The Misconception Keeping You From Being a Better Landscape Photographer
What beliefs that you have about the kind of photography you like end up becoming a hindrance? What self-imposed limitations keep you from shooting more and learning further?
What beliefs that you have about the kind of photography you like end up becoming a hindrance? What self-imposed limitations keep you from shooting more and learning further?
Many people think that Adobe Camera Raw is simply Lightroom's Develop Module inside Photoshop. It is, but it also has its own exclusive features. Have a look at this great new update added to Adobe Camera Raw recently that adds a whole different dimension to selections.
The iPhone has become a legitimate professional creative tool for many people, and in many situations, it is actually the device of choice for shooting video. Just like any other camera, though, it is important to learn how to get the most out of it to produce your best work. This fantastic video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to produce professional video footage using your iPhone.
Each one of us has a favorite go-to lens, be that a prime, a wide angle, or a telephoto. There's always one lens we will tend to use more than the rest. But what if you could only take one lens with you on travels? What one would it be?
Lightroom and Photoshop have both seen major updates recently, and one of the most interesting and powerful new features in the former application is the portrait masking tool. With the power to significantly improve the precision and efficiency of your portrait edits, it is well worth taking the time to dive into the new tool, and this excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know.
Viltrox has earned a reputation for producing very affordable lenses whose image quality often surpasses what you might expect at their respective prices. And at $429, the AF 13mm f/1.4 lens continues that trend, offering a wide focal length and wide aperture for Sony, Fujifilm, and Nikon APS-C users. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
If you hop on Instagram and check out popular landscape photography hashtags or locations, and you will probably notice a lot of the same sort of style of images. As such, a lot of photography advice tells you to develop your own style simply so you can stand out from the crowd. Is that the best approach, though? This excellent video features an experienced landscape photographer discussing why that can actually get you in a bit of trouble.
Fall is here in many places, and with it comes tremendous photography opportunities of all sorts. One interesting way to take advantage of those gorgeous colors is to integrate waterfalls and moving water in the shot. This great video tutorial will show you some awesome ideas for autumn photography with rivers and waterfalls.
The issue of whether or not photographers should work for free is a polarizing one. Some of us feel we should not haul thousands of dollars worth of lighting and camera gear to a location and spend a full day shooting just to gain a reward that comes in the form of intangible exposure. Others feel doing regular collaborations with like-minded peers to produce new work is valuable in nurturing a photographer’s creative process.
It doesn't matter how great your composition is or how spectacular your colors might be, if your image is not crisply focused, then you most likely need to toss it in the trash. Learn how to nail your focus for tack-sharp images every time.
Landscape photography is a popular and well-established genre, and as such, there are certain established practices and advice given to budding photographers. And while a lot of it is good, some can pigeonhole you into styles or techniques that are actually detrimental to your development and the images you create. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer debunking some common advice and showing why you are better off going another way.
If you dive into flash photography, it is said that manual flash is the only way to go. It offers full control over the amount of light. Although this is true, there are situations when TTL flash measurement is the better choice. I’m talking about on-camera flash photography.
The Fujifilm X100 series of mirrorless cameras has long been popular for both its image quality and for the shooting experience it provides. If you have never used one and are curious about what it is like, check out this excellent video review that discusses just why it is such a fun camera to work with.
The Sony a7 series has become one of the most highly respected and popular lines of mirrorless cameras, well known for offering an excellent balance of photo and video features that allow creatives to produce professional work in just about any situation. So, is the a7 IV still the hybrid camera to beat? This great video review takes a look at how it holds up after a year of usage.
When it comes to retouching skin, there are several ways to accomplish the same task, some more efficient and easier than others. If you would like an easy way to quickly and effectively edit skin in Photoshop, check out this great video tutorial that will show you just such a workflow.
It seems like 2022 saw a big upgrade from the big three phone makers as far as cameras go. Google's Pixel 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and iPhone 14 Pro all made huge strides from previous iterations when it came to making images, but which one had the biggest improvement?
