When it comes to making your editing workflow as efficient as possible, customization is key. Photoshop is great but doesn't allow for very advanced workspaces with custom scripts and actions. That's until you start using the Retouching Toolkit 3.0.
I bet that you think that you are pretty good at composing your photos. You’ve been shooting for years, won some awards, nice client list. You got that part figured out. Guess what? Not only are you not “all that” but you really need to work on it. How am I so sure? Check this out.
The elusive v-flat. Once you know what a v-flat is, the next question is always: “where do I get them?” For years, photographers were sent on scavenger hunts looking for 4X8’ sheets of foam, sheets so large, truck rental was required. They were anything but portable. Until now.
It doesn't matter how long you have been a photographer, I guarantee that some of your images will suck. Question is, do you really know why they do?
In many, many genres, you'll often take a shot that's great save for a rather bland sky. When that happens, you can turn to a sky replacement in Photoshop. This great video will show you everything you need to know to make it convincing.
Earlier this year, I released an in-depth tutorial on product photography with Fstoppers called "The Hero Shot: How to Light and Composite Product Photography." As I started publishing images from this tutorial on Instagram, I found it extremely interesting that the most liked image was the cordless drill. It was the most simple image that I created for the series, and I used very basic inexpensive continuous lighting to create it. So, if I were to have photographed this drill using strobes instead of continuous light, would you have been able to tell the difference? I’ll...
Would you consider a pocket-sized smoke machine as an additional piece of equipment? Take a look at our review of MicroFogger, a portable fun gadget that creates smoke on the go!
Whether you photograph weddings, portraits, or something else, a lot of the people you'll shoot will benefit from having their teeth whitened a bit. This great tutorial will show you how to easily and convincingly do that using Photoshop.
It’s ironic, really. Instagram is the world’s largest social photo platform, yet photographers are constantly subjected to their photos being posted and re-grammed without a credit or tag in sight. Here’s why.
Lenses are primordial, yet many photographers tend to attach mediocre entry-level zoom glasses on their camera when there are plenty of affordable quality lenses on the market. Here is a personal selection of some of the best optics that can be found under $300.
I recently wrote an article asking photographers to stop tagging locations of outdoor photographs. Here's a follow-up to that piece, with a great supplemental video from Vox.
When it comes to liquify, less is usually best. Unless you have a model or client who specifically asks for heavy shaping, chances are you are going to have an unhappy client if this tool is overly used.
Photographers, artists, and Instagrammers. A common theme unites all: the use of a camera. But there's also a significant mindset and philosophy, in my opinion, that separates the three.
Here is the why and how I recommend you photograph the sky.
Storage management is a common issue shared by many photographers due to the constant increase of the megapixel counts in our cameras. Here is a detailed guide about the storage options and how to make the right choice based on your photo-video needs.
Don't worry this hack won't invalidate the warranty on your phone and takes minimal technical skill to do. The end result is a dramatic change in how you and the camera see the world.
If you are beginning your journey in photography, mastering the basics of the exposure triangle is one of the best places to start. Here is an excellent illustration of how understanding your camera can help you produce better images.
It's tempting to go from one thing to the next, whether it is a piece of gear or a method of shooting, but have you tried mastering one of them without losing your interest at the first hurdle?
Culling a large set of raw photos can take a particularly long time as you wait for Lightroom to render previews for all the images, but luckily, there's a faster way to do it. This quick video will introduce you to programs dedicated to exactly this task.
In a genre composed of so many different disciplines, there are a couple truths that cross all boundaries.
There are various reasons why the golden hours are the best times of day to shoot. But to just dismiss regular daylight hours out of hand is just silly. Because daylight can be beautiful too.
Think about some of your favorite and most successful photographers: what do they all have in common? This excellent video explores the traits of great photographers and what makes them who they are.
Editing your images can be a love/hate relationship depending on how you feel about post production. Getting tied down in your workflow can be a result of not having the right displays and shortcuts for better visualization of the final result. A few key tricks will lay out your most used tools and displays to get you in and out of Photoshop.
Most people think of Photoshop as the place where serious editing takes place, but you might be surprised by just how much you can get done using only Lightroom. This great video will show you how to use one of Lightroom's most useful tools, the graduated filter.
Are you looking for a way to add more excitement to your food photography? Well, have you tried making your food float or even go for that exploded-view of the dish coming together or apart in the frame?
When you're new to photography, one of the easiest things to overlook is how working distance affects the final look of your images. This great video will show you how to think about this when you're shooting portraits.
