The aesthetic of minimalism is very hard to achieve in a world that is full of content and never ending clutter. As photographers, how do we capture a scene in a minimalistic style without blatantly copying artists like Michael Kenna or Hiroshi Sugimoto?
Is there such a thing as the 'perfect' portrait and headshot angle? When you're dealing with something as subjective as photography, probably not. But that didn't stop Ed Gregory from YouTube channel Photos in Color from applying some 'science' to try and find that perfect shot.
Today I want to share a super-simple idea that, if you can grasp it and put it into practice, I guarantee will really help your photography.
You've probably heard it a million times: "zoom with your feet!" This advice comes up almost any time the prime vs zoom lens debate resurfaces, but as anyone with even basic lens knowledge will tell you, zooming with your feet is NOT the same as zooming with your lens.
If you're a Nikon shooter, listen up. Wildlife photographer and knowledgeable Nikon shooter Steve Perry has some really useful tips and tricks that will make your life much easier.
Scanning film is probably the least attractive part of shooting film, but that doesn't mean you should neglect this stage. Nowadays, we all want to share our analog images online, and the only way to do that is by digitizing our negatives one way or another.
Last month, we reported on how Instagram has apparently been "shadow banning" certain posts, preventing a photographer's content from being discovered by others without the photographer knowing. If you're curious about whether any of your photos have been shadowbanned, there's a new web app that can check for you.
Former DigitalRev host and photo industry personality (do we have those?) Kai Wong is setting aside the gear reviews for a minute to help out the photography "noobs." If you're a beginner, he's got some great tips, advice, and inspiration for you.
What can you learn from shooting the same product over and over (and over) again for many years? That's what photographer Peter McKinnon had to do for work the last 7 years, and in this video he explains how those years taught him to shoot and think more creatively than his competition.
UK-based landscape photographer and beloved vlogger Thomas Heaton has an important message for fellow photogs: never let worrying about your gear keep you from going out and shooting.
My name is Brandie Sunley, and I've been working full-time as a portrait and event photographer for nearly eight years. It's been a massive learning curve getting into this industry, and a lot of things had to be learned the hard way. The following story is one of those hard lessons...
Zen photography comes naturally with an empty mind. It’s both waiting for a moment where light, shape, and dynamics fall into place, and being devoid of planning in advance. Instead of checking the weather online before a shoot, you just venture out and essentially wing it. It’s all about being in the moment. As a landscape photographer, I want to share the ways of this minimalist sub-genre.
When shooting travel photos, it's very tempting to direct your subject and stage your composition. A lot of people are very happy to be photographed and even happier to be able to make a few bucks being your subject.
No matter your current skill level, you could (and should) always be getting better. And if you ever find yourself in a creative rut—as we all do from time to time—watch this video. Photographer and filmmaker Peter McKinnon thinks he knows why you're struggling, and how to get out.
I recently saw yet another story on Facebook where a retoucher got screwed by a client. It’s always sad to see this happen. Over the years, I have managed to build a ripping-off-proof on-boarding and payment workflow to make sure I never end up in that kind of situation.
The folks at COOPH have teamed up with YouTuber and blogger Jenny Mustard to put together a set of top tips for clean, minimalist photography. If you're looking to declutter your photographic style, this is a great place to start.
If you're gonna take pictures of food for Instagram, at least do them justice. Here are three useful tips that'll help you improve your food and still life photography.
As an account owner and admin of a small sized Instagram community page, I thought I would share some tips as both a photographer and an Instagram page admin on how I pick photos to be featured, and what photos tend to do well.
Posing is a tough skill for beginners to wrestle with; it's hard to know where to even start. That's why this video by photographer Manny Ortiz is so helpful. A beginner's guide of sorts, the tutorial simplifies posing into a easy "building up" process.
If we wrote it once, we've written it a thousand times: you don't need expensive equipment to capture high-quality studio photography. As photographer Dustin Dolby of Workphlo demonstrates in this video, even that expensive cosmetics look is doable with cheap speedlights... and skill.
Photo lens experimenter and prolific YouTube filmmaker Mathieu Stern is at it again. This time, he took one of his old, cheap (do we even have to mention that?) Russian lenses and made one small modification to create what he calls a 'bokeh explosion.'
A common rule of thumb to figure out your maximum shutter speed for sharp stars at night is to divide 500 by your focal length. Sometimes it's called the 600 Rule or the 400 Rule or several other numbers that can be used depending on your sensor size. Unfortunately, it's a a very inaccurate rule today.
There are 27 different blending modes in Photoshop, and unless you're a real retouching junkie, chances are good you haven't explored each and every one of them in detail. But have no fear, to paraphrase an old Apple ad, "there's a [YouTube tutorial] for that."
I think it's fair to say that most photographers will, at some point in their career, have to work with models at least once—whether you're a still life shooter that photographs models' hands holding a fork full of food a couple of times a year or an e-commerce shooter that works with models every single day.
If you are troubled by blemishes big or small in your portrait work, this 16-minute tutorial by Nathaniel Dodson over at Tutvid will teach you how to use Photoshop to properly clean and heal skin in a flash.