Optical snoots are great ways to get creative images with crisp edges, but you are limited by the horrible gobo collections. Here's how I found a way to make your own for about $11.
GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is a real problem for most photographers, especially as we enter the holiday season.
While Canon initially focused on full frame cameras and lenses with the RF mount, the release of cameras like the EOS R7 and EOS R10 and associated RF-S lenses has shown that the company also intends to develop APS-C options in tandem with the full frame line. For those APS-C cameras, there are two relatively new lens options, the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM and RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM. Which one is right for you? This excellent video comparison will help you pick.
Some of my favorite creative photography techniques to use are those that allow us to capture moments in ways we could never see using just our eyes. One technique, in particular, that I turn to for capturing unique portraits involves using long exposure, aka shutter drag. Long exposure portraits open up a number of creative possibilities and often result in “wow” moments with my clients. Putting the technique to use does require some skill and preparation, but it’s easy enough to master once you know the basics.
Tamron has established itself as a maker of both pragmatic lenses at practical prices and more unique designs that the photo world has not seen before. The new 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD is one of those more unique designs, offering an interesting focal length range that sits between two more traditional zoom ranges (16-35mm and 24-70mm). This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Macro lenses with short telephoto focal lengths are some of the most useful and flexible optics a photographer can own, giving you access to a world of detail all around us, but also doubling as a fantastic option for tack-sharp portraits and more. The Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art offers that versatile combo at a relatively affordable price ($799), and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it.
The overwhelming majority of professional photographers will tell you that if you want to find success, you need to specialize. However, when you are first starting out, you will probably find a lot of different genres exciting. So, how do you narrow it down to the right focus for you? This awesome video tutorial features an experienced professional photographer laying out a three-step plan for finding your niche as a photographer.
With autofocus achieving superhuman heights in recent years, its ability seems limitless. But when narrative filmmaking, nothing beats the human touch.
Printing your photos and holding a tactile representation of your hard work is a wonderful and exciting experience, but creating a proper print is a skill and area of knowledge unto itself. If you are just starting to print your photos and want to ensure you do not waste your money, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five common mistakes beginners make when printing photos and how to avoid them.
Canon makes some really impressive lenses, but of course, they come at prices that match that stellar performance. Do you really need that to spend that much, though, or would you be better off going with a more affordable option? This interesting video compares two 50mm options from the company to help you decide.
If you want to lift your retouching skills to the next level, you should familiarize yourself with frequency separation and how it can aid you in various photo editing tasks. One of those can come up in cityscape and architecture photography. Especially during blue hour and nighttime, you can get unwanted shadows in your photos. In this article, I explain how to remove those with frequency separation.
Creating a successful landscape photo takes a combination of planning, patience, technique, vision, and sometimes, just a bit of luck. Professional landscape photographers have some common habits and productivity hacks they use both to be more efficient and to ensure that they come home with the best possible images. This great video tutorial will take you through some of those habits and hacks to help you improve your landscape work.
In tandem with shutter speed and ISO, aperture is one of three fundamental exposure parameters that grant you the technical and creative control over your images that you bought a specialized camera for in the first place. If you are new to photography and wondering what aperture is and how it works, check out this great video tutorial that will give you a practical guide to using it for taking better control of your photos.
The latest version of Photoshop is here, and it brings with it some pretty nifty features that will both save you time and help you make better, more precise edits. If you are wondering what is new, what it can do, and how to use it, check out this great video that will give you an overview of what to expect and where to find it.
Creating successful portraits is a complex task that requires a lot of specialized knowledge and techniques, but just like any other genre of photography, having a complete mastery of lighting is near the top of the list of requirements. If you would like to improve your portraits, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you four lighting secrets that will put you on the right track.
Today, Blackmagic Design announced that its prominent post-production platform, DaVinci Resolve, will now be available on the Apple iPad.
