What are the things you should look for when shopping for your next camera purchase? Here are a handful of things I consider before placing my order.
If you look at a lot of the most popular landscape photography on something like Instagram, you will probably notice that many of the images that come up tend to be from a few popular locations. Does that mean you can only create worthwhile photos only at those well-known images? This great video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing the issue and showing you some of the potential even ordinary places have.
Astrophotography can be one of the neatest and most interesting genres, but it is also one of the most challenging, requiring a lot of very specific knowledge and techniques, as well as some very specialized gear. If you would like to get started with astrophotography, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the ins and outs of the genre.
When it comes to learning portrait photography, it is, of course, crucial to learn how to work with your camera, light your subject, pose them, etc. However, your work is not over once you press the shutter button. Almost every portrait will take some degree of editing to be finished, and as such, you need to be equally comfortable with working on your images in editing software. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced portrait photographer walking you through a full image edit using both Lightroom and Photoshop.
As a photographer, you are probably a participant in a number of online groups or forums that discuss photography. But have you considered joining your local photography club? Let’s look at the value of joining one!
Photoshop is a tremendously complex and multilayered program, and as such, there are some useful features that even seasoned users might not be aware of. If you would like to expand your photo-editing toolkit, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses 10 lesser-known Photoshop features and shows you how to use them to your advantage.
I've always been fascinated by the mountains and the sweeping views they provide to the ones putting in the work and climbing to the top. For landscape photographers like me, they provide endless photo opportunities and inspiration. In this article, I share five tips to help you make your next mountain trip a success.
Landscape photography is a challenging genre that takes a variety of skills to produce successful images, and as such, it is important to be a well-rounded photographer when you undertake the genre. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer sharing six skills he feels are important to finding success in the process.
Learning lighting is often considered the first step toward capturing better photos. When I began my journey, I delved into discovering various techniques and unconventional methods for creating truly unique setups that leave clients in awe. In this article, I will share my five favorite lighting hacks.
Landscape photography as a genre can be perceived as quite repetitive to some. However, to others, it can be a multifaceted challenge depending on the light, conditions, and locations that we choose to photograph!
Imagine the moment your computer stops working. It contains thousands of photos and a Lightroom Classic catalog. Imagine if all the work and effort you put into it is gone. The risk can be minimized when you take care of four or five things.
Here are five tips that will spark your creativity.
Working with professional models can be a fantastic way to really experiment with creative ideas and expand your portfolio. However, working with models is far different than working with normal clients. If you have not worked with them before, check out this helpful video tutorial that introduces you to many of the logistics that come with working with models as well as some of the most common working practices.
There are few things in your journey as a budding photography as exciting as landing your first paid shoot, but how to actually go about making that happen is anything but clear. If you are ready to start getting paid for your work but struggling to find a client, check out this helpful video tutorial that offers some actionable advice on how to land your first photoshoot.
When you are a professional photographer, your life is often extremely busy, and it is common for the fact of creating and taking pictures to go from an act of passion to one of work. And that can be a rather sad and even detrimental thing for both your professional work and your satisfaction as a creative. This insightful video essay discusses the issue and why it is so important to keep being a hobbyist photographer, even when you are a professional.
Fall is one of the most exciting times of year for landscape photographers, with vibrant colors abounding and numerous photo opportunities waiting everywhere you turn. Along with skills behind the camera, it takes a good edit to create a polished fall photo. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer sharing some lesser-known tips and tools for creating compelling fall images that pop off the screen using Lightroom.
Photoshop's Generative Fill feature is one of the program's most powerful capabilities to come along in quite some time, offering the ability to create entirely new editing paradigms and make established procedures far more efficient. Just like any other tool, though, there are some best practices it pays to be aware of. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced Photoshop pro sharing some useful advice that will show you how to get more out of the program's Generative Fill feature.
