Education

As mentioned in my previous article reviewing “Street Photography: The Art of Capturing the Candid Moment” by Gordon Lewis, the digital photography book publisher Rocky Nook has recently released some new titles that I was eager to check out. In this article, I take a look at “The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography” by Glenn Randall which offers an interesting take on the classic genre. In addition to the review, we are giving away two copies of this book to two lucky Fstoppers readers.

There is that spark in all of us. For some it's the first press of the shutter. For others it's that first dollar we make for creating art while doing something we love. It's that spark in our mind, in our very souls, that sprinkles us with those day dreaming thoughts about persuing photography full time. Everyone who has ever picked up a camera has had the "I could make a living doing this" moment.

In the digital age you as a photographer are expected to be familiar and knowledgeable with Photoshop. It can be argued back and forth if this is right or wrong and whether Photoshop is ruining photography. But I see Photoshop as a tool, just as the darkroom was a tool to manipulate images. I have put together this list of 10 techniques that helps me get the most out of my images.

Photography book publisher Rocky Nook recently released several new titles which join their now expansive library of topics. I checked out two of these new books, and in this article I review “Street Photography: The Art of Capturing the Candid Moment” by Gordon Lewis. In addition to the review, we are giving away two free copies of “Street Photography” to two lucky readers.

For many centuries, scientists fought vehemently about the nature of light. Two sides debated a question pivotal to the development of physics: is light a particle or a wave? It wasn't until the 20th century that one of the most startling revelations about our universe came to prominence: light is both.

Bruce Gilden is one straight talker. The no-nonsense Brooklyn born, Guggenheim-awarded, Magnum photographer does not mince his words, that’s for sure. There is so much to learn from him in this interview, in between his quips and comments. Listen in as he shares more than 45 years worth of experience as he critiques a selection of images of street photographs in this VICE interview.

Getting perfect skin tones can be quite time consuming and difficult. Because everyone's skin complexion is different, the corrections needed will be different every time. Even so, there are some recurring problems such as over-saturated reds in darker tones. A great makeup goes a long way in helping with redness, but sometimes it is not enough. The best example is the red seen in the ears when the model is backlit. Because of the nature of skin and the human body, the ears are going to turn red and no makeup will totally solve that. So let’s see how we can correct that very effectively and quickly using Photoshop.

LinkedIn has announced its acquisition of Lynda.com, a popular online education platform that teaches technology skills such as how to use Photoshop or how to code in Java or use CSS. The $1.5 billion move will enable the company to offer a broad range of education services as it transitions from simply identifying skills needed for a position to also offering ways to gain those skills quickly and efficiently from with a trusted and proven method.

How do you tell a better, stronger, more compelling story through your photos or video work? How do you get booked for the work you want to do? Film makers and story tellers, Jared Levy and Justin Hamilton, will today share some secrets. Their new, beautiful, compelling mini-documentary entitled ‘Updating Philosophies’, helped them realize much of this, and we can all learn from their experiences.

I, like many photographers out there, don't have a studio, or don't have the money to rent out studio space every time I want to do a shoot. While shooting inside my house or garage is always an option, I found myself wanting to experiment more with ambient and natural light. Although I love shooting in a studio, a completely controlled environment, I learned shooting outside with backdrops was a great experience and taught me a lot about light.

If you are like me, you have always bought a UV filter for each of your lens because that's what you are supposed to do, right? With today's lenses having built-in UV protection and high quality coatings, are UV filters even needed anymore? Check out this video by Karl Taylor as he weighs in on his personal thoughts about UV filters.

As the photography industry continues to grow, so does the amount of different mediums for education. From tutorial based websites, to tutorial DVDs, to workshops and even websites like Fstoppers here, there are multiple ways you can find new techniques and grow your craft. And maybe this year, is the year you truly take advantage of them.

While sipping my morning coffee I said to myself, "I sure wish I had a cool, thought provoking and entertaining video to watch with this (something that relates to me as a photographer)". And wouldn't you know it, my wish came to me in the form of an email from video director Matthew Rycroft . If I knew wishes were coming true today I might have asked for a moonwalking pony or a night with an all girl thrash metal punk band. But, not knowing what to do with either of those I'm just thankful to have these 13 Mind-Bending Thoughts About Photography. So, from all of us slow morning starters, thanks for the video Matt.

A professional retoucher does so much more than just pushing pixels about. To say the least there is a lot of artistic interpretation, collaboration, technical understanding and skill involved. Then there are master retouchers like Becci Manson who go even deeper, show us the nonsuperficial side of the industry and help restore pride in a profession that has gotten a bad rap over the years. This video will give you some understanding of what it means to work as a high end retoucher but more importantly it will show you that, being a retoucher doesn’t mean you don’t have a conscience or something important to offer.​

Having a process is one of the most essential keys to success in art, design, and photography. In this tutorial we will look at what to do after we have completed all of the major changes to our portrait retouch. In the beginning of our retouching we will commonly address larger issues like blemishes, distractions, tone smoothing, dodging and burning, and color corrections. But, after completing the major steps of our retouch, what are the finalizing steps in our process? Let's take a look at the five final steps you should follow before completing any portrait retouch.

