I'll admit that I'm not the biggest sports fan. And while that may be a huge understatement, when I do watch sports, I usually notice that the photographers on the sidelines tend to have a Y chromosome. The women shooters are few and far between.
I'm writing this from Ohio, where the weather is currently terrible. It was terrible yesterday, and it's forecast to be terrible tomorrow. If you've ever been foiled by bad weather, this video is for you.
The video showcases and discusses the latest desktop computers and what features you can get with regards to screens and processor capabilities in the category. I've used a laptop for most of my photography and videography career.
Like many photographers during the digital revolution, the idea of being able to capture high-quality video with my stills camera has always been enticing. Filmmaking is a different way to tell a story entirely, because of the addition of context.
Double exposures are a pretty neat way to create striking images that instantly grab the viewer's attention. They can be quite difficult to get right in camera, however. Luckily, that's why we have Photoshop.
The most important tool in any photographer’s arsenal is their ability to use and manipulate light. However all too often many photographers either shy away from, or completely rule out using hard light and it may be hindering not only their flexibility but also their creativity. What if you could shoot in direct sunlight and love it?
Moving from photography to video can be like trying to learn Spanish when you speak French: the similarities are undeniable, but each is its own distinct language. These six quick tips will ease the transition and give you a good basis to begin shooting.
A few weeks ago I shared some insight on using shotgun microphones for documentary style interview productions. This week, I’ve got a companion video that explores techniques for using lavalier mics, the standard go-to mic for most interview scenarios.
Texting is more ubiquitous than ever, having become a central part of our culture. This useful tutorial shows how to create convincing text chat boxes to overlay on your video work.
Whether you're working on limited time, limited budget, or you just want to expand your arsenal of filmmaking tricks, these five quick tips will give you some great workarounds and techniques for achieving better results more efficiently.
When we think of bokeh, we normally of out-of-focus areas behind the subject. But the nature of depth of field means there are out-of-focus areas in front of the subject as well, and taking advantage of these can create some unique portraiture.
We talk about how to clean our cameras and lenses quite a bit, but for many of us, our tripods are just as essential a piece of equipment. Here's how to properly clean one to extend its life and ensure it functions fully.
Math isn't all nerdery and monotonous tedium with the abstract; it explains real phenomenon and cool effects, such as this seemingly magic helicopter.
Video is a beast of an undertaking. Every element: pacing, storytelling, lighting, etc. must be working in top form to achieve a truly successful result. Here are five quick and free ways to improve your video work.
Properly post-processing the sky can be what really sends an action shot, environmental portrait, or landscape image over the top. This quick tutorial will help you create compelling skies that complement your scenery.
Photoshop is a sort of neverending story: just when you think you know all its features and tricks, you discover something new. This great video highlights ten such features you might not be aware of.
I hear a lot of photographers talk about tone curve shapes: the s-curve for contrast, for crushing blacks, etc. But really taking advantage of tone curves is less about memorizing shapes that produce specific results and more about understanding exactly what they do. This great video will get you up to speed in no time.
So you're interested in filming video with your DSLR. I don't blame you, I 100 percent prefer to shoot video over stills. I came across this super creative YouTuber, and in nine minutes, not only will you learn about the basics of shooting video, but you'll also save money by not spending it at an art school like I did. You're welcome.
A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to do my very first celebrity photo shoot with Grammy Award-winner Fatman Scoop at my studio in New Jersey. He had posted on Instagram that he was looking for photographers and videographers to collaborate with.
Action sport photography has always been something that I have been drawn to, but I just don't have the access and opportunity to shoot it very often. So when I got the chance to shoot some wakesurfing, I Instantly jumped at the opportunity. The one thing I wanted to do going into the shoot though, was come out with something different.
If you've ever shot a portrait of someone wearing glasses, you know it can be a particularly infuriating experience. Instead of resorting to posing tricks or wasting time correcting the glare in Photoshop, understanding the simple physics behind why these reflections occur can enable you to quickly and effectively eliminate them.
I'm a new(ish) parent who wishes they had a studio to photograph my little human. Surely you would only need a small studio for a small person, right? Preferably one you wouldn’t have to pay rent for. That’s where your living room and some creativity comes in handy.
If you're a creative of any sort, you probably deal with doubt on a daily basis. It can be beneficial, or it can be crippling, all depending on how we embrace its presence in our work and lives.
Camera movements go beyond creating enticing shots that draw the viewer in on novelty alone. Carefully engineered and executed movements can evoke emotions and give away details that surpass the information given by dialogue and scenery alone. Check out these five amazing examples of camera movement in film.
If you own a DJI drone and haven't yet taken advantage of the Intelligent Flight Modes, you're missing out on some seriously adept autonomous flight capabilities that can help you get smoother, more professional-looking shots. This helpful video will get you acquainted with each mode, what it's useful for, and what to be aware of when shooting.
The inverse square law is one of the most important yet misunderstood concepts in photography. On the surface, it basically says that the intensity of a light source will decrease as you move the light away from your subject, but how does that apply to the highlights and shadows in a portrait?
We live in a world of excessive options, often leading to crippling cases of “analysis paralysis.” This reality is particularly prevalent in the world of online learning. I can’t even count the number of YouTube videos I have to search when I want to learn a particular skill, before I finally find a half decent one or give up and teach myself.
