howitwasshot

How the Official Coronation Portraits of King Charles III Were Shot

Hugo Burnand, the photographer who captured the official photos of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla last May, has also photographed their wedding in 2005, the king's 60th birthday in 2008, and the wedding of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales in 2011 and many other royal events.

Bill Anders Earthrise

The Story Behind ‘Earthrise,’ One of NASA’s Most Iconic Images

Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. As the Apollo 8 crew members Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William (Bill) Anders orbited the moon aboard the spacecraft, Anders spotted and captured Earthrise, one of the most iconic space photos ever made.

Capturing the Moon in the ‘Crown’ of the Bank of America Headquarters

Charlotte, North Carolina, is nicknamed the Queen City, after Queen Charlotte. I moved to Charlotte from Frankfurt, Germany in July 1992. That was not just the year but also the month that the Bank of America (BofA) building was completed. The 871ft (265m) skyscraper is the tallest building in the Southern United States outside of Atlanta or Texas, with its “royal” crown on the top.

How I Took a Photo of the Andromeda Galaxy from My Backyard

I recently shot a photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy that went viral, appearing everywhere from the front page of Reddit to Newsweek. The photo was taken with a four-inch telescope over the course of multiple nights from my backyard near Charlottesville, Virginia, US.

Photographer Captures Gorgeous Bird Photos in Her Own Backyard

During the spring and summer of 2021, I did not do a lot of photography in places other than my backyard. I have always spent some time photographing birds in my yard, with my favorite subject being the blue jay.

Crocodile

Photographer Art Wolfe Gets Up Close with a Crocodile in Mexico

When the first pandemic hit in 2020, photographer Art Wolfe was working on a big wildlife book coming out in Fall 2023. He had already rescheduled a few trips but decided to take one with a friend to the state of Yucatán in southern Mexico to photograph American crocodiles.

Ancient Pines by Loch Tulla, near the Bridge of Orchy, Central Highlands, Scotland, December 2012

How it Was Shot: Ancient Pines By Loch Tulla, Scotland

In December 2012, I made my first trip to the Bridge of Orchy. It’s a beautiful area just an hour and a half drive north of the hustle and bustle of Glasgow. It was a last-minute decision to head north from my home as there was the prospect of snow.

How I Captured a 40-Mile-Wide View of an Arizona Landscape

It all started when a couple Iowa guys’ video production company booked a commercial video project with the nation’s largest magazine publisher in collaboration with Arizona tourism. The fun story here is how we ended up on top of a mountain, in the Arizona wilderness, taking photos.

How I Photographed Comet Leonard Over Madrid

Last week saw the last few days to see and photograph Comet Leonard after sunset at the horizon where I am located in Spain, and when my fellow photographer Javier Martinez Moran asked me to join him in an attempt to catch the comet passing behind the iconic Four Towers of Madrid, I couldn’t say no!

Shimmering Wall: The Story Behind This Photo Taken in 1997

In my previous article, I walked you through the making of one of my signature photographs, Fallen Sequoias, exposed in 1977. I’ve decided to use the same process in the creation of another image, made 20 years later, on a one-day hike with two friends in 1997.

How I Bring My Sketches to Life as Conceptual Photo Art

For a digital artist like me, getting those unique ideas for my images is one of the most important things. I see the ideas in my dreams, when I read a magazine, when I’m out for a walk, or pretty much anywhere. I have learned that ideas are everywhere if you just allow yourself to see them.

How it Was Shot: ‘Chair and Shadow’ in San Miguel, Mexico

I believe it would be fair to say that I am known mostly for my landscape work, from broad “grand landscapes” to abstracts in the slit canyons. But throughout most of my career, I’ve also photographed human-made settings extensively.

How it Was Shot: Sandra Herber’s ‘Power Lines’

The image of these power lines was taken in Alberta, Canada in late December 2017. I have been traveling to the Canadian Prairies to photograph since 2013 and have been focusing more and more on minimalist winter scenes since my first winter trip there in 2015.

What a ‘Normal’ Person Sees vs. What a Photographer Sees

Photographer Manny Ortiz loves finding perfect portrait situations in everyday places -- locations most people probably wouldn't think of using for a photo shoot. Here's a short video in which Ortiz compares how "normal" people see the world vs how photographers see it.

A Timelapse of a Sunflower Opening Over 10 Days

Photographer Neil Bromhall runs a popular YouTube channel that features mesmerizing timelapses of plants growing and blooming over multiple days. His latest effort is this pair of 1-minute timelapses that show a sunflower opening over the course of 10 days.

How a Photojournalist Captured a Shot in the Literal Heat of the Moment

If a fire broke out, and you could only grab one thing, what would it be? For many, that question will always stay hypothetical, but for the residents of Anonas Street in Santa Mesa, Manila, on one fateful day in 2020, it suddenly became the reality that would change their lives permanently.

How it Was Shot: Truffula Aspens, Colorado in 2003

In 2003 my wife Ruth and I were photographing in Colorado and were returning to our campground after a rather uneventful day. Ruth was driving, as always, and I was still looking for a photograph, as always.

This Music Video Was Made with 3,700 Photos Shot on 35mm Film

Better Man is a music video and visual experiment shot using a 35mm analog camera meant for still photography. Every video clip in Better Man is actually a shutter burst of 8 frames per second and so in essence it fools the human eye to simulate motion similar to the effect that the very first motion picture cameras were able to produce.

How I Shot This Lunar Eclipse Sequence In Camera, On Film

G’day from Australia, my name is Jason De Freitas (@jase.film on Instagram), and I’m a photographer mostly known for my analog astrophotography. In this article, I’ll describe the process and decisions I went through to take this lunar eclipse multi-exposure sequence on medium format film.