Petersen’s PHOTOgraphic Digital Photo Guide, available only on newsstands, is a beautifully designed quarterly with 48 pages of up-to-date tutorials, uninterrupted by advertising from cover to cover.

Taking pictures in low light situations is a vexing problem for every photographer, pro and amateur alike. The central issues have everything to do with knowing how to take light readings that will bring enough detail into the image (and knowing when to shoot) and perhaps as important being able to use a fast enough shutter speed to take sharp pictures.

In the end, every low light photograph comes down to a balancing act between the shutter speed, the ISO and the lens aperture (and whether or not to use flash). If nothing else teaches you that photography is all about compromising, shooting with low light makes it painfully clear. You can't have it all: extensive depth of field, a low ISO for maximum picture quality and a minimum of digital noise and tack sharp pictures. Something has to give.

In this issue, I address each of these factors as they relate to taking pictures in low light circumstances. I also go into the tools you have available to deal with low light photography, and I explore the various options you have in post-processing where you can address problems such as shadow detail, excessive noise and unwanted contrast. Photography requires you to apply both sides of your brain - the technical and the creative - and this is never more true than when shooting with insufficient light. You need to know what you're doing to get the kind of results you envision.

Volume 14 - Night & Low Light Photography
Night & Low Light Photography Low Light Special Effects Low light photography presents many challenges, but like any challenging situation it also opens up opportunities to create unique images. Think outside the box and you will be surprised at the kind of images you can produce. The techniques I describe below will get you started. Try each one and see why there is no limit to what you can create with some imagination and effort, and have some fun in the bargain. 03.20.12 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 13 - iPhone Photography
iPhone Photography Moving, Sharing And Printing Your iPhone Images When I wrote iPhone Artistry I moved hundreds of images from my iPhone to my desktop computer. Not once did I use a cable or iTunes! Yep, in this section you'll learn the speed and ease of apps and techniques that let you move images both to and from your iPhone, all the while bypassing time consuming hassles of synch cables and bloated desktop software! 12.20.11 | Dan Burkholder
iPhone Photography The iPhone And Your Photography So, you have an iPhone. You know it has a camera, and you've heard it can do neat things with/to your images. But where to get started? Let's take a look at some hardware and software basics that will help kick-start your iPhone photography explorations. 12.20.11 | Dan Burkholder
Volume 12 - Light & Exposure
Light & Exposure Shadows Shadows are an integral part of light, and that means they are an integral part of photography. Everything casts a shadow, however subtle it may be, in virtually all types of lighting conditions. Even a small insect casts a shadow in diffused light. 09.20.11 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 11 - Close-Up & Macro
Close-Up & Macro Floral Photography I'm sure that everyone who has ever owned a camera has taken pictures of flowers. It's impossible not to. Flowers are too beautiful to resist, and there are so many species and varieties that you could devote your entire life to shooting nothing but flowers and hardly scratch the surface. 06.21.11 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 10 - Personal Projects
Photo Projects Traffic Lights One of the first techniques I learned in photography was to use long exposures at night to blur traffic lights. I liked it decades ago, and I still enjoy seeing artful streaks of light superimposed over an urban environment. 03.23.11 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 9 - Digital Back & White Photography
Digital Back & White Photography Black & White, Film & Digital This issue is dedicated to digital techniques, but I feel it's important to have a discussion on the differences and similarities between black and white film and digital photography. 12.6.10 | George Schaub
Volume 8 - Flash Photography
Flash Photography Pop-Up Flash This issue is oriented to photographers who are serious about their photography, and who want to learn to use flash creatively. 9.6.10 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 7 - Travel Photography
Travel Photography Wildlife Photography If your primary goal on a trip is to photograph animals, say on a safari or "eco-tour," this changes your approach to photography quite a bit. You have to think about many things that don't apply to other types of travel work. 6.6.10 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 6 - Color & Design
Color & Design Colors Of Night If you have not been photographing at twilight or night up to now, you have an exciting adventure ahead. Because cameras have the ability to accumulate light over time, nighttime photographs can seem brighter than they do to our eyes. 3.6.10 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 5 - Choosing & Using Lenses
Choosing & Using Lenses Buying A Lens After you buy a good camera that allows you to change lenses, it will become obvious to you that it is not the camera that enables you to be creative in photography. It is the lenses. 1.12.10 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 4 - People Photography
People Photography Photographing Children Photographing children is a joy because of their innocence, the honesty in their faces, and their beauty. 10.14.09 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 3 - Landscape Photography
Landscape Photography Get Close Minute details in nature are captivating. Rock textures, flowers, lichen, seashells, fungi, and leaf patterns make incredible pictures that reveal a world seldom noticed by people. 7.14.09 | Jim Zuckerman
Volume 2 - Mastering Composition
Mastering Composition Unique Perspectives Compelling compositions can come in many forms, and they can also come from unique points of view. 4.14.09 | Jim Zuckerman