We've all seen the cute cat GIFs and the funny GIF memes. But, making your own photo-based GIFs is a great exercise and can be a fun way to spice up your photography work without having to dive headfirst into video.
Human beings have rendered images of themselves in one form or another since the beginning of our species. The desire to try and capture the human essence in something that will outlast the physical body is universal; the need to encapsulate our understandings of “self” and “others” is found in every culture throughout the world. But have digital cameras, selfie sticks, iPhones, and Snapchat made such a pursuit so mind numbingly easy, that it has now completely lost it’s value?
Seascapes has always fascinated me!.I do not have a preferred vision for seascapes; I love both minimalistic and simple versions, as well as those highly dramatic ones full of action and movement. Here, I will share some of my tips on creating the latter.
What if God was one of us? What would that look like? Dina Goldstein's "Gods of Suburbia" is a series comprised of visually arresting images of everyday situations, only with gods as the main subjects. Gods of Suburbia offers an iconoclastic interpretation of how ancient belief systems fit with technology, science and secularism, the three main pillars of modernity. She spent two years creating her third large-scale series with a tiny budget, and every obstacle you can think of. But through creativity and tenacity, she was able to bring the project to fruition.
Alongside the highly-anticipated a9 announcement, Sony also introduced the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master telephoto lens. After the initial buzz and excitement over something shiny and new being announced subsided, I began to question why Sony released this lens at this particular time of intense market expansion.
The season of red, orange, and yellow leaves is just about here. Whether you’ve already gone out and taken some photos or are just about to, it can be really helpful to keep a few key concepts in mind. In this guide, we'll be taking a look at what to do when you’re behind the camera, as well as in front of the monitor editing those shots.
When shooting catalog images of product it is very important to have consistency throughout the project. Oftentimes a single product might have several versions and each has to be shot separately. Since we want to ensure a consistent look for our clients we have to make sure the product lines up perfectly from shot to shot across all versions. Here is how I personally tackle that for tabletop images.
Now I'm not sure about the rest of you, but the art of responding to a new lead is an ever shifting task for me and my photography business. We all do our best to stay on top of the trends, by researching our genre of photography to better understand our perspective clients and keep our responses fresh and interesting. However, just how often should we re-evaluate our approach?
Join a professional landscape photographer while he is planning the weather for his next photo tour.
The Kirlian photography technique is still one of the most spectacular ways to shoot different subjects. This method is a bit of a mystery, especially for those who are beginners in the art of photography. Here's how it works.
Non-destructive editing is crucial to preserving original image detail. It keeps the highest quality image available and will allow for countless re-editing in the future, but how do you do it in Photoshop CC?
Automations can make life a little easier. Learn how to create a unique Instagram gallery by using a simple action in Photoshop.
If you're tired of having people get in the way of a good photo, then this new iOS app called Bye Bye Camera may be for you.
I stumbled across this lens in a consignment shop in Gloucester, Massachusetts last fall. I was aware of its existence but had never considered it as a lens for my needs, but the price was too good to pass up and if I didn't end up using it, it’d go into the ever-revolving, buy and sell, gear pile.
Do you remember the excitement and anticipation of dropping off film rolls at the photo development lab, waiting days or even weeks to get your printed photos back? For those of us who grew up in the pre-digital era, film photography was a much more nostalgic experience than the instant images we can take and view today.
With a multitude of components making up a successful photographer, what sort of role does "talent" play, and how important is it?
Sony announced its new compact full frame mirrorless camera today, the a7C. It shaves the dimensions of the hugely successful a7 III while retaining most of its innards, but who is this camera for and should you be excited about buying one?
I’ve always been a fan of big lights. There are certainly situations where they aren’t appropriate, but a lot of my work is centered around big, soft light. What has always drawn me to large sources of light is their versatility. Almost every subject looks good with soft light. Because large light sources cause such soft gradation in the shadows, they can be useful for both younger subjects with smoother skin, or even older subjects that may have wrinkled and scarred skin. However, there is one thing that should be cleared up: the definition of a large light source.
