How to Shoot Better Portraits: 5 Photo Composition Tips for Beginners

You don't (necessarily) need a fancy camera to shoot great portraits

By Dan Havlik

We all want to shoot better portrait photos whether we’re photographing a model for a portfolio or a friend for their Facebook page. If you’re a beginner photographer or even if you know a few things about taking portraits, there are some basic things you should always remember to shoot better photos. Portrait professional Julia Trotti explains... Read more

Six Reasons To Use Manual Focus

Autofocus is amazing, but here are six times when switching to manual may provide better results

William Sawalich

As anyone who used an SLR 20 years ago knows, autofocus today does amazing things—from facial recognition and eye tracking to overall impressive speed and accuracy. Yet as amazing as autofocus may be, there are still times when it’s better, faster and more accurate to go manual. From tricky lighting scenarios to subject-specific technical challenges,... Read more

8 Photography Tips in Just Two Minutes that Will Quickly Improve Your Images

Get inspired and try something new with your photography this weekend

By Dan Havlik

Here’s a quick and easy tutorial that should give you some great ideas to improve your photography this weekend. In the below video, photographer Sawyer Hartman shares eight photo tips in just two minutes to get your creative juices going. “Want to improve in photography but have no clue where to begin?” Hartman asks. “This is... Read more

How to Capture Amazing Close-Up Photos of Snowflakes with Your Smartphone

This DIY hack will let you shoot extreme macros with the phone in your pocket

By Dan Havlik

You’ve probably seen incredible close-up photos – aka macro images – of snowflakes and thought to yourself: how did they do that? In many cases, photographers are using special microscopic cameras to capture these extreme close-ups of Mother Nature’s fluffy white stuff but it’s not essential. In fact, you can capture gorgeous macro... Read more

Five Tips For Photographing Snow

Whether it’s snow skiing or winter hiking that gets you outdoors, here are essential tips to ensure technical and creative success photographing snow

William Sawalich

Winter is in full form at the moment. Whether you live in northern latitudes or are traveling to the mountains, outdoor photography this time of year often involves snow. While there are plenty of precautions to take in order to keep yourself and your equipment warm and dry, today we’re focusing on the photographic challenges that come from bright... Read more

How to Use a Ring Light for Photography and Video: The Basics

Get started on using ring lights either for portraits or vlogging with this simple tutorial

By Dan Havlik

If you’ve heard about the benefits of ring lights for photography or video – or perhaps just saw our new guide on the top three ring lights you can buy – but you’re not sure on how to use one, the below tutorial is a great place to start. Brought to you by the guys at Business Film Booth, the video explains the basics of how to use a... Read more

Our Favorite Apertures And How We Use Them

Subtle differences between f-stops can have a major impact on the look of a photograph

William Sawalich

Recently, we told you about our favorite shutter speeds and how we put them to use. In an effort not to overlook other essential camera controls, this week we’re looking at the best apertures out there. More specifically, what makes these apertures so great at achieving particular photographic effects? Without further ado, here’s a look at our favorite... Read more

Photoshop for Beginners: How to Blur Backgrounds in Images

An easy step-by-step tutorial on how to create beautiful bokeh during post-processing

By Dan Havlik

Photoshop can be intimidating for beginners. The editing tricks that look so easy to perform when demonstrated by a Photoshop expert can take a software novice hours to figure out on their own. That’s why the below tutorial from the Photoshop Training Channel (PTC) is such a great resource. In the video, Jesús Ramirez of PTC answers a common... Read more

The Pros And Cons Of Tripods

Three great reasons to use a tripod—and two reasons not to

William Sawalich

For many photographers, their use of tripods can be tracked to the evolution of their photographic know-how. The journey often starts with the thinking that tripods are necessary for sharp pictures in every situation. Then the photographer’s skills improve and they realize they can make sharp pictures without a tripod, before finally culminating in... Read more

Digital Photo’s Top 10 Photography Tips, Tricks & How-To Stories from the Past Year

The photo education stories that received the most traffic in 2020 covered a range of photography topics

By Dan Havlik

Photography tips and photo how-tos were some of the most popular stories on Digital Photo’s website over the past year proving that readers were looking to learn more in 2020. So, with 2021 just beginning, we thought a good way to kick off the new year would be to spotlight the photo how-tos that were the absolute favorites of readers over the... Read more

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