Send us a text Is your camera secretly plotting to make your photos blurry? 😈 You know the feeling: that perfectly composed shot, only to find it looks like it was taken by a ghost. A soft-focus nightmare! 🤦♂️ Well, my dear listener, I'm Rick McEvoy, your humble host, and I'm here to banish that blur for good! In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the true secrets to achieving consistently crisp, clear, pin-sharp photos, every single time. Trust me, it goes way, way beyond just tap...
Jul 04, 2025•35 min•Ep. 210
Send us a text 🌞 Is Harsh Sunlight Ruining Your Photos? Not Anymore! 🌞 Ever look at your beautiful outdoor scene and see only blown highlights , dark shadows , and squinting faces ? You're not alone! Direct sunlight can be a photographer's biggest challenge, turning vibrant moments into high-contrast headaches. But what if you could turn that harsh light into your secret weapon? In Episode 209 , Rick unlocks the pro secrets to stunning photography in direct sunlight! Discover 5 game-changing t...
Jun 20, 2025•30 min•Ep. 209
Send us a text Polarising filters attach to camera lenses and reduce reflections and glare, and can improve colour saturation. They can simply make your photos look better. What is not to love, eh? And they don’t cost a lot either. And I have a couple of these that I absolutely love. In this episode, I will tell you when, how, and why I use my polarising filters. So let me tell you all you need to know about polarising filters – how utterly splendid. All explained in plain English, without the i...
Jun 06, 2025•28 min•Ep. 208
Send us a text Neutral density filters attach to camera lenses and reduce the amount of light getting through to your camera sensor without affecting the colours (hopefully). Neutral density filters allow you to take long exposures in daylight, allowing you to flatten water and make clouds super cool, streaky, blurry, amongst other things. Neutral density filters allow you to use wide apertures in bright conditions and can also prevent you from getting overexposed photos in bright conditions. I ...
May 23, 2025•23 min•Ep. 207
Send us a text Do you want to take better-composed, more interesting photos of buildings? So do I. And in this episode, I will give 12 things that will help you take better photos of buildings. And here they are. Take one photo and get the best composition you can Use the rule of thirds Take a photo, then try a different focal length to get a different look Take photos from different angles Move back and forwards Use leading lines Find the best light Capture intricate architectural details Fill ...
May 09, 2025•26 min•Ep. 206
Send us a text Do you want to take more interesting landscape photos? Well, I do, and I hope that you do too. It is too easy to go somewhere and take average, boring photos of something you never do anything with. I have taken loads of these myself, so don’t worry. And it is so easy to take the same photo of something we have all seen a thousand times. Let’s not do any of that. No, there is so much more that we can do, and in this episode, I am going to tell you 11 things you can do to help you ...
Apr 25, 2025•26 min•Ep. 205
Send us a text Do you want to take more interesting travel photos? Well, I do, and I hope that you do too. It is too easy to go somewhere and take average, boring photos of something you never do anything with. I have taken loads of these myself, so don’t worry. And it is so easy to take the same photo of something we have all seen a thousand times. Let’s not do any of that. No, there is so much more that we can do, and in this episode, I will tell you 11 things you can do to help you take bette...
Apr 11, 2025•26 min•Ep. 204
Send us a text The focal length you use to take a photo will significantly affect the photo you create. It will determine what is in a photo, what is not in a photo, how small or large the elements of the photo are, and how the elements in your photo relate to each other. The focal length you use will also determine the depth of field, or as I like to call it, depth of sharpness, that there is in a photo. So, if you want to learn how to use focal length to create better compositions, listen on. ...
Mar 28, 2025•19 min•Ep. 203
Send us a text The rules of composition are not rules. The rules of composition are guidelines, ideas, things that we can use to help us. But you need to know what the rules of composition are so you know which rules you are going to use, if any. You don’t have to use the rules of composition, and you will never use all of them. Certainly not in the same photo, but you will see why, so don’t worry. Find the ones that work for you, and they can help you get better compositions. And better composi...
Mar 14, 2025•19 min•Ep. 202
Send us a text Photography is about more than just taking a photo—it’s about taking the best photo you can every time. A rubbish composition will give you a rubbish photo. A great composition will give you a great photo. Create better compositions, and you will end up with better photos – and in this episode, I help you to do just this – what is not to love? So, if you want to learn how to create better compositions, listen on. In this episode, I tell you What is composition? What are the fundam...
