howto

Ilford is Creating a Set of Super Helpful ‘Darkroom Guides’ on YouTube

Over the past seven months, Ilford has been publishing a set of helpful "Darkroom Guides" to the How To playlist on the company YouTube channel. The series was created to help film photographers take their "next steps in your black and white darkroom printing journey." If that describes you, then this is one you'll want to bookmark.

Drone Photo Tips: How To Make Inception-Like Images

If you've seen the movie Inception, you're likely very familiar with that one scene where physical space is bent on top of itself. It's one of the movie's most iconic visuals, and in this 3-minute video, COOPH shows how you can easily make your own photos with an Inception vibe with a drone.

8 Reasons Why Your Photos Suck, and How to Fix Them

Professional photographers Daniel and Rachel of Mango Street have published a helpful video that covers the 8 most common mistakes that they see beginner photographers make. In other words: these are the 8 reasons why your photos suck, and how to fix them.

Photoshop 101: What’s the Difference Between Curves and Levels?

If you want to manipulate the light and color information in an image using Photoshop, two of the most common tools for the task are Curves and Levels. But how do these two adjustments actually differ? And when might you choose to use one instead of the other? That's exactly what Aaron Nace explains in this helpful video.

A Simple Trick for Adding Drama to a Product Photo

Here's a quick tip from talented photographer, filmmaker, and YouTube star Peter McKinnon. In his latest "two-minute Tuesday" video, he showed how adding a simple overlay onto some black foam core can take a basic top-down product shot to the next level.

10 Minute Crash Course: Using Filters for Landscape Photography

Photographer Nicco Valenzuela recently published a helpful "crash course" that covers everything you need to know to get started using lens filters for landscape photography. The video covers everything from the two main filter 'formats,' to the three main filter 'types,' to the various situations where you might want to use each filter for the best possible results.

The Building Blocks of Artistic Portrait Photography

Of the many creative photographic genres, it is perhaps portrait photography where two camps—the representative and the artistic—can be most clearly observed. Whilst the former requires context through captions and backstory to elevate it, in the later, the absence of such requires creative aptitude. Attempting to merge both camps in one photograph can often diminish its effectiveness.

I Shot All These Photos from My Yard — Here’s How You Can Do It Too

As recently as the early 1900s, astronomers believed the Milky Way was all that existed in the universe. That view persisted until 1923, when Edwin Hubble used glass plate photographs of the Andromeda galaxy (then still thought to be just a nebula) to discover that the universe was unimaginably larger. His discovery was so significant that NASA’s first space telescope was given his name.

3 Beginner Wide Angle Mistakes to Avoid in Landscape Photography

Landscape photographer Mark Denney has put together a quick tutorial that will be particularly useful for beginners. In it, he covers the most egregious mistakes he made when he first started shooting landscapes with a wide-angle lens, and explains how you can avoid falling into the same traps.

How to Build a Giant Soft Box on the Cheap

Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut of the Hurlbut Academy recently shared a great DIY tutorial in which he shows you how to build a giant soft box using just some foam core and a few lengths of 1x3-inch wood. The result allows you to create a large, soft light source without breaking the bank.

30 Lightroom Tips and Tricks for Faster Photo Editing

Landscape photographer Christian Möhrle of The Phlog Photography recently put together a handy compilation of his favorite tips and tricks for Adobe Lightroom Classic. Chances are good you'll find at least one or two (and probably several more) little workflow tips that you didn't know about.

Watch This Guy Turn a Classic Nikon FM into a Digital Camera

Japanese tinkerer Sanasol has just released a detailed, step-by-step "blueprint" video that shows you exactly how he was able to transform his classic Nikon FM film SLR into a digital camera without harming the film camera at all. If you have a few bucks to spend and a 3D printer handy, you can even follow along.

How to Photograph Dogs like Elliott Erwitt

The relationship between man and dog is unlike man’s relationship with any other animal on the planet. When it comes to animal photography, you can find many books, online lessons, or YouTube videos showing you and teaching you how to photograph animals... so that they look like animals. This article is not going to be the typical wildlife photography manual where you sneak up on a dog in a nature documentary style or take a shot with an 800mm lens hidden in the mud.

How to Swap Faces in Photoshop in Four Easy Steps

Our friend Pye Jirsa from SLR Lounge recently teamed up with the folks from Adorama to put together a very handy Photoshop tutorial you may want to bookmark for later. In this video, he shows you how to swap faces and expressions in four easy steps.

7 Tips for Creating a Sense of Depth in Your Landscape Photos

Landscape photographer and YouTuber Mads Peter Iversen is back with another helpful tips video. This time, he's covering a very important subject that many beginners fail to properly appreciate when they're just starting out: how to create depth in your landscape imagery.

