Landscapes And The Soulful Photographer

Simple steps to help you focus and refine your landscapes

Text & Photography By Alessandra Cave

“When I’m ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in my mind’s eye something that is not literally there in the true meaning of the word. I’m interested in something which is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without.” —Ansel Adams Spending time in nature is the perfect setup for quiet observation... Read more

Paint Your Own Custom Portrait Background

The big-time pros use hand painted backgrounds, now the rest of us can too

By William Sawalich

There are several prominent commercial portrait photographers who I’ve noticed rely on an advantage over the rest of us: they have beautiful, custom-painted portrait backgrounds. Sure, there are plenty of background options from a number of resellers, and at a variety of affordable price points. But as is so often the case, you get what you pay for.... Read more

Photo Contest Tips From The Judges

Improve your chances of winning a photo contest with these rules of what NOT to do, gathered by the Digital Photo judges

By David Schloss

Photo contests are a wonderful way to challenge yourself. Nothing motivates a photographer to create beautiful images more than the thought of submitting them to a panel of judges, and the chance of winning a prize doesn’t hurt, either. Even if you don’t win, the experience will make you a better photographer. Unfortunately, most photo contests... Read more

Athletes And Their Environment

Using the great outdoors and the natural world to humanize athlete portraits

Text & Photography By DL Byron

It was like glitter had been thrown on the climb—shiny, bright bikes and multicolored jerseys sparkling between mileposts on Las Flores Canyon Road outside Malibu, California, while the Rally Cycling professional Continental cycling team warmed up at spring training camp. On assignment to document the start of the team’s season, I spent some time... Read more

Weather Permitting

Use both expected and unexpected changes in the weather to create striking, more intimate images of your subjects

By Tracey Clark Of Shutter Sisters

Shooting in the great outdoors can be a challenging, yet rewarding creative endeavor. No matter the genre of photography—portraits, lifestyle, landscapes, etc.—working amidst the elements can be as labor-intensive as setting up an entire studio shoot, but in a totally different way. Photographers working outdoors are up against a great many things... Read more

Adding Copyright Information In Camera

Your ownership information can be embedded directly in EXIF metadata from the moment of capture. Here’s how.

By William Sawalich

I’m a big believer in using every technological advantage possible. So that means that if I can use EXIF metadata to embed all sorts of information in my image files, well then I’m definitely going to take advantage of that. One of the most practical uses of image metadata is to append files with data about their creator—the copyright holder of... Read more

Advice On Output Sharpening

Your picture isn’t finished until you prepare its pixels for printing

By William Sawalich

For the last few weeks I’ve been discussing image sharpening in Photoshop and Lightroom. This is done, typically, for three reasons: to compensate for the in-camera sharpening that is not performed on RAW image files; to creatively sharpen select areas of a scene in order to match the aesthetic you have in mind; and to sharpen the finished image in... Read more

My Own Backyard

Become a better landscape photographer by practicing these techniques without traveling far afield

Text & Photography By Tracey Clark

I live in Suburbia, plain and simple. The streets in my Southern California town have been plotted out in a grid formation, with strip malls on most corners and tract homes that resemble one another. Besides the beach being only a few miles away (my favorite part of living here), many of the natural elements around me have been placed there by human... Read more

Creative Sharpening In Photoshop And Lightroom

How to selectively apply sharpness and blur

By William Sawalich

Last week I discussed the importance of capture sharpening, because RAW files don’t come out of the camera sharp enough. This week I want to talk about the next in the triumvirate of image sharpening: creative sharpening. The term creative sharpening comes from the concept that this sharpening is done for more aesthetic reasons rather than to remedy... Read more

Accelerate Time

How to create stunning time-lapse video with a process that has become easier than ever

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

“NEVER SAY NEVER.” I absolutely love still photography. In fact, my family probably would tell you I’m obsessed with taking photographs. There’s something almost indescribable about the magic, power and expression a still photograph can convey. Every day I grab my camera and seek out an image that moves me and, hopefully, others. A few years... Read more

Always Be Sharpening

Raw image files are great, but they come out of the camera half-baked. If you’re not sharpening your RAW image files, your images won’t look their best.

By William Sawalich

Last month I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with some rare birds—raptors, owls and eagles—at a wildlife rehabilitation facility. With a long zoom in hand and a light snow falling, I managed to get a few interesting photos, one of which is included here. I knew in an instant the shot was a keeper, but when I looked at it close up... Read more

Light Fantastic

Capturing the magic of nighttime photography

Text & Photography By Meredith Winn

Exploring the world at night with your camera opens up many fun opportunities to play with exposure. Chasing light outside is an excellent way to learn more about your camera settings while creating artistic images. Long exposures, bokeh effects and painting with light are just a few ways to get creative, learn some new techniques and reinvent how... Read more

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