Winter Evening Photography

Make the most of early sunsets with techniques for shooting magic hour light as well as after dark

William Sawalich

Sunset is very early this time of year, which makes this the perfect time to head out for dusk and after-dark shots in the late afternoon and evening. What sorts of things can you shoot without bright sunlight? Well, the same things you might shoot at midday—just with different techniques. Here are a few interesting ways to take advantage of winter’s... Read more

How To Ensure Bad Lighting

Follow this terrible advice, and you’ll always ensure your lighting will be subpar

William Sawalich

If you follow the bad lighting advice provided here, you’ll never get a shot like this, which was made using a north-facing window as a beautiful, soft key light that’s ideal for portraits. If poor quality lighting is your goal, from portraits to landscapes, here’s our advice for ensuring your lighting is never very good. Learn a lighting rule... Read more

Weigh Down Your Tripod To Make It More Stable

Many tripods have a simple, yet immensely useful feature hiding in plain sight

William Sawalich

Why is there a hook on the bottom of my tripod? Do you know that your tripod likely has a little retractable hook at the bottom of its center column? Do you know why? If you answered “yes” to both questions, do you know the particulars about how to put this hook to use? Many professional-caliber tripods include a small hook beneath the center column... Read more

7 Top Guides To Winter Photography

From technical information on exposure and other settings to creative compositional suggestions, these winter photography tips and techniques will help you capture fresh images of the season

By The Editors Of Digital Photo Magazine

From technical information on exposure and other settings to creative compositional suggestions, these winter photography tips and techniques will help you capture fresh images of the season. 1. Make A Beautiful Family Portrait This Holiday Take advantage of the winter gathering to make a family photo to remember with these tips and techniques. Read... Read more

Make A Beautiful Family Portrait This Holiday

Take advantage of the winter gathering to make a family photo to remember using these tips and techniques

By William Sawalich

Whatever your family’s traditions, consider taking advantage of a holiday gathering as the perfect opportunity to make a family portrait. In warmer parts of the country you may be able to comfortably make portraits outdoors in late fall and early winter, but for the rest of us, a holiday photo shoot means working indoors. Use these tips to make the... Read more

On-Axis Lighting

Three instances where placing a light source as close to the lens as possible makes for a great lighting look

William Sawalich

Plop a flash on top of your camera and start firing away, and you’re not likely to be accused of masterful lighting. I’ve always thought of an on-camera flash as dumping a bucket of light on a subject—not exactly the most nuanced lighting approach. But not all frontal illumination is quite so bad. In fact, sometimes full-frontal, on-axis lighting... Read more

Top 7 Guides To Becoming A Better B&W Photographer

From learning how to see in monochrome to software conversion options to the craft of printing, these guides provide a thorough understanding of black-and-white photography

By The Editors Of Digital Photo Magazine

From learning how to see in monochrome to software conversion options to the craft of printing, these guides provide a thorough understanding of black-and-white photography. These tips and techniques use the essential qualities of monochrome photography to strengthen your composition. Whether you are photographing wildlife, sports, macro subjects,... Read more

How To Find A Stolen Camera

Track down your missing camera equipment thanks to EXIF metadata and a helpful website that puts it to use

William Sawalich

Much like a private detective, there’s a high-tech service out there that can help you find your camera should it go missing. No, not if it’s missing under the couch, but if it has walked off somewhere at the hands of some unscrupulous thief. The service is called Stolen Camera Finder, and it’s free to try with just a small fee if you decide to... Read more

Top 5 Guides To Becoming A Better Portrait Photographer

No matter what type of photography you prefer, at one point or another, you’ll find yourself shooting a portrait. These tips and techniques will help you unlock your creative potential and capture fresh images in a new light.

By The Editors Of Digital Photo Magazine

No matter what type of photography you prefer, at one point or another, you’ll find yourself shooting a portrait. These five guides feature tips and techniques to help you unlock your creative potential and capture fresh images in a new light. 1. Portraits: Keep It Real When we see a good portrait, we know it. It gives us the sense of knowing the... Read more

Shooting Portraits In Bright Sunlight

How to compose good portraits when faced with this awful lighting scenario

William Sawalich

Have you found yourself in a situation where it’s the middle of the day, not a cloud in the sky, and somebody needs his or her portrait made outdoors in that bright sunlight? There are lots of opportunities where, for any number of reasons, postponing until the magic hour simply isn’t a reasonable proposition. Instead, it’s imperative that you... Read more

5 Top Guides To Becoming A Better Macro Photographer

It doesn’t take too much expertise to make creative images of the world that exists just outside our perception, just patience and the right tools and techniques

By The Editors Of Digital Photo Magazine

Are you interested in exploring macro photography? It doesn’t take too much expertise to make creative images of the world that exists just outside our perception. These guides will help you get started. Read More → Read more

Upgrade Your Lighting Kit With A Boom Arm

This telescoping length of steel may not seem like a big deal, but it provides tremendous control and easy adjustments for even the most cumbersome light sources

William Sawalich

Cameras and lenses get all the front-page attention, and for good reason: They’re the sexiest, most innovative technologies we photographers typically use. But when it comes to studio equipment, sometimes it’s the less glamorous stuff that’s the most exciting. Well, if not exactly exciting, it’s at least the kind of stuff that makes a surprisingly... Read more

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