Did you know about Image Stabilization when you got your first IS capable lens? I sure didn’t! Confession time…I had a lens with image stabilization for years before I really understood how it worked or when I needed it. I just kind of turned it on and left it on. Why pay more for a…
Learn why photographers love open shade for soft, flattering portraits! Find open shade they said. It makes for better portraits they said. At least that’s what photographers will tell you right after they tell you to shoot during golden hour. And open shade does make for better images. But what the heck is “open shade”…
Sometimes auto white balance is just a frenemy posing as a time-saving setting. We’ll tell you why. Photographers are a picky bunch. We will tweak settings, move here and there and wait for the light to be juuuuusssst right before we take an image. We want to shoot in manual and choose focus points so…
Running a business is hard enough without pixel peeping and stressing yourself out over things that don’t always matter. So stop it already! Are you guilty of pixel peeping? How about wasting HOURS tweaking your logo time and again? Do you constantly waffle between two edits for an image and cripple yourself with indecision? Yeah,…
Forget the settings…we have 6 OTHER ways to improve your photo sessions! One of the questions I get asked the most about my images is “What were your settings?” I totally understand why. It can be hard to conquer aperture, ISO and shutter speed, and the give and take between those elements. We naturally stress…
Amp up the impact by capturing motion in your photos We spend a lot of time talking about how to avoid blur in our photos. But sometimes blur is exactly what you want! Why? Because inducing blur is one way to convey motion in an otherwise static image. This tutorial will cover five different methods…
Understanding the zone system in photography makes you a better, more consistent photographer. Have you ever photographed a session and felt like you rocked it, only to pull those images up in post-production have your exposure completely out of whack? Have you ever photographed a white dress only to see it looks gray in your…
Have you ever wondered how other photographers are able to capture so many candid moments in their portrait photography? We’re about to let you in on the secret world of photography prompts, and you’re never going to look back! Everyone has a style of portrait photography that appeals to them. The amazing thing is, there…
Self-portrait photography will challenge your technical skills and your creativity! The word selfie didn’t become part of our cultural lexicon until sometime in 2013. But self-portrait photography has been around almost as long as photography itself. Robert Cornelius used his camera in the back of his family’s store to take his own portrait as early…
Have you ever been frustrated to find lens flares in your photo? Maybe it’s covering your subject’s face, or distracting from your image’s aesthetic. The good news is you can prevent this! You are in control of your camera, so you control if your image shows a lens flare. The lens flares don’t control you!…
What would you do if a client asked you to capture some last photos of their dying family member? Perhaps you’ve thought about joining an organization that captures the last memories a parent has with their still born baby. We’ll share our tips for how to approach bereavement photography with empathy, respect, and dignity. Bereavement…
Help contribute to the industry and the environment and practice good photography ethics. How much is a social media like worth to you? Is it worth a trespass fine? The destruction of private property? The loss of someone else’s income? The life of an animal? The lives of your friends and neighbors caught in a…
Learn to take pictures of the carnival, fair or amusement park in all its whirly, night-time glory! You don’t have to be a kid to love the carnival. The lights, the food, the noises and colors…it’s a feast for the senses. It can also be a fantastic place to take a camera and experiment! Join…
What is bokeh, and how do you get it? You’ve heard photographers throwing that term around like everyone knows what it is, but you’re left in the dark trying to understand it. Not to worry, bokeh isn’t so mysterious once someone explains what it means which is what we’re here for. We’ll also let you…
Have you ever wondered how photographers get those gorgeous glowing outdoor portraits of their clients? You know – the ones that evoke thoughts of happy days and lazy summer evenings, using only backlight photography. After diffused light aka cloudy days, backlight photography is one of an outdoor photographer’s best kinds of lighting. Soon you’ll know…
Have you ever seen a tilt shift photo or video? It’s a fascinating photography niche whose effect can be achieved both with a specialized lens and during the editing process. Seeing a tilt shift video or photo makes you feel like a giant overlooking a miniature world. Even if you’re seeing a real photo with…