Should You Shoot In Black & White?

The short answer is no—here’s why

By Wes Pitts

When you set out with the goal of making a black-and-white photo, you may be tempted simply to shoot in monochrome. Practically every digital camera provides this option, so why not simplify your postprocessing work by going grayscale from the start? 1 | You May Later Want A Color Version. If you shoot in monochrome, that’s it. There’s no... Read more

Lose The Winter Blues

10 ways to capture the unique scenes of the season

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

I used to dread October 1 every year. Why? Because I was living in Alaska, and that date seemed to mark the beginning of another long, cold, snowy winter. Birds had left, leaves had fallen, and temperatures had plummeted. After a frantic pace of shooting during the long summers, I reluctantly settled into photography hibernation. The winter blues had... Read more

Contemplating Black & White

Five photographers share their unique perspectives on the medium

By Tracey Clark

Black-and-white photography is totally distinct from color photography. There’s a poignancy to black-and-white images that’s palpable. Maybe it’s because, when color is stripped away, so, too, are distractions. Perhaps the lack of visual interference allows other elements to take center stage. Light, shadow, texture, line and shape... Read more

Dynamic Portraits

Add visual excitement by introducing moving elements

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

I love creating portraits. There’s just something about making that connection with my subject that sends chills up my spine. But sometimes I want more. How can I improve this portrait? What can I do to create more mood and feeling in the shot? How can I liven up a standard headshot? The answer to all these questions is simple: Add a dynamic element. Dynamic... Read more

High Key

To emphasize the eyes in these portraits, Victor Valero uses precise lighting and postprocessing to deliver high-key glamour

By William Sawalich, Photography By Victor Valero

When Vancouver-based commercial photographer Victor Valero held a casting call for a shoot in Mexico, he encountered a model who inspired him to embark on a visual journey exploring the intensity of eyes. They have the ability to transform a photograph, as evidenced by these images that are a part of that ongoing series. To start, Valero found two models... Read more

A Travel Story

10 tips on storytelling for photographers.

Text & Photography By Rick Sammon

As photographers, we’re storytellers. Even a single photograph can tell a story. A series of photographs can tell a more detailed story, however, revealing different chapters of one’s experience, if you will. That experience might be a photo safari to Africa, a photo tour of a national park, a photo trek to a nearby city and so on. In this... Read more

Classic Portrait Light

Learn how to use the four classical lighting patterns: Butterfly, Loop, Rembrandt and Split

By William Sawalich

When learning to craft beautifully lit portraits, there’s no better place to start than with classical lighting patterns. These lighting setups have laid the foundation for portraiture since long before photography existed, when master painters relied on them for ideal illumination of the face. There are four traditional lighting patterns: Butterfly,... Read more

Breaking Habits

Get out of your comfort zone to grow creatively

Text & Photography By J. Dennis Thomas

It’s very easy to develop habits and get stuck in a photographic rut. This process can be so gradual that you may not even realize or notice that you’re stagnating creatively. Your pictures can look perfectly fine, but you may have stopped growing and advancing as a photographer without even knowing it. The key to keep growing as a photographer... Read more

Remote Control

Controlling your camera remotely is useful in a variety of situations, from macro photography to group portraits to positioning your camera in places where you can’t comfortably be.

By Wes Pitts

CamRanger Wireless Camera Control Controlling your camera remotely is useful in a variety of situations, from macro photography to group portraits to positioning your camera in places where you can’t comfortably be. While remote controls for cameras aren’t new, the smartphone has made it possible to do a lot more than merely trigger... Read more

Ground Control

Exploring aerial photography with DJI’s Phantom 2 Vision+

Text & Photography By Ryan Noll

Drones are a hot-button topic. It seems every few days there’s a new story considering the implications, good or bad, of aerial photography and videography, not to mention the contentious debate pertaining to the legality of using them commercially. But, really, with so much chatter about drone use, what’s it actually like to fly one of... Read more

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