Perhaps you’ve been through this scenario. You see an interesting subject doing something truly unique, you hesitate and sometimes miss the shot altogether. When you do gather enough courage, your heart races, your palms get sweaty, and a quiver can be heard in your voice as you nervously ask if you can take a person’s picture. Sounds familiar? It can be discouraging if you miss the opportunity and the shot.
Negative space is a powerful concept in art and photography that allows you to say a lot with very little. In this article, we will look at the basics of negative space and how you can use it as a tool for creative and powerful photo compositions.
If you are a photographer and travel by air then you know that some of the views from an airplane window can be absolutely stunning. Carrying a camera with you when flying can not only work as a nice diversion to kill time but also allow you to capture some incredible images. While your fellow travelers are busy on their tablets, phones, or sleeping, you can be enjoying and capturing some amazing views!
We've all heard of the classic rule of thirds, leading lines, and other composition techniques. But going with the most common rules can get a bit boring at times.
I think we have all been there. After the culling, editing, and sweating over every detail we post our latest masterpiece only to be greeted by three likes. One is from our mother, the other two from our friends that know nothing about photography. It is demoralizing.
Landscape photography is one of the most popular photographic genres. It's easy to get started with the genre, but it can take a lifetime to master landscape photography skills. You don't need a sophisticated camera or expensive lens, and the skills you learn when doing landscape photography translate to other types of photography.
If you’re new to photo printing, different print sizes may be a bit confusing to you. One that you’ll regularly come across and should know about, however, is 4x6 – which is the most commonly used throughout the industry.
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.
Mother’s Day is about a few things: flowers, lunch or dinner together, and of course, family photo time, a good opportunity to update the archive with images of us all together again.
Wedding photography is one of the most challenging yet fulfilling genres of photography, one that will challenge your people skills, technical abilities, and physical stamina. To succeed as a wedding photographer, you will need to become an expert in a wide of subjects, from how to work your camera to how to market your business.
With the advance in computer technology, you would think editing photos is faster than ever before. It's simply not the case - far from it. Software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic has become far more sophisticated, and with the increasing file sizes improving your workflow speed and productivity becomes a necessity.
In the past few weeks, I’ve received a lot of requests to share my process for organizing and archiving negatives, and the timing was perfect because a big batch just arrived from my friends at Carmencita Film Lab. Look at this sweet sight of fresh negatives!
How long do photographs last? The answer to that question is not as simple as we might think. There are many variables such as the process used, environmental issues, as well as at what point do we consider the photograph unusable?
I recently realized I have a problem: I buy too many books, especially photography books. Not those cheap kindle ones but those beautiful printed and expensive books, which ended up decorating my wall, or coffee table, and, in my case, possibly many coffee tables.
If the intention behind a photograph is to produce something photographic, weighted by aesthetic merit, or artistic expression, then it is your observation via the camera that you are most likely going to share in that image.
Product photography can be one of the most overlooked, and yet, most valuable genres of the craft for a creative. While many feel product photos just mean placing an object on a table and snapping a quick photo, it is actually much more complex and requires the right equipment, space, lighting, and most importantly, the vision to produce breathtaking images that will make a view interested in purchasing the product.
A photographer has shared a neat trick that gives photos a soft-focus look: placing ripped pantyhose over the lens.
Capturing a video portrait is delicate work. The scene needs to be shot smoothly, feature unique and interesting locations, have clean audio, and display the subject's personality. When done properly though, it is possible to produce great video portraits with just natural light.
Capturing the expanse of the cosmos is one of the most challenging, yet most rewarding, experiences for a photographer. When the sun goes down, the cameras come out.
Not many other adventure holidays are as alluring as an African safari that comes with the promise of seeing Africa's Big Five animals up close and in the wild. The thrill of coming into contact with wild animals is hard to beat. The following article will provide essential considerations for your next Big Five safari adventure to the African continent.
Graduation portrait photography is an opportunity to develop your portrait skills, make photos that your client will treasure, and have fun. There are important logistics to keep in mind for a smooth and well-executed graduation portrait shoot, and this guide will help prepare you.
It's quite a scary thought when you hear your new lens rattle for the first time. Let's face it, you most likely spent a stack of cash to obtain new gear, and if it's failing out of the box, you're not going to be too impressed. So rather than ringing the manufacturer's support line to complain, know that there is nothing wrong with your rattling lens.
Turning on the lights in your photos can change the whole atmosphere of your scene and let the glow …
I drove 5,200 miles around the country after my junior year in college. And I brought 20 rolls of film — 720 images in all — which was a lot in 1984. I felt like a pro, traveling with a “brick” of Tri-X. When you shoot film you try hard not to waste frames; it’s a natural force function that filters out some of the more idiotic shots you might take.
The greatest challenge of photography is constantly finding new clients. Building a website, running ads, capturing and nurturing leads, and booking projects can be overwhelming for any solopreneur. Thankfully there are tools like Honeybook, Dubsado, and Bloom, which enable creatives to present themselves professionally online and get new business. But regardless of what tools you use, the following marketing strategies are essential to growing a photography practice.
I'm sure over the last few years all of us photographers have heard the word cinematic so much that in the end, it may have lost all meaning. Is every photo with crushed backs and a cyan-orange color grade "cinematic?" I'd say, no.
When starting out as a food photographer, it’s tempting to go all-out on prop shopping. You can end up spending an absurd amount of money on delicate handmade props thinking that they will single-handedly turn our photos into something spectacular.
My particular interest in photography aims for hitting certain notes in the image, regardless of content. So whether I’m shooting landscapes or my garden, friends at a party, or my kids on vacation, I’d say the approach is consistent.
We’re beginning to see a resurgence in film photography and for those of you who are looking to get into it but have no experience, it can be hard to decide where to start.
Portraits of sitting subjects can make up a big portion of a gallery, particularly for those who shoot indoors. To help avoid shooting unflattering poses, photographer and educator Jessica Whitaker has shared her best tips on how to capture seated women looking their best.
Camera gear. As photographers, we all love and obsess over our beloved gear; the bodies, lenses, filters, and accessories. Many of us develop a collector’s mindset and tend to amass multiple pieces of gear.
My friend Bill just returned from a family vacation in Costa Rica and shot lots of photos and videos on his iPhone, including some killer shots of breakfasts with local monkeys.
I always enjoy tulip season in the Netherlands. As a landscape photographer from the Netherlands, I have been photographing them and writing about them for many years from every possible angle. In this article, I will share a guide with tips on how you can shoot Dutch tulip season for yourself.
Street photography is a category of photography that is dear to my heart. It’s the first category of photography that I tried to learn and master and over the many years, I’ve learned many skills and techniques.
For this landscape photo, I wanted to get back the warm sunrise light, especially on the mountain face in the back. Also, I wanted to restore details, mostly from the darker parts in the foreground to have a nicely balanced exposure.
Spring is around the corner and the little flowers start to pop up everywhere. This article focuses on how to photograph these little flowers with a macro lens.
I had a death in the family this week, as my brother in law Michael Stroud passed away, after a three-week hospital stint. There are many parts of the grieving process, of course, and one big one is revisiting memories, with photos and video.
I’ve often been asked that question and it’s relevant, so let’s examine it for a while. Let’s start at the very beginning -- the actual exposure of a negative.
Professionally pricing your photography will be the difference between just taking photos on the side to a full-time profitable business. It’s all about attracting the ideal clients, finding balance, strategic wording, and a polished presentation, ideally, using modern tools like Honeybook, Dubsado, or Bloom.
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.