It’s a cliché but true nonetheless—old habits die hard. Following the same routine day in and day out because it’s what we know and are comfortable with can lead us into a rut of our own making. In a creative process like photography, repetition and routine can easily become a recipe for bland.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, finding avenues for relaxation, exercise, and enjoyment is crucial for maintaining mental and physical well-being. Photography is a practice that can be more than just a hobby or a profession but also a therapeutic tool. This article discusses how photography can add value, peace, and well-being into your life.
We've all needed help on the path to becoming photographers. Did some great advice help get you there? Advice may help you out of a bind or may help you to understand something you can't quite get the hang of. Of course, advice may also lead you down the wrong road. So, once you receive advice, you have to determine the value of the guidance. Is it good or bad advice? I asked a few photography colleagues to share the best advice they've received on turning pro. I'd love to hear about good advice you've been given, or good advice you'd like to share on turning pro.
Diving into the archives reveals a compelling truth: older digital cameras, often dismissed in the race for megapixels and modern features, hold a lot of value for today's photographers. Here's why you shouldn't overlook them.
Sometimes, the benefit of photography goes well beyond the pretty pictures.
The art of photography thrives not just on the celebration of successes but equally on the acknowledgment and analysis of failures. Understanding what doesn't work in one's photography can be as crucial as recognizing what does, providing valuable insights for personal growth and style development.
If you want to elevate it to a higher level, then there is an essential approach to your photography that you should embrace. Known for thousands of years, but nonetheless elusive, here's an approach to photography you can adopt, used by masters in all fields.
Navigating the vast array of tools in the digital art and photo editing landscape can be overwhelming, particularly when it comes to deciding on the necessity of a graphic tablet. Do you really need one? This insightful video will help you decide.
How much does the tool in your hand matter? Is your camera just something that captures images, or does it need to inspire you too?
Whether to share locations in landscape photography is a frequent topic of discussion in landscape photographer communities. People get frustrated when they ask where a photo was taken and the photographer won’t tell them. Are they gatekeeping, or are they trying to protect the natural landscape?
When manufacturers give specifications of lenses, there is a lot of detail that is meaningless to many consumers of their products. When we writers review them, we tend to give the same information. Here’s a method I think would be much more helpful to most photographers.
If you've followed my writing, you'll know that I rarely pick up my camera if I don't have a contract attached to the action. Call it the joys and perils of being a commercial photographer. You get paid to do what you love, yet your love morphs into a duty and can lose its allure. This is why I surprised myself on my recent work trip to California.
Many of us don’t consider the harm we do with our photos. Our actions might be innocent, but there's a dark side to most genres that we don't ever consider.
Being an artist means more than just creating the perfect image.
In a world overwhelmed with photography advice on YouTube, Instagram, or even articles like this one, it can be hard to know whose guidance to trust when building your career. However, chances are, you may be overlooking the most valuable source of input that will always guide you in the right direction.
Nearly two years ago, I wrote an article pointing out that most of the biggest brands' camera designs are uninspiring.
Micro Four Thirds (MFT) systems continue to be a compelling choice for many photographers and videographers, despite the industry's lean towards larger sensor formats. The affordability, compactness, and broad lens selection of MFT cameras offer a unique blend of benefits, particularly for those focused on portability and cost efficiency without compromising on image quality.
Fujifilm has carved a unique niche in the photography industry, capturing the interest of both professional and amateur photographers worldwide. Their journey, from the production of their first camera, the Fujica 6, to their latest digital innovations, illustrates a commitment to innovation and quality that has consistently set them apart.
The question of whether to upgrade camera gear is a perennial dilemma for photographers, balancing the allure of new technology against the practicalities of their craft and budget. This decision is one that requires considerations of cost, technological advancements, and the genuine need versus the desire for the latest.
The art of translating the nostalgic essence of film into digital photography has gained momentum, bridging the gap between analog textures and the precision of modern technology. Are presets and recipes a shortcut to this nostalgia, or do they stifle creativity?
"If only I had that camera," we often tell ourselves, thinking that magically our photography is finally going to transcend to a whole new plane of perfection where our creativity will feel no restrictions and our photographs will carry no flaws. We've all felt this at least once, often more.
The small flagship phone, once a coveted niche in the smartphone market, has officially become extinct. This transition marks a significant shift in consumer preferences and manufacturing trends, underscoring a broader evolution within the tech industry that directly impacts photographers and visual content creators who rely on their smartphones for on-the-go shooting and editing.
Sometimes, photographers like to make things harder for themselves for no good reason. Whether it's shooting film in 2024, or pretending to shoot film in 2024, sometimes the exercise itself is part of the fun.
Like many photographers around the world, I watch a lot of YouTube. Whether it's for inspiration, gear reviews, news, or beautiful cinematics, YouTube has changed the photography world. But should you start your own channel? Join me as I discuss some of the good reasons you should.
I woke up this morning to some pretty exciting news. Nikon, the legendary still camera manufacturer, has agreed to purchase RED, the company behind some of the most popular cinema cameras on the market today.
Early in my photographic career, I was really into hard light in my photos, but at a point, I started opting for really soft, diffused light, that is until recently. I’ve recently revisited using hard light, and here’s how it has shifted my photography.
