Tips

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.

Photographers wanting to capture beautiful Milky Way photos need the right plans, the appropriate gear, and some basic knowledge of optimal camera settings.

Have you Googled “headshot photographers" lately? The results are pretty eye-opening. Right before I sat down to write this, my Google search resulted in 4 sponsored ads, right at the top, for AI headshot generators. If that doesn’t concern you, it should.

Finding subjects for wildlife photography in summer is a challenge. As I look forward to arguably my favorite time of the year – the fall mating season for big mammals such as elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and so on – I first have to make it through the summer. Long days filled with harsh light provided by the sun directly overhead and heat, that unbearable heat.

At one point during his career, the late film photographer Jerry Uelsmann gave a slide presentation to a large audience of photography students, showing all the photographs he had made that year.

People, they’re literally everywhere. At least that’s how it feels when you live in a country as densely populated as Japan. For the longest time, I was incredibly fussy about having people in my frame.

As we all know, there are many things that can make or break a photograph. While technical aspects might immediately jump to mind and the light may grab our attention, one word that tends to pop up a lot in my feedback is “intent”.

The American Southwest is an enchanting realm brimming with extraordinary shapes, mesmerizing textures, and captivating patterns. Amidst a symphony of vibrant colors and diverse textures, capturing the essence of such a place can initially feel overwhelming.

We all want people to like and enjoy our images. Social media is plastered with countless pictures whose owners are all seeking attention and some kind of approval from others.

Like many photographers, we used to be more “jack of all trades” when it came to shooting professionally. We’d shoot a wedding one day and a product shoot the next.

Growing up in the crowded European country of Belgium, few things symbolized the American Dream as much as the iconic Mustang. No, not the Ford muscle car. The wild horse!

Being a professional creative means that you don’t always (ever) have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike. It means you have to create your work, on demand, regardless of the circumstances. Building practices to help reduce your stress and increase your creativity before a photoshoot will make creativity less illusive.

Using flash in your wedding photography can take your work to the next level. It can look more professional and dynamic. Additionally, there are a variety of scenarios when flash makes certain things possible that wouldn’t be if you’re relying on natural light.

Capturing wildflowers can be an incredibly enriching experience that allows you to immerse yourself in the vibrant colors, delicate petals, and the intoxicating scent of nature in full bloom.

Voting with your wallet means buying products you believe in, supporting companies you want to see more of as well as products/practices you approve of. Buying one brand over another, buying locally rather than from a chain, or choosing not to buy from a certain industry at all would all be examples of voting with your wallet.

Amazingly, in the age of AI image creation, film photography is not only popular but it's growing again after an initial decline. More and more, people are finding value in timeless, handcrafted imagery.

I recently wrote a pair of pieces about giving and responding to critiques of photography with a certain level of decorum. As many of you already know, criticism is best given when actually asked for.

When I first started doing landscape photography, visiting new locations used to intimidate me a lot. I think part of me would feel the anxiety and pressure of needing to get a good shot, and oftentimes, I would not use the proper tools to set myself up for success.

Just like most things in life, success can depend on location, location, location. I know that I’m coming from a state where there are a lot of beautiful backdrops so I’ll do my best to give tips that will apply to you wherever you happen to be. I’ve shot sessions in a variety of locations and while I have my locations and preferences, of course, I think it’s possible to make the best of whatever you have to work with.

There are times as a photographer when you can feel like you’re running out of ideas. You’ve tried a variety of things but now you’re experiencing some kind of creative block and you feel frustrated.

I've been doing some freelance web development and photography and I was recently contacted by an acquaintance who's looking to start her own real estate office.

Wedding photography is arguably one of the most important parts of a wedding, of course (though I’m biased being a wedding photographer and all). But at the end of the day when the music stops, the cake is eaten, and the honeymoon begins, the photos are what helps our couples relive the magic of their wedding day. This is why it’s important that you know how to make a wedding photo album your clients will love.

Normally when I write articles about photography, I’m not very polemic -- I try to stay neutral and give advice that photographers can apply to their own personal wedding photography style even if it differs from my own. I care more about giving people solid advice than worrying about clickbait.

Unfortunately, if you use the internet for work, you probably already know that new scams and scammers pop up every day. Recently, I’ve seen the rise in popularity of a new scam targeting photographers. I don’t want to see anyone, especially other photographers, being scammed out of their hard-earned money.

I don’t enjoy my Zenit camera (it keeps chewing up film) but the lens that comes with it (the Helios 44/2) is legendary for its surreal swirly bokeh, so is an excellent choice to adapt. It’s often cheaper to buy the camera and steal the lens than buy a copy of the lens.

Family and bridal party pictures at a wedding are important, every couple wants them but none of their families want to be patient and present to take them. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of pressure from mothers and grandmothers to get all the important combinations while at the same time, there’s always a cousin that disappeared to the bar.

If you’re interested in photography and are trying to figure out where to start or how to grow, you’ve come to the right place. There’s a lot of information out there, how do you even determine what to focus on? Sometimes in trying to do too much we find ourselves accomplishing nothing.

I love spring. Little flowers pop up everywhere -- in your garden, in nature, in parks, next to the roads: basically everywhere. And these flowers are great fun to photograph.

As a photographer, it's easy to fall into a rut of shooting the same types of photos over and over again. Sometimes it is easy to slip into a routine once we have a good grasp of exposure and composition.

Sometimes we’re brimming with ideas and ready to shoot. But, what can you do when the ideas dry up?