Road Trip!

Head out on the highway for your next photo adventure

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

A classic piece of highway through an iconic landscape. U.S. Route 163 cuts right through Monument Valley; it’s hard to keep your eyes on the road cruising past the enormous sandstone formations. Head north and continue to Zion National Park, or go south and explore the Grand Canyon. Road trips have a lot of advantages for photographers versus other... Read more

Photographing Urban Landscapes

While we may tend to think of a photographic landscape as a scene from nature, a city can provide equally compelling opportunities to shoot landscapes, as well

Brian Matiash

Admittedly, when I think about landscape photos, I instinctively think of natural scenes. However, it is also important to remember that there are urban landscapes to consider as well, like the vast expanse of Tokyo. The dictionary defines the word “landscape” as “all the visible features of an area of countryside or land, often in terms of their... Read more

Manual Versus TTL

Which flash mode is best?

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

TTL flash used with the Nikon SB-5000 Speedlight. Nikon D500, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm F2.8G ED. Exposure: 1/1600 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 200. One aspect of photography I really enjoy is watching how technology changes. During my photography career, I’ve seen cameras go from mechanical shutters using ISO 25 slide film in manual mode to mirrorless cameras with... Read more

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

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