challenge

Ugly Places, Pretty Portraits: I Did a Photo Shoot in Lowe’s

A few weeks ago, a model friend of mine, Rachelle Kathleen, and I were planning to meet for a fun little photo shoot. Instead of searching out the usual beautiful locations around where we live, I had the idea to do just the opposite. I wanted to go somewhere “ugly” by all conventional photography standards and then see what we could do with it. Lowe’s seemed like the perfect option.

When a Portrait Photographer is Asked to Photograph a Horse…

As a photographer, I’m asked to shoot unusual assignments sometimes, but I’m always up for the challenge! I started getting into photography a few years ago when my wife told me she wanted some good photos of our kids as they were growing up. She got me a Samsung NX500 camera and I fell in love with photography, teaching myself everything I know from watching YouTube videos.

The Hardest Decision I’ve Ever Had to Make as a Photographer

It’s 7:15 am on Sunday morning. I’m driving through the middle of Newcastle on my way to shoot wedding prep at a venue just over an hour away from my home. I pull over to the hard shoulder. Head in hands, crying and asking myself: “Chris, What the f**k are you doing?”

4 Top NYC Photographers Shoot the Same Model

Here's a new 13-minute video showing a shootout recently done between four popular NYC-based photographers: Joey L, Dani Diamond, Brandon Woelfel, and Jessica Kobeissi. All four are extremely popular online, with hundreds of thousands of followers each just on Instagram (Woelfel has around 1.3 million).

A Toy Camera Shootout with $40 VTech KidiZoom Camera for Kids

There probably isn't a photographer in the business who hasn't heard someone say, "You must have a great camera!" But is the camera really the primary reason behind a great shot? Putting this to the test, Jessica Kobeissi teamed up with photographer Brandon Woelfel to see what can be achieved with a toy camera.

Shooting 10 Powerful Street Photos in One Ugly Location

When I started out in photography, I always thought: if I could shoot in New York City, Tokyo, Paris or Amsterdam, my street photos would be much better... But it turns out that it's all about your imagination, creativity, and patience.

Here’s the Number One Challenge for Photographers

One camera, one lens, one film/preset, one year. The "Number One Challenge" is as simple as that, and at the same time incredibly difficult as well. This challenge, at the end of it, promises to change your approach and style as a photographer.

Get Your Creative Juices Flowing with the Boring Room Challenge

Every photographer and filmmaker will likely one day find they have some kind of creative block, and breaking through this can be a total nightmare. One of the best ways to do this is to force yourself to be creative in a really dull, plain situation. In this challenge by Brandon Li, a boring hotel room becomes the setting for a dramatic film sequence.

4 Photographers Shoot 1 Model: Who Did It Best?

Photographer Jessica Kobeissi is back again with another portrait challenge, and this time she invited photographers Brandon Woelfel, Jerry Maestas, and Derrick Freske to participate. For the latest challenge, they pointed their lenses at model Tashi Rodriguez.

Shoot This 52 Week Photo Challenge in 2017 to Improve Your Skills

My original 52 Week Challenge in 2016 was a huge success, with tens of thousands of photographers participating from around the world. In celebration of those who have completed the first challenge, a new challenge is now here!

Need a Photo Challenge? Try Shooting Your Own Engagement Session

The idea of standing in front of a camera is terrifying to most photographers, but when it comes to your own engagement and wedding photography, you have no choice, right? Well... maybe not. Toronto-based photographer Navy Nhum recently managed to capture a great engagement session with her sweetheart all by their lonesome.

#MannequinChallenge, Photographer Edition

The #MannequinChallenge is a new viral obsession that has been taking off over the past couple of weeks. It involves shooting a short video in which everyone in the shot stays perfectly motionless like mannequins, frozen in time as they go about their lives. Above is an example by Julian Restrepo.

You Don’t Need a Great Studio Space to Shoot Great Portraits

My name is Philippe Echaroux, and I'm a French celebrity photographer and an ambassador for Hasselblad and Elinchrom. I recently had to do a portrait shoot at a large studio in Paris, but for this shoot I decided to have a bit of fun.

Photo Challenge: Using a 15-Year-Old DSLR for a Modern-Day Portrait Shoot

It's easy to forgot how easy we have it shooting digital in 2016, because when digital cameras first started picking up steam they were not easy to use. How difficult were they? Watch as Jared Polin of Fro Knows Photo takes the 15-year-old Nikon D1X out for a modern day on-location portrait shoot.

Improving Your Photography Skills, There is No Magic Tutorial

I know we all wish there was that one magic tutorial which would take our photography to the next level. And we also get frustrated when we try a technique for the first time and it doesn’t go as planned. It would be great if things were simple, wouldn’t it?

Canon’s Latest Creative Experiment is… Weird

"The Lab" is a series of 6 creative experiments being conducted on photographers by Canon Australia. Early efforts were interesting: 6 photographers were asked to shoot portraits of the same subject while given different backstories, and then another 6 were asked to shoot photos of the same objects with no repeats.