The shift to medium format photography can mark a significant milestone for a landscape photographer, but it's also very expensive to do so. Do you really need to do so
So you’ve fallen in love with photography and you’re trying to decide if your new passion could become a career. Well, here are a few questions to ask yourself before you take the leap.
Photographers are always looking for ways to improve their editing process. Often, a particular piece of advice is given to use a specific option in Lightroom to help nudge your photo in the right direction. This video talks about why you should never use that option.
When it comes to cameras released in 2023, most would find it hard to argue that the DJI OSMO Pocket 3 was not only the most anticipated but also delivered on almost all of its hype upon release. However, several fixes need to happen to make this the best camera for video content creators.
The connection between a photographer and their camera can significantly impact their creativity and enthusiasm for photography. This unique relationship often goes unnoticed but is crucial for nurturing a photographer's passion and drive to explore and capture the world through their lens.
There are four interrelated ideas that some photographers create a song and dance about. However, for most photography, you can forget them and adopt a different approach.
The rapid evolution of technology and its impact on photography has sparked widespread debate, with artificial intelligence at the forefront of discussions. This insightful video addresses this concern head-on, asserting that AI will not extinguish the essence of photography but rather augment its possibilities.
Burnout can happen to any of us, from hobbyist photographers to established professional photographers and everyone in between. Whether you feel like you are on the path to burnout or are already there, I have five tips to help you through it!
It’s safe to say we’ve all heard the phrase “love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” There is also the antithesis to that, where if you love what you do, you’ll work 24/7. Well, I turned my passion for photography into my career, but the ultimate question is: does it feel like work, and do I regret my decision?
I’ve been a pro photographer for a few years, and while I was going pro, I tried just about every form of photography you can think of, except for one… until now.
The integration of artificial intelligence in photography has sparked a complex debate within the creative community, touching on issues of authorship, creativity, and the essence of the photographic process. This insightful video dives into this contentious subject, unpacking the nuances of AI's role in photography and its impact on the traditional practices and perceptions within the field.
Is swapping a camera system a valid and worthwhile move? I did it for very good reasons, and it's something you might consider if you analyze what you use and why you bought it.
The game has changed a lot in 2024. Being a successful photographer is no longer about technical ability but a lot more about aesthetics and vision. In this article, I will tell you the five things you need to stop doing to be a successful photographer in 2024.
There is often debate about how much editing crosses the line of having an authentic photo. Does the image need to be straight out of the camera with minimal adjustments to be genuine? Does more editing ruin the authenticity? This video discusses where the line is for the right amount of editing.
I made a TikTok after months of being nagged by my friends and colleagues. There's a ton of behind-the-scenes content that I am slowly uploading there. Sometimes, at about 3 in the morning when I finish my work and get slightly depressed, I go on TikTok and scroll through videos tagged #photography. While this won’t be an article targeting TikTok photographers, or an article shaming people for following trends, it will be an article discussing what trends there are now, and what’s possibly dangerous with them.
Did artificial intelligence technology take over photography? No, it hasn’t, and it probably never will. But here is how AI might have been helping you behind the scenes all along.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is perhaps the biggest buzzword in the world of photography and tech for 2023, and it continues to be a widely discussed topic in 2024. This stems from the fact that the industry has had mixed reactions about the emergence of AI tools for photography and raised the question of whether this kind of technology puts photographers' jobs at risk. However, much of...
It’s not that I hate Godox or that I am paid by a different lighting brand to hate Godox every month. It is simply that when it comes to producing professional work, their lights are just not fit for the job. Here is why I will not use Godox for professional work.
Within the genre of landscape photography, there is often debate about how much editing is too much. When does the photograph go from natural to manipulated? Does it even matter? How much editing is too much for your photos?
Wake up, get out of your funk, and do something new. Those are words that I say to myself quite often, and if we are all being honest, we all say them to ourselves often too, and if not, then we should. Why, you may ask? Because if you don’t, then you will either continue to be stuck in a rut or you will be, unknowingly, damaging our potential for growth and overall satisfaction.
Busy week of production, so, this week, I’d like to just offer a short story about how, sometimes, a successful shoot is about more than just the final product.
January had been a difficult month for me. I was shooting a lot less, and as a result, I had a ton of time to think about my career and my direction. I ended up in a fairly bad place with my mental health. Like almost every other artist, I ended up hating much of what I do. Here's why it sucks being a photographer, and what you can do about it.
Why are photographers obsessed with shallow depth of field? And why I think it can ruin your photography as it almost did with mine. Read on about how it started to affect my photography and what I did about it.
Exploring the nuanced feelings of acquiring a new camera, especially after years of loyalty to a previous model, reveals a complex mix of expectations for photographers. The anticipation of significant improvements in quality and functionality often clashes with the reality of marginal gains, leading to a reflective consideration of what truly enhances one's craft.
Does the thought of photographing people for the first time frighten you? It did for me a few years ago. As an introverted photographer who also suffers from depression and anxiety, I was petrified to make the step into portrait photography, but I was able to push through it and now I love it!
