A few months ago, I was involved in a shoot that seemed to do everything right. Managing ever larger shoots, photo or video, is not rocket science but does require planning and thought. Here are some basic pointers of what I saw first hand that we can all apply to increase the chances of successful outcomes on our shoots.
You might someday find yourself working within the overall vision of someone else – like an editor, an art director or, in this case, a director of photography – when shooting on assignment for publications as big as Sports Illustrated. Limited time with your subject and being asked for simple lighting against a simple background isn’t uncommon in this industry. So how would you go about getting the type of photographs your employer wants plus creating a dramatically lit and colored set for yourself?
For many photographers, power is a major struggle. If you're shooting video or working in live-view, a battery charge never seems to last, so you're stuck carrying 3 or 4 batteries in your kit. X-tra battery is here to solve that problem and simplify your kit with one revolutionary accessory.
So many times people post cropped photos on social media in order to get rid of their ex or someone they don't care about anymore. While cropping gets rid of the unwanted face, it still leaves other body parts in the frame, and makes the photo look weird - and makes people focus on the fact someone was cropped out instead of focusing on that great photo of you. This very informative and easy to follow video shows a very easy way to get rid of a person in just few minutes, and how to leave no trace behind.
B&H has launched what is easily the most comprehensive platform for understanding Canon glass that we have ever seen: the Canon Lens Experience. Backed by 15 powerhouse photographers including Gregory Heisler, Jeremy Cowart, Jim Wark and Randy Kerr, the new platform lets you get a very in-depth look at lenses, what they do and what images taken with them look like.
A reflector is a reflector. Right? That was my first thought when I was asked to be the first to review Profoto's new line of collapsible reflectors. "It's a reflector, are you serious?" I mean come on, in what possible way could this be any different from everything else I've used? A reflector is a reflector. However, obviously I said yes and here we are…and I was wrong. So very, very wrong.
When Nikon’s Z series mirrorless cameras were introduced, they caught a lot of flak. Although I wasn’t a fan at first, I’m starting to come around. Turns out I just had to use one.
Technical perfection, originality, environmentalism, story, aesthetics, and realism are all concepts or principles we as landscape photographers can value. What we value will define how we do our landscape photography and if those photos will ever be any good.
A grandmother has been ordered by a European court to remove pictures of her grandchildren from Facebook and Pinterest or face increasing fines.
If you’re like me, you’re one of Instagram’s billion active users, and if you’re a photographer, it’s a natural choice to have a presence on the platform that has been synonymous with photography over the last decade. Instagram, however, doesn’t seem to care about photographers — only users. Should that change? Can it?
We live in a gaming culture, where everything is marked with achievements, badges and trophies. Not only has this service been brought into video games everywhere, but websites such as reddit, eBay and various forums everywhere have a scoring and achievement system that encourages interactivity. It was only a matter of time until programs such as Photoshop got on board with this idea.
It's no secret that Instagram is a bit of a free-for-all in some respects. Every day, I fend off the usual swarm of bots and comments offering me services of questionable legality. Instagram seems to have recognized this, introducing several new tools today, all designed around increased control and positivity in the app experience.
Waterfalls have been a favorite subject in my landscape photography. They are often some of the most beautiful and iconic sceneries in many national parks and mountain regions around the world.
The portable strobe wars are not over yet. Yongnuo is going after its own China based competition with its new pocket strobe, the YN200.
Over the years, Capture One has evolved tremendously in its feature set, and has steadily become one of - or arguably the best - raw processor available. Despite all it's advantages and praises, many remain hesitant to adopt it, largely due to its seeming complexity and the intimidation factor associated with a truly professional tool. In this tutorial I'll be guiding you through the key aspects of Capture One version 12, and demonstrating that it's actually quite intuitive and straightforward to use.
Work-life balance is like a unicorn: no one knows whether it really exists, but vague hope persists. Balance is particularly difficult for entrepreneurs because we wear so many hats. More often than not, work-life balance is like a seesaw, with life on one end and work at the other. One side is always either up or down, and time spent in the middle is fleeting. The seesaw will never be completely balanced, but there are ways to maximize the time spent in the middle. These seven tips will give you a start.
New screenshots suggest Instagram is toying with the idea of hiding the number of likes a photo has received. If rolled out, the change would alter the entire dynamic of the platform, given that many influencers rely on their likes count for business purposes.
I have been shooting concerts for many years. These are mostly bands in small, dark, and obscure venues with not much light to work with. But eventually a lot of bands started to use lasers as a part of their show. That resulted once in a damaged sensor. I believe today there is a greater risk with mirrorless cameras and lasers.
You probably use Lightroom because of the efficiency in processing batches of images, which in turn frees up more of your valuable time. But why use the software without the convenience of its many shortcuts, which save you time and make your work easier?
Blogging is essential for photography. Not only does it provide an unique interaction with potential clients and fans of your work, but it’s also essential for SEO purposes. When building web presence, every expert in the field of SEO and Web Development will tell you to blog often, and this tool is essential for the modern day blogging photographer.
In a recent article of mine, I discussed switching from a DSLR to a smartphone for casual photography. Recently, one of my friends reached out to me and asked what camera he should get for a trip he is going to. I told him: to use his phone and gave him some tips. Here are the top 7 tips that every smartphone photographer should know.
If you're a professional or semi-professional photographer chances are you've probably needed to get a lens calibrated or sensor cleaning from time to time. That's exactly what I needed last week when I noticed my Canon 24-70 f2.8 V2 was noticeably softer.
Check out this jaw-dropping (I know we throw that word around a lot here, but seriously...I mean it this time, if you disagree, you can have your money back) video project by Keith Loutit. Filmed in Singapore, this timelapse explores depth of field in a way that I've never seen before. It's simply incredible!
I'm no audiophile but I do appreciate high quality sound. I can't count how many different amps, speakers, and headphones I've purchased over the past 20 years. It seems like I'm always searching for something just a little bit better. Finally though, after years of searching, I feel like I've found the best audio setup for the money.
Everyone who owns a good camera eventually wants some degree of remote control. It may be simply to get in a selfie, to take a time-lapse, or to create bracketed images.
We’re here at Apple’s event in Brooklyn, New York! See everything Apple has announced today.
Online sales are based on trust. With that in mind, what kind of customer are you expecting to show up at your website, probably for their first time ever, likely for the first time hearing of you ever, and give up their financial information to buy a pretty picture off it and pray it actually comes? That’s a really tough sell.
While features like lighted buttons have slowly become a bit more popular in the industry, haptic feedback has been largely ignored, despite being an extremely common feature in other technology. However, that might change eventually, as a Canon patent for a vibrating shutter button has appeared.
Car photography can be done in many different ways using different techniques. Some people like shooting it with gelled strobes, some like to lightpaint it or just shoot with available light. There is no one right way to do it. Shooting cars is something most photographers can try: just take your (or your friends) car and start shooting it - but as easy as it is to try - its not easy to produce breathtaking results. Check out this collection of amazing car photos found on Flickr.
Ten years ago, this month the Canon 5D Mark III DSLR was released; a month earlier, the Nikon D800 arrived. Their appearance heralded the crash of the camera industry. Were they, in some small way, partly to blame?
