Standing out on social media is no small task anymore. If you're looking to get ahead on Instagram, this could help set you apart and attract eyes during the relentless scrolling.
Advice on how to improve at photography is always welcome, but even more so at the moment as we suffer through a pandemic that is affecting all of our creativity and motivation. Here are three simple ways to improve your photography.
Nebulous cities, misty forests, and magic sunrays make a perfect subject for photography in the cold winter. Here, I share some tips and ideas for shooting mist and fog.
Sometimes photos are called high key or low key. I never thought much about it and just made the photos I liked, regardless of what it could be called. But when is it correct to name a photo high key or low key? Let’s find out.
Of all the cosmetic imperfections you might be asked to retouch, one of the most common by far is dark circles under the eyes. This great video tutorial will show you how to easily and convincingly remove them using Photoshop, and it will only take a minute to learn how.
Whether you're wistful for the good old days, or want to recreate an analogue feel in your digital photos, this Lightroom technique will help you adorn your photos with that vintage feel.
When a storm hits it is time to grab your camera and get out shooting because the light and dynamics of the weather are phenomenal!
Learn how to remove chromatic aberration (color fringing) manually in Lightroom Classic for the most accurate results.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but being a professional photographer is not always as amazing as you may think. Here's why choosing something else as a profession may actually be a better option.
Levels is a popular tool in Adobe Photoshop and one many use or at the very least are aware of. But what if it's not the right choice after all.
Have you ever found yourself wondering where the passionate photographer in you has gone?
Golden hour, that time around sunrise and sunset that gives a warming orange glow, is often purported as the best time of the day for photography. But most of those people don't know the magic of the blue moment.
You might think that Photoshop is the place for serious color grading work, but Lightroom can accomplish quite a bit, particularly with its new, upgraded color tools. This great video tutorial will show you a variety of tips and techniques for color grading images using Lightroom.
Does your autofocus hunt in low light? Can you not get focus on the stars during astrophotography? Well, here's a technique that will give you sharp shots every time no matter how dark it is.
ISO is one of the three fundamental exposure parameters and something you need to have mastered to take successful photos. If you are new to photography and still working on learning the basics, this great video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about ISO.
It's what a tilt-shift lens was born to do. Learn how to straighten up your leaning buildings with this simple technique and never have a parallax problem again.
Flash can be an excellent tool to freeze motion, especially when you are working in the studio or do not have extreme amounts of available light for using ultra-fast shutter speeds. But you can get even more creative results by mixing the freezing power of a flash with a long exposure that captures motion, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how it is done.
Landscape photography is unique in that you can't move the elements of your frame to adjust the composition, and as such, it can be easy to fall into the trap of making your photos too busy without even realizing it. This excellent video tutorial will show you five signs that your landscape photos may be too busy.
Most of us edit in Lightroom using the numerous sliders, and while those are perfectly fine the vast majority of the time, a tool that contains the power of many sliders all in one is hiding in plain sight: the tone curve. If you have not used it before, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to use it for everything from adding contrast to color grading.
Use your next five minutes effectively and learn how to create faded, filmic photo edits with nothing more than a few tweaks in Lightroom.
Even if you are not a landscape photographer, it can be a fantastic genre to engage in casually simply for the joy of it. If you have been feeling stressed lately, check out why you might want to grab your camera and go for a hike.
In this video tutorial, watch as Dean Samed shows you how to create shadows in Photoshop by showing you three tips and mistakes to avoid.
In this video tutorial watch as I show you how to turn skin pale and hair gray in Photoshop. I have used these two techniques on many images now, and this way is far more adaptable than simply using a desaturate filter.
Unfortunately, photography is very a much a case of who you know. You could be the best photographer in the world, but if no one knows you, it won't get you very far.
Composition is one of the trickier parts of landscape photography, and it helps to have a variety of tips and ideas ready to go when you are out in the field. This helpful video tutorial will give you a wide variety of compositional ideas to improve your landscape photography.
Portraiture doesn't require complicated, multi-light setups to pull off beautiful and striking images. Here are four one-light setups you can learn in ten minutes.
For the past several years, I have done this one thing at the end of the year, and it has been responsible for my improvement more than anything else.