Photography scams are something that we all need to be on guard against. These scams often come our way in the form of poorly worded emails that we instantly delete. Atlanta wedding photographers Jaimie Dee and her husband Kyle were recently targeted by a rather elaborate variation of a classic photography scam. Fortunately, they didn’t fall for the con. How might you fare if you were targeted by the scam detailed below?
The new Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD is one of the more interesting lenses to come along in a while, offering an intriguing focal length range that sacrifices reach at the long end compared to a 24-70mm for the ability to go wider than the usual 24mm, putting it somewhere between a standard zoom and an ultra-wide angle zoom. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.
Landscape photography isn't just about photographing beautiful landscapes. It's about creating a connection with your viewer, and one of the best ways to do that is through mood. See how you can master mood in your landscape images in less than five minutes.
One of the most consistent opportunities we have as photographers to earn money with our cameras is photographing real estate and hospitality properties, such as Airbnb rentals, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take a huge investment to offer quality images for this purpose.
Lightroom Classic just updated to version 12, and there are some wonderful additions. Take a look here to see exactly what's new.
See how one guy left Australia with nothing but a dream and arrived in Iceland to a job cleaning toilets, but persisted and became a full-time content creator and photo tour guide with more than 700,000 followers.
While there are a lot of differences between video and photography, one fundamental truth remains: your lighting makes or breaks your creations. And just like photography, there are some common lighting mistakes that new filmmakers tend to make. This excellent video tutorial will show you 10 such mistakes and what you can do to fix them or avoid them in the first place.
Running a successful photography business that brings in sufficient income takes a lot more than simply being good with a camera and knowing how to light a shot. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced professional discussing how he runs his business and offering some helpful insight.
When the Rotolight package was delivered to my doorstep, I was apprehensively excited. I was apprehensive because light is everything in photography, and LED lights are notorious for disappointing me. But I was not disappointed. To say I had to rip myself away from playing with it in the studio to type up my review would not be an exaggeration. This light is prodigious.
Cinematic footage is a great way to showcase a product and add a level of professionalism to your video work. However, it can be daunting to know where to start, and the options can get expensive. If you want simple and effective ways to up your video b-Roll game without breaking the bank, look no further than this accessible tutorial.
If you'd like to regain a little more control of your edits instead of handing over the reins to the ubiquitous AI juggernaut, here's a great method for enhancing really boring skies in Photoshop.
The definition of a “cinema camera” seems to be ever evolving. So what are some of the things that set them apart from mirrorless?
24mm lenses with wide apertures are some of the most versatile out there, offering a reasonably wide (though not overly so) focal length in tandem with a lot of light-gathering and subject-isolating power. The Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM takes that versatility and adds in macro capabilities and image stabilization, making it quite the intriguing option. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
It's absolutely mind-blowing how much artificial intelligence has come to play a central role in photography. There's the presence of it in everyday usage in smartphones, with things like portrait mode and night sight, but now, even more powerful tools are available to desktop retouchers. Just check out how it works on this 70-year-old photo.
Beauty dishes and octaboxes are two of the most common lighting modifiers out there, with almost every portrait studio in existence owning at least one of the two, if not both. They are not identical, though, and each renders your subject in a unique way, which is why it is important to understand the differences so you can pick the proper one for your style and clients' needs. This great video tutorial will show you a deep look at the two options, how they differ, and which is appropriate for different situations.
In the midst of cancel culture, it's easy to make a misstep as a photographer. Sometimes, a seemingly harmless act could tarnish your reputation. I created this video because following these actions helped me, and I hope that it also serves you.
Wedding photography generally requires at least two and often several lenses to get through the entire day, and as such, any lens that can take the place of a few offers a significant increase in convenience. The Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD is one such lens, and with its tremendous focal length range and wide aperture, it looks like a potentially fantastic option for wedding photographers. This great video takes you through a wedding day with the lens to show you how versatile it is.
Recently, some YouTube users started reporting that their ability to watch 4K videos was hidden behind a premium subscription, leading to outcry. Thankfully, that experiment has been walked back.