Improve Photography

I shot another family portrait tonight.  It took me half way through the shoot before I remembered to change my shooting style.  While I am generally focused on the photography and getting the shot, when I shoot family portraits I have to remind myself that the Mom  of the family (the one I am trying [...]

Posing your models or other subjects in portrait photography can actually be quite difficult.  Difficult, and important.  I find that the clients often choose the shots they like the most according to the pose and how the pose makes them look rather than how good the photography is. This post is in response to a [...]

Landscape photographers are snobs about shooting times.  We only shoot in the morning or evening and we turn up our noses to anyone who shoots during the day.  While it is certainly true that morning and evening are the most favorable times for shooting landscapes, I think most landscape photographers don’t shoot during the day [...]

Am I a hypocrite? Yes. My photography portfolio is completely out-of-date; however, I think I have some good tips to share on creating a photography portfolio website because I worked for two years running a website design firm.  I have built quite a few photography portfolio sites in my day, and I’ve learned what works. [...]

You have all undoubtedly heard of the 365 project.  The project encourages photographers to get out and take one picture every single day, and then to post that photo online.  It is a fantastic way to improve your shooting skills; HOWEVER, I have seen so many 365 projects lately that I am beginning to wonder [...]

This post is in response to a question from Matthew Tapley, who is interested in learning how to improve his black and white photography skills.  I hope this article has information that is valuable enough to you that you’d consider sharing it on Facebook or Twitter. Black and White Photography Tip #1: Shoot in RAW.  Many [...]

Creativity is a complex concept.  It involves making something new and out-of-the-ordinary.  It means avoiding the expected and typical.  With this in mind, many photographers attempt to take creative photographs by creating absolutely insane and ridiculous scenes and then snapping a picture of it.  I’m always amazed when I look at the top-voted pictures on [...]

Sunset Photography Tip #1. Underexpose.  This is the most important tip for taking pictures of sunsets.  Slightly underexposing the sunset will make the colors look more rich and defined.  The entire scene will become more dramatic.  You can underexpose by using manual mode and selecting a fast shutter speed, or you can shoot in aperture [...]

DSLR cameras are remarkable tools and have improved at an astounding rate in the last few years.  Still, there are a few easy-to-implement features that I have never seen a DSLR include and it drives me nuts!  Read through my whine list and then include your own whines below.  Maybe, if we whine loud enough, [...]

I bet I tricked you with the title to this post.  You probably thought this was going to be a secret about how to organize a photowalk, but you’d be wrong.  This photowalk tip is about how to get great photos while on photowalks. The tip is simple and it has to do with contrast. [...]