Ideas ...
Sometimes you need to just shake things up. You need to reset, restart and re-think what you're doing. In order for that to have meaning you actually have to do SOMETHING. More…
I have done my share of random still-life shots, and especially enjoy shooting collections such as colored pencils in a row or old tools in a barn. But I had never created a still-life scene from scratch with the goal of telling a story in a single frame
More…
Yes, photography is changing. And here's something you should know - there's NOTHING new about that. More…
An Environmental Photographer is essentially an environmentalist with a visual message about the condition of the natural world. More…
Our memories are our own personal histories. As we age, they accumulate, usually in flattering, merciful ways. This is how Nature has our brains operate, to allow us to preserve a modicum of dignity (or what we think dignity might be). More…
A Humanitarian Photographer is essentially a photographer with a visual message about the welfare of humanity. More…
I vote for an iPad when an agent comes to see me and wants to show me books of multiple photographers and/or artists. However, I still prefer a big, beautiful printed book for presentation. More…
As this future becomes more and more plain to me, I see a rapture of sorts, where old-school photographers clinging to the old-fashioned ways of doing things will be "left behind." More…
'I don't really see a future in photojournalism, if I'm completely honest, as a way to earn a living. But also there are a lot of creative opportunities with moving images that you couldn't possibly dream of doing with stills.' More…
In photography, trust and doubt are like yin and yang: You cannot have one without the other, you have to balance one against the other. Trust and doubt exist in a complex relationship. They don't just have to balance each other, they also have to drive each other. More…
There's nothing wrong with not being any good at photography. Everybody started out bad and none of us does all aspects of it well. But it's a crying shame to want to be good at it, to spend time and money trying to be good at it, and not getting any better. More…
Will the real Cindy Sherman please stand up?
Her self-portraits sell for millions and have made her a superstar of the art world. Then why does photography's master of disguise crave anonymity? More…
I'm interested intellectually and culturally about how the imaged world is being knit together by technologies such as Photosynth. More or less public images on Flickr, they're all being knit together in this giant quilt. More…
A couple of weeks ago, I posted Why SOPA/PIPA Affect All Of Us to help you better understand two bills that were before congress and the impact they could have on us all. I was happy to see both tabled and not put forward for a vote. But again, they were merely tabled, not stopped. More…
Every now and then there's a quote I find that completely sets the tone for a post. Jim Rembach, a consultant wrote, "When cost is number one in importance, you've already lost!" More…
A few days ago Jaron Schneider posted an interesting piece over at F stoppers projecting a pretty poor future for the American lighting industry. It's a very interesting read and I encourage you to head over and check it out. More…
I haven't spent much time doing editorial photography. With that disclaimer, I still believe I have enough knowledge about the subject to have formed a reasonable opinion about its trends. And it's the trends I find somewhat disturbing. More…
"There are manifest deficiencies of understanding on the crucial relationship between the discoveries that are being made through advances of technical analysis, and the original painterly/artistic means by which the art-objects-under-investigation were produced by artists in the first place." More…
Over a lunchtime conversation with a photographer friend, the discussion went back to something I've prodded her a few times about .. her self-doubt as a photographer... I asked her, "what are you afraid of?" More…
Looking at photographs is a very personal experience. Everyone has their opinions about what is good art and what is not. What interests me are the way a photograph is made and the impact it has on me as a viewer. More…
Thomas L Friedman, in a post today at the New York Times, says that "average is over."
And he is right.
It is. More…
Have you ever heard...
That creative people are weird?
That creativity is best created in a group?
That creative people are sloppy, messy and disorganized?
That creative people are always coming up with cool, but ultimately silly ideas? More…
It's difficult to say what's the perfect picture, but if you were to look at some of the best photographs throughout the history of photography many of these images are caught moments. This means the photographer was aware of his or her surroundings and was prepared to capture those moments. More…
One sure way to get better at photography is to take pictures continuously. Often our cameras sit on the shelf unused for days and weeks at a time. More…
The photography business is all about copying what the other does. The current "fad" is HDR. In the "good old days", every landscape was taken with 2 to 3 color polarizer. Now, all the weddings are "documentary style" More…
The idea that you change and manipulate a photo after it's been taken is seen by some as changing reality; creating something that's 'fake'. I disagree strongly with that idea for many reasons, but the reason I'm going to talk about here is that post-processing made me a better photographer.
More…
Its official. Kodak filed for bankruptcy today.
The 131 year old company went from being the leader in the industry, to losing sight of a strong, successful path.
They failed to see future trends (even though they developed digital technology), which ultimately cost them everything. More…
In a way, photography is a way of meditation. A way of zen. Your focus is completely on the image and nothing else seems to matter.
More…
Until recently, becoming a professional photographer was a serious financial commitment, with the cost of cameras, film and development presenting a significant barrier to the dilettante. More…
I know the only way to stop things is to become active. When groups gather on the capital steps to show support for leaving the Internet "free" - I'm there. If you haven't heard of SOPA/PIPA, take a few minutes to learn more. More…
"There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos!" Jim Hightower, Radio Commentator and Author. It's another quality of those photographers we admire - they always take a stand. More…
There's a very good article in The Economist about why Kodak is failing, while Fujifilm is doing well. More…
January 15, 2012 /Photography News/ Born 148 years ago, on 15 January 1864, Frances Benjamin Johnston was one of the earliest American female photographers and photojournalists. More…
Do you really want to learn? Then listen. That's my motto. Sometimes I wonder if people really are serious about this. If you are (or hope to be) a professional photographer, you SHOULD be constantly striving to improve your photography. More…
10 years ago the term "social media" had a completely different meaning then it does today.
Facebook? Twitter? What?
10 years ago things were changing ...
But we had no idea how fast things would continue to change as we moved into a new era. More…
Depressing the shutter-release button is only 5-percent of the equation in capturing a great photograph-it's knowing the process of putting all the photographic elements together that truly makes a great photographer. More…
As a photographer I study people and how they act and react to all sorts of things so that I can photography them and show who they are. As a result I have, over the years, become an armchair sociologist. I'm fascinated with people's behavior, especially within groups. More…
Henri Cartier-Bresson: "To me, photography is a simultaneous recognition in a fraction of a second of a significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of form which gives that event its proper expression." More…
When I was a less experienced artist, I thought that less gloss meant less talent. For, after all, it seemed to me to be commonly assumed in our culture that talent resided only in the gloss, the perfection, and the polish. ...Now, I tend to feel just the opposite. More…
When I give an HDR presentation, I usually begin by suggesting to the audience that if they want to have some fun, do a Google search for "I hate HDR." More…
Photography isn't always about planning and capturing images during a photo shoot.
Life "happens" whether you plan for it or not.
If you don't want to miss the chance to record life as it happens, keep a camera handy. More…
The photographers who are hurting - or not growing - have one thing in common: they have not embraced social media, using free tools like Google+ (the best social media tool), facebook and twitter to gain a following. So my friends, you need to "Socialize or Succumb." More…
At the BBC you can find this interesting segment on photojournalism and its ethical and business contexts -Jodi Bieber, Shahidul Alam, David Goldblatt, among others, comment in various ways on different dimensions of the complexities involved in the use of images. More…
Although global smartphone adoption is still just below 30 percent, smartphone photography is growing in popularity, disrupting traditional camera use in the process. More…
You have to allocate time to production, marketing, and business and it's ever evolving with today's technology. Are we losing our photographic culture in the process? Perhaps the better question is, "Do you operate in manual or automatic mode today?" More…
As photographers, metadata like EXIF is invaluable. It provides insight into how a shot was taken, it allows you to add copyright information without an unsightly watermark, and it can even be used to recover stolen cameras. Now a consortium is pushing to have that embedded data made permanent... More…
Getting a lot of those "it's good, but I can't do anything with it" rejections tells you that the risk-averse industry isn't willing to, duh, take a risk. So, you can absorb the risk and self-publish. More…
Imagine yourself on the trip of a lifetime, possibly even knowing you're going to be one of the last people to see a particular canyon before it disappears underwater forever. How would you react if your camera got filled with sand? More…
As an emerging professional photographer with the dream of running a thriving professional photography business, you better check yourself and make sure of two things. More…
It is very likely that the great photographer, Ansel Adams would have truly liked the idea of HDR. After all,,he invented a method of expanding the tonal scale. More…
It amazes me how some people who call themselves photographers consider their work to be amazing, when their photographs, in fact, aren't so hot. More…
"They're so excited to be published, they're giving it away for free," Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Stanley J. Forman tells Maria Purdy Young about the images produced by amateur photographers, citizen journalists, and witnesses to history. "It's killing us, and they're everywhere." More…
A great photographer who you might admire isn't diverse because of his/her personality, but is diverse because of the passion for the craft and their ability to always have kept an open mind. More…
I love talking about holding focus, because it's such a pathetic pun on both the techniques you use in capturing an image and a trait that great photographers seem to have in the way they address their craft. More…
I think one of the dynamics at play is that work that was recognized in the past triggers interest in similar work in the present. More…
Over the past months, I've noticed a lot of chatter on smart phone photography; most of it negative. More…
Okay, it's not a trait by itself, but photographers we admire never compromise on the quality of their images, their relationships with their clients or their approach to customer service. They do everything at the very best level they can. More…
All right. I think the first thing is, a lot of the talking that's going on online is about artists using their skill sets for social media and promotion. That's the first thing. There is very little talk (or maybe I'm just missing all that talk) about what you're talking about. More…
...Saatchi says he finds the new art world toe-curling. "My little dark secret is that I don't actually believe many people in the art world have much feeling for art and cannot tell a good artist from a weak one..." More…
Oh, Kodak, once the acme of all things camera, now a stark lesson in Darwinism in technology. You adapt and evolve, or you die. More…
Both Frédérique and myself have come to the conclusion, that in order to succeed in the Arts today and specifically as a commercial Fashion Photographer, you have to become as homogeneous as skimmed milk.
