Don't have the time or money to travel to picturesque portrait locations? There's like spots for nice portraits in your own backyard. Photographers Tajreen Hedayet and Chloe V. of Tajreen&Co made this short, sweet, and informative 2-minute video on 4 portrait locations you can find in any neighborhood.
Here's my favorite quote from Jay Maisel, one of the legends in the world of photography: "If you want to make more interesting pictures, become a more interesting person." As photographers, we often get bored in the place we live and we want to travel as much as possible to get different and more interesting pictures.
I went on a photo walk the other day with a friend who mostly shoots events and does client-focused work. The majority of the time we just talked about freelance work, but every now and then we’d see an interesting scene and capture it. We both shot on zoom lenses, but when she would show me her captures, I couldn’t help but notice how zoomed in she was.
I like who I am when I’m being creative -- that’s the basic fact. I love taking photos, just like I love having a long walk through the hills near me in Spain. I have to remember that these things bring me joy. And who doesn’t want a life of maximum joy? So I am going to ask more of myself creatively this coming month. And I want to offer up a challenge to help you if, like me, you are in need of a little push.
Everything outside the small photo blind is silent except for the two ravens perched on the top of a dead tree cawing and a few flies quietly buzzing around. I've mounted the 500mm lens on the camera and pointed it towards the pine trees far away. My huge, directional Sennheiser microphone is aimed in the same direction.
My name is Jayrol San Jose, and I am a photojournalist based in Los Angeles. I'm a professional photographer, but being new to journalism, I've found that covering protests is a great place to start. I've covered around 25 protests this year in the Los Angeles area. This one, in particular, was put on by Occupy I.C.E. Los Angeles.
I'm going to start from the beginning. I didn’t have a bad upbringing. My parents worked hard for our family and always provided for me and my sister. They taught us right from wrong, how to be kind, loving and caring. We weren't rich, but we never ever went without.
What if you had the same camera, lighting and subject matter as everyone else. A groundhog day for a photographer so to speak. If we all have the same gear what would make you different?
I was interviewed by street photographer Eric Kim back in 2016, and it was a huge deal for me! I remember when I first started shooting street, his blog was one of the first that I came by.
Whelp! The Internet reminded me a few days back that I’ve officially been shooting photography for over 10 years now. I’ll be honest, I thought my progress would have been further. I assume the end of my life will be something like what I am currently experiencing, which is “Wow, that went fast.” It seems I’m just barely starting to grasp the wise words of my elders when they told me “Time goes quicker than you think.”
The label of being a “professional” at something, whether you’re a professional football player or a professional figure skater, typically means you’re the best of the best in your respective field. But when it comes to a professional photographer, the same assumption can’t be made.
New Zealand-based photographer Sarah Simmons has won an international photo competition with a powerful newborn photo showing a baby with his twin brother's ashes.
“Meet my friend Saurabh. He’s an amazing photographer from India and his work has been published in various reputed newspapers and journals worldwide like Nat Geo, The Guardian, Lonely Planet, etc. Astonishingly, he’s a self-taught photographer and very passionate about his work.”
Early this September, I went up to New York City to photograph Teachers College, Columbia University's new student orientation. While I was there, I had the opportunity to take some time for myself and walk around New York City, reminiscing about old times.
Want to shoot powerful portraits? One of the keys to doing so is focusing on your subject's eyes. This 2.5-minute video by Light Club is an inspiring look into this critical facet of portraiture.
How would you feel if you were standing at the stern of the boat as twenty 10-foot lemon sharks circle at the surface in front of you and in the depths below an even larger tiger shark cruises the algal reefs? Would you make that jump into the water, with nothing between you and these apex predators? Would you keep your calm?
We are going to use 100 Lume Cube LED lights to teach you how continuous light can be used on a set. Using continuous light on set for still photography is a great way to learn photographic concepts and getting you comfortable with lighting techniques.
I’ve been saying it for years; all the easy pictures have been taken. But there are still some stupid and crazy ones left out there. I came up with the bright idea to travel north with at least one of them in mind. I went looking for the polar bear of my dreams.
I think there is this weird idea floating around that creativity is a young person’s game, particularly certain genres of creativity (photography and music for sure). That somehow you are at your peak creatively in your twenties and thirties, and then it’s downhill from then on. I think that’s insane.
The Natural History Museum has released a set of Highly Commended photos from its Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 competition that honors the world's best nature photography and photojournalism.
We all know the importance of photography, whether it's journalism's role in changing the world to a wonderful moment captured of someone’s special day. As photographers, we value our craft and the importance it has in our lives. But the market is valuing it less and less. Why is that? What is happening?
I hated every single one of my photos. My personal hero, Jimmy Chin, would have too if he could have seen them at the time.
I don’t deserve to be writing this because there are more capable people who can speak more eloquently than I can that can deliver this message to you. This is exact thought that went through my head as I was writing this blog post because I’m not the best writer.
Star stacking is a popular technique astro-photographers use to create photos and time-lapses of star trails. But what do you get when a lightning storm is also in the frame? Maui-based photographer Joe Domrad created a mesmerizing time-lapse that will show you.
Wire Hon is a Malaysian toy collector and photographer who has been shooting creative photos of himself and his family with Marvel superheroes by carefully posing tiny figurines and using forced perspective.
