Walkthroughs

How I Shot a Light-Painting Levitation Portal Photo

My Name is Swen Cubilette, and I'm a 34-year-old photographer living in the Central Pennsylvania area. I’ve been shooting photos for about 5 years. In this article, I'll share how I shot this levitation portal photo.

Shooting a Sunrise Portrait with a Drone-Mounted Flash

This idea had been rolling around in my head for years. I use flashes a lot in my photography. Whether that is a Speedlight on or off camera or in the studio with some big strobes and modifiers. But this is the first time I have ever used an aerial drone-mounted flash.

A Photo of My Girlfriend, the Lunar Eclipse, Mars, and the Milky Way

I normally love to plan my photos and I would have liked to plan a cool shot with yesterday’s moon eclipse. However, when I planned my current trip to Kyrgyzstan, I didn’t realize I would be there with the lunar eclipse of 2018 (bad planning, I know).

How My Photo Went from Reddit to the Walls of NASA

About 4 months ago, I posted a photo of my 7-hexagon canvas cluster to Reddit's r/space (on a Sunday, the only day you're allowed to post your own astro photos to the sub). The title of the post was: "I'm a photographer and print-maker and my passion is the night sky. I made this 7-hexagon canvas cluster in honor of the forthcoming James Webb Telescope. The photo is of the Milky Way over WEBBer Lake, CA."

The Time Between: A Look Through the Eyes of an Astrophotographer

It is the hottest time of the day during the hottest month of the year in Montana, but two hundred feet above me a pair of nighthawks sense a change. They dive and twist with a grace somewhere between fighter pilot and falling leaf, air buzzing through their wingtips, raspy calls beckoning night, commanding the sun to set. The single, sand-rock knob that I sit on here in the prairie while I watch their aerial display will hold the heat I feel through my jeans well into darkness.

Shooting Vintage Car Lifestyle Photos for Self-Promotion

I do a lot of automotive lifestyle personal projects that I use for self-promotion and am constantly on the hunt for new ideas. A friend of mine recently turned me on to Turo, an app for peer-to-peer car rentals. In the past, you had to hire a picture vehicle company to get vintage cars for shoots, and those can be really pricey and are severely limited in terms of how far you can drive the car.

Shoot Light-Painting Photos During the Day Using an ND Filter

Light-painting photography is generally done in the dark since you need long exposure times to capture moving light sources as streaks. But use can also shoot long-exposure photos in bright sunlight using a neutral density filter. Photographer Eric Paré recently did just that, experimenting with doing light-painting in afternoon daylight.

Shooting and Editing Multiple Night Exposures: Moonrise Over Car Trails

My name is Connar L’Ecuyer, and I’m a landscape photographer based in Southern California. A little while ago, I was driving on the highway at night and there is a section where the highway goes up some mountains. The moon was just rising over the highway. I thought to myself “That’s pretty awesome -- I want to get a shot of that!”, and a few weeks later I was able to shoot it!

The World’s Highest Street Photo

This is a tale of friendship, family, photography, and travel. Forgive me if I stray from the narrative of cameras and the like, but photography does not exist on an island. My claim to have captured the Highest Street Photo in the World admittedly relies on a relatively restrictive definition of what this genre entails. However, I will leave the nit-picking of definitions to others.

How I Captured a Wasp Paralyzing a Tarantula

I'm a bug enthusiast and macro photographer, and I was recently fortunate enough to photograph a wasp fighting a tarantula. It felt like winning the lottery.

Shooting a World First Expedition on the Essequibo River in Guyana

I removed the Canon C300 from its waterproof bag and attached the 24-105mm f/4.0 lens while swatting away the relentless mosquitoes. Bringing the viewfinder loupe up to my eye, my left hand flicked the power switch on, now a reflex action after shooting with this camera every day for the last three weeks. Nothing happened. Weird, I was certain I'd put in a fully charged battery.

How My Photos Were Selected for US Stamps

On July 4th, the United States Postal Service released a brand new set of 20 forever stamps in a series called "O Beautiful," which honors the hymn "America the Beautiful" with photography that represents the notable passages including spacious skies, amber waves of grain, Purple Mountain majesties Etc. Seven of them are my photos.

How I Gave My Rolling Camera Case DIY Giant Wheels

The Think Tank Logistics Manager 30 is my absolute favorite when it comes to all the camera bags, tripods, photo bags, and other bags I own for my flash equipment, tripod, and cameras. But, like almost all rolling bags, it's mostly made for being taken indoors at airports, offices or other places with flat floors.

How to Shoot Photos of Flying Food

Want to learn how to create a "flying food" photo without actually making food travel through the air? Food photographer Skyler Burt of We Eat Together made this 5.5-minute tutorial on one way to freeze time and space.

This Guy Made a Real ‘Potato Camera’

When low-quality photos or videos are posted online, people often say that they were shot with a "potato camera." But if you actually want to shoot photos with a literal potato camera, how would you go about doing so?

How I Made This Photo of a Girl ‘Falling’ Asleep

I've always found that moment right before falling asleep fascinating. When you let go of your thoughts and fall into the land of dreams. For a long time I wanted to create an image about this, and last year I got the opportunity that was the perfect start.

How to Mix Flash and Ambient Light

Mixing ambient light with flash is a tough technique to get around. I can do it no problem, but when someone asks me to explain it I draw a blank. There’s a very good reason why it’s hard to understand: you’re smashing two distinct schools of lighting an image together.

How I Shot the Milky Way Rising Above a Thunderstorm

I have captured photos of stars above distant thunderstorms before, but I never imagined I would be able to capture the Milky Way above a nearby thunderstorm. While out storm chasing in Eastern Montana on June 4, 2018, that's exactly what happened.