You don't need fancy lighting equipment to capture nighttime portraits. Follow these few simple tips from photographer Jordan Matter and you'll up your night portrait game instantly, no flash required.
What do photo editors want from photographers? And how can you get their attention in their very crowded inboxes? These are only the tip of the never-ending iceberg of questions for getting a leg up on that next assignment; and the truth is, it often depends on the editor’s personal preferences.
One of the best reasons to learn the rules of photography is so you can start breaking them. In this short video, Canon Explorer of Light and music and sports photographer, David Bergman teaches you how he goes about breaking 3 of the cardinal composition rules in his work, using his Bon Jovi portfolio as an example.
Ready for some rapid-fire DIY tips? A team of French photographers who goes by the moniker "Shootr" has put together a simple photo hacks video that offers a few creative ideas for your next portrait shoot.
There are plenty of technical posing guides out there, but for their latest educational video, Daniel and Rachel of Mango Street Lab took a more natural approach. Here are 5 posing and directing tips that will keep your couples shoots looking and feeling candid and unforced.
Tim Tadder is a wildly successful commercial photographer in a time when the term "wildly successful photographer" sounds like an oxymoron. So RGG EDU went to Tim's house and asked him 18 questions about the photo industry, which Tim answered while playing some leisurely putt putt in his backyard.
Not happy with Lightroom's sluggish performance on your computer? Here's a helpful 15-minute video in which photographer and instructor Anthony Morganti shares a number of helpful tips for optimizing your Lightroom's performance.
Abstract photography seems to be an elusive subject, hard to nail down to a single definition. This may be due to the abstract nature of the idea of “abstraction” and perpetuating misconceptions about abstract photography.
If you use your Instagram account as a main online portfolio for your photography, it's important to make sure you're presenting your work and skills well. Here's a 14-minute video in which photographer Peter McKinnon shares tips for taking your Instagram to the next level.
I finally did it! After sitting in my fridge for a few months, I managed to developed myself a roll of CineStill 800 pushed to 3200 ISO, and the results look great! The great thing: it's actually pretty easy to develop pushed C-41 film at home.
There is a progression that takes place in the journey that is our lighting knowledge: ambient light > on-camera flash > bouncing that flash > off-camera strobes > gels.
On Wednesday night, a developing story kept popping up on my feed featuring Katrina Ortiz (a photo client) and Desiree Genera (a photographer). Initially, Katrina posted positive feedback regarding her hired photographer after receiving an edited image in digital format.
There's a simple way to make your subject's eyes pop in a portrait, and it doesn't involve touching vibrance, saturation, luminosity, or any other color-based edit. In fact, you can make the full edit in 30 seconds.
Dirt and grime are two of the biggest enemies of the tripod in its natural habitat, grinding the threads and turning even the best of tripods into a malfunctioning mess. That's why photographer Troy Nikolic has put together a video showing you how to get a dirty tripod back to ship shape.
My name is Dan Cook, I'm a landscape and nature photographer from the UK. The introduction of full resolution image transfer from camera to the smartphone over wireless technology has been a revelation and increased my ability to share images.
Lighting is the most important element of a photograph. It is essentially the only thing that a picture is truly made of. And it's the quality and type of light that really sets a picture apart from the masses of imagery, or limits a photo's ability to really captivate an audience.
Here's a typical quick interior photography assignment for a Swiss brand called VIU Eyewear. They contacted me to create three images for their website/social networks. The only rule was to stay in the same style than their other images on their "Stores" page (something simple, white, and luminous with an emphasis on interior design). Here's how I shot it and edited it.
As the digital marketplace grows, the demand for good content and eye catching media increases with it. More and more brands and entrepreneurs are taking the photography in-house to keep up with demand, while keeping production costs down.
As a product photographer recognizing the need for assistance, I wanted take the time to share 5 key thoughts and tips that could be useful.
Running a shoot from start to finish can be pretty demanding—working with creative staff, managing your camera, adjusting settings, directing, and ensuring that everything is going smoothly. It can be pretty daunting with the prospect of trying to handle all of this right?
Whether you're interested in lifestyle photography, real estate imagery, or something in between, knowing how to capture great photos of interiors is a skill all beginners should master. Here are 5 quick tips that'll help up your interior photography game.
If you're just starting out in Photoshop and would like to learn the art of making difficult selections to isolate things in photos, check out this great video tutorial by Tutvid. It's a 37-minute lesson with 10 tips and tricks on methods that range from beginner to advanced.
If you have a film or digital camera that can shoot double exposures, there's a free do-it-yourself accessory you can use to get creative with the technique: it's the half lens cap.
My name is Alex Brock, and I'm a photo enthusiast living in South Florida. I spent many nights last summer chasing storms through swamps and along the beach attempting to learn to shoot lightning, and I'd like to share some things I learned to help others who are starting out.
Here's an encouraging 14-minute video by landscape photographer Thomas Heaton about the truth of failure.
"What lens should I buy?" It's one of the most common gear questions that pops up in the PetaPixel inbox, and while there is no one-size-fits-all answer, photographer Peter McKinnon does a great job of explaining what's out there and what you need to know to decide on your next lens in this informative video.