2020 was quite the year, starting relatively normal and then spiraling quickly out of control as few have seen before. Plans were shredded, and normal daily life was abruptly changed like a cold bucket of water to the face.
At first glance, the vibrance and saturation sliders might seem like they do the same thing, and while they do operate in similar manners, they are fundamentally different in their functions. This excellent video tutorial will show you the difference between the two so you can take better control of the color in your images.
In this video tutorial, watch as Abbey Esparza shows you all about Smart Objects in Photoshop and why you need to use them. This is definitely a good tutorial for those who still work destructively.
In this video tutorial, watch as Dean Samed shows you how the top three hacks for cutting out hair in Photoshop. Each one is a great way to get those tricky hair cutouts mastered.
Photo edits can often become very complicated, time-intensive things, but they don't always have to be. This great video discusses the common trap of being overly complicated in your image editing.
Lighting equipment can quickly add up in cost, but you do not always need top-level equipment and multi-light setups with esoteric modifiers to get great results. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to get professional portraits using nothing more than a simple speedlight and an umbrella.
So much of photography is about capturing a moment, a place, a person, a glance, a tiny slice of history that is impossible to recreate. When we've only got one shot, we want to make sure we get it right. In this series, we’re examining 11 things that can lead to a loss of image sharpness, what causes them, how to recognize them, and what to do about them!
The way you edit your work can be the difference between a good and a great image. Master these five creative tips to take your photography to the next level.
The look of natural sunlight streaming through a window is a classic and a great way to create both mood and visual interest in a shot. However, a window with sunlight streaming through it is not always available to us. This great video tutorial will show you how to recreate the look using cheap mirrors.
Photographing the night sky can be very frustrating if there is a lot of light pollution. That is when a light pollution filter may come in handy. I reviewed the Haida Clear Night filter for the Haida M10 filter system.
Growing as a photographer is a tricky thing, as it takes continual development and mastery of numerous technical skills along with simultaneously growing as a creative and finding your voice. If that is something you are struggling with, this excellent video essay discusses five mistakes you might be making that could be holding you back.
We all hear photographers lamenting about how great things were in the film days before just anyone could easily buy a camera and take a good photo, but are the golden days of this profession really behind us?
Tis the season to not only reflect on your photographic year just passed, but also to do some planning for the future.
It takes the mastery of a lot of different skills and techniques to produce a proficient landscape photograph, and it can take a long time to get them all down. This excellent video will help you get there faster, however, with seven great tips to improve your landscape photography.
In this video tutorial watch as Abbey Esparza shows you how to create a digital face paint effect in Photoshop. There are many ways to do this, but this is one way I have not come across before.
A winter frost can give the most amazing nature photos, from dewy spider webs to seemingly diamond-encrusted berries. Find out how to capture those frosty shots with this method that can help you get great shots every time.
The histogram can be one of the most useful tools at a photographer's disposal for dialing in the correct exposure and taking greater control of your edits. If you are unfamiliar with how a histogram works, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you both what a histogram is and how to use it to create better edits of your images.
What are the things that hinder you from being a better landscape photographer?
Adobe made a significant update to your ability to tweak colors in the recent version of Lightroom by swapping out Split Toning for Color Grading. Here are five things buried in the interface that you might want to learn about.
There are a ton of different lighting modifiers out there, and as a photographer, you can very quickly end up spending a lot of money building a library of different tools for specific looks and purposes. However, you might be surprised by just how much you can accomplish with the humble and affordable umbrella, and this excellent video tutorial will teach you how to get professional results when using them.
Bad weather can be a pain to work in, but it can also yield powerful and unique images. Before you head out, though, there are a few things worth considering to make sure you can protect your equipment from the elements. This great video discusses both why you should consider photographing in bad weather and how to do it.
Lighting and taking the shot is only half of what it takes to produce a great beauty portrait. The retouching also has to be spot on for the photo to be successful. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to retouch a beauty portrait from start to finish using Photoshop.
Minimalist photography is the type of work that sits quietly on your wall and catches your attention from time to time. However, it doesn't necessarily need to be monochrome, as is shown in this video.
