Creativity often drives you to pick up a camera, but certain habits can hold you back. Some mistakes are so subtle that they creep into your workflow unnoticed, slowing your growth.
Mistakes are a part of learning, especially in street photography. However, if you don’t identify and address these errors, progress becomes slow. From technical missteps to behavioral habits, recognizing these pitfalls can significantly improve your photography.
Sometimes, the daily grind can strip away the joy and creativity that drew you to photography in the first place. Reflecting on the highs and lows of 2024, this great video shares insights from a transformative year of travel and shooting, offering lessons that can inspire you to reconnect with your craft.
A photography workshop provides an immersive opportunity to dedicate an extended time to your photography. But before embarking on the journey, you’ll want to prepare yourself so that you make the most of the experience.
Whether you’re working with portraits or textured scenes, sharpening helps guide the viewer’s eye to key elements. Here's how to do it like a pro using Photoshop.
Composition is one of the most crucial elements in photography. It’s what gives your images balance, depth, and impact. Even the most stunning landscape can look flat and uninspiring without good composition. In this article, I will go into the fundamentals of composition and explore how I use different techniques to create visually captivating landscape photos.
There is a short list of books that distinguish themselves from the mainstream of photographic discourse, and even fewer for which a good case could be made that they are required reading for anybody serious about photography. This new book about the art of photography scores on both counts.
Wildlife photography often demands a significant investment in gear, especially when choosing between two of the most versatile telephoto lenses: the 400mm f/2.8 and the 600mm f/4. Each has its strengths, but finding the right fit depends on your shooting style, subjects, and typical distances.
Thoughtful posing, combined with attention to emotion and movement, creates images that feel genuine. Here is a range of poses sure to help you improve your images.
Editing photos can feel overwhelming when you’re just starting out. With so many tools available, deciding where to begin often leads to trial and error. If you’ve ever struggled with this, a clear workflow can make all the difference.
When it comes to digital photography, I think editing is as important as the darkroom was for film photography. But now, we have a lot more tools at our disposal.
There are so many times I've asked myself: If I were starting fresh, would I end up within the same system of gear that I'm using now? When I started photography, Sony wasn't even a player in the DSLR game, and so inertia has invariably led me to (mostly) Canon and Nikon over the years. But today's new photographers are spoiled for choice. Which way to go?
Composition in photography can be challenging. It involves a series of rules that some say are to be followed, others say to be broken, and some say to be bent. What exactly are you looking for in a composition? How do the rules play together? Not wasting space in the frame is a great way to start.
Europe has some of the most beautiful cities and architecture, and I share five of my favorites in this article.
Real estate photography is evolving, and staying ahead of trends can give you an edge. From storytelling techniques to advancements in editing, adapting to these trends could redefine how you approach your work.
Photography is about more than just capturing a scene; it's about preserving the feeling of a moment. Emotional connection often sets apart a compelling image from a forgettable one. It’s not about perfection or rigid rules but about creating photos that resonate on a deeper, personal level.
YouTube can be a fascinating but challenging platform for anyone looking to merge their passion for photography with content creation, as t he platform offers opportunities to showcase work, share knowledge, and even generate income. However, navigating finances, sponsorships, and audience expectations isn't as straightforward as it seems.
The interplay between composition and exposure is crucial. Understanding how these elements work together allows us to create images that are not only technically accurate but also emotionally compelling.
In other words, composition and exposure are interdependent. We can enhance our visual storytelling by examining how these fundamental aspects of our art collaborate. In photography, we can change the amount of light that exposes the picture by adjusting the light source, the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Each of these affects the composition.
Wedding photography doesn’t require a mountain of gear. The key is knowing what’s essential to deliver great results while staying focused on capturing the day. Simplifying your kit can help you stay present, especially if you’re just starting out.
Making colors pop in your photos doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a few straightforward adjustments, you can make your images vibrant and polished, whether you’re working in Photoshop or Lightroom.
The marketing battle between the big camera manufacturers is irrelevant. A far older and more important disagreement that has raged since the dawn of our art is as relevant today as ever. Where do you stand?
Light can transform a portrait from ordinary to stunning. Using modifiers and positioning effectively allows you to create drama, texture, and depth.
Stock footage can be an intriguing way to earn passive income if you’re a filmmaker or videographer. By uploading clips to the right platforms, you can create a steady revenue stream with minimal ongoing effort. Is it worth the initial effort, though?
Superhero films weren't always billion-dollar blockbusters. In the 1940s, characters like Batman and Superman struggled to make the leap from comic pages to the big screen. Costumes were clunky, effects were laughable, and stories felt too campy to take seriously. That changed in 1978 when Superman: The Movie proved a superhero film could soar. It wasn’t just a success—it redefined what these movies could be.
My photographs are hardly ever representative of objective reality, but they are representative of my vision, my artistic interpretation of the scene. In this article, I will talk about why I made a particular photograph, what was done in the camera, and then what I did in the darkroom to realize the finished image—or at least the image as it is right now. Realizing that I hardly ever reach a final conclusion on a photograph, especially when I am working on it in a wet, traditional darkroom, everything remains a “work in progress.”
