When just starting out, It's easy to think that we need more gear, different gear, or just one more modifier that will let us achieve our goals. I challenged myself to try and shoot five different looks in my humble home studio with a single modifier and light to show just a few ideas of what you can do with them.
We’ve had our first snowfall of the year here in the Netherlands. It’s one of those instances when most people stay indoors, while just about every landscape photographer is aching to feel the snow on their face. One of them is acclaimed British Landscape Photographer Simon Baxter, who I've asked to help me analyze the introvert mind.
A great way to hone your videography skills is to get frustrated while editing video. As you may know, there are plenty of ways to get frustrated while editing. For example, let’s say you want to include a particular clip in your sequence. When you try to use the shot you realize that the videographer didn’t hold the shot for long enough, and now the clip is too short to use. Or maybe you want to use a shot that was completely ruined because a bug landed on the lens. These frustrations make you think about the shooting process. Below are a few of my favorite editor-friendly tips to consider while shooting.
Although it sounds like a nasty disease, like athlete's foot or tennis elbow, the photographer's eye isn't that. We take our eyes for granted, and they are an essential part of photography, both metaphorically and literally.
An argument for using either a UV filter or lens hood is for protecting the lens and especially the front element. Last winter, I experienced just how important a lens hood is.
I don't much like being wrong, but it happens and by degrees. Some years ago, I would scoff and tut at adverts and posts purporting to have found a brilliant new plugin for Photoshop, writing them off instantly as a waste of money. But are they?
Although we’re often reminded of the importance of constantly shooting and developing our skills as photographers, is there a point where too often shooting actually becomes detrimental? Through observation and personal experience I’ve come to the conclusion that there is indeed a case to be made for shooting less if you’re hoping to properly develop your photography business.
I think it’s probably a fair assumption to make, that at some point during your photographic journey, you’re going to purchase a piece of photographic equipment. With today's World Wide Web, that can be as easy as a few clicks and a wistful look at your decreasing bank account, but I’m here to make the case for your local, “brick and mortar,” camera store. Well maybe not all of them.
Are you as stealthy as a fog horn? Do you have all the grace of a dirigible in a sudden windstorm? Certain genres of photography — wedding and wildlife photography in particular — require a certain physical tact, an ability to be unseen. Check out our tips on how to capture the focus of an event without becoming the focus of the event.
If you've ever owned a fixed focal length wide-angle lens, you've probably noticed the numbers located between the focus ring and the aperture ring. This is the depth of field scale, and it's a valuable tool that helps you check the depth of field for different apertures and focus distances.
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.
Camera gear talk is probably something that we as photographers cannot resist often when we are discussing photography. Some cameras hold a special place in our hearts not just for their technical prowess but for the memories they carry. One such camera for me is the Ricoh GR.
Gear is expensive, and saving a couple hundred dollars on brand new gear might be tempting, but sometimes, it costs more than you expect.
I've been editing exclusively with Adobe Premiere for over 12 years now, but today, I decided to give Final Cut Pro a try on a real project. Final Cut impressed me.
Today, I’ll share a few words of wisdom. Or, more accurately, I’ll let you learn from, and possibly laugh at, a few mistakes I’ve made along the way.
Photography can be split into two different categories. On the one side, photography is used to document something for your memories, like the photos your parents took of you when you were a baby. On the other, photography is used to document something for the purpose of sharing and for others to see.
Canadian creative Jordan Manley is a master of capturing artistic, storytelling moments in the outdoors through both stills and motion. Find out some tools of the trade and learn what makes him tick.
Generally, photo lenses follow this rule: sharpness, low weight, low cost — pick two. And yet, Tamron seems to have bucked that trend with the 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD, which is sharp, light, and highly affordable. Here's why it has become the lens that spends the most time on my camera.
2019 marks the 100th anniversary of The Grand Canyon’s designation as a National Park, but for Arizona resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Jack Dykinga, that’s not the only milestone to celebrate this year. For Dykinga, this summer also marks the 5th anniversary of his life-saving double lung transplant. Both occasions are being celebrated in the summer-long exhibition Jack Dykinga: The Grand Canyon National Park (1919-2019) at Tucson, Arizona’s Etherton Gallery.
