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.
Taking pictures out of a helicopter is one of the greatest and most rewarding things I've done as a photographer. It grants you access to unparalleled views that you would never see otherwise.
Lightning is an amazing subject to try and photograph. Dazzling. Unpredictable. Fulfilling. I’ve been documenting the long arm of Zeus for more than two decades and still love it. First using transparencies and negatives, then digital. There are many ways to be creative when it comes to photographing lightning.
Try and make money through a creative endeavor, be it photography, music, design, or art as a whole, and you’ll go through a transitional lesson wherein you discover that some people will present you an opportunity to spread your fledgling creative wings, but financial gain isn’t part of the reward.
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.
The tone curve is one of the most powerful tools in photo editing, allowing you to change multiple values and essentially doing the job of several different adjustment layers. But it's also complicated, and hard for beginners to understand. These two videos should help.
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.
Fashion and portrait photographer Jeff Rojas is back with another simple, incredibly useful lighting tip. This time, he's showing how to use a single reflective umbrella to create three distinct looks by simply moving your light source around your subject.
Here's a fun little tip from the folks at Adobe: did you know there are 7 different ways to move/adjust the sliders in Adobe Lightroom? Well there are, and Benjamin Warde shows you all of them in the latest episode of Lightroom Coffee Break.
Every Fashion Week I learn something new. This is my tenth or so New York Fashion Week by now and I’m still forgetting memory cards, wandering aimlessly trying to find the backstage entrance at Skylight Clarkson, getting kicked out of areas and wondering why Dropbox doesn’t sync faster on Starbucks WiFi.
Many a blockbuster movie and several popular travel photo/video creators out there use something called the 'Orange and Teal look' when they color grade their work. Today, Parker Walbeck of Fulltime Filmmaker will explain what that look is, why it's used, and how to apply it to your creations.
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.
Here's a quick tip that will save every newbie photographer (and probably more than a few intermediate shooters) some agony and embarrassment: how to properly fold a reflector in one easy motion.
If you want sharp black and white images with fine grain, then you've come to the right place!
Most still shooters use a ball head mount on their tripod, but photographer Hudson Henry wants you to reconsider. As he explains in the video above, using a fluid head built primarily for videographers will give you a lot more versatility.
As I write this post, I have just finished slogging through a tedious and time consuming photo edit that could have been 100% avoided. Here's the story of what happened.
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.
There are two important lessons in this simple, short, inspirational tips video by photographer Moose Winans. The first is how to use complimentary backgrounds to create separation and make your subject "pop"; the second is that you should go out and shoot, even when conditions are crappy and you don't think you'll get anything.
One of my goals as a photographer is to always improve. Regardless of how well others may think my work is I am always trying to learn and grow as a creative.
It's time to give some long-overdue love to two cheap films in price, but by no means in quality. It can be tempting to go for the expensive films when you're out buying rolls of 35mm, but let's not forget about the bottom of the shelf.
Need a home studio for some product photography? COOPH has some great ideas for you. In this inspirational little video, the magazine shows you how to build a DIY photography studio at home using mostly household items.
We love a good in-camera double exposure; done right, they can look as surreal as anything we can create in post. But if you don't have the skills, expertise, or interest in doing it in-camera, this quick tutorial shows you exactly how to fake the 'double exposure effect' in Photoshop.
It would be great if you could take advantage of an epic or picturesque backdrop every time you went out to shoot portraits. But since we don't all live in Iceland, here are a few simple tips that'll help you make the most of a crappy location on your next spontaneous portrait shoot.
Photographer and photo educator Don Giannatti put together this simple (tongue-in-cheek) itemized invoice to show photography clients why photographers charge what they do for "taking a picture."
As of early 2017, my only camera is the Ricoh GR II, which has a fixed-focal 28mm lens. I wanted to share my personal experiences shooting with a 28mm lens, after shooting with a 35mm lens for almost 6 years.
One of the beautiful things about photography is that you can always learn new things and adapt as new technology comes out. For example, the first camera I ever shot on was a 35mm film point and shoot, and now I shoot on a full frame DSLR.
When I was growing up, I spent several summers living with my father on the Isle of Skye in northern Scotland. As a teenager, I didn’t have an appreciation for the landscape, but as I grew up, I started noticing just how beautiful it really was. That is why I began photographing nature, and it’s really this love for the outdoors that drives me today.
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.
Scanning colour negative is without a doubt the most irritating part of my workflow.
Since I started to shoot film, it has been the source of great frustration, especially in terms of color rendition. Each color negative I scan shows a dreadful blue or green cast that's a pain to get rid of in Lightroom.
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.
Patience is not one of my many virtues and I've always preferred practice to theory. Instead of taking the time to learn the essentials before starting, I usually jump in head-first... come what may! This behavior has caused me disappointment, loss of time and money.
Introductions to basic lighting don't get much simpler or better than this. You could call it Lighting 101, and whether that light is coming from a window or an artificial light source, the info here qualifies as "must know basics" for anybody with a camera in hand.
Most online photography tutorials focus on one thing—how to sharpen better or how to retouch shiny skin, for example. This video goes way beyond that, walking you through how to retouch a portrait from start to finish using both Lightroom and Photoshop.
We talk about composition a lot, but have you ever really dived into the subject of color theory and thought about how it applies to your photography? If you haven't, you should... and arguably the best place to start is this incredibly comprehensive demo by landscape photographer Dave Morrow.
Ultra high ISO with lots of noise... There’s a lot of buzz going around about the new Pentax KP with it’s maximum ISO of 819200. Every comment I read says ‘what’s the point’?
Well, here are two benefits: late night framing and focus.
The world of analog photography surprises me a bit more every day! I recently read about a technique called Stand Development, so I have decided to try it myself. For those of who never heard of it before, let me explain you the differences between it and a normal development process.
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.
Photography beginners listen up, because we're about to drop some knowledge. This quick video by Mango Street Lab covers three of the most common mistakes photography beginners make, and then turns around and shows you what to do instead.
One of the most common beginner mistakes in portrait photography is not separating your subject from the background. Fortunately, it's an easy skill to learn. Here are three simple ways to make your subject pop and give your portraits more depth.
In my mind, the process of creating a compelling composite image is as close to painting as a photographer can get: it allows you to create almost purely from imagination, not being constricted by physical locations as with traditional photography.
About a year and half ago, after what seemed like a lifetime of living paycheck-to-paycheck (paying off student loans and other debts) my wife and I were sitting in the office of a financial advisor with money to invest. After hearing the options to best set us up for retirement, he asked, “What are your goals?”
Many of us have done remote shoots where we’re miles from home (or a store) and we forgot one or more key pieces of gear that make or break a shoot. And it’s often the little things: batteries, SD cards, gaff tape/zip ties, plastic bags or specific tools we didn’t think to bring or didn’t think we’d need.
We're crazy about great one-light portraits, and fashion and portrait photographer Jeff Rojas is an expert at creating and honing these minimalist setups. In his latest video, he shows you how a single light placed above your subject makes for beautiful portraits in both color and black and white.
Want to win at social media in 2017? The folks over at On Blast Blog did some research on tips, tricks, and best practices, and they've created a helpful cheat sheet infographic with all kinds of helpful nuggets of wisdom.
If you're obsessive about checking every exposure on your camera's histogram, this informative little video is a must-watch. In it, Matt Granger covers three common misconceptions about your camera's histogram that many photographers—even experienced shooters—might be falling prey to.
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.
In something of a followup to his explosive video "Nobody Cares About Your Photography," the always inspirational Ted Forbes is tackling a question that we've all probably asked: What is "work that matters" and how do you make sure your photography measures up?