We have all seen the amazing and dramatic images that have shafts of light streaming through a window. The look seems really easy to reproduce. You buy a fog machine, fill a room with smoke and create amazing images. But like most thing in life, it’s not that simple. In this video we see some key points in how to really make this look work.
A while back, Instagram announced they were going to release a new feature called "Insights.” This new addition is designed to give users a look at how their followers interact with their content. It seems that this is slowly rolling, but as of today, I have access to this new feature, so I thought it would be helpful for everyone to see exactly what they can expect to learn.
Tripods are an essential piece of equipment for most photographers. They steady your camera in order to capture the sharpest details, allow you to take exposures with long shutter speeds, make it easier to take multiple images of the same scene for composites, and help create those perfect panoramas. Like most photography equipment though, there are low end tripods and high end tripods. The offerings from Novoflex is on the high end of this spectrum with some really cool features.
I have to admit, I have become quite the collector of camera bags. So after entering the world of mirrorless cameras, I thought, what better excuse do I need to get a new, smaller, lighter camera bag? Enter the Bob Cut medium messenger from Barber Shop bags.
When starting out in photography, one of the first things we hear about is the rule of thirds. We then venture out into the world, lining up our subjects onto imaginary intersecting lines. When we get home, we open our images into Lightroom and find that the crop tool is already set up to help us maintain this rule. But as we advance in our photography careers, we start to find that there are a lot more ways to compose an image. Luckily for us, there is a somewhat hidden option to change the overlay of the crop tool within Lightroom.
I stumbled across this video that was posted by B&H back in 2012 and was quickly amazed by the amount of information I was able to gather in terms of composition techniques. When starting out in photography, most people learn the rule of thirds, take off running, and never look back. Give this video a watch, and you will open an entire new world of tools for your image creation.
I’m sure most people have been in this situation: You are going through some old images of you when you were a child and come along an image that you absolutely adore. Maybe you want to share it across social media, or display it on your desk at work. The problem though is that after years of sitting in a box in the attic has taken its toll on the image. You are now left with a scratched up mess of a print. Watch as Aaron Nace from Phlearn walks through the key steps to repairing your tattered image to something you are proud to show off.
The Wotancraft bag company is an up and coming brand that has been making a name for themselves. They are most known for their handmade quality and World War II styling, which features a mixture of waxed canvas and leather. The Commander backpack is no different; with enough room to store a full professional kit, this backpack has the looks and features to make any photographer happy. But how does it hold up to real-world use?
Snapchat has quickly become one of the more popular social networking platforms. Users are no longer following just their close friends, but also movie stars, musicians, comedians, and even popular photographers. But with more and more people to follow, we now have a longer list of friends to sort through. At this current time though, Snapchat doesn't have any sort of way to group friends to allow for easy sending. Luckily there is a trick you can use to make sending snaps to a group of people much easier.
Lindsay Adler is a high end fashion photographer and educator. She has been named one of the top ten fashion photographers in the world, so when she shares her insight, it’s probably best to take notes. In this free one hour webinar, Adler goes over five things that can ruin skin, and how to fix them.
Westcott is known for their amazing lighting products. Not only do they have great lighting modifiers and lights, but they are also constantly coming up with new technologies and products that make life as a photographer easier. Their new line of flex lights promises to do just that, but how do they perform in the real world?
Instagram is an amazing platform for sharing your work and following great artists that can inspire you. As you follow more and more people, Instagram will even recommend other users who fall into line with the type of people you normally follow and interact with. The problem though is that most of the suggested users are people that already have a significant following. So what about the people that are up and coming or are new to the platform?
I am sure we have all had those days where you stare at an image and just start moving sliders up and down to see what they do. What happens if I take this slider all the way up and this slider all the way down? For the most part, the results are entertaining, but not really aesthetically pleasing. But every once in a while, you can stumble onto something pretty awesome.
Nik software is one of the heavy hitters in the Lightroom and Photoshop plugin world. They are so big that in 2012, the company was bought up by Google. After Google's acquisition, they lowered the price for all the desktop plugins and made their mobile app (Snapseed) free of charge. Now, four years later, Google has decided to bring their desktop plugins into line with their mobile application by making all of them free.
I’m a big fan of getting images right in camera, and it's something that strive to do. I think there is something to be said for the skill that it takes, especially when shooting an event like a wedding. Getting the perfect light, the perfect composition, and the perfect moment while dealing with all the different variables of the day is quite a feat. The main image I’m going to be talking about today, though, does not fit into this category, but it still manages to be one of my favorite and most "liked” images.
Owning and operating a photography business can be a lonely task. Most hours of the day are spent at a computer with no one to talk to, no one to bounce ideas off of, and no one to help you when you struggle. Most photographers turn to Internet forums and Facebook groups, and these definitely have their place. But what if you could have all the benefits of online communication with the added bonus of working with local professionals that are in the same industry?
Magmod has become a household name in the strobist community. Their easy to attach modifiers that hold strong to your flashes through the use of magnets have quickly become the go-to modifier for a lot of professionals. Their newest release goes by the name of Magbeam and is a Fresnel lens light modifier that packs some tricks up its sleeve.
Jianmin Huang is a fashion and street photographer born in village in China. He can now be found chasing moments throughout the streets of Amsterdam, which has earned him the nickname of Jimmy on the Run. In this seven minute video portrait, we learn how he got his start, what his aspiration as a photographer are, and about his struggles to earn the respect of his family.
It happens at basically every wedding I shoot. I walk into the room to start taking images of the bride getting ready, and the bride offers me a mimosa. After I leave to take images of the guys getting ready, I walk in and the groom offers me a beer. Then, the ceremony is about to start, and a groomsman offers me a shot out of the flask he has in his jacket. Lastly, we are at the reception and both sets of parents and the entire wedding party are offering drinks. I have to assume that most wedding photographers are faced with at least one of these events at every job. So, the question is: do you accept?
HoldFast is known throughout the photography community for their amazing and well-made dual camera straps. What most people don't realize is that they also have a camera bag. The Roamographer bag has the same attention to detail as their straps and is also constructed out of the same great-looking leather. It's designed to look like a vintage doctor's bag and provides both style and function.
