Using natural light effectively can make or break a shot, especially in outdoor portraiture where the light source and your subject’s position work together to create the image’s mood. Understanding how to position yourself and control lighting lets you create depth and definition without overwhelming your subject with artificial light.
Ensuring your images look the way you intend on any screen is a challenge you may not often think about, but it’s critical for presenting your work accurately. While you may put considerable effort into editing, adjusting colors, and fine-tuning contrast, the truth is, if your screen isn’t calibrated, your images may look entirely different to someone else.
Eyes are often the focal point of a portrait, and enhancing them can take your images to a new level. With a few creative Photoshop techniques, you can add captivating detail and depth to the eyes, making them stand out without looking overdone.
I've been seeing spotlights used in shoots everywhere, so I wanted to jump on the trend and put my own twist on a spotlight shoot. Here’s how my creative partner, David, and I created a theatrical portrait session using a spotlight.
Understanding how colors interact within an image can make a profound difference in how it’s perceived. Color adjustments can separate elements, guide the viewer’s focus, and even bring a certain “depth” to your photos.
Separation in an image can significantly change how viewers experience the photo. Whether you’re shooting portraits, landscapes, or intricate close-ups, using separation effectively can guide attention and set the mood.
The best thing about the internet is that there are so many sources of photography education out there. The worst thing about the internet is... that there are so many sources of photography education out there. So how do you sort facts from lies told so often that they’ve acquired the status of fact?
When shooting landscapes after sunset, colors often fade, leaving your image looking a little flat and lifeless. But with the right editing techniques, you can bring back some of that warm, vibrant glow, creating a visually compelling result.
Foggy mornings and moody atmospheres can add a surreal quality to your landscape shots, but capturing the perfect image isn’t always easy. Sometimes, you have to keep returning to the same spot, waiting for the right conditions. And when you’re determined to get that postcard-worthy shot, persistence becomes just as important as your technical skills.
Photographing forests isn’t always straightforward. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the dense trees, tangled branches, and layers of textures that can make it difficult to find a clear shot. The forest can seem chaotic, but with a few simple techniques, you can transform a seemingly complex scene into a captivating photograph.
Using masking techniques in Adobe Lightroom, you can guide the viewer’s eye and create a dynamic feel that makes a photo stand out. This tutorial dives into how to enhance depth and contrast in your images, transforming a flat-looking shot into one that feels alive and immersive.
Dodging and burning can transform an image, but traditional tools aren’t always the best route. Instead, using curves adjustment layers in Photoshop lets you refine highlights and shadows with control and flexibility, bringing out depth in your images. Here's how.
Photoshop 2025 brings several new features that make editing faster, more intuitive, and more powerful. These updates are geared towards giving you more control and flexibility, whether you’re working on intricate retouching or creative compositions.
Understanding how to control your camera settings can make a big difference in portrait photography. The right combination of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture helps you capture well-exposed, sharp images.
Editing autumn photos requires a mix of thoughtful adjustments and creative techniques. Sometimes, achieving those rich, warm tones can be tricky, but there’s a way to make it easier with a lesser-known profile setting that can instantly improve your images.
Autumn brings a palette of colors that transforms the landscape, making it an ideal time for capturing stunning, warm-toned photos. However, unpredictable weather and fleeting light can complicate your plans, so it’s essential to understand how to make the most of these conditions.
Christian Möhrle recently challenged seven pro photographers to edit the same raw photo and used it to create this video full of helpful editing tips.
Modifiers like softboxes and umbrellas serve as powerful tools for photographers to shape and control light. Whether they want to emulate natural window light with a touch of soft, diffused light or create an epic environmental portrait with darker exposures and higher flash powers, these tools provide portable and powerful means for photographers to bring their vision to life. In this article, we've gathered practical tips and techniques to help you effectively use softboxes and umbrellas to elevate the quality and mood of your wedding portraits.
For centuries, art was created in a physical form and limited to one original copy. If an artist wanted attribution, they could sign or carve their name into the artwork. No matter where the art traveled, the attribution traveled with it. Today, much of our work is shared digitally, where watermarks or crediting do not appear alongside the art. Widespread adoption of the new Content Credentials standard may give digital artists the recognition they deserve.
Landscape photography often gets caught up in gear, settings, and technical tips, but there's a deeper aspect that can easily be overlooked.
Do we even need a unique voice in our photography? Is having our own style really necessary? I have a few thoughts to share about this.
Every year, I compare the new iPhone to my professional camera, the Canon R5. Last year's iPhone 15 Pro had lackluster results, but I can confidently say this year's iPhone 16 Pro has much more to talk about, including a "secret" update that completely blew me away.
Let’s walk through the top seven mistakes (because, let’s be honest, ten is too many, and five just feels lazy). Here’s the thing: your website is your storefront. It’s how people find you, decide if they like your work, and, ideally, hire you. But if it’s buried in search results, slow to load, or difficult to navigate, you might as well be taking those gorgeous photos and tossing them into the digital void. Whether you’re wondering why your site isn’t showing up on Google or why potential clients aren’t booking after visiting, this list will help you turn things around.
Masking is one of the most powerful tools in photo editing, especially when you're looking to bring out specific areas or elements in your images. If you’re not already using masking in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw, you’re missing out on some of the most precise control you can have over your edits.
Is there a difference between a photograph and a picture? In my mind, yes! A picture is a snapshot documenting a person, place, thing, or moment without intention. A photograph is created with intention, process, and technique.