There’s a handful of people on the Pacific Island group of Pingelap who can skip this episode. But if you don’t have achromatic vision like them, I suggest giving this bountiful reference a read, because California-based USA Landscape Photographer of the Year 2015 Ted Gore wrote all about color landscape photography.
With Nikon’s recent launch of the Z 50, speculation has continued regarding Canon’s plans for its APS-C sensor cameras. What to do to cater for all of those 7D Mark II shooters awaiting an upgrade is something of a dilemma, and a new rumor has sparked a fresh helping of speculation.
Full-time photography is a dream many of us have considered fulfilling. What could be better than to get paid for what you want do? A pursuit of passion is often a difficult start, but there’s one critical aspect that I think you should consider immediately: specializing.
If you’re just starting off with marketing yourself and your photography business, building and displaying your portfolio is probably at the top of your to-do list. Here are a few aspects to consider when putting together your initial photography portfolio.
Overshooting may sound like it's a dumb thing to do, but over my time doing photography, I’ve learned how important it really is. Here, I will go over a few reasons why you should shoot more than you need to. They apply to almost any sort of shooting situation.
What separates a good image from a mediocre one? As a photographer who has conducted over 50 shoots in the past few months, this is a question I've asked myself countless times. Through this continuous exploration and practice, I've become adept at recognizing the essential components that elevate an image to greatness. In this article, I'll share my insights and reveal the five crucial ingredients that contribute to the creation of a remarkable photograph.
Growing and sustaining a photography business has never been for the faint of heart, but it is possible to do if you have an excellent, multi-faceted plan. I recently collaborated with Lancaster, PA based headshot photographer Richard Waine to compile a list of 20 steps photographers can take to get their phone ringing, and build a business that stands the test of time. These tips will be presented in four installments.
Frequency separation and dodge and burn are powerful techniques for retouching photographs. But which one is better?
Every winter, plenty of articles appear suggesting cheap gifts for photographers. However, the best presents are those where the giver has carefully considered the wants or needs of the recipient. Furthermore, let’s be honest, they are also where the giver has spent a bit more money.
Sorry, Nikon, but why you ever thought that calling hundreds of different camera models COOLPIX would be a good idea will always confuse me. It's not just Nikon, though; camera names and naming conventions are a car crash of branding and lack of foresight. Why are they all so terrible? And which is the worst?
It is properly difficult to overstate how much different large format photography is compared with 35mm or 120 film, much less digital. Is it worth it?
There seems to be a surprising amount of contention relating to whether or not you should watermark your images. Some people are adamant that yes, you absolutely need to put your stamp, so to speak, on images that you're putting out there online. Other people feel that a watermark is tacky, or that somehow it's presence cheapens the quality of the image that it has been applied to. As I have found with most things in life, context is king when it comes to watermarks.
Sometimes, when creativity and inspiration leave us, we have to immerse ourselves in the creativity of another to regain them both. What follows are my ten favorite movies I constantly find myself returning to when in need of inspiration. Whether it be their visual spectacle, their storytelling, or the collective force of their artistry, they always manage to knock the creative block loose.
Figuring out a fair rate for providing photography or video services can be a slippery slope, filled with pitfalls if you happen to price yourself incorrectly. But what's more complicated than setting a rate for services is how to approach setting a rate for someone who wants to license a piece of work you've already created. In this post I'll share my insight on the factors I look at, and my rationale for determining a fair fee for video and photo licensing.
With the heavy reality that many of us live in these days, allow me a brief moment to simply luxuriate in the completely pointless, utterly fun, and pleasantly diverting task of looking back at the best attributes of some of my past camera purchases.
So you finally made the jump to mirrorless! You've got that sexy new Sony/Nikon/Canon/Fuji/Panasonic and you're itching to get cracking on some awesome portraits! It's about then that you realize that the kit lens isn't going to cut it and you didn't quite budget as well as you'd thought for some shiny new system lenses. What's a photographer to do? Buy some cheap, old glass to get you going!
