advice

3 Things Every Headshot Photographer Needs to Do Right Now

As far as my group of photographer friends is concerned, I am an oddity. Our studio operates 9-5, Monday through Friday, with no holidays and very little emotion involved. Specializing in headshots and commercial photography has its perks. No babies in buckets, no couches in fields, no wedding weekends.

How to Consistently Take Good Wedding Photos

To be a wedding photographer you need to be able to consistently take good wedding photos. You need to be able to nail everything from the first kiss to the newlywed couple's sendoff in a way that delights your clients.

How Many Photos to Give Your Clients as a Photographer

As a photographer, you know that your job is more than just crafting beautiful images. As with any job, you spend a lot of time on things outside of your main job description. One of the hardest but most important parts of photography is finishing the photos, which means culling and determining which and how many photos to give your clients.

How to Overcome Your Fears of Starting a Photography Business

Photographers learn to see light but creatives also find themselves trapped in the darkness of their doubt. If you’re stuck in your fear of starting a business, I’m going to help you break through some myths and mental blocks to remind you that another word for fear is excitement. At the end of the day, would you rather be someone who faced their fears or gave into them?

Dance Photography: A Complete Guide

Shooting dancers can be one of the most daunting photographic subjects but also one of the most rewarding in terms of the final images captured. Dance can be an unforgiving subject, and unless one delves deeper and tries to understand the movement, the choreography, the piece, and how to capture the light hitting the dancers, it will prove tough to achieve award-winning imagery.

What to Wear When Photographing a Wedding

Today I’m going to answer the question that’s been burning on your heart. What oh what should I wear when photographing a wedding? It’s a more important question than you might realize but not for the reasons you think.

How to Sell Limited Edition Prints as a Photographer

At some point in time during your photography career, you will probably decide to start offering limited edition prints of some of your best work. It’s a good idea to sell your prints as editions because it’s the way you can court collectors and galleries to purchase or represent your work.

Photo Printing: Using a Lab vs Buying Your Own Printer

I'm surprised by the number of people I meet who love to shoot but hate to process. For me, seeing what I captured and what kind of art I can make of the image is half the fun! Printing, of course, is part of that equation.

How to Help Your Photos Live On After You Die

My wife and I recently spent some time updating our estate plans, or what will happen to our “stuff” after we die. Since we don’t have children and our other family and friends all know us in different ways and for different reasons, it seemed prudent to go ahead and get a first draft of our obituaries going.

How to Fix Blurry Pictures and Take Tack Sharp Photos

Let's consider a situation. You went out for a photo shoot with your trusty camera or phone. On location, all the photos looked sharp on the small screen and when you returned to base and opened the photos on your computer you found some photos had missed focus. Worse in some photos the entire image seemed shaken and out of focus.

How to Price Your Fine Art Photography

One of the questions I get most often is, how do I price my art photography. In this article, I will share some advice and tips on things you should keep in mind when determining what you will charge for your fine art photography prints.

How to Work With Your Spouse in a Photography Business

Working with your spouse in a photography business can have huge advantages as long as you’re ready and able to overcome the challenges. While there are many benefits of self-employment, one of the main drawbacks is that a photographer has to wear many hats. However, if you are part of a team then you can divide those responsibilities between you and your partner.

You Are Still a Photographer, Even If No One Likes Your Images

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.

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.

Optimize Your Lightroom Photo Editing with These Tips and Tools

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.

How to Shoot Africa’s Big Five Safari Animals (with a Camera)

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.

best sitting poses for portraits

3 Best Poses for Sitting Portraits of Women

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.

13 Tips for Photographing Tiny Spring Flowers

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.

Photography Pricing Like a Pro: 5 Ways to Attract Clients Who Won’t Haggle

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.

Photography is Dead! Long Live the Photographer!

The gentleman that I (and countless others) learned photography from is one O.P. Sharma, an internationally recognized, black-and-white film photographer. He is one of the masters of photography. He founded the India International Photography Council and was the driving force behind establishing 19 August as International Photography Day every year.

The Best Time of Day to Take Outdoor Portrait Photos

When is the best time of day to shoot portrait photos outdoors? Should we shoot only during the golden hours and avoid midday altogether, or is it better to use the brightest daylight hours to take our portraits with a few simple light modifiers? In this guide, we explore the best times of day for outdoor portraits.

Real Estate Photography: A Complete Guide

I have been shooting real estate now for over a decade, and as dry and uninteresting as shooting homes may sound, I have found this a very rewarding niche in the photography world. Sure, there are dull, boring, or repetitive days, but then there are some you walk into a home and you just thank your lucky stars the Realtor called you on this one.

40 Tips to Take Better Photos in 2024

Many years ago when I was a starry-eyed undergrad I would ask every photographer I came across the same question: "How do I take better photos?" I was extremely lucky to have many talented and generous photographers take me under their wing to show me the ropes. Without their valuable advice, there is no way I would have become the photographer I am today.

What to Check for When Buying a Used Film Camera and Lens

As with buying anything secondhand, it is a good idea to have a good idea of what to look for when buying a used film camera lest you spend money on one that has major problems. Thankfully, there are some simple ways to check for problems in film cameras and their lenses... including smelling them.

A Beginner’s Guide to Pricing Commercial Photography

A big question every beginning commercial photographer asks themselves is how they should price their work. There is always a wide range of price points in all genres of photography, and they all depend on your level of work. But there is one truth that may apply to most photographers: you can’t apply a simple pricing strategy to your work.

Look Beyond the Softbox to Spice Up Your Portrait Lighting

What kind of lighting do you use as a portrait photographer? Softboxes are great and popular, but that also makes them potentially overused and boring. If you want to spice up your portrait lighting, you can look into expanding your toolbox beyond the softbox and into other kinds of lighting.