We're heading into the realm of storybook fantasy with this week's Lighting Breakdown that blends natural and artificial light.
I was recently involved in a conversation via Facebook that centered around new camera gear and becoming a better photographer. The saying generally goes: “It’s not about the camera gear at all.” While I generally agree with this way of thinking, it’s not always accurate.
SSL has become the preferred way for all sites to be displayed as opposed to only being used for shopping carts and pages where you would enter personal data. For some time, there's been a transition from http to https, and it was a choice mostly based on the intended activities of your website viewers.
Most people reading this article, going to workshops, and watching YouTube content want to improve their landscape photography. It is the question I get asked the most, and there are many answers and solutions to this. But without doubt, the most important part, but often the hardest, is actually being in the right place at the right time.
With news of Nikon and Canon finally entering the full-frame mirrorless market, there have been endless discussions regarding stats and expectations. Don't let yourself get lost in all the gear talk, and remember that you don't need something new to make incredible photos.
Some artists think better standing on their head. Personally, I produce better edits when I turn photographs upside down.
Raising your prices will not only keep your bank manager happy, but it will also help to accelerate your career. Time to add a few more zeros to your next photography invoice.
Do you want powerful black and white images that really create the mood you're looking for, but haven't quite found the best way to get them yet? In this tutorial I'll show you three ways you might not have seen before and the best thing is, they're simple, fast, and effective.
Dark bags under your subject’s eyes is a common issue that is usually unattractive and can ruin your client’s perception of an otherwise great picture. Here is the best way to remove these bags in Photoshop.
When photographing commercial interior images, a common issue is an unsightly glare on reflective surfaces. Removing these reflections by compositing image layers significantly improves your images, separating you from the pack of "run-and-gun" real estate and interior photographers.
What does it mean for a photograph to tell a story? We usually think of street photography or portraiture as the best mediums for communicating emotions, but landscapes can tell a story too.
One of the most important aspects of virtually any image is contrast. However, contrast is not just a single, global property of an image; it has many different forms and usages. This helpful video will show you how to master each of them to create compelling images.
If you're working with video, you sure know how much time can go into getting each edit just right — time that adds up very quickly. This helpful video will show you five in-camera tricks to get the transition or effect right while filming, cutting down on your post-processing work.
Beauty can be a lot of fun to shoot and it’s fun to find different ways to light a face in a flattering way. We might not be perfect in real life, but on camera? On camera we can be as perfect as the lighting setup and editing allows us to be! Magic? No. We still need gorgeous models but a great setup certainly helps.
Do you feel frustrated when the weather doesn't cooperate for your landscape shoots? Check out this video on how to make the most of bad lighting to create beautiful long exposure photographs.
Given the choice to bring one accessory when shooting landscapes, it absolutely needs to be a circular polarizer and this is why.
One great way to give your landscape photos a different look is to create a long exposure that results is wispy, flowing clouds that gracefully stretch across the frame. This helpful tutorial will show you two methods for doing just that.
Most photographers are familiar with using a neutral density filter to create dreamy, long exposure photographs, but should you use a neutral density filter when shooting time-lapses too? In today's video, I explore why using a 10-stop ND filter might be perfect for more than just still photography.
When photographing interiors, flash is your friend, but a friend who needs some management. While flash brightens rooms, reduces glare, and brings out true colors, it can also produce the frustrating issue of ugly shadows.
You've spent all the time outside late at night, photographing the stars, and now, you have these images with all the potential and you're about to process them. Before you simply dive into any normal routine for processing astrophotography shots, you'll want to check out this new tutorial by Milky Way Mike concerning how to use the Dust and Scratches tool to improve these shots.
Whether you're working in a studio with a bunch of lights or outdoors with natural light, the eyes are probably one of the most important features that can make or break any portrait. This helpful tutorial will show you how to add catchlights and make the eyes shine.
You might think that for more involved and nuanced edits, you have to head over to Photoshop. And while you can certainly accomplish more there, you might be surprised by just how much you can get done using Lightroom alone, and this great video will show you how.
Back in March, I got an email saying that my website had been taken down due to malware. Essentially, I got hacked. In the months that followed, I learned some things about being a photographer, about web design, and about myself.
A recent anonymous social media post is being spread like wildfire all over many photography groups and pages. In it, a woman claims she has had all of her accounts frozen, has a lien on her home, is being held liable for over $45,000 in delinquent taxes, and might possibly be banned from doing business in her county, because for five years, she has failed to report income she has made from photography.
