Photofocus

Education and inspiration for visual storytellers

Scott Wyden Kivowitz

Scott Wyden Kivowitz is the Chief Community Officer at Imagely, a father, photographer blogger, and educator. Scott is also the author of multiple photography ebooks including the topics of long exposures, panoramics, and street photography. Get his free Lightroom video series, Fundamentally Lightroom, to help you simplify your Lightroom workflow, and also receive his free photography guides collection as a thank you.

Latest posts by Scott Wyden Kivowitz (see all)

My move to mirrorless

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Ever since Sony released their first full-frame mirrorless camera in 2013, I have been wanting to make the switch from DSLR to mirrorless. But I did not want to switch to Sony, for a handful of reasons. Some of which are: The camera is built on the Minolta system, which to me is a turnoff. (Here come the hater comments). You see, I used to work at a large camera warranty company and could see first hand how poorly made Minolta cameras were, how poorly made Sony cameras were. Yes, Sony has evolved over the years, and they’re much (much) … [Read more...] about My move to mirrorless

Nikon Z6 first impressions

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Before picking up the Nikon Z6, I had some doubts about the new Z system Nikon created. First and foremost is the elephant so obviously in the room. The single card slot that only accepts an XQD card, and soon a CFexpress card. Fortunately, CFexpress will make memory cards less expensive for the Z system. The new camera bodies also have a new lens mount to go with it. Which means you cannot use Nikon’s classic lens collection on the new bodies natively. Sure, they’ll work. But you have to use the Nikon FTZ adapter. That converts the F mount … [Read more...] about Nikon Z6 first impressions

The absolute best time to post on Facebook

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Let’s be honest, you’re slightly misled by the title of this. Kinda, sorta. OK, here is the truth. I am about to tell you the absolute best time to post on Facebook. But really, that time depends on you. There, I said it. There is no golden hour for Facebook posts. There is no shining star that works for everyone. There is no miracle worker. Facebook is a pay to play system now. Back in “the day” you could go on Facebook, post something, and all of your page followers would see it. But now you’re lucky if you can get a handful of people … [Read more...] about The absolute best time to post on Facebook

Business routines: Financials

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The first of every month is something I've become accustomed to ... My phone alert going off at 10 a.m. saying "Business Finances." This alert serves as a reminder for me to open my bank accounts online dedicated to my LLC (business) and download all the activity from the previous month. This act takes about 2-5 minutes depending on if my daughter lets me focus or not. Next, I open QuickBooks Online and go to the banking section. I then import the downloaded files into QuickBooks. From there I match the right categories to everything and … [Read more...] about Business routines: Financials

Call me impressed: A small change to a simple product

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Think Tank Photo recently made a tiny change (really a couple tiny changes) to a product that's so simple, and I'm impressed. For years I have used the Think Tank Photo memory card wallets, like the Pixel Pocket Rocket. I've used wallets that hold Compact Flash cards, Compact Flash and Secure Digital cards, and only Secure Digital cards. But recently Think Tank Photo announced their new Secure Pixel Pocket Rockets. These wallets are slightly larger than the previous versions for two reasons: They're meant to hold any memory card … [Read more...] about Call me impressed: A small change to a simple product

5 incredibly useful photography accessories

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As photographers, we often find ourselves faced with endless choices of gadgets and gizmos that could aid in our artwork. Today I want to share a few items that you could find useful in your camera bag, closet or drawer. These items might not be useful on a regular basis, but when you need it, having them could be a project saver. Hero Clip The first product I want to share is the Hero Clip. It's a carabiner unlock any you've used before. It's a carabiner with a hook. Yes, that simple! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpqGZDky5vw Having … [Read more...] about 5 incredibly useful photography accessories

5 steps to get out of Auto

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When just starting out in photography the typical person will begin their journey with the camera set to Auto. Using this mode tells the camera to choose the ISO, shutter speed, aperture, flash and focus. https://youtu.be/YUuwmeEhZu0 To be honest, the Auto mode has gotten much better over the years, and it can really lead to nice photographs. But the photographer still needs to think about composition and focal length. There is so much more to photography than simply clicking the shutter button and moving along. It’s an art and with … [Read more...] about 5 steps to get out of Auto

Don’t make this outdoor lighting mistake

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I made a mistake. It was one that I teach photographers not to make, but I still did it. You see, it was a scorching, sunny day. There was no wind, so I didn’t plan on bringing any sand or water bags to weigh my light stand down. But then, out of the blue came one strong gust of wind. For only the entire photo session. Down came my light sand. I was lucky, in a way, because my umbrella broke the fall, and took the effect of the impact. The umbrella’s rod snapped in half, but my strobe was in perfect … [Read more...] about Don’t make this outdoor lighting mistake

3 ways to use a ring light in photography

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At first glance, it might appear as though a ring light has only one purpose in photography. But really, you can think outside the circle (pun intended) to use a ring light in multiple ways. Today we’d like to share some of those with you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJketh_sOEI Standard method The standard method for using a ring light is to use it as a main light source with a camera inside of the circle. That enables the light to illuminate the subject’s face perfectly in a complete circle. With the camera inside of the circle, the … [Read more...] about 3 ways to use a ring light in photography

A simple and free content creation workflow

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Editor’s Note: We welcome Scott Wyden Kivowitz to the Photofocus team. Scott is a father and photographer whose dedication to teaching photographers comes through in a straightforward and no fluff style. Scott is also the Chief Community Officer at Imagely, the WordPress Photography People. Not all photographers feel comfortable with the idea of content creation. I’m not referring to photography content, of course. I’m talking about text or video and even audio content. In this article, I will be sharing two simple workflows that can help … [Read more...] about A simple and free content creation workflow

Using video for your photography business

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Editor’s Note: We welcome Scott Wyden Kivowitz to the Photofocus team. Scott is a father and photographer whose dedication to teaching photographers comes through in a straightforward and no fluff style. Scott is also the Chief Community Officer at Imagely, the WordPress Photography People. As photographers, we think photography is the only thing we should be showing on our websites. The mobile age is here and has been for a while. But it’s only still getting started as new apps and services are coming out every day for both iOS and Android. … [Read more...] about Using video for your photography business

Four ways to photograph a white background

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Editor's Note: We welcome Scott Wyden Kivowitz to the Photofocus team. Scott is a father and photographer whose dedication to teaching photographers comes through in a straightforward and no fluff style. Scott is also the Chief Community Officer at Imagely, the WordPress Photography People. Sometimes the simplest things can produce the most results. Sometimes the least expensive things can open up more doors than you ever thought was possible. Sometimes photography feels like magic. White backgrounds are such … [Read more...] about Four ways to photograph a white background