As the curator for the Fstoppers Photo of the Day and our Instagram feed, I happen to read a lot of comments and criticisms thrown out at images by semi-anonymous people from all over the world. One thing I can be sure of is that when I post an image that is a composite or incorporates some sort of digital art, some people get offended. This is ridiculous and needs to end for photography to continue growing.
It is good to have a plan B in landscape photography. But what if even plan B doesn’t work? Should we give up? Or is there still the chance, any way to get some really strong photographs? I came exactly into such a situation recently – and oh man – finally it turned into one of the best photography days I ever had. I even got 360 degrees surrounded by compositions!
Nikon has finally officially announced their new flagship mirrorless camera, the Z 9. The long-rumored specs are now confirmed, and the promise of the system has exceeded expectations.
One way to spice up your photography is to add gels to your lights so you can produce colorful and edgy looking imagery. Adding wild colors to your photos can offer a lot of creativity but gels can also be used in a much more subtle fashion to slightly alter the color of your background and sky. In today's video I want to share two simple techniques I use to help make my backgrounds on location look more interesting.
In a world of mirrorless cameras, vintage glass is coming back and for good reason.
When I bought a tilt-shift lens for my landscape photography, I soon discovered how to shoot panoramas without the need for a nodal slide. But I noticed some parallax problems. The answer to this was the Rogeti TSE-frame.
Photographer Brigette Bloom draws from her start in documentary photography to create mystical, story-driven work. A concept photographer, Bloom works with Impossible Project Polaroid and 35mm film, which she often alters to create interesting effects (you may recognize her as “the photographer who pees on her film.”) I spoke with Bloom about her captivating “Kaya” series, and her overall process as an artist.
By now, you’ve probably seen the wildly impressive short film “You Can’t Stop Us” by Nike. The video has already received about 42 million views on YouTube since its release on July 30th. While the narration and source content are both as solid and empowering as we’ve come to expect from Nike’s ads, the inventive editing is the true star of the piece with its revolutionary visual concept.
Among many other photographers, I was certainly disappointed to hear the cease of development of Nik Software plugins by Google. There are times when I really like to use the Nik plugins unique tools, and I know many photographers depend on it heavily in their workflow. So it's been a looming question mark as to what happens next and without future development, it seemed the writing was on the wall with some distant Photoshop update, the Nik plugin would eventually not be compatible. Enter the good news! DxO has bought Nik from Google and has already implemented the first of the Nik technology into DxO PhotoLab.
Photographer Monica Jane Frisell has spent the last four months living out of a renovated 1988 Toyota Seabreeze, traveling across the United States with her scrappy terrier Lou and a Zone VI 4x5 camera for her project “Looking Forward/Portraits from an RV.” I caught up with her to talk about the project, life on the road, and the process of shooting large format film.
A full tank of gas, a Fujifilm GFX 50S, and a partner in crime make for a perfect day to remember what happiness is all about.
Slides contain a lot of memories from events past: anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, family vacations and more. If you want to preserve those images for generations to come, you need to think about digitizing them. Here's a rundown of the options available and the results you can expect from each.
This past weekend marked ten years of me being a full-time professional photographer. There have been ups and downs since 2010, to be sure, but I’ve learned a few things along the way.
If I told you that Facebook lies, you'd all probably shrug your shoulders and reply with an elongated, groaning "duh." Other than the moral issues, their lies genuinely hurt individuals and businesses. As photographers, it's important for us to take note of how Facebook is impacting us.
Today, we’ll look at three simple questions you should ask when deciding which images make the cut for your professional portfolio.
Why do we care so much what people think of our photos? Do we shoot for others or do we shoot for ourselves? Does it help us progress by having strangers or even people we know comment on our photos? What about formal reviews by so-called experts?
