Inspiration

Photographer Taylor Jackson made this 7-minute short film titled "Bad Photographer" that may resonate with you if you find yourself often struggling with self-doubt and negative thoughts about your work.

Most everyone’s got one. If you’ve been around for a while, you may have some great stories or a few crazy or scary assignments, but this one is not what you might think. Oh, I have had some interesting gigs for sure, but most of my work was in studio and not at all scary (with the exception of melted ice cream). I’ll save those stories for another time. No, this phone call was a different kind of scary.

Even the most mundane, unremarkable, or sometimes disgusting phenomena take on a totally new life when viewed at a supermacro scale. Case in point, a new timelapse film dubbed "The Rise of Molds" captures the mesmerizing growth of a subject we've all at one time or another cut out of a slice of bread or scrubbed off our bathroom walls: mold.

Photographer Sara Melotti's career started with a meteoric rise in the world of fashion photography. But 3 years into a job that took her to some of the most glamorous places on Earth, she realized that she was contributing to an industry that she simply didn't believe in any more. That's how her project Quest for Beauty was born.

Photographers can learn a lot about composition and color theory from great cinematography. Case in point: in this video, filmmaker Sareesh Sudhakaran of Wolfcrow explains how great movies will often use the 'Three Color Rule' to capture and keep a viewer's attention.

The winners of the 2nd annual Minimalist Photography Awards were announced just last week, and if you're looking for proof that "less is more" when it comes to photography... you've come to the right place. Many of the winners are masterful examples of simplicity in composition.

Photographers Rachel and Daniel at Mango Street decided to try out a few "photo hacks" they found on TikTok. These sorts of quick "hacks" are notorious for being fake or exaggerated, and they wanted to see which ones actually work, and which ones are only "meh."

The photographer's "journey" is, generally speaking, a pretty predictable thing. We all go through certain "phases" as we pick up and learn this craft—some more gracefully than others—and so, in the spirit of lighthearted candor, photographer and YouTuber Evan Ranft has decided to share his take on the 8 major phases of being a photographer.

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.

IKEA's catalog is almost iconic in the photo community. But if you were up in arms when they started replacing photos with realistic CGI, then you're really not going to like this... IKEA Taiwan recently redid key pages in its 2021 catalog using in-game 'photos' from the latest Animal Crossing video game.

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.

Photographer William Gilbert recently decided to start a YouTube channel, but rather than asking you to "smash that like button," he chose to kickstart the channel with 20 minutes of "wholesome goodness" instead. He decided to teach his 7- and 9-year-old niece and nephew how to shoot and develop 35mm film.

In an attempt to make the best of a difficult year, the Australian Institute Of Professional Photography (AIPP) put on a unique photo contest. Called the "Silver Lining Awards," the competition didn't just highlight some of the best photography in Australia, it gave contestants a chance to improve their work before submitting final images.

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.

The Oakland Museum of California has created an online archive showcasing the work of pioneering documentary photographer Dorothea Lange. If you've never explored Lange's work, there may be no better way to dive in.

Sony's annual Kando Trip is usually reserved for the "Alpha Family" of press, ambassadors, and influencers. But this year, given the ongoing pandemic, Sony is turning Kando Trip into Kando Everywhere: an online event that's free for anyone who's interested.

Throughout the year, we leave the comfort of our studios and venture out to shoot on location. And there’s no better time for outdoor photo shoots than the long days of summer.

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.

Professional photographer and YouTuber Sean Tucker recently released a video that covers one of the most common (and tricky) questions that enthusiast photographers ask: "should I go pro?" In other words: should I take this thing that I'm passionate about, and turn it into my profession?

In his TimeScapes series, photographer Martien Janssen has been "playing with the element of time," combining images in creative ways to create "a new type of dimension" in his time-lapse photography. And there's no better example of this than his film TimeBlend.

If you spent any time on social media yesterday, you probably ran across the latest Nike ad titled "You Can't Stop Us." The brilliant bit of video editing was put together entirely from archival footage, combining multiple frames into a seamless montage that's dropping jaws left and right.

Pinball machines; depending on your age, you might know all about them. Once, considered so evil that New York City banned them. Wasted youths (juvenile delinquents) spent days and nights hanging out in pinball palaces. They were so ubiquitous, “The Who” even made them a central part of their rock opera, “Tommy.”

This morning, the iPhone Photography Awards—the first and longest running iPhone photography competition—unveiled the winners of its 13th annual contest. As usual, these images represent the best of smartphone photography from around the world, and show what's possible with just a phone, an understanding of light, and a good eye.

Believe it or not, the "levitation" photo above isn't a multi-shot composite. Some lighting equipment was removed from the edge of the frame, but the main image of the woman "floating" above the water is actually a single exposure. It simply took some patience to capture it just right in-camera.

For Delhi-based photographer Sankar Sridhar, the Yamuna river represents a contradiction that he wanted to capture. Choked by industrial and household waste, it's devoid of aquatic life; and yet, every winter, millions of migratory birds come to the legendary river, which is revered as the only river with the power to grant immortality to humans.

Why do I do landscape photography? I've been trying to conceptualize an answer to this question as I delve deeper into my self-expression through creating imagery.

I recently set out to see what collaborating on an automotive campaign would look like when done virtually. In the words of the always colorful Jeremy Clarkson, “How hard could it be?” TL;DR: Not that hard!

Earlier this week, Apple announced the winners of its annual 'Design Awards,' and as usual, one of the honorees was a photo editing app. This year, that app was Darkroom, and while the photo and video editor for iOS is impressive in its own right, the most interesting thing about Darkroom might be the story behind how it came to be.

The grand landscapes are beautiful to view and probably the reason you got into landscape photography but the smaller details and intimate scenes can be just as picturesque. Capturing these scenes isn’t only a great way of creating impressive art, it’s also a creative challenge that forces you to think differently.

Martin, the host of about photography, has put together a timely and inspiring ode to the work of photographer Harry Gruyaert—a master of his craft and Magnum photographer whose approach to using color, and his passion for photography in general, is worth studying, admiring, and emulating.

Artist and designer Jessica Johnson of Creators Couture has created a unique set of Photoshop brushes that do something we haven't seen before. Stroke by stroke, and controlled by brush size and direction, you can add an impressionist painting effect to all or part of your photos.