Education

When most photographers start out, they photograph a wide range of genres and eventually find one or a few genres they enjoy and would like to specialize in. If you want to start making money from your photography, you will encounter an important question: should you specialize or be a generalist? This excellent video features an experienced photographer discussing the question and offerings some useful advice.

Flowers are some of the best subjects for macro photography, offering an almost endless range of looks and opportunities to expand your portfolio. If you are interested in your improving your flower macro imagery, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you seven useful tips sure to put you on the track to better photos.

Shooting natural light portraits does not mean you are stuck using the sunlight exactly as it is without any modification. You can use modifiers to shape the sunlight to be more flattering, and this great video tutorial will show you an effective way to create such illumination.

For most people, the prospect of a clear blue sky makes for a nice day, but for a landscape photographer, it is a nightmare that leads to boring frames. While those clear skies can be difficult to deal with, they do not mean you should just pack up your camera and lens and head back home. This great video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer working under such conditions and sharing some helpful tips to improve your images.

We all want to take compelling photos that capture the viewer's eye and encourage them to linger instead of quickly scrolling by. How do you notice the potential in the frame in the first place, though? This excellent video discusses the concept and offers some helpful advice sure to help you take better photos.

Being a successful photographer often takes a lot of confidence: confidence in your abilities with a camera, in your problem-solving, in your creative vision, and in how you interface with your clients. Despite all that, it is quite common to experience self-doubt. This excellent video discusses three ways to tackle that self-doubt and to overcome it.

Nighttime portraits can be a highly effective way to add a bit of drama to your images and open up entirely new creative avenues. If you are interested in learning how to shoot portraits after dark, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show what you need to know to get up and running.

When you are working in a studio, you can enjoy all the equipment you own without having to worry about how to carry it all along with you. When you work on location, however, you need to balance the complexity of your creative setups with how easily you can transport all your equipment. This helpful video tutorial will show you an effective two-light setup for on-location portraits that will yield compelling images.

Landscape photography takes a combination of technical skills, creative vision, understanding of nature, and often, just a bit of luck in order to create successful images. If you would like to improve your work, check out this excellent video tutorial that features an experienced landscape photographer discussing five essential skills you need to have to reach your full potential.

Auto ISO is one of those features that I ignored for a long time, considering it not much more than a gimmick. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to try auto ISO, and I quickly realized that I was missing out on a valuable and practical feature.

Landscape photography is a challenging genre that takes a combination of good technique, creative vision, strong editing skills, and the ability to plan ahead. If you are just starting out and looking to improve your work, check out this great video tutorial that features an experienced landscape photographer discussing seven things professionals do to ensure they consistently produce worthwhile images.

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.

Bird photography is a difficult but fun genre that requires a combination of specialized technique, patience, creativity, and knowledge of how birds behave in order to get successful results. If you would like to improve your bird photography, check out this fantastic tutorial that will show you five tips sure to put you on the track to better images.

This Lightroom slider is not hidden in the sense that there is some special secret to finding it, but it is in a place where you probably would not think to look for it. This great video tutorial will show you how to take advantage of it to make your photos pop quickly and easily.

There is a good chance we are currently headed toward an economic recession, and as such, wedding photographers should consider how to ensure their business will be ready if such a downturn arrives. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced wedding photographer discussing how to prepare yourself for a recession to ensure that you are in a position to survive or even thrive when one arrives.

Taking your cityscape photos during blue hour is always a safe bet if you don't get spectacular light at sunrise or sunset. A deep blue sky provides the perfect color contrast to the incandescent lights in the city and will help you create a pleasing result. But what if you are lucky with light and weather? Do you take a photo while the colors pop in the sky or with the city lights during blue hour? Luckily, you can get both by applying a technique called time blending. In this article, I show you how.

As wedding photographers, our hobby is our job, and we don't answer to the man. That's the dream. But how do we go from weekend warrior to full-time photo-ninja? These tips are invaluable.

