When thinking about how to get started with wedding photography, you’ll want to make a checklist of things you need to do, have, or create. Today I’ll give you a starting point as well as prompts to help you customize your list. The first thing you might notice is that it’s not all about photography.
Sustainability. How do we build a wedding photography business that survives more than a few years? Can we grow profits, avoid burnout, and create long-term value for ourselves and our company?
Chris Eyre-Walker, an OM SYSTEM Ambassador from Belgium, grew up traveling with his parents who were avid amateur photographers. These childhood photography adventures, which led Eyre-Walker to visit over 20 countries by the time he was 15, translated into a successful photography and filmmaking career.
It’s fascinating to look back over my 10+ years as a wedding photographer and see the evolution the industry has gone through. That’s not to mention all the drastic changes that happened before my time. It makes one wonder what it will be like to be a wedding photographer in the future.
If you're an aspiring architectural and interior photographer this one's for you. Have you ever found yourself frustrated with spending hours on-site photographing commercial or residential spaces, then staying up until 2 am in the editing dungeon, only to get lackluster results? Trust me, I’ve been there.
One of the crucial elements of a wedding day is the timeline. As photographers, the timeline dictates what types of photos you’ll be shooting and when you’ll be shooting them. Today we’re going to talk about how to create a wedding photography timeline to make your shooting experience better for you and your clients.
This is the wave that nearly cost me a lot of money. It also taught me a few very valuable lessons that I'd like to share with everyone now, more than ten years after I took this photo.
Marketing is probably the least favorite but most important part of being a photographer. You just want to make art but the reality is you have to sell it first. Let’s talk about the wonderful world of wedding photography business marketing.
For ten harrowing minutes, I lost everything in Italy. My beloved backpack of gear was gone.
As many of us, including myself, prepare to travel this summer, we -- as photographers -- tend to carry a lot of lithium batteries for our photography gear. After all, we aren’t going to check our precious and pricey cameras, lenses, and other equipment. Naturally, batteries are a necessary component of any photographer’s kit, whether they be camera batteries, lithium-ion AA or AAA batteries, or something else.
When I was in college at the University of Minnesota, one of my senior-year classes at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication involved putting together a website using Wix, to hopefully allow us to showcase some of the things we had worked on during our academic careers and set us up for a (hopefully) easier time finding work afterward.
Even though the historic flood plains of the once mighty Rio Grande have long been tamed by human dams and irrigation canals, birds keep returning annually to spend winter in the relatively mild climate of New Mexico.
After years of anticipation, the 2024 total solar eclipse has finally arrived. Many millions of Americans will be in or near the eclipse's path of totality, ranging from Texas to Maine. However, hundreds of millions more people will have to find other ways to enjoy the celestial event. That's where ABC News and National Geographic come in with Eclipse Across America.
I don’t know about you, but even though I’ve been photographing for almost fifteen years now, sometimes I feel stuck when deciding which editing direction to take with some of my images.
National Geographic photographer, Canon Explorer of Light, and friend of PetaPixel Keith Ladzinski is preparing for the total solar eclipse on April 8th and has plenty of tips to help other photographers capture great shots next Monday.
For those who may have somehow missed it, a historic total solar eclipse will be visible across much of North America on April 8. Photographing an eclipse can be tricky, but fret not. You'll surely capture some great photos next week with these helpful tips.
This article is a little guide on how I have had luck shooting photos at concerts. This is by no means the only way to do it, nor can I say that it will be the best way to do it for everyone. All I can say is that I recommend bringing a 35mm camera into some concerts. It really is a fun way to document your night!
The great solar eclipse of 2024 is less than a month away. For those planning to photograph the event, now is the time to figure out what gear is necessary and order any missing equipment.
With the total solar eclipse now just weeks away, the American Astronomical Society has advised people to take great care when viewing the celestial event. And that includes photographers.
Camera equipment is expensive, making it hard for beginners to build kits and get started. Because of this, it can be tempting to opt for budget-friendly options for some pieces of equipment. Unfortunately, that's not always wise.
There's something magical about the moment the ground falls away as we soar into the air. The helicopter's engines start to whir, and everything begins to shake. Cameras are ready, everything taped down, lens hoods removed.
While it arrived on the wedding scene within the last couple of years, the trend of intentionally blurring photos is still going strong and it's unlikely to be leaving any time soon.
The sky is a key element in landscape photography, as it can create mood and depth in your images. However, many beginners tend to overprocess the sky, making it look unnatural and fake.
My name is Martin Bissig and I am a Canon Ambassador and a professional photographer from Switzerland. My previous work has been published in over 30 countries and I work for national and international clients around the world.
In my dream I’m standing on the rim of a deep, verdant canyon. Far below, a river glinting crimson and gold in the setting sun snakes toward jagged mountains dusted with snow. My camera’s viewfinder perfectly frames this epic vista in the wilds of northern New Mexico.
After I posted photos from Saturday’s Chiefs vs. Dolphins sub-zero NFL playoff game, I received a lot of messages. Some were from people asking how I was able to stay warm, and the rest were from photographers who all asked the same question: “How did you keep your hands warm?” Short answer? I wasn’t able to keep my fingers warm, but I was able to maintain feeling in them.
