Recent Education Articles

How to Use Photoshop's Blend If Feature for More Powerful Edits

Photoshop is a tremendously intricate and complex application, and as such, there are many ways to accomplish any specific task. The Blend If function is one of the program's more useful tools, but it is a bit hidden and does not always get the attention it deserves. This helpful video tutorial will show you five different ways to use Blend If for editing landscape photos.

Mistakes Every Beginner Landscape Photographer Makes

If you are new to landscape photography, it can be easy to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the things you have to master and keep track of to produce a compelling final image, which can sometimes lead to making mistakes. This helpful video tutorial discusses some of the most common mistakes beginner landscape photographers make and how you can correct them or avoid them altogether.

How a National Geographic Photographer Selects the Best Images From a Shoot

Capturing hundreds of images on a shoot is easy. Culling a large number of images down to a handful of keepers is a time-consuming and often mentally difficult process for an artist. In this video, originally posted by Wired, photographer Steve Winter takes us through his thought process as he reduces 112 images down to one single select.

Focus Stacking Can Unlock a New Range of Subjects and It’s Now Easier Than Ever

Whether you’re shooting macro subjects like jewelry and flowers or landscapes on the latest high-resolution bodies, controlling depth of field can be essential. Focus stacking, where you combine multiple exposures at different focus points, can completely change the game when it comes to tricky depth of field situations. When you don’t have to worry about stopping down or picking what’s in focus, you can be even more creative. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to properly focus stack. Check out this guide to the best field and post-production practices.

One Piece of Equipment Every Portrait Photographer Needs

Whether you’re shooting headshots at a Fortune 500 company or taking photographs of a family member for Mother’s Day, there’s one piece of gear you should definitely have in your kit for every portrait session.

Five Signs You're Becoming a Better Photographer

Photography can be a slow process, with lots to learn and improve upon and many mistakes made along the way. As such, it can be hard to tell if and how you're improving. Here are five signs that you are becoming a better photographer.

8 Common Mistakes Beginner Photographers Make

There are a lot of different facets you have to learn and master when you are starting out as a photographer, and as such, things can go wrong due to a variety of reasons. If you are new to photography and looking to improve, check out this excellent video tutorial that details eight common mistakes beginner photographers make and how to fix them or avoid them entirely in the first place.

5 Things to Consider to Improve Your Street Photography

Street photography is a challenging genre that takes the combination of instinct, quick reflexes, strong technique, and creative vision. Even if it is not your primary genre, taking it up can improve your work in whatever it is you do shoot. Before you head out again, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses five things to consider that will improve your street photography.

Should You Buy a DSLR or Mirrorless Camera in 2020?

Photographers and videographers have more choice in capable gear than ever before, with something out there for everyone. Now that most manufacturers have well-established mirrorless lines, it may be worth asking yourself whether a DSLR or mirrorless setup is right for you in 2020.

Six Different Ways to Color Tone Photos Using Lightroom

Lightroom can sometimes seem deceptively simple in comparison to its more nuanced cousin, Photoshop, but there are a lot of powerful capabilities lurking beneath the surface of the application. This great video will show you six different ways to color tone an image using Lightroom.

Five Mistakes Beginner Photographers Make

Every single photographer from rank amateur to seasoned pro makes mistakes. Of course, the idea is to minimize the occurrence of said mistakes so you can focus more on being creative and not have to worry about missing a shot. If you're just starting out, here are five mistakes to be aware of when you head out to shoot.

The Eight Styles of Street Photography

Street photography captures everyday life in unique ways. From rare moments to aesthetic portraits, each style offers a different lens through which to see the world. Understanding these styles can help you refine your approach or explore new creative directions.

10 Things Photographers Don't Really Need

It will probably come as no surprise to you that there are certain "must-have" items that photographers don't really need in their lives. Before making your next purchase or business decision, check out this list.

Choosing the Sharpest F-Stop Setting for Landscape Photography

When it comes to landscape photography, deep depth of field and high levels of sharpness are often the name of the game. This excellent video tutorial discusses how to choose the right f-stop settings for maximizing the sharpness in your photographs.