Birds are some of the more easily spooked creatures out there, and as such, it can be particularly tricky to get close enough to photograph them before they fly away. One particularly useful tool is a blind, and this awesome video will show you both what it is and how it is used.

A photograph is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional world, and as such, part of the challenge to the photographer is to recreate a sense of depth in the image. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to use lighting and other techniques to create a deep sense of depth in a portrait for a more compelling overall image.

Editing software from Skylum has gone through a lot of changes over the past few years, and with its new software Luminar Neo, there's still lots of room for evolution in what the software can do for its users. HDR Merge was recently added as an expansion for the software, and this is one feature that had been asked for by its users for some time. Another feature that has been requested in forums quite frequently is the ability to stitch panoramas.

The internet has made it easier than ever to digest hundreds or even thousands of images in just a few swipes and minutes, and while that can be a great thing, it has downsides too. It is important to remember where creativity comes from before you allow yourself to be derailed by things like envy. This fantastic video essay serves as an important reminder of how to truly be creative.

When I was new to studio portrait photography, for some reason, I found the beauty dish to be one of the more intimidating modifiers to master. Perhaps it had to do with the unique shape and setup, but for whatever reason, I avoided trying one out for a long time. In reality, using a beauty dish is not as challenging as it may seem, and in this article, I will detail three basic ways to use one as well as provide sample images.

Back in the days of film, where there were no image previews and every frame cost money to take, light meters allowed you to ensure that an image would be properly lit and the results would be what you expected. With digital, you can now check the results instantly and make adjustments right away with no penalty. So, while light meters are not necessary anymore, they can still be quite useful. This great video tutorial will show you how to use one properly.

One of the most fundamental choices you can make is whether to use a prime or a zoom lens. For portraiture, there are benefits and drawbacks to each option. If you are new to portrait photography and wondering which is right for you, check out this great video tutorial that will show you the pros and cons of both to help you make the right choice.

It used to be that Lightroom was for cataloging and basic edits and Photoshop was reserved for the more serious work, but in the last few iterations, the former has made some major strides. You can now do some impressively complex edits without ever leaving Lightroom. This helpful video tutorial will show you three advanced tools in Lightroom that will make your edits more efficient and help you create better images.

There are many different techniques you can use to retouch a portrait, and one of the more advanced and powerful out there is frequency separation. This helpful video tutorial will show you what frequency separation is and how to use it to edit a photo.

No matter what genre you shoot, you can quickly fall down the hole of spending a ton of money on gear in the pursuit of the perfect shot. However, you can easily create high-quality, compelling images even with basic budget gear. This excellent video is an important reminder that you do not need a lot of pricey gear to create good photos and just as importantly, to enjoy the craft.

A drone allows you to take photographs to the next level. There is only one downside for most drones I know of. The camera can’t be tilted for vertical shots. That doesn’t mean you can’t shoot vertical images. The solution is a panorama.

There are certainly a lot of similarities between photo and video, but there are also some fundamental differences you should be aware of to ensure you get the best results. If you are new to video and working on the fundamentals, check out this excellent tutorial that will show you how aperture works in video and how to properly adjust it to get your best results.

Are you not into abstract photography? It’s one of those things you’ll either love or hate. But it's important, and there is much more to it than you might know.

Along with shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, white balance is one of the most fundamental settings on your camera and something you will want to consider before you take a photo. So, what is white balance and why does it matter? This excellent video tutorial will introduce you to white balance, what it is, and how to control it for better images.

Rarely is a landscape photograph finished when you press the shutter, as the vast majority of such images will take some amount of post-processing to create a finished result. Capture One is the tool of choice for many professional photographers, and this helpful video tutorial will show you one of its most useful tools for creating compelling final results.

Although sharpness is important in just about every genre, it is a particularly strong priority in macro photography. However, it is particularly challenging in macro work, especially when you are not working in a studio where you have complete control over the placement or stabilization of your subject. If you want to shoot on the go without setting up a tripod every time, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you some helpful tips for getting sharp images even when shooting handheld.