More…
The best advice I could possibly give you, and forgive me if this seems glib, is to work. Work. Work. Work. Every day. At the same time every day. For as long as you can take it every day, work, work, work. Understand? More…
It is astonishing that after 175 years the daguerreotype still beats both film and digital photography in its ability to capture image detail. More…
Here is a photographer who is really struggling with the medium photography, trying to make it tell the story he wants to tell. To make this clear, by "struggling" I mean a very creative struggle. More…
In light of the erosion of privacy online, we need to be careful to protect our privacy at home, according to Michael Birnhack, law professor at Tel Aviv University, speaking at Intelligence Squared's If conference. More…
We don't take photography by tourists seriously, because they're not serious about photography. ..In other words, tourism and photography just don't gel. Or so the story goes. But maybe that's wrong. More…
Says one student and activist, "Elmahdy's nude photography was the most daring conflicting act I've seen for a long time, but ... [does] nothing but stir a debate and allow the conservatives to have one more reason to call for an Islamic state and blame liberals and seculars for this." More…
"The times I've learned most about some aspect of photography have been those times where I've intentionally set out to learn something new and where I've forced myself into a situation that is foreign to me and made myself work out how to photograph it."
More…
Benetton's Unhate Sucks the Air Out of Politics More…
"In the United States, leaking a nude self-portrait is an embarrassing rite of passage for celebrities. In Egypt, it's an act of political defiance. Aliaa Magda Elmahdy received praise and condemnation for posting a nude self-portrait and other nude photos on her blog" More…
Few other retail photographic specialties have been impacted by amateur photographers and part-time pros more than senior portraiture. More…
These photographs of Americans living in poverty, a Time Magazine commission for Joakim Eskildsen, are very much worth a visit. A companion read: 57 members of Congress among wealthy 1%. More…
Photographers are naturally the creative type, right? It's a left brain right brain thing. And any time you are in the arts, you tend to be a bit more creative than the general population. But overall, studies are showing that we continually are losing our creativity More…
We are living in a world overwhelmed by crises. Photography is like a mirror that is peering into our existence. Contemporary photography attempts to shed some light on the who and what we are as humans and the future of this tiny planet. More…
With the influx of new photographers, less expensive equipment and our current economy - the perception of the "professional" photographer has been impacted. It is up to the professional photographer to be certain that perception is a positive perception. More…
One of the things I love about street photography is going home and finding people, things and situations in my photos I didn't notice initially. There's almost always dirty looks, strange socks, pretty earrings, people arguing in the distance or, my favorite, people staring back at me with unease. More…
So why do we even talk about the fact that some millionaire paid way too much money for a mediocre Gursky photograph? More…
...For those following the Olympus mess. A lucid explanation of the core issues as they are now understood, having gradually emerged over the past several weeks. "Corporate Japan Rocked by Scandal at Olympus," by Hiroko Tabuchi More…
We all have a tremendous opportunity to learn from one another, and an equally tremendous opportunity to TEACH others. More…
A woman named Emily Tanen was fired from Animal Care and Control of New York City back in May for her photos of dogs scheduled to be euthanized. Her crime? Violating the group's strict photo policy, which includes a rule prohibiting showing humans in photos. More…
Photographs, images, and pictures: all of these words have similar dictionary meanings, but we all seem to have different notions of what the nuances are of these images? More…
Many news reporters use photos and other copyrighted materials and then claim fair use as a defense to infringement claims. Peter Brauer learned this lesson after his documentary video was used by MSNBC. He had a strong response. More…
This will be a very short post because there's not much that needs to be said. If you are asking yourself "How can technology improve my business?" Stop - and instead - ask "How can technology improve things for my clients?" More…
If you think you can't compete as a photographer because you're past a certain age, think again. Here's a fantastic quote by National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Chris Johns from an interview he gave back in 2005 More…
I could be wrong about this but I think the internet and especially social media have come with an increased amount of self reflexiveness. I suppose if we were so inclined we could call this "navel gazing." More…
Photographers Ed Kashi, Inge van Iersel, Peter Van Agtmael, Hellen van Meene, Joost van den Broek, Donald Weber, Newsha Tavakolian, Peter Stigter, Donald Weber talking about the tension between economic hard times for photographers and the growing interest in photography. More…
"A photograph is a meeting place where the interests of the photographer, the photographed, the viewer, and those who are using the photographs are often contradictory. These contradictions both hide and increase the natural ambiguity of the photographic image." More…
Just being there doesn't mean publishers are there at all. How they are there is what matters. Publishers must not be distracted by the ability to iterate magazines into a digital space and they must not be distracted by the iPad. More…
Creating Awareness Through Photography More…
Every artist will one day face the moment when he or she is doing what he or she does after the style has passed and the art-world heat-seeking machine has moved on. More…
There is a lot of discussion about the ethics of altering images in Photoshop. But even more important is how we as photographers act in the field. More…
As China Booms Photographers Struggle More…
Here's an uber-inspiring video in which National Geographic photographer Sam Abell discusses the difference between "taking" and "making" photographs through his experience of shooting one particular photograph for a story on painter Charles M. Russell. More…
First be a photographer and maybe the profession will come after... More…
Twenty-five years after it was passed, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act still governs much of our privacy online, and the Center for Democracy and Technology argues that ECPA needs an overhaul. More…
Has Microstock Photography Had Its Day? More…
There are billions and billions and billions of photographs on Facebook alone, some of which have no drunk people in them. More…
I love how self portraits can be so emotive.
Whatever you are feeling on any given day can be expressed through the click of your shutter. More…
Here's a slow motion video showing a closeup look at the human eye, our amazing biological lens (and sensor). More…
While we strive to write informative and helpful articles designed to teach or make you think, from time to time we, like most other people, want to rant a little so today it's my turn to rant. More…
Sometimes we get so focused on being more creative, or challenging ourselves to see things different, we can lose sight of some of the fundamentals of photography. More…
So you've come up with an idea that could make taking pictures or running a photography business a little easier. You think other photographers might like it, too. How do you turn your good idea into a product that hundreds, maybe thousands of your fellow photographers might buy? More…
Don McCullin is perhaps one of the best known war photographers of our time and in a CNN video shares how he is coming to grips with the things he has seen. It is a very insightful interview. More…
Have you ever been mystified when a photo writer refers in passing to some famous but opaque term of optical design? Tessar, Planar, double-Gauss? If so, Roger Cicala at lensrentals.com has come to the rescue, with a very nicely organized and well presented brace of articles called "Lens Geneology." More…
SanDisk and Harris Interactive recently conducted a survey asking people about the the importance of their family photo collection, which produced the results shown in this infographic. More…
As a photographer, you see the world differently than a non-photographer. That's kinda cool.
