Ephemeral auroras and playful galaxies: these are the Astronomy Photographer of the Year winners

“Back to the spaceship,” runner-up, People & Space category. © Mihail Minkov An aurora dances, illuminating the night sky. The Milky Way stretches across snowy mountain tops. An abstracted view of the sun and moon. These images and more make up the winning cohort for this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards, which are… Continue reading Ephemeral auroras and playful galaxies: these are the Astronomy Photographer of the Year winners

23 Cinematic Music Tracks to Inspire Your Next Video

Your choice of music can be everything when it comes to your video project. We’ve put together some of our favorite pieces, loosely categorized to make it easy for you to find what you want. Free Video Course on Choosing The Best Cinematic Background Music Choosing the right cinematic background music for your videos is… Continue reading 23 Cinematic Music Tracks to Inspire Your Next Video

Summer swan song: Our favorite reader-submitted photos of the season’s end

Tejus Shah A Ferris Wheel glows in the twilight. Orange skies greet a new dawn. Baskets of apples signal that the seasons are changing. In the blink of an eye, summer has flown by. August winds down, vacations are over, and it’s back to work/school. These are our favorite reader-submitted photos that pay homage to… Continue reading Summer swan song: Our favorite reader-submitted photos of the season’s end

10 Top Tips for Designing a Cartoon Character for 2D Animation

If you love cartoons, why not try your hand at designing a cartoon character? After all, every expert started as a beginner. It’s easier than you think. Just follow these ten top tips and you’ll have a stunning character ready to animate in no time. 1. Keep It Simple Cartoons come in a wide variety of… Continue reading 10 Top Tips for Designing a Cartoon Character for 2D Animation

How to choose the perfect time for your shoot

Karl Lundholm loves shooting on the water half an hour before sunset, while Ryan Locknecker has a passion for watching the sunrise in the mountains. Ueli Frischknecht prefers twilight—“that brief moment right before sunrise.” Daniel Casson likes shooting in the morning because of the combination of fog and sunlight, while Elsa Bleda feels drawn to… Continue reading How to choose the perfect time for your shoot

All things avian: Our favorite reader-submitted bird Photos of the Day

“Hiding in the wings”. Marc Sheridan A baby bird with bedhead, a majestic pink flamingo, a flock headed South across a wintry landscape. It’s been Bird Week at PopPhoto, so it only made sense that the Photos of the Day challenge would showcase all things avian. Our favorite entries had a sprinkling of humor, interesting… Continue reading All things avian: Our favorite reader-submitted bird Photos of the Day

How Lighting Imparts Emotion in an Animated Scene

Lighting in animation is more than just making a scene look stunning—it’s also about choosing an aesthetic that can evoke a desired style, mood, or ambience. Lighting can be incredibly nuanced, and it’s often used to give audiences a better connection to the emotional levels of the animation. Lighting can help to convey the mood… Continue reading How Lighting Imparts Emotion in an Animated Scene

4 One-Light Setups: Split, Broad, Short, and Profile Lighting for Portrait Photos

Welcome to another lesson from our course, Intermediate Flash Photography. In this lesson, you’re going to learn about a lighting pattern called split lighting. You’re also going to learn about broad lighting, short lighting, and rim lighting. You’ll discover how they affect your photos and when to use them. By the end of this lesson,… Continue reading 4 One-Light Setups: Split, Broad, Short, and Profile Lighting for Portrait Photos

This week’s reader-submitted Photos of the Day are a tour around the world

Kevin Kielty For this week’s Photos of the Day challenge, we handed over artistic license and invited readers to submit their favorite shots ever. The result did not disappoint and the winners took us on a grand tour of the world. Dripping glaciers in Iceland, the Florentine skyline, and a trek through the desert are… Continue reading This week’s reader-submitted Photos of the Day are a tour around the world

Faceless photography tips: Why anonymous photos can still be attractive to licensing clients

Faceless photos are trending—at least when it comes to photography. We’ve all seen the pictures: faceless figures in a vast landscape, tourists in straw hats gazing at iconic landmarks, and the famous #Followmeto theme, where all we see is someone’s back leading us into the unknown. When a photo is anonymous, we can’t identify the… Continue reading Faceless photography tips: Why anonymous photos can still be attractive to licensing clients