Photography Tips & Tutorials1000 articles

Ever since I started taking photographs about 30 years ago, capturing the sense of movement, creating abstract images has been a passion of mine and when I discovered ICM, a whole new world of photography opened up for me. Intentional Camera Movement is the when the camera is moved in horizontal, vertical, diagonal or random directions while the shutter is open. The resulting image is deliberately blurred and often abstract. ICM images are not what most people think of as traditional photographs because motion is captured and created in the image via the technique. I describe it to people as “painting with my camera” because my images are painterly and impressionistic. Others can be more abstract.

I have been using Lightroom for a couple of years now and it is a very powerful program, especially if you are a wedding photographer and you have a large quantity of photos to cull and edit. Not only is it great for organizing you photos, but it is very good for editing them. It is most advantageous when used to edit RAW images because, as we know, RAW images keep every bit of information stored just as the image was shot. This is not to say that it is not good for editing.jpg, but you will not unleash the true power of Lightroom until you start editing your RAW files. I’m going to share with you 5 tips about Lightroom that I feel you must know to improve your image workflow and also your editing capabilities.

The advent of cheap, high quality digital SLR’s has dramatically changed the world of photography, perhaps no more than in the wedding photography business. Whilst there are many talented newcomers to this industry, there are many who believe that they can jump straight in and do a job that is actually among one of the most skilled and stressful in the business. This video from the popular US show Judge Joe Brown highlights some of the many pitfalls of wedding photography and shows the not inconsiderable knowledge of the Judge himself about the art and techniques of wedding photography.

Making the Print – Printing Techniques for the Digital Photographer (A Masterclass) by Martin Bailey was released today and is designed to walk readers through professional grade photo printing. I personally have found myself overwhelmed by printing in the past, it can be very difficult to establish a quality print workflow with a lot of trial and error. Hopefully this book will also take away any frustration with printing that you might have experienced. When printing is easy and results are consistent, all you need to do is enjoy the process, and this should improve the final results of your photographic efforts.

There are many factors that go towards great landscape photography. Here are a few points to consider. Some landscape photographers never shoot during the day, only at dawn and dusk when the light can strike life into a landscape. It’s not just the reds and pinks of sunrises and sunsets that can create drama, but the golden light of a low sun can warm a scene and create surprising textures and patterns thanks to its low angle. Similarly, storms, mist, thunderous clouds and dark skies can be much more exciting to work with than a sunny day or a beautiful sunset.

As photographers we capture certain amounts of light every single time we take a picture. Knowing how exposure works and how to use your camera settings correctly will greatly increase your skills as a photographer. The visual within details all the basics on exposure to get you started. The key to understanding exposure is to get your hands wet. Try exposing photos in wide ranges of lighting situations. Don’t let tricky lighting scare you. Through experimentation you’ll surely find a correct exposure and increase your knowledge in the process. The more advanced you get the more you can start focusing on creative and artistic methods of exposure to augment the subject or theme in your photo.

How many of us dream of being a car photographer? Well count me in for sure; there is something inherently photogenic about a car that stirs the creative juices of many a photographer. Lee Howell turned the dream into reality by becoming a commercial photographer with clients including Porsche and Top Gear magazine. In this video he explains how he shot the sublimely beautiful Audi A8GT in Auckland’s Victoria Park Tunnel. This behind the scenes video shows in details what it takes to capture the images for high end car photography.

To commemorate the one year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, filmmaker Mike Fritz teamed up with Associated Press photographer, Gerald Herbert, to produce a short telling of the impact the oil spill has made on the Gulf Coast. The slideshow offers viewers a collection of photographs taken by Herbert over the past year to capture the affects of the spill and the progress that has been made to restore the Gulf. Herbert also delivers the narration for the film, as he expands on what it was like to cover the tragedy and the progress being made.

The growing trend ‘i-phoneography’ challenges the concept of traditional photography, although it could be argued that this is merely a process of technological evolution in an age where technology and social trends are becoming increasingly interrelated. It is undeniable that the image quality that can be achieved from mobile phones is amazing considering that lens technology did not exist in phones until 2002. Since then progress has been relentless, 61% of the global population is now using a mobile phone.

Photographing the 4th Dimension: TIME by Jim Goldstein was released recently and delves into the complicated techniques of slow shutter photography, time-lapses, and more. It explores several techniques that will allow you to photograph the 4th dimension and create engaging high-impact imagery. With all the rich information, excellent example imagery (including settings information), and visual aids to explain concepts; I found this eBook to be very helpful and plan to keep it as a reference in the field.