Feb 28, 2025•18 min•Ep. 201
Send us a text The single most important thing we can do to improve our photos is to think about what we are taking photos of before we take them. We need to take the time to get the best composition every time we take a photo. The success or otherwise of any photo starts and ends with what is in the photo. Photography composition is what you include in a photo, what the light is doing and how the elements within the composition relate to each other. In this episode, I tell you Why this is impor...
Feb 14, 2025•33 min•Ep. 200
Send us a text Photography Explained Podcast Episode 199 - Top Tips To Help You Manage Your Digital Photo Catalogue You need to organise your photos on your computer so you can find any photo quickly and easily. Once you have done that, you have the small matter of looking after that precious collection of photos, which, as a photographer, is your everything. I don’t want to overstate this—as a photographer, your photos should be your everything. Without them, what have you got? In this episode,...
Jan 31, 2025•32 min•Ep. 199
Send us a text You need to organise your photos on your computer so you can find any photo quickly and easily. You need to come up with a filing system that you can add to over the years as you take more and more photos. And you need to be able to keep track of all the photos in the catalogue so you know which photos you have edited, the good stuff you have not yet edited, your best stuff and any rubbish you might have. You need to get rid of any rubbish and any photos that you do not like or ne...
Jan 17, 2025•24 min•Ep. 198
Send us a text I want to get straight into taking better photos, beginning with taking fewer photos. We can all take fewer photos and, in the process, take better photos, and in this episode, I am going to tell you how. And yes, I will revisit my one photo rule. And here it is. “Take the time to take the best one photo of one thing.” Yep, that is my one photo rule in twelve words. Splendid. In this episode, I tell you Where did my one photo rule come from? Why I only take two photos of a sunrise...
Jan 03, 2025•23 min•Ep. 197
Send us a text I want to finish 2024 with a light-hearted look back at my favourite things from 2024. Why not, eh? So join me as I pick up on some stuff from the past year, which has been an excellent year for me and my podcast. so thank you for being with me, dear listener. In this episode, I tell you What was the most popular episode of the Photography Explained Podcast in 2024? What was the least popular episode of the Photography Explained Podcast in 2024? What is the oddest photography ques...
Dec 20, 2024•29 min•Ep. 196
Send us a text I have loads of rubbish photos cluttering up my computer, clogging up my hard drives, and preventing me from finding the good stuff that must be in there somewhere, surely? We all take rubbish photos every now and then, so it’s okay—not every photo we take is a masterpiece. But if a photo is rubbish, get rid of it. If you have photos that you are never going to do anything with, why not get rid of them, too? In this episode, I tell you How this happened How many photos I have What...
Dec 06, 2024•20 min•Ep. 195
Send us a text RAW and JPEG are file formats. Photographers use both. JPEG images have an amount of processing and compressing done to them when a photo is taken. RAW photos have no processing done to them other than creating the file, that is. JPEG photos can be viewed by anyone straight off the memory card. To view RAW photos, you need specialist software. JPEG files are smaller than RAW files, but RAW files contain more data to work with than JPEG files. These are the main differences, but wh...
Nov 22, 2024•24 min•Ep. 194
Send us a text Digital camera sensors are important, sensitive, expensive bits of kit that need looking after. There are things that we can do to protect them from bad stuff, but if bad stuff gets to them, there are things that we can do to remove that stuff. This applies to all of us photographers at all times, so it is pretty important that we know this stuff. In this episode, I tell you How to prevent bad stuff from getting to your camera's sensor What to do when you get bad stuff on your cam...
Nov 08, 2024•27 min•Ep. 193
Send us a text So you are in a museum or an art gallery. Or some other similar place. It is lovely and quiet, with nice low-level lighting and local lights highlighting all those fantastic exhibits. The whole place has been carefully designed with a bespoke lighting scheme. And you see something really cool that you would love to photograph. What do you do? Look is what you so—no more. Do not take a photo. Do not start popping your flash gun. Or the flash-type thing on your phone. And in this ve...
Oct 25, 2024•20 min•Ep. 192
Send us a text Camera lenses are optical and engineering marvels. Camera lenses must be treated with care and respect when used, stored carefully and regularly maintained and cleaned. Take good care of your camera lenses, and they will take good care of you for years. In this episode, I tell you. What needs protecting in a lens? What gear can help you look after your lenses? How you store lenses. How you clean lenses. How to safely change lenses. How to safely use lenses. I also want to tell you...