Portrait photography is one of the most popular genres out there, and though it can be quite challenging, it can also be very rewarding. If you are just starting your portrait photography journey and feeling a bit overwhelmed, check out this fantastic video tutorial that shares everything you need to get started, ranging from technical skills to developing a creative mindset and starting a business.
It’s the time for many of us to see and photograph the auroras. Sadly, that generates a lot of invalid arguments about how the images should or should not look. But here's how you can capture them in all their glory.
Being a professional photographer is an extremely challenging career, and it is important to have a realistic idea of what it entails and how best to get there before you make the dive. If you are considering going into professional work, check out this excellent video essay that features an experienced commercial photographer sharing some hard-earned insights into the industry and life as a professional.
For a lot of photographers, the act of traveling is a double-edged sword. We travel to be able to see the world and draw as much inspiration as we can from everything we see and experience. At the same time, the act of traveling often requires pushing out of our comfort zones and leaving behind a lot of the things that allow us to operate with fewer worries and limitations.
Landscape photography can be a real trudge sometimes, both literally and metaphorically, with tremendous amounts of effort exerted for just the chance at the photo you are looking for. And with that can often come frustration and a lack of motivation. Nonetheless, the best landscape photographers often have a few traits in common: they repeat shots and they persevere through challenges. This excellent video essay discusses how those qualities can serve you.
When you are working in a studio, you can have just about whatever lighting you want at your disposal, no matter how complex and cumbersome the setup. However, when you move to on-location shoots, simplicity and portability are the name of the game. This awesome video tutorial will show you an easy, compact, and effective lighting setup for on-location portraits.
Creating a successful image is almost always a two-step process: shooting and editing. As you grow comfortable with your camera, you should also work on developing your post-processing skills. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced photographer sharing some of the fundamentals of editing photos and offering some helpful advice sure to put you on the right track.
Wildflowers can make fantastic subjects or complements to the subject of a landscape image, but when they start thrashing about in a stiff breeze, it can be tricky to still get optimal image quality. If you keep finding your plans foiled by the wind, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features a seasoned landscape photographer sharing some helpful tips for photographing wildflowers in such conditions.
The light and airy look is a highly popular style with clients, as it evokes a sense of love and lightness. The mistake photographers commonly make with this style, however, is assuming it means just overexposing a portrait. The real trick to the look is a careful editing approach, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you every step you need to take to create it using Lightroom.
Landscape photography may not involve photographing animals or people, but that does not mean it does not come with its own set of ethics that creatives should consider each time they head out with their cameras. This fantastic video essay features an experienced landscape photographer sharing some of the most common ethical considerations creatives should be aware of and some examples of how violating them can have detrimental effects on the surrounding environment.
Even after just a few years of photography, your Lightroom catalog will likely have ballooned to several thousand images, and as such, it is crucial to put thought, time, and effort into how your images are organized so that you can work with them as needed. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced photographer sharing his system and offering a wealth of useful advice for keeping your Lightroom catalog neat and tidy.
Good lighting makes all the difference in a portrait, and knowing the different styles appropriate for different applications will make you a more versatile and capable creative. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced portrait photographer sharing two different lighting setups — a beauty setup and a more dramatic option — and sharing a lot of helpful advice on how to optimize both approaches to produce the best possible results.
Lighting, posing, and shooting a portrait is challenging enough, but rarely is the job finished the moment you press the shutter. Almost all portrait images will require some degree of editing to produce a final product. If you would like to improve your portrait shots, check out this fantastic video tutorial that shares 10 great tips on how to improve your editing.
Thankfully, the worst of COVID seems to be behind us, but its effects are still being felt far and wide in many different ways. If you have had the misfortune to suffer from long-term effects from COVID, it is important to know that you are not alone. This excellent video essay features a landscape photographer discussing his experience with the issue and how he has been coping with it.
Of the many things that go into making a good photo, sharpness is one of the most fundamental and impactful. There are many factors, both with the camera and post-processing, that affect sharpness in an image. If you would like to improve your shots, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you many of the most common reasons for photos lacking sharpness and how to fix those issues.
