Feeds: Our Picks

This is the promised follow-up to my article on Creating Compelling Wide-Angle Portraits Using One Off-Camera Flash. While part one discussed equipment, composition, lighting and posing, this article focuses exclusively on post-processing.Let me start by stating the obvious. Everyone has their own unique preferences regarding post-processing. Just read the comments below a posted image that is somewhat heavy on processing and you will see the variety of opinions out there. Personally, I like creating portraits that look somewhat surreal. I achieve some of this look... READ MORE

Cropping a photo just right can be challenging, especially if you’re working on a smaller laptop screen. Use this quick Lightroom tip from the folks at Adobe to help you get more precise results every time.The tip is super simple, just do two things when you’re ready to crop your image. (1) Press Shift + Tab to hide all of Lightroom’s panels and make your image as large as possible on the screen. Then, (2) press “L” twice to enter “lights out” view.Now, when you... READ MORE

Nadir BalcikliI have always built my life around efficiency and productivity. It came naturally me to me as a Type A individual and the first-born in my family. When it came time to run a photography business, being efficient and productive was more important than ever. Over the past 10 years, my workflow has certainly changed and evolved.If you are just beginning, this may take some trail and error, especially if you are working through different programs and filing methods. If you have had your... READ MORE

Click the title of the article to read this post on Improve Photography, which includes all media files mentioned.Like most high school athletics, money is tight at the school where I shoot a lot of soccer.  In fact I donate 100% of the profit from my action pictures during the boy’s season back to the boys’ soccer program.  Why do I “give away” my money to the school?  This happens to be the high school that both my wife and I graduated from as well... READ MORE

If you are shooting on location (and even if not) you must have a ton of batteries to power your production war-horse. The camera takes batteries, the lights take batteries, remotes, phones, monitors. Actually, most devices take more than one battery. And every battery set want their own charger. And every charger want it’s out The post This is how you build a portable charger case to answer all your power needs appeared first on DIY Photography. ... READ MORE

"In a mad dash to outdo the rest of the photography world, it seems to me that landscape photographers are learning to do whatever it takes to an image to make theirs stand out in the quest for popularity, especially online." says photographer Antony Spencer. So many of the images we see on a day to day basis are of the same locations over and over again." When you look at his work, it's easy to see how he's doing a pretty good job of... READ MORE

What is dodging and burning?The techniques of dodging and burning are hand-me-downs from the days of the darkroom. The idea was to manipulate parts of an image while the paper was being exposed to light from the enlarger, where the negative was fitted. In order to decrease the exposure (lighten) on parts of an image, the paper had to be exposed for less time, which was dodging. To increase exposure (darken) it needed to be exposed for more time, which was burning.Before dodging and burningAfter dodging and... READ MORE

‘We accept the reality of the world with which we’re presented. It’s as simple as that.’ – The Truman ShowThe Truman ShowWhen you think of a movie you love it tends to seem obvious why you love it. Your appreciation could be routed in a memory, affection for a cast member, a particularly moving or clever scene, a great soundtrack or smart dialoguel It could a combination of any number of things you can put your finger on, but it would also appear that it... READ MORE

FlashThe word alone has the potential to cause dread, even among experienced photographers, bringing to mind images of overexposed faces and red eyes. Because of this, many photographers avoid flash altogether, keeping a safe distance at all times. I think that’s too bad.It’s a missed opportunity. Sure, flash may not always be applicable to your situation – but it’s very helpful to have another tool in your bag of tricks if and when it is needed.Off-camera flash gives you an incredible amount of control. Yes,... READ MORE

In this article I'll try to outline a handful of the key elements that I look for when composing a photo in the field. The process of composing a photo can be daunting at times, but I hope that some of these tips will help you to lay the groundwork for developing an eye for composition in landscape photography.Compositional Visualization: See the ball, be the ballDeveloping an eye for composition in landscape photography is something that takes a great deal of time and practice in... READ MORE

Color blocking is no longer just a trend for daring fashionistas. Photographers are creating amazing work by mixing bright, bold colors to create dramatic compositions — and we love seeing all of the experimentation! In one of our most recent Quests, we asked you to submit your most eye-catching color block compositions for the chance to win a Lensbaby Composer Pro II with Edge 50 Optic, perfect for getting creative with tilt-shift photography. In the winning photo, we wanted to see submissions filled... READ MORE

I never get tired of seeing our closest star set below the horizon, and seeing how the landscape changes as the warm light gets fainter by the minute. Every sunset has its personality depending each location, weather and season. One beautiful thing about a sunset is what happens right after the Sun has set. If turn around, you can slowly see the Earth shadow rising from the horizon. A low horizon is preferred to get a better view of the phenomena. Midwinter sunset with a... READ MORE

Advancing Your Photography Show's host Marc Silber walks us through a quick lesson in Lightroom basics that will leave you feeling confident and comfortable editing your own photographs.Marc starts by sharing his work flow with us and ends with a stunning before and after.Text, image and video via www.silberstudios.tv  SUBSCRIBEGet Latest Videos,Promotions & Exclusive ... READ MORE

