 7/07) to [email protected] no later than one week prior to the meeting. Don’t forget to include the title! Send your photo as .jpg files, if possible, and be sure to include the word CHALLENGE in the subject line—otherwise, we might miss your email!

3. PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE: Abstract Nature
This challenge invites you to transform familiar natural elements into abstract, non-representational images. Use creative techniques—such as close-ups, motion blur, selective focus, or intentional camera movement (ICM)—to emphasize lines, shapes, textures, patterns, light, and color rather than recognizable subjects. Voting will be done after the Challenge Slide Show – members present at the meeting will vote. A prize for 1st place will be given!

4. ICE CREAM SOCIAL: We will also have our annual Ice Cream Social during this meeting. We will have Ice Cream, Sweets, & Drinks. If you’d like to bring something please send an email with what you’re bringing to [email protected] SUBJECT: PRESIDENT

Thank you, Hope to see you all there!

One of the first real decisions a new photographer faces is sensor size, and it arrives wrapped in more anxiety than it deserves. The internet will tell you that full frame is "professional" and APS-C is "entry level," as if the sensor inside the camera decides whether your photos are any good. It does not. What sensor size actually changes is your reach, your low-light headroom, the amount of background blur you can get, the size and weight of your kit, and how much you spend, both now and over the years you keep shooting. Understanding those tradeoffs honestly is what lets you pick the right tool instead of the most expensive one.

This guide walks through all of it: what the two formats are, what crop factor really means, the image-quality differences worth caring about, the myths worth ignoring, the lens systems that quietly lock you in, the true cost, and which format suits which kind of photography. If you are still getting comfortable with exposure and how a camera works, our Photography 101 tutorial pairs well with everything below.

APS-C vs Full Frame: Which Fits Your Style? | Fstoppers Sensor size confuses most beginners. This guide breaks down what APS-C and full frame actually change—reach, low-light performance, background blur, kit weight, and cost—plus which format suits wildlife, landscapes, and portraits.

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@🎶 The music returns! 🎶
Join the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra as we open our exciting 2026–2027 Pops, Tango & Passion Season with CLASSIC POPS III!
📅 Saturday, August 15, 2026
🕢 7:30 PM
📍 McMahon Memorial Auditorium
Experience an evening filled with beloved orchestral favorites, Broadway classics, Hollywood hits, and unforgettable melodies from composers including Berlioz, Bizet, Satie, Bernstein, Rodgers, John Williams, and more.
Be among the first to enjoy a performance in the newly refreshed McMahon Memorial Auditorium, featuring numerous improvements, including a new elevator providing access all the way to the balcony level.
Don't miss this spectacular opening night as we celebrate the start of a season filled with Pops, Tango & Passion!
🎟️ Tickets are on sale now at:
www.lawtonphil.com