Composition – Simplicity
Although simplicity in photographic composition tends to be discussed as a broad category that includes the complete image, I’m going to divide the subject into two categories – simplicity in subject and simplicity in background. Today I’m going to focus on simplicity in subject. When someone looks at one of your photographs you want the...
Shooting a Rocky Beach in HDR with Trey Ratcliff
Trey Ratcliff is the well-known and well-loved HRD photographer behind the travel photography blog Stuck in Customs, and in this behind-the-scenes video he talks you though his gear and how he sets up a few shots of this rocky beach in the Virgin Islands. The video offers some great insight into Trey’s thought process as...
Make Distributing Mass Portraits a Breeze Using QR Codes
Large portrait taking gigs can be a bit of a nightmare. If you’re taking multiple portraits of a few hundred people, trying to sort through those and organize them so that they’re easily found is no walk in the park. Fortunately, you can find an automatic solution to this problem on Robert Bieber’s photo blog...
Understanding Octoboxes, A Quick Lighting Tutorial by Jay P. Morgan
Admittedly, lighting tutorials are pretty common these days; but when it comes to a subject as vast as proper lighting in the studio, more info can’t hurt. This 10 minute tutorial from The Slanted Lens by Jay P. Morgan runs you through the differences between octaboxes/octadomes and the traditional softbox, when it might be beneficial...
Use Wax Paper to Plan Out Your Picture Frame Layout on the Ground
If you’re planning to hang a bunch of picture frames on a wall, Marissa Waddell of Roost suggests laying them out on the ground to figure out frame placement. Once you’re happy with how the frames look, simply take a large sheet of wax paper and outline the frames. The paper can then be used...
How to Properly Light a Black and White Photo Shoot
You may remember photographer Benjamin Von Wong from last week’s behind-the-scenes video of his photo shoot with the band The Agonist. In that video he showed you how he put together a very creative, cinematic composite shot that really stood out from other band photos. In this video, Benjamin runs you through the lighting challenges...
Lens Diffraction and How It Affects Your Photos
Really more useful for landscape and macro photographers who are going to be shooting through very small apertures (f/22 and above), this video from FStoppers explains what diffraction is and how it can affect your shots. The trade off, as they explain in the video, is between a large depth of field and a sharp...
My Favorite CameraBag of Tricks
Hey photo friends. Erik here with a quick recommendation for an inexpensive photo editing solution. I’ve been playing around with the CameraBag 2desktop software for the last couple months and I’m blown away at the capabilities packed into this affordable editing tool. If you’re new to photo editing and wanna save a few bucks, or you’re...
Use a Nail and Clothespin to Determine Placement When Hanging Photos
Michele over at The Scrap Shoppe offers this handy trick for hanging picture frames: hammer a nail through a clothespin and use it to determine nail placement. Simply hang the picture on the clothespin nail, figure out where you want to place the frame, and then push the clothespin into the wall to make a...
How to Shoot Great Sunrise Photography
In this video from Master Photo Workshops photographer Jim Zuckerman shows you how he creates his iconic sunrise photography, using a beautiful lighthouse as his subject. He begins with the basics of choosing your subject and exposure well and then continues on to explain the need to move quickly, “work the scene,” and understand that...
Photograph the Left Side of People’s Faces to Capture More Emotion
Everybody has had pictures taken that they can hardly stand to look at. Even professional portraits that eliminate blemishes and show you in attractive poses sometimes look strained, or emotionless. Well, a recent study published in Experimental Brain Research seems to say that the remedy could be as easy as turning the other cheek. It turns...
