For many photographers, the first type of photoshoot they will ever book is an engagement session. In this extended tutorial, I will walk you through four different setups that you can use regardless of your location or skill level.
A core value in being able analyze, interpret, or critique a photograph is the knowledge gained which can then be applied to your photography. Furthermore, applying those same observations in an honest way to your own images is a powerful tool for creative growth.
If there’s one YouTuber that you can rely on to draw on philosophical thought to pose provocative questions about your photographer, it’s Jamie Windsor. In this video, he explores how technical failings can make your photography more engaging.
Has the rule of thirds influenced your compositions? It has mine at times. Yet, with each application I wonder, why should placing things near the thirds of an image be appealing? In fact, it turns out that the link between the rule of thirds and aesthetic appeal is weak. Is the rule of thirds dead?
Mastering any craft takes a lot of time, intentional practice, and dedication. However, getting out of the blocks quickly can put you further along that path, sooner.
The 2019 PhotoPlus Expo was held this weekend at the Javits Center in New York City. This year’s edition was full of several changes, both exciting and concerning.
Half the fun of studio lighting is that you get such granular control over the lighting that you can bring ideas to fruition that simply would not be possible with just natural light. Such is the case with this video, which will show you how to create these eye-catching shots using slit lighting.
As photographers, we’re a diverse bunch — this crazy industry is home to an array of different personalities. But many of us fall into specific patterns of behavior that affect the success of our businesses.
Photography can be a frustrating pursuit, particularly when you feel excited about an image, only to come home and fall back to Earth as you realize it is not actually that great. What about when that happens 300 times in a row? Could you still persevere until you got a photo worth keeping?
The megapixel war has seen a resurgence in recent years, with full frame cameras blowing past the 50-megapixel mark and producing file sizes that would have seemed ludicrous not that long ago. With these crazy resolutions come a lot of benefits, but also some drawbacks that you should consider before you invest in such a camera. This great video will show you what it is like to work with these megapixel monsters.
Trading or selling your time for money has long been viewed by classic economics as a losing proposition. As a professional wedding photographer, it’s typical to sell your time in hourly blocks. There are only so many hours you can sell, so how do you break through this earnings ceiling?
It's a slightly uncomfortable question when said directly, but it's one you ought to answer. If you want any significant improvement in your work, being happy just taking pictures isn't enough.
If you use screw-in lens filters, sooner or later, you may end up with a stuck lens filter that refuses to come off. Have no fear, though: here are 10 ways to remove that stuck lens filter.
One of the most fundamental and important skills any photographer can possess is the ability to create an accurate exposure in camera. This first part of a two-part series will show you the numerous tools your camera has to help you achieve that goal as well as how you can avoid being fooled by other things your camera does.
When you are new to working with artificial lighting, it can all seem a bit overwhelming and foreign, but it does not have to remain mysterious forever. This excellent video tutorial will teach you a clean three-light setup that you can use for commercial portraits and more.
Are you a patient person, able to delay gratification for the sake of something bigger and better down the road? Do you think you could wait two years to get the exact photo you wanted? This awesome video follows a photographer on the quest to make an image that took two years of careful planning and waiting for just the right moment.
I'm going to let you in on a little secret, one that lots of people know, but for some reason, not that many people talk about. You're allowed to take bad photos; it's alright, and your world won't come crashing down.
Are you struggling with photographing in forests? Here are five tips to get you started.
Many times, when we go to places that are exceptional for their landscape photography potential, we may not be arriving at the most optimal time frame. What can you do to still take exceptional imagery that recreates the look of beautiful light?
Developing a photographic style that is recognized by your peers is the holy grail of photography. Here are some tips on how you can find yours.
While Typhoon Hagibis was causing destruction across Japan recently, some adrenaline junkies decided to go surfing at one of the country's most mythical big wave locations. I was there to capture these incredible scenes.
Landscape photography is a genre that requires a lot of time and dedication to even the most subtle nuances to master. This excellent video will give you six lessons a landscape photographer has learned on his journey that can help you on yours.
The best analogy for photographing well-photographed locations is to make covers of famous pieces of music. Just like a musician practices his guitar skills with “Nothing Else Matters” and makes his own version, a landscape photographer might do the same at Skogafoss in Iceland or Mesa Arch in Utah. When you are done practicing, or made enough covers of the same location, you might want to make your own original pieces.
One of the biggest mistakes any photographer or videographer can make is to treat their client relationships as purely transactional. This excellent video discusses why empathy is one of the most important qualities any creative can possess and how it can improve both your work and your business relationships.
The combination of modern sensors that produce raw files with lots of latitude and advanced post-processing software with powerful capabilities has given photographers more and more ability to push their images to more extreme edits than ever before. So, where is the line when it comes to editing images? This thoughtful video discusses the topic.
