Why a Headshot Background is Really Important!
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Why a Headshot Background is Really Important!

Many headshot backgrounds are either black or white, but there is a range of textures, natural elements, and other features that you can use to make a professional headshot stand out. Our tips for choosing the right background for your headshot will help you select a better setting, and impress your clients with a headshot…

How to Price Headshots: A Beginner’s Guide
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How to Price Headshots: A Beginner’s Guide

Learn how to price headshot sessions with confidence One of the most frequently asked questions in the Cole’s Classroom Facebook group is about how to price headshots. Pricing headshots feels more difficult than other sessions. But it doesn’t have to be. We have a few tips on how to price headshot sessions and set yourself…

Understanding Lens Basics
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Understanding Lens Basics

Get to know your camera’s BFF from inside to out with our guide to lens basics! If you’re new to photography or just have a new lens, you might not know what all the bits and pieces of your lens are there for. We’ll help you identify what this switch does, decode those lens numbers…

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art lens review – Is it worth the hype?
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Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art lens review – Is it worth the hype?

Photographers everywhere rave about their Sigma Art lenses.  But is the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art lens worth the hype? When I needed a fast 35mm lens for my kit, I settled on the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art lens. It wasn’t without reservations. I’d read reviews but my experience with Sigma lenses was less than satisfactory. After…

5 Tips for Flying with your Camera and other gear
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5 Tips for Flying with your Camera and other gear

Are you leaving on a jet plane soon? Flying with your camera can seem intimidating. But it’s really not. Be prepared with these five simple tips. I don’t do much air travel anymore. And until recently, I’d never traveled with my “big camera.” But I was flying from Denver to Indianapolis for a seminar on…

Gifts for Photographers in 2019
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Gifts for Photographers in 2019

What are the best and hottest gifts for photographers this year?  We’ve got a list! Do you have a photographer in your life?  Do you know what’s on her holiday wish list?  You better believe she has one!  If you need ideas, we have you covered! From stocking stuffers to new gear, we have a…

Understanding Lens Filters
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Understanding Lens Filters

What lens filters do you need and why?  We’ll give you the basics! Have you ever heard a photographer talk about using a lens filter but didn’t really understand what that meant?  You’re not alone!  Lens filters are simple in design but can have many different functions.  They are also incredibly useful for getting your…

Buying used photography equipment: Save money without getting scammed
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Buying used photography equipment: Save money without getting scammed

We give you the lowdown on buying used photography equipment! Just about every photographer I know has a wish list that’s at least a dozen items deep.  But let’s face it…lenses, camera bodies and other camera accessories are expensive.  To save money and expand their kit more quickly, some photographers turn to buying used photography…

Do I need a battery grip? And other questions on camera accessories
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Do I need a battery grip? And other questions on camera accessories

Battery grips.  Filters.  Memory cards.  Sort out what’s necessary and what’s nice to have when it comes to camera accessories To be a professional photographer, you only really need a camera, lens and a memory card or some film.  That’s it.  The rest of the equipment out there simply makes life easier, enhances your images…

The Highly Recommended Nifty Fifty Lens – What’s so special?
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The Highly Recommended Nifty Fifty Lens – What’s so special?

What’s so nifty about the fifty?  Let’s find out! It’s inexpensive, easy to use and optically sound.  So what’s not to love about a 50mm nifty fifty lens? In a word, nothing. There is a reason the 50mm lens is nicknamed the “nifty-fifty.”  Learn why this lens is one just about every photographer owns and…

Best Macro Lens for Photographers: The Ultimate Introduction
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Best Macro Lens for Photographers: The Ultimate Introduction

What’s the best macro lens for your kit?  Read this first! Macro photography can be a lot of fun to shoot.  There is just something fascinating about seeing tiny details at life-size.  There’s a whole teeny, tiny world out there waiting for an explorer like you! The problem?  To uncover these bijou realms, you need…

The 70-200mm lens – 5 reasons to stop thinking and just buy it already!
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The 70-200mm lens – 5 reasons to stop thinking and just buy it already!

The workhorse 70-200mm lens should be on just about every photographer’s must-have list Are you on the fence about purchasing a 70-200 mm lens?  Worried about the cost?  The weight?  Whether it’s a good lens?  I can’t make these lenses get any cheaper or heavier, but I can alleviate your concerns about it being a…

Wide Angle Lens – Expand Your Horizons
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Wide Angle Lens – Expand Your Horizons

Learn why a quality wide angle lens is a must for any landscape, street or event photographer to keep in their kit. Has a scenic vista ever captivated your imagination?  Maybe you’ve tried shooting family pictures in tight quarters?  Or do you love that in your face view of street photography?  If you’ve said yes…

Boudoir Photography: Beginners Guide to Rocking Your First Shoot
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Boudoir Photography: Beginners Guide to Rocking Your First Shoot

Boudoir photography has a bit of an unfair reputation. Either it’s looked down upon as being improper or it’s put on a pedestal because it’s perceived as only for women with the “right” body shape. I can think of a dozen reasons why others think boudoir photography is wrong. So why does it still exist…

Tokina 100 mm f/2.8 macro lens review: Amazing images, budget price
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Tokina 100 mm f/2.8 macro lens review: Amazing images, budget price

A Tokina 100mm f/2.8 macro lens review and my new love affair. This Tokina 100mm f/2.8 macro lens review is not sexy, which is fitting considering the lens itself it’s very sexy.  You don’t hear a lot of people raving about it on photography sites.  Like the proverbial nice guy, it often gets overlooked by…