No, I don't mean car chases, transforming CG robots, and explosions. I'm talking about small budget videos and films that sometimes require a lot more investment than you or your clients might think.
When starting out in photography, you are immediately blasted with dozens of potential cameras you can buy. Picking the right one can be one difficult task. When buying a camera, you are not only investing in a device, but rather in a system of lenses, accessories, and much more. This is why picking the first camera is often a very important choice. In this article, we will see which cameras are the best for beginners. The last one might surprise a few of you.
Canon has officially announced the launch of its new IVY REC wearable “activity camera,” and everything about it is slightly bizarre: the marketing, the design, its purpose, and its intended market. Who is it for, and will you be buying one?
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.
If you've explored the world of fine art paper and printing even the tiniest bit, then you've no doubt heard the name Hahnemühle. Today, I'll be taking a hands-on look at one of their newest papers in the FineArt line, the Photo Rag® Metallic.
For many photographers, separating your subject from the background can be a time-consuming nightmare. What if you could just click your camera's shutter once and have a perfect mask ready in your camera? Freemask by Hensel lets you do that.
For quite some time now, there have been plenty of flash options available for the Fujifilm X system. Fuji themselves have released several flashes, Nissin and Metz have also had some good offerings. However, many have been waiting for the big names like Profoto and Elinchrom to offer full Fujifilm X support and bring some serious power to the system. Over the past couple of weeks, Godox has announced and released two new products to bring their entire system to Fujifilm X users. The first of which we will meet today, the TT350F Thinklite Flash.
“My client wants all the raw images,” or, “My client wants to see the raw images. What do I do?” The general consensus seems to be a resounding no, but handing over raw files to your client might be a great idea. Here's why.
Once your photos improve after practicing photography for a while, they will likely also attract a larger audience. And at some point, you might be asked if your photos are for sale. It is how I got into selling my images as prints more than ten years ago. In this article, I share an easy way to get started.
In a previous article, we discovered how we could transition from Lightroom to ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2018 by importing old catalogs. We also discovered the different files management options and tools ACDSee Ultimate 2018 has to offer. With this second and last part, we are going to go through the main photo editing tools you’d use in Lightroom and see their counterpart in ACDSee. If you are making the switch from the Adobe solution to ACDSee Ultimate 2018, be sure to read this article.
It happened again. My DSLR has failed on set. While being used to it and calling in for repairs right away, I caught myself thinking whether the time has come to buy a mirrorless. Here are some points that I brought up while having this debate with myself.
Should you turn image stabilization off when shooting from a tripod? We’re going to put it to the test and find some interesting results.
Being an artist isn't easy, especially when the world is against our way of life and creation. The artist life is discouraging for sure, and every once in a while I still have days where I just want to lay in bed. I have learned that you can't let yourself have many of these days if you want to be great, there's always someone else who's pushing through it. Whether you're a professional or just a hobbyist, being uninspired sucks. Luckily there are so many things you can do to beat the gloom and keep on creating.
When you’re in the market for buying a new monitor, you’re probably overwhelmed by a host of specifications. Size, resolution, color gamut, and panel technology can make all the difference when you look for a new screen to edit your photos on. As a photographer, not all specs are that important. Dynamic contrast for instance; a feature that adjusts brightness and contrast according to what's on the screen at a given moment. In this guide, we’re focusing on buying a monitor that is geared specifically towards post-processing.
We'd all love to be mentioned in the same breath as our favorite photographer. Especially if that photographer is a highly celebrated master of their genre. But what happens when your image is mistaken for, and credited to them, instead of you?
Since I began taking photos 10 years ago, one constant has been that I have never been excited by gear. Granted, I like to have a nice camera and lens setup to shoot with, but it’s so rarely the focus of my attention. I’m happy to stick with the same gear until it falls apart, and I couldn’t even tell you what the latest model on the market is.
Focal length and maximum aperture are the most common measures for summarizing the principle characteristics of a lens, but are they the best to use? Given the range and proliferation of different camera types, why don't we see field of view used more often?
DxOMark awarded the Google Pixel 2 the top smartphone stills camera award with a score of 99. Now that's a DSLR beating score. Or is it?
I am definitely one of those photographer's whose favorite and go-to lens for portraits is the 85mm focal length. After loads of time spent with it, I can say that even now years later, the Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art is still pretty much the king.
Instagram is awash with copycat images, from yellow jackets in front of waterfalls to feet dangling off rooftops. But given that we supposedly value originality so highly, why does mimicry proliferate across social media, and why is it so successful? More importantly, is it killing our capacity for new ideas?
Are you walking the right path?
The past four months I've been staying in many Airbnbs and hotels while traveling through Portugal, Costa Rica, and Panama. What I noticed while looking for accommodations were the often unprofessional photos those places use for their listings. Some were so bad that I directly skipped to the next listing, not even looking at the reviews. And it's so easy to create better real estate photos, even just using a cell phone, which I'll show in this article.
Learn how to make stunning double exposure composites like this in Adobe Photoshop CC with only two photos in just a few simple steps.
Digital photo frames were hailed as a leap forward for presenting your images, a technology to go hand in hand with digital cameras. So, what happened?
Almost all portrait photographers will incorporate some degree of skin softening during their retouching workflow. Some of these techniques can involve hours of painstaking dodging and burning. For photographers that routinely shoot families, weddings, and newborns, a quick finishing step can generate rapid and pleasing results. Here I go over how to use my favorite free skin softening plugin.
In landscape photography, there's often a misconception that success is measured by the number of great shots captured in a single outing. However, this mindset can be limiting and lead to burnout for many. Sometimes, the true reward comes from capturing just one exceptional shot. Focusing on quality over quantity not only enhances your craft but also deepens your connection with the landscape. Here’s why and how to embrace this approach.
