Q–I had my portrait taken recently and I like it, but most of my friends don`t–they said it`s not me. Should I have it taken over again?
A–I`ve always thought that portraits the subject likes best are the ones some friends like the least–but sometimes it`s the other way around. You have to be the judge. If you like the portrait, that should be it.
Q–What do photographers mean when they say they took a picture with available light?
A–Available light means the picture was taken under the existing light, without using any supplementary lighting. Instead of ”available,” which can be confusing, I prefer to use the term ”existing” light.
Q–I`m going on a trip to the Far East for several weeks and have a problem. I have a 35mm SLR camera with several lenses–a 35mm, 50mm and 85mm
–and would like to buy a zoom lens to take on this trip. I don`t want to carry a lot of equipment with me. What lenses do you suggest I take?
A–I would take only two lenses–the 35mm and a 70-210mm zoom. They will cover most of the situations you might encounter and won`t load you up too much.
Q–I want to buy, for a friend, a book that has a lot of interesting pictures, but not one about photography. Do you have any suggestions?
A–There are a lot of books that contain good pictures; just be careful to avoid the ”how to” books. As a starting point, let me suggest a few books that contain marvelous pictures along with text: Malcolm Forbes` ”Around the World on Hot Air and Two Wheels,” Ansel Adams` ”An Autobiography,” Proctor Jones` ”Classic Russian Idylls” and Robert Capa`s ”Photographs.”
These books will give you a general idea of what to look for. Another book, which deals with the craft and art of photography, is ”American Photography One,” edited by Edward Booth-Clibborn.
