Recent Education Articles

Minimalist Winter Photography

The stark contrast of winter between the white snow and dark skies brings out compositions that wouldn’t be possible in other seasons. If you’re drawn to clean, simple images, this kind of environment offers an opportunity to refine your eye and experiment with composition in new ways.

Signs You’re a Better Photographer Than You Think

It's easy to underestimate your own skills. You compare your work to others, feel stuck, or convince yourself you’re not improving. But there are clear signs that show you’re better than you think. Recognizing them can help build confidence and keep you moving forward.

The Gear and Planning You Need for Wedding Photography

Wedding photography requires more than just showing up with a camera. From securing bookings to planning for lighting conditions, every step before the wedding day impacts your results. The right preparation ensures a smooth experience, minimizes surprises, and helps you capture meaningful images.

Do These 5 Things Instead of Buying New Gear

We are bombarded with videos and articles talking about the latest and greatest gear. No wonder we, as photographers, start to think we need new or better gear to improve our photography. But instead of buying gear, start practicing these five things to really improve your landscape photography.

Why Social Media Is Making Your Photography Worse

Social media rewards predictable photography. Popular trends get likes, shares, and engagement, but they don’t necessarily make you better. If you want to improve, you need to stop repeating the same shots that flood Instagram and start thinking more critically about what you create.

Why Telephoto Lenses Can Improve Your Landscape Photography

Wide angle lenses dominate landscape photography, but they aren’t the only option. Telephoto lenses offer a different perspective, bringing compression, depth, and new composition possibilities. They let you isolate details, enhance layers, and create a more immersive feel in vast environments.

How to Avoid Airline Hassles With Photography Equipment

Traveling with camera gear can be stressful. Security checks, weight limits, and the risk of lost or stolen equipment add to the challenge. The right strategies can make a huge difference in avoiding unnecessary hassles.

Fun With Still Life: What if Quentin Tarantino Reworked an Andy Warhol Classic?

When your love of art and cinema intersect, all kinds of creative possibilities can emerge. Wanting to do some kind of photographic homage to Andy Warhol’s soup cans, I imagined Quentin Tarantino looking at this iconic work of art and thinking, “Maybe that needs a little extra something.”
What Really Makes Video Cinematic

Making your footage look cinematic isn’t just about lighting. It’s a combination of elements—camera settings, lens choice, composition, motion blur, and color grading—all working together. You might have the right gear, but if the image lacks depth, movement, or the right tone, it won’t have that polished, film-like quality.

Signs You’re Becoming a Better Photographer

Self-doubt is a constant in creative work. You might question whether your images are any good or if your work stands out. That uncertainty isn’t unique to you—many struggle with it, even experienced professionals. The challenge is defining what makes a good photographer when taste, style, and subjectivity play such a big role.

A Smarter Way to Capture Street Photos Without Constant Walking

Walking 20,000 to 40,000 steps on a photo walk isn’t always practical. Sometimes, you need a way to capture compelling images without constant movement. A method called the "fishing technique" offers an alternative, letting you stay in one spot and wait for the right moment instead of chasing subjects.

Mastering Black and White Photography: Essential Techniques

Black and white photography forces you to see light, texture, and form in ways that color photography doesn’t. Stripping away color makes you focus on contrast and composition, helping you create images with depth and mood. If you’ve never spent a day shooting only in black and white, it’s a great way to train your eye.

Adaptive Profiles in Lightroom: A Look at the Latest Update

Lightroom’s newest update introduces Adaptive Profiles, a tool that changes how you can approach editing. Instead of applying a standard profile, these profiles intelligently adjust to your image, giving you a different kind of automatic enhancement. If you rely on auto settings, this could be an alternative worth exploring.

15 Tips That Will Instantly Improve Your Photos

Mastering composition, light, and perspective can elevate your photography in ways that gear alone can’t. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your skills, understanding these elements makes a difference.

How to Capture Fog Like a Pro

Fog transforms a landscape, softening edges and adding depth, but photographing it requires careful planning. Light, shutter speed, and composition all play a role in how the final image turns out.

Why Your Wildlife Photos Look Soft (It’s Not Your Lens)

Heat haze ruins sharp images, and you might not even realize it’s happening. You can have the best lens, perfect settings, and great timing, but if you’re shooting through too much turbulent air, your images will come out soft. Wildlife photography is especially vulnerable to this problem, and if you’re shooting at long distances, the effect is even worse.

Shifting From Photographer To Videographer: Where Do You Start?

You’ve been a photographer for many years, and you’re curious about making videos. After all, your camera likely has some amazing video capabilities. But moving to video is daunting; there’s so much more involved than still photography. Here are a few thoughts to help you get started.

Choosing the Right Aperture for Front-to-Back Sharpness in Landscape Photos

Picking the right aperture is a balancing act. Too wide, and you risk losing sharpness in the background. Too narrow, and diffraction can soften your entire image. Knowing how to find the right setting for maximum clarity can make a huge difference in your landscape photography.

The Secret to Consistent Lighting in Headshots

Getting consistent results in headshots can be a challenge, especially when you're shooting in different locations with varying lighting conditions. If you've ever had to match headshots taken in different offices or on different days, you know how tricky it can be. The right approach ensures your clients get the consistency they expect without unnecessary stress.

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.

How to Make the Most of Flat Winter Light

The winter landscape doesn’t have to be dull. It offers a unique palette of muted colors and soft light that can create striking images. However, capturing the subtlety of these scenes requires attention to tone, contrast, and composition.

