Photography Tips & Tutorials7185 articles

Technical knowledge of photography is exceedingly important, but for the studio portrait photographer, nothing beats excellent interpersonal skills. Effectively communicating with your subjects sets them at ease, which automatically boosts the quality of your photographs. In the following video, photographer Daniel Norton discusses the five methods he uses to put subjects at ease during portrait sessions: […]

Before I begin, I just want to warn you of my Nikon bias. Although I’ve previously owned Sonys and used a number of Canons, my preference is now Nikon. To be honest, it’s not because I think Nikons are better, it’s more to do with the choice of lenses and lens compatibility with different models […]

Portrait photography is an intimate art—so intimate, in fact, that the slightest changes can alter the entire image. In the video below, Gavin Hoey shows us three simple adjustments you can make to vastly change your portrait’s atmosphere: Hoey is working with a model posing as a boxer after a fight. Shooting with an Olympus E-M5ii and attached Olympus 12-40mm […]

Sometimes you just want a window, but all you’ve got is a hallway. Using a simple lighting rig and some drapes, however, you can make it seem like your model is staring wistfully out a windowpane: As video host Scott Kelby shows, the real trick is to lower the exposure enough to make the entire room black—avoiding mirrors and […]

Sometimes, subtlety is the key to a good photo—whether you’re trying to quietly snap a shot of someone on the street or a candid at a friend’s party. In the short video below, fine-art photographer Davin Lavikka compares the shutter sounds of five heavy-hitting cameras: As you can hear, the mirrorless Olympus OM-D EM-5 Mark II is beyond quiet—it’s absolutely silent. When heard […]

Are you currently working as a photojournalist or do you aspire to be one? Does the thought of traveling the world and telling the stories of the humans and animals that you encounter along the way exhilarate and inspire you? If your answer is “yes,” “absolutely,” “huzzah,” or anything in between, you’re definitely going to want to watch the following […]

Harsh, contrasty lighting works for edgy and highly-stylized portraits, but the majority of the general studio photographer’s portrait gigs call for soft, flattering, and evenly-distributed light. Soft studio lighting can be created in many different ways, but portrait photographer Daniel Norton prefers using large silks coupled with reflector panels. In the following video, Norton demonstrates his methodology […]

Shooting in direct sunlight is a real challenge for any photographer. You could come up with a million different excuses not to shoot in direct sunlight and you’d be right. It’s a different thing, though, when you have something that can overpower the sun and give you a balanced look even in direct sunlight. Jay […]

Successful underwater photography is usually done with specialized equipment and techniques. However, it offers exciting and rare opportunities. Animals such as fish and marine mammals are common subjects, but photographers also pursue shipwrecks, submerged cave systems, underwater “landscapes”, invertebrates, seaweed, geological features, and portraits of fellow divers. Here are some wonderful photos of life underwater: Are […]

What did you want to be when you were a kid? A firefighter? Scientist? President of the United States? A new photo project, “When I Grow Up,” tackles that very question—by letting kids bring their dreams to life: The project was shot by Georgia-based photographer Brandon Cawood, whose sister Malisa Cawood, a fifth-grade teacher, signed on to have […]