Recent Education Articles

10 Essential Tips for Scaling and Optimizing Your Business: Part 2 of 2

In this rapidly evolving world of photography, it's essential to take a step back and scrutinize how well we're reflecting our business in its current state, including growth in our personal photos, websites, and social media profiles. In the previous article, we discussed five actionable strategies to address commonly overlooked areas, from updating personal images to refreshing website content, and from leveraging social media to nourishing creativity through personal projects and continuous learning.

Essential Lessons for Mastering Studio Portrait Photography

Mastering studio portrait photography requires adapting to controlled environments and understanding how to manipulate lighting and equipment effectively. The transition from outdoor to indoor photography can be challenging, but it offers unique opportunities to refine your skills and produce high-quality images consistently.

A Simple and Straightforward Product Photography Walkthrough

Product photography is a tough genre that will really challenge your lighting skills and attention to detail. The great part about it, though, is that you can practice it at home, even if you do not have much space, and the techniques you pick up are applicable to a wide range of other genres. To help you get started, this great video tutorial will show you a simple and straightforward product shoot walkthrough.

5 Tips to Help You Save Time in Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro is an impressively powerful video-editing program, but with all that power comes the need for a lot of effort and investment of time to get the results you want. As such, finding any little spot you can to increase your efficiency can add up to big gains in the long run. This excellent video tutorial will show you five tips that will help you save time when working in Premiere Pro.

Sculpting Style With Light: Unlocking Artistic Vision Through Multi-Flash Setups

Many photographers looking to pursue more conceptual portraiture are intimidated by elaborate lighting configurations required to achieve intensely stylized effects. However, this excellent video tutorial makes the case that venturing beyond single-source illumination opens doors for bringing unique creative visions vibrantly to life.

New Education Series: The History of Sound at the Movies

FilmmakerIQ.com and RØDE Microphones have launched a new education series on sound! Starting with the included "intro" video showing the history of sound at the movies, John P. Hess and team have started a six part educational series which, in their own words, will cover science/microphones, recording, editing, foley, and ADR.

Are Corporations Controlling Your Photography or Videography?

We live in an age where sharing your creativity with the world at large is unbelievably easy to do, but having that ability isn't a universally positive thing. This thought-provoking video essay looks at the dark side of using these large platforms and how they could be subtly influencing your creativity.

Mistakes That Hold You Back as a Photographer

Becoming a confident and consistently good photographer is a complex and long journey with plenty of stops along the way. If you find yourself at the start of that journey, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced professional discussing some common mistakes that tend to hold back budding photographers and how to get yourself back on the right track.

The Ingredients of Fantastic Festive Photos

This is an excellent time of year for photography. Here are some tips for getting better photos to help preserve your memories of these celebrations.

4 Natural Light Portrait Setups Using Only a Reflector

Shooting outdoor portraits offers a lot of creative opportunities, but it can be a bit of a pain to lug lighting to a location. Knowing how to work with natural light and a reflector can give you a lot of the versatility of an artificial light without all the inconvenience. This fantastic video tutorial will show you four different ways to use a reflector for outdoor portraits.

Mastering Your First Photo Shoot

Planning your first photo shoot can be a daunting yet thrilling experience, especially in the realms of beauty and fashion photography. Kayleigh June, a seasoned beauty and fashion photographer, delves into this topic, offering invaluable insights and practical steps to make your first photo shoot a success. Her expertise is crucial for budding photographers looking to make a mark in the industry.

What to Look for When Purchasing Used Gear

Photo gear tends to be quite expensive, and when you are outfitting your camera bag, the costs can add up rather quickly. However, the used market is always bustling, and you can save significant amounts of money by buying what you need there. This helpful video essay discusses what to look for when buying used equipment to make sure you get a good deal on equipment that will last you a long time.

The Key to Stunning Landscape Shots: Timing and Patience

Capturing dramatic landscape images isn't just about finding a great location. Timing, light, and composition play a huge role in transforming a scene into something special. Understanding how light interacts with natural elements can give your shots a unique depth and atmosphere.

The Creative Power of Constraint

Exploring familiar territories with a fresh perspective can often feel like a daunting challenge for photographers. Yet, it's this very pursuit of novelty within the well-trodden that can breathe new life into one's work, pushing the boundaries of creativity and observation.

