Liquid Landscapes

Create evocative images from watery surfaces

Text & Photography By Meredith Winn

Reflections are the beauty of a childhood imagined. The daydream of life captured in a flash of sunlight and sea sparkle. I dig turning the world on its end, diving inside and outside to peek beneath and beyond the ordinary world I face every day. The dreaminess of a reflection aptly resembles the many layers that life hands us. Nothing is as it seems,... Read more

Photographing Architecture

Tips for making pro-quality images of iconic buildings when traveling

By William Sawalich, Photography By John Linden

Whether your destination is close to home or across the globe, vacation travel presents a chance to photograph interesting architecture. Longtime pro John Linden shares his suggestions for making the most of this unique opportunity. GEAR "On holiday," Linden says, "you don’t want the camera to get in your way. Carry a camera you’re... Read more

The Great American Camping Trip

So begins certainly one of my favorite parts of the experience: capturing it all through my lens.

Text & Photography By Tracey Clark

Whenever I think about "travel photography," I think of images of sunsets on a tropical island, unusual yet enticing foods placed on platters over vibrant textiles, cobblestone streets flanked by ancient architecture and, of course, the compelling candid shots of the local people. The whole "idea" of travel and the photography that... Read more

The Painterly Portrait

While studying the painting, I observed the shadow and highlight areas of the painting, as well as the highlights on the girl’s hair and arms.

Text & Photography By Rick Sammon

My guess is that most readers of Digital Photo don’t rent a studio for thousands of dollars a month and don’t have thousands of dollars invested in studio lighting equipment. Me, neither! That, however, doesn’t stop me, and shouldn’t stop you from making studio-quality images. All you need is basic lighting equipment, an understanding... Read more

Lighting For Success

Three simple, classic portrait lighting setups that will generate income

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

When I first started out in my photography career, I shot a lot of different jobs. One day I might be shooting ice climbers, the next day snapping shots of cheesecake dripping in chocolate and the next day photographing moose for a visitor bureau. During this time I started shooting portraits, and I quickly realized there was a steady flow of business... Read more

Sharpness Is Essential

Tools and techniques for perfect focus

By William Sawalich

If you’re going to make money with your photography, you absolutely have to make sure your images are sharp. I don’t mean the kind of sharpness that comes from postprocessing; I’m talking about the real thing: tack-sharp focus, no motion blur, no camera shake. Cameras are so good these days, the smallest flaws are evident. While there... Read more

The Beauty Of Available Light

When many people think of a professional portrait photographer, this often conjures up images of someone like Richard Avedon, darting around frantically with a light meter.

Text & Photography By J. Dennis Thomas

When many people think of a professional portrait photographer, this often conjures up images of someone like Richard Avedon, darting around frantically with a light meter, taking readings from all different angles in a high-paced and frenetic setting at a large industrial space surrounded by a myriad of assistants, different types of strobes, hot lights,... Read more

Shot In The Dark

It has never been easier to create stunning astral photos. Here’s how.

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

“I can’t see anything in my viewfinder.” “What’s the symbol for infinity focus?” “How do I turn on my long-exposure noise reduction?” “What white balance should I use?” A barrage of questions is hurling my way in the frozen, ink-black night. I’m teaching a photo workshop, and we couldn’t... Read more

The Positives Of Negative Space

Consider the space surrounding your subject for more dynamic compositions

Text & Photography By J. Dennis Thomas

As photographers, we often get so involved in selecting, positioning and composing for the subject that we can forget the unrelated factors that have just as much of an impact on the composition as the main subject itself. In many cases, the often forgotten element is the negative space. Negative space is the area of a composition that doesn’t... Read more

Knockout Black & White

What exactly draws photographers to the black-and-white image?

Text & Photography By J. Dennis Thomas

What exactly draws photographers to the black-and-white image? We have the ability to re-create a scene almost exactly as it existed, yet we still continue to create images in black-and-white. Color television was invented and became affordable for everyone to own, and the black-and-white television set was rendered obsolete. At the same time, color... Read more

Go Deep

About five or six years ago, the term "bokeh" started getting batted around a lot in the photography community.

Text & Photography By J. Dennis Thomas

About five or six years ago, the term "bokeh" started getting batted around a lot in the photography community. Bokeh became one of the most overused buzzwords of the decade, and now just about every online discussion or review of a lens discusses the phenomena of bokeh at length. Bokeh is a word that seems to have materialized out of nowhere... Read more

Wild Exposures

Multilayered silhouettes that explore new territory in self-portraiture

Text & Photography By Dru Lester

Creating multiple exposures is a trend that’s getting a lot of attention in the photography world lately. I’ve seen multiple-exposure photographs pop up everywhere, from Flickr to 500px, and I really love the way they look. These images, created by combining multiple images into one, can be done in-camera with some camera models, as well... Read more

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