Landscape photographer Mads Peter Iversen has put together a helpful video where he covers 5 "crucial" mistakes to avoid in landscape photography. Crucial might be an overstatement, but the video points out five of the most common mistakes you'll see from novice landscape shooters in particular.
Recently I hit a milestone in my photographer's career: I've accomplished 250 paid assignments. It took me ten years and half a million frames to get there. I thought it's a decent reason to reflect a little bit on what has been done and what the journey feels like.
In this article, I'm going to share my basics of shooting from the hip, a fun way to get candid, up-close street photos. We’ll cover camera settings, what to look for, and other techniques along the way. Let’s get into it!
So you've just finished school and now you have a diploma to certify and declare that you're a bona fide photographer/filmmaker. Or you could be an experienced professional who is just about to wrap your latest gig and now it's time to reach out to your network in search of the next job.
Photographer and YouTuber Michael the Maven has put together a video about one of the worst-kept "secrets" in optics: sample variation. Or: why you should immediately test every lens you buy to make sure you have a good copy.
Portrait photographer Miguel Quiles is back with another useful video for aspiring portrait photographers. This time, he's put together a video outlining the five most common portrait photography mistakes that he's seen over the years, and how he suggests that beginners avoid or fix them.
Photography can be an expensive pursuit, and the cost of things (and the pressure to buy them all, buy them new, and buy them now) can get in the way of putting that money in better places.
For the last four or five years, I have tried to produce one annual workshop for aspiring architecture and interior photographers. While I hope that they are technically helpful and the students come away with new skills and knowledge, one thing that I’ve noticed is that every year each workshop inevitably transforms into a session of group therapy for all involved.
Portrait photographer Miguel Quiles has put together an incredibly useful video that reveals the contents of his personal 'Mig'Gyver Kit: a set of 21 items that could save your butt during your next portrait session.
Video journalist Logan Baker over at Shutterstock put together a handy primer for anybody who is looking to get into black-and-white photography for the first time. The tutorial amounts to an easy-to-follow beginner's guide that we highly recommend you check out if you're just getting started in this genre.
There is a lot to dive into when it comes to perfecting and understanding exposure. In this video and article (part one of a two-part series), we’ll be covering important in-camera functionalities such as using the Highlight Alert, your Histogram, how to set up Display Brightness, as well as the importance of shooting a flat Picture Style to get the right information.
Talented creator Daniel DeArco—who goes by "Industrial Content Director & Creative Consultant" these days—recently dived into a topic that isn't often covered for creative business owners, freelancers, or just creators in general: empathy. Specifically, how empathy can transform the work you do and help you connect with clients.
My name is Tom Woods and I'm a full-time commercial and surf photographer who has been in the industry for two decades. In this article, I'm going to share 10 tips for taking your surf photography to the next level.
Handheld focus stacking is a brilliant solution for many scenarios. It saves you all the troubles of using a focusing rail in the field and provides a maximum of flexibility. Whenever you need more depth of field than you can get with trading off image quality, this is the way to work around it.
The latest Sony flagship full-frame mirrorless camera is finally available (I say "latest" instead of just "the" because Sony insists they have at any given time up to three and sometimes four flagship cameras). And yet, I contend that a vast majority of those interested in the a7R IV shouldn't buy it.
First off it’s not you, it’s Instagram. It comes down to a few very simple things that can be summed up in three words and two reasons: chronological order and saturation.
Photographer Trevor Jones of AstroBackyard started doing astrophotography back in 2010 using his smartphone and point-and-shoot camera. After working on his craft for nearly a decade, Jones just made this 10-minute video guide sharing what he would do if he were starting out in astrophotography all over again today.
After completing my degree in still photography at RIT, I grew up in NYC working in the motion world as a production assistant. My plan was to eventually direct TV spots, but I wanted to garner a solid background in the art of lighting from the still world first.
Professional event photographer and photography teacher Mik Milman recently published a video that's bound to receive some mixed reactions. In it, Milman laments the dearth of experience of many photographers who pass themselves off as "experts" on YouTube, earning thousands of followers and possibly misleading beginners by offering bad advice and unqualified critiques.
I recently took my first ever photography trip to California. My plan was to hit up Mt. Shasta, Lassen Volcanic NP, and Lake Tahoe. I wanted to share some of the things I did right, as well as some of the things I did wrong.
