Something to consider when styling and composing for a still life photoshoot is whether or not to use height — and I am not referring to standing on a ladder. If all of the items in your scene are fairly flat to the background, how will you place or angle
Great light painting is largely trial and error. Or is it? Can you produce consistent results with light painting? Let’s explore this! Experimentation Light painting does have an element of trial and error, experimentation, and adjustments. But how much of it is, well, shooting in the dark? Blasting away vs.
Do you light up your subjects only to find that they look flat and dull? Look no further. We are here to help with your light painting! Above: Differences in handheld light painting angles. The left photo is lit while standing directly in back of the camera. The right photo
I will describe how I light painted the Ryan Ranch ruins in Joshua Tree National Park. Hopefully it inspires you to try light painting yourself! What is light painting? The term is often used loosely to describe any addition of light to a night photograph. Really, though, light painting is a technique
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to photograph a local event with entrepreneurs from Detroit, who had traveled to Grand Rapids to visit with other “makers” in the area. There were talks and hands-on interaction; a lot of which I’m used to with corporate events. But there was
One of the things I’m asked to photograph often are speakers at corporate events. These can be boring and uninspiring if not photographed right. So remember this — look at the background and position yourself so there’s some texture and depth present behind your subject. In the photo above, the
When photographing an image with some type of line, path, or object that will go out of my frame, my very first instinct is to find a way to push it towards one of the corners. This also works well for items that are coming into the frame, too. Compositionally
Thanks to Vanelli and Meghan Ryan-Harrington for the Behind the Scenes shots. When shooting a video project, there is a need to typically get multiple shots (or angles) of the same scene. In modern productions, viewers aren’t content to watch just a single shot occur on screen. The audience expects
The overall composition of a photograph can make-or-break an image. There is a lot to think about before you click the shutter release, and one of these things is whether you want the image to be framed vertically or horizontally. When I make a photograph, especially if I know it’s
