I recently explored an abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert at night. The park has been abandoned since 2004. I was drawn to the entrance, and I thought I could create some great shadows with this. I’ll break down the
For years I have struggled with something that is quite silly. You see, I have a bunch of lighting equipment. Some are compact, some are larger. I seriously dislike lugging around big lights. I also seriously dislike using tiny speedlights
Off-camera flash intimidates a lot of photographers. However, there’s no need to be put off. Using rechargeable strobes, flashes, and monolights is a lot easier than you think. It’s also not expensive to buy into an off-camera flash system. On
We had just arrived at a creepy abandoned mental hospital on the East Coast. We walked through dystopian rooms with trees growing through the walls and windows. When we entered the large auditorium, I saw the piano on the stage.
This is a night photo of an old garage and vintage 1940s Cadillac Fleetwood (with an old Buick front end) on a beautiful Mojave evening, underneath the light of a full moon. The camera shutter was open for 396 seconds.
I was recently asked how to take great photos with bad lighting. The simple answer is there really is no such thing as bad lighting — you just have to get a little creative. Window light I have one small
When photographing food, the direction of your light is very important. Certain angles will help shape the scene and can also be the difference between a successful image, and one that is just “meh.” In this article, I will be
It took me years to work up the guts to start playing with off-camera flash. As an enthusiastic but financially-challenged amateur photographer, buying a flash seemed like an expense fraught with uncertainty. I didn’t know what I was looking for,
The trouble with photographing eyeglasses is that they’re made of glass, which is generally pretty reflective and reflections of my flashes may obscure the eyes behind the glass, and if we can’t see a person’s eyes we might as well
Using the light from a window is a terrific way to illuminate your subject. It can be the biggest and softest light of all — and it’s free. One of the biggest advantages to using window light is that what
What’s the difference between hard and soft light? This is a great question and one that can sometimes be a little confusing when you’re first starting out as a photographer. Soft light comes from a light source that is relatively
When looking at a portrait where is the first place you look? I look at the subject’s eyes. This leads me to look at the lights in their eyes. A catchlight is a light source that causes a specular highlight
Sigma is well-known for their high-quality lenses at excellent prices, but they have also made cameras for many years. Recently, there’s been a whole lot of excitement about Sigma’s fp L camera among videographers and filmmakers. It offers a lot
For many years, I have been a huge fan of ultra-wide-angle zooms. Lenses that go from ultra-wide to wide focal lengths, to me, are some of the most versatile lenses around. These days, when I go on photowalks through my
Today’s modern cameras come with powerful features that make night photography a lot easier. They include the increasingly capable cameras of smartphones. If you’re curious about night photography with the iPhone 12, you might get some cool ideas from this Apple Creative
How to create quick and easy lighting overlays in Photoshop using the Gradient tool and Render Gallery. These are super easy to make and can add such a terrific element to your images, whether subtle or over the top.
This morning, Skylum unveiled additional details about Luminar Neo, set to be released winter 2021. Specifically, the company talked about four upcoming features — layers, RelightAI, Portrait Background RemovalAI and MaskAI. As a part of Luminar Neo, Skylum is looking
I shoot a lot of real estate — A LOT. I like to talk about the latest cameras and lenses for the highest possible image quality. However, there’s one underrated aspect about long exposure photography I like to emphasize as
“Knowing failure is part of our process, and leads to new ideas, stronger work, and more honest questions, liberates us to peer, a little less frightened, into the unknown.” – David duChemin David duChemin photographs the souls of his subjects.
We often hear the saying that we must learn the rules of photography first before we break them. However, as Daniel Inskeep of Mango Street tell us in the video above, we often aren’t told in detail how to break these rules. If this
Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park offers an opportunity to photograph unique animals and plants close to Los Angeles in California.
Fall is one of the best times for portrait sessions. So, it’s also a perfect season to do mini fall portrait sessions to promote and expand your photography business. Are you doing seasonal shoots for the first time? Are you
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