Shooting Wedding Photos on the ‘Little Troll Tongue’ in Norway

I did it. The photo I have had in my mind for almost two years was finally taken, and I’m proud of the result. Liv Johanne and Rune became (what I believe to be) the first couple to get their wedding photos taken at Himakånå, Norway.

My Last Frames of Fuji FP-100C, or: The Creative Obligation Not to F*** it Up

For about a year and a half, every time I opened my fridge I saw my last remaining 10 exposure pack of Fuji FP 100C instant film, and every time I opened said fridge I was reluctant to take it out and shoot it. I did not want to waste my last remaining packfilm but I knew I shouldn’t wait too long, because eventually the chemistry inside the film would dry. And since the film expired in late 2007, I was running out of time.

Here’s What You Get When You Shoot Portraits With a 500mm Lens

Portrait photographers generally pick focal lengths somewhere between 80mm and 135mm, which produces a flattened perspective distortion when the subject fills up the frame. Photographer Keydrin Franklin of 924photography recently decided to try his hand with shooting portraits with a 500mm super-telephoto lens.

Recreating the Look of Vintage War Photos

The horrific conflicts and wars of the past have shaped the world we know today. Each era has been documented by generations of photographers, with specific color tones or grain patterns evoking these periods in our minds. The culture surrounding military life has always been highly visual and has been captured in photojournalism, fine art, as well as propaganda.

$20 Work Light vs $900 Studio Strobe for a Food Photo

How does a $20 work light from a hardware store compare to a $900 studio strobe when it comes to food photography? Photographer Skyler Burt of We Eat Together recently decided to find out. He pitted a HDX 500w halogen work light against a $900 Elinchrom Pro HD 500W monolight.

How this Epic Volcano Photo Was Shot

While some may think that award-winning photos are simply snapshots created at the right place and right time, there's often a huge amount of time, effort, and dedication that goes into the process. For Mexican photographer Sergio Tapiro, it was over 15 years and over 300,000 photos.

I Biked Down the West Coast of the US for Coastal Landscape Photos

A year ago, I rode my bicycle from Banff to Jasper in the Canadian Rockies to prove that my lack of a car would not hold me back from pursuing my passion for landscape photography. This year, I took a gap semester and went and did it again, cycling 1,500 miles down the American West Coast, from Seattle to Los Angeles, to photograph the coastal landscapes.

No, I Didn’t Fake This Lava Photo

Yes, it’s possible. I did indeed capture what you see above in one shot. Although some of the Internet seem to disagree, it’s true. What you see above is the Milky Way, the moon, Mars, Saturn, an iridium flare, and lava from the Kilauea Volcano of Hawaii.

TIME’s Latest Cover Photo is a Drone Photo of 958 Drones

TIME magazine's latest issue is a special report on the rapid explosion of drones in our culture. For the cover photo, TIME recreated its iconic logo and red border using 958 illuminated drones hovering in the sky. It's the first-ever TIME cover captured with a camera drone.

How to Do Corporate Headshot Photography

If you're interested in branching out your photo business to include corporate headshots, here's a helpful 24-minute tutorial that can help you get started. In it, photographer Sean Tucker shares his system of effectively photographing a large number of people in a short amount of time.

Northrups Sue Photo Thief, Make Them Pay $60,000

Photographers Tony and Chelsea Northrup were shocked when they discovered one of their photos being used on a product's packaging without their knowledge or permission. They then sued the photo thief and collected AU$60,000 (~$45,000) for the offense. Here's a 26-minute video in which they share the story of how it all happened.

How I Got My Photos Published from a Free Trip to Paradise

February 2017. For a midwesterner like my father, this was prime time to get away. So Jon decided to acquire two tickets aboard a cruise from San José, Costa Rica to the Panama Canal. His original plan was to treat my mother to a bit of mid-winter warmth and sunshine. When she wasn't able to go, he offered the spare to me.

Shooting Portraits of Sonoma County Wildfire Victims

About six months ago, I created a portrait series titled Ashes Fell Like Snow, photographing people affected by the Northern California wildfires and gathering their stories to share with the world. Creating this collection of portraits required much effort in a short span of time.

How to Shoot a NASA Rocket Launch with a Remote Camera

When NASA launched its Insight rocket in the pre-dawn hours of May 5th, 2018, photographer Norman Chan of Tested was on hand with a remote camera setup to shoot his first launch. The 15-minute video above is his record of everything that goes into capturing a NASA rocket launch.

I Fell Into the Ocean While Shooting a Wedding

This is the story of how I fell into the ocean while shooting a wedding. I was contracted to shoot a wedding for a couple named Erin and Ben. It was poised to be a beautiful day: we had great weather and everyone involved was super excited as the wedding ceremony was to be out on a small island just off the coast of Pender Harbour, North of Vancouver, Canada.

How I Built a Star Tracker for DSLRs

My name is Gerald Gattringer, and I'm a photographer based in Austria. I recently built myself a custom star tracker for DSLRs, and it works pretty well! In this article, I'll share how I did it.

I Let Hundreds of Mosquitos Bite Me to Get the Perfect Photo

Like most good stories, this one is made of blood, sweat, and tears. Well, maybe just blood and sweat. And clicks -- lots of them. Blood, sweat, and clicks... If you have a fear of blood or find mosquitos disgusting, read on at your own risk.

Shooting Infrared Photos of Barn Owls at Night

Photographer Will Burrard-Lucas was recently challenged to recreate his photos of African wildlife in the UK. This 3.5-minute video shows how he went about shooting beautiful nighttime infrared photos of barn owls.