Reading Bill Peppas' recent article here on Fstoppers got me thinking about calibration again. For the most part, it's a fairly simple process to improve the accuracy of colors on your display. A good many of us simply need to invest in a Spyder or ColorMunki system and allow it to do its job. Correctly calibrating a monitor with a hardware Look-Up Table (LUT) is a little more involved, and I wanted to share the procedure for calibrating a Dell Monitor with the X-Rite i1 Display Pro.
Our dreams are often wildly confusing with imagery many of us don't understand and memories which seem to fade the instant our eyes open. Photographer Nicolas Bruno suffers from a condition called sleep paralysis which keeps him in a halfway state between being asleep and being awake. Through his incredible and haunting images Nicolas Bruno recreates the experiences from his dreamscape. This week we interview him to get a better idea of the struggle and the process behind his art.
If ever one day perfectly encapsulated the reasons I’ve lived in Japan for 15 years, this was it. From kindness, to kimonos, kids, and ancient culture, these images tell the story of why I love living in Japan.
So how do you balance a romantic relationship with a life that revolves around photography? In this series, I explore the benefits to shooting and running a photography business together with your better half. Of course we'll tackle the common pitfalls and find out how you can shape the perfect photography holiday. Let's start by introducing the eight amazing creatives in landscape photography who will make you want to buy your romance a camera for Christmas.
A few months ago I wrote a two part article on branding for photographers. In this article I will continue with branding for photographers, and why you should keep your brands separated. The most common thing I see are wedding photographers combining their wedding work with their family, baby, senior, and even commercial work. While I completely understand the tendency to not only simplify your marketing, but also the concept that by showing your multiple talents you will increase your value to clients, combining genre's is one of the biggest things hurting the growth of your business.
Close-up and high-magnification photography is like turning everything up to 11. Depth of field is minimal, shutter speeds must be fast, and ISO has to be perfectly balanced to even get a clear shot. So, does this incredibly hard discipline make you a better photographer? Or will it just leave you confused and frustrated with your kit?
As a photographer who shoots primarily on location, I have a lot of stuff to haul. I shoot both film and digital and frequently I'm bringing a small lighting kit as well. I also tend to go it alone, especially when I'm shooting personal work. Up until recently, I've been doing it the hard way, taking multiple trips back and forth to my car, in order to get the shot set up at my chosen spot. And of course, the best spots are nowhere near the car. My deodorant is doing overtime before I've even squeezed off the first shot. Being a sweaty mess while shooting is no fun, especially when you're shooting people. I'd rather not be known as "Hans, you know, that one photographer with the pit stains."
From Vogue to People, including Playboy and National Geographic, all these popular magazines are familiar to us and instantly recognizable, but just a few of us know what their first editions looked like decades ago. As time passed by, bringing forth new faces, new fashion, and a whole new way of thinking, magazines needed to evolve with their time and adapt. Some have stayed faithful to their initial visual identity, having only undergone minor changes because they knew what worked for them. On the other hand, other magazines covers have changed drastically, their covers being a far cry from the original design.
Upgrading your computer or hard drive can be a stressful experience, regardless of your knowledge level. Whether you're installing a larger drive or moving your data over to a new machine, you'll want to make sure you do it properly. Here are some tips if you need to move your Lightroom Classic data.
Actions and presets are incredibly useful ways of speeding up your workflow when processing photos. Instead of individually re-creating your settings for each photo in Photoshop or Lightroom, you can essentially copy and paste all your preferred adjustments. Let’s check out the differences between the two.
Australian wedding photographer Jonas Peterson is one of the best around, shooting extravagant weddings in exotic locations on a regular basis. A recent wedding he shot in Kenya may be the most incredible though, described by Peterson as “easily one of the most amazing experiences of my life.” I recently contacted Jonas to ask for more information about his breathtaking images from the Masai Mara, and he was kind enough to share with me his experiences on the beautiful reserve in Kenya.
“I’ve traveled the world and shot weddings pretty...