You look at the world around you, as opposed to someone who just sees the world - which is akin to listening to music as opposed to hearing music. Big difference. More…
So what are the differences between night and day? What distinguishes one from the other? The most obvious answer, of course, is light More…
Learning your own taste at any given time is as important as finding out about the tastes of savants, experts, scholars, gurus, your friends and family or personal audience, or your fellow photographers. More…
The real story behind the evolution of photography is its pauperization. In its early days, photography was for the wealthy and educated. The equipment needed was expensive and the skills involved needed formal education. More…
Here's a bit of photo humor to start off the day: Jeremiah Warren made this satirical video imagining what it would be like if Apple announced an "iPhone 5 iDSLR" More…
Garry Winogrand had a wonderful and unique way of thinking about photography. He was asked once why he seemed to photograph everything, seemingly without regard as to what he was photographing. His response:"I photograph to see what the world looks like in photographs." More…
There are thousands of photographers that are now blogging on a daily basis. They have made time in their day to sit down and write. Why? It is because writing makes you a better photographer. More…
"You're over thinking it. Just take the next logical step forward, and the rest will fall into place."
That simple statement has helped me out many, many times since. I have used it again and again whenever I have felt overwhelmed, and not sure what to do next. More…
Sure, I enjoy creating HDR images, and I suggest to all my workshops students that they master HDR imaging.
However, I always stress that as good and as powerful and as much fun as HDR can be, there is a time and a place for HDR. Here's why More…
The photo merchandise market is expected to reach $2.2 BILLION in revenue by the year 2015. Here’s the real nugget: it’s anticipated that photo books will take up the lion’s share of that revenue.
More…
The power of social media in photography is evident in this post from Silicon Valley Insider: Facebook hosts 140 billion photos, and will add 70 billion this year, according to the blog of photo-sharing site 1000memories. More…
Forget about the profession of being a photographer. First be a photographer and maybe the profession will come after. Don't be in a rush to pay your rent with your camera. More…
Nikon has defended its design decisions behind the company's new 1 Series V1 and J1 interchangeable lens cameras, arguing that a smaller sensor was a necessary compromise considering the software crunching included. More…
Recently my pal Scott Kelby recorded an episode of his video podcast "The Grid" discussing a very interesting topic.The topic could best be summed up as follows:
"Stop sweating stuff only other photographers will ever notice." More…
Do you ever take a look at one of your photos and say something like, "wow, I really like this photo of mine, but I wish one thing was different"? It doesn't have to be something big... More…
On 'Ruin Porn' Images Of Decaying Cities:
"These photos ... are not created so much out of the need to raise consciousness as out of the need to stand before these ruins in awe. More…
Uh oh, looks like orphan works is going to be one of those perennials until something is figured out. To Recap, there are books, movies, music and photography in the possession of archives and libraries where the author is unknown or cannot be found. More…
Taking a cue from the succesful microstock model here is where photojournalism is heading. It is happening under our eyes, right now and in four steps. More…
Michael Freeman, author of the best seller The Photographer's Eye, talks about photography as a profession.
More…
Being a perfectionist may sound good in theory - who wouldn't want a business set with high standards? But in reality, perfectionism does more harm then good because it puts us into a state of paralysis that reduces "action". More…
After 9/11, the government began encouraging local police, private security and everyday Americans to report so-called "suspicious activity" ...Taking photos of landmarks, walking "nervously" and writing in a notebook are all activities that have led to people being stopped and questioned. More…
A recent article mentions some brides now requesting that guests switch off their cameras, and rather be in the moment and enjoy the wedding. I truly want every photographer, whether professional, amateur, or at any level, to read that article and take it to heart. More…
What I find most interesting is people's opinions on photography. What is photography? We all have opinions on what makes a good photograph and what makes a bad one. More…
"Degas's enduring images of dancers owe much to the radically experimental world of early photography and film. Ann Dumas, co-curator of [the exhibition] Degas and the Ballet, explains how photographic inventions helped him so eloquently animate his figures in pastel and paint." More…
There is an interesting new Internet meme called Stocking. Basically, you chose a stock photo and then try to recreate it. There is a Tumblr dedicated to the practice, called Stocking Is The New Planking. More…
"The ubiquity of cameras in exhibitions can be dismaying," writes Roberta Smith, but the camera "has become intrinsic to many people's aesthetic responses." More…
Video on SLR cameras? Not for me.
It's a lovely idea, but wouldn't it make more sense to use purpose-built equipment instead? More…
The issue of veracity in photography has been debated for more than 150 years. But there's still room for exploration as shown in a new essay by Mark Schacter titled Am I a Photographic Cheat? More…
'Most of the photographs in your paper, unless they are hard news, are lies," says Martin Parr. "Fashion pictures show people looking glamorous. Travel pictures show a place looking at its best, nothing to do with the reality. More…
"One camera can't show you that much," says David Hockney, who prefers a multi-lens view of the world... More…
Elizabeth Weinberg has talent and vision. PDN magazine called her one of 30 emerging photographers to watch in 2010, and they were spot-on. In this interview by Rachel Hulin, Elizabeth shares how she landed her agent, what it means, and why More…
We all have Circadian rhythms or body cycles that are tuned specifically to us...whether you identify that as being a morning person or a night owl. This also applies to your creative rituals too though. More…
How do you remain an ethical photographer when everyone's relentlessly Twitpic-ing, Facebooking and sharing pics taken from their 5 megapixel cameraphones with the latest Apps installed to give artifical effects and ambience to their images? More…
Your environment can be deceiving. Just when you think there's nothing new left to discover in the familiar, there just might be something interesting to see. Take a few moments today to explore a familiar environment More…
According to 360i, by the end of 2010, more than 80 billion photographs were uploaded across a variety of social picture platforms. And at least once a month, 52 percent of mobile users take photos with their phones, and 19 percent upload their photos to the web. More…
"...if you want to express yourself as a photographer, then you need to discover what you are passionate about photographing, rather than fitting the mold of a set type of work." More…
Within... a deadly battle ensued for years, killing me softly until all that was left was photography... Photography is irrelevant and over saturated, that to be sure. Unless we are able to control it and shape it, give it life, give it spirit and soul. More…
For photographer Jennifer McKendrick, integrity comes before income. McKendrick made national headlines this week when she refused to photograph a group of girls for their high school portraits after discovering they had been involved in online bullying. More…
It's been almost 10 months since I bought my first DSLR. The days so far were both beautiful and challenging as well as immensely educational. The time I spent juggling with my camera have given me some insight into the intricacies of this business. More…
The advent of blogs and Facebook has changed the way we show photography More…
The problem I have with the whole "make-up" incident is how the media linked "Photoshop" with negativity. Our whole world is exaggerated in many forms, so let's not confuse the banning of these advertisements with the real purpose of image editing. More…
3 Years to Get the Guts for Street Photography More…
Martha Graham's father once told her, "Martha, never lie to me, for if you ever do lie I will know. Your body will tell me." And even though "a single frame can only begin to intimate movement," a great dance photo "can help us understand who is lying and who was telling the truth." More…
Whatever your goals for success, you can't define them until you define success and the only person whose definition matters is looking back at you each morning in the mirror! More…
It seems like everyone has access to some kind of camera these days, but will the digital images captured survive long enough to become part of the historical record of our time for future generations? More…
Despite all of the amazing advancements we've recently seen in photography, I usually find myself more impressed and inspired by images created by photographers of the past. They weren't paid by the mouse click, but rather for capturing a real moment in time. More…
As the saying goes, rules are meant to be broken so here are a few ways you can break a few of the photography rules creatively. More…
Sometimes we get in a rut. We photograph the same thing over and over and over. That's not always bad. But it can be. More…
I hear all sorts of news about how bad the economy is. But why? Could it be because we live in a world where people have been trained to think they deserve a trophy simply because they showed up to 90% of the games? More…
The principal issue raised by the remarkable photographs of Diane Arbus seems not to be their remarkableness, which few would dispute, but their morality. More…
No vision? No need for anything else. All subsequent steps rely on a body of work. ALL your sales and marketing tools are worthless if you don't have The goods. Lets take a look at why... More…
There are no figures that indicate the percentage of stock photography bought by part-time business builders rather than professional image editors but the corollary of the decline of editorial photography has been the rise of online image use. More…
One thing we must never forget as wedding photographers, is that while we gain more and more experience and knowledge about the industry with each wedding we shoot, every new enquiry we get is from a couple going through the planning process for the first time. More…
Are Cheap Craigslist Weddings Killing the Wedding Photography Business? More…
In May, Peter Phun published an article on Black Star Rising entitled "It's Time for Pro Photographers and Hobbyists to Call a Truce." The article has received a lot of comments. I would like to weigh in with my thoughts on the difference between professionals and non-professionals. More…
There exists an ageless Cherokee Native American proverb that states "Don't let yesterday use up too much of today". The point being that most of us tend to spend vast amounts of time and energy worrying about the past or planning for the future. More…
Color photography was still very rare in the early 40s, but the OWI produced an incredible series of photos to bolster morale during the beginnings of WWII. More…
One of the controversial issues in the world of photography is the use (or perceived over-use) of post production editing software like Photoshop
More…
Amateur, pro, editorial photographer, hobbyist -- it really doesn't matter. As often as not, your subject is going to this question More…
Do you ever fall for the "shiny object syndrome"? In other words, do you buy camera equipment on a whim because you fall in love with it based on a recommendation? More…
Can the memory of a photograph be better then the image itself? Do we tend to embellish what we have seen and liked? Most probably so. The memory of a photograph contains, on top of the graphic visualization of the image, the sum of all the emotions and memories linked to it More…
One of the most important reasons to stay on top of technology is so you can learn the nuances of it. The more you understand today's technology, the easier it will be with tomorrow's. More…
The Blind Camera is perfect for those people bored by the mass-produced point and shoot cameras. There's no viewfinder, no lens, or flash. All it has on the outside is an LCD screen and a shutter button. More…
Let's face it, you are waging a losing battle.
