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.
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.
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.
Getty Images has announced the launch of the Black History & Culture Collection (BHCC), which consists of over 30,000 historical images of the African/Black Diaspora that are free for non-commercial usage.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We often describe children as creative. We are impressed at how they create art using nothing more than a crayon and a sheet of blank paper. Many adults, however, neglect the artistic spark they had in their youth and label themselves as “not creative.” The Creativity Conference, a no-cost, full-day event held in New York City on June 10, presented speakers who encouraged the adults in attendance to believe that they are indeed creatives who should be proud to pursue and share their artistic creations.
Mastering portraiture involves more than knowing which lens to use to ensure your photograph does not show unflattering perspective distortion. It is not enough that you understand where to place strobes to create dramatic lighting. As portrait photographer Mark Mann explains in this excellent video, it is important that you make a personal connection with your subject.
Photographers are creators. As creatives, we have something to say. Photography, as a medium, can capture a mood or a message as powerfully as words, music, paintings, and sculptures. Embarking on a personal project is the perfect opportunity for a photographer to convey their message without the influence of any client concerns.
For several years now, many of us have used Instagram as our primary outlet for sharing and viewing images. However, Instagram has made it clear that the platform is shifting its focus to video. If you haven’t been practicing capturing portraits on video, now might be a good time to start learning how to do so.
Sometimes it is difficult for me to look back at the photographs I created early in my career. The shots are all technically strong, but there is something missing. That missing element can be defined as vision. In this article, I will detail my journey in understanding the need to incorporate this crucial element into my art.
Working with photo assistants can often make your life easier. Having someone who can do the heavy lifting for you can leave you free to concentrate on working with your client on a shoot. When you don’t have to worry about moving nightstands or doing light checks, you can put more effort into creating a memorable experience for your client.
Keeping up with every new feature that is added to Lightroom and Photoshop is a never-ending task I’ve long since given up on. Fortunately, both programs currently perform all the tasks I require from them. Still, I like to periodically make myself aware of improvements to these programs to ensure that I don’t miss something that might speed up or otherwise improve my workflow.
If you ever get the feeling that photography is not valued today, it might interest you to know that Getty Images is offering $85k in three new editorial grants to support photojournalists and organizations, with an emphasis on supporting photographers whose work shines a light on important issues of our time.
Mark Thompson is a Getty Images photographer with over 25 years of experience covering F1 races, including Red Bull Racing. I spoke with him to gain insight into what it is like to cover this competition.
I estimate over 90% of my shots are taken indoors, so I don’t give much thought to how my cameras would perform in a rainstorm. I’m in the minority with my lack of concern in this area, apparently, because I frequently see photographers voice their concerns when a new camera is announced that does not have weather-sealing.
At Fstoppers we love having our readership contribute articles to the site. There is a dedicated link on our contact page that makes it easy to send in your pitch. Your suggestion is sent to all of the Fstoppers writers and this gives you many opportunities for someone to find your pitch interesting and have it be published on the site.
Like it or not, video is the preferred means of communication for most content creators these days. A quick look at Fstoppers itself proves that. Even when it is a photographer who is providing information to other photographers, video is the medium of choice.
