Planning A Photo Trip To Jordan

Learn how to capture exceptional shots in the Middle Eastern land of Jordan

Text & Photography by Mark Edward Harris

Bedouins with their camels make their way across Wadi Rum. E. Lawrence, known for his heroic actions during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, was immortalized as “Lawrence of Arabia,” the title of an epic 1962 film based on his wartime activities described in his book, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. I channeled both... Read more

Five Tips For Getting Amazing Night Photos

Use these techniques to make the most of shooting after dusk and before dawn

Text & Photography by Brian Matiash

While I’ve always found sunrises and sunsets picturesque, what truly fascinates me is when all of that radiant light is gone, and I’m left with a gigantic sky full of stars or the moon. It just fills me with awe, especially when I’m lucky enough to be in an area with little to no light pollution from cities or even a densely populated suburban... Read more

Travel Photography Guide

Focus on these subjects, tips and techniques to create stunning travel images

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

I shot this incredible sunrise behind a church near Ljubliana, Slovenia. Not long ago, I visited a friend who was ecstatic about his recent trip to Europe. Brimming with excitement, he grabbed his iPad and started quickly flipping through images. Now, I do want to point out that my friend isn’t a professional photographer. He’s just really enthusiastic... Read more

Creative Capture For Clever Composites

A whimsical photographic technique creates surprising works of symbolic allusion

Text & Photography By Ron Palmere And George D. Lepp

“My first SLR camera was a Canon film body,” says Ron Palmere, who created this composite photo, “which had a feature that allowed me to capture up to nine exposures on one frame. One day, while photographing a Bird of Paradise specimen with its distinctive design, I took multiple exposures using a 200-400mm lens with a lens collar. Years later,... Read more

Shining A Light On Portraiture

How photographer and educator Bobbi Lane determines the best way to shoot a portrait

Text By Jill Waterman, Photography By Bobbi Lane

“This one is my favorite because of the subtlety of lighting,” says Lane, noting that it was actually a “grab shot,” since the model was sitting and stood up to take a break. “As he looked away, I saw the possibilities. I guided the position of his face to get the light in the eye. But I love the edge lighting and the softness of the glow... Read more

Shooting Selfies And Self-Portraits

You don’t have to rely on the latest tech to shoot inventive selfies

Terry Sullivan

In the February 3, 2014, edition of New York magazine, Jerry Saltz, the publication’s insightful and prolific fine-art critic, ran a compelling article titled “Art at Arm’s Length: A History of the Selfie.” In it, the critic presents four points on what these days seem to be everyone’s favorite pastime. I found many aspects of this article... Read more

Portrait Color Management

Photographers generally get three chances to ensure their portraits have beautiful color: Create accurate white balance, be deliberate about lighting and bring it all together in post

Text & Photography By William Sawalich

Accurate color management is crucial for ensuring portrait subjects look their best, highlighting beautiful hair and lovely skin tones. Color is simple, right? For many shots, as long as the white balance is somewhat close to correct, your picture will be fine, right? Well, not necessarily, especially when it comes to portraits. What might pass as good... Read more

4 Tips For Portraits On The Run

How to create simple, effective travel portraits

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

“Okay, this is perfect,” I explain to my workshop group under the blazing Namibian sun. “Let’s ask the woman to stand in the doorway of this hut. The roof will provide covered shade, and the interior will be completely black.” We are visiting a Himba village in Namibia near the Angolan border. Our guide has arranged a visit to a tribe that... Read more

Guide To Focus Stacking

Use this technique to gain better control of your photograph’s focus

Text & Photography Brian Matiash

Today’s cameras are impressive in how accurately they can autofocus: Look how deftly my camera locked focus on the subject’s face in a moving car as I panned and while the primary subject zoomed through the frame. But even today’s cameras can have trouble focusing in some situations, and that’s where focus stacking can help. The companies that... Read more

Classic Portrait Light

Transform your portraits by learning these four lighting patterns.

William Sawalich

Rembrandt Lighting: Named for the famous 17th-century Dutch master painter, this technique emphasizes light and shadow, adding mystery and a bit of drama. When learning to craft beautifully lit portraits, you will find no better place to start than with classical lighting patterns. These lighting setups have laid the foundation for portraiture since... Read more

Capturing Meaningful Macro Compositions

Whether shooting outdoors or indoors, macro photography is a powerful tool to help you create exceptionally expressive images of a world we don’t generally explore

By Terry Sullivan

On the day of our 25th anniversary, I bought my wife a large bouquet of red roses, which I also incorporated into my photo shoot. In this photo of a single rose, I included a small transparent ridge from the plastic wrapping that the bouquet came in, which let me add another layer of complexity to the composition by juxtaposing an artificial pattern... Read more

Ten Essential Tips For Shooting Sports Photos

Learn how to take your sports photography to the next level

Text & Photography By Patrick Murphy-Racey

For this basketball image, I used a Sony a9 full-frame mirrorless camera with a Sony 24-70mm f/2.8G Master lens. The exposure was 1/200 sec., f/4.5, ISO 200, and I used four Elinchrom 500ELC strobe units in catwalk with sport reflectors and a Pocket Wizard radio system to trigger them. I single frame all of my basketball images when shooting on strobes. If... Read more

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