Every time you sign up for a social network, be it Facebook, Twitter or Google+, you are faced with TOS (Terms of Service) that are naked rights grabs - making it a risky proposition for you to share your images. More…
So you want to be a great street photographer...I'm not going to sugarcoat things; this is downright hard to do. I've been doing street photography for almost 10 years and I struggle with it every single day.
More…
People Have Been Faking Photographs Since the 1800s More…
Photography might bore you down when you come around the same venues and do the same type of shooting every time you pick up the camera. To maintain the effectiveness, one has to stay inspired and stay in line with the latest technology. More…
I often get asked the question, "how did you shoot this"? It seems there is so much interest in how an image was made technically but not as much into the thought process that led to creating the shot. More…
Most photographs are created twice: once in your imagination, and a second time during your creative workflow. More…
Over the last few years there's been an ongoing debate in media circles about the evolution of journalism in the social media age. One of the ideas that I've found interesting is the notion of 'process journalism.' More…
Why can't I just point my camera at what I'm seeing and record that? It's a seemingly simple question. It's also one of the most complicated to answer, and requires delving into not only how a camera records light, but also how and why our eyes work the way they do. More…
The reality is that if you live and work as an artist on the web you are choosing to both exist in a constant grey area between copyright law and Fair Use and participate in a vast frontier of wobbly ethics that vacillate depending on the network, community or individual. More…
Here's a short clip from the talk show Stossel where American libertarian journalist Radley Balko talks about how cameras - especially mobile phone ones - are a powerful weapon against tyranny, and why laws should protect our rights to use them. More…
There is no evidence that we are on the verge of a great new glittering cultural age, there is evidence that we may well be on the verge of a new dark age in cultural terms More…
So you work out of your home, and you're wondering why the business isn't as strong as it should be. Is your business really your top priority? More…
There's never been a worse time to be a photographer. Newspapers are cutting staff. Prices are dropping through the floor. Rights are being reduced and the only part of the industry that's showing signs of growth are the competition. More…
How The Internet Is Changing The Future Of Photography: The fast-forward momentum of digital technology "changes our sense of what it means to make" and "results in work that feels like play, work that turns old into new, elevates the banal. Work that has a past but feels absolutely present." More…
Hardly a day goes by now without yet another lawsuit about some copyright violation. Under US Copyright law, the crux always is "fair use": Do we have a case of fair use or not? More…
Street Photography - How to Let Yourself Be, Yourself More…
Shoot to burn or not shoot to burn (with a bit of an Historical Perspective): That is the big question for many photographers when they start out but it's also the second question that most clients ask (the first of course being how much?) More…
Photography and freedom of expression. It's not just the police that restrict it. More…
While photo-sharing sites seem to have nicer commenters than a site like YouTube, there are still plenty of people who seem intent on putting people down and filling the Interwebs with vitriol. If that's you, then here's a video you definitely need to see. More…
What's coming our way in the photo-sharing space? The camera app really doesn't matter at this point (unless something is changed), but the sharing aspect to photography and mobile photography in general is up in the air More…
The new 2011 U.S. Image Sharing Forecast from InfoTrends, Weymouth, Mass., projects the number of camera phone photos shared online will nearly double from just over 11 billion images in 2010 to nearly 22 billion in 2015. More…
About a year ago a young photographer came to me with a question I'd never heard before. What did I think about "face detect" autofocus? Probably I sighed. More…
Is it still worth doing a degree in photojournalism? Where is the work going to come from? Well, if photojournalism is what you are interested in, head over to More…
"An extension of my eye," Cartier-Bresson famously called his miniature-format 35mm camera and, Mr. Hockney notwithstanding, it seems to have worked pretty well for him and his successors. More…
I don't want to get on a jag about copyright infringement here, but a lawsuit filed this week against Ryan McGinley illustrates how copyright can potentially impinge artist's creative expression if taken too far. More…
You've been dreaming of the day you'll become a successful business owner. But do you really have what it takes? Are you really cut out for the entrepreneur path? More…
From the World's Best Photography Magazine this morning, the amazing tale of the rehabilitation of photographer Giles Duley-"pulled along by what would seem an incurably upbeat mind." I'll say. More…
Every time you sign up for a social network, be it Facebook, Twitter or Google +, you are faced with TOS (Terms of Service) that are pure rights grabbing... Yet, everyone tells you that the only path to success is to have your images on these sites. More…
For many reasons, people often assume that the bigger the lens, or the beefier the camera, the better the photos. Having better equipment can yes, improve the quality of a photograph in some ways but not all. More…
I don't think I do anything special. Snap a photo here, over-process it into oblivion there, and call it "art". How original is that? Well, by describing my work in such a vague and generalized tone, sure. I'm weak sauce. More…
No shocker here - I love photography. But why? There are 100 reasons. But one stands out above the rest. Surprisingly, it's not something I hear many people talking about. Ready? More…
I have seen many blogs recently about if photography is still a needed art form. This is a question that has a lot to say on both sides More…
New research in PNAS demonstrates that the mere sight of a loved one can activate some brain regions and inhibit others, making painful events feel just a little bit less excruciating. More…
It has been a while since I posted on the ways fashion photographers blur the boundaries of militarism and, well, tawdry sex More…
If you're already a professional photographer or filmmaker, then you know that you had to hear a lot of "no" for every "yes". More…
If you’re borrowing inspiration from any copyrighted material, even if it seems clear to you that your use is transformational, you're in danger. More…
Max Kozloff (1997): Twenty-one years ago, after having switched my field from art criticism to writing on photography, I started to make photographs as well, and in earnest... More…
Most photographers rely heavily on electronic marketing, i.e., Facebook ads, email lists, electronic newsletters, Twitter, blogs, podcasts, etc. While I believe these are all important tools, like any marketing, they can be over done, abused and misused. More…
Despite proof to the contrary, some full-time professionals still believe they are entitled to be primary image providers. It is time to stop the blame game and re-focus on the challenge - how to earn a living by making pictures. More…
One of the great joys of the past few years has been the movement by museums, libraries and archives to digitize and make accessible hundreds of thousands of photographs in their collections. More…
f you look at how many people it takes to make a movie, or build a bridge, you might stop to realize that the beauty of photography is that generally, it is the work of one human being. The maker of the photograph alone creates the composition, finds the light and presses the button. More…
It takes courage to be great, to break away from the crowd and develop your own voice and put yourself out there. If you're doing what's safe and what everyone else is, you may get a lot of "likes" and "favs," but at the end of day are you making photographs that you love? More…
Copyright law is not, fundamentally, about financial damage. It is about giving the creator of the work the right to decide how it is used. More…
The American Health Organization updated its policies earlier this week urging the ad industry to stop the "altering of photographs in a manner that could promote unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image." More…
Is Photoshop cheating? That is a question that I personally have been debating now for a long time. I have been in talks with other photographers who have been on both sides of this debate. More…
We've been marketing businesses online since 1994. So I consider us to be connoisseurs of online marketing. That's why I'm shocked at what some of the so-called experts promote every day. More…
Amidst the discussions a few weeks back of film and digital photographic practices, it occurred to me that it's much harder for me to get numbers today on the kinds of photographs photographers are making than it used to be More…
We've been considering moving away from Flickr for awhile now for a number of reasons, not the least of which is Flickr has become, as Scott Kelby (and others) put it, "a place to put your photos when you want a hug".