Events shooters can generate thousands of images in a very short space of time. But how do you manage that volume of photos, and what can you do with your workflow to make it as fast and efficient as possible?
A lot of us do not like the rain for one reason or another, whether it is the fact that we simply do not enjoy getting wet (that would be me) or because we want to protect the thousands of dollars we have invested in sometimes delicate equipment. Still, there is a lot to be gained by occasionally venturing into the rain with your camera, and this awesome video discusses why you might want to try it yourself.
Traditionally, studio photographers tend to shoot with narrower apertures, though there are certainly situations in which it might be a better choice to shoot at a wider aperture. This informative video examines when different apertures are optimal in studio as well as some of the issues associated with using artificial lights at wider apertures.
Professional models can take a lot of the burden off the photographer by bringing their posing expertise to the table. However, you will not always have the benefit of shooting with a professional model, and it is important to have the ability to pose normal people. This great video will show you lots of posing ideas for men who are not models.
Many photographers live and breathe by keywording their photos in Lightroom. Keywords can be used both for describing images, as well as combined with other features of Lightroom for organizing, searching, publishing, and exporting photos.
Have you ever heard the argument that photography isn’t art, because everyone can do it? That’s bull. All forms of photography need artistic thinking to some extent.
One of the most interesting selling points of some mirrorless camera systems is their ability to adapt lenses from a wide variety of mounts, both legacy and current. But it is not always a good idea to simply throw an adapted lens on your camera and start shooting. This great video highlights the situations in which you should feel free to use an adapted lens and those in which you might want to consider using a native option.
Every photographer is different: we all have our own personalities and values. Even with all our differences, there are five key traits that every photographer needs to have no matter what they do.
If your goal for 2020 is to become a full time professional, make sure that you start doing these things now.
Our histogram shows 256 shades of gray. Besides pure black and pure white Ansel Adams used only nine shades to manipulate the contrast in his famous landscape photos. His zone-system can still be used for our modern digital photography.
If you haven't already heard, block working is certainly the trendy way of getting things done at the moment. I recently applied it to my working week and it has pretty much freed up one entire day most weeks.
Lightroom recently added the Texture tool to the Develop module, and it brings with it new capabilities to the program. If you have not had much time to play around with the slider yet, this great video will show you everything you need to know about how to use the slider and where it can be helpful on your own images.
Many interesting ethical issues arise across the photographic genres from the perspective of the photographer, their subjects, and their audience. This video on the broader subject of art and ethics, generally, presents a number of questions and thought experiments designed to get us thinking about the roles that art and ethics play in our lives.
Posting on social media can be tough. Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing new to share at all. Maybe the problem is you’re not using all the opportunities out there. You might be missing some ways to squeeze more juice out of the content orange.
Photographers have the special gift of being able to create memorable images that can leave a lasting impact on those who view them. If you are interested in using your skills to make the world a better place, check out this great video that will show you 11 ways you can use your photography to improve the world.
What is photography worth if we do not do it for our own wellbeing?
Soft and beautiful lighting is the quintessential ideal for many portrait photographers, but what do you do when you need to work quickly in multiple locations?
If you're like me and primarily use Lightroom Classic for your photo editing, you probably occasionally edit a photo in Photoshop. If you do, you might be making the same Photoshop file mistakes I made.
Light stands are not known for being inconspicuous, and as such, if they are in your shot, they can be a real pain to deal with. However, with some careful planning, you can make it super easy to quickly composite the light stand out in Photoshop, and this helpful video will show you exactly how to do that.
Today, cameras are easy to use. The skill of photographers has shifted from learning how to handle a camera to learning how to handle what happens in front of it. Do you have this skill?
Whether you've realized it or not, photography is moving away from pure optics. For the past few years, smartphone cameras have been relying on computational photography to overcome their physical limitations. But what does that even mean?
Photoshop is a tremendously large and complex program, and it certainly behooves anyone working in the application to learn whatever they can about shortcuts and the way the tools work. This helpful video will give you over 20 practical tips for maximizing the usefulness of the tools in Photoshop in just two minutes.
Landscape photography is a tricky genre that takes the confluence of multiple threads of technical prowess, creative thinking, and a bit of luck from the elements to create a successful image. This helpful video will give you lots of great tips to improve your landscape photography.
Sometimes it is good to step away from commercial work for a little while and practice styles or techniques you would not normally use or would like to get better at.
Creating panoramic photographs is nothing new; most of us have either had a crack with a camera or maybe even with a phone app/camera. A lot of my work involves creating panoramic/stitched-together photographs with a tilt-shift lens, which in my opinion is the best way to do so.
