Articles from Nicole York

As technology advances, the tools photographers can use to create their visions are more accessible, varied, and intuitive than ever before. I have a feeling this means our definition of photography and our uses for it are going to expand like crazy. It may also mean a photographic renaissance.

Strap in people, because this is a tough love lesson for anyone whose goal is to “make it” as a professional in the photography industry.

When your only strobe dies on location, you'd better be prepared.

You don’t need a fancy studio to take fancy photographs. Sometimes, all you need is a garage.

The phrase, “charge what you’re worth,” makes sense on the surface, and it’s advised so often in photography business circles that no one realizes it’s a bad idea.

For those of us who insist on lugging our gear out on location, a sturdy backpack is a must-have. As a hiker, climber, and chronically over prepared photographer, I’m used to packing a heavy load up the side of a mountain. That’s why I was so excited to get my hands on the 20L Tenba Axis Backpack.

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.

Sometimes shooting on location, or even finding the ideal location, can be so difficult that a photographer has to rely on their own ingenuity to bring their vision to life. Here is how I turned my tiny bathtub into a forest pond for a magical shoot, with some tips on how you can do the same thing.

You buy tutorials, you go to workshops, you read the latest article about gear, try to keep up with industry trends, run social media ads, and do everything else you can think of to create a strong career. But you might not be doing the one thing that could benefit your career the most: in-person networking.

To capture this affecting photo series, photographer Emily Teague traveled to India and met with the women affected by sex trafficking and the women fighting to stop it.

It might appear to be an innocuous plate of sushi, until you take a closer look: not everything in these photographs is edible, but all of it can be found in the ocean.

Have you ever wanted to vent about industry-related things that make you absolutely crazy but you were afraid it would be super unprofessional? Maybe get the lie you told that client off your chest? This Instagram account may be the perfect place to do it. Or to spend a few minutes laughing till your stomach hurts.

In this composite walkthrough, photographer and digital artist Clinton Lofhouse shares how he created this striking composite and gives several tips for how to make a fantasy image like this one believable.

Are you committing these editing mistakes, and potentially ruining your portraits?

Take a few seconds to think about the last few photographs you saw: a cat meme, an acquaintance on vacation, a gym selfie, someone's kid, someone's dog, an advertisement for a movie, or a burger, or a car – photos that help create and reinforce your social and cultural worldview. Turkish artist Uğur Gallen is using those ubiquitous photos to make an emotionally jarring point: the world you live in isn't the only world. The images shared are sensitive in nature, so viewer beware.

Here are 10 things to stop doing in the New Year if you want to be a better, happier photographer and maybe make more money to boot.

You’re scrolling through social media when you see a photograph that looks terribly familiar; it looks so much like one of your photographs that it takes you a minute to realize that it’s some else’s work. What do you do?

"Are you going to bring your camera?" I get asked this question any time I travel, and it creates an internal struggle every time. Chances are that I've probably already asked myself before anyone else gets the chance and fought with myself over the answer. Why does something as simple as taking my camera on a trip cause such internal strife?

If you’ve run a photography business for any amount of time, I can almost guarantee that you’ve come across clients who make requests you don’t want to fill.

Want to know what it's like to shoot world-renowned athletes for a magazine like Sports Illustrated? In this video, commercial, editorial, and advertising photographer Alexis Cuarezma shares the method behind his very first cover shoot for SI, including light setups and how he overcame unexpected obstacles.

According to a recent Yahoo article, Shelbyville, Indiana based photographer Amy Haehl is drawing ire for including a replica gun in a recently released infant photo inspired by the perennial film A Christmas Story. 

At the beginning of October, I challenged photographers to make amazing photographs using only a flashlight, and the winning image is a testament to the creativity of the Fstoppers community.

A word of warning from one photography mom to the rest of the photography moms out there: you don't have to be a business person just because you have a camera.

Who knew you could get beautifully lit images with nothing but a flashlight? In this week's lighting breakdown, I'm going to show you how I created this series with nothing but a flashlight and a bit of crafting know-how.

In this week's lighting breakdown, I'll show you the setup I used for this editorial beauty shoot that let me create an angelic mood and make the most of the model's fantastic skin.

This is your chance to participate in the Flashlight challenge, prove you can make an amazing photograph with any light source, and have your photograph featured in an Fstoppers article all about you!

Lighting schemes should always have a purpose, whether it's to flatter a client, show the details in a product, or create a mood. In this fantasy portrait, my purpose was both to flatter the model and to create a sense of place. Let's talk about how it was done.

Behind the scenes videos are a fantastic way to increase the visibility of your work, and ACDSee Video Studio 3 will help you get your BTS video edited and ready to view in less than an hour.

We're heading into the realm of storybook fantasy with this week's Lighting Breakdown that blends natural and artificial light.

This week's Lighting Breakdown will focus on composite images, breaking down this specific fantasy image as an example for what you need to do to create believable composite lighting.

In this week's lighting breakdown, I'm going to explain the three-light setup I used to create these striking portraits in studio.

In this week's lighting breakdown, I'm going to explain why and how I used a flash outdoors during midday to create this fun, casual portrait.

In this article, I'm going to break down this dramatic lighting setup and explain why light placement and angle are important.

Music adds mood and personality to a video, reinforcing the message and engaging the viewer. In this tutorial, we are going to look at how to add and cut clips of music in a video with ACDSee Video Studio 3.

Building a skilled team is a sure way to up the production value of your shoot and improve the quality of your work, but if you’re collaborating with other artists, you’d better give them what they need.