More…
I came across a photo from a marathon that I ran a little while back and it got me thinking about the passion that we all have as artists and how we constantly need to feed that passion. More…
Vincent Laforet -The Future Of Photography Is Convergence: First of all, this is not a philosophical discussion between the value of a photograph versus the value of the moving image... More…
During a workshop in São Paulo, Brazil earlier this month, someone asked Magnum street photographer Bruce Gilden to explain why he shoots with a Leica. Here’s his response.
More…
A couple of recent posts, both addressing very similar issues: Noting that the economy, jobs, healthcare and education are key issues for most people (especially in the US, with elections coming up), David Campbell writes: "what does photojournalism contribute to these debates"? More…
The Dutch golden age of painting produced some of the most incredible art the world has ever seen. These masters of light drew on a rich heritage spanning hundreds of years ...But what can they really teach us about the modern art of photography? As it turns out, plenty.
More…
If you are a pro, or even a rising pro, and feel as though you have competition, consider this: you have no competition. You are unique. More…
Is there anything that has not been said about the analog-vs.-digital debate? With every passing day, the debate looks slightly sillier, as digital photography is firmly replacing analog photography. More…
What rights do you have to your content, photos and videos after you put them on a social site? What rights do you have to it after the fact? And more importantly, what rights do they have? More…
When photographers look at the world, they look at it through a special lens - pun intended. It's a filter of sorts that sifts the importance of one thing or another. More…
I saw a flyer the other day for a photography school that said "Why not turn your passion into a career?" It started me wondering, what exactly is out there for someone with a degree in photography? More…
Your comfort zone that is. I was chatting with a friend who is currently traveling around Ireland and she has been going to some "off the tourist map" type of locations and just loving it. It's because she is away from the homogeneous tourist areas and really experiencing the country and people. More…
Chances are very good that someone, somewhere has tried (or will try) to cut you down, attack you, belittle your work, or in some other way shake your confidence as a professional or aspiring professional photographer More…
Can Your Photography Business Be A Lifestyle Business? Chances are you've been seeing the word "lifestyle" much more in the general media.
I've seen lifestyle malls, lifestyle TV, and lifestyle consumers. I've also seen it attached to "photography" and "business" again and again. More…
There are differences between a "professional" who makes a living shooting for money, a "casual shooter" who makes images for recreation and a "creative photographer" who makes images as art More…
Why am I taking this photograph? What am I trying to accomplish? What message am I trying to convey? Photographers are in reality storytellers, who are not passively capturing a scene, but rather through the myriad of decisions in the photography process is crafting a story. More…
Why, when we have such capable and inexpensive cameras at our disposal, are we reverting to old technology and old aesthetics? Is it pure nostalgia? More…
If you want better pictures you can get them if you simply stop being so lazy. Sorry to sound harsh - but I care enough about your future success to tell you the truth. Many of the mistakes beginners make can be chalked up to laziness. More…
I can't help but get excited whenever I hear one of our photographers is visiting Cuba. I grill them for details and pore over their photos. More…
When thinking about Memorial Day, and our soldiers around the world, I keep coming back to Tim Hertherington and the difficult and meaningful work that he dedicated himself to. More…
Let you in on a secret: Even the cheapest d-SLR cameras on the market today are absolutely phenomenal pieces of equipment, and chances are that you don't need to spend much money to take phenomenal photos More…
Libertarian magazine Reason created this video about the erosion of photographers' rights in the United States. One of the cases highlighted is the one involving Antonio Musumeci, who was arrested for filming a government building and came out victorious in a lawsuit with the help of the NYCLU. More…
I remember when soft-focus portraiture was all the rage. Believe me, I shot my share of them. Glad that trend passed. Alas, the softness of photographic images can be magic.
More…
When I was writing If everybody can be a photographer...I approached things from my perspective of someone who writes about and teaches photography. You probably figured it out: That's only part of the story. There's more. More…
This post that I found via Steve Coleman on Facebook lays out the cold hard facts of starting a wedding or portrait photography business in 2011. You can certainly apply most of it to commercial and editorial photography as well More…
Here's the big question: If everybody can be a photographer, what will be the function of a professional? Good question, isn't it? More…
Another refugee who had to stoop to hustling, scrambling, and scraping by, and ultimately to street photography to support herself, was Lisette Model. More…
How will social imaging impact the photography business? Many new startups are exploring the intersection between pictures and socializing - and so is a leader in the imaging industry, Adobe. More…
Understanding, and accepting, the ugly side of beauty is a balancing act in society. But how do you define beauty in the first place? Do you admire the beauty of others, or covet it? Has a genetic life bonus given you a different line to stand in through life?
More…
I’m a professional photographer. I also recognize that, increasingly, this designation seems to be losing its impact. Besides being able to deduct equipment purchases on your taxes, what else does the title bring you?
More…
Do you ever get sick of people telling you that social media is here to stay? 600 million people use Facebook? Boring! Twitter this? Foursquare that? Another damn guide from PhotoShelter telling you to optimize your Facebook Fan Page? More…
After several months of shooting with my film rangefinder for street photography I am never going to go back to shooting with a DSLR. Let me explain... More…
The truth is that sometimes black & white just tells the story better. Maybe it’s the mood it conveys or maybe it allows the viewer to see the photo instead of seeing all the colors. For example, street photography is a genre where black & white seems to work especially well
More…
While learning and refining their skills I believe that most photographers progress through three distinct phases in their development. More…
You're going to make mistakes, even lose a client now and then, but you need to stay focused on the long term, the investment you're making in establishing something lasting. More…
Some things work just the same for a company the size of Microsoft or a photographer with their own business. One of these principles that works at any size is that there are only three basic ways to increase your business... More…
The joy of experimenting with digital photography is instant feedback (via a camera’s display and histogram) and hopefully instant understanding. “When I do this, this happens.” More…
Every so often I'm 'required' to provide something called an 'Artist's Statement' to go with some of my photographs. It's something that I can find more difficult than taking the pictures in the first place More…
Photographer and blogger Thomas Hawk has an ongoing project called 2 dollar Portraits in which he gives 2 dollars to people on the street in exchange for a portrait More…
"IS PHOTOSHOP RUINING PHOTOGRAPHY? The obvious answer I can give to that question is damn f***ing right it is. It's ruining everything, unfortunately, from a purist's point of view." More…
This article is for any photographer who is still holding out on the world of Twitter. While most everyone is on Facebook, a lot of people are still hesitant about Twitter for various reasons. In this article, I will go over some reasons why I love Twitter and why you should give it a chance.
More…
All of us have the same challenge, including me. It's about our quest to stay relevant. Technology, lifestyles, consumer trends and social media top the charts on the issues for me More…
A while ago I wrote a post saying photographers should stop making excuses and start making great images. I feel compelled to add to that post today because of something that happened when I posted a photo I made with my iPhone. More…
Opinions about street photography are varied and sometimes volatile; it's a bit of a hot topic. People have strong beliefs about their own ethics and practices, which is no doubt as it should be. More…
Groupon is the fastest growing company in web history and a popular way for local businesses to generate some buzz in their areas, but some independent photographers are finding out the hard way that offering special deals through Groupon might be the worst marketing decision they ever made. More…
Conceptual Art gets a bad rap in the photo world. It's easy to understand why. A colleague of mine in graduate
school once made an 8 ft white pedestal that she called "My ideas are above you," and I think that about sums it up More…
Digital Photography - Art Or Science? - Is digital photography an art or is it more of a science? Jim Selby tries to find the answer. More…
"I wrote about the new Getty contract in early April and there was some excellent discussion in the comments about the whole deal, so I thought I'd bring this latest announcement by the American Photographic Artists (APA) to your attention. More…
Issues surrounding photography and the "truth" of news pictures have become an unusual storyline running throughout this week's coverage of America's commando attack on Osama bin Laden's compound, ere and pictures of the terrorist's body overseas. More…
"I've never been able to identify a photojournalist's gender from the photos she takes. Have you? So why is it so important for some photographers to define themselves as "women photojournalists," rather than simply as "photojournalists"? More…
"Photography is a kingdom of glamour and banality. The photograph, whatever its cultural pedigree, does not so much exalt the everyday as establish the aesthetic parameters, the peaks and troughs, of everydayness." More…
As a teacher, I always ask my students on the first day of class what their photographic goals are. Nine times out of ten, their goals are getting into a gallery and having a solo exhibition. I would have to say that that is probably the case for all of us. More…
"Here's something I've wanted to write about for a while: Is the Dominance of the Gallery System Photography's Biggest Handicap? This is certainly not how I would have phrased the question, but there are a few things to talk about here." More…
The faceless portrait became a central question in my photography. I started to explore how to tell a person's story without showing their face in the frame. What is it about body language that told stories without the distraction of the face? More…
Issues surrounding photography and the "truth" of news pictures have become an unusual storyline running throughout this week's coverage of America's commando attack on Osama bin Laden's compound, and the White House's handing ... More…
"Photographers should write more. And I don't mean blog more, I mean writing, actual writing. The type of writing that takes at least an hour or two to complete and then is edited the next day." More…
I am amused to say the least at the reaction I get when some people meet me and realize I am a gray-haired guy in my mid to late-50s. Some people assume I was younger and some older. I have realized that age is an issue in the photo industry right now More…
One of the cardinal rules I've always heard in the field of photography is to update your portfolio often - show fresh work to show you haven't stagnated, and that your creativity is always expanding and changing with the styles and facets of the times. More…
"...For me the question is not whether or not a photograph of the corpse of Bin Laden should be released. Do we really want to pretend that it's not going to happen? Do we really want to believe that somehow a photo might not find its way onto the internet? More…
Can turning pro kill your passion for photography? The importance of personal projects: Living the dream of turning your passion into a profitable business sounds like the ideal job and, in many ways, it is the best job in the world. But it doesn't come without its drawbacks.