How I Chase and Photograph Storms and Lightning Strikes

As someone who loves to seek out and photograph unique weather events, I’m always excited to see a thunderstorm brewing over New York City, and of course my home, the Jersey Shore! There’s always something exciting to look forward to while you’re out storm chasing, including rainbows, storm clouds, fog, and of course, lightning!

A Quick Intro to Minimalist Landscape Photography

Here we’re going to show you how to create minimalist landscape photography and give you plenty of examples, techniques and tips to get you inspired for your own shoot. Firstly, let’s answer; what is minimalist photography?

How to Create the Perfect Photoshop Toolbar for Your Editing Needs

Photoshop master Unmesh Dinda at PIXimperfect has put together a simple tutorial that could have a significant impact on your photo editing workflow. In a few minutes, he'll show you how to customize your editing experience and create your personal "dream Photoshop toolbar."

How to Shoot Dramatic Portraits with a Point and Shoot Camera and One Light

Photographer and YouTuber Jiggie Alejandrino loves to show his viewers what's possible when shooting with just one light; but for his most recent tutorial, he took the concept one step further. Not only did he shoot this using a single LED light panel, he used a point-and-shoot camera instead of his more professional gear.

The Power of Transitions: A Theory of Landscape Photography:

What makes a great landscape photo, great? Some appreciate an image for its technical prowess or adhering to certain rules. It might be focused correctly and sharp throughout the scene. It could be well-exposed, offering wide dynamic range. Some like to see leading lines or the rule of thirds.

6 Creative Macro Photography Ideas You Probably Haven’t Seen Before

Ever since the beginning of the pandemic (and, really, the beginning of photography), macro photography tutorials have all sort of blended together. The subject matter and techniques are often pretty similar: flowers, bugs, coins, etc. COOPH wanted to change that with their latest "ideas" video.

A Beginner’s Guide to Cleaning Your Camera Sensor

Yes, the beginning of this video was meant to be a funny, but shockingly extreme example of sensor dust. And it was removed very easily with the basic sensor cleaning technique described below.

This Full Astrophotography Workshop is Now Available for Free on YouTube

Ian Norman and Diana Southern over at Lonely Speck just uploaded their full 2016 astrophotography workshop to YouTube for free. This incredible resource covers everything from getting the shot, to basic editing, image stacking, and panorama stitching. They even included the Q&A from the end of the meetup!

How to Create Photos of Miniature Worlds Using Household Items

A couple of months ago, photographer and YouTuber Chris Hau stumbled across the miniature world photography of Erin Sullivan and was absolutely blown away. So he decided to try out this style for himself and show you exactly what you need to do to start capturing these miniature worlds at home.

7 Tips for Getting Started with Film Photography

The folks over at COOPH recently tamed up with Brooklyn-based freelance photographer Joe Greer to put together a helpful "beginner's guide" of sorts for anybody who wants to get started with film photography.

Underwater Photography: Safety Gear and Tips for a Successful Shoot

Photographers love to shop for new gear, but when that gear is for safety during your underwater photography session, shopping become essential. I wanted to write this article to discuss the safety standards (or lack thereof) in the underwater photography community.

My Experience With My First Gallery Exhibition

I originally moved from the UK to New Zealand in search of a place that allows me to spread my artistic wings and really obtain that deeper level of natural landscape beauty. I ended up in Wellington, the national and artistic capital of NZ, where everything and anything goes.

How to Shoot and Stack a Photo of Comet NEOWISE

Earlier this week, I brought my Sony 70-200mm lens and drove only about 15 minutes away into Bortle Class 4 skies. What’s really exciting is that I was shooting towards Salt Lake City and the sunset, and still the image turned out remarkably well among all the light pollution and sunset in that direction!

Developing ECN-2 Motion Picture Film at Home

If you’re a film geek like me, these numbers should look familiar, 5203, 5207, 5217, and 5219. These are the film stocks Kodak Motion Picture offers to film directors and cinematographers. Since 2014, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorcese, and J.J. Abrams partnered with former Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke, to spearhead an effort in protecting the use of celluloid in the motion picture industry.

A Beginner’s Guide To Photographing Comet NEOWISE

The comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) has arrived in the night sky here in the northern hemisphere, delighting skywatchers and photographers alike. With planning, patience, and clear skies, you can capture an unforgettable image of this celestial event.

How to Use Light Painting to Capture Dramatic Car Photography

Automotive photographer Dave Cox (AKA ShootingDave) recently put together a handy step-by-step tutorial that shows you exactly how he uses light painting to capture dramatic car photos when working in a tight space like a workshop. By combining six exposures into one, he's able to capture a beautiful and surprisingly natural looking photo.

How and Why You SHOULD Blow Out Your Highlights Sometimes

Our friend Pye Jirsa over at SLR Lounge has put together a great portrait photography tutorial that explains when and why you SHOULD blow out your highlights sometimes. It might seem obvious to seasoned shooters, but a balanced exposure is not always the right choice.