Tips for Designing Your Photography Website
Today, we’re talking websites. What are the dos and what are the don’ts?
Today, we’re talking websites. What are the dos and what are the don’ts?
Thinking about turning your hobby into a jobby? What are the essential points you will need to consider when taking your hard-earned savings and convincing your better half that this will be the new, next chapter in your life? With over 15 years as a professional photographer and more than 25 years being self-employed, here’s what you need to know to make your dream a reality.
When it comes to landscape photography, we talk a lot about how to make photos "pop," but there is a fine line between a photo that pops and one that is gaudy. This great video tutorial will show you a simple and straightforward technique for adding a bit of pop to a landscape photo in a tasteful but effective manner.
This is the video I've been waiting for! SEO is the bane of my life. If I'm being honest, I don't really understand it. Being 48 and a photographer for almost 16 years, I have a good knowledge of my job-related skills and what it means to be able to capture a great photograph. However, I, as I suspect like a lot of photographers, know just enough about social media, websites, and SEO to be dangerous. This video outlines what it takes to get to the top of Google in 2023 and where to go to get more information about the subject.
Can you shoot exclusively in JPEG as a professional photographer? Check out our interview with award winning wedding and portrait photographer Scott Robert Lim, as he explains why he's been shooting only in JPEG for over 23 years.
If part of your business is capturing headshots, then this is for you. Even if you're thinking of adding it to your portfolio, it's worth checking these essential tips and tricks as, if you're a commercial photographer, you can up your customer's average spend by offering this essential service.
The rule of thirds is the first thing that is taught about composition in photography. It seems to have some similarities with the golden ratio, but in reality, it’s something completely different. Let’s have a closer look at the history of these so-called rules to get a better understanding.
We can sometimes be a bit narrow-minded about what it means to be a professional photographer, but there are actually many great ways to make money with your camera. If you would like to get started, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you 33 different ways you can get paid for your photography.
When it comes to portrait photography, the softbox is one of the most fundamental and versatile tools you can have in your kit. If you are new to working with artificial lighting, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to properly place a softbox to get the best results.
While browsing through various photo-sharing platforms, you might get the impression that everything has already been photographed. After all, millions of photos get uploaded each day to Instagram alone. But if you take a closer look, you'll see a lot of repetition. Many photos show the same places, the same compositions, and often similar light and editing. Even today, it's possible to discover new photo spots. In this article, I show you my favorite way to do so.
After shooting more sunsets than I can count along the Pacific coast, I've experienced many different conditions and learned a plethora of valuable lessons. These are the most important tips I found throughout that journey that will help you the next time you're shooting along the coast.
Modern cameras can handle low light quite impressively, but high ISOs will still introduce some noise into your images. So, what can you do when that happens? This excellent video tutorial will show you how to process high-ISO images in Lightroom to reduce the appearance of noise while still maintaining sharp results with plenty of detail.
In part three of this series, we will discuss tips 11 through 15. These are steps you can take today to grow your photography business. If you missed the previous articles, you can read part one here, and part two here.
Sometimes, we try hard to find a composition, but sometimes, we get distracted by too many, and it gets hard to choose the best one. At home then, we have often to accept that all our images are just average. How can we avoid situations like that and come home with a masterpiece instead?
Sometimes it is difficult for me to look back at the photographs I created early in my career. The shots are all technically strong, but there is something missing. That missing element can be defined as vision. In this article, I will detail my journey in understanding the need to incorporate this crucial element into my art.
Millions of people wear glasses, and that can be a real difficulty for portrait photographers, as they tend to pick up a fair amount of glare that can distract from or entirely obscure the most important part of a portrait, the eyes. Removing such glare can be a bit tricky both on set or in post, but this excellent video tutorial will show you the technique a Photoshop pro uses to get rid of it and restore the subject's eyes.
The website is the calling card for most photographers nowadays, and as such, it is crucially important that you put a lot of careful thought into the design and organization of yours. If you need some help getting yours into top shape, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will guide you through the process of creating an effectively and compellingly organized image portfolio site.
Following on from my article about the seven elements of art and how they can perfect your photography, I thought I would share a summary of the principles of art. Knowing how they work can make all the difference to how well your compositions work.
Retouching photos is as much an art as a skill, and portrait photographers must understand the proper way to retouch images, even if they prefer to have a retoucher do this work for them. Although there are a variety of ways to retouch an image, using frequency separation is the most common method and is considered one of the best. In this article and the accompanying video, I detail the process I use to retouch my headshots and portrait work.
If you like shooting your muse in a night-like environment, you might run into some difficulties. With flash, it is also possible to create the night during daylight. This way, it becomes much easier to shoot your muse, without all the difficulties you encounter while shooting in the dark. On top of that, it isn’t difficult at all.
The overall layout and the placement of subjects within the frame can make or break your photographs. You may know the rule of thirds and the golden section, but composition goes way beyond that, and most of it is about simple geometry.
Three-dimensional "pop" is a sort of nebulous thing that portrait photographers often chase in certain lenses, as it can take an inherently two-dimensional representation of a person and make it feel more lifelike. You can also contribute to the effect through your editing, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to do it through some clever though not difficult use of Photoshop.
In one of the most eastern part of Russian Arctic, there lies a deserted island in which polar bears have taken over. Russian photographer Dmitry Kokh has recently released a bunch of beautiful images that show the animals roaming free among the town’s buildings.
