Horses make for fantastic additions to a photo, whether you are taking pictures of a beloved companion or using them for a fashion shoot. However, I often see photographers treat horses like an afterthought in a photo, when they could make them look so much better with a little knowledge and practice. Here are 10 tips to improve your work with horses.
When you think of Bob Ross, what comes to mind? A soft-spoken man, painting beautiful landscapes. But, Bob Ross was so much more than a painter. For me, he has changed my life and transformed the way I see myself as an artist.
Do you have Shiny Object Syndrome? Do you conduct self-control litmus tests when the weekly B&H newsletter drops in your inbox? Do you try to rationalize snagging the new Profoto strobe when you know very well that your savings account is plummeting faster the engagement for photos on Instagram? If so, you may want to take a hard pass on this article.
A while back, while on a shoot for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art here in Northwest Arkansas, I was asked to get a shot of the museum’s executive chef and the Director of Culinary for their members magazine. Time was short, the kitchen was starting to prep for dinner service, and every second I was there I was inconveniencing someone. I had to get in and out quickly and create a dynamic image in the process. Here’s how it happened.
Using items you probably already have at home, you can make your own light table that’s perfect for close-up photographs, because, let's face it, not all of us have the room or budget for full-size professional light tables.
Composition in shooting cityscapes relies heavily on your choice of lens. With the right lens that matches your envisioned image, your urban landscape photos can have so much visual impact.
I’m sure most of us have been there before: standing on a street corner, your “camera bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag” slung casually over your shoulder. Your camera is in hand, its strap hanging loose, dancing in the summer breeze. You raise the rangefinder window to your eye and snap: the perfect shot of a homeless man! He looks really sad; this will finally change everyone's mind — straight to Instagram. But there’s a fine line between biting social commentary and “Poverty Porn,” and sometimes, it's hard to see which side you’re on.
We're heading into the realm of storybook fantasy with this week's Lighting Breakdown that blends natural and artificial light.
Many Windows users have been looking for an alternative to ScreenFlow and there might well be one available on the market. It’s called Video Studio 2 and it’s designed by ACDSee. Whether you are an online educator, a workshop teacher, or you’re simply looking for a way to record your screen and quickly edit your videos, this solution is without a doubt one you should be looking at.
Professional Aerial Photographers Paul Hoelen, Emmanuel Coupé, and Scott Jon McCook are here with the ultimate guide to getting you started with aerials yourself. And of course, they shared some mouthwatering imagery that will make you ask the question: “Are these shot on Earth at all?”
Instagram has rolled out the Stories Highlights feature and it's definitely a good thing for photographers. The lack of hyperlinking ability within the platform by way of only being allowed one profile link is very limiting for specific marketing. If you have less than 10,000 followers then you do not have access to the swipe up feature on stories which can be a tremendous aid in marketing a certain promo. Instagram Stories Highlights is a step in the right direction for us.
Today I’d like to share how a chance encounter provided perspective on both success and the value of patience.
The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2017, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.
Whatever is your wedding photography style, inevitably, a part of your final gallery will be filled with photos of guests. So, how can we make them less dull and repetitive? How can we "wow" our clients?
Asking for feedback on your own images is a healthy practice and can help improve your work. Learning how to give quality feedback to other photographers not only contributes to the community and helps fellow image makers, but it can also improve your own photography.
Want to make money with your photography? Why not take advantage of the myriad photography competitions to win cash, kit, or even more?
As power bank batteries become ever more important for photographers, V-mount versions are essential for those shooting video. Among their arsenal of accessories, Neewer has one that hits the mark: the PS099E.
When's the last time that you let yourself shoot images without giving a thought to their monetary value? It's too easy to get caught up thinking about how to monetize our profession and it's so important to step back, slow down, and just shoot for the fun of it.
When Pentax released its 24-70mm f/2.8 lens back in 2016, people quickly realized that it was little more than a rehoused Tamron lens without the VC feature. More recently, Pentax has announced that it's developing a new FA* 85mm f/1.4. Although there are certain physical similarities to a Sigma lens, I doubt that it's the same lens.
Studio spaces are sought after by many photographers. While some love shooting in client's homes or in hotel spaces, many do want the tranquility of a defined boudoir space of their own. Building a boudoir studio does not have to be overwhelming or come with expensive price tags. While a brick and mortar location in a downtown area works for some, for others, creating a spot in your home can be the best option for your company.
How well do you know photography? Here’s a quiz to test your knowledge of all things camera-related. I doubt anyone else can get them all right apart from you. Settle down with a cup of coffee and give it a go.
Your footage is already shot with lighting that makes it look "cinematic" and it's time for color grading. You apply a teal-and-orange LUT preset, but although it is in the right direction, your video still lacks something that prevents it from having that blockbuster look.
Drones are near ubiquitous for the capture of aerial imagery, but with their increased prevalence, their use and operation has become contentious. If you are seeking an alternative, then kite aerial photography (KAP) might be for you.
In 2016, Kim Kardashian broke the internet with a mother’s day selfie. We’ve all seen the picture; she’s stood in front of a mirror wearing pretty much her birthday suit. It becomes such a big deal that Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian go on to recreate the thing. Break the internet twice! Why is this such a big deal though?