Turning Daydreams Into Real Progress

Setting ambitious goals in photography requires more than just dreaming - it demands consistent, deliberate action to transform those aspirations into reality. Whether you're looking to start a wedding photography business or launch a creative project, understanding how to effectively bridge the gap between vision and execution can make all the difference in your success.

5 Reasons Photoshop's Clone Stamp Isn't Obsolete

Photoshop's Clone Stamp has long been one of the program's most useful tools, but with a bevy of new and advanced tools, including Content Aware Fill and Generative AI, it might seem like such a simple tool might be obsolete. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. This fantastic video tutorial features a seasoned Photoshop pro sharing five reasons why the Clone Stamp is still relevant and how you can use it in your work.

CreativeLive Expands Online Portfolio With Wildist.co Acquisition

CreativeLive, the online learning platform for creatives, founded by photographer Chase Jarvis and now a Fiverr company, has announced its acquisition of the full catalog and website of Wildist.co, a popular online resource for outdoor and adventure photographers.

How Side-Lighting Can Bring Out Better Texture in Photographs

We talk a ton about front-lighting and backlighting quite a bit, but of course, you do not always have to work with the sun directly behind you or in front of you. Side-lighting is another option, and it offers a powerful tool for bringing out the texture in your frame. This excellent video tutorial will show you how side-lighting can be used to highlight the texture in an image.

Why Letting Go of Judgment Will Transform Your Photography

Curiosity is essential in photography, but there’s something even more fundamental that often gets overlooked. Without it, curiosity doesn’t take root, and creativity becomes a forced process instead of something natural.

Transforming Rainy Day Photos With Creative Lighting

Creating stunning portraits even on challenging days is entirely possible with the right techniques and equipment. Understanding how to manipulate both natural and artificial light can transform your photos, giving you the control to achieve the desired effect regardless of the weather.

The Importance of Developing a Recognizable Photographic Style

Having your own photographic style can make your work instantly recognizable, even if people don't know it's yours. But is this something only professional photographers need, or is it also important for hobbyists and amateurs? Let’s explore this topic and its importance for anyone who loves photography.

Developing Photography Education Products and Services: TogTools Podcast with Fstoppers Zach Sutton

Fstoppers editor and writer Zach Sutton took the time to open up to TogTools owners Jess and Stephen, covering everything from how he got started to in-depth tips on how to begin teaching photography through workshops and diversifying your photography business. While he also contributes to Photofocus and Retouching Academy, Sutton has a strong foundation in his own well-known photography business that has taken him from travel assignments to the most intimate weddings and even well-established workshop tours. Take a hint from those with experience, as this is a rare opportunity for some great, free advice from a seasoned pro.

How to Add Ambiance to an Outdoor Portrait With Artificial Light

Outdoor portrait shoots can be a fantastic way to photograph couples in an organic environment that allows them to convey natural poses and emotion. However, nature does not always cooperate. Adding a smidgen of artificial light can be just what you need to really complete a photo. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to do just that.

All Photography Educators Should Have as Much Fun as These Guys

Geraint and Rob are old friends out to have fun with their photography. They are both accomplished photographers and, most importantly, have a lot of fun taking pictures. The genuine joy they find in the creative process is evident and makes this video is worth watching.

5 Mistakes a Photographer and Filmmaker Has Made in His Career

Making a living as a photographer or filmmaker is hard enough even if you do it perfectly, but of course, none of us are perfect, and we all make mistakes along the way. This excellent video features a seasoned photographer and filmmaker discussing five mistakes he has made in his career and how to fix them or avoid them entirely in the first place.

A Beginner's Guide to Wide Field Astrophotography

Astrophotography can be one of the most stunning and magical genres of photography, as you watch wonders of the universe that are invisible to the naked eye appear on your camera screen. It is also one of the most technically challenging photography genres, but your practice and patience will be rewarded. If you are ready to get started, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the basics of wide field astrophotography.

A Year of Photography and the Lessons It Inspired

Photography is more than just capturing images. It’s also about learning from experiences, adapting to challenges, and appreciating the moments in front of you. This approach intertwines photography with life lessons, offering insights that go beyond the technical aspects of the craft.