When it comes to wedding photography, time is almost never a luxury, and as such, the photographer generally has to keep the lighting setups relatively simple to keep things moving. Nonetheless, if you are feeling confident in your abilities and ready to step it up to the next level, a two-light off-camera setup can give you a lot more creative flexibility. This awesome video tutorial features an experienced wedding photographer sharing her two-light setup for photographing receptions.
If you want to be the best, you need to refine and perfect your craft. You also need to recognize your errors and eliminate them. Here are two of the most common amateur mistakes that the best photographers never make.
The life of a photographer, professional or hobbyist, has a lot of ups and downs. The creative process is a complicated thing that draws on experience, technique, intuition, and more, and understanding its ebbs and flows can be beneficial not only in maximizing your output but weathering the lulls. This fantastic video interview features a pair of experienced landscape photographers discussing a wide range of meaningful wisdom and advice sure to make you a better creative.
When you think of landscape photography, does a wide angle lens come to mind as the go-to choice for capturing the vast beauty of nature? While wide angle lenses undoubtedly excel at framing expansive vistas and foreground elements, the importance of having a telephoto lens in your bag for landscape photography should not be underestimated. Let's explore the often-overlooked role of telephoto lenses in landscape photography. You will discover how telephoto lenses can enhance your creative possibilities, capture stunning details, and unlock new perspectives in your landscape images.
Considering getting into film photography? You have arrived at the appropriate destination. In this concise yet comprehensive video, you will learn all you need to know to get started with the fundamentals of film photography.
Few things are more frustrating than taking a photo with a ton of potential, only to sit down at your computer and realize that the perspective is off. Luckily, there is a lot you can do in modern post-processing software to fix an image's perspective. This excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to do that in Photoshop.
Running a successful photo business is an entirely different prospect than simply being good with a camera, and if that is something you hope to do, it is crucial to understand what goes into it. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced commercial photographer discussing the most important currency you have as a professional.
War photography is a genre that transcends mere visual documentation. It is a testament to the human spirit, a mirror to society, and a call for change.
In digital photography, the type of shoot that you are doing often dictates whether you shoot in JPEG or raw format. Both options have their own set of advantages and drawbacks.
The recurring mantra is that gear is nothing more than a tool, and it is true that even the most expensive camera and lens will not do a thing without a competent creative operating them. However, that does not mean a piece of gear cannot be fun to use or even inspire you. This excellent video essay features an experienced photographer who has used a huge range of equipment discussing how gear can inspire you and how that should factor into your purchasing decisions.
Becoming a good photographer is a complicated thing that requires a wide range of factors to come together, and rarely is the journey a straight line. If you find yourself on this journey, check out this fantastic video essay that features an experienced photographer that discusses the truth about growing as a photographer.
Go behind the scenes with photographer Thierry Kuba to observe how he lights, shoots, and edits this high-speed flash project with water splashes. Learn the techniques he uses, listen to discussion of his mistakes, and take in all of his tips and tricks along the way.
The group shots at a wedding are some of the most important, but they can also present some of the most difficult challenges for the photographer. If that is something you struggle with, check out this excellent video tutorial that features an experienced wedding photographer sharing a wealth of practical advice on how to get the best shots.
When most people think of landscape photography, they think of images shot during golden hour, with warm, diffuse arcs of light bathing the land. And while those times can certainly make for fantastic photos, they do not mean you should avoid all others times of day. Even the notoriously harsh midday sun can make for compelling landscape images, and this excellent video tutorial will show you what you need to know to get the most from it.
A few months ago, I shared how to take stunning night photos. There, I touched on the technical aspects of taking and editing such images. In today's article, I expand on the topic, focusing on creating perfectly noise-free night images.
Creative ruts happen to every photographer but some are deeper than others. In some cases, switching up your gear, trying a new genre, or changing your approach can lift you out of a slump. You can’t always shoot your way out of a creative rut, though – sometimes, the best thing you can do is put your camera down and try a different approach.