If you'd like to know how to change the color of a white object in Photoshop, or any other color for that matter, then this is for you.

Have you thought about buying a drone but hesitated because you don't know how to fly them? This is exactly what you need.

If you’ve ever dived into a food photography shoot hoping to wing it, things probably went a little awry because there are so many moving parts to food photography. In this post, I’ll share my best tips for a no-fuss, no-stress food photography shoot to help you achieve the vision in your mind.

One of the most important habits every photographer or filmmaker should develop is a strong backup strategy that guarantees the safety of your files in the event of a hard drive failure or natural disaster. If you have not created yours yet, check out this helpful video tutorial that will show you how to properly ensure the safety of all your files.

I love shooting landscape photos at the beach. It’s an ever-changing landscape dominated by the sea and its waves. You might think shooting photos at such a location is easy, but you have to know a few things before you go there. It's all about safety.

As much as lighting, posing, composition, and settings matter for creating a good portrait image, they are only half of what it takes to create a successful final result. You also need a strong post-processing workflow. If you are new to portrait work, check out this great video tutorial that will show you a basic editing workflow for creating polished final images.

Landscape photography is a unique genre that takes a combination of technical skill, creative vision, perseverance, and often, a bit of luck. If you find yourself struggling to create worthwhile images lately, check out this great video tutorial that will give you some helpful advice sure to put you back on the right track.

One of the most overlooked yet crucial aspects of becoming a successful headshot and portrait photographer is the photographer’s personality. In fact, I would argue that your personality as a photographer can be the determining factor in success when working with clients.

Photographers have three choices when selling photographs. They can be commissioned to shoot for a client, aim for the mass market, or choose to sell fewer, high-quality, collectible images with narrower interest. There are good reasons why you should consider the last option.

If you are a new photographer and you just started shooting in raw, you have probably noticed that the files look rather flat and bland, especially compared to JPEG files. Don't worry, though, that is exactly what is supposed to happen. If you are wondering how to turn a raw file into an eye-catching finished image, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to edit a raw file from start to finish using Photoshop.

Photography can be a frustrating thing. It takes a combination of technical skills, creative vision, and often, a bit of luck, and any one of them going awry can throw off the entire process and final result. If you are feeling a bit frustrated by the whole thing lately, check out this great video that features an experienced photographer discussing three reasons why you might be experiencing that irritation and what you can do to remedy the situation.

One of the most popular techniques in landscape photography is the long exposure, which allows you to really add your creative take on a scene. However, it takes more than just using a longer shutter speed to create a compelling final result. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to create a long exposure photograph.

Thinking outside of the box can often result in interesting creations being made. Here's what happens when you repurpose an old iPhone for a glitchy photoshoot.

Of course, it would be great if the weather would cooperate every time we went out to take photos, but that simply is not going to happen, and if you avoid creating images whenever the conditions are not ideal, you are going to lead a frustrating career as a photographer. This great video tutorial is an important reminder that even in terrible conditions, you can create compelling images.

Lightroom has become quite an impressively capable editing program, able to tackle many advanced post-processing tasks that used to be reserved exclusively for Photoshop. As such, it can easy to overlook some of its tools. This excellent video tutorial will show you a lesser-known tool, what it does, and how to use it to create more precise edits.

As photographers, we often are bogged down in what gear to buy, what lens to choose, what has better specs, and so on. To everyone's satisfaction or disappointment, these things will only make a marginal difference in most cases. As a photographer, you need to have more skills than gear. I am here to tell you the five most important ones.

Content-Aware fill is one of the most useful innovations in the history of Photoshop, allowing you to convincingly replace a wide variety of things in an image quickly and easily without having to do a lot of manual cloning and blending. It is not perfect, though, but with a bit of know-how, you can get a lot more from it. This helpful video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about the Content-Aware tool and how to customize it to your needs.