advice

Photographer Illustrates the Dos and Don’ts of Portraits

Bonnie Rodríguez is on a mission to help people shoot better portraits. The photographer and photography educator has attracted a following of over 745,000 followers on Instagram by regularly sharing side-by-side examples of what you should and shouldn't do when photographing people.

Practical Steps for Wedding Shooters to Stay Safer During COVID-19

It’s difficult to stay safe right now as a normal human, just trying to get groceries and make a living. It’s more difficult if you’re an event or wedding photographer. As an event photographer or wedding photographer, you might be exposed to crowds of people from all over the country, and in some cases from all over the world.

Landscape Photography Advice: Stop Focusing on Gear and Specs

During the global lockdown, many landscape photographers who would normally be traveling the world and leading workshops have found themselves cooped up at home. Away from their element on location and with an abundance of free time, they’ve joined the online circuit of photography webinars, panels and interviews.

Commercial Photographer Explains Why You Shouldn’t Use a Light Meter

Commercial photographer and educator Karl Taylor is a working pro with an impressive portfolio to his name and major brands on his CV. So it came as a surprise when he declared recently that he hasn't used a light meter in 15 years... and explained why you shouldn't be using one either.

How to Create More Impactful Landscape Photos

Composition is one of the most important factors in creating impactful and memorable photos. It doesn’t matter how fascinating the conditions are; images that lack a solid composition are less likely to be remembered.

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.

A System for Finding Work as a Photographer

I was recently asked how to find clients by a new photographer making the leap into professional work during this crazed pandemic. It’s tough any time, but at this time it is even harder.

How to Create a Basic Home YouTube Studio for Less Than $100

If you've been thinking of trying your hand at vlogging or starting a YouTube channel, it might surprise you to learn that you can create a nice-looking "YouTube Studio" setup at home for less that $100. In this video, Boston-based videographer Kellan Reck takes you step-by-step through the whole process.

5 Simple Tips to Improve Your Landscape Photography

Landscape photographer and YouTuber Mads Peter Iversen is back with a short list of helpful tips that can help you break the mold and improve your landscape photography. These tips will be particularly helpful for beginners who feel their work is already growing stale.

4 Top Tips for Taking Better Photos of Your Kids Indoors

We’re forever taking photos of our children. We want to remember those first experiences, milestones, and adventures. But how many of those photos come out the way you intended, and how many make it onto your walls and into photo books?

Speedlights vs Strobes: A Guide for Beginners

Portrait photographer Miguel Quiles is tackling one of the most common beginner questions out there: should I invest in speedlights or strobes? In this video, he covers the pros and cons of both, and which you should go with depending on your needs and shooting style.

A Deep Dive on JPEG Quality and What Export Settings You Should Use

Photographer Jamie Gillies recently went down the deep, dark rabbit hole known as "JPEG quality." Now that he's emerged on the other side, he's sharing the knowledge that h'se gained so that you too can understand how JPEG quality works, and what export settings to use for the best possible results.

When Was the Last Time You Tried Local Travel?

So you have spent years packing up your camera and jumping on a plane. Then a pandemic shut down borders killing travel plans overnight and you are not sure where your next story is going to come from. Where do you go for those sweet photos or that glorious content you had been able to churn out as fast as you could make it?

Read This Before You Ask an Event Photographer for Photos

Any event photographer gets tons of requests from people asking for specific photos from an event. Sometimes they will acquiesce, but often not. Don't nag them if they don't get back to you or say no. Here's why.

The Pros and Cons of Working with an Agent: Advice for Photographers

When you’re very early in your photography career, getting an agent will seem like a mysterious process. Many photographers feel that signing with an agent will offer the key to their fortunes. When they do sign, some photographers will feel they have finally made it.

How to Maximize Your Keeper Rate at Epic Landscape Photo Locations

As an amateur landscape photographer, opportunities to visit epic locations such as Lofoten, Iceland, or the Scottish highlands are limited. When an opportunity for travel arises, an overly ambitious plan is often drafted in an effort to squeeze every last drop of potential from the trip.

A Beginner’s Guide to Focus for Landscape Photography

Landscape photographer and educator Mads Peter Iversen has put together a helpful focus 'primer' for the aspiring landscape photographers out there. In the video, he goes over auto and manual focus technique, his personal workflow, and a few basic tips and tricks that work well for him.

Should Professional Photographers Use Tiktok?

If another social media craze comes out, I think I just might tear out my eyelashes one-by-one. I’m sure many of us professional photographers have thought that (or something similar) when we’re daunted by the task of keeping up with today’s culture. However, Instagram turned out to be pretty powerful for photographers. Snapchat, maybe not so much. What about TikTok?

How to Use a Waveform Monitor for Better, Faster Photo Editing

Thanks to everyone who read my previous article on my process as a TV show set photographer, and all of you who got in touch with questions and comments. People had a range of questions, especially about how I use a waveform monitor, so I'll make this a fairly wide-ranging post to try and answer everything.

Beginner’s Guide to the ‘Best’ Camera Settings for Landscape Photography

The two most commonly asked questions in photography are probably: "what gear do you use?" and "what settings do you use?" In this video, landscape photographer Mads Peter Iversen answers that second question by diving into his typical workflow and explaining when and why to use certain settings when shooting landscapes.

Pro Sports Photographers: A Message from Your Friendly Broadcast Camera Operator

A few months ago, I was hired as an on-court, fixed broadcast camera operator for an Association of Tennis Professionals event as an independent contractor. While we were not broadcast live on a network, we were broadcasting throughout the stadium and event village as well as being taped for the network.

Old Fashioned Marketing Still Works in Wedding Photography

The Internet has been brilliant for building a platform, but it is only one pillar... Did you know that ninety percent of small businesses fail within the first two years? With very few exceptions, having one way of marketing is the quickest way to join the 90%.

How to Take Better Photos of Your Kids

If you are a parent with a passion for taking good photos of your kids, this guide will walk you through it and help to improve your skills.

Catchlights: The Small Detail that Can Make or Break Your Portraits

Photographer Joe Edelman has put together a helpful beginner's guide that explains one of the most important (and easy to overlook) details in portrait photography: catchlights. These specular highlights can make or break your photo, and in this video, Edelman covers all of the basic "dos" and "donts" of catchlights in portraiture.