Last week, we walked through How to Capture an Environmental Shutter Drag Portrait. A shutter drag portrait is a portrait that captures movement around a subject using slower shutter speeds. Following the steps in the video, we wound up at a final raw image. In this video and article, I'll be walking through the editing process from start to finish in both color as well as black and white to get to our final images!
Film photography has been making a steady, slightly unexpected comeback for the past few years. In this article, I break down some of the reasons why that is happening, as well as say why it may be slightly dangerous for creatives.
Though Adobe Photoshop CS6 came out more than six years ago, there are a good many people still using it in 2018. Some don’t need to upgrade, others can’t afford the monthly fee, and still others refuse to buy into the software as a service model.
I'm often asked about the best way to get started with off-camera flash. The problem is, there's no single answer for everyone. There's a lot of different ways to accomplish the same end goal of getting that flash off the camera. In this video I'll break down the three main choices when choosing your method of strobe lighting.
The thought process of skin retouching seems to vary between photographers. Many favor a smooth, glossy effect, some like it natural, and others don’t retouch at all. So, where do we draw the line? There’s no right or wrong answer, but what do most people prefer?
I’ve written about this before, but I think it bears repeating. Don’t let a lack of finances convince you that you can’t achieve your goals as a photographer.
I have no idea where some of the trends are born from when it comes to hashtags, but with Instagram search and related hashtags feature, you can follow the breadcrumbs and grab a number of fresh tags you would never think of on your own.
Few people outside of ex-Soviet territories know that there was a booming camera industry there. In this article, I will shed light on some unusual cameras that came from the Soviet era.
Seascape photography offers a unique blend of challenges and opportunities, with the ocean providing dynamic, challenging, and ever-changing scenes. Over the years, I have learned and practiced how different shutter speeds can dramatically alter the mood and feel of your images. Here’s what I’ve learned and some actionable tips to elevate your seascape photography.
I’ve noticed that dramatic photos, full of bright colors from a sunset or a scenic view, get the most likes on social media. People aren’t liking the photographer’s skillful technique; they’re liking what they’re seeing—the colors, the location, etc. Of course, many of these photos are taken by photographers solely because of the colors or the view, with no other reason.
Landscape and street photography, in particular, saturate social media feeds, and most of the photos are simply nice views, vibrant colors, or dramatic, high-contrast lighting. Then there are those who...
Self-portraits, unlike selfies, are not always easy to make. They are not a cry for attention or a showcase of your physical beauty. Self-portraits are a learning curve and experimental field for the photographer who is willing to bare his soul in front of his own lens, like Van Gogh and Rembrandt did before for their paintings.
Disclaimer: This isn’t one of those articles suggesting that you buy this book to learn how to write a book about writing books. It’s not a secret recipe for success, or some sort of made up list of chores you must first complete before winning a coveted golden ticket. These three stages are noted because I’ve observed their tenants, and with a little of your own investigative digging, you’ll learn that many of your favorite photographers have resided within the boundaries of each of these stages as well.
Lukasz Palka, a Polish travel photographer currently residing in Tokyo, embarked on a photo series aiming to document the more intricate details of such a gigantic metropolis. We chatted with him to find out more about his thought process throughout the project.
So you've got some upcoming travel plans, maybe to a new destination or maybe to a place you like to visit over and over again. A favorite city maybe, a real home away from home. Obviously you take your camera gear with you with the goal of making the most of your trip. Do you plan ahead of time or will you be flying by the seat of your pants? We're all different, some people want a detailed itinerary while others want to enjoy some spontaneity, but we all want to come home with some great images. Having a plan (even a rough one written on a napkin) can help you to make the most of your travels wherever they may be.
One of my favorite books of all time is a little gem by British advertising legend Paul Arden “It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be.” I read this little book about once a year, it’s funny, insightful, and full of advice and inspiration for creative people.
Love it or hate it, Donald Trump’s salute to America was clearly a spectacle, one that provided for ample excellent photo opportunities. Which makes it completely perplexing is that the only photos the president chose to share of the event for more than two days after were grainy cell phone photos.
Sometimes, there isn’t a whole lot to a photo: nothing’s moving, or it’s a scene without a strong subject. How do you — the photographer — make it interesting? Here are two tips to make that uninteresting photo just a bit more lively.
When looking at lighting, you have a lot of choices with companies like Profoto, Broncolor, Elinchrom, Paul C. Buff, Godox, and others. Have you asked yourself if the lights from those companies fit how and where you shoot? Does it makes sense to buy that $2,000 strobe or would a couple cheap speedlites achieve your vision?
Capture One doesn’t need to be introduced anymore. It’s Phase One's professional raw converter, and it has grown into a very compelling Lightroom alternative over the past few years. The software is meant to develop raw files, but it can do much more. Its usage doesn’t have to stop at simple exposure and contrast tweaks. Let’s see how we can unleash its full potential and, as Phase One likes to phrase it, experience the ultimate image quality.
Artificial intelligence is pervading every corner of our digital lives, and Adobe is powering their editing software with Sensei, their artificially intelligent tool. But so far, it's lacking the ability to deal with the common issue of sensor spots automatically in Lightroom, which would make our lives much easier.
New Zealand photographer Tom Hollow has an interesting photo series titled "Love Lost." Tom took an old couch, put a bride on it, set it on fire, and took pictures of the whole thing. Tom initially just thought it would be a fun idea for a shoot. It wasn't until after the session he realized he could do something more with the images.
Creating selections in Photoshop can be a painstaking process, oftentimes with mixed results. I learned about luminosity masking by way of exposure blending for landscapes, but its applications are varied.
The days of growing a social media following by simply posting quality content regularly are gone. Without some kind of push to get ahead, you might as well enjoy the exercise on your hamster wheel.