Lightroom Settings All Photographers Should Know About

Lightroom is a deceptively complex program with a wide variety of settings that can impact both your workflow and the quality of your images. This excellent video details some lesser-known settings in the application that you should nonetheless be aware of.

Learn How to Do Long Exposure Photography

When each frame takes a half a minute or more to capture, the road to learning long exposure photography can be a long one. Here’s a much-needed shortcut to get started with this classic photo technique.

Making Color Grading Easy Using Color Palettes

Color correction and grading are probably amongst the most difficult parts of a retouching workflow. What seems to make it difficult in Photoshop is usually the understanding of the different tools available, such as curves and levels. However, there are a couple of tricks that can make it much easier, color palettes and fill layers being some of them.

How to Create a Film Look for Your Photos From Scratch in Lightroom

The film look is currently enjoying a resurgence, and with that have come many preset packs and the like. While some of those are great, practicing how to create the look from scratch is a good way to learn to be a better editor. This helpful video will show you how to do just that.

Best Camera Gear Setup for Travel Photography

While a quick trip to do some shooting in the city might involve little more than throwing a body or two in a duffel bag and heading out — an odd overlap with your average serial killer’s check list — heading off somewhere exotic can require a bit more planning. What else should you throw in the bag?

33 Ways to Make Money With Your Photography

We can sometimes be a bit narrow-minded about what it means to be a professional photographer, but there are actually many great ways to make money with your camera. If you would like to get started, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you 33 different ways you can get paid for your photography.

How to Balance Flash and Ambient Light in Portrait Photography

Whether you are a portrait, wedding, or family photographer, one of the most useful skills you can learn is how to balance ambient light and flash. If you would like to improve your portraiture work, check out this helpful video that will show you a method for balancing flash and ambient light to create more balanced and complete portraits.

10 Tip For Photographing Models in the Nude

I woke this morning to find that director Matt Rycroft, over at the Cooperative of Photography, had dropped this little gem in my mail box. In their latest video the COOPH team up with first class celebrity portrait photographer Greg Gorman, as he demonstrates how to approach a nude photography shoot.

Why Auto ISO and Minimum Shutter Speed Will Change the Way You Shoot

In the last 10 years, manufacturers have introduced a new level of control to cameras: auto ISO plus the option to set a minimum shutter speed. If you’ve never tried using your camera with this setup, you may want to give it a go, as it could completely change how you shoot.

"Can I Get a Copy Of Those Photos?"

It's probably happened to you: you're shooting away and someone, usually the venue owner, approaches you. You get that sinking feeling hearing those dreaded five words: "Can I get a copy?"

The Orton Effect Mistake Many Photographers Make

The Orton effect is a popular effect in many other genres than landscape photography. It is used to soften the images with a slight glow, which can give a beautiful dreamy effect. However, I do see one mistake repeated again and again.

Is It Worth Upgrading to the Sony a7R III From the a7R II?

The Sony a7R III is the highly anticipated update to the very popular a7R II. Since it uses the same sensor as its predecessor, it might seem like this is more an incremental release, but this helpful video will highlight the newest and most improved features to help you decide if it's worth the upgrade.

How to Capture Sharp Photos of Birds in Flight

When it comes to photos of birds in flight, few other things matter if the final image is not sharp. If you would like to make sure your photos of birds in flight are nice and crisp, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will give you a range of tips as well as a nice discussion on what makes a compelling image of a bird in flight.

Mastering The Pen Tool In Adobe Photoshop

The Pen Tool is one of the most advanced and accurate ways to make selections in Adobe Photoshop. Because of this, it can also be one of the most intimidating and frustrating features. I often find myself doing everything I can to avoid having to use it... but then the image never ends up looking it's best and it's back to the drawing board. For those looking to master this powerful feature, like myself, check out these two entertaining new training methods!

How to Correctly Place a Softbox When Lighting a Portrait

When it comes to portrait photography, the softbox is one of the most fundamental and versatile tools you can have in your kit. If you are new to working with artificial lighting, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to properly place a softbox to get the best results.