More…
I like to play with photography. When I'm bored, when I'm anxious, happy, feeling creative, or just need an outlet to express an emotion, I can always count on a camera to aid in the creative process. More…
While deal sites are definitely the rage from the consumer side, what about the business side? Does it make sense for you as a business owner to jump on board and make your own offer? More…
New professional photographers all think they're alone in working through the challenges of starting a new business! Not only are you not alone, but there isn't a single one of us in the industry who hasn't felt your same concerns, doubt and frustrations! More…
"In the new era of social media, any celebrity with a half-baked idea and a laptop - or any fan with a cellphone camera - can quickly undo years of careful image crafting." More…
Here's a link to a very serious subject-it's an essay by the photographer Teru Kuwayama called "Which of Us Dies First?", and it brings up some potentially controversial issues about the news photography business and the organizations that engage in it More…
When Does a Photograph Become Dishonest? The answer to the question, when does a photograph become dishonest, seems obvious. Unless it's not. And that's the tricky part. More…
'Lately I am finding real peace the when I use my camera to work through something personal. Life gets messy, sometimes scary, but when I pause and acknowledge those moments through my lens, I feel a release.' More…
In shooting the Dalian Oil Spill photographer Lu Guang witnessed and photographed 25-year-old firefighter Zhang Liang's accidental drowning while attempting to unblock a water pipe in the harbor...he reflects on that day and his role as a photographer in showing the world what happened. More…
"The point I am making is that we need to consider our subject matter more carefully...there seems to be many subjects which are avoided, because we all need that echo of familiarity to help us have the confidence to make a body of work."- Martin Parr More…
This post is going to ruffle some feathers. Nothing new there! I ruffle feathers all the time. I see it as part of my job. Make people think. Make them uncomfortable. Start debate. And this time it's not just for fun. It's important! More…
Stephen Alvarez sent me a link to a film he made for NPR and he seemed quite sure that "this is where journalism is going because these new cameras open up a narrative that was unavailable just a few years ago." I wanted to find out more so I asked him a couple questions about it More…
Personally, I think paid-for photography competitions are absolute shite. Why? More…
When our business started growing by leaps and bounds, we made a conscious decision to stay small - Andrew, myself, an office manager, and two part time assistants- yet look like we were a very large photography studio that could take on clients anywhere in the world More…
What should be the role of the photographer in modern society? There probably are thousands of ways to approach this question, starting with the counter question "What is a photographer?" More…
Sometimes you have to recognize that alienating a few people may just be the best thing you ever do with your photographic career. More…
A content strategy may sound fancy, but essentially it means one thing... know what you want to talk about and how you want your online brand to be perceived.
More…
"How [David] Hobby went from being a workaday newspaper photographer to an internationally recognized guru is a story tied up with seismic changes in the photography profession." More…
As a contender for a subject to explore in words and pictures, Islam was at once too obvious and too risky. "The Question of Islam" was our starting point... More…
Like everything in photography, shooting in color is a decision. That sounds weird, right? After all, the world is in Technicolor and we can't really turn all the color off. More…
Pictures or Images? Proofs or Originals? Come in for your shoot. or Come in for an experience.
The way you communicate can have a major impact on the way you do business. More…
After the recent ordeal suffered by photographer Lynsey Addario in Libya, we've been thinking about photography in the Muslim world. More…
"When you look into your camera, if you see an image you have ever seen before, don't click the shutter."-Alexey Brodovitch More…
Collaboration is a force to be reckoned with. So often it starts on the internet, with names like "crowdsourcing," or "Twitter," but then it overflows into the word of physical reality... More…
What do you see when you look at a photograph? Simple question. How you answer it may reveal what you find important in imagery. More…
"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
- Henry David Thoreau. This is one of my favorite quotes. While Thoreau did not say this about photography, it's about the best advice you can give to someone in our profession. More…
Have you ever needed some inspiration? Maybe the batteries were a little low and the doldrums of creative deadlock begin to swirl around your camera. Maybe you had to do something really creative and simply needed to see some stuff to "get the juices going." More…
Fotografieren verboten. Photography forbidden. Is this the coded message that stutters at us in a central image from the photoessay U-ni-ty (Ein-heit) by the contemporary Berlin photographer Michael Schmidt? More…
Matt Johnson and designer Wayne Ford, have been hitting the social media channels asking for recommendations for great photo book stores around the world. They're plugging the recommendations into a Google map, which they aim to turn into a comprehensive resource. More…
What makes an image "comment-worthy?" Scott and Adina Hayle have noticed that certain types of images tend to get more comments, and they are not only editing with this in mind, but have also learned to look for these types of photos during the shoot itself. More…
PDNOnline has posted a short article with some hints from photo editors and art directors about what they look for when they consider giving a video assignment to a still photographer. More…
Photo tagging, like so much on Facebook, seemed like a cool idea at the time, but is now showing its ugly side as the practice results in increased malware and spam for users that participate in it... More…
Instead of asking "What pictures do the public want to see?" I think the real questions are "What pictures do the public get to see?", "How are the picture presented?", and "Do those pictures and the presentation help the public form educated opinions about topics that matter?" More…
If you are a photographer who is active online, chances are you have your own blog, and post new content on a regular basis. Posting is good - content is and will be king well into the future. But posting in the correct way is the only way to go... More…
Steven Sasson is a pretty unassuming guy. But he changed the world. In this "video portrait" by David Friedman, Sasson briefly walks us through the birth of the digital camera, and muses about its implications since then. More…
Photojournalism students, as well as those in other mass communication programs, are worried there won't be jobs for them when they graduate...I don't think the picture is all doom and gloom, though. More…
Ars Technica freelancer Eriq Gardner was recently sued over a photo that appeared in a piece he wrote for us last year. The flimsy lawsuit was quickly dismissed, but the company behind it lives on-and has sued 50+ people in Colorado for their use of the same photo. More…
The New York Times Bits blog reports on an inquiry undertaken by web consultant and author Jakob Nielsen...he concludes:"Invest in good photo shoots: a great photographer can add a fortune to your Web site's business value." More…
If you're stressed out because of all the work you have to do, you may be missing an opportunity. Perhaps it's time to grow your photography business. More…
We thought we'd spend some time talking with photographers to compile a series of profiles that illustrate the blood, sweat, and savvy that goes into building a strong photography career. More…
By now you might have heard of Sean O'Hagan raising a ruckus about the Deutsche Borse Prize and the Photographers' Gallery. Apparently, there has been some debate about the gallery, which I haven't followed. More…
I spent about five years as a photo editor and was sort of amazed at how self-important artist statements can be. I recognize, and love that photography can be important, life changing, awareness raising, haunting, process celebrating, but to say something is visceral doesn't make it so. More…
The influence Ansel Adams had on the photography world is incalculable, but who would have guessed he had such a humble darkroom? Silber Studios went behind the curtains to check it out, 27 years after the American passed away More…
If you've been out of the loop when it comes to emergence of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILC, AKA EVIL), David Pogue over at the New York Times has an interesting article introducing them More…
What makes great photography? Colin Pantall has a convincing answer: "that is the mark of any great photography - it escapes the photography ghetto and becomes relevant to the wider world." More…
There is one sentence in the Seattle Bride Magazine's article Pros Of Hiring A Pro that says it all.