Whether you are new to photography, an experienced pro, or somewhere in between, we start configuring our cameras a certain way and then stop once we think we have it perfected. This can cause a photographer to miss some very helpful settings that can make them more efficient in the field.
Creating crisp, visually striking photos often requires more than just a great shot. Thoughtful Lightroom adjustments can help you refine details, enhance sharpness, and bring out the best in your images.
This camera backpack from Nomatic has been talked about by many photographers for its unique aesthetic. But is there more to this camera bag than that?
Knowing when to hand over raw files and when to keep them can be a critical factor in how you’re perceived professionally. It’s not always as simple as saying “no.” In some situations, sharing your raw files can be a necessity, while in others, it could be a mistake.
Hollyland has officially unveiled its latest wireless mic solution, the Lark M2S microphone. Tailored for content creators who demand excellent audio quality without compromising convenience or dominating the shot, this sixth-generation Lark Series microphone delivers on multiple fronts. Here’s why this ultra-mini wireless microphone deserves a spot in your production toolkit.
As photographers, we often focus on capturing the perfect shot, editing it meticulously, and delivering polished galleries to our clients. But in the midst of digital workflows and online galleries, there’s one thing that consistently surprises and delights wedding clients: instant prints.
Lighting can make or break your photos. It’s one of the most important elements to get right, yet it’s also one of the most common areas where mistakes happen. By understanding a few key missteps, you can improve your results quickly and avoid some of the pitfalls that hold many people back.
As a filmmaker, there’s no denying that Wim Wenders has a distinctive and immediately recognizable visual style. But did you know that, in the years before his film career really took off, he developed and honed a great deal of his visual creativity working in the medium of Polaroid photography?
In our never-ending search for the perfect camera, we often bandy around a common term to describe the ultimate in performance: flagship. But what really is a “flagship” camera?
Figuring out how to price your services can feel overwhelming when you’re starting out. Whether you’re handling photography, videography, or broader social media content, knowing what to charge is a skill that can simplify your process and boost your confidence.
Lenses in the affordable range often make compromises, but the TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8 II aims to strike a balance between price and performance. With a focal length equivalent to about 50mm on full frame, it offers a versatile standard view suitable for various shooting styles.
When I began photographing the landscape, the only option was using film, either black and white or color. When using black and white film, most of us used the Zone System or a derivation of it. Even those who cursed it as being too constrictive—it is not—or some kind of voodoo (again, it is not) were using this type of system in some way.
Woodland photography can be one of the more challenging environments for landscape photography. The trees and undergrowth create scenes of chaos that can be hard to organize into compelling images. Follow along as two landscape photographers wander through a rainforest, making photographs.
Portrait lenses come in all price ranges, but finding the right mix of quality and affordability can be tricky. The Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 offers an appealing middle ground, delivering strong performance at a budget-friendly price.
When even a compact tripod is too large, photographers don’t have many options for supporting their gear outside of tabletop tripods. In that narrow market, the offerings can feel gimmicky or cheap. In contrast, Leofoto’s MT-04 brings their CNC-machined aluminum build quality and feature-rich ball head to the smallest total tripod package I’ve tried.
Shutter speed plays a huge role in how your images turn out, but it’s easy to fall into default habits like 1/125 of a second. Moving beyond those defaults opens up creative possibilities, whether you’re capturing motion blur or freezing fast action.
Choosing the right lens often comes down to balancing performance, features, and cost. If you’ve ever wondered whether investing in a premium lens makes a difference, this comparison between Sony’s 28-70mm f/2 GM and Tamron’s 28-75mm f/2.8 could offer some clarity.
Photographing the landscape can be hard work, at times very hard work. It entails rising well before daylight in most cases and working in sometimes very harsh conditions. Most of the time, you will be out in the woods until well past dark, waiting for just the right moment, which may not come—even after your most valiant efforts. It makes sense, then, to do everything you can to stack the odds in your favor. Here are some thoughts on that.
Do you find yourself getting frustrated with your photography in the field? It is easy to fall into routines and practices that could hamper your photography and stifle your creativity. Are you looking for a way to break out of that as we move into 2025? This video provides a practical tip to help!
You’ve got your new upgraded camera, maybe a new lens, and Santa delivered a cool new magnetic filter kit. Now you’re all set this year to take sharper photos, faster, without reflections. But is this enough to help you become a better photographer in 2025? Spoiler: No. It may actually make you a worse photographer.
Do you ever get tired of manually searching for, tagging, culling, and organizing your images? I can relate.
Street photography thrives on strong composition and purposeful framing. Creating images that captivate often comes down to how effectively you use the space within your frame.
With more clients seeking unique, standout images, digital backdrops could give you a creative edge and make your work more efficient.
As photographers grow more familiar with their gear and solidify their preferred approach, it’s easy to fall into comfortable, well-trodden patterns. We often return to the same focal lengths, shoot the same subjects, rely on the same post-processing techniques, and compose images according to established habits. While there’s value in refining a signature style, there is also a risk of stagnation.
If you approach the scene you are photographing thinking in 2D, you may have difficulty transforming your image from just a snapshot to something visually interesting and intentional. Learning to think in 3D will help you approach scenes more dynamically and create more compelling images.