Shooting the busiest scenes we encounter while traveling in Asia can be very challenging. After 15 years of running photography tours and teaching in the area, I know that busy markets and streets can either be a photography heaven or a nightmare.
A few months ago I headed to Iceland to check out some of the beautiful scenery the country has to offer, which, as many of you who have visited or are following Icelandic photographers on social media will attest to, is a considerable amount.
Last week, Apple released its latest iOS update, and with it the new Journal app. While Journal seems simple, it can actually be quite handy for managing photography shoots and other projects.
Some of the coolest pro camera features on iPhones are hidden by Apple and turned off. Want to shoot like a pro? You need to go into Settings and turn these bad boys on right now!
The Leonid meteor shower will peak this weekend with persistent lights streaking across the night sky.
I recently made a ten-day timelapse video on two smartphone cameras of my hometown of Manhattan Beach, California, for multiple sunsets, moonrises, flowing clouds, and all sorts of stuff the naked eye rarely gets to see.
While photographers hone their skills, brand their services, and optimize their marketing to be more successful, another factor can have as much of an impact as all of the above: their home base. A photographer’s location can also dictate the kind of clients and jobs a photographer can access.
I’ve taken quite some mushroom photos over the last few years and most of them were done with my macro lens. Mushrooms are often tiny, and it’s very inviting to single them out with a beautiful soft background. I wrote a specific article about this back in 2020.
We’ve all heard the horror stories of wedding photographers having their cameras stolen only to lose all of their couples’ photos, the photographer whose car was broken into after leaving their camera gear inside, only to lose important photos in the case, etc. You never think it’s going to happen until it happens to you.
Wedding photography is a fast-paced high-stakes environment, kind of like football or poker, except without all the hitting or sunglasses and hats. It’s actually really hard to shoot with sunglasses on and tackling would damage our gear so try to avoid that too. Luckily, after over a decade of photographing weddings, I’ve picked up a few survival tips that might just help you get through your first wedding season unscathed.
Do your photos suck? Feeling discouraged by your photography lately? Not making the progress you expected? The good news is, it’s completely normal — all photographers grow at different rates and hit speed bumps along the way.
I’m a native of Las Vegas, having lived here my entire life, and I have been a professional photographer here for over 25 years. With Formula One coming here soon we’re we’re about to be thrust onto the world stage of motorsports but many don’t realize the city is no stranger to car enthusiasts.
I’ve long strived for depth in certain photos. I like a line that begins in the lower corner and heads for the diagonally opposite upper corner.
It’s fascinating to look back over my 10+ years as a wedding photographer and see the evolution the industry has gone through. That’s not to mention all the drastic changes that happened before my time. It makes one wonder what it will be like to be a wedding photographer in the future.
My name is Simon Wiffen, and I'm a Leeds, UK-based photographer specializing in family, lifestyle, portrait, commercial, and event photography. In this article, I'll share my 6 best tips for better event photography to help you achieve the best results.
Between 2008 and late 2016, I took tens of thousands of pictures and proudly vomited the vast majority of them online. While I’d toyed around with things like depth of field and long exposures, I didn’t understand anything about photography, so my camera rarely left ‘auto’. I’d checked out an online tutorial or two, but as far as I was concerned, ‘exposure compensation’ was something victims got after winning a public indecency lawsuit.
When you look at your wedding photos, do they tell a story both individually and collectively? Can you feel like you’re back in that moment? Does the image help you remember not only what it looked like but how it felt?
It’s been a while since my last article on drone photography (2019 to be precise). Since then I’ve used lots of DJI drones. Earlier this year I bought a Mini 3 Pro to see if this could potentially replace bigger drones for my travels. And I have to be honest: I didn’t like it at first.
Want to know the key to finding your ideal wedding photography clients? Be true to yourself. I know, it doesn’t seem like it can be that simple but it really is.
Creating your first contract as a wedding photographer? My first tip is to hire a law professional to review your contract. While over a decade of experience in the wedding industry allows me to give you some tips based on my experience, a wedding photography contract is a legal document between you and your clients that outlines expectations, responsibilities, and deliverables.
Outdoor engagement photography is one of my favorite aspects of being a wedding photographer. I get to shoot environmental portraits in beautiful places without the constraints of a wedding day. Additionally, I get to spend time with my couple getting to know them and their interests in a low-pressure environment.
Landscape photographer Michael Shainblum is extremely experienced across a diverse range of landscape photo subgenres, including woodland, seascape, and abstract landscape photography. Among Shainblum's favorite landscape photography genres is waterfall photography, the subject of his latest tutorial.
It’s difficult to see how anyone other than the photographer is responsible for a photograph they may take, although I’m sure there are some specific exceptions – but usually, if a photographer is not responsible for their photograph, then who should be?
The phrase "shooting a moving target" certainly has more than one connotation, especially coming from an ex-military combat photographer. While I’ll be using examples from my time in the U.S. Air Force, we are specifically talking about photography. I’ll be sharing my top 6 action photography tips for run and gun photographers.