"I now disagree more than ever with the digital-age adage that "now everyone is a photographer." More…
This article about "Photojournalism in the Age of New Media" is well worth the read, since it delves into the actual journalism aspect of things, in other words the need to verify information. More…
I'd been warned. David Bailey has a reputation as a "difficult" interviewee: touchy, hectoring, foul-mouthed, with an inveterate tendency to ignore questions and talk about whatever is at the forefront of his own mind instead. More…
'Two model release related news stories landed on my desk last week. In both, the model is upset after seeing their picture used and even though they signed a release they want to go after the photographer because they didn't consent to the use.' More…
What's the worst part of your photography business? If you said "selling" you're not alone.
The fact is we aren't born to become sales professionals. It's not a trait you either have or don't have. It's something that is developed over time. More…
I'd been wanting to write something about working with a picture editor for a while. Exactly what to say hasn't been clear to me, until now. More…
In 2009, Magnum Photographer Christopher Anderson released his beautiful photobook, Capitolio.This week, he's launching his first photobook reproduced as an iPad app. We recently interviewed Anderson on how he sees the future of high-end photography reproduction. More…
As photographers, we all pretty much want the same things. In short, we want to be rewarded for our individual creativity, and make a decent living making the pictures that we enjoy making. Yet, so many photographers feel that this is lacking in their lives. What can be done about this? More…
In my experience, every photographer would like a book of his or her work. It's a given, like the misery of next month's tax deadline. Yet the process is complicated, and often opaque for the average photographer. More…
A month after the launch of the new crowd funding platform for photojournalism, Emphas.is, one of its users reports from the road. Belgian photographer and Emphas.is fundraiser Tomas van Houtryve tells us about the good, the bad and the future of this work in progress. More…
I was recently asked to propose a blogging workshop for photography students. It pushed me to think why blogs should be written and why they should be read. Blogging tools have developed concurrently with the social media platforms that have permitted our shared glut of imagery. More…
In order to get new business through your doors, you have to generate the traffic. That same thought process carries through to the online world as well. More…
This post isn't about UV filters or screw on filters or gear of any kind. It's about the filters we use to make photographic decisions. What to include or not include in a photograph... What color background to use... What lens to shoot with... What camera angle... More…
Photojournalist Tomas Van Houtryve has been testing alternative funding methods for his photography projects and I asked if he would give us a report on how it's working out for him. More…
At the risk of sounding like that old scratchy record again, what I'm looking for in photography is something that turns me into a different person, something that I need to come back to... More…
The Art and Business of HDR Photography: 'I had a long video discussion about creativity, business, and my thinking on this world of photography. ..' More…
If you've taken a vacation and been a tourist over the last few months, you've probably noticed the one thing tourists don't take with them much anymore. In fact people are starting to use their phones so much, there is even some question about the future of traditional cameras. More…
The mobile photo sharing space is hot right now, with services like Instagram, Picplz, and Path growing like weeds. A new contender called Color is causing some buzz after successfully raising a whopping 41 million dollars before even launching. More…
Federal Judge Rejects Google Settlement. Should Photographers Care? In a word, Yes. More…
This story's a bit old, but it's the first I've encountered it. Ron Haeberle, US Army photographer during the Vietnam War, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2009 that he took photos of soldiers in the act of killing during the My Lai massacre but destroyed the negatives. More…
Israeli-American photographer Noam Galai's incredible story, from Fstoppers. The ultimate viral image?
This is really the sort of thing you can't make happen on purpose-and, as Noam notes at the end of the interview, it's something that couldn't have happened twenty years ago More…
We all know the reasons why doing a friend or family wedding would stink. One of them being that you're essentially being asked (or requesting to be) a working guest...
More…
'Last June I wrote a post called "The Story of the Illegal HDR". It was a story about how I captured my HDR photo of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. It spurred over 400 comments in 2 days and some of them got pretty heated. More…
Making money at photography is a difficult thing to do. I don't want to discourage you from your dreams, you should always pursue whatever it is that you love doing. The fact is that in the last three years the business has changed considerably. More…
Poynter.org has posted a story about John Rogers, a Little Rock, Arkansas collector who has been paying large sums of money to several U.S. newspapers for various rights to their photo archives. More…
If you've got half an hour to spare, the above video features a great casual conversation between Chase Jarvis and Vincent Laforet. There are lots of little nuggets of wisdom in here, and it's just fun to hear the guys talk shop for a while.. More…
You've probably heard people say that you shouldn't try to get a cheap photographer for wedding photography. Here's a good example of why. More…
'I would challenge the younger generation to make work with some meaning, work that is hyper authentic, raw and imaginative. Use the camera as a way to wander through whatever world you feel drawn to and do it with integrity, conviction and total disregard for money.' More…
Have you ever entered a site and you can't hit the back button fast enough? Something about the page is an instant turnoff, and you back out or get out of the browser window as fast as possible. More…
You know all those not-so-awesome portraits found all over social networking services like Facebook and Myspace? If you've felt like there's something strangely uniform about them, perhaps the reason is because they were all taken by Sheffield Quigley,... More…
In this interview, photographer Tehila Cohen explains how she involves her family in her work to reveal the identity of an Israeli family through spontaneous actions from the subjects and their environment. More…
'In this edition of Ask the Photo Business Coach, I answer the question, "What are the most promising new opportunities for photographers?"' More…
As a photographer, you look for inexpensive ways to market your business. You use a free blog with Blogger, and free networking with Twitter and Facebook.
You start building your network, and building relationships in a variety of ways. But what if it all disappears in the blink of an eye? More…
For a Yahoo HackU programming competition, a group of students at the University of Washington created FlickrMosaic, a simple app that creates photomosaics from Flickr photographs. More…
I confess to having more gear than I need - much more. ... But how much of it do I need or really use? More…
Noam Galai took a few photos of himself in 2006 and uploaded them to his Flickr. A few people liked those photos, but he didn't think of it. Over time, he began to see his photos popping up all over magazines, the internet and as street art. More…
A Dutch friend send me the link to a speech given my Pim Milo, a Dutch writer...In his speech, Milo argues forcefully against photographer donating prints to charity auctions. His reasoning is simple and quite interesting... More…
'While I've known it before to some degree, it has become increasingly clear to me that I am creating the family images I make to leave a record for my daughter. To know where we're headed we have to know where we come from...' More…
A new study, published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, finds that females who base their self-esteem on their appearance are more inclined to share photos online and assemble larger groups of friends on social-networking sites. More…
Maybe to someone it will look a bit ridiculous when I say that we in BLUR magazine strive to be like the Enterprise crew from Star Trek. As silly as it sounds, that's the truth... More…
A member brought it to our attention that a proposed bill in Florida would make it illegal to photograph a farm or other agricultural property without written consent of the owner. More…
Garry Winogrand:...'I forgot what year when Robert Frank's book came out. He was working pretty much around that time, '55 or whenever it was. And there were photographs in there, particularly that gas station photograph, that I learned an immense amount from...' More…
A new attempt to fund photojournalism has just been launched, in the form of emphas.is, a website dedicated to crowd-funding photojournalism. I do not know whether emphas.is is the-- or maybe even just a - solution to fund photojournalism. But I believe it has tremendous promise. More…
I was going to write something about the recent mini-flurry of photography produced via Google Street View, but Lisa Kereszi just beat me to it, writing on the Daylight blog More…
Being stopped by police for being suspicious - and having cameras - isn't an issue unique to our time. In 1955, photographer Robert Frank was driving through Arkansas when he was stopped by a police officer who looked into his car and noticed, among other things, "a number of cameras". More…
Lenscratch is offering up a new feature where we will explore the idea of success. Sometimes it's monetary success, or a roster of exhibitions, but most importantly, it's success in making the work and creating a photographic life that is rewarding and fulfilling. More…
From Netflix to Pandora, Zipcar to cell phone plans, more and more businesses are offering subscription or membership service plans - and consumers are embracing them as a way of simplifying their lives and budgets. It's time for independent photographers to consider this business model, too. More…
Part of being successful is having a belief in yourself and the process: If you want to work on your art, work on your life. All those personality traits that aren't working for you will come back to haunt you in your career. It's all connected. More…
Have you ever been in a room with a whole bunch of positive people, and as a result, you walked away feeling optimistic and positive too? That was the scene at WPPI in Las Vegas last week... I needed to find out why. More…
Photography is a great interest to share with your children. Or any children, for that matter. For parents the joy of interesting kids in photography can either be a challenge or a delight.
