As a portrait photographer, there are certain things you do every time you meet with a client, shoot a session, place an order, etc. Collectively, these activities would be referred to as your workflow. Creating processes for these activities and utilizing software to help you automate your workflows can be one of the best things …
Speed Up Your Photography with Custom Buttons and Modes
I’m sure plenty of you started your photography journey back in the film days. Man, were cameras different back then. I think my first film camera maybe had a total of 3-5 knobs and buttons, and there was no such thing as a menu. Now, cameras are covered with buttons, and the menus are filled …
Long Exposure Shots Coming Out White? Here’s Why.
Shooting long exposure photography is one of my favorite things to do with a camera. It gives you the ability to capture something in an image that separates it from 99 percent of the images flooding the internet as it is something that can’t be done without the right knowledge and equipment. A long exposure …
Laowa 12mm Wide-Angle Zero D Review
If this is the first you’re hearing of Laowa (sometimes known as Venus Optics), I’m sure it won’t be the last. They are a relatively new Chinese lens manufacturer, and they have been making some really cool and unique specialty lenses. First, they came out with the 60mm 2:1 Ultra Macro lens, you can read …
Ideal Shutter Speeds for Photographing Star Trails
Star trails are so much fun to photograph and create. I think it’s natural curiosity to look up into the night sky and wonder what is out there. As a photographer, it is even more enjoyable to capture images that show some of the amazing things that are happening above us every night. As camera …
Plotagraph – Future of Photography or Fleeting Trend?
What Is Plotagraph? Plotagraph is software that utilizes an animation technique that brings motion to still images. Many of you may be familiar with a related technique called a cinemagraph. A cinemagraph utilizes a video clip and freezes a portion of the video while allowing other parts of the video to play forward. This gives …
Apps and Websites for Finding Great Photography Locations
In recent years, finding great photography locations has become easier than ever. The internet puts many corners of the world at our fingertips and allows us to learn about them, and potentially even view them, before even stepping outside our own doors. Depending on what type of photography location you are looking for, different research …
How To Price Your Photography Prints
For those who regularly check into Improve Photography you may see my articles on business. I have been actively pursuing a side gig of selling my landscape prints around Southern Utah and have been seeing some success. With the successes and failures I have learned a few things, one of those is the most asked …
How To Know When To Start Your Photography Business
The first step to starting your photography business is to think to yourself, “Should I start a photography business?” The answer, interestingly enough, isn’t always yes and it frequently isn’t no. Even if you have a full time job and 3 kids under the age of 3, you can still start a side business doing …
How I Produced a Major Kickstarter Campaign
Many of you know me as Erica, Portrait Session podcast host and wedding photographer. But here lately, I’ve been venturing into new, uncharted territory (uncharted for me, at least). This territory is the world of large-scale production management and direction. As my studio transitions away from the retail portrait sphere and toward marketing productions and …
25 Tips for Shooting a Music Festival
Photographing a music festival is one of the best experiences you can have as a gig photographer. The opportunity to shoot a variety of artists in one location can be hugely rewarding and great for your portfolio. However, the days are long and demanding, and the schedule relentless. In this article, I share with you …
How to Photograph the Moon and Make It Look Stunning
A full moon is coming and you’re all excited about going out to photograph it. What do you need to know to make sure you come back with images you’ll be proud of? A few things you need to know: The moon is brighter than you think it is. The moon is faster than you …