Bring home great shots of your once-in-a-lifetime adventures
Whether you’re headed to the big city nearby or across an ocean, shooting on location is a lot of fun, and full of photographic possibilities. These tips will help prepare you to make the most of your camera as you explore.
Learn to see and shoot differently for your best monochrome images ever
In recent years, black-and-white has gained new attention and appreciation. Software makers are offering increasingly capable tools for custom black-and-white conversions, and most photo printers address the unique needs of black-and-white printing with special inks and settings. Use the following tips to help you create distinctive black-and-white images.
Tips for posing and composing environmental portraits from a master of the art
David Stoecklein has a knack for putting people at ease and posing them naturally. When he walks onto a ranch or some other Western setting, he knows exactly what he has to do first.
An easy way to get started is to get a piece of foam board about 2x3 feet in size. This is a readily found size, and it’s small enough to easily use. Have someone hold it, or clamp or tape it to something on one side of your subject. Then use your off-camera flash and point it at the foam board from a distance of a couple of feet. You need to have it far enough from the reflector that it spreads out the light, but not so far that it spills over the edges. Move the reflecting board up and down, as well as side to side for different effects.
Add colored gels to your flash for creative effects
Early in my career, I assisted numerous studio photographers to learn more about lighting. I wanted to master the secrets of capturing those stunning portraits and technical location shots. I soon realized two important things were happening in creating these images. First, the flash was being modified by umbrellas, softboxes, grids, beauty dishes and numerous other light-shaping tools. Second, the color of the flash was being changed by gels.
Tips to enhance portraits and images from once-in-a-lifetime events
When it comes to personal photographs, some of the most important images are those taken on a wedding day. That puts pros, as well as weekend wedding photographers, under a lot of pressure to get the shot.
Think like an artist—not a tourist—for great travel photos
Beautiful landscapes and townscapes, as well as powerful environmental portraits and photo essays, can be obtained by anyone with a camera, a concept and the desire to do so. But how does one transcend the “I was here” imagery that’s often associated with travel photography and create fine-art images of places near and far?
Putting your photo skills to work for extra income
If making money from your passion for photography has crossed your mind, there has never been a better time. The microstock boom has made it easier than ever for even casual photographers to sell images on the side and grow from there.
