Running your first paid photoshoot can be a daunting process, with organization, planning other people and products, and timing to get right, there's a lot more to juggle than just camera settings. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to prepare for your first paid gig.
Focus and sharp images are always at the top of the photographer's priority list. But you shouldn't just toss out a photo because it's not pin-sharp exactly where you want it to be. In fact, there are many reasons why you should covet that soft shot over the others.
Shimoda just launched their new backpack lineup, the Explore V2 Series. It’s a travel-ready backpack that comes in three sizes and is built for travel and landscape photographers who spend their time globetrotting with a camera in tow. This feature-rich new bag by a brand specializing in adventure camera bags is definitely worth checking out!
Doing photography professionally will change the way you shoot and operate. If you are planning to go professional or have recently done so, these might be of help.
Original, innovative photography is hard to find. However, Ethan Beckler has excelled. He leads the way in macro photography, pushing camera and lens technology beyond normal limits and creating astounding art at the same time. With great generosity, he shares his techniques with us.
Hand-painted canvas backdrops are a thing of beauty, it is another form of art in itself. With that, there are many canvas backdrops out there that are not very budget-friendly. If you have the time and space, here's how you can make your own.
Certain modifiers do tend to have some more traditional methods of use, especially when using a beauty dish. Sometimes we can get hung up on what is the "right" way to use them and lose out on creativity. Here's a different way you can use a beauty dish when shooting indoors.
For some, having a wide variety of poses can be challenging. The model is limited by what they are wearing, what they have to hold or interact with, or even the vision or mood of the shoot. Beauty headshots provide their own limitations, here are some posing tips for your next beauty shoot.
There are many bad photographers who think they are good. The topic of why has been discussed on countless occasions. But, is it a bad thing? Is it really wrong to be bad and think you’re good? Let’s find out.
If you shoot a genre in which you have to deliver a lot of similar images, you can save significant amounts of time and ensure greater consistency in your images by using Lightroom's batch-editing functions. This helpful video tutorial will show you a batch-editing workflow that will help you quickly get through large sets of photos.
Handmade selling is on the rise and with it comes an increasing number of new product photographers. Quality product photography is essential for marketing your goods, but it doesn't need to be expensive or overly technical. In fact, there are some easy things that you can adjust that will help elevate your product photographs to the next level!
Of all the genres, landscape photography often places some of the greatest emphasis on creating a fully realized image in the editing process. As such, there are a lot of places where things can go wrong. If you are new to editing landscape photos, this excellent video tutorial will show you six common mistakes and how you can fix or avoid them entirely.
A nighttime landscape shot with the Milky Way over the earth below can be dramatic and eye-catching, but they almost always require two separate exposures for the foreground and the sky to get the best image quality. Once you have your two images, you will need to blend them to create a single final frame, and this great video tutorial will show you how to do it using Photoshop.
Sometimes, photography, like life itself, can be a dance of one step forward and two steps back. So, allow me to divert from the nuts and bolts of camera gear for a moment to talk about something just as important to sustaining a career.
Have you ever wondered how to create a stronger portfolio and artistic voice? In this article, I will share my methodology for creating better photographs.
You have probably seen jaw-dropping photos in which the moon aligns with some sort of natural or man-made landmark. They take a fair deal of careful and precise planning, however, and this excellent video tutorial will show you exactly how to do it to get your own shots.
Becoming a full-time landscape photographer can be difficult to navigate and there are many paths you can take. I've focused heavily on developing a YouTube channel to hopefully turn my passion into more, and in this 3rd update, I go over my progress, revenue, setbacks, and what the future holds.
Long exposures are by far one of the most popular creative uses of photography out there, and there are a ton of different ways to approach them. If you are new to them, this excellent video will teach you both how to choose the right ND filter for a long exposure and how to choose the correct shutter speed for the effect you want.
One of the simplest ways to make your images more effective is by paying attention to this one fundamental component of photography and applying it in ways that you may not have thought of.
Focus stacking is a common technique used by landscape photographers for images in which ultra-deep depth of field and high levels of sharpness are desired. You can use it for nighttime landscapes that incorporate things like the Milky Way as well, though it takes some additional considerations. This excellent video tutorial will show you a workflow for the technique as well as offer some helpful tips to ensure you get the best quality images.
The weather isn’t always pleasant for landscape photographers. Have you ever tried to take advantage of extreme weather conditions?
If you look at the work of a lot of successful landscape photographers, you will probably notice that the majority of them are very good at controlling the layers of an image to create a sense of depth that draws the viewer in and encourages them to linger and explore the photo. Being able to effectively separate those layers to avoid the image becoming cluttered is a crucial skill, and this excellent video tutorial discusses how to compose your photos to do just that.
When I first got interested in food photography, I was really overwhelmed by what I needed to get. And then, I heard Andrew Scrivani say: “The best gear to get you started is the camera in your pocket and the light from the window.” That was true, to an extent.
Of all the functions and panels in Lightroom, the one that gets used the least is probably the Calibration panel. In fact, many photographers have been working in Lightroom for years and have never touched it. And while it is not necessarily essential, it can make a big difference in certain situations, and this excellent video tutorial will show you five ways it can improve your work.
