Recent Education Articles

Using High Speed Sync to Take Your Action Photography to the Next Level

In certain scenarios, such as photographing action outdoors, it’s all too easy to find yourself needing to work at shutter speeds that exceed the flash sync speed of your camera. This is where high speed sync comes into its own, expanding your creative possibilities beyond the limitations of conventional flash.

Tips to 'Shoot From the Hip' With Street Photography

When I was a young photo student studying in college, my professor gave us a scavenger hunt for photography of sorts. One of the categories was "shoot from the hip." I thought it was strange, but in hindsight, it was prescient advice.

Tips for Capturing the Perfect Sunset Photo

Observing the skies and understanding the interaction between light and cloud formations are crucial elements in capturing breathtaking landscape images. This helpful video will show you how to improve your sunset images.

A Beginner’s Guide to Astrophotography

Astrophotography opens a window to the cosmos, allowing photographers to capture the stunning beauty of the night sky. This niche combines the meticulousness of photography with the awe-inspiring vistas of astronomy, offering a unique blend of science and art that can mesmerize and inspire.

Enhancing Your Photos with Time Blending: A Step-by-Step Guide

Time blending can create dynamic, visually compelling images. This process involves merging photos taken at different times to showcase the contrast between natural and artificial light, offering a unique perspective on a scene.

Rethinking Effort and Outcome in Landscape Photography

Landscape photography often entails a complex blend of planning, physical effort, and an intimate understanding of the natural environment. This dedication to the craft, from pre-dawn hikes to meticulous weather monitoring, epitomizes the photographer’s quest for the perfect shot—a pursuit that is as rewarding as it is demanding.

Is ISO 100 Always Right for Landscape Photography?

As landscape photographers, we hear it all the time: "Always use ISO 100 for your photos. That is the only way to get the crispest and cleanest image." Is this true, though? Should we be afraid of using a higher ISO? Or are there times you should use a higher ISO? We find out in this video.

You Are Missing Out by Ignoring an Important Approach to Photography

If you want to elevate it to a higher level, then there is an essential approach to your photography that you should embrace. Known for thousands of years, but nonetheless elusive, here's an approach to photography you can adopt, used by masters in all fields.

A Guide to Unifying Skin Tones in Photoshop

Unifying skin tones in portraits is a pivotal skill that directly impacts the final quality of an image. This helpful video tutorial addresses the common challenge of mismatched or uneven skin tones, which can detract from the cohesiveness and aesthetic appeal of an image.

How to Achieve Vibrant, Three-Dimensional Images With These Easy Steps in Lightroom

Transforming the tedious task of color grading from a Photoshop layer-heavy process to a streamlined Lightroom slider manipulation is a real game-changer. This simplification not only speeds up the workflow but also offers precision and creativity, making it a significant advancement for you if you're looking to elevate the quality of your images with less hassle.

How to Create an Eclipse Composite in Photoshop

Creating a compelling composite image of an eclipse is an intricate process that combines technical skill with creative vision. Such composites offer a unique storytelling avenue for photographers to showcase the celestial event's phases in a single, cohesive piece.

Fine-Tuning Your Images with Texture, Clarity, and Contrast in Lightroom

Understanding the nuanced interplay between contrast, texture, and clarity is pivotal for properly enhancing image details and directing viewer attention. Each tool manipulates image contrast in distinct ways. This helpful video tutorial will walk you through the differences.

5 Unconventional Tips to Improve Your Editing and Managing Post-Processing Workload

In today's fast-paced world of photography, managing the post-processing workload efficiently is almost a non-negotiable skill, especially when we are all guilty of shooting too much, only to suffer when dealing with large quantities of images. In this article, we will discuss several unconventional tips that I have learned throughout my career, including back-to-back assignments and trips, to address the challenges of editing fatigue and compromised post-processing.

Debunking the High-Cost Myth of Starting a Photography Business

Understanding the cost of entry into the photography industry is crucial for anyone considering this career path. Contrary to popular belief, starting a photography business may not be as prohibitive in terms of initial investment as often portrayed, if you play your cards right.

How Behind-the-Scenes Content Can Transform Your Photography Business

Exploring innovative marketing strategies is essential for any creative professional seeking to stand out in a crowded market. For those behind the lens, finding fresh ways to showcase their work and personality to potential clients has never been more critical.

Handcrafting the Image: The Art of Analog Photography

The transformative power of analog photography and handcrafted image processing is a captivating journey back to the roots of photographic artistry, offering a tangible connection to the creative process that is often lost in the digital age.

Enhancing Your Portraits With Shadow Boards

Mastering lighting techniques is a cornerstone of creating compelling compositions, allowing for the manipulation of mood, texture, and depth in an image. The helpful video tutorial will show you how to use shadows to create more pleasing images.

How to Use AI Denoise in Lightroom

Lightroom has some impressively powerful denoising tools, and they can help you rescue images that might not work otherwise. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to use them for landscape images.

How Shapes Influence Photographic Storytelling

Understanding the influence of shapes is a crucial aspect often overlooked by many practitioners in the field. Shapes are not just basic elements of design; they're powerful tools that can evoke emotions and tell stories, making their study essential for photographers aiming to enhance their visual storytelling.

How to Shoot Portraits in Poor Natural Light

Navigating low-light conditions remains one of the most challenging scenarios for photographers, requiring a deep understanding of camera settings and creative use of available resources. This helpful video provides valuable insights and practical advice that can significantly enhance the quality of photos taken in such tricky environments.

