Your portfolio is your calling card and is the place where most potential customers will make the decision to pursue hiring you or not. As such, your portfolio deserves a lot of careful consideration. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced photographer sharing five tips to help you improve the quality of your portrait portfolio.
The majority of portrait photographs are only half finished once the shutter button is pressed; almost every image will require some degree of post-processing to be complete. This helpful video tutorial will show you an effective, professional-level retouching workflow using frequency separation and dodging and burning that will help you create compelling, polished results.
A lot of portrait photographers are scared of working with artificial lighting, but it is a skill that is well worth learning, as it will make you a more capable and versatile photographer and better enable you to realize all your creative visions (and those of your clients). If you are new to working with flash, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you a simple and highly effective one-light portrait photography setup.
As a photographer, you know that having the right gear can sometimes make all the difference, and this includes tripods. With the launch of the Benro Theta, shooting just became more fun and easy. This revolutionary tripod combines portability, stability, and intelligence, making it one of the most essential tools for photographers on the go.
Of all the things that go into making a compelling image, posing is perhaps the thing that photographers struggle with the most. If that is something you have trouble with, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three easy posing techniques for when your subject is sitting on the ground or floor.
Gaining technical competence is hard enough, but developing an original creative voice is an entirely separate challenge. This can be particularly tough in a genre in which you do not get control over the presence or placements of elements in the scene, such as landscape photography. If that is something you find yourself struggling with, check out this fantastic video essay that discusses the process of finding originality in landscape photography.
The first thing that comes to mind when panoramas are mentioned is an extremely wide field of view. Often, you need multiple photos to cover such angles. A panorama can also be achieved by a crop. Which method should you use for landscapes? Cropping or stitching?
The nice aspect of learning things like camera settings and lighting is that these topics can often be objectively quantified. On the other hand, something like posing is a bit more nebulous and something that many photographers struggle with even when they have mastered other aspects of portrait work. If posing is something you are still working on learning, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to pose a full-body portrait when working with a non-model.
In this article and the accompanying video, I will show you how to create four unique portrait looks using one light and v-flats.
LinkedIn is not just a platform for jobseekers; it is a powerful networking and marketing channel for entrepreneurs, such as photographers. If you ever serve other businesses with your photography, then LinkedIn is a great place online to find and connect with the right people in your niche. As they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
Lightroom is bursting with a variety of tools for editing your images, but one that is often overlooked is the Targeted Adjustment Tool. This tiny icon hiding among the larger sliders and adjustments is quite powerful, though, and with it, you can efficiently make very precise adjustments to multiple aspects of your photos. This great video tutorial will show you where to find the Targeted Adjustment Tool and how to use it to edit your images.
When it comes to photography, your purpose can feel a little vague. While that may not necessarily be a problem, a little focus — if you'll excuse the pun — can push you forward and improve your work.
When it comes to landscape photography, we often talk about things like exposure settings, lens choice, use of filters, managing conditions, and more. But one thing we do not talk about as much is color, and yet, it is one of the most powerful aspects of any landscape photograph. This great video tutorial will show you how careful management of color can make your landscape images better and offer some helpful tips for making that happen.
One of the first techniques every new photographer loves to try is the long exposure. Long exposures can improve image quality by helping to reduce noise, and they can be a wonderfully powerful creative tool that can entirely change the look of an image. If you are new to photography and wondering how to get started with long exposures, check out this great video tutorial that will get you up and running in no time.
When you pair Sony's powerful 61-megapixel a7R V mirrorless camera with the FE 135mm f/1.8 GM, it seems like a match made in heaven for portrait photography. How does the combination perform in the real world, though? This excellent video shows you what you can expect.
Getting tack-sharp photos of birds in flight is not easy, but when you get it right, the results can be stunning. One of the most fundamental aspects of this is choosing the correct shutter speed. If you are new to bird photography and wondering how to go about selecting the right shutter speed, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer showing you everything you need to know.
When you love photographing moving subjects, it may be difficult to get a perfectly sharp photo. The best way is by moving your camera with the subject to keep it in the frame. This technique is called panning. I have 10 tips for successful panning photography.
There are myriad ways you can light your subject in portraiture, and whether you're jaded by your go-to setup, or overwhelmed as to where to start, this video can help you add some more styles to your arsenal.
Rarely is a landscape photo finished the moment you press the shutter; almost every such image requires some degree of post-processing to create the finished product. It is easy to get a bit mired in the editing phase, though, finding yourself pushing sliders back and forth as you experiment and try to create the best possible version of an image you know has potential in it. How can you be creative but stay efficient? This excellent video tutorial will show you what you need to know.
As a landscape and seascape photographer who also shoots surfing, I'm not too embarrassed to say that my understanding of indoor lighting setups is not where I want it to be. This video here is extremely helpful, especially if you'd love to get those gorgeously mysterious rim light shots.
Price lists can be dangerous, but they can also be great. How do you know if you should reveal your hand and have one displayed on your website?
Choosing a lens which will give you desired results for a particular portrait assignment is an integral part of being a photographer.