As a newspaper staff photographer for 26 years, I’ve seen enormous changes in our industry over that time. There’s been an explosion of interest in sport and sports coverage, so there’s never been a dull moment in all those years.
Landscape photographer Mads Peter Iversen swears by his 24-105mm f/4 lenses. While many landscape shooters prefer ultra-wide angle lenses in the 14-24mm range, or will opt for a 24-70mm mid-range zoom, Iversen believes a 24-105 is the better choice. In the video above, he explains why.
Landscape and travel photography marketing is one area that photographers often find particularly hard. But if you want your photography business to grow, you have to know how to market yourself and your work.
Photographer Jamie Windsor made this inspiring 8-minute video in which he shares 5 tips for breaking out of a creative rut in your photography and staying creative.
During last week's Sony Kando trip, photographer and YouTuber Taylor Jackson got to meet some of the most recognizable faces in the world of photography. Fortunately for us, he took the time to ask each of them for their #1 tip for photographers who are just starting out.
Before the rise of social media and the ubiquity of apps like Instagram, photographers established and flexed their brands through their personal website and blog. The photographer website supplanted the printed portfolio, for the most part, offering photographers a way to showcase their work with a remote audience of photo editors, customers, and fans.
“It was constant hustle for me the first three years (in business) full time.” I read this quote from a photographer-turned-business coach. It was advice in a Facebook group. I’m not certain the question that elicited this reply, but it doesn’t really matter. The statement stands alone.
The black and white aesthetic can sometimes be a contentious issue among photographers. The decision to shoot monochromatic images is, for some, an afterthought in a way that other choices like filters, focal lengths, and exposure settings would not be.
In a recent video, photographer and YouTuber Jamie Windsor shared some insightful thoughts on wedding photography: why so much of it looks the same (read: boring) and how wedding photographers like himself can help change that with each new couple they shoot.
"What lens did you use for that picture?" The only question less helpful to a growing photographer is probably, “What settings did you use for that picture?” Not because I think they are helping a newbie “cheat”, or because I might think it is copying, or ever -- God forbid! -- because I have some secret combination of shutter and aperture that is magic for me. It’s because it really doesn't matter.
“How do I grow my Instagram?” … it's a question I get asked often... too often. So I’m writing this article for my own selfish benefit. Rather than spend time repetitively composing a response, from now on, I can just link here when the next person asks me how they can grow their Instagram.
Why do photographers need to market themselves? In a phrase: so that you don't starve to death. No, but seriously. Otherwise, you risk ending up like Vincent van Gogh who (in the words of Steven Pressfield) “produced masterpiece after masterpiece and never found a buyer in his whole life.”
In an industry that’s overcrowded with photographers trying to get a piece of the client pie, commercial photography has an irresistible allure, especially to those new to the industry. Social media fails to show the full picture of what goes on behind the scenes, and photographers rarely talk about the many downfalls of being a commercial photographer.
I have read so many magazine articles, social media posts, and had discussions in which ‘established’ photographers don’t think new and aspiring photographers should be allowed to chart the same course that they once did (and perhaps still do). I’m referring to the general idea of starting with little or no fee to gain experience and establish themselves.
Many parents don't realize that anyone can call themselves a newborn photographer; but untrained photographers can make what should be a relaxing experience, incredibly stressful. It's not just about the images, it's about soothing babies and knowing their cues. It is a great job, but newborn photographers really should care enough to invest in training.
When a child gets a new toy, their parents often tell them not to take it to school where it’s showcased to their peers and then never seen again. As a photographer, your newest toys often have to come to work with you in order for you to keep flourishing at what you do. However, losing your precious gear can be a terrifying and miserable experience, especially if it happens to be part of your livelihood.
Are you thinking about becoming an event photographer? This article will begin by giving you some insight into what the job entails and the beginning steps for getting started. By its end, you should have a fundamental roadmap for getting started.
One of the best parts of being an active member of the online photography community is the range of criticism I have access to when I share my work. Being open to constructive criticism is an essential part of growth as an artist -- not only can it highlight shortcomings, but it can also emphasize areas in which you may be strong without realizing it.
Aerial photography is a different game than photographing from the ground. It’s much more difficult and slower to make a composition and you have to think of all kinds of rules and limitations to get your shot. However, drones opened up many new angles and possibilities when it comes to photography.
We keep hearing the same story every year: newlyweds that are left desolated because the photographer lost their wedding images. From dual memory card slots to the ever decreasing price of computer storage, human negligence has become the weakest link in the workflow.