Tripods as a concept are simple: they provide a stable foundation to rest your camera on as you work. Despite that simplicity, though, shopping for one can be complicated as there are many options out there. Finding a quality option whenever trying to purchase on a tight budget can also be tricky. Thankfully, you don’t…
High Dynamic Range photography (HDR photography) is a popular technique used to capture a wide range of lights and darks. Essentially, it alters a photograph’s dynamic range. The dynamic range is the complete spectrum of light and dark in a photo. Different types of cameras have different ranges. When the camera can’t accurately capture the…
Two free Photoshop alternatives — DarkTable vs Rawtherapee come together to compete for your time and attention. They both offer photo-editing capabilities beyond your phone’s simple editor, and they both produce some fantastic results. So which one is for you? Let’s take a look at each of the features to see which one might be…
Photographers everywhere have a difficult relationship with light. Light is necessary to make images, but if there’s too much light, shots with all but the most limited exposure times will appear to be washed out. Neutral density filters bridge the gap between ambient lighting and short exposure times by reducing the overall amount of light…
Do you thrive on competition? Love the energy, excitement, and physicality of sports? Then sports photography might be the right play for you (pun fully intended!) There are lots of great reasons to make sports photography your passion. Your kids, your job, or your desire for a new market. Or maybe you just love playing,…
There aren’t many reliable card manufacturers that make cards and other storage for high-end digital cameras. Of this small field, Lexar and Sandisk are near the top in terms of overall card performance and reliability. Here’s what you should know about the Lexar vs. Sandisk card debate before you go shopping for a new data…
Do feel like advertising your business online is a good idea but don’t’ know where to start? We’ve got Google Ads for Photographers Explained! I’m a photographer. I also have degrees and experience in public relations and economics, specifically in the natural resources industry. So I know a lot of stuff about some really weird…
You may be wondering if you need a monopod or a tripod for your photography gear, as using a slower shutter speed works best when the camera is supported and fixed in place. We’ll discuss the monopod vs tripod distinction, provide a few tips, and suggest what works best for situations like hunting and landscape…
Circular polarizing filters are popular among landscape photographers. These glass filters reduce glare and reflection and help you capture deep colors, stunning skies, and transparent bodies of water. Here is what you need to know about how a circular polarizer filter works and how to get the best results when working with light polarization. What…
Are Facebook Ads and Twice Daily IG Captions Really Necessary to Grow Your Photography Business? We’re Going Old School With These Ways to Promote Your Photography Business Without Social Media! It feels like everybody and every business is on social networks these days. And I mean everyone. Even my 79-year-old mom is on them and…
Nail exposure and white balance with the inexpensive, practically primitive, gray card Do you struggle setting white balance during sessions? How about nailing exposure with or without a flash? If I told you that I could solve both your problems for less than $25, would you believe me? It’s true. With the help of the…
Hand strap, cross-body strap or harness? Here’s what you need to know before choosing a camera strap! I never really gave much thought to my camera strap. I left the default yellow and black strap on my Nikon for years. But after really getting bit by the photography bug, I decided a padded strap was…
We have vision. But sometimes not the words. How to master the world of blogging for photographers. Does this sound like you? You pull up some images, open a text editor and wait for inspiration to strike. And wait. And wait. Argh!! It’s as if all your thoughts are wayward sheep and there’s no border…
Get the inside scoop from a former magazine head on getting photos published in publications and on blogs Ask 10 emerging photographers about one of their biggest photography dreams. At least a few of them will say getting photos published in a magazine is one of their goals. For landscape or wildlife photographers, it might…
Create a photo storage plan and eliminate your worst nightmare of lost images! Losing an image is hard. Disappointing clients is worse. But telling a client you’ve lost ALL their images is a freaking nightmare. It’s a worst-case scenario that scares photographers to death and keeps us up nights. Would your business survive a photo…
Use monitor calibration for better client images and prints This is how my first journey down the rabbit hole of monitor calibration began. “Were you going for a really warm portrait stylistically? Because your images lately have been really yellow.” This was a Facebook message I got from a pro photographer friend about six years…