Portrait Photography Tip: Light Adds Up

Learn how the additive quality of light impacts metering and lighting ratios, so you can light your subjects for your desired look

By William Sawalich

In an effort to explain how some light plus a little more light becomes even more light, let me explain how this might matter in the first place. Let’s say you’re photographing a portrait in a studio setting, so you set up a light to illuminate the subject. (It could be a strobe, a hot light, an LED, in a softbox, with a snoot—as long as it’s... Read more

7 Steps To Getting The Best In-Camera Exposure

Use the benefits of digital imaging technology, but it’s essential to get the composition right in-camera. Follow these tips from Rick Sammon, with images from his workshop in China.

Text & Photography By Rick Sammon

If you ever shot 35mm slide film, you know that it was essential to get a good exposure in-camera. Slide film was not forgiving, as opposed to negative film, which was forgiving, that is, your exposure could be “off” by a stop or two over or under the correct exposure and you could still make a good print. Slide film shooters had to spend time thinking... Read more

Get Perfect Shots Every Time

By following these guidelines, it’s easy to get precisely exposed images of the outdoors with practice and patience

Text & Photography By Rick Sheremeta

With a wide range of highlights and shadows in this panorama of Glacier National Park’s Swiftcurrent Lake, understanding a camera’s exposure settings is key to a properly exposed image. When I talk with other photographers, many confess that they always shoot in one of the camera Program Modes. The consensus seems to be something along the lines... Read more

Seeing The World In Black & White

Create striking images with these essential qualities of monochrome photography

Text & Photography By Meredith Winn

Contrast. The human eye sees in color. When colors are converted to black-and-white, we see shades of gray. Light colors become highlights. Dark colors become heavy tones. The difference between these two ends of the spectrum is called tonal contrast. Contrast is an important consideration in any photograph, but even more so for monochrome images. This... Read more

Build Your Own Garage Studio

With a few speedlights and light stands to start, anyone can turn a small room or garage into a portrait studio

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

Behind the scenes in the garage studio. Using one SB-5000 in a 30” Lastolite Ezybox and a Lastolite TriLite reflector below the model to create clamshell lighting. I remember walking into Bathhouse Studios in New York for the first time. Stretching out before me was 4,000 square feet of shooting space, including a 30-foot white cyclorama cove you... Read more

Shoot Sports Like A Pro

10 tips to help you capture compelling sports-action photos

By William Sawalich / Photography By Mike Powell

Willingness to go the extra mile is essential for capturing special images whether at the Olympics or Little League. In photographing swimmer Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics, Powell scouted ahead of time to find the best location, far from the official position allocated to photographers. Sports photography is one of those disciplines that can... Read more

The Fine Art Of Travel Photography

Beautiful landscapes and cityscapes, as well as powerful photo essays, can be created by anyone with a camera, a concept and the desire to take memorable images

Text & Photography By Mark Edward Harris

Subscribe today to Digital Photo magazine for tips, product reviews, and advice on how to make better photos! How does a photographer transcend the “I was here” imagery that’s often associated with travel photography and create fine-art images of places near and far? From the dozens of workshops I’ve taught on the subject, as... Read more

The Art Of Time-Lapse Photography

Photographer Matt Molloy shares his techniques for creating “timestacks,” his spectacular images of the world

Text & Photography By Matt Molloy

Smeared Sky. Made from 500 photos, this is the first sunset time-lapse I tried the stacking method with. I was surprised with the outcome, but even more so with the feedback. It wasn’t long before it went viral. I was getting lots of emails, some asking questions about the technique and others hoping to share it on their website or blog. Milky Way... Read more

Shoot Stunning Flower Images

An assortment of creative techniques to turn average flower photos into pieces of floral fine art

Text & Photography By Harold Davis

Alstroemeria Medley: I photographed this arrangement of Alstroemerias (Peruvian lilies) straight down on a light box, then used a series of LAB color adjustments in Photoshop to create the painterly effect you see here. 85mm macro, seven exposures combined in Photoshop, exposures at shutter speeds ranging from 1/4 sec. to 5 sec., each exposure at ƒ/64... Read more

Ultralight Painting

Use multiple exposures and Eric Curry’s light-painting techniques to create powerfully luminous images

Text & Photography By Eric Curry

If you devour Flickr and YouTube videos on photography, you probably know about the “paint with light” photography technique—it’s really more of a lighting technique. For anybody who hasn’t stumbled upon this unusual and inspiring form of photography previously, you’re in for a wild ride of discovery. During my own journey and experiences... Read more

Diving Into Underwater Photography

Finding the right lens, best light, sturdiest gear and smartest ways to keep equipment dry

Text & Photography By Jason Bradley

Not every photographer will get to dive with sharks, but with the right techniques and gear, it’s possible to capture breathtaking sub-aquatic photos on any aquatic adventure. Gear Photography By Backscatter Underwater Video and Photo Photography today has no shortage of technical hurdles. It can be daunting to learn about camera sensors, flashes,... Read more

Urban Photography: The City Comes Alive At Night

Finding the soul of the city through night photography

Text & Photography By Brian Matiash

A City Has A Different Look At Night. While I have more than my share of photos of the Tokyo Tower during the day, the elegance and beauty is instantly apparent when viewed from a distance at night. For many reasons, I consider myself very fortunate to have been born and raised in New York. For the first 18 years of my life, my entire world was made... Read more

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