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Articles by Guest Author

Exposed: Photographer John Tully and Thoughts of Bruce Springsteen

It is rare to have a photographer conjure up the memory of a particular song. However, I immediately thought of Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town when I saw New Hampshire photojournalist John Tully’s recent work.

How to Leverage Lightroom’s New Masking Tools in Your Workflow

Unless you’ve just emerged from a nuclear fallout bunker, you’ve likely already heard about Lightroom’s impressive new masking tools that Adobe announced at their annual Adobe Max conference. In fact, PetaPixel’s Ryan Mense wrote a wonderful hands-on article covering the expanse of these new masking tools.

Which Medium Format Mirrorless System Should You Choose?

For decades, medium format film was the standard for professional photography work, so it's no wonder that its bigger-than-full-frame resolution, shallow depth of field, and magic tonality is still sought after by pros and enthusiasts to this day.

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.

Where Did Live Photos Go in iOS 15?

For years, Apple's iPhone Live Photos has offered the coolest camera trick. With one click and no tripod, I could easily transform a body of water into a long exposure like dreamy shot, with long flowing water.

A Bright Idea for Subject Placement in Portrait Photos

With careful composition and editing techniques, you can take your portrait game to the next level. In this video, I'll show how you can level up your portraits with this one simple tip.

The Evolution of the Pro Photographer Through Phases and Crises

The professional growth of a photographer, and therefore the maturity of his or her projects, passes through several phases. Different phases require different skills from the photographer. In each phase the work and the goal of photography change, the maturity of his or her work grows.

Learning How to Find Photography Inspiration Close to Home

Going out with your camera on a regular basis is an important part of expanding your personal growth, creativity, and mental health. During this worldwide pandemic, it means exploring the world close to home.

Falling Out of Love with Photography

In the corner of my living room lives my piano, a cat tree, and an unassuming black Billingham camera bag containing a film and digital body. The thing that connects the three is that they’re all static objects.

I Made a Mistake and Gave My Photos Away for Free on Unsplash

I’m sure most photographers have heard of Unsplash, the free-to-use stock image website. You upload any of your photographs, then after a short moderation process, they become available in the Unsplash library for anyone to download and use in any way they like.

Exposed: An Interview with Superstar Wedding Photographer John Dolan

I am fascinated by the art of wedding photography and have seen it morph from very formal and super staged -- as in very often: “OK, grandma stand over there” -- to having a photographer take a more casual or natural approach. John Dolan’s style approaches wedding photography from the perspective of an involved documentarian interested in the emotional experience.

Apple Finally Put the ‘Pro’ in MacBook Pro Again

In 2016, after Apple removed the memory card slot from MacBook Pros, I complained about this loudly. “Everything is going wireless,” a since-departed executive told me, adding that there was no need for the slot anymore.

GoPro Hero 10 Versus Hero 9: Should You Upgrade?

I use the GoPro Hero cameras all the time for my video productions, but not for action. I like the tiny Hero’s for moving car shots, street walking, and just general situations where a little camera can be placed in out-of-the-way places to pick up my shot.

How to Capture In-Action Portraits with a Wide-Angle Lens

One of my favorite engagement photography techniques is getting up close to the subjects with a wide-angle lens. The resulting images feel alive and immersive. In this article and video, I'll be demonstrating the difference a wide-angle and a telephoto lens can make when capturing action.

Top Photo Pros Unite to Support Charity and Improve Online Education for Photographers

Over 20 of the most highly acclaimed photographers and creative brands from around the world have joined forces to raise money for charity, and creatives like you are benefiting. Serge Ramelli, Mads Peter Iversen, Alexander Stemplewski, Karlie Place, Peter Hurley, Phlearn, KelbyOne, and Fstoppers are amongst the notable contributors to a digital bundle of tools and resources purposed to save photographers thousands of dollars while raising millions for deserving charities.

Student Plagiarizes African Artist, Gets Exhibited at the Milan Photo Festival

In 2014, curator Simon Njami engaged Ethiopian artist photographer Aïda Muluneh to interpret Dante’s Inferno for an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art entitled The Divine Comedy: Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell Revisited by Contemporary African Artists. Muluneh’s “The 99 Series” featured a model set against a light grey mottled background, with her body and face covered in white paint, and her hands dipped in red.

Don’t Make the Critical Facebook and Instagram Photography Mistake

I have a good friend that uses Facebook as his photography business’s digital platform. I have multiple friends that use Instagram as their portfolio. This also goes for, yes to a lesser degree, using Behance, Tumbler, Model Mayhem, Imgur, and Flickr as a portfolio destination.

Nine Portrait Tips for Better Travel Photography

Chances are, if you’ve ever tried to document your travels with a camera, you’ve taken some cliché, if not really cheesy travel photos. I certainly have, and I’m embarrassed to show those photos to friends and family after my trips.

Composing Photographs Across a Double Page Spread

If I can afford to, I always try to spend time in shops where I know there is a good selection of photo books. The books offer me inspiration for my photographs as well as the way I present my own work in printed publications.

5 Common Mistakes Photographers Make In Business

Have a passion for photography and are thinking of turning it into a full-time profession? That’s an admirable and ambitious goal, and while it sounds exciting, the reality is that running a photography business is very different from pursuing photography as a hobby.

Dunes and Clouds: Photographing Symmetry in the Desert

In 1991, near the end of some book projects that took me on some lengthy photographic journeys through the American West by car for two years, I came up with the idea of creating posters of some of my black and white images for a few of our western National Parks.

To Make Money from Photography, You Should Know Your Value Chain

I am writing this article because I see a lot of photographers asking the same questions over and over and thought it would be nice to give you all the tools to answer your own questions. Or at least the 2% of you who search before asking questions.