Oct 11, 2024•29 min•Ep. 191
Send us a text There are so many lenses out there. How can you possibly know which lens or lenses will help you? Relax – I have got this covered. Lenses on cameras give photographers options. To understand how lenses can help you take better photos, you need to know what you want to photograph, how you want to take these photos, and what you want your photos to look like. Once you know these things, you can find the lenses that work for you and look into the wonderful world of lenses. In this ep...
Sep 27, 2024•37 min•Ep. 190
Send us a text A listener asked me to do an episode strictly on lenses, so here it is. If you want me to explain something, just hit the “Send us a text” link on the podcast feed, and you can have your own almost personalised episode of the podcast. How utterly splendid. Lenses attach to cameras and focus what you point your camera at onto the camera sensor. So, lenses are quite important in photography terms! In this episode, I tell you. What are the main types of lenses? What focal length is (...
Sep 13, 2024•33 min•Ep. 189
Send us a text OK, I have spoken a lot about taking better photos. But in the final episode of this series, I tell you what you need to do. Yes, dear listener, it is time for you to start your journey to take better photos—which we all want to do, right? So this is what you do. Start with choosing your best 20 photos. Put them in a safe place, be it a folder, album, or even a pile on the floor. But start with 20 photos and go from there. Simple eh? In this episode, I tell you. How to get down to...
Aug 30, 2024•26 min•Ep. 188
Send us a text To be the best at one photography thing, you must decide what that one photography thing is. This is how you can find your perfect photography niche. Trust me, I have been there. I used to photograph everything and anything for anyone and everyone. I was all things to all people. And what was the result of that? I was all over the place and not very good at anything. Sure, I could take a decent standard of photos, but that was all—good enough. And I wasn’t improving; I was staying...
Aug 16, 2024•28 min•Ep. 187
Send us a text Get out more and take photos, but take fewer photos. This will help you take better photos. Getting out more and taking photos gives you lots more opportunities to create new stuff. But don't try to create too much new stuff, or you will end up with lots of average photos that you do not have the time to do anything meaningful with. And none of us want that, do we? No, we don't, Rick. In this episode, I tell you. · Why getting out lots taking photos is good for you. · Why getting ...
Aug 02, 2024•22 min•Ep. 186
Send us a text Are you taking loads of photos but not getting great results? Are you spending forever on your computer trying to find decent photos to edit? And are you taking hours editing average photos and wondering why they are not turning into great photos? Relax – I can help you with all of these. In this episode, I tell you. Fifteen things that you can do that will help you save time. Fifteen things that will change what you spend time on for the better! Fifteen things that can help impro...
Jul 19, 2024•28 min•Ep. 185
Send us a text Photo editing can be daunting. Knowing where to start can be challenging, as can knowing when to stop! But don’t worry, I can help you. I can tell you what you need to know and do. And how you approach editing is crucial Editing for me is all about enhancing what is in a photo that you have taken and no more. Yes, that is all editing is to me, making the best of what we have captured. In this episode, I tell you. Why you should be picky about which photos you edit. How to start ed...
Jul 05, 2024•28 min•Ep. 184
Send us a text A great way to get better at photography is to learn from other photographers. There are loads of great photographers out there and loads of great photos. But where do you start? This is where I can help you. I will tell you ten photographers from whom I have learned. This is your starting point. There is another photographer that you can learn from. You, dear listener. Yes, you. In this episode, I tell you. How you can learn from other photographers The ten photographers that I l...
Jun 21, 2024•29 min•Ep. 183
Send us a text Photography Explained Podcast Episode 182 - Phone Camera vs DSLR - What Are You Missing With A Phone? You take photos with your phone. You got into photography by taking photos with your phone, and you have never used a camera. So what? You are missing out on the wonderful world of photography, that’s what! And it is a big what, too. While phones in cameras get better and better, taking photos with a phone is not the same as taking photos with a camera. And not as good. In this ep...
Jun 07, 2024•25 min•Ep. 182
Send us a text Cameras are, of course, designed to take high-quality photos. And phone cameras have improved so much that they are a credible alternative to cameras. But which is better to take photos with? A digital camera or a phone? Is one better than the other? Or is there a place for both? Most people have phones these days, and most phones have cameras built into them. So why would you need a camera? Well, there are differences, and I am going to tell you what they are. In this episode, I ...
May 24, 2024•28 min•Ep. 181
