Recent Education Articles

Three High-End Maternity Lighting Setups

Maternity photography is a special genre that captures the beauty and significance of motherhood. The right lighting can transform a simple photo into an evocative image that encapsulates the beauty and strength of expectant mothers. This fantastic video tutorial will show you three such lighting setups.

Stand Out Photo Workshops Are Coming - Learn From Industry Leaders

If you hadn't heard of it before, the Stand Out! Photographic Forums is a huge photography industry event (taking place in New York City, Toronto, and Los Angeles) loaded with affordable workshops taught by some of the biggest and most successful names in the industry. You can learn directly from legends like Mark Seliger, Pratik Naik, and Michael Muller. Phase One was even nice enough to ask me to come and teach classes on digital teching and shoot pre-production. You should read below to learn more about all of the classes and offerings.

Fixing Horizons and Improving Composition With AI in Photoshop

Straightening your photos and adjusting their composition can make a huge difference in the final look of your images. With Photoshop’s tools, you can fix crooked horizons, add missing details, and even enhance composition with precision and ease.

When Is It Right to Go Full-time With Your Photography?

Becoming a full-time photographer can be a really exciting time, but it can be tremendously difficult to know when it is the right time to take the risk and step into the world of running your own business. If you find yourself considering that move, check out this helpful video that features an experience wedding photographer sharing three things to carefully consider before you make the jump to professional photography.

Free Educational Event: Sony Creative Space 2021

It's rare to have a free educational event. It's even rarer to have such an event with big-name educators such as Chris Burkard, Scott Robert Lim, and Brooke Shaden. But the Sony Creative Space 2021 is doing just that plus so much more.

How to Find Originality in Your Photography Without Forcing It

You might feel like everything has already been photographed, leaving little room for originality. That feeling can be frustrating, making it seem impossible to create something fresh when so many great images already exist. The key isn't to chase originality but to change how you think about creativity and inspiration.

Mastering Photoshop's Interface: A Guide to Workspace Optimization

Optimizing your Photoshop workspace can significantly improve your editing efficiency and creativity. By customizing the interface to fit your specific needs, you can streamline your workflow and focus more on your images rather than navigating through a cluttered interface.

Why Shooting With a Pinhole Camera Is More Fun Than You Think

Simplicity in photography can be both freeing and frustrating. When you strip away complex tools and techniques, all that’s left is light, time, and a bit of luck. Shooting with a pinhole camera pushes that idea to the extreme. No lens, no moving parts—just a box with a hole, a piece of film, and a whole lot of patience.

The Best Ways to Remove Distractions in Photoshop

Removing objects in Photoshop has come a long way. What once required careful cloning and manual blending is now faster and cleaner, thanks to AI-driven tools that handle even complex removals with minimal effort.

Tune In Live Tonight At 8PM for Q&A With Award Winning Newborn Photographer Stephanie Cotta

Tonight at 8pm Eastern, Stephanie Cotta will be hosting a live Spreecast answering all of your Newborn Photography questions. If you are currently photographing newborns, or would like to, and would like a sneek peek into the in-depth Ultimate Newborn Photography Tutorial currently sold in the Fstoppers store then this is your chance to tune in and ask newborn related questions on lighing, posing, composition, marketing, pricing, and everything in between. We will be giving away free tutorials during the event as well so tune in for details.

Mastering Light Direction for Stunning Portraits

Understanding how to manipulate light direction is crucial for creating compelling portraits. The direction and quality of light can dramatically alter the mood and depth of an image, and this helpful video tutorial will show you how to harness those properties to maximize your image quality and creative vision.

Finding Beauty in Unlikely Places

Photography is more than just capturing visually stunning locations - it's about finding beauty in unexpected places. When you encounter a scene that seems initially unpromising, the real artistry lies in using light, composition, and timing to transform it into something compelling.

Lightroom Virtual Copies: Streamline Your Editing Workflow

Virtual copies in Lightroom can significantly change the way you manage and deliver images to clients. They allow you to experiment with edits without affecting your original files, streamlining workflow while expanding your creative options.

How to Retouch Hair in Photoshop

Retouching hair can be a challenging and time-consuming process, but with the right knowledge and carefully practiced technique, you can avoid the frustration and improve the quality of your portraits. If you would like to make your portraits better, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know about retouching hair.