I consider myself a Canon shooter through and through. This article isn’t about one camera manufacturer being objectively better or worse than another.
Opinions are like cameras: everybody’s got one, and it should be upgraded once in a while. If you love giving feedback on photography, great, but make sure you're doing it in a way that’s right for the giver as well as the receiver.
One of my biggest pet peeves is working with wedding videographers that treat their craft like it’s photography. In doing that, a lot of talented people sell their art form, and the art form of their peers, short. So what can you do to focus your videography and cinematography skills and make your wedding videos more refined? Think like a filmmaker.
I was never really into photo series but over the summer that kind of changed with my island series. Today, I find myself shooting similar things over and over again. In the end, I think that photo series can be a really cool way to showcase your work and interests over time.
One of the most overlooked aspects during the jump from amateur to professional photographer is the business end of contracts. You may be excited for this new adventure of creating art, but if you are asking for payment for your services, your contract is the last place you want to skimp on the details.
If you’re a professional photographer, being pulled in a million directions probably feels like a daily occurrence. There seems to be a never ending stream of tasks that we should be completing, some of which are paid, some of which aren’t. Our trade-off often involves balancing paid work - be it desirable or not - with unpaid tasks that we hope will provide business in the future. The question is, how do we know what’s going to be helpful and what’s going to turn out to be a waste of time?
Children are notoriously hard to shoot and most photographers generally avoid doing shoots involving them. There are ways to make it easier though!
I cannot believe that it has been over a year since I first wrote about how photography saved my own life, and I firmly believe it can save yours too. Trigger warning: this article contains references to suicide, which some may find upsetting.
Have you ever held back on sharing your photos, pitching an idea, or showcasing your art? How many times have you let Impostor Syndrome hold you back?
When you're looking to have your work printed for display on your own wall, in your client's home, or in a gallery you have a myriad of choices and formats that you can print on. Today I'm taking a close look at one option, the brushed metal print.
It's easy to lose sight of why you love photography. It sometimes feels like you spend so much time selling the medium's power, that you forget its power can be greater than you can even describe.
Perhaps you’re like I was one week prior to the writing this – a West Coast native who had only gone as far as making assumptions about one of the largest cities in the Western Hemisphere – New York City. I’m back in the Arizona desert where I call home after attending PDN PhotoPlus Expo 2018 and I brought back an importantly refreshed outlook on myself and my career in photography.
Over the last few months, we have teamed up with landscape photographer Elia Locardi for a free 8 part video tutorial series on how to improve your landscape photographs using a variety of different NiSi filters. Today we take you behind the scenes on the making of this landscape series and show you some of our favorite gear used in the production. NiSi is also giving away a set of variable ND filters in this week's contest!
Even though people love to knock presets, if you look under the hood, you might learn some things about how many different ways you can manipulate your photos in Lightroom.
There is nothing better than finally starting to get outdoors after a season of being cooped up inside. Our readers showed us their version of outdoors in the latest installment of our ongoing weekly photo theme. Check out the results and grab this week's theme to join in.
The grass is always greener on the other side, or so the proverb says, and there is no denying that the latest offering from another camera manufacturer can be a tempting proposition. Are you a serial crossgrader?
We are all addicted to tutorials; at least, I know I am. I'm also addicted to food, so I need to double up my free time. My goal was to come up with an easy way to watch all the tutorials on my iPad. Sure, you could copy the tutorial files onto your iPad, but if you are like me and have a lot more content than would fit on the iPad and don't want to keep putting on and taking it off, there is a better way!
Sure, you could go grab incredible live shots of an artist and post them all over the internet. Guess what? If those images aren’t in their manager’s hands when it is time to make the new round of posters or t-shirts, you’re no further along in terms of advancing your photography business than you were before you hit the shutter button.
Growing as an artist isn’t always fun. But being the best artist you can be requires you to lean into the growing pains to reach your full potential.
Landscape photography is largely dictated by the weather you experience out in the field. Many times, we don't get the conditions we hoped for, which can be especially challenging after investing time and money into a photography trip. These are five things you can do the next time you're in unfavorable conditions to walk away with great images regardless of the weather.
If you’re looking for a new location to shoot, consider checking out these destinations that might be right by you.
There's a lot more to creating unique and edgy content than keeping a camera fixed to your face. From eating scrumptious tacos and filming rock-busting, high-horsepower off-road race trucks in Baja, Mexico to cruising the scenic Rubicon Trail in the Sierra Nevada creating content for some of the motorsport industry's biggest names, it's all in a week's work if you're Matt Martelli, the creative director and CEO of one of the fastest growing media companies on the U.S. West Coast, Mad Media.
Shooting product photography can either be a tedious task or it can be a fun and rewarding one. Likewise, looking at product photographs can either be boring or it can enlightening. Using gels to modify the light in your product photographs can be an easy way to add some energy to your images.
A decade seems like a bit of a milestone to me, from my first camera to working as a commercial food photographer. There have been lot of lessons learnt along the way.
The weather isn’t always pleasant for landscape photographers. Have you ever tried to take advantage of extreme weather conditions?
In this article, go behind the scenes of a recent shoot and see how I shot, lit, and edited this 1920s inspired shoot.
