advice

Why I Never Recommend Entry-Level Canon DSLRs to New Portrait Shooters

As a fashion photographer with a degree of online presence, it is only natural to get questions about gear every now and then in Instagram DMs and email. There is a universe of gear to choose from across many different brands. As a Canon shooter, you might think that I would recommend their entry-level cameras to beginners. However, I think the opposite.

The Problem of Target Fixation in Landscape Photography

Among the most important concepts learned when beginning to ride a motorcycle is that of target fixation. This attentional phenomenon occurs when an individual becomes so focused upon an observed object (whether it is a target or hazard) that they inadvertently increase their risk of colliding with it.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Photographers

Be it for the best chili recipes or the best photographers, people frequently start their web browsing journey with a Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo search. So, if you’re a photographer and you want those search engines to find your website, you need to optimize it for those search engines.

48 Travel Photography Tips to Improve Your Craft

In my mind, I roam the American West and meander along the coast of the Adriatic Sea. I imagine myself at non-descript train depots in Kerala drinking chai with men donning patterned lungis and transport myself to Peru’s Sacred Valley picnicking on yams and grilled cuy. My dreamscapes include vast deserts, forest retreats, even chaotic urban mishegoss. In most of my daydreams, I have a camera by my side.

How to Stay Safe as a Model or Photographer

I’ve been swimming in this industry since the spring of 1997, ultimately on both sides of the lens. I have witnessed titans rise and fall with the decimation of film in favor of digital pixels. I’ve taken part in the tidal wave of new and incredible talent from around the world thanks to affordable cameras and computers.

10 Tips for Wide-Angle Landscape Photography

Wide-angle shots are by far the most popular type in landscape photography, and it is for obvious reasons. One can get a lot of the landscape in a single frame and a lot more out of wide-angle lenses.

The Art of Selling Art: A Contemplative Approach

Perhaps the greatest dream of most nature photographers is the idea of crafting a living off print sales alone. All across the internet are stories of individuals making hundreds of dollars off each print, leading to yearly sales of six figures or greater. Unfortunately, this is very often not the case.

Things I’ve Learned Over 10 Years of Street Photography

I’m not a professional, but I take my street photography seriously. Because I enjoy it so much, I’ve invested a lot of time learning the craft and practicing it. I’m not great, but I’m better than I was.

5 Basic Mistakes to Avoid When Post-Processing Landscapes

While landscape photography is a lot about composition and on-location practices, one can never dismiss the importance of post-processing (or editing) the images. One question I am always asked is: "Why is editing necessary?"

Why I’m Not Upgrading to Mirrorless Cameras as a Pro Photographer

Mirrorless, mirrorless, ah the joys of mirrorless. Isn’t it better than DSLRs in every way possible? It may be. But honestly, I couldn’t care less. While that may sound egoistical, the reason I don’t care is that I’m not upgrading to mirrorless anytime soon.

10 Basic Landscape Photography Tips

In this article, I'll share 10 of the most important things that a landscape photographer needs to keep in mind while preparing and while on a shoot. We tend to forget the most common things and end up getting messed up during shoots, so I'll be sharing some pre-shoot tips and some on-location ideas to help you get better with your landscape photos.

The Ultimate Guide to Fashion Shoots: From Idea to Magazine Submission

Have you ever wondered what it takes to create great fashion work that wows everyone? In this guide, I will break down all the steps you need to take in order to produce something that is of high quality. I'm aware of how hard it is to make fashion work, so in this guide, I am talking about the nitty-gritty, from idea to magazine submission.

Basic Advice About Photography for Beginning Photographers

This article is aimed at people who would like to advance their basic photography skills. I assume that you already make decent photos and are familiar with f-stops, ISO, shutter speeds, etc. But I'm hoping that this read will prove worth your time and lead to even greater photographic skills and enjoyment.

Are Expensive Light Modifiers Worth It?

There have been thousands of articles written about cheap and expensive lights, cameras, and lenses. To me, the light is not as important as the modifier.

Lighting Setups Are Nonsense — Here’s How You Really Learn Light

When starting out, you will inevitably stumble upon someone telling you to use a three-light setup for portraits and a beauty dish for fashion photography. I think that’s a whole bunch of nonsense. Lighting setups don’t teach you light -- they only confuse you and derail you from progressing.