Ever felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect of creating a great image? Ever wonder why it seems to happen so rarely? Creating a great photograph that resonates with your audience is really complicated. But in this three-part series, we’re going to try to bring a little bit of order to that chaos!
Can outstanding customer service take your portrait photography sales to the next level? Megan DiPiero thinks that it can, and she’s here to tell you how.
I remember the days when all I wanted was that next piece of gear, one more light, a newer body, the latest tech, the highest pixel count, and the lowest aperture. I was certain I was only one purchase away from better work. I wasn’t, and chances are, neither are you.
The GH5 was a huge success for Panasonic and consumers, but the stakes are much higher now. What will prevent Panasonic from being overtaken?
Any time there is a case of nepotism in photography — like with Burberry and the oldest spawn of the Beckhams earlier this year — there is a colossal backlash and insatiable rage. In a time prior to refreshing social media four times an hour, although I could see the motivation for nepotism in fashion photography, it was tantamount to indefensible in my books. Now, however, I have a harder time working out why companies wouldn't favor their elite friendship circles for recruiting photographers.
Are you starting out as a wedding photographer? Maybe you're looking to improve the quality of what you deliver. Here are my top 10 must-have shots, when they will happen during the day, and key information to consider when setting them up, finessing, and completing them.
The last 18 months have been a brutal procession of adversity and change, to the point where I have to limit how much news I read for my own mental health. In a similar vein to the Reddit sub, /r/eyebleach, here are seven reasons why photography is a great hobby to have.
You hear it all the time from photographers across the entire range of experience: “I don’t Photoshop my photos.” That photographer is most likely afraid of Photoshop or afraid to disclose that they Photoshop images, and so instead they wrap themselves in this puritanical line as cover.
Over the past 13 months, I've been traveling the world, visiting and photographing many beautiful landscapes and cityscapes. But how did I find all those photogenic places? A few months ago, I wrote an article about how to level up your photography through scouting and exploring new locations. But to achieve a good balance while traveling, you should also have a base of known photo spots available. In this article, I show how I find and organize those.
As photographers, we may not always think about taking pictures of ourselves, but having a current headshot is extremely important. Think of it as your own personal little billboard that allows people to see your ability as a photographer. After all, if you don't have a good picture of yourself on your website, what would make anybody believe that you can take quality pictures of anyone else?
Adobe Portfolio is an excellent option for creating your first website or even as a replacement for photographers that don’t want to focus on web development, but not everyone knows how to get all the value out of it. With some simple customizations, Portfolio can become a powerful and easy to maintain site for photographers of all levels.
If you're not a professional photographer, you're not alone. While I sometimes wish I had it in me to be a professional photographer, in the end, I do not. Alas, I believe I’m better for it.
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. I've been noticing a very specific shift in priority from a time when it was all about the final images to a balance between shooting and behind the scene to our modern world where it can often be surprising how often behind the scenes actually seems to be the true product of a photoshoot.
In the latest episode of "Moments in Time" in the Philippines, I traveled to Legazpi along with Win Magsino to capture images of Mt. Mayon, a very beautiful and iconic volcano on the island of Luzon. In this post, I will take a more in-depth look at the post-processing that went into creating the final image.
After a long weekend with too much food and too little exercise, I found myself receiving a gift that contained both a product and a lesson.
Nikon has just teased a countdown to the Z 7 II and Z 6 II, with an announcement apparently coming October 14th. Are these just going to be iterative improvements, or is Nikon going to deliver an enticing upgrade for Z users to strike back at Canon's mammoth R5 announcement?
I ran some tests over the weekend with different versions of Premiere Pro, and realized that the latest version is able to scrub through footage far faster. It’s definitely worth the upgrade.
This is one of the most important questions that most photographers out there have been asking themselves. We admire the photographers who have their own styles, and sometimes we try to imitate their styles that we like most. We were all taught to try everything, until we find our own unique visual styles. But, is that really important?
Earlier this week, the European Parliament voted to make huge changes to copyright legislation. The new directive could mean that Instagram will finally have to address the vast amount of freebooted content that proliferates on its platform.