Forget the rule of thirds and leading lines. This is not an article that will give recipes or magic bullets for composing images. Instead, we will talk about methods and broad approaches I used to go beyond the cliché techniques and create unique imagery
Landscapes often have dynamic range that exceeds the capabilities of even the most modern camera sensors, and as such, exposure blending is one of the most common techniques photographers employ to improve the quality of their photos. There are many different ways to go about this, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you one of the easiest and most precise ways to do it using Photoshop.
There has been a lot of advancement in lighting technology for LED lights for photography recently, but are they the way to go? Check out this video for a comparison of the pros and cons of each.
Most of the problems I get asked to fix in my role as technical support for photographers has to do with Lightroom. This article will show you the way I use Lightroom to be able to find any photograph I've shot in the last 10 years in under a minute. This is how best to organize and categorize your files to best serve you as a photographer and the tips and tricks that you might have otherwise missed.
Instagram was a fundamental tool of photographers professional and amateur alike, but alas, the algorithm was changed and with it, Instagram's allure. Nevertheless, it is still valuable and with the changes coming in 2023, it might be worth your attention once again.
Although it sounds like a nasty disease, like athlete's foot or tennis elbow, the photographer's eye isn't that. We take our eyes for granted, and they are an essential part of photography, both metaphorically and literally.
As a portrait photographer, learning how to work with artificial light will enable far more creative exploration and free you from needing to rely on certain times of day, locations, and conditions. The best place to start is with a single light. This great video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of working with a single speedlight and how to use it to create a professional-level portrait.
Landscape photography is one of the most popular genres out there, and finding success in it takes a combination of good technique, creative vision, the ability to work with changing and often unpredictable conditions, and often, a smidgen of luck. If you would like to improve your landscape photography, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced landscape photographer sharing some very helpful advice.
The sky is an integral part of just about any landscape photograph, and as such, it deserves a healthy dose of your attention during the editing process. If you would like to improve your landscape images, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you three different ways to adjust the sky using Photoshop or Lightroom.
Seascape photography is a challenging yet rewarding genre of photography. The dynamic nature of the sea makes taking photos at the coast very exciting, but it also requires a unique set of skills and knowledge. And that's what I'll share in this article as seven tips that'll help you take your seascape photography to the next level.
Some beginning photographers keep on shooting in JPEG because of one reason. They’re a bit of afraid of the raw file format. But shooting in raw is easier than you think. If you want to start photographing in raw but you don’t know how, I’ll show you how it’s done.
What skills other than knowing your camera kit and how to take a good photo do you need to make your fledgling photography business work, grow, and be sustainable while still standing out from the crowd? What tools do you need and what websites are good enough to bookmark and check daily? These five tips will help you on your way.
The advice I often hear on the internet is this: choose a photography genre and stick to it. I want to float the idea of developing your style instead and shooting what you’re passionate about. I’m not talking about the jack of all trades approach, but developing your skills in a few genres that you like and come naturally to you.
Pets are some of our closest companions, and even if you do not want to photograph them professionally, knowing how to capture them well can help you create wonderful memories that you will treasure for years to come. If you want to improve your pet photography, check out this helpful video tutorial that will give you a wide range of useful advice sure to improve your images.
Manual mode can be a bit intimidating to a lot of new photographers, but learning how and when to use it will make you a better shooter and give you far more creative control over your images. This helpful video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of manual mode and how to use it to create technically correct and creatively inspired photos.
Nothing is more frustrating than having the wrong camera settings, especially during decisive moments. These images are probably beyond recovery. That’s why you have to check the camera setting every single time you go out. Just assume the settings are wrong. Always.
If you shoot a lot of astrophotos, you know all about gradients. They are almost always present in your images, and they have to be removed to smooth out the sky background and make your images look their best.
Color grading your images can be fun, yet, in some cases, an arduous task. The subtle nuances that it can provide can make or break an image. Learning to color grade effectively takes years, and understanding the subtle differences that adding numerical values can make to the RGB of your image is an art form.
No sun? No problem! Fake natural light in the studio.
With 28 days to celebrate Black History Month in February, let's take 28 opportunities to celebrate some talented black photographers who are currently making history with their work.
The beauty of macro photography is that you do not have to travel, book a model, or do anything involved to produce fantastic and compelling work. We are literally surrounded by potential subjects everywhere we go, and with a little bit of knowledge and patience, you can capture an entirely different world hidden in plain sight. If you are new to macro photography, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to get started.
Pursuing photography in the modern world, whether as an amateur or professional, is a tricky and complex thing full of many pitfalls that can derail your development and success as a creative. This great video essay discusses one of the most common traps photographers fall into, how to recognize it, and what you can do to avoid it or break out of it.
Lightroom is one of the most popular photo-editing programs. We talk a lot about the library module and the develop module. The other available modules are almost never mentioned. What are these modules? But more important, are these useful?
If you’re relying solely on cloud-based storage alone such as Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, etc., stop! This is a disaster if you’re a professional or a semi-pro photographer. Allow me to explain why.
A class action lawsuit has been filed in rhe US against Stability AI and other AI art generators. If they are infringing copyright laws, could it bring an end to AI-generated art? What are the real issues? A lawyer explains in this eye-opening video.
As a headshot photographer, it's your job to make sure your clients look their best. However, taking the perfect studio headshot isn't just about lighting and composition. It's also about understanding your client's needs and making them feel comfortable in front of the camera.
