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Six Portrait Photography Tips for Beginners

Portrait photography is by far one of the most popular genres of photography, and it comes with its own sets of challenges and things you should keep in mind. If you're new to portrait work, this great video will give you six helpful tips and tricks.

Stall Your Viewer by Leading Their Eye Through the Landscape

How long do you spend looking at an image on Facebook versus an art gallery? The duration we spend admiring someone’s work depends on the context, but to what extent can you stall viewers on your own landscape photography?

You Will Never Feel Ready to Take the Next Step

One of the lies we tell ourselves when presented with a challenge — an opportunity to stride forward — is that we aren't ready or aren't prepared enough. Well, you never will be.

Easy Ways to Use Backlighting in Studio Photography

Of the many lighting techniques available to us as portrait photographers, using backlight with a simple reflector is one of the most versatile and least expensive methods you can choose. This method is widely used outdoors, but did you know that you can apply the same strategy to studio portraits?

How to Take Photos of Strangers When Traveling

Approaching strangers whether in your own community or from a foreign culture is one of the more difficult skills even veteran photographers often struggle with.

Blow Your Photos Away: The Best Fans for Glamour Portraits

At some time, if you’re shooting glamour photos, you are going to need to perfect the blowing hair technique. This type of shot is inexpensive and fun, but does take a little more talent than merely throwing a fan in front of your model. This excellent video shows you the different fans and techniques that can be used to give your model that windblown look.

Retouching When Time Is Short

Sometimes, you find yourself in a bind and need to get some work done quickly without spending your usual amount of time retouching. Check out this video for some techniques to get things done if you find yourself in a bind.

Zion National Park Is Changing the Rules Again for 2019

Zion National Park caused an uproar among photographers in January of this year when it came to light that photography workshops operating within the park were restricted to using tripods in paved areas and pullouts only. Within two weeks of that initial response Zion had reversed a part of those restrictions. With 2019 fast approaching, there're even more changes coming for photography workshops and their participants.

Stop Buying Cheap Photography Equipment, Buy Value

We’ve all heard the saying "buy cheap, buy twice," but does this mean that we should only buy the more expensive equipment? I'm sure we've all purchased some equipment at some time and ended up wishing we had paid a little more for a better piece of equipment. To me, the word 'cheap' should never be used to describe photography equipment.

How to Spend Money Wisely as a Photographer

With 2018 being the year of mirrorless, it is tempting for many of us to fall into the trap of trying to spend our way to good photography rather than using our own talents. And while having appropriate gear is essential to the trade, it’s equally important to think twice before sacrificing your business for the latest trends.

Choosing a Lens for Storytelling in Photography

We often spend time choosing a lens for its technical qualities but there’s something more important. The sharpest lens in the world isn’t going to save you if you can’t convey something to your viewer with it.

Go Behind the Scenes of a Beauty Test Shoot

For a photographer to continually grow and shape their portfolios, a test shoot is the most ideal way of creating a style. Test shoots ought to happen at every stage of your career if you want to grow, and find new challenges. For those wanting to enter the commercial arena for photography, get into the habit of testing.

Shooting Family Photos in a Wedding

Family photos in a wedding can at times be boring for a photographer, as all the action happens around the bride and the groom. But let us not forget the significance of family photos and why it is important to have them captured right. In this video, Vanessa Joy shares her advice on shooting families in weddings.

Here’s What Not to Put in Your Portfolio

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.

Wedding Photography and Finding Your Niche

The wedding photography industry can be described in one way: over-saturated. With this in mind, it can be an overwhelming and discouraging thought to stick out from the crowd. However, creating a niche for yourself is a surefire way to get seen by more clients.

The Top 10 Film Scores of All Time

Look at any great movie, and almost always, there will be a great score accompanying it. This interesting video takes a look at 10 of the best film scores of all time.

How to Get That Perfect Blend in Composites

Composites are one of the best ways to give your image a whole new look and feel. It can take something from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Understanding how to create these images to stack in a realistic way is all about understanding how to blend your subject seamlessly.

