Photo Exercise: Something You Made

Tell the story of a handmade item with context and detail

Text & Photography By Alessandra Cave

When we make something with our own hands, we not only feel great satisfaction, but we also bring more beauty into the world. All the care and attention we put into what we make is a form of love, and that love makes everything look and taste better. As photographers, we like to make images. We find the elements, we stage them, we frame and compose,... Read more

A New Take On Wedding Photography

10 insights for creating stunning art that will resonate with contemporary clients

Text & photography By Sal Cincotta

Being a wedding photographer can be one of the most glamorous—and most stressful—jobs in the world. Depends on the day, I suppose. One thing’s for sure, when it’s all said and done, it’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life. Think about it: We’re responsible for documenting one of the biggest days in... Read more

Starting Your Photo Business

Address these important steps and details to set a foundation for a successful studio

By William Sawalich

There’s more to running a successful photography business than making great pictures. Lots of folks make great pictures—it’s the ones who understand how to run a business that make it work for the long haul. Here’s a primer of business basics if you’re thinking about setting up shop. 1. Identify your niche. Are you going to... Read more

Milestones And New Beginnings

Use important moments in life to exercise your documentary skills

Text & Photography By Alessandra Cave

Milestones are those important moments in life that mark the passage of time. While these occasions can be very personal, some of them are universal, such as birth, a child’s first steps and first words, the first day of school, the first kiss, graduation, first job, marriage, first child and grandchild. Photography is one of the best ways to... Read more

Background Tricks

Five ways to better portrait backdrops

By Wes Pitts

“Watch your background!” is one of the first lessons to learn as a photographer, and it’s an essential tip for portraiture. Clean and simple is generally best; cluttered backgrounds distract from your subject. That doesn’t mean your portrait backgrounds need to be stark and uninteresting. With enough lens blur—achieved in-camera... Read more

A Parent’s Perspective

Capture authentic family portraits by finding the beauty in easily missed moments

Text & Photography By Tracey Clark

I began my career as a portrait photographer before my career as a parent, but even then, children were always my favorite subject. To me, everything about children is poetic, and using my camera to frame each lilting and lyrical detail is what ignited my interest and fueled my passion to cultivate a career in photography. I reveled in capturing the... Read more

Child’s Play

How to plan for and engage kids in lively portrait sessions

Text & Photography By Shannon Sewell

Kids can be your cutest, most animated, uninhibited and fun subjects to photograph. They can also be the most distracted, emotionally charged, quick-moving and difficult. So, how do you plan for the latter while creating the former? Successful children’s photography relies heavily on being able to connect with the child you’re photographing. There... Read more

Lighting For Skin Tones

How to make skin look great with subtle changes to the position and quality of the light source—whether that’s a strobe or sunlight or anything in between

By William Sawalich

There’s one thing all portrait subjects share in common: They want to look good. Young and old, men and women alike, everybody hates to see their wrinkles and blemishes on display. So learn how to light to minimize flaws and produce smooth, flattering skin tones. IT ALL STARTS IN THE CAMERA Whether you’re working with ambient light or strobes,... Read more

Travel Portraits

Breaking the ice and getting the shot

Text And Photography By Tom Bol

When I first started to shoot travel portraits, I was paralyzed at the thought of approaching complete strangers and taking their picture. I was convinced they’d start hurtling expletives my way the second I raised my camera. Better to hide in the bushes with a long lens and “paparazzi” the locals without them knowing. But shooting... Read more

Seeing Life In Black & White

Create striking images with these five essential qualities of monochrome

Text & Photography By Meredith Winn

Is black-and-white the purest form of photography? Some photographers believe so. The art of black-and-white photography removes all distractions so the strength of the composition shines through. "Shadow is a color as light is, but less brilliant; light and shadow are only the relation of two tones." Paul Cézanne was a painter, but the... Read more

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