Recent Education Articles

How to Use This Powerful Lightroom Feature

Recent versions of Lightroom come with an improved and far more powerful masking panel that allows you to make precise and powerful adjustments with ease. While the purpose of some of these masks is clear, the intersection function is a bit trickier to use. It is well worth learning, though, as it will add even more power to your editing tools. This helpful video tutorial will show you what it is and how to use it.

Why Great Photos Are All About Asking the Right Questions

Photography isn’t just about capturing beautiful images. It’s about solving a series of small problems every time you press the shutter. Whether it’s choosing the right orientation, framing your subject, or balancing exposure, each decision you make affects the outcome.

Making the Best of Bad Conditions in Landscape Photography

Perhaps one of the most frustrating parts of landscape photography is that you do not have any control over the conditions, and if nature does not feel like cooperating that day, you can end up with a real struggle on your hands. That does not mean you should just give up and pack it in, though. This great video follows an experienced landscape photographer as he deals with such a day and perseveres in order to still come home with worthwhile images.

More Zoom for a Low Price: A Beginner's Guide to Teleconverters

Teleconverters are an interesting proposition: a cheap device you attach between your lens and camera body that gives you an increase in focal length. This great video will give you an introduction to their strengths and drawbacks to decide if they're right for your work.

7 Mistakes for Wedding Photographers to Avoid

Wedding photography is a challenging genre that takes a wide range of skills, and it can be easy to make a mistake that derails things. If you are working on improving your skills, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced wedding photographer discussing seven common mistakes and how to fix them or avoid them entirely.

The Simple Step to Better Photo Consistency

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.

A Guide to Shooting With Sony Cameras and Lenses on a Budget

Sony offers some of the most advanced cameras and lenses in the world, but of course, tricking out your entire kit can quickly cause the costs to add up. That being said, if you do not insist on having the absolute best equipment, it is quite possible to build a competent and capable Sony kit without breaking the bank. This helpful video will take you through the best options for cameras, primes, and zoom lenses.

How to Capture Perfect Light in Landscape Photography

Capturing a stunning landscape is as much about patience as it is about skill. Sometimes, you’re simply at the mercy of the elements, waiting to see if the light will cooperate. But when it does, the results can be magical.

Some Helpful Tips for Wedding Group Portraits

If there're two things to remember about wedding photography, it's that you have to know your stuff inside and out and second chances don't exist. This helpful video will show you some great tips for posing a large wedding group, lighting them, and picking the proper camera settings.

How to Say Something With Your Street Photography

A street photographer’s task is to observe the mundane human interactions that take place throughout the day and turn them into something worthy of being preserved and shared through photography. This is not an easy task.

Six Directors of Photography That Every Photographer Should Know

Cinema may be a source of inspiration for photographers. And if we have titles of movies coming to mind or names of directors, we usually pay less attention to directors of photography, also called cinematographers. Big mistake! Those are the guys who master cameras and lighting techniques in order to materialize ideas into images.

How to Be Original With Your Photography

In some sense, it is harder than ever to be a photographer producing truly original work. The world is absolutely inundated with images, and creating something that stands apart from the pack is quite the challenge. So, how can we be original with our images? This excellent video essay discusses the topic and offers some good insight.

Pixar and Khan Academy Teach The Art of Storytelling for Free

We've all seen Toy Story. We've all been taken on the same journey with Finding Nemo, and felt sad when Wall-E was left behind to clean earth all by himself. We've all had either a smile on our face or a tear in the eye due to a fictional 3D rendered character showed an emotion you identified with. We take photos and video of what we know. We show others these images and moving images with the aim to make them feel that same emotion. We create because of the emotional experience we felt at some point in life towards a movie or photo that made us decide that's what we want to do.

Are You Savoring the Photographic Experience?

There can be a lot of pressure on photographers to get the shot, move on, and get the next one. It's important to remember to enjoy the craft, though. This great video tutorial reminds you to savor the moment.

A Comprehensive Guide for Starting to Print Your Photos

Printing your photographs is a magical experience that elevates your work from digital files to tangible pieces of art. It allows you to experience your images in their full glory, appreciating details and colors as intended, much like viewing a painting in a gallery or listening to music at a concert.

Lightroom Slider Secrets: A Guide to Sharpening and Contrast

Understanding how key sliders in Lightroom work can transform your approach. Sliders like Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze are powerful tools that shape how details, edges, and light appear in your photos. Learning their nuances helps you make informed decisions when enhancing your images.

6 Common Wildlife Photography Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Wildlife photography is a challenging genre that requires sound technique, specialized equipment, particular knowledge, and heaps of patience, often for just a few seconds of prime opportunity for a shot. Whether you are new to the genre or a seasoned pro, this helpful video tutorial will show you six common mistakes wildlife photographers make and how to fix them or avoid them in the first place.

Why You Should Consider Using a Pen Tablet Instead of a Mouse

Pretty much everybody learns how to edit photos using a mouse, but as a photographer becomes more advanced, they will often switch to using a pen tablet to work on their images. If you have not yet made the switch, this helpful video will show you seven reasons why you might want to consider picking up a tablet for your editing work.

The Toughest Shoot of My Career? How I Shot this Series of Action Images

I relish a challenge and I knew this job was going to be hard, but I had no idea how much improvisation would be required to complete this shoot and come away with images that worked for the client. Huge venue, one light, complex action, no reccy visit, and just six hours to get it all done.

The Best Camera Settings for Studio and Outdoor Portraits

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.

An Easy Tutorial for Getting a Great Wedding Photo

Weddings are a strange beast. Theoretically, they're full of opportunities for creative shots, but the time pressure often curtails too much exploration. It's best to go in with a plan — a photographic structured improvisation of sorts — for the more creative photos you want to get. This awesome video will walk you through exactly how to get one of those shots.

Why You Should Embrace Local Photography

No doubt, we would all love to travel to the world's most epic and popular photography destinations, but there are thousands (if not millions) of nearly identical shots from each spot, and it can cost a lot of time and money to plan such a trip. However, there are treasures to photograph all around us, and this great video essay discusses why we should consider taking more pictures of our home areas.

Five Ways to Edit Skin Blemishes in Photoshop

By and large, one of the most common uses for Photoshop is editing portraits. Retouching skin is a delicate art that takes a while to master, but this great video will help you get started.