Recent Opinion Articles

Would You Give Commands to Your Camera Gear if You Could?

If you could speak to your camera, your tripod, and drone, what would you say? Would you use this feature? The use of our voices to command our gear is going to become even more important in the future.

Five Ways Photographers Can Maximize Networking at Trade Shows

A trade show is an organized event for companies in a specific industry to showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and customers, study activities of rivals, and examine recent market trends and opportunities. What this means for photographers is that if you're in the niche of the trade show this is your chance to be face to face and rub shoulders with the big names in your industry. To fully maximize the network and contacts you can make from these events you need a game plan and some guidelines to follow. These are my personal five tips to maximize your networking at a trade show.

Photographic Virtues Series: Standards

In this series, I attempt to identify the key professional virtues I have found to be the most important in building my own career, as well as identifying traits of other successful photographers that are most key to their success. Today's Word of The Week? Standards.

If You’re Nervous About an Upcoming Photoshoot, You Should Be

Whether you are new to photography or a seasoned professional, sometimes pre-shoot nerves can feel overwhelming. This article explores why even pro photographers still experience pre-shoot nerves and how to use that feeling in the pit of your stomach to your advantage.

Zero Budget Projects are a Myth

You can't do a project on a zero budget. If you actually spent a zero amount, that means you never did anything.

Mugshots: Something For Everyone

Crime docs, true crime, crime fiction, they all hold something of a collective fascination. Watching Donald Trump's recent Fulton County mugshot become one of the most circulated photographs of all time raises the question: why are so many of us fascinated by mugshots? As photographers, is there something in these rigidly photographed images that captures our attention?

Photographic Virtues Series: Adaptability

In this series, I attempt to identify the key professional virtues I have found to be the most important in building my own career, as well as identifying traits of other successful photographers and business leaders that are most key to their success. Today’s virtue: adaptability.

Critiquing Your Work Does Not Make Someone a Troll

Before it starts to seem like I'm galloping around on my high horse, I'd like to say that this article is more of a reminder to myself than anyone else. I have made the mistake of dismissing someone as a troll just because they disagree with me. In many cases, It's much easier to simply dismiss someone as a troll if they criticize your work instead of taking it on the chin. This could be due to a number of reasons but when we do, we are breaking one of the cardinal rules.

The Samsung NX30 Review: Simple and Functional, but Limited

The Samsung NX30 is a very affordable, DSLR-like mirrorless camera with a lot of features and a lot of promise. It's Samsung's number two camera in terms of "levels" (much like a 5D would be second to the 1D in Canon language) and is designed to appeal to an emerging photographer as well as the everyday user (like mom or pop), but is it be a camera worth considering for anyone semi-pro and above?

Business and Personal Habits You Might Have Ignored Until Now

Although the current situation is far from what we used to know as "normal," I believe we will still have a chance to get to our daily routines. This time, we have to be more careful about a number of habits we may have been ignoring.

Wedding Photography: Is Life Better as a Second Shooter?

Wedding photography is a rather polarizing genre, with many people warning against getting into it due to its pressures and expectations. But for those who have an interest in it but might be put off by its demands, there is another option: being a second shooter. This excellent video discusses five reasons why being a second shooter might be the best choice for you.

Why Leaving Social Media Improved This Photographer's Work

Social media can be a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to sharing your creative work. Posting your photos online may help build an audience and gain exposure, but the impact on creativity and mental well-being can be surprisingly negative. Lately, some creatives are rethinking their approach to social media, looking for alternatives that don’t rely on addictive algorithms or compromise ownership of their work.

As Toshiba Looks into Light Field Sensor, Is Lytro's Tech Catching On?

When we all first heard about the light field sensor in the Lytro camera, there was a considerable amount of excitement. Many of us really saw something great in the ability to focus our images after the fact. But when the tech actually made it to market, it turned out that though neat, it wasn't really practical yet. Now with Toshiba rumored to be developing a light field sensor for mobile phones, is it safe to say this is really catching on?

Shutterfest 2023: Unlocking the F.U.N.damentals of Photography

Shutterfest stands out as my favorite photography conference to attend each year! As I write this, I am wrapping up day three of the affair. I always look forward to the various workshops, lectures, and unique experiences available throughout this fun-filled event like no other.

Cybersecurity: Saving Our Photographs From Attack

President Biden brings sanctions against Russia for cyber-attacks. As cyber-attacks become ever more sophisticated, we photographers need to tighten our security and awareness of the risks, with twelve hints to keep you safe.

A Year of COVID in Two Minutes

Just a year ago, as the pandemic spread around the world, the lives of billions of people changed dramatically. Here is a short video that shows the most impactful moments of the crisis through an emotional narrative.

What Features Do You Want to See Added to Photoshop?

Photoshop is a very complex and multi-layered application full of a ton of features, but even with all of those capabilities, there is still a lot of room for new features. This great video discusses 16 features that one pro would like to see added to the program.

Pitch Your Idea With These Four Easy Tips!

Most photographers starting are happy to create an image, stick it on their social media platforms, and call it a day. This doesn’t really cut it once photography becomes more of a career, though, so in this article, I’ll talk a bit more about how to pitch your ideas.

How Do We Keep the Honeymoon Passion After the Novelty Wears Off?

Early on in our photographic career, it seemed as though every photo we took was a new masterpiece. It was clear that I was meant to be a photographer by the awe-inspiring photos I was taking of the streets of New York. Fast-forward a few years, and you couldn't pay me to admit those photos were mine, much less show them.

Your Voice is Something You Build, Not Something You Find

When people talk about finding their “voice,” you might get the impression they looked down one day and there it was — lying on the ground, fully formed and functional, just waiting to be used. In my experience, though, finding your voice is more about hard work. And time. Lots of time. Our voices are built, not found. It seemingly takes forever. A decade or more. And here’s the frustrating thing: you can’t rush it. There are no shortcuts to finding your voice. You have to go the long way — slowly accumulating influences, trying on different styles, finding a voice that feels natural — and then refine it slowly, project after project, year after year. The good news is that while there isn’t a shortcut, there is a path.

Can Social Media Kill Our Aesthetic Vision?

What do good coffee and good images have in common? Our taste and the ability to understand their ingredients need to be trained. But we can also walk into the trap of feckless consumption.