Bring Your Still Life Photography to the Next Level With Gels

Colors are very important in a composition and should be considered at the moment of capture. When shooting in still life, for example, gels can bring a good shot to the next level as Dustin Dolby from Workphlo shows us in this video.

A Quick Beginner's Guide to Crop Versus Full-Frame Cameras

When you're first starting out in photography, you might hear about "crop" and "full-frame" cameras and wonder what the differences and advantages and disadvantages of each are. This quick and helpful video will tell you what you need to know in just two minutes.

Five Helpful Camera Tips for Beginner Photographers

When you're first starting out in photography, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to learn all the things that help you take better pictures and properly use and protect your equipment. This great video will give you five helpful tips to improve your images and make shooting easier.

A Simple Home Studio Setup for YouTube

If you have ever found yourself wondering about basic home studio setups for your YouTube channel, look no further. In this crash course video for a home setup, we'll take a look at the fundamentals to get you up and running.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (August 2018): Saulius Kerikas

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2018, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

Why Successful Photos Are Alluring, but Teach Us Nothing

When you set aside time to learn as a photographer, how do you spend that time? Do you peruse your portfolio or browse through a respected photographer’s portfolio to break down why some photos “worked”? You may fall prey to a cognitive bias called Survivorship Bias.

Why Do You Care if Anyone Likes Your Photography?

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?

Photographing for Advertising Campaigns: An Interview With Clay Cook

Fashion and Editorial Photographer Clay Cook recently partnered with Stash, a mobile investment app, to photograph Instagram personality Baddie Winkle for a retirement themed campaign. I had the opportunity to pull up with Cook to discuss the shoot as well as learn more about how he approaches his business and brand.

Just How Useless Is Exposure Compensation?

The exposure compensation dial. What's it for, exactly? And who on earth uses this completely useless knob that's taking up precious space on top of so many camera bodies?

How to Make More Powerful Photographs

One of the most difficult parts of any art is learning to express the things you feel through the medium you are working with. Today we’ll look at one way of approaching this in photography.

How to Make Your GoPro Footage Look Awesome

GoPro cameras are some of the most versatile cameras on the market. The super compact size and lightweight design make them ideal for a lot of creative uses. Not to mention their durability and water resistance. This makes them ideal for those strange and somewhat crazy angles.

The Five Pillars of Photography Business Success

Once you’ve had a measure of success in your business, the next step is to figure out how to sustain it. This video shares what areas to continue to focus on to avoid failure in our industry.

How to Climb Out of a Creative Rut

If you’ve done photography professionally for any amount of time, you’ve probably found yourself succumbing to the daily grind of the job, and in turn, it becomes an obligation. If this is you and you’ve found yourself in a creative rut, here are a few ways to climb your way out.

How to Be a Resourceful Filmmaker and Get B-Roll That Can Sell

One surprise people new to videography are in for is just how much footage you need for today's standard of ordinary video. As a result, getting B-roll and clips for transitions is crucial. Here's how to be more resourceful when you're out with your camera.

Understanding Shutter Speed and Its Effects on an Image

Branching out from your camera’s auto mode and controlling its shutter speed will change everything about your photography, from preventing blurry photos to understanding how to create motion effects. This video explains how to do this in a creative way.

A Common but Easily Fixed Mistake in Portrait Photography

When you're taking portraits, you have a lot to think about: exposure, composition, subject expression, and more. As such, it's easy to overlook something. This great video is a quick reminder to avoid this common mistake.

How to Light Overhead Portraits

Adorama TV is always bringing easy-to-understand tips and tricks to photographers with a plethora of education and tutorials. In the video, Gavin Hoey shows us how to adjust our lighting to where we are shooting our subject.

Expert Tips on Photographing Lightning

Have you ever seen those epic lightning photos from people who happen to capture those electric bursts and wanted to go capture your own versions of such photos? Well, lucky for you, Hank Schyma has put together some absolutely fantastic tips for how to do just that.