The day I’ve been preparing for arrived unexpectedly this past Saturday as I went to my Mac to export photos for a client, just like it was any other day. But I quickly found out it wasn’t going to be like other days when I found my photo and video files had disappeared from my Lightroom catalog.
I didn’t realize I was an introvert until I was well into my 20s. I’m not shy, and I don’t mind speaking up in a crowd if I’m asked a question, so I always assumed I was an extrovert. You can imagine my surprise, then, when taking the Myers Briggs personality test in college yielded the result that I was an introvert. It all started to make sense.
I’ve always been jealous of people who know where they’re headed. They’re like greyhounds chasing a rabbit, absolutely certain of what they were put on this earth to do, and doggedly (pun intended) pursuing their purpose. When I first picked up a camera, I took photographs of everything. Bees, power lines, babies, weddings, families, anything I could point a lens at became my subject.
A few months ago, I took an overnight bus from Pokhara, Nepal, to Kathmandu. Arriving at five in the morning was not a part of the plan; nor was losing a night’s worth of sleep to dangerous curves, heavy rainfall, imminent landslides, and music that blared until shortly before arrival in the city. When I got there, I wasn't in too pleasant of a mood.
What is the one part of your photography business that you enjoy the least? The one aspect that, while necessary, bores the living daylights out of you. Now, what if instead of trying to avoid that thing, you instead chose to lean in to the activity and make it your own?
Temples have always been close to my heart. In fact, that is where I started my journey in photography years ago. The divinity in its architecture and the timeless stories etched in it fascinate me.
In a few days, 5DayDeal will launch the biggest photography education sale of the year and this year, Fstoppers is proud to be participating with our own content included. While more information on this sale will be coming in the next few days, there's a chance to get started early with a giveaway of over $10,000 worth of photography prizes.
Going pro or full time in photography is often a daunting task. A lot of us are making the jump from another career rather than straight from university. This offers a particular set of challenges. Chances are that you have a mortgage or rent, loans, credit cards, children, cars, bills, a cat and dog, and a host of expenses that you have to keep on top of.
A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed ACDSee's latest photo editing software release and even said it could replace Adobe products in many ways for Windows users. It was only wise to back that statement up with two complementary articles, this one being the first, showing to Adobe users how they could switch from Lightroom to ACDSee.
A few months ago we released "Where Art Meets Architecture 3" with Mike Kelley, a photography tutorial that covers photographing hotels and resorts as well as the business of high-end architectural photography. For the past few months, we have also been releasing a behind-the-scenes series on the creation of this tutorial.
Whether you are making a video blog, a wedding video, a documentary, a commercial, a tutorial, a short film, or a feature film, there are times you make a bad one. Here are a few tips that will make sure you are consistent in making a bad video every single time.
A few months back, I was getting the feeling that I needed to start traveling to see more of the beautiful world we live in. At the time it was just a thought until my buddy Tom Harmon called me up and asked if I'd want to go out to Oregon with him.
Color has always been an Achilles' heel for me. When I first started in this industry, I was always looking for the magic answer: a specific Photoshop action, or a Lightroom preset, or a plug-in that did some kind of magic that created the color that I had wanted. Boy was I barking up the wrong tree.
Twice a year Professional Photographers of America hosts a learning opportunity for any photographer, whether they are a PPA member of not. PPA calls these Super One Days and they are available throughout the country and held by local photographers that give their time and expertise to a diversified set of subjects in many local communities.
It was supposed to be a quick trip in Mexico to cover the Lucha Libre World Cup for Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine. But Photographer Jerry Villagrana, based in Detroit, eventually spent the next 15 months in the country shooting Mexican wrestling both for major promotions in 18,000 seat arenas as well as local neighborhood areas with dirt floors. Here is his story.
How many of you have old memory cards, USB sticks, or even hard drives lay around doing nothing? Of those that answered yes, how many of you still haven't worked out a decent backup strategy for your images? Here's a quick and free solution to securely encrypt that unused storage so when a disaster strikes your most important work isn't lost forever.
The concept of a portrait lens has always baffled me. When I first started out in photography, reading the Internet and listening to other photographers would have led me to believe that I needed something around the 85mm or 135mm focal lengths if I wanted to photograph a person. Anything else wouldn’t work. Well, that simply isn’t true, is it? Any lens can be used as a portrait lens.
A freelance lifestyle is a goal that many aspire towards in photography and videography. It’s a goal I achieved this time exactly one year ago. After a brief honeymoon period, I quickly learned some important lessons that I’d like to share with those who look to be making the leap across the great divide.
What's the first rule of any working professional photographer? Backups. What's the second rule of any working professional photographer? Backups for the backups.
In Part 1 of this series, I explained the basics of how Lightroom works, the best way to import your photos, and the different options you have when culling your images. In Part 2, I want to show you the essentials of the Develop module. This module is the area of Lightroom where you can color correct, crop, straighten, sharpen, and perform several other adjustments as well.
A little over two years ago, Emily and Jeremiah divided their lives into three piles: sell, donate, and keep. Having called Charlotte, NC home for five years, they aimed to get away from the monotony of 50+ hour work weeks.
This was another awesome showing for our new weekly photo theme with a number of excellent photos submitted. Instagram does such a good job with their simple interface and chronological search results the stand out shot almost jump off the grid. It is great to see so many people participating.
I love 360-degree video. I've spent a bit of time with a few different brands on the market. While there are many things I love about the medium, the actual cameras aren't one of them. I don’t rave about them the way I do about perhaps a Nikon DSLR or Fuji mirrorless. That's because the manufacturers of these 360-degree cameras aren't making it easy.
There has been an increasing trend over the last few years that many newer photographers have latched onto. That trend is how important it is to tell the story "of" the photoshoot rather than just conducting the shoot itself.
Seven years since inception, I have shot over 250 weddings across the world and it all began from that first itch to capturing someone’s special memory and putting a smile on their face. Looking back is always fun; a lot of mistakes made and lessons learned. As a wedding photographer, I sat by and thought over what I’d say to myself if I were to begin fresh now.