Photography Tips and Tutorials

A little makeup will help your images pop In part 1, we explored the tools you need to be able to help your subjects. Once you have all those essentials for applying makeup, the next step is the hard one – application. Again, this overview is intended for photographers and not makeup artists. The approach should be about helping your portrait subjects look a little better in your images of them. However, it should not replace using an actual makeup…

Cars and photography often seem to go hand in hand. Whether you’re a car owner with a camera or a photographer with a passion for the classics, the perfect automotive photo can often seem just out of reach. Automotive photography can be both tricky and expensive. To get catalog-ready images of cars, the top commercial photographers often utilize huge specialist studios with large banks of powerful lights and massive pieces of equipment to block or reflect light. Each shot can…

One of the most exciting techniques in photography is light painting. This is an area of photography that can be carried out in several ways. In this article, you’ll learn about both kinetic light painting and regular light painting, what the difference is, and the different techniques employed by these styles. So engage the hyperdrive and put your creativity up to light speed today! What is light painting? This photo has used camera rotation to add more interest to this…

Were you disappointed when you bought a fancy camera and it didn’t take good pictures for you? It happens to a lot of people. But even when you know nothing about how your camera works, it’s possible to take a good photo on Auto Mode. Auto Mode isn’t the place to stay, so once you get the hang of it, you can move on to aperture mode, shutter mode, and manual mode. You can also learn about exposure compensation, metering…

Being a stock photographer is a bit like being in a band. Not many make it to rock star status, but they love what they do and enjoy earning some extra cash on the side. Producing photos to sell through stock photo agencies can bring more purpose to your photography. It can help you focus and build your skills more than if you are doing photography purely as a hobby. © Kevin Landwer-Johan Over the years the digital stock photography…

Engagement sessions can feel intimidating and you might feel like your poses or photos are starting to look all the same. Or perhaps you’re having trouble getting a start at sessions? If that is the case, these poses will help you at your next engagement session and they work for all couples! The following poses work for all couples. Give them a try and add variety to your photo session. T-Bone Pose This pose works for any couple as it…

Natural light is beautiful light If you’re a lover of natural light when creating photographs, then you’re like me – you love light. You love how it streams in windows and how it creates shadows. There’s so much wonder in the way light naturally falls into place. In many situations, it’s amazing to let nature take its course and create a beautiful view. The reality is, however, while we can always go with the flow, sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate…

I’m reminded about a conversation between Ansel Adams and Ernest Hemingway that went something like this: Hemingway: You take the most amazing photographs I’ve ever seen! What sort of camera do you use? Adams: You write the most amazing stories. What sort of typewriter do you use? Even though I know this chance encounter between two of my favorite Masters never actually occurred (though I secretly hope it did), the weighty implications of this fictional exchange are obvious. The power…

Light trail photography is a unique facet of photography. By combining slow shutter speeds with light and camera movement, fascinating abstract photography can be made. Here are four abstract light trail photography techniques to experiment with in your own photographic practice. What is abstraction? Before we get started, let’s talk about abstraction. Abstract photography (often called non-objective, experimental or conceptual photography) is photography that does not have an immediate association with the visual world. Instead, abstract photography uses aspects like…

Sometimes specialists and generalists have a hard time understanding each other’s approach. To the generalist, you’re too narrow, and to the specialist, you need to settle down and find your niche. There are arguments (many of them coming down to skill level or money) as to why you should be one or the other. But I think that being a generalist or a specialist is connected with your nature as a person. If you’re a generalist at heart, try as…

31 Days Student photo: Lynn Wernsmann 31 Days to Becoming a Better Photographer student, Lynn Wernsmann, captured this amazing fireworks and lightning photograph. To capture this spectacular photo, Lyn used the following camera settings: I used my Fujifilm XT2 and the 50-230mm lens. The settings for this shot were f/10, 5sec, ISO 100, 135mm. I had my camera set on Interval Timer, and I was shooting 20 shots at a time which works well for things like the fireworks. I…

In this video from fstoppers, they show you whether large sensors create different-looking images to smaller sensors in cameras. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMMl_B4et4Y] In the video, Lee Morris photographs his friend Keith Bradshaw with four different cameras each with different sensor sizes. Lee uses the following cameras and settings: FujiFilm GFX 50R/ 43.mm x 32.9mm sensor/ 64mm lens f/8 Canon 6D/ 35mm ff sensor/ 50mm f5.6 FujiFilm XT-3/ 23.6mm x 15.6mm sensor/ 35mm f4 Panasonic GH5/ Micro 4/3 sensor/ 25mm f2.8 He shot…

When it comes to the world of commercial photography, print is not dead. Although the Internet and your website are great tools to promote your photography, to really get noticed by agencies and other buyers of photography, you need to make printed promotional pieces, known in the industry as “promos.” You can get really creative with promos, like sending them out with branded gifts, but this article will focus on printed promos. Here are some tips on creating your photography…

“I’m filling in all the negative spaces with positively everything.”– Edie Brickell Negative space may tend to suggest something that is not good. But negative space in photography is also often referred to as white space or minimalism photography. There’s nothing bad about it. It’s truly a unique technique to try out in your photography practice. We sometimes tend to fill our compositions with lots of objects and color. When we talk about negative space, it’s the opposite that rules.…

The autofocus on the Sony A9 is amazing! Set it to eye AF, point in direction of the subject and let it do the rest. It’s almost too easy. Everyone is a Photographer these days. It has never been easier or cheaper to create good quality photographs. People sincerely believe that the camera is what takes these amazing images. I am sure you have heard this as many times as I have; “You take beautiful photos, you must have a…

Travelling with you camera is one of the highlights of embarking on any trip at home or abroad. Whether you enjoy visiting interesting places, soaking up the sunshine or embarking on adventurous activities, here are some tips for better travel photography. 1. Do your research Provence, France © Jeremy Flint One of the most fundamental aspects of travel photography is to do your research about the destination you are visiting. Finding out about a location and obtaining information about a…

There are many pleasures associated with photographing landscapes; from being in the great outdoors, to breathing in the fresh air and taking in the attractive views whilst capturing nature’s beauty all around you. Taking good landscape photos is more challenging than you may think. People often tell me when they return home from capturing landscapes that they are often disappointed with their results. Part of this may be due to the subject, the weather, the photographer, or most likely the…

The 10,000-hour rule is often quoted as the magic number of hours that you need to practice in order to master an activity. Now, I’m not saying that after 10,000 hours of practice you’ll definitely have mastered photography. But I do think it’s true that the more you practice, the better you will get! The secret of practicing to improve your skills is to have a plan. You need to know what you’re practicing, you need to set goals, and…

Joseph Barrientos on Unsplash Unsplash is killing photography! I am sure you will have read this somewhere? After all, photography blogs have been full of articles like this. You may agree – you may hate Unsplash. You may want to educate every photographer you meet on why they should not upload their photos to the platform. However, despite photographers and websites rallying against it, the platform continues to thrive. But is Unsplash really wrecking the photography industry?  A little history…