A photo can sometimes look flat or uninspiring, but with just a few tweaks, it can become vibrant and engaging. This video tutorial explores straightforward editing techniques in Lightroom Classic that can elevate your images without overwhelming them with heavy edits.
With fall just around the corner, you might be wondering how to make the most of the changing foliage in your photography. One way is through some simple adjustments in Adobe Lightroom that can enhance the natural colors and give your images that warm autumn feel.
Editing is a love-hate relationship for many. For some, it’s the best part of photography. For others, it feels like a chore. It’s essential to find a way to make the process enjoyable and efficient, while also maintaining consistency in the look and feel of your images.
Intimate landscape photography captures the subtle, often overlooked details in nature. This approach offers a new way to explore and appreciate the beauty of small-scale compositions. By isolating textures, colors, and patterns, it enables you to find compelling visuals even in familiar or seemingly unremarkable locations.
Natural light can elevate your portrait photography with its soft, flattering qualities. Whether you're shooting indoors or outdoors, mastering natural light is key to creating beautiful, professional-quality portraits.
Natural light is one of the most important elements in landscape photography. It shapes the landscape, creates mood, and brings depth to a scene. However, natural light is also highly unpredictable and can either enhance or ruin your shot. For landscape photographers, understanding and ultimately mastering light is crucial, but it comes with several challenges. In this article, I want to explore the complexities of working with natural light and how you can overcome these challenges to improve your landscape photography.
One of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of landscape photography is finding the perfect location. The right location can elevate your photo from ordinary to extraordinary. However, choosing where to shoot can be a time-consuming process, filled with challenges such as overcrowded tourist spots, difficult terrain, or simply not knowing where to go. In this article, I want to explore the difficulties we face when finding the perfect location and provide strategies that have helped me overcome them.
When shooting in harsh lighting conditions, it’s common to encounter issues like lens flares or blown-out highlights. This is particularly relevant if you're trying to capture outdoor scenes with direct sunlight in your frame. In such situations, managing the light effectively can make a huge difference in the quality of your final image.
Color grading can take your landscape images from good to great. This video tutorial walks through how to use Photoshop's Color Balance feature to enhance highlights, midtones, and shadows, creating depth and contrast in a natural and subtle way.
Understanding how to balance ambient light and flash can transform your photos. With so many types of flashes and varying methods of control, it's essential to grasp the basics and build from there.
Over the last few years, I have searched for podcasts to listen to while editing photos or hitting the road. Podcasts are an excellent way to pass the time and learn new information. There are many to sift through in the world of podcasting and photography. Here are several of my favorite podcasts to help pass the time and learn something new!
Autumn is a spectacular time for landscape photography. The colors are vivid, the atmosphere is dynamic, and the changing light brings countless opportunities for creative expression.
Many people skip the tripod, thinking it's just extra weight, but without one, you limit yourself to daytime shooting and miss out on the best moments. A tripod isn't just a tool for pros; it's an essential piece of gear for anyone looking to expand their creative options.
Capturing the beauty of a woodland setting presents a mix of challenges and opportunities. With the dynamic play of light and shadows, it's easy to get overwhelmed by nature’s complexity.
Getting started with macro photography, especially with insects, can be overwhelming. Mistakes with composition, focus, and lighting are common, but understanding these issues early on can significantly improve your results.
Capturing stunning photos isn’t reserved for world-class professionals. You can take breathtaking shots by focusing on a few key elements, regardless of your skill level or equipment.
Are you making the most of your landscape shots? Sometimes, even with the best gear, we don’t always capture the scene as well as we could.
Coming to you from Brian Matiash, this insightful video offers a detailed look at the process of improving a landscape shot from start to finish. Matiash walks through his decisions at the location and how they translate into his editing workflow. He starts by explaining the limitations of his camera setup, including the Sony a7R Mark III and a 12-24mm lens, and how those choices affected his composition. The lens’s ultra-wide angle...
When retouching your images, having a variety of techniques can make all the difference. Not every approach works for every photo, so learning multiple methods can help you adapt based on the image you’re working with. In this video, you’ll see a couple of ways to color grade your images, giving them mood, atmosphere, and even a cinematic touch.
When you’re working on improving your landscape photography, you’re trying to capture more than just a scene—you’re telling a story. From the foreground to the background, everything in the frame plays a role.
Many photographers find editing frustrating, especially if they’re more focused on capturing the shot than on enhancing it later. However, mastering a solid editing workflow can drastically elevate the quality of your work, giving your photos the polish they need to stand out.
As a professional photographer, the issue of over-editing is a topic that holds significant importance in our work. In this case, the term over-editing refers to the excessive use of post-processing tools and techniques, often resulting in images that deviate from the natural and authentic representation of the subject. While we cannot deny that the process of editing is an essential aspect of photography, overprocessing images can sometimes compromise the integrity of the image and do more harm than necessary. Here are several reasons why one should refrain from over-editing their images.
The idea that skill outweighs gear when it comes to taking great photos is a fundamental truth that often gets overlooked. Many of us find ourselves tempted by the latest cameras or lenses, thinking they’ll be the magic key to better images. But, in reality, your ability as a photographer plays a much more significant role.
What makes an image captivating? When you’re scrolling through your feed, what makes you pause?
Exposure bracketing is a technique that can significantly improve your landscape photography by helping you deal with difficult lighting situations. If you've ever struggled with blown-out skies or muddy, noisy shadows, bracketing might be the solution you're looking for.