As I spend more and more time around other photographers, I’ve had the opportunity to sit back and listen to everyone’s take on what makes a retouched image successful. Some photographers spend minutes retouching, while others spend literally hours on an individual image. Regardless if you spend 15 minutes or 3 hours retouching in image, it’s important to have a strong workflow so that you maintain your sanity.

If you are fan of DIY projects or are on a budget, this tutorial shows you all the steps for creating a simple yet effective globe light modifier for Paul C. Buff (RIP) strobes like AlienBees and Einsteins. Unlike many other DIY modifiers, this globe actually attaches the exact same way the retail modifiers do. Best of all, you can buy everything you need for under $25!

During the course of my 28-year photo career I’ve learned a lot from simply watching great movies, but watching great movies alone isn’t enough. You have to practice once you’ve been exposed to new information. We all love watching movies, and today I’d like to share an exercise you can do after watching a classic movie to become a better photographer.

If you've been working to improve your photography then you should already be familiar with the Golden ratio and the rule of thirds as they relate to visual compositions. Avoiding all the math we can simply say, to create a more intriguing shot we divide our composition into nine equal parts (two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines) and then we place important elements along these lines or their intersect points. This and other compositional guidelines (or tips) are nicely illustrated by this Cooperative of Photography video, using the works of Steve McCurry.

It’s not personal, it’s just business; Perhaps a saying more profound than most would imagine. As is the case with many endeavors born from a pursuit of passion, it can be hard for photographers to turn a hobby into a business. Here are five mistakes that might send you back to shooting as a hobby before you can even say “open for business.”

Having a makeup artist when shooting is a luxury for some photographers. While it is a must-have on a beauty or fashion set, when doing more simple portraiture it is not always easy to justify the cost for one. The biggest problem I find myself with when not having a makeup artist on set is people with oily skin are going to shine under strobe lighting. A simple makeup brush and some setting powder can do the trick, but sometimes we don’t even have that with us. So I am going to show you a way to quickly correct that using Photoshop.

It's always a treat to find a Photoshop feature that you didn't know existed. I was recently introduced to the "render flame" filter in Photoshop CC 2014. Using fire in images or composites isn't anything new, but creating fire elements from scratch is. With this awesome feature, anyone can now create custom flames to be used alone or in coordination with other real fire elements and photographs.

There are dozens of "How To" articles when it comes to portrait photography. Very few, if any, focus on things to avoid. With these quick tips you can steer clear of unwanted experiences and take your portraits to the next level. Here's a list that the professionals in the industry never share with you.

For Feature Shoot 's first video release they were lucky enough to catch up with celebrity photographer Martin Schoeller. Hours of conversation were condensed down to 6 minutes of behind the scene stories, inspirational anecdotes, advice and insight.

When retouching, it is not rare to come across color problems on a model’s skin. Whether it is from a sun tan, dodge & burn, spots or skin discoloration issues, it can be really painful to treat it in post. Despite being all about having it right in camera and doing as little as possible in post, there is an easy way to correct this in Photoshop -- a method that is going to make your makeup artist want to stop correcting redness, yellowness or under-eye bags. It is so easy to use you are going to wonder why you did not think of it earlier!

One of the most powerful, but often misused tools in Photoshop is the liquify filter. The liquify filter can help you restructure a subject’s shape, hair, or attire. In this introduction to using the liquify tool, I’ll cover ways to enhance your subject’s features so that they maintain natural body proportions.

The photographer makes the photo, not the gear. That being said, it’s essential to have the best tools for your career. Would a doctor go into surgery with a blunt scalpel? There's a lot of debate when it comes to the topic "best portrait lens." Personally, my choice of lens until now has been the Nikon 85mm 1.4G. A few months ago I decided to rethink my choice of lens and tried the Nikon 200mm f2 and Nikon 135mm f2. Here are the pros and cons for both lenses and examples of what they can do.

PRO.edu has released its newest tutorial, "The Complete Guide to Product Photography and Retouching." This in-depth tutorial features over 20 hours of content on shooting and retouching, taught by Tony Roslund. The tutorial is currently available and being sold with a $25-off early-bird discount, this week only. Use the promo code 25OFF to recieve the discount at checkout. RGG brings us a curriculum based approach to teaching photography with 55 Pre-production, 11 Photo Shoot, and 11 Retouching tutorial videos.

In Branding and Logo Design for Photographers Part 1, we looked at the initial steps of self-analyzing, market research, and competitive analysis. Now we move into the designing of our photography brand logo with possibly the most important step: identify and separate. The happy medium of fitting in with your genre enough to connect while contrasting from your field enough to stand out is a tenuous balance. Following these steps will help photographers and non-photographers build a strong competitive brand.

We’ve heard plenty about the death of the humble photo as video proliferates. But photography is still far more accessible than video, often because video editing is still so time intensive. Instagram introduced video more than a year ago yet it is still predominantly a platform for sharing still photographs. But all that could be about to change. Last month I shot video as Flixel partnered with Lindsay Adler and saw something very interesting take place that got me thinking - could we be about to usher in a completely new era for photography?