American Primeval: Behind the Scenes of Netflix' Epic Western Saga

Every movie set has a unit still photographer who is there to capture all the action, both on camera and off. From critical moments in the film’s narrative arc to the flurry of orchestrated activity behind the scenes, this photographer has a front-row seat to the magic of motion picture making.
7 Tips to Simplify Your Landscape Compositions

One of the best things you can do as a landscape photographer to improve your photographs is to master your compositions. For many, working on composition is difficult, with the pieces never quite coming together, even after watching videos and reading articles. These seven tips aim to change that.

Why Some Landscapes Make Bad Photos

Not every beautiful scene makes a good photograph. Learning to recognize what works and what doesn’t is an essential skill. Composition, lighting, and focus all play a role, but understanding how to control these elements is what separates strong images from forgettable ones.

Why Breaking Into Photography Is Harder Than Ever

Photography is harder to break into than ever. The cost of living is up, gear is expensive, and opportunities often go to those with connections. If you’ve struggled to get a foothold in the industry, you’re not alone. Many talented creatives find themselves stuck, not because they lack skill or dedication, but because the system favors those with financial backing.

Six Lessons That Will Change How You Shoot

Buying a new camera won’t make you a better photographer. Improvement comes from consistent practice, not from having the latest gear. If you want to capture great photos, you need to put in the time to understand how light, composition, and timing work together.

A Smarter Way to Edit Landscape Photos in Lightroom

Editing landscape photos can feel overwhelming with all the tools available, but you don’t need to use most of them. The key is knowing which adjustments actually make a difference. A few simple changes can turn a flat raw file into something that reflects the scene as you remember it.

A Simple Photoshop Trick for Better Light and Atmosphere

Sometimes, a small edit can bring a photo to life. Adjusting light, enhancing atmosphere, and directing attention can make a huge difference, especially when working with images that feel flat or lack impact.

The Greatest Force That Is Ignored by Photographers

There is a hidden force that can elevate your photography massively. I know about it because, after 35 years in photography, I stumbled upon it accidentally. And I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

Inside a Professional Hotel Photography Shoot

Advertising photography isn’t just about taking nice pictures. Every shot needs to sell an experience, blending technical skill with storytelling. That’s why planning and execution are crucial.

Mastering Lightroom’s Most Overlooked Editing Tools

If you’re only making quick adjustments with auto settings or exposure sliders, you’re missing out on Lightroom’s most powerful tools. Understanding how to work with tone curves, masks, and color adjustments will push your images to the next level.

FOMO Warning: Imaging USA 2025 Was Tremendous

“What made you come to Imaging USA?” the videographer asked me on the bustling expo floor, with the mic placed on my lapel. I raced back in my mind to a few months ago when I declined Imaging USA’s invitation. I’m just so swamped; I don’t have time. I fast-forwarded under pressure to what made me change my decision. I realized that I didn’t have time not to come to Imaging USA. Let me explain.

Why Generative Fill Isn’t Always Enough for Removing Distractions

Removing distractions from a photo has never been easier, but relying on one tool alone won’t always give you the best results. If you’ve used generative fill and noticed low-resolution patches in your edits, you’re not imagining things. The tool is great for quick fixes, but when you need high-quality results, there’s a better way.

The Change That Could Transform Your Photography

There are many opinions and pieces of guidance imparted to new photographers. Many show up regularly, like how you should “make” photos rather than “take” them. Some of this advice is helpful, while other pieces might crush your creativity. Following the advice to avoid one common technique may unintentionally stunt your growth without you even realizing it.

Five Ways to Strengthen Your Brand When Business Slows

Most people panic when business slows down, but this time of year is an opportunity, not a setback. A slow season gives you space to refine your strategy, attract better clients, and strengthen your brand. What you do now will determine how successful your next busy season will be.

The Best Beginner's Guide to Lightroom

Editing your photos well makes a huge difference in how professional they look. Lightroom is one of the most popular tools for photo editing, but it can seem overwhelming at first. Knowing how to use it efficiently can save you time and improve your final images.

The Three Overlooked Skills Wedding Photographers Need

Being a wedding photographer isn’t just about mastering camera settings or posing techniques. The job demands serious physical and mental endurance, and if you’re not prepared, it can take a heavy toll. Long hours, high-pressure moments, and back-to-back weekends can leave you drained, impacting both your work and well-being.

Less Is More: A Guide to Cleaner Composition

Photography often starts with a full scene that overwhelms the eye with every detail. You face the challenge of choosing which elements to let stand and which to remove in order to craft a compelling image.

Stop Losing Image Quality in Photoshop With This Trick

Smart objects in Photoshop solve one of the biggest problems you face when working with images: loss of quality. You scale an image down, then decide later you want it bigger, and suddenly it’s a pixelated mess. Smart objects prevent that.

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.

Maximizing Portrait Photography Efficiency With Clever Lighting

Whether you’re working with athletes in controlled environments or trying to create a dramatic effect, the way you set up your lights can make or break the shot. Understanding how to efficiently arrange and use your lighting gear allows you to maximize your time while producing high-quality images.

How a Mid-Range Zoom Can Elevate Your Landscape Photography

The right lens can make or break your landscape photography. A mid-range zoom gives you the flexibility to frame shots without constantly switching lenses, helping you stay in the moment and capture what’s in front of you. If you want a versatile setup that lets you adapt on the fly, you’ll want to take a closer look at this approach.

Why Your Photography Feels Stuck and How to Fix It

When your photography hits a plateau, it can be frustrating. You’ve taken great shots before, but suddenly, nothing seems to work. Creative slumps happen to everyone, but understanding why they occur and how to push through can make all the difference.

How to Use Vignettes to Improve Your Photos

Vignetting can be a powerful tool in editing, helping you direct attention to the most important part of your image. Whether you're working with portraits, product shots, or landscapes, controlling how light fades toward the edges can enhance your composition. But not all vignettes are created equal, and using the wrong approach can make your edits look artificial.