American artist Margaret Keane is famous for creating "big-eyed waifs" and drawing her subjects with big eyes. Canadian photographer Kelly Robitaille creates surreal portraits in the same vein through her "Whimsy Waifs" series.
Back in February, I created several self-portraits using only lights from around my house. I wanted an exercise in something outside of my current comfort zone and to challenge myself to get back to my photography roots.
Photographers across the country pointed their cameras at the Sun during "The Great American Eclipse" on August 21st, 2017, but photographer Jon Carmichael managed to capture one of the most memorable shots from an unusual vantage point: he was sitting on a commercial airliner at 39,000 feet.
I just returned from 3 weeks in Kyrgyzstan. As a landscape photographer, I have traveled to lots of countries in the world so I guess I can say I am ‘used’ to beautiful landscapes. Until recently, however, Central Asia was unknown territory for me.
The Canon-sponsored documentary series Tales by Light is a popular staple on Netflix now, and Season 3 is being released on August 26th.
For me, photography is an escape. It offers a creative release which isn't generally available in everyday life. Those creative escapes can often be far more satisfying than just enjoying a few beers or binging Netflix.
The Lofoten archipelago is one of the most photographed regions in Norway. Its images have flooded social media in the last couple of years -- certainly both you and I have seen them. And at some point, both you and I have been dreaming of visiting either Lofoten or other places we have seen in the form of breathtaking imagery.
Star Wars enthusiast @plasticstarwars shot a series of photos showing starfighters from the fictional universe at the moment of their destruction. Everything was done in-camera.
Recognizing personal progression and improvement is a wildly beneficial yet often overlooked exercise for our confidence. It’s human nature to want to be “better” at things. We don’t have to be the best right now, but we all want the affirmation that we're improving and moving in the right direction. Photography is no different and in the digital age can feel rather short-lived as the majority of images created are shared on social media and eventually with time, slide off into the …
Here's a short 4-minute video by Light Club that looks at using a vertical or horizontal middle line through the frame, something it refers to as "a secret rule of photo composition."
Although landscape photography can look easy at first, it takes more than a simple point-your-camera-and-photograph kind of action. The purpose of landscape photography is to convey a state of mind and to express something more than just the landscape in front of you.
Australian photographer Rod Evans took his 360-degree camera out at night this past weekend and created this mind-bending "little planet" photo of himself spinning burning steel wool above his head.
Are you a photographer who's looking into shooting a roll of Aerochrome? Or maybe you have a roll in your freezer and have no idea how or when to use it? You’re not the only one.
You know those food commercials you see on TV with foods and drinks (and sometimes fire and ice) flying around in slow motion? You don't need extremely expensive camera equipment and rigs to achieve impressive results -- all you need is some creativity.
I love being a wedding photographer. I get to work with amazing couples, travel to incredible places and do something that is fundamentally creative. While weddings offer unparalleled opportunities for creativity due to the nature of shooting so many different people in different places, there are things I consciously keep in mind to make sure I mix things up and have the best chances of always remaining creative… no matter where I am.
As a photographer, I've never really planned my shoots too much. I kind of look at what I'll be shooting and think of cool-looking images. Then I try my best to match what I'm seeing in my head through photography and sometimes post-production.
This headline might come off a bit pretentious for some of you. I mean, how do photographers travel any differently than the rest of the population? Fair question, but for better or for worse, we are different in our own way.
It has been bugging me for a while now: there is just something that is missing from photography. From my personal work to the majority of photographers out there. I’m talking about the photos on your feeds, be it personal to commercial. It has been bugging me and I finally found out what it is: what is missing from photography is stories.
You know those moments when you're chimping and wonder why that amazing shot that you thought was going to be, well, amazing just isn't? Your exposure was right - check; white balance - check; aperture - check; shutter - check. Lens... hmm. Let's see. Lens? Yes, I shot with the right lens. If you are shooting competently and things are still not working out like you would want them to, I have a great piece of advice for you.
Seoul-based photographer Steve Roe recently took a fractal lens around Asia and captured futuristic views of the narrow streets filled with neon signs.
I often teach new photographers to study the greats, both past and present. Study and be influenced, but please don’t aim to copy them -- I promise you that won’t get you anywhere.
Sometimes we put things off so many times that the act of delaying that thing becomes automatic. “I’ll get to that thing tomorrow”, and tomorrow comes, tomorrow goes, and that thing never gets taken care of. I fell into that trap, and the thing that kept being put off was taking portraits of my parents.
This idea had been rolling around in my head for years. I use flashes a lot in my photography. Whether that is a Speedlight on or off camera or in the studio with some big strobes and modifiers. But this is the first time I have ever used an aerial drone-mounted flash.
I normally love to plan my photos and I would have liked to plan a cool shot with yesterday’s moon eclipse. However, when I planned my current trip to Kyrgyzstan, I didn’t realize I would be there with the lunar eclipse of 2018 (bad planning, I know).
About 4 months ago, I posted a photo of my 7-hexagon canvas cluster to Reddit's r/space (on a Sunday, the only day you're allowed to post your own astro photos to the sub). The title of the post was: "I'm a photographer and print-maker and my passion is the night sky. I made this 7-hexagon canvas cluster in honor of the forthcoming James Webb Telescope. The photo is of the Milky Way over WEBBer Lake, CA."