There are multiple ways to carry out, essentially, every task in this world, but efficiency is truly what differentiates the average from the proficient.Most large family formal photos or clustered group shots take a generous amount of TLC, and with the constant ebb and flow of wedding timelines, challenges may present themselves when you least expect them, forcing you to think quick on your feet and act immediately. This simple light set-up gives you the flexibility to work with uncontrollable ambient light while utilizing high-quality,... READ MORE

One of the unintended consequence of blazing new trails is, often, capturing incredible photographs. That’s how we ended up with this gorgeous shot that shows SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket both taking off and landing… in a single long exposure.The photo was uploaded to SpaceX’s Flickr account, where you can see a lot of other historic shots like these. This particular image was captured on July 18th, the night the Falcon 9 delivered the Dragon cargo spacecraft into orbit. Once the payload was securely on its... READ MORE

From comic books to film adaptations, superheroes are commonly portrayed as warriors, defenders, and protectors of people who are helpless, distressed, and in mortal danger — and they’re usually seen on city rooftops and urban settings. “The Quest for the Absolute” series by photographer Benoit Lapray tells a different story. He expertly blends popular superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman into his own sprawling countryside landscape photos. The effect is dramatic, capturing a feeling of isolation and pensive sadness that accompanies the superheroes as... READ MORE

Photographer Jerry Ferguson was shooting from a news helicopter this week when he spotted a microburst over Phoenix, Arizona. In the right place at the right time, Ferguson managed to capture remarkable photos of it.A microburst is like a reversed tornado. While a tornado has winds that move inward and upward, microbursts have strong winds that move downward and outward. During wet microbursts, winds can be accompanied by massive downpours.“We spotted this microburst as we were covering a dust storm near Phoenix,” Ferguson tells PetaPixel,... READ MORE

Beauty and fashion retouching has been controversial for so long that some of the argument's ground has been conceded. For example, skin retouching is rarely debated anymore and it's merely a "given" that someone in an advert or magazine will have had their skin corrected. However, criticizing body manipulation in Photoshop is very much still in vogue (if you'll excuse that glorious pun).[ Read More ]... READ MORE

Shooting sports can be an extremely challenging experience: translating the intense action you see in front of your lens into awesome imagery isn’t easy. Here are my six tips you can apply right away!Nail the Perfect PoseFirst and foremost, in my opinion, the exact pose you capture an athlete in is the major determining factor of whether or not an image will convey the intensity of the movement. It’s unfortunately very easy to make a top athlete look absolutely silly if you just shoot a... READ MORE

When you are learning photography you read so much about golden hours, the right time of the day to take photos, and other rules. What about the sort of photos to take depending on the weather? People tend to think that you need good weather to get good photos.What happens when all there is only rain, fog, overcast skies, and all you want to do is sit inside, keep warm, and drink coffee? However, what if you disregard all that, and decide that you like the... READ MORE

Knowing what to shoot and learning how to tell a story in your videos can be a challenge. It’s something you pick up with over time with experience, but where do you begin? Rob Nelson’s latest video on Rob & Jonas’ Filmmaking Tips helps get you started with some solid story telling advice. While the primary subject is video footage, the same principles The post 4 Tips to help you tell a story with your work appeared first on DIY Photography. ... READ MORE

One of the essential tools of any party photographer is an on-camera flash. It's important when it comes to dimly lit situations or when there just isn't enough light on a subject's face. For the person trying to get into it, doing this can be tough and intimidating because they have no idea how to use a flash and simply pointing it forward and shooting isn't always the best idea either.... READ MORE

Click the title of the article to read this post on Improve Photography, which includes all media files mentioned.Cover image. Photo by Nick Fancher.Nick Fancher’s latest book, Studio Anywhere 2: A Photographer’s Guide to Shaping Hard Light, is the perfect guide for the photographer looking to understand and control a range of lighting situations, especially those involving a speedlight or two. With practical instructions, plentiful technical details, real-world business advice, and beautiful photographs, Mr. Fancher gives his readers a text to return to again and... READ MORE

Want to see the composition concepts used in famous scenes from famous movies? Raymond Thi of Composition Cam has been taking still frames and overlaying neon pink lines to show things like symmetry, thirds, quadrants, triangles, diagonals, and more.You may remember the shot above from the film The Shining by Stanley Kubrik. Here are some more images created by Thi:Kill BillSilence of the LambsFull Metal JacketTitanicGhostbustersThe Truman ShowBlack SwanHarry PotterRoad to PerditionChildren of MenSpartacusThe MatrixYou can find more of these composition images and follow along... READ MORE

The iconic AlienBee has been one of the most popular strobe units ever since their debut in 2001, and for good reason. Developed to be the perfect balance of price and quality (which is something that's tricky to pull off in the world of gear) their reputation spread quickly. Sure, you can always spend many, many, many thousands of dollars on studio lights in order attain top quality equipment, but it's never been easy purchasing a strobe rig when more restrained budgets are a concern.... READ MORE