When I first started photography, I struggled a lot with lighting. In the beginning, we're often told to shoot our subjects in open shade, but if you don’t know how to do this properly the results can be disastrous: faces with dark shadows, eyes with no depth, overexposed backgrounds, etc.
It doesn't matter if you're a beginner, intermediate, or even a professional, you'll want to give Broncolor's free "How To" page a look. There, you'll find nearly 100 pro lighting examples—beautiful photos, each accompanied by a gear list, description, and lighting diagram. It's a tutorial gold mine.
We're not entirely sure why, but product photography tutorials are coming hard and fast lately. So in case this DIY lightbox wasn't good enough, and 360° product photography isn't your thing, here's a great tutorial that will show you how to capture killer reflective product shots on a sea of black.
I’m a firm believer that photography is a game of inches. So today I’ll share with you what I’ve learned about mastering autofocus shooting in a variety of difficult situations.
Photographers, especially wedding photographers, might be tempted to start playing around with video or even offering some video services alongside their still work. This short tutorial will cover some basic tips that will help you navigate the chasm between shooting photos and capturing video.
I am often asked how I manage to photograph a celebrity in a few minutes or what is the best way to shoot a good portrait. Here is my list of hints for shooting better portraits.
You don't need a ton of space to create an impromptu "home studio" and capture some high quality portraits. As photographer Mark Wallace shows you in this informative tutorial, the corner of a tiny hotel room in Paris is plenty if you know what you're doing.
Street photography is an addictive calling—the more you do it, the more you want to do it. You crave more people, more places, more action. Plus, it’s one of the most dynamic and exciting types of photography to share on social media, with an active community around the world.
This article aims to provide you with key tips, techniques, and hacks that, if followed correctly, should practically guarantee nailing pin-sharp manual focus shots in no time.
Camera angle as composition isn't talked about as often as, say, how the elements in your photos are arranged. But changing your camera angle can completely transform the message an image sends, something Ted Forbes explains beautifully in this crash course on low angle photography.
If you love those timelapses that make our great big world look tiny—people scurrying around Manhattan like ants, or airplanes moving around an airport like toys—this simple tutorial will teach you everything you need to know to post-process your own tiny world timelapse.
Focal point is a term that photographers and photography blogs throw around continually. “Create a focal point,” it’s said, “it should be the first and last place the eye goes in your image.” That’s true, of course, but like most important things it’s easier said than done.
Photographer and DP Peter McKinnon is not an "iPhoneographer", but that hasn't stopped some of his fans from asking for tips on taking better smartphone photos. Since he's not one to disappoint, he created this useful tutorial to appease the smartphone shutterbugs out there.
Unlike with most genres of photography, still life requires two levels of composition: composing your frame, and composing your props. The latter is commonly called photo styling, and this short video offers three simple tips for upping your photo styling game.
What's the 'recipe' for a great photograph? As we embark on this new 365-day journey called "2017," our friends at COOPH teamed up with photographer Craig Semetko to answer this question; and he believes it all comes down to 4 key elements: Design, Information, Emotion, and Timing.
I ditched my DSLR in favor of an iPhone back in 2012, well aware of what I was giving up. But I love to travel light, and by using the iPhone as my only camera, I could get rid if the heavy and bulky backpack with all the lenses and stuff.
I know that for a lot of people, the cold keeps them inside, but it can be really rewarding to go out in the bitter cold. Tonight I got the bug to go out and shoot, but the air temp was -15°F (-26°C), with a windchill of -30°F (-34°C).
It's the holiday season and everyone's favorite photography background prop is Christmas lights. It used to be pretty easy to get these photos to come out perfect, but with the rise in popularity of LED lights, there's some weird stuff that happens if you don't have the right camera settings.
Anyone who has ever tried to take pictures of children knows how challenging it can be. They don’t have attention spans, they don’t listen, and they switch from happy to grumpy within seconds for seemingly no reason at all.