Embrace the Everyday: Why Your Life is Worth Photographing

Your ordinary life isn't boring—it's exactly what you should be photographing. Your daily routine, your familiar surroundings, all of it deserves attention because no one else experiences the world exactly as you do.

Deadline Extended. Hours Left to Save 96% on $2,500+ of Photography Education

The biggest photography education event of the year ends today, October 18. The deadline has been extended a few more hours and now closes at 5:00 PDT. Once it’s over, you won’t ever have the chance to get many of these resources again. Once the sale closes, there are no exceptions for late purchases, so make sure to check out this incredible education opportunity now.

How to Increase Your Photo Bookings

Being good with a camera and having great creative ideas is, of course, crucial to finding success as a professional, but it is not enough. Knowing how to attract clients and convince them to book with you is a crucial skill. If that is something you have trouble with, check out this fantastic video tutorial that offers three actionable tips for increasing your bookings.

A Complete Guide to Aerial Real Estate Video

Drones have revolutionized many photography genres, making aerial shots that were previously out of reach for anyone except creatives and clients with the largest budgets accessible to just about anyone. Real estate photography is one such genre where a photographer or filmmaker can augment their services with a drone. This excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to take professional real estate footage sure to please your clients.

Transforming Good Wedding Photos into Great Ones

Creating stunning wedding photos often involves more than just finding a beautiful location. Understanding what to avoid and what to emphasize can elevate an image from "pretty" to "amazing."

Why Pretty Photos Might Be Holding You Back

Is a beautiful photo enough? It might grab attention at first glance, but does it hold meaning beyond the surface? Many start with the goal of capturing visually stunning images, but over time, it becomes clear that beauty alone isn’t always fulfilling. Photography can achieve so much more by telling stories, evoking emotions, and inviting deeper reflection.

How Goodfellas Reinvented Crime Films Through Camera Work

Crime films were once defined by mobsters, shootouts, and flashy action. Then Goodfellas changed everything. It introduced gangsters who obeyed their mothers, cracked jokes that made you uneasy, and self-destructed in their paranoia. More than three decades later, it still stands as a masterclass in visual storytelling.

Why Black and White Films Are Easier on the Eyes

Color is essential in filmmaking, yet black and white has an enduring appeal that transcends time. Black and white films offer a unique visual experience, allowing viewers to focus on composition, contrast, and texture. This often leads to a more intense emotional connection with the story.

Helpful Advice for Finding More Success on Instagram

Like it or not, Instagram is still one of the most powerful platforms for photographers to promote their work and to connect with potential clients. If you find yourself struggling to get traction on the platform and are unsure of how to move forward, check out this helpful video tutorial that offers a range of advice to get you on the right track.

Why You Get Stuck in Creative Ruts and How to Get Out of Them

Creative ruts happen to just about everyone, and they can be both frustrating and detrimental, particularly if you derive your income from your work, often leading to a vicious circle. If you find yourself stuck in a rut and unsure of how to get out of it, check out this great video that discusses why these lulls happen and what you can do to get the creative juices flowing again.

Strategies for Mental Well-Being in the Home Office

Most of my working life was spent at jobs in factories, in classrooms, behind a bar, and in offices. Being a freelance photographer means that I began spending a lot of time working from home. Now, given recent events, I’m spending all of my time working from home. How does working from home affect your mental health? Do you have any strategies for wellbeing?

Three Creative Photo Ideas to Try at Home

Photography thrives on creativity, and sometimes, the best ideas come from everyday objects you already own. Whether you’re looking to refresh your techniques or need inspiration, these simple, low-budget concepts are fun and easy to try.

How to Fix Broken YouTube Thumbnails on Facebook

Sharing your content is probably one of the best and fastest way to grow a community and a base of potential customers. Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media platforms are some of the most common places to start pushing out pictures to the largest amount of people possible. However, when you get into video, you soon realize that sometimes things get a bit trickier. One of the issues I recently encountered was when sharing a YouTube video on Facebook, the thumbnail simply wouldn’t appear. In this article, I’ll show you how to solve this problem and what to do to avoid it in the future.

DIY Color Backdrop Product Photography

It seems that the genre of product photography is booming right now. I come across hiring ads for product and e-commerce photographers all the time. With e-commerce being such a big market, or at least where I live, there is a lot of need for product photographers. I learned the basics of photographing products many years ago, and it has come in handy several times.