Inspiration

I Shot Expired Film at the Kentucky Derby

Photo projects usually are planned, researched and given approval to. This one just kind of fell into my lap after a single day of shooting on a bunch of expired film on a whim at the Daytona 500.

Composition Tips from a Man Who Studied with Ansel Adams

There are only a few people alive as qualified to give photography and composition advice as Huntington Witherill. A former "artist of the year," he studied under the great Ansel Adams and in this video he describes his approach to composing eye-catching images.

The Art of Doing Nothing

It always staggers me that each time I’m in the shower, or camping in my tent, or having a coffee in a rural town in the middle of nowhere in France, I keep getting fantastic ideas for future projects, blog posts, photographs, travels, discoveries, and world domination.

ISS Celebrates 100,000 Orbits with Beautiful Sunrise Timelapse

Now THIS is a sunrise timelapse. Captured by astronaut Jeff Williams on the International Space Station as a way to celebrate the station's 100,000th tour around the world, the video is breathtaking in the way only images of our planet from space can really be.

Cheap, Light, and Slim: Shooting Macro with a Pancake Lens

A few weeks ago, I traveled to the Central Valley of Costa Rica for a professional development opportunity through work. While my week in Central America was focused on improving leadership skills and cultural intelligence, I was stoked for the little free time I had for dedicated bug photography.

How to Get a ‘Ring of Fire’ Lens Flare in Your Photos

In late 2014, I was given a few pieces of piping -- what you might call trash, but which I call the "ring of fire." It ended up being an incredibly useful tool in my photography. I quickly decided to add it to my (now literal) bag of tricks along with Prisming, Lens Chimping, my Broken Freelens, and Anamorphics.

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?

How to Renovate, Clean, and Paint a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye

The Kodak Brownie Hawkeye was introduced in 1949 in USA and France. It’s a bakelite camera which produces 6cm x 6cm images on 620 film. It came in two different models: Standard and Flash. You can differentiate between the two by the nameplate on the front.

The Anatomy of a Newspaper Feature Portrait Shoot

I had a great opportunity to do a “behind the scenes” of a recent portrait feature shoot which my very good friend Daniel Hambury was doing for the London Evening Standard. In fact I was mainly assisting, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to document what happens as it’s something I’ve always been intensely interested in.

It Never Hurts To Ask: How Great Photo Projects are Born

Behind the lens, I am no longer Ben Helton, married father-of-2 living in the South. Camera in hand, I become invisible and free: a blank canvas in attendance to take in and document the experience around me as it unfolds.

43 Amateurish Tips for Shooting Better Images

Get to know people, forget the rules, don't read books on composition, embrace imperfection, print your photos, and more... Here are 43 amateurish tips for capturing better images.

The Power of Shutter Speed In Two Photographs

Shutter speed is one of the first elements of photography that you learn as a beginner. Learning how to control your camera’s shutter speed to make sure your images are sharp and well exposed is Photography 101. Learning how to use shutter speed creatively to manipulate the look and feel of an image is something else entirely, and something that I continue to experiment with a lot.

I Make Photos of Dogs Being Humans

My name is Tracy Willis, and I'm a newborn photographer and digital artist based in Dorset, UK. For my personal project titled "Animal Antics," I create composite photos of my dogs doing various human activities.

This Dizzying Drone Video is the First to Use the ‘Vertigo Effect’

You might want to take some anti-nausea meds before you watch this one. Balance, a film by Tim Sessler and Brandon Bray, is a dizzying, disorienting display of drone cinematography that may just leave you slack jawed. It's also the first drone film we know of to use the famous "vertigo effect," AKA dolly zoom.

Shooting Action at 1/4000th of a Second… with Flash!

Recently I had the opportunity to shoot a young up-and-coming golfer named Taylor Pendrith for SCOREGolf magazine’s 2016 ‘Power’ issue. The creative team at SCOREGolf wanted to show Taylor in his swing, hitting the ball, displaying the incredible power this young man is becoming known for.

Composition Tips: How to Capture that ‘National Geographic Style’

Renowned travel photographer Bob Holmes says he shoots in a "National Geographic style." A style that he describes as not about the photographer, but about the subject; a style that is graphic, and features a strong use of color. And in this video, he shares some composition tips that will help you capture some of that iconic style in your photos as well.