As a photographer on set, it's your job to get the most out of your models—to make them feel comfortable, and help them help you achieve your vision. In this great video, photographer Clinton Lubbe of dphog explains how to do this when your model is young, inexperienced, or both.
Now that I have used Lightroom for many years, processing photos from two different camera systems (Canon EOS and Fujifilm X-series), I have realized that the most important setting in the Develop module is Profile in the Camera Calibration panel.
Here are a few reasons why having a story to tell is far better than not.
Everybody knows tilt-shift lenses can be used to get a "miniature" effect, but many photographers are oblivious to their other, more traditional applications, and even fewer understand exactly how these lenses work. The folks at LensPro ToGo are here to clear things up.
It's an age-old question: how are you supposed to get hired as a photographer when clients are only looking for photographers who already have experience? World-renowned photographer and entrepreneur Chase Jarvis has an answer for you.
I’ve got a love/hate relationship with lifestyle photography. Lifestyle photography for me photos that feel like candid moments where a person is looking at you and not your camera. Each photograph feels like the viewer is with them living in the moment with whomever is in the photograph, and I love that.
Here's a simple composition tip that promises to help add depth and impact to your images. Instead of thinking of light and lines separately, try to combine the two by having your strongest light source and your leading lines work together.
Small pictures can make a big difference in a mobile-driven world.
Quite often other photographers tell me “I don’t have time for another social network and I don’t need Instagram.” Yet they spend hours posting on Facebook, 500px and Flickr where almost zero potential clients will see their work.
Family photography can be incredibly rewarding, although is not without its potential pitfalls. Some children love having their photos taken and will perform for the camera. Others would rather be anywhere else than standing in a posed group shot with mum and dad.
'Levitation' photos are a fun, and not overly complicated style of photography. But if you really want to create believable levitation shots, there are some tips and tricks that will really help. Enter photographer Christopher James (@christopher.james).
The filmmakers behind ShoHawk have put together a simple infographic for filmmakers that, with all due respect of course, we think applies even better to photographers. The graphic describes 15 principles of Mise en Scéne, and it helps explain how different visual elements and styles in an scene (or photo) help tell different kinds of stories.
COOPH is back with another great video, this one featuring world-class travel photographer and TED speaker Chris Burkard. Burkard, who boasts over 2 million followers on Instagram, is here to share some tips on how you can "up your Instagram game" and get on his level.
I have been a model for 1 to 1 workshops that last half a day, full day, two days. I have been a model also for a 3-day long workshop with over 50 photographers. Working on both sides of the camera I can get incredibly passionate about being part of workshops, but I can get equally distraught because when you deal with people in such close proximity and so intensively, emotions and feelings are bound to be stirred in every single direction.
If you can't handle rejection, you will never make it as a creative professional. It's as simple as that. Rejection is part and parcel of a career in photography, so here are 10 healthy, positive ways to deal with rejection as a photographer.
Street photography is one of the easiest genres to get into, and one of the hardest to build up the courage to actually try. Hopefully, this quick video by VSCO Academy will show you just how simple it can be to start capturing great street shots.
If you've never used an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport before, this quick-and-dirty primer by photographer Jeff Rojas is a great place to start.
Popping a gel in front of your rim light is a quick, easy way to change the feel of your portraits.
I recently had the great pleasure of shooting fashion photography for the first time with Suede Brooks (model), fellow photographer Bil Brown (he arranged it all), as well with stylists and makeup professionals, and Cindy (creative director, and lighting assistant).
Nearly every photographer has spent a portion of a session bouncing from tree to tree, placing their subjects in the patches of shade that these saviors provide. After all, it tends to be one of the easiest settings to work in. Your subject’s eyes are relaxed, your camera’s meter is calm, and if you’re lucky you get to cool off too.
If anybody knows how to mount a weird lens, it's got to be the creator of "Weird Lens Reviews" Mathieu Stern. And now, he's sharing one of the super simple tricks he uses to find the working distance of any lens so he can create or buy the right adapter for it.
Disclaimer: This ain't a guide to Pokemon Go.