Using Diagonals for More Powerful Landscape Photo Compositions
Given the fact that you have no control over the placement of the elements of a scene, composition can be a uniquely tricky aspect of landscape photography. And while there are some tried and true methods like the rule of thirds, sometimes, you want to push your compositions a bit further. This excellent video tutorial will show you the power of diagonals in the frame and how you can harness them to create more compelling landscape images.
The Winners and Losers of Photography in 2021
Do you think you have your finger on the pulse of the photography industry? Who still holds the title for most used cameras: Canon, Nikon, or Sony? What lenses are the top 3 most used lenses? Which specialty of photographers make the most money and which make the least? What genre of photography took the biggest losses during the pandemic?
A Review of the Relatively Affordable Venus Optics Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift Lens
If you have ever used a wide angle lens to photograph a building from ground level, you have probably encountered a frustrating dilemma: either you include way too much foreground in the shot or you angle the lens upward and make all the buildings look like they are about to fall over. A lens with a shift function can correct that issue, and one relatively affordable option is the Venus Optics Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it.
How Good Are the Nikon Z 9 and NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S?
Nikon has kicked it into high gear with the likes of the Z 9 and NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, keeping the pressure on Sony and Canon to continue innovating and pushing the envelope. This great video features two photographers testing out the latest from Nikon and discussing how it compares to some of their best DSLR cameras and lenses.
The Best Camera Hack to Get Sharper Photos
There are a couple of things you can do to get sharper photos with your long lens. But what if we want to go even further? This lens hack might be a bit crazy, but it is the best I have ever seen because it really works, and it is feasible on location. Find out how to get sharper telephoto shots.
How To Set Up Seamless Paper Without an Assistant
Working with photo assistants can often make your life easier. Having someone who can do the heavy lifting for you can leave you free to concentrate on working with your client on a shoot. When you don’t have to worry about moving nightstands or doing light checks, you can put more effort into creating a memorable experience for your client.
How to Remove Glare on Glasses Using Photoshop
Millions of people wear glasses, and that can be a real difficulty for portrait photographers, as they tend to pick up a fair amount of glare that can distract from or entirely obscure the most important part of a portrait, the eyes. Removing such glare can be a bit tricky both on set or in post, but this excellent video tutorial will show you the technique a Photoshop pro uses to get rid of it and restore the subject's eyes.
Free Live Demo Today: How To Light For Catalog and E-Commerce Photography
Chris Fain of Profoto's Geared Up has asked yours truly to share a few lighting setups I use often in the studio. Today, May 3rd at 11am EST, you can log into the live show and ask me all your favorite lighting questions!
5 Great Tips for Posing Portraits
How to light a portrait and determine the proper exposure settings are things that can be objectively codified, and in that sense, they can be a bit easier to learn. On the other hand, posing tends to be a bit more nebulous and is something a lot of photographers tend to struggle with when they are learning how to photograph portraits. If you want to improve your posing, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five excellent tips sure to make your portraits better.
Learn to Love Your Images
Have you ever felt unsatisfied or disconnected from your photos? It’s important to know we all go through this and these are a few things you can do to help.
Getting Low for Better Flower Photos
Flowers are abundant (particularly as the weather continues to warm up), and they make for fantastic photo subjects, plus there are a ton of ways to go about shooting them. This fantastic video tutorial will show you the benefits of being willing to get low for your flower shots and the kind of images you can create.
Can This Affordable Lens Keep Up With Professional Demands?
100-400mm zoom lenses are some of the most popular out there, offering a versatile focal length range that can tackle a wide range of scenarios including everything from sports to wildlife photography and more. The Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is one of the more affordable options among such lenses, though it still offers some impressive performance and features, and this excellent video review takes a look at just what you can expect from it in practice.
How I Transfer, Store, and Access All of My Video Files
As a photographer and videographer, I need a lot of fast, redundant, widely accessible storage. Let me show you my setup.
Light Pollution Is Totally Reversible
If you’re at all interested in astronomy or astrophotography, there is no escaping the effects of light pollution. Whether that means traveling to darker skies or using post-processing to reduce gradients, we all kind of wish it wasn’t there. Right?
How to Properly Organize Your Photography Website
The website is the calling card for most photographers nowadays, and as such, it is crucially important that you put a lot of careful thought into the design and organization of yours. If you need some help getting yours into top shape, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will guide you through the process of creating an effectively and compellingly organized image portfolio site.
Coming Soon: An Astrophotographer's Dream?
Australian Dylan O'Donnell's over-the-top astrophotography adventure videos often introduce us to new equipment. But his "HOTTEST New Astrophotography Products in 2022" video caught my eye. At the very least, it's a bit presumptuous to think that the hottest products come out in the first half of the year!
How the Nikon Z 9 Has Transformed How I See Mirrorless Cameras
With video capabilities on par with the best available options for moving images, Nikon’s Z 9’s has gone from a hopeful purchase to a critical part of my photography and filmmaking.
Just How Good Is the Sigma Art 24-70mm f/2.8 for Video?
The 24-70mm zoom range is versatile, and for many photographers and videographers, it's probably one of the best starting points when building out your lens collection for a new mount.
After a 6 month delay, critique the community is finally back. Here are the results of our product photography contest.
How to Simulate Strobe Lighting Using Lightroom's AI Masking Tool
Keeping up with every new feature that is added to Lightroom and Photoshop is a never-ending task I’ve long since given up on. Fortunately, both programs currently perform all the tasks I require from them. Still, I like to periodically make myself aware of improvements to these programs to ensure that I don’t miss something that might speed up or otherwise improve my workflow.
How To Clean a Tripod in Five Easy Steps
A tripod can get dirty over time, especially if used in water, sea water, sand, and mud. A regular cleaning will extend its lifetime. I have cleaned my Gitzo tripod after heavy use at sea, and I will show how it can be done in five easy steps.
What’s the Perfect Focal Length for Street Photography, 28mm or 35mm?
Street photographers have had a wealth of great lenses across many different systems to choose from over the years. Two of the most common lenses available for this are 28mm and 35mm lenses, often the preferred tool for many. But, which one is better?
8 Tips for Photographing Your First Wedding Successfully
Want to get started in wedding photography? These eight tips will make sure you start off on the right foot.
Can You Create Good Landscape Photos With Shallow Depth of Field?
Shallow depth of field is a popular technique for genres like portraiture, but when it comes to landscape photography, deep depth of field with most or all of the frame in focus is the standard. That does not mean you can't shoot with a shallow depth of field, though. This neat video follows a photographer as he shows how shallow depth of field can be a powerful creative tool for landscape work.
Where to Focus and How to Expose a Landscape Photo
Two of the most fundamental and yet deceptively tricky aspects of landscape photography are knowing where to place your focus point and what to expose for. If you are new to the genre and looking to improve, check out this helpful video tutorial that will walk you through the two topics with a variety of helpful examples.