Tips for photographers on how to tackle pre-shoot anxiety

Consider this: according to research from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, artists experience more stress and anxiety when compared to those in other fields, but they also measure higher in terms of strengths such as hope or ego resilience—or the ability to recover from difficult times. In other words, artists might have more anxiety… Continue reading Tips for photographers on how to tackle pre-shoot anxiety

Spotlight on flat lay photography and how to incorporate it in your commercial portfolio

It’s a trend you’ve seen all over your social media feeds, initially popularized by brands like Sephora, Apple, and Gap and proliferating under hashtags like #flatlay, #flatlays, #flaylaystyle, #flatlaytoday. “Flat lay photography” is exactly what it sounds like: a straight overhead-style shot of objects arranged neatly on a flat surface. The curated Instagram page @flatlays… Continue reading Spotlight on flat lay photography and how to incorporate it in your commercial portfolio

Nobody understands depth of field and it’s all Apple’s fault

A shallow depth of field can result in bokeh or soft, circular renderings in the out-of-focus portions of an image. Some lenses have more pleasing bokeh than others. Tang Ming Tung/Getty You’ve likely seen plenty of photos with soft, out-of-focus backgrounds. With the right setting, they can look rather dreamy with brightly colored circles (called… Continue reading Nobody understands depth of field and it’s all Apple’s fault

Photography’s golden rules and when to break them

The fundamentals of photography composition are meant to be broken but first, you must grasp them. Stan Horaczek Photography has a lot of rules that are really just principles. Most of them are useful guidelines worth understanding, not edicts to be followed to the letter. In this photography fundamentals series, we’re going to look at… Continue reading Photography’s golden rules and when to break them

Tips to build a great landscape photo

In 2006, Edward Steichen’s 1904 picture of a pond in Westchester County, New York, bathed in moonlight, fetched a whopping $2.9 million at Sotheby’s. In 2011, Andreas Gursky’s photograph of the Rhine river sold for $4,338,500 at Christie’s. And in 2020, even at the height of the pandemic, an Ansel Adams print, created at Grand… Continue reading Tips to build a great landscape photo

How to unlock your smartphone camera’s best hidden features

Jeff Carlson What could be more fundamental to photography today than our smartphone cameras? They’re ever-present, ready in moments, and the technology behind them makes it easy to capture great photos in most situations. And yet, I regularly encounter people who are unaware of many of the core functions of the built-in camera app. Smartphone… Continue reading How to unlock your smartphone camera’s best hidden features

How to create double exposures on film

Double exposures are easy to experiment with and can often lead to unexpected results. Evan Purney You pick out a roll of film and load it into your camera. You advance by a few frames. You line up your shot and…*CLICK.* The shutter opens for just an instant, light hits the film, and the moment… Continue reading How to create double exposures on film

Adventures in the outback: Winners of the 2022 Australian Geographic photo awards

“Head on.” Runner-up in the Threatened Species category. Matty Smith The skeleton of a tree rises towards the Milky Way. Sharks encircle the carcass of a dead whale. Tiny critters search for a snack. These scenes are among the winners and finalists of the 2022 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year awards. They invite… Continue reading Adventures in the outback: Winners of the 2022 Australian Geographic photo awards

Using the magic of reflections to elevate your photography

In Namibia, Marsel van Oosten captures the mirror image of a springbok, pausing to drink at a watering hole in the afternoon light. On a snowy morning on Lake Kawaguchiko, Loic Lagarde captures the perfect reflection of Mount Fuji in the still water. And at Germany’s Rakotzbrücke Devil’s Bridge, Kilian Schonberger photographs a fairytale setting… Continue reading Using the magic of reflections to elevate your photography

Skateboard photographer Atiba Jefferson on getting your foot in the door

Andrew Reynolds frontside flips a hefty double set of stairs in front of a crowd. © Atiba Jefferson Atiba Jefferson is a legend in the world of skateboard photography (and skateboarding in general). With more than 25 years of experience behind the lens, his work has and continues to grace the covers and pages of… Continue reading Skateboard photographer Atiba Jefferson on getting your foot in the door