Walkthroughs

Shooting a Winter Storm Killed My Canon 7D

On July 7th, 2015, wind speeds of over 120km per hour (~75mph) reached the Dutch coastal area. Winds were so extreme that restaurants along the beach were covered in a thick layer of sand, making them look like small sand dunes.

How to Make a Killer Multiple Exposure Portrait Using Photoshop

My name is Piotr Skoczylas, and I am a surreal portrait photographer. I picked up a camera 3 years ago, and since that moment I knew I wanted my pictures to be something more than just the click of the shutter. I was experimenting for a really long time until I created something I really liked, and with which I could connect emotionally.

I Mounted an Anamorphic Projector Lens to My DSLR

I've recently become obsessed with the idea of shooting (something close to) true, 2.35:1 ratio CinemaScope anamorphic on my DSLR camera. This is pretty easily done if you can spend $1,000+ on an anamorphic lens made specifically for a DSLR camera... but I don't have that kind of cash, so I went another route.

I Built Myself a 16×20-Inch Camera in 10 Hours

While sitting in a coffee shop last Friday, I really didn’t want to answer any more emails so I went to a bar instead, ordered a pint and sketched out a bit of a doodle for a big camera. I then called my buddy Zach who shares my open schedule and vague ability with power tools, and he stopped by my studio an hour later.

How to Shoot Futuristic Cityscapes of Dubai

I recently went on a 2-week trip to Dubai, a city with a futuristic appearance that looks like it came straight out of a movie like Blade Runner. If you enjoy shooting cityscapes, Dubai is where your dreams come true.

These Surreal Portraits with Sharks are 100% Real

Upon first glance, photographer Benjamin Von Wong's latest work looks like a Photoshop composite that shows a model swimming with sharks below the sea. But what you see is the real deal: Von Wong did actually tie down a model underwater with sharks swimming around, all for a series of surreal (but very real) portraits.

Tulips: Shooting a Series of Macro Photos of Mouths

There is an ineffable allure when it comes the human mouth. The lips and tongue (and much more) help emit wonderful language, tell stories through micro-expressions, and experience the joys of how things in the world taste along with presenting another form of touching.

How I Shot a Star Wars-Themed ‘Last Supper’ Photo

Sometimes, photography is about being brilliant at lighting, or capturing a decisive moment, but often it's as much about collaborating with other talented people to realize a vision as it is about your own skills.

Shaping Hard Light from a Small Off-Camera Flash for Dramatic Portraits

I love hard light. I love the shadows it creates and the colors it brings out. I also love the convenience it affords. I work exclusively with small flash, and by using predominantly hard light in my images, I am able to travel extremely light, as I need few to zero modifiers.

Shooting 7 Headshots on 1 Wall with 1 Model

The first time I sketched a photo was in 2011. It had never crossed my mind before that. Up until then I had never really needed it. I was five years into a business and new ideas had always come pretty easily.

How I Shot Snowy Christmas Portraits in My Studio

I recently shot a series of snowy portraits... inside my studio. This shoot was originally just intended to be for my own Christmas card, The idea was to do something fun, dreamy, and Christmas-related (with a Santa hat and fun poses) that I could send to friends, family and clients. As the year was coming to an end, a fun photo shoot was very welcomed. And, ironically, we didn't have snow at this point in Brussels, which is very unusual.

How I Work With Compositional Lines in Photos

Composition can make or break a photograph. This is why it's important to understand it and know how to effectively and creatively use it. In essence, composition describes the position of relative elements in a photograph. A strong composition will tend to have leading lines that draw attention to your subject: these can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines depending on the placement of your subject in the frame.

You Can Use a Flat Screen TV as a Cheap and Simple Backdrop for Product Photos

As my startup gear brand Eupidere grows, we face more and more photographic challenges in shooting thrifty product photos. Recently, I had just minutes to come up with an image that is a) eye catching, and b) Christmas related. There are lots of Christmas decorations around right now and the little guy above, wearing striped pajamas, is one of them. We decided to put him into a winter scenery and wish everyone Merry Christmas.

A Portrait of an Offbeat Portrait Photographer

Once a year, photographer Andy Reynolds takes his camera and lighting gear to Alki Beach in West Seattle, Washington, to shoot portraits on the street. Justin Lapriore of LetsMakeMedia spent an afternoon with Reynolds this year and created this quirky 3-minute video portrait of the offbeat still portrait photographer.

Point of View: Photographing Race Protests in Sydney

This past weekend was the 10th anniversary of the infamous Cronulla Riots in Sydney, Australia, race riots that resulted in 26 injuries and 104 arrests. "Party for Freedom" leader Nick Folkes decided to hold a "patriotic barbecue" to mark the occasion, but attracted less than 50 supporters. The event was attended by a throng of anti-riot police, journalists, and a counter-protest from a much larger crowd.

How I Shot Portraits at the Canadian Football League Awards Ceremony

I have found it difficult to specialize in one genre of photography as a full-time photographer in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Winnipeg is considered the smallest big city in Canada, and I find myself doing a whole lot of everything, including but not limited to: portraits, food, architecture, events, and a lot of other random gigs.

Lighting Portraits with a Prism Gobo, DIY Barn Doors, and Window Blinds

Photographer Nick Fancher often does high-quality shoots with simple locations and do-it-yourself gear -- he published a book on the subject earlier this year that's titled Studio Anywhere. For a recent portrait shoot, Fancher visited his model's apartment and shaped light using a custom prism gobo, DIY barn doors, and the blinds on the model's door.

Traveling to Cuba as an American Photographer

My name is Mark Cersosimo, and I'm a hobbyist photographer and filmmaker living in New York. Way back in 2014, when President Obama announced that U.S. relations with Cuba would be normalized, I knew I had to make a move. While “tourist” travel is still prohibited, 12 new options became available in January 2015.

This Snowflake Photo Took 2,500 Hours to Create

Snowflakes have become an obsession of mine as an extreme macro photographer, but I never thought I would be able to take it this far: 2,500 hours of work across 5 years, all presented as a single composite photo titled “The Snowflake”:

How to Do Cross/Rembrandt Lighting with One Light

Here's a short and sweet 3-minute video tutorial by photographer and retoucher Glyn Dewis on how you can achieve super simple cross (or Rembrandt) lighting in a portrait using a single light source. The trick is in moving the light forward enough so that some of it spills onto the other side of your subject's face. Looking at your subject from the edge of your light is an easy trick for seeing if any of the light will reach the other cheek.