5 Marketing Tactics Every Photographer Needs to Know

As photographers, we all know marketing is important. We regularly hear that it can make or break a business. Good marketing can help you stand out. We’ve all wondered how and why some photographers have hundreds of thousands of followers when others are struggling to even hit triple digits.

Camera Gear You Should Never Buy Used

I previously wrote an article on some of the gear that photographers can buy used and how I saved $15,000 doing so. It feels wrong for me to buy any new gear -- like I'm burning money when doing so. That said, here are a few photography things that even bargain-hunters like me buy new.

How I Saved $15,000 When Buying Pro Camera Gear

It’s no secret that most photographers want the pro stuff. Indeed, perhaps your favorite YouTuber has a Canon R5 or the latest expensive L lens. Pro gear beats amateur gear in most areas, even if it's 10 years older. I know people who shot global campaigns in 2018 on a pro camera from 2009. Pro gear is great but expensive. Sometimes extremely expensive.

A Guide to Traveling with Lithium-ion Batteries as a Photographer

I'm photographer Jay P. Morgan from The Slanted Lens. In this video and article, we’re going to take a look at batteries. What you can fly with, what you feel comfortable checking in your check bags, what you should carry on with you, and what you shouldn’t take with you.

I Stopped Trying to Impress Other Photographers, and I’ve Never Been Happier

My name is Jordan McChesney, and I'm a photographer based in Japan. Let me start by saying that I am not a professional photographer, and I’m well aware that my movement towards success is an ongoing process that is (hopefully) in the early stages of even bigger things to come. That being said, I think it’s a good idea to reflect on my last year or so of growth.

How to Achieve a Narrative Series (and How COVID Reframed One of Mine)

The COVID pandemic has stricken all the layers of our societies, from culture to economy, family life to social events. Nevertheless, this unique situation has also offered unique pictures of places usually crowded and suddenly totally empty, taken by photo reporters.

The Art of Selling Art: An Architectural Approach

When it comes to landscape photography, any photographer specializing in the genre can tell you just how difficult it is to make any sort of income. Stock photography – once a mainstay source of income for landscape photographers – has almost come to an abrupt stop, given the sheer number of photographs being submitted throughout the years.

How to Do Remote Photo Shoots Using Zoom

As a photographer, I work from my home base in Istanbul, completing assignments for places like The New York Times. But, just like everywhere else, COVID-19 has put a damper on normal human interactions in Turkey. So, when a photo editor at The New York Times gave me the option of shooting an assignment remotely, I was intrigued.

Trials of the Amateur Sports Photographer

Let me begin by saying I am in no way a professional sports photographer. I am simply a high school math teacher who loves three things: teaching, mathematics, and photography. As a serious photographer in my school, it often fell upon me to document sporting events for the benefit of the school and the students themselves.

5 Cameras You Should Avoid

If you are reading this article, there's a high chance that sooner or later you are going to buy a new camera. And as we all know, photography is not exactly a cheap hobby.

How to Photograph While Conducting an Interview

Conducting an interview and taking pictures at the same time may sound overwhelming but this is a usual practice in social documentary photography. After 8 years of talking while shooting, I now feel as if something is missing when I silently click a shutter button or interview someone without a camera in my hands. However, this type of work is full of challenges and pitfalls. Here is how I navigate this territory.

How to Find Your Photographic Style

Finding your photographic style takes time. It's a process. You may even think you found it only to discover that your preferences have changed. That's okay. That's good. It means that you are growing and evolving on your journey.

A Simple Business Guide for New Photographers

As a professional photographer for quite a few years now, I thought some of you may be interested in some photography business advice and tips through this entry-level straightforward photography business guide.

5 Signs Your Landscape Photos Are Way Too Busy

Figuring out the line between "good" and "too much" is one of the big challenges in photography, whether it's making adjustments in post-processing or figuring out what to include in a composition. In this 14-minute video, photographer Mark Denney shares 5 things to look for to figure out if your landscape photos are too busy.

35+ Rules and Guiding Principles in Photography

A primary question in photography is, “What is composition”? Photo composition governs the manner in which our eyes travel through an image. It defines how objects within an image are placed relative to each other in such a way that generates visual excitement. Used correctly, it transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Tips for Shooting Holiday Lights with iPhone

The holidays in New York City are my favorite part of the year. It's such a magical and festive time all throughout the City. You'll find holiday trees, light displays, and the prettiest decorations around every corner.