Have you ever captured a really amazing picture of a car or motorcycle only to realize that you forgot to turn the headlights on while you were on location? Don't you worry about a thing because Photoshop makes it a breeze to flip on those high beams in just a few easy steps.
Wildlife films have dramatically improved over the last few years. We can now use image stabilization and smaller camera rigs to get closer and make the visual experience more cinematic. These techniques are perfected by the wildlife film producers and help create stories to show the world like we've never seen it before.
On Sunday night, "Moonlight," Director Barry Jenkins' beautiful film about the coming-of-age of a young man dealing with issues of race and poverty, while simultaneously discovering his own relationship to sexuality, won the ultimate prize, the Best Picture trophy at the Academy Awards. LensCulture just posted a lengthy interview with the film's talented cinematographer, James Laxton.
By narrowing your focus and promoting your specific skill set, you can grow your business and stand out in even the most overly saturated market.
Toronto-based Destination Wedding Photographer Derrel Ho-Shing created a video demonstrating the difference of natural light, flash, and high-speed sync. This might seem trivial at first glance, but having the same model, same setting, and three lighting approaches makes it obvious which setup is the winner, at least to me.
Today was a day of much needed motivation, so I decided to grab one of my speedlights and shoot a portrait with an element of motion. In this case, water.
If you've been a photographer for any length of time, chances are you've experienced the dreaded slump; Your muse has run off with someone else, inspiration goes down the toilet, everything you create looks like crap, and even the desire to pick up your camera deserts you. If you are struggling through this season right now, there's hope. The slump can become the catalyst for you
If you're trying to gain an edge in a competitive market, getting inspiration from places you might not normally look could really help. This new documentary series will expose you to some of the world's most creative minds in fields you may have never considered. As an added bonus, one of the episodes features famous photographer, Platon, and is worth a watch just for that alone.
If you’re stuck on ideas for creative portrait sessions, have you ever tried incorporating water? This short video by Adorama TV features studio lighting guru Gavin Hoey taking us through an introduction to wet portraits in the studio.
I have always had a passion for cars, which is what set me in the path of becoming a photographer. From casually taking photos of various cars with a point-and-shoot at local events in the beginning, I decided to go beyond that and see where I could go with a camera.
Resolution, bit depth, compression, bit rate. These are just few of the countless parameters our cameras and files have. Let's talk about bit depth here. There's a lot of good talk about 10 bit and a lot of bad talk about 8 bit. The computer can tell the difference, but can you?
I love shooting on location and am passionate about deep blue skies. Usually I would use CPL and ND filters to get the best skies to my taste.
Seems like protests are a pretty regular thing these days, and so there’s a lot of chances to photograph history in the making. So when you’re photographing a big news event, how do you get a picture while wading through the big-news crowds? Try using a monopod. I'll explain.
Just look at this chaotic group of people with cameras, seen here at the Millions March NYC in 2014.
For those trying to balance their passion with their paycheck, here's a quick word on the joys of taking the leap, and the sweet taste of being unemployed. Well, sort of.
One of my favorite setups for studio portraits of children was inspired by Jill Greenberg’s photos of crying babies. These portraits are fun, simple, and focus on teasing out a variety of natural expressions of children as they are being photographed. This tutorial demonstrates how to photograph and edit this particular style of a three-light children’s portrait.
If photography is an art, so is retouching. While there are school teaching photography classes, fewer offer retouching programs. Many photographers starting out seem to be looking at the same tutorials over and over again, without ever actually getting anything out of it. Frequency separation, dodging and burning, or curves will only get you so far before you hit a wall.
How did technology make "Planet Earth" so much more cinematic? If we go back to how it was done back in the day and compare it to the technology we have today, it's quite a leap.
Buying the right gear for you is not only a question of money. Sometimes the wisest decisions are made within a tight budget, while the stupidest choices may be made when finances are abundant. In this article I'd like to share with you my process of buying new gear for my photography and video projects.
High-speed sync is a hot topic in the world of portrait photographers today and Francisco Hernandez is someone who has this technique dialed in.
Audio is arguably the most important facet of any film or video production. There is a saying that goes: “Audio is 70% of what you see,” which means that sound makes up more of the experience than the visuals do. So while we may spend a lot of time planning for what our shot looks like, it’s even more important that we mic it properly for the best audio recording possible.
Everyone and their Auntie seem to sell Photoshop action sets these days, as if they're the answer to something. I'm primarily referring to action sets which create entire "looks" for your image, but there are uses for actions which are less comprehensive and arguably more useful.
We've all seen Toy Story. We've all been taken on the same journey with Finding Nemo, and felt sad when Wall-E was left behind to clean earth all by himself. We've all had either a smile on our face or a tear in the eye due to a fictional 3D rendered character showed an emotion you identified with. We take photos and video of what we know.
I'm not too sure about this, but maybe it's because most of the images on my Facebook profile that people like are the ones of me looking left but hey, this is science, and it's called Spacial Agency Bias. Simone Schnall is a Director at the Cambridge Embodied Cognition and Emotion Laboratory. She says we all want to look progressive, dynamic, and forward thinking.