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John Ricard
New York City, NY

Articles written by John Ricard

Which of These Two Methods of Street Photography Is Best?

Depending on your perspective, street photography is either one of the easiest or most difficult types of photography one might pursue. The barrier to entry is low, with a small camera and fixed lens being all you need to get started shooting. Just step outside your door and capture what is happening on the street in your town ,and you are a street photographer. The problem is, although it is simple to get started in street photography, it is not easy to create compelling imagery.

The Essentials You Need To Start a Photography YouTube Channel

Starting a YouTube channel is something you might consider whether you take photographs for profit or fun. A successful channel can offer benefits in the form of payments for viewership and sponsorship opportunities. A less successful channel can help a photographer build an audience and create a community in which to share their passion for photography.

Should You Devote Your Time and Money Into Creating a Spec Ad?

The issue of whether or not photographers should work for free is a polarizing one. Some of us feel we should not haul thousands of dollars worth of lighting and camera gear to a location and spend a full day shooting just to gain a reward that comes in the form of intangible exposure. Others feel doing regular collaborations with like-minded peers to produce new work is valuable in nurturing a photographer’s creative process.

Would You Fall for This Suspicious Photography Assignment?

Photography scams are something that we all need to be on guard against. These scams often come our way in the form of poorly worded emails that we instantly delete. Atlanta wedding photographers Jaimie Dee and her husband Kyle were recently targeted by a rather elaborate variation of a classic photography scam. Fortunately, they didn’t fall for the con. How might you fare if you were targeted by the scam detailed below?

Documenting a Nation in Mourning

Queen Elizabeth’s passing has received quite a bit of coverage here in the United States. Millions of people turned out not only in London but all over the UK and the globe for various services held in her honor. The coverage has shown the sincere outpouring of respect and affection that the people of her country have for her, but there is a noticeable emphasis on the scale and spectacle of the event.

The Easiest Way for You to Practice Portrait Photography

As a portrait photographer, I often struggle to create new work. To add a new image to my portfolio, I must involve at least one other person who will be photographed by me. Contrast this to a landscape photographer, who can get into her vehicle, drive to a cool shooting location any day she desires, and create new images with relative ease.

You Don’t Always Need a Camera Bag

Like most photographers, I own more than one camera bag. There is my main bag, my video gear bag, my small kit bag, my rolling bag for airplane travel, and that one, never-been-used, just sitting in the back of the closet, camera bag of unknown origin.

Tips for Presenting Your First Photography Workshop

I’ve been fortunate present photography workshops over the past 15 years. My focus is usually on lighting for beauty, but I’ve presented on other topics as well including how to pose a subject so they look natural on camera. I’ve also attended many workshops from both well-known photographers and lesser-known names as well. From being on both sides of the lectern, I’ve developed a good understanding of what makes a good photography workshop. Here are 3 tips you might consider should you find yourself tasked with presenting a photography workshop.

How to Create Your Own Golden Hour

For years, photographers have understood that creating the best photograph possible means shooting in the best possible light. For natural light shooters, the best light often comes at a time known as the golden hour. This occurs when the sun is setting and the angle of the sun to the earth causes the light to travel through clouds and air pollution creating soft, diffused light. The color of this light is warm and the look is beautiful on all skin tones.

How You Can Create a Short Film

It might seem to be an easy transition for a photographer to become a filmmaker. At the core of each of these disciplines is storytelling. A photographer tells a story in a single instant captured at the decisive moment, while a filmmaker tells a story over a period of time, often incorporating elements such as editing and sound to help tell that story.

How One Photographer Shoots Black and White Street Photography

There are as many approaches to street photography as there are streets in any major city. Some photographers use autofocus cameras and long lenses to capture candid scenes from a distance. Some shooters point their manual focus film cameras at funny street signs. Others look for shafts of lighting falling between tall buildings.

5 Ways My Mirrorless Camera Is Better Than My Old DSLR

It is common today to find professional photographers eager to embrace new equipment offerings from manufacturers. I recall a time when things were different and professionals were content to stick with gear that was adequate for their current needs.

How Much Money Can You Make With Photography in One Week?

Any photography enthusiast who works a 9-to-5 job has probably wondered what it would be like to walk away from that day job and make all of their income through photography. This can be a scary endeavor, especially if you don’t have a specific plan in place to find clients.

What It Is Like To Be a White House Press Corps Photographer

Imagine being tasked with photographing press events featuring some of the most famous people in the world, on a regular basis. Are you confident that you can come away with photographs as strong or better than those of your peers? Can you find the small, personal moments taking place in the chaos to create images that are unique? Christy Bowe is a photographer who has successfully accomplished these tasks for the past three decades.

50 Facts About Apollo 11 Photography

From the time I was a child, I have been fascinated by all things related to the NASA moon missions of the 1970s. I’ve been particularly intrigued by the photographs that were taken by astronauts on their way to the moon and the surface as well.

Five Shots You Need to Get When You Are a Corporate Photographer

Corporate events are perhaps my favorite thing to photograph these days. There are so many different shots I can create at a conference that I am never bored. Networking opportunities are in abundance at any given corporate affair, and most of the people in the room are working for a company that has the budget to hire me to shoot for them.

How to Add Artificial Light to a Natural Light Scene

Adding artificial light to your natural light scene is a relatively simple technique that you can use to create an image that depicts the scene more dramatically than it appeared to your eyes when you were there.

Stories Behind Beautiful Wildlife Photos

A wildlife photographer must be prepared to wait hours for a shot to emerge. And once that shot appears, she may only have one second in which to capture the scene before it changes. Making things more complicated are the dozens of variables that can affect the quality of the shot, including weather, erratic animal behavior, and even other photographers working in the same location.