advice

Landscape photographer and educator Mads Peter Iversen has put together a helpful focus 'primer' for the aspiring landscape photographers out there. In the video, he goes over auto and manual focus technique, his personal workflow, and a few basic tips and tricks that work well for him.

If another social media craze comes out, I think I just might tear out my eyelashes one-by-one. I’m sure many of us professional photographers have thought that (or something similar) when we’re daunted by the task of keeping up with today’s culture. However, Instagram turned out to be pretty powerful for photographers. Snapchat, maybe not so much. What about TikTok?

Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake over at DPReview TV have put together a helpful (and timely) primer that shows you how to take better indoor portraits using only natural light, and without needing to buy any additional photography gear.

Thanks to everyone who read my previous article on my process as a TV show set photographer, and all of you who got in touch with questions and comments. People had a range of questions, especially about how I use a waveform monitor, so I'll make this a fairly wide-ranging post to try and answer everything.

The two most commonly asked questions in photography are probably: "what gear do you use?" and "what settings do you use?" In this video, landscape photographer Mads Peter Iversen answers that second question by diving into his typical workflow and explaining when and why to use certain settings when shooting landscapes.

A few months ago, I was hired as an on-court, fixed broadcast camera operator for an Association of Tennis Professionals event as an independent contractor. While we were not broadcast live on a network, we were broadcasting throughout the stadium and event village as well as being taped for the network.

The Internet has been brilliant for building a platform, but it is only one pillar... Did you know that ninety percent of small businesses fail within the first two years? With very few exceptions, having one way of marketing is the quickest way to join the 90%.

If you are a parent with a passion for taking good photos of your kids, this guide will walk you through it and help to improve your skills.

Photographer Joe Edelman has put together a helpful beginner's guide that explains one of the most important (and easy to overlook) details in portrait photography: catchlights. These specular highlights can make or break your photo, and in this video, Edelman covers all of the basic "dos" and "donts" of catchlights in portraiture.

Portrait photographer Miguel Quiles recently created a much-requested video that touches on a little-understood subject within the world of photography: working directly with camera, lens, and accessory brands that want to sponsor you.

As the coronavirus has spread throughout the U.S., it has left a wake of economic turmoil. As of Wednesday, April 9th, over 16 million Americans have filed for unemployment. Like many other freelancers, photographers have seen an abrupt drop in income. For many, late March brought about cancellations in droves over the course of about a week.

Film photographer and YouTuber Willem Verbeek has released a helpful video for beginners that covers his 8 favorite film photography hacks and tips. Some are useful, some are obvious, and some are just good sense.

Product photographer Dustin Dolby is back with another workphlo tutorial that tackles a difficult subject in simple terms: how to shoot reflective products using only a single light source.

As amusing as some COVID-19 memes and tweets have been (not to mention a welcome break from the endless news cycle), we want to be very clear about the importance of taking care of your mental health right now.

As with a majority of newbies to photography, the obsession with gear and chasing the newest toys proved to be irresistible to me. I spent far more time reading reviews, comparing charts, watching youtube videos, and looking for deals than actually going out and shooting.

The current COVID-19 pandemic needs no introduction. I’m sure if you are a wedding photographer like myself then your business will have been hit HARD over the last couple of weeks.

On March 12, 2020, the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) held a webinar with General Counsel Thomas Maddrey entitled “Potential Business Ramifications of Coronavirus (COVID-19).” Maddrey covered a variety of topics, including cancellation clauses in photographer contracts.

My portrait photography education didn’t happen in a classroom, library, or workshop. Most of what I learned came from studying my heroes’ work, trying to figure out why I loved their pictures, and then putting my own twist on them.

As you know, things are getting crazy out there and our photo assignments are being postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus. Are you prepared to answer the question “what will it cost to cancel?”? Let’s talk about our terms and conditions (T&C).

I have photographed a small bay for over three years and I am not done yet. Despite all the images being taken within an area of just three meters (~10 feet), the results are very different. If you are persistent and visit your local spots during different seasons and different types of weather, you will definitely be rewarded with good images.

These days, it feels like the world will come crashing down on us at any moment. It may well be so, but there is little point in wallowing in torrents of bad news. But finding something positive is becoming as difficult as digging for water in the desert. This is when your camera can prove to be an indispensable tool for diluting the bleakness of everyday life with some joy.

Given the recent guidelines on social distancing from various health organizations, the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes (COVID-19) means that most of us will be self-isolating for some time. As a freelancer, how can you manage this enforced downtime positively?

Let’s not waste any time. What is the most important element in someone’s photography style? The quick answer is repetition.

Despite my background as a CPA, auditor, and experience as a business owner, I don’t openly post direct financial advice. However, I feel like this is an appropriate time considering COVID-19 and the massive global impact of this pandemic.

Photographer Evan Raft recently published a list of 7 helpful, back-to-basics tips for anybody who is interested in getting started with street photography. If you're a beginner, this video is a great place to start before going out and trying to capture your first few street shots.

It’s the fifth in a string of beautiful days, in a place a world away from our daily life back home. The sky is wide and blue. The air is thick with scents of food we’ve yet to try, and a language we don’t understand. But friendly smiles allow us to navigate our way through this country that is settling into our hearts.

You’re pretty new to hiring professional photographers, so perhaps you feel you need to provide them with a wedding photo list in advance of your wedding. Here are 5 important reasons why you probably shouldn’t.

Photographer, filmmaker, and YouTube superstar Peter McKinnon is better known for his video work these days, but he recently took a step back to share a simple photo "hack" that can yield more dramatic portraits in a matter of seconds.

After an extended absence from the online space, veteran photographer Zack Arias is back, and he's offering some advice to photographers who are frustrated that they aren't winning any of the photo contests that they've entered into.

Street photographers are not known for their reserve. We are happy to give advice on gear, framing and technique. But I believe the best photographers are those who also seek advice and look to learn from others. That said, not all advice is equal, and some ideas are outdated, narrow minded, or just plan wrong.

Wedding photographer Reggie Ballesteros gets a lot of questions from aspiring wedding photographers, and one of the most common is: how do you use off-camera flash? So he's created a comprehensive guide that covers his entire process—from the gear he uses, to his thought process during setup, through execution.

Whenever I travel for photography, there’s a real sense of anticipation for the scenarios I might face, the feeling that the next great moment is just around the corner. As a street and documentary photographer, my intention when traveling is not to see “the sights”, or to eat the foods, or to hear the music -- instead, it is specifically to meet the people and see what aspects of myself exist in foreign situations.

Let’s be honest. We’re all guilty of judging by superficial features. Chances are that even you have been so vain — comparing your figure to that of perfect strangers only to be left with a sulky sense of defeat. But don’t fret, you’re far from alone when you feel a tinge of jealousy (perhaps more than a tinge) at the sight of an Instagram account with over 100K followers, making yours look inactive.

I just did an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Instagram Stories, and someone asked the question: ‘Do You Photoshop Your Pictures?’

I did my first advertising assignment in the year 2000. I still remember how excited I was when I, a few months later, walked out of a bookstore on Chestnut Street in San Francisco with several magazines with my pictures in them.

"Take another photo and I'm going to shove that camera up your a**." Beware of small guys with big mouths. That's the takeaway here.

If you're just getting into landscape photography and you're not sure what lenses you actually need for this genre, photographer Mads Peter Iversen is here to help. In one of his most popular videos to date, Iversen lays out the only 3 lenses you "need" for landscape photography."

Shooting street photography without a project in mind is like shopping for food when you’re hungry. You might get a few nice treats, but ultimately you get back and find there is nothing to sustain you.