Balanced Illumination

Two ways to balance ambient light with fill flash for beautiful portraits

By William Sawalich

Low-light flash photography can be frustrating, especially when you’re new to it. Balancing ambience nicely with flash seems like the mark of a masterful photographer, but it’s actually fairly easy once you know the basics. The trick to balancing ambient light with your flash is to think of these two types of light as two separate exposures that... Read more

Creative Portrait Lighting

12 time-proven lighting techniques for making pro-quality portraits

Text & Photography By Rick Sammon

Anyone can “take” a portrait. “Making” a portrait—which involves working closely with the subject, seeing the light and controlling the light—is a different story. In this article, I’ll share with you some of my favorite portraits along with 12 time-proven portrait techniques. Let’s go! 1. Balance The Light I took the photograph that... Read more

Follow The Action

Create an image sequence on your next shoot

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

Sequence created using frames at 1/3200 sec., ƒ/9, ISO 400, Nikon D4, 14-24mm F2.8. “Wow, I just missed most of that jump,” I tell Chance as I review images on my camera LCD. This is not one of my best moments. How could I miss that jump? In this case, Chance flew so high off the jump that I only see the lower half of his bike tires in my frame. “No... Read more

Shooting Video With Still Cameras

A guide to adding motion to your workflow

Dan Brockett

As the saying goes, the only constant is change. With significant knowledge and skills in image composition, creation and lighting, still photographers looking at generating a significant portion of their income with video have a leg up on professionals from many other fields. Adding video to your skill set requires a lot of work and knowledge, though;... Read more

Sports Photography

Hit a home run on your next sports shoot when you shoot with passion—and with these tips

Text & Photography By Sol Neelman

I’m a big fan of photographing what you care about. The experience will be better and the imagery usually stronger because you’re invested emotionally into what’s happening. It doesn’t matter if it’s landscapes or food or documentary projects or your family pup. Make photos of what you love. My love happens to be sports. While this article... Read more

Creating Unique Portraits

These unusual portrait-taking techniques will help you unlock your creative potential and capture images in a new light

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

No matter what type of photography you like, at one point or another, you’ll find yourself shooting a portrait. I know landscape photographers who swore they would never shoot a portrait in their career, and one week later they were shooting a portrait. Weddings, graduations, holidays or even a day at the zoo all present great opportunities to photograph... Read more

Landscape Photography

With these techniques and gear, you’ll be able to capture anything, from a local park to a majestic mountain range, just like the pros

Text & Photography By Brian Matiash

Can you imagine all of the jaw-dropping photos you’ve seen in magazines and online of this planet? Think about it for a minute. The diversity in ecology and landscape that our planet offers is so magnificent and varied, it’s stupefying. And how lucky are we as photographers to have opportunities in travel and technology—unlike any time in history—to... Read more

It’s The Little Things That Matter Most

Macro photography can open up a whole world that’s hiding right in front of you

David Schloss

My introduction to “real” macro photography came more than a decade ago when I was reviewing the Canon MP-E 65mm F/2.8 1-5x Macro lens and Canon’s macro strobe setup. I had shot macro before, but this was my first time shooting with a lens that captured images greater than life-size, and it was a mesmerizing experience. I remember buying flowers... Read more

Travel Photography

Capturing the journey and the destination with these pro tips and techniques

Brian Matiash

When traveling, I’m always looking to capture moments that normally get overlooked, like an elderly man taking in the setting sun in Essaouria, Morocco. I’ve long battled with myself over how to accurately define the genre of travel photography. Is it about taking photos of the vehicle you’re using to get from where you currently are to where... Read more

7 Techniques For Modifying Light

Learning how to work with and shape light is critical in image making

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

Behind the scenes on a photo shoot using a Lastolite Skylite. Nikon D3, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm F2.8G ED, 1/600 sec. at ƒ.8, ISO 400 Every photographer knows light is what makes or breaks an image. One of my favorite quotes about photography is, “You’re not photographing the subject; you’re photographing the light on the subject.” Photograph a... Read more

Building A Portrait Business

Countless photographers have started their careers by shooting portraits. Find out what it takes to have a successful portrait business.

By William Sawalich

Ask a photographer how they got their start, and you’ll often hear a similar story. “I loved taking photos, and my friends started to ask me to shoot portraits. Soon enough, I started taking portraits for clients, and that launched my career.” There’s a constant demand for portraits, and an even greater demand for photographers who can take... Read more

Handheld Light Meters

Master lighting with the ideal tool for precision exposure control

William Sawalch

There’s an often-overlooked device that some photographers say is outdated, but which in fact is just as useful today as ever. This necessity of the film era should still find a place in photographers’ bags, especially those who want total control over their lighting and exposure. It’s the handheld light meter, and it’s treasured by many photographers... Read more

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