Cheaper cameras' shutter lives are shorter than more expensive ones. As the shutter counts of premium cameras increase, so does the price. But I started to notice surprising discrepancies between brands. Here's what I found out.
Studio photography allows you complete creative and technical control over your imagery, which also means all your skills and imagination are put to the test. This helpful video tutorial will give you a few quick tips to improve your studio portrait images and expand your creativity.
I've been testing out the Centennial Tripod from Colorado Tripod Company and I love it. Buying US-made products is cool, but when those sellers offer top quality at a good price, it's even more awesome! Read on to see why I think your next tripod should be made in Colorado.
I shoot solely raw. However, I know some tremendous photographers whose cameras are set to record just JPEGs, and they will never change. I am envious because they spend less time in front of the computer. Shooting raw is worth learning, but maybe there's also a good reason to shun it.
The art of creating an appealing and memorable, moody portrait is often in the post-production of that image as much as it is in the lighting. In this short video, you get some tricks for getting the most out of your shot when you're creating a moody edit.
Lights and specialty modifiers can be quite expensive, and filling out your collection can be a major hit to your wallet. However, one of the most versatile modifiers and a favorite of many studio photographers is also one of the cheapest. The humble v-flat is tremendously useful, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to use them to create eye-catching light.
Many photographers would love to sell prints from their website but holding stock is expensive, shipping can be complicated, and buying a quality print can be a significant investment of money and wallspace that won't appeal to a large chunk of your audience. Why not sell postcards instead?
Formula 1 photography requires some specialist gear, and the equipment used during post-production by this seasoned professional is fascinating, allowing him to deliver images as quickly and efficiently as possible.
As portrait photographers, we dream of great models, great light, and a great location. Well, this shoot quite comfortably has all three in abundance and required a helicopter to get there.
Photoshop is a very complex and intricate program, and it can feel a bit overwhelming when you are new to photography and just starting to learn how to use it. If you are new to the program and wondering how to get started, check out this excellent video tutorial that will get you on the right track in no time.
Somewhere between Allen Funt and season 245 of Survivor, reality television has become the most popular genre of television. We’ve seen a handful of photography-centered shows, but not nearly enough. Frankly, even I got tired of watching the drama of America’s Next Top Model just so I could watch 10 minutes of photography. Thanks to Rankin and the BBC, we’ve been giving something much better.
As an educator working in the college sector, I find this topic incredibly interesting. There is so much information out there that we can digest. So, what's the way forward?
Making money from photography is becoming increasingly more difficult. Quite by chance, I have stumbled upon a system of selling my images that has proven far more effective than anything else I've done. This is how I do it.
Models and photographers who shoot nude or implied images have every right to do so, but this industry is full of some bad people with bad intentions. Here are some tips on how to stay safe.
If you have ever struggled to color grade your videos to look more like your favorite Hollywood blockbuster movies. Then you will definitely want to check out this color grading tutorial in DaVinci Resolve 17. The best part is you can download DaVinci Resolve for free, so let’s get started.
Composition is a tricky thing when it comes to landscape photography, where even subtle variations can make or break a photo. If you have been struggling with your compositions lately, check out this great video tutorial that will give you five unusual tips that will help you improve your landscape photos.
There is no denying the fact that climate change is a real event happening as you read this. Combating climate change is a monstrous task, however, some say that climate change shouldn’t be combatted. They say the Earth should be healed instead.
Lightroom recently added some new tools for color grading, and there are now multiple ways to warm up the highlights, add a cinematic touch to the shadows, and more. This excellent video tutorial will show you two different ways to selectively color grade your photos in Lightroom.
Photoshop’s newest version introduced a head-scratching change to one of the essential functions of Photoshop: if you’re used to easily saving a quick JPEG or having your choice of file formats, the latest update has changed things for the worse. Fortunately, there’s a quick and easy way to get things back to normal, and it uses one of the best workflow-enhancing parts of Photoshop.
Trade for Print or TFP shoots are shoots where the photographer doesn’t pay the model and the model doesn’t pay the photographer. They are a great tool for when models and photographers are starting out or when they don’t have a budget. Here are some tips for how to make them successful.
Cara Delevingne has joined the crypto game and is selling an NFT all about her vagina. The successful model and actor is auctioning a video in which she appears to be naked.
GuruShots is a photography site that hosts "The World’s Greatest Photo Game,” In their latest challenge, they invited participants to submit their best photos of "Mostly Black." I loved seeing the variety of images and mood this challenge set. There were thousands of entires and millions of votes but the winners of the challenge were decided. Check out the three winners as well as hundreds of top rated images below.
We have all seen the kind of incredible images that can be captured of sand dunes. In this video, we are given an informative look behind the scenes with renowned landscape photographer Michael Shainblum, as he makes the trek out through the dunes in Death Valley National Park. Don't miss out on this exciting look into his creative process.
If you want to make money as a photographer, one of the most important aspects of your business is your website. It is where most of your clients will first see your work and how they will contact you to hire you. Is yours doing its job properly? This great video discusses what clients look for in a website and what you can do to make yours better.
If winter is the season of monochrome, spring is the season of color. Spring, following a season of coma-like dormancy, reminds us that we inhabit a miraculous living organism. We are reminded that our planet is a colorful one. Absence, indeed, makes the heart grow fonder.