Don’t Waste Your Time Posting on Social Media, Do This Instead

A few months ago, I wrote an article about how to get your website to the top of Google. I talked about the importance of search engine optimization, content strategies, keyword research, and search intent. If you put your SEO foundation in place following that article, you are ready to create content that will rank on Google.

Embracing Simplicity: The Key to More Impactful Photography

In an era where digital cameras are packed with an overwhelming array of features and buttons, the pursuit of simplicity in photography has become increasingly appealing to many photographers. Streamlining the photographic process and minimizing gear can lead to a more focused, productive, and enjoyable experience behind the lens.

Fixing Your Landscape Photography Editing Mistakes

Capturing landscape photography images is only half of the process. Mastering the art of editing will help strengthen your images by finding the balance between too much editing and not enough editing of the photograph. This video highlights some common editing mistakes landscape photographers make.

Becoming a Successful Commercial Photographer: Insights from Industry Professionals

For aspiring commercial photographers, understanding the key factors that contribute to a thriving career is crucial. While technical skills and artistic talent are undoubtedly important, there are other essential elements that can make or break a photographer's success in the competitive world of professional photography.

The Power of Long-Term Photography Projects: Finding Fulfillment and Growth

Committing to long-term photography projects can be a deeply rewarding experience. While the immediacy of sharing photos on social media can be exciting, investing time and effort into a project that spans weeks, months, or even years allows for a more meaningful connection with the subject matter and personal growth as an artist.

A Superior Way You Can Compare Camera Lenses

When manufacturers give specifications of lenses, there is a lot of detail that is meaningless to many consumers of their products. When we writers review them, we tend to give the same information. Here’s a method I think would be much more helpful to most photographers.

Unleashing Creativity Through Deadpan Photography: The Essential Elements

Deadpan photography is a unique and thought-provoking style that challenges conventional notions of what makes a compelling image. By stripping away emotion and focusing on simple, straightforward compositions, deadpan photography encourages viewers to see the world in a new light.

Why Limiting Your Gear Can Enhance Your Photography Skills

As photographers, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that the latest and greatest gear will instantly improve our skills and creativity. However, this mindset can often hold us back from truly growing as artists and honing our craft.

Elevate Your iPhone Photography: Tips and Techniques from a Pro

With the incredible advancements in smartphone camera technology, it's no surprise that more and more photographers are turning to their iPhones for both personal and professional photography. Learning how to maximize the capabilities of your iPhone camera can open up a world of creative possibilities and allow you to capture stunning images wherever you go

Behind the Scenes: Preparing for a Successful Photo Shoot

Preparing for a shoot is more than just setting up lights and cameras; it involves a detailed workflow that ensures data integrity and efficiency throughout the process. Understanding and implementing a streamlined workflow is crucial for safeguarding your work and maintaining productivity, especially when handling high-volume or high-stakes shoots.

WPPI Is Bigger and Better Than Ever!

WPPI is one of the biggest photography conferences in the world. But after COVID, the show struggled to make a comeback. Thankfully, WPPI is now as good as it ever was, and getting better each year.

5 Common Beginner Landscape Photography Mistakes

The evolution of a photographer's skill set and perspective over time can drastically change the way they view their craft, especially in the realm of landscape photography. This video documents one such examination and some common mistakes that emerged.

5 Helpful Tips on How to Choose the Right Camera

Choosing the right camera can be a daunting task for photographers and videographers alike, whether they are just starting out or looking to upgrade their gear. Nonetheless, it's a pivotal decision and one that takes a lot of thought. This helpful video will make the decision easier.

Stop Wasting Your Money on Things You Don't Need

Choosing the right gear in photography extends beyond mere preference; it gets into the strategic selection of tools that profoundly affect the quality and focus of a photographer's work, as well as their bank account.

Flash Photography Essentials: 5 Quick and Easy Tips

Understanding the fundamentals of flash photography is crucial for photographers aiming to elevate their portraits. This fantastic video tutorial shares five tips sure to help you improve.

How to Improve Your Photography Without Spending Money

Photography is an art form that allows us to document life’s journey and encapsulate moments that hold profound significance. This fantastic video details one photographer's transformation from a corporate professional to a passionate artist, giving a compelling narrative about pursuing happiness and finding solace in photography.

Capturing Beauty in the Mundane: The Art of Noticing

Capturing the essence of everyday moments has become a transformative trend, particularly resonating with photographers who seek to find and showcase beauty in the mundane. This trend, which emphasizes the art of noticing the subtle yet profound beauty in our surroundings, offers a fresh perspective.

Key Light Placement: The Secret to Better Portraits

The importance of the positioning of the key light in portrait photography cannot be overstated, with its placement being crucial to defining the subject's features and the overall mood of the photograph. For portrait photographers, mastering key light placement is foundational, affecting everything from the sharpness of shadows to the subtleties of facial contours.

How to Even Out Skin Texture Using Photoshop

Achieving the right balance and evenness in skin texture is a nuanced skill that significantly enhances the depth and realism of portraits. This challenge, common for portrait photographers, requires a delicate approach to preserve skin texture while ensuring it looks natural and evenly lit. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to achieve that balance in Photoshop.

The Evolving Role of the Professional Photographer in 2024

Navigating the evolving landscape of professional photography is becoming increasingly complex, with significant shifts in industry practices, client expectations, and revenue models. Understanding these changes is crucial for photographers who wish to stay relevant and competitive in a rapidly transforming market.

Answering the Age-Old Question: What Camera Should I Buy?

As a photojournalism professor, one of the questions I get asked most by beginning photographers is, "What camera should I buy?" As if there's a single, definitive answer to that. The answer I always give is: What do you want to do? There's a camera out there for everyone, and here's a guide for what to look for when you're starting out.