Landscape photography is a challenging genre, requiring good technique, creativity, processing skills, planning, and often, just a bit of luck. If you are looking to improve your landscape images, this helpful video tutorial will show you the five-step process a seasoned photographer uses in order to consistently create compelling shots.
Five years ago, I made a video about creating time-lapses solely in Lightroom Classic using the Slideshow Module. It was an experiment in pushing the boundaries of what Lightroom could feasibly do, and over the years it has garnered over 175K views, which was completely unintentional, but a very welcome surprise.
Landscape photography is defined by the unpredictability of nature and for many of us, we don't have the luxury of multiple attempts to get the conditions we seek. Over the years I've come up with a few things you can do, when conditions don't cooperate, to walk away with unique images.
It doesn't matter what kind of photographer you are, chances are your images will benefit from being edited in some way. If you are serious about your pictures looking their best, these six key Photoshop techniques are well worth mastering.
Hailed as one of the world's greatest portrait photographers, Platon has captured the likings of world leaders, actors, musicians, and human rights victims. What does it take to capture the world’s most recognizable images? I spoke to Platon himself to find out.
One of the most recognizable aspects of any visual artist's style is their color grading, and it is a fantastic way to really level up your own work. If there is a painting, movie, photo, or some other visual piece that you really love the color grading of, this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to copy it directly to one of your own photos using Photoshop.
Astrophotography is one of the most rewarding but complex genres of photography. There are a lot of steps that go into creating a great image of the night sky and Milky Way, and what better way to learn than to watch somebody do it from start to finish.
Lightroom is often more powerful and capable than it appears on the surface, and one such example of that is the Targeted Adjustment Tool, which can make your workflow a lot more efficient and precise adjustments far more efficient. This helpful video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of the Targeted Adjustment Tool and why it is so useful for a range of applications.
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!
Perfecting skin in portraits is one of the hardest edits to do well, as it involves an interplay between removing unwanted blemishes and retaining skin texture. That's why in this tutorial, I'll show you how to make simple, well-balanced edits using Lightroom.
The FAA has some new regulations you have to follow as a drone pilot, regardless of whether you're just flying recreationally, or even if you already hold the Part 107 certification. Fortunately, compliance is free and easy, and you can do it right now.
With the rise in photographers choosing film over digital, large format film cameras are becoming more sought after. But can this look be recreated with a digital camera? Here’s how one photographer did it.
Whereas things like camera settings and lighting can be quantified and thus committed to memory in a straightforward manner, posing and directing a subject is a bit more nebulous and often gives photographers a fair amount of trouble. Peter Hurley is well known as a master of directing and posing, and in this excellent video tutorial, he shares some of his best advice that is sure to improve your own work.
Do you want to become a better wildlife photographer but you aren’t sure where to start? Here are five tips to help you create beautiful animal photographs no matter your skill level.
Passive income, the Holy Grail of personal finances. Who wouldn’t want to make money from all those old photos without having to lift a finger? With that in mind, I’m going to share with you my own experiences as a casual photographer selling my existing back catalog of digital photos online. It’s been an interesting experience to say the least and I even made a little money.
Posing is something a lot of us struggle with, and it can be twice as hard when there are two people involved. If you have trouble posing couples, this fantastic video tutorial will show you 10 great poses to add to your playbook.
Whereas most landscape photos involve vast, sweeping scenes, woodland photography is an interesting change of pace that challenges you to create compelling imagery in densely packed spaces full of competing elements. This excellent video discusses the challenges of woodland photography and offers some helpful tips for creating better compositions.
One of the most difficult aspects of photography is knowing how to actually find a good picture so you can take it. How do you know when one is in front of you? This insightful video tutorial discusses how to see good photos before you take them.
One of the most hated aspects of editing in Photoshop is making selections for masks, composites, and localized edits. The more difficult the selection, the more disliked it is, but there may be an easier way you aren't using.
If you study the work of professional portrait photographers, you will probably notice a lot of them use rather complex multi-light setups, but you will also find plenty of fantastic images created with only a single light. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to create eye-catching portraits using no more than a single light.
Often, the process of shooting is only half of what it takes to create a good landscape photograph. The edit is where you bring the image to life and add your personal touch. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to use the adjustment brushes in Lightroom to sculpt the light in your photos and create dynamic, eye-catching images.
For all its tremendous complexity and variety of features, perhaps no aspect of Photoshop is more important than layers. If you are new to the program, this excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about layers, including what they are, why they are so useful, and how to employ them in your work.
One thing, which is always absolutely essential to nail in photography, is the focus. There are several approaches to focusing in landscape photography and in this article, I will pros and cons of MF, AF, and BBF.
There has been a concept in self-improvement that has been quietly growing for me, but one book I read in 2020 caused the eruption of the idea, and it has changed the way I approach photography, as well as every other area of my life.
Targeting specific colors to change in Photoshop can be difficult, especially when you only want to affect particular areas or elements of the frame. Learn how to do it here with this really great method.
Ever pulled the images off your camera, zoomed in to 100%, and been a little disappointed with the results? Ever had a hard time figuring out what went wrong? In this series, we’re looking at 11 common causes of poor clarity and how to address each. With a little practice, you’ll be able to glance at an image and know how to fix it.
This lens is an essential part of my photography kit and one, which I would not go out into nature without. In this article, I want to show how you can master and get the most out of your 24-105mm zoom lens and hopefully inspire you to use it more in your landscape photography.