More…
In the days of film, SLRs often came with a 50mm standard lens, but nowadays most DSLRs come with a zoom lens and many people have no idea how good a standard lens can be. Let's find out, starting with the basics...
More…
Many professional photographers get asked the same question over and over by people who want to know how to get better results: "How would you shoot X?"Many professional photographers also have the same answer to that question: "I wouldn't." More…
Millions of photos from the Sygma archive may soon be destroyed: Up to 12 million photographs by an unknown number of photographers are at risk, and they simply don't have the resources to return the images to their owners. More…
Scientists at Stanford have found that looking at pictures of loved ones can reduce pain. The study involved performing MRI scans on the brains of lovestruck students who were subjected to heat pain on their skin while focusing on photographs of their significant others. More…
There is a huge amount of smoke and mirrors in photography... the necessity to be perceived as successful and the image of financial security as an element of self-marketing are all central to very many photographers' lives. More…
Twitter and Facebook may be the civil uprising tools du jour, but they certainly weren't the first. Imprisoned in a Luminous Glare discusses how photography helped bring Southern brutalities to light and sustained the African American Civil Rights movement. More…
Avoiding cliches requires one of two things: An original approach or an unexplored subject matter and ideally, both. More…
Mercy is commonly defined as compassion, forgiveness, kindness or an act of piety. Photographs of prisoners reaching through bars, a wrestler being contorted by masked men and an infant dressed for burial are among the interpretations in "The Mercy Project/Inochi," by James Whitlow Delano. More…
Expanding on a story in Salon entitled "Why We Love Bad Writing," by Laura Miller, the blog 1/125 applies the same logic to photography and asks why people prefer Chase Jarvis over Alec Soth. More…
People who want you to forfeit your intellectual property rights like to point out the enormous creativity of those who would use your work without compensating you.They're not stealing your work. They're "remixing" it. "Transforming" it. "Mashing" it up. Right. More…
What could be better than staying at home, earning money while you're there, AND getting a few things done around the house as well? However, working at home brings its own set of unique challenges. .. More…
This industry is tough ..We work hard, long days, and this dream job of everyone who owns a camera is demanding, largely on the physical side of the spectrum. Everyday sets a new challenge and it's easy to neglect things that are important to us - such as our health. More…
If one wants to think of photobook making as a spectrum, at one end, there are commercial publishers. At the other end, there are artists literally making their own books: Printing the pages, binding them etc. Raymond Meeks has produced a variety of such artist books... More…
"Facebook has a larger photo collection than any other site on the web. According to an extrapolation of photo upload data reported by Facebook, the site now houses about 60 billion photos compared to Photobucket's 8 billion, Picasa's 7 billion and Flickr's 5 billion." More…
You are not the only one whose skin isn't always perfect. But you could get that feeling from looking at the magically pore and blemish-free images we're bombarded with on billboards and in magazines. One photographer inadvertently let us in on the process. More…
Two autocratic regimes have fallen in just two months, attracting dozens of photographers to report from the dangerous frontline. But, for some of these photojournalists, this story is just the beginning
More…
A lot of photographers are eager to share what they already know about a place - Guinness in a pub! an antique bookstore- but few photographers ask questions with the visual material that they're given. It can be a subtle difference, but it's what keeps us coming back More…
After a conversation with a photographer this afternoon when we pondered the question of 'What Separates Great Photographers from Good Ones' - I decided to record a short video on the thoughts of my friend.
More…
Google the term "creative block" and you'll find countless articles trying to cure you of this terrible malady. This isn't one of those articles. Why not? Because I see nothing wrong with it; I don't think it's a malady at all. More…
One of digital photography's seven deadly sins is shooting in JPEG format, when everybody know that if you're a serious photographer ya 'gotta shoot RAW. So now its time for me to raise my hand and admit, "My name is Joe and I'm a JPEG shooter." More…
I have always thought that photojournalism contests lead to bad photography. They encourage young photographers to make images like the ones that won in previous years instead of pursuing their personal vision. More…
'There are tons of great photo-related sites out there. I read lots of them. I tend to pick the ones that offer wide variety because at this stage of my photo career, I know variety is important. If I had to pick five favorites, these are the sites I'd probably select - in no particular order.' More…
World Press Photo 2011 makes for grim viewing, including shocking images of torture and suffering. Are these images semi pornographic? Three jurors defend their choice More…
'When I say the word "networking" what do you think of? Everyone has a slightly different slant to the connotation of the word. Whatever your idea of networking is, it ultimately impacts how successful your business will be.' More…
The Face Research Website allows users to overlay photos of faces to get an "average" of what a number of combined faces looks like. More…
I'm participating in a 2 day phone seminar with photography consultant Selina Maitreya starting tomorrow (professionalphotographytelesummit.com). She wants to know if editorial photography is dead, alive or just on life-support? More…
The history of documentary photography and photojournalism cannot be written without addressing the complicated relationships that documentary photographers have with galleries and museums More…
'After reading your story, "To Succeed in Photography, Today's Students Must Chart Their Own Course," I have mixed emotions. Determination in the face of overwhelming obstacles is admirable. But it saddens me that photo schools are preparing students for a hobby, not a career.' More…
"It turns out that this kind of artistic but consensual family photograph has its own fascination. The interest isn't so much in looking at truly private moments but rather in seeing what kind of bargain has been struck ... More…
This weekend I had a conversation with a young photographer who wants to be successful in the worst way. Actually...I mean that exactly as stated... the WORST way. More…
What would a calendar look like if the world was run by photography geeks? Photographer David Schloss woke up one morning with the idea of creating such a calendar, with days being incremented by 1/3 f/stops, and the year being ISO 2000. More…
As creative professionals, it's second nature for us to inject a significant level of sensitivity and emotional thought into our craft. What most creative professionals don't realize is that this sensitivity can cripple your business. More…
They're some of the most famous photos ever taken: the Vietnamese general firing his pistol at a handcuffed man's head; the starving Sudanese girl being stalked by a buzzard..."[The] about-to-die image draws us into the action, forcing us to complete the unfinished sequence we've been shown ... More…
As a photojournalism student, I've gotten lots of advice from professional photographers. As well-intended as this counsel may be, it usually comes down to a simple admonition: Stay out of the business. More…
One of the most magical points of running a business is when you realize you can't do it all yourself; the only way to move forward is to take on an employee. More…
Photographers of the increasingly violent upheaval in Egypt are being forced - in the interest of personal safety - to adopt practices that limit their range of coverage at exactly the moment the world is hungriest for as many images from as many perspectives as possible. More…
Photographers like being paid. We want to work. Your portfolio-whether on an iPad or online or in a box-is one of the best tools you have to get the sort of work you want. But our portfolios sometimes work against us. Our tendency is to want to throw in "examples" of a wide variety of work. More…
As a student, I had a lot of original ideas. And I was determined to take only original pictures. I hated "me too" photographs. If I saw a classmate submit a portrait with a cliched subject like a bearded, homeless man, I'd shake my head and say to myself, "How trite." More…
'I've been having some deep discussions with other photographers lately about the need for shooters to develop good technique. In the midst of these discussions though I remembered something from my one and only art class in college - There is no technique without expression.' More…
Have you ever noticed how many photographers describe their marketing budgets? "I'm trying to do it all on a shoestring budget." I hear that all the time. So I started wondering where that term comes from and what does it truly mean? More…
You've been dreaming of the day you tell your JOB goodbye, and work at photography full time to support your lifestyle. And while your dreams are real - you live, breathe and dream them every day - you tend to keep your dreams to yourself. Will your family support your decisions? More…
Whilst the aesthetics of a photograph are undoubtedly important all this concentration on form ignores one simple but fundamental question; how do photographs communicate meaning to the viewer? More…
It's hard to argue with a photographer when they point to a photo of their own that they once loved but now think is a 'lie'. Simon Sticker has done just that in an interesting post about a photo he took in Rwanda. More…
Scott Nelson, 40, is a freelance photographer who works regularly for The New York Times. He's from Denver but has been based in Cairo for a decade. For this post, he spoke with James Estrin late Saturday, elaborating on his experiences and expectations as a photojournalist and as a Cairo resident. More…
A few weeks ago I blogged about using Quora for photographers. I've been on the site pretty much daily since then and have enjoyed both participating and contributing to the service...after reading this article...I'm beginning to reconsider whether or not investing time in Quora makes sense. More…
Prime Collective is a brand new photographic cooperative that I stumbled upon recently. I like the idea of photographers banding together and Luceo Images has proven that it can work well for marketing and potentially for business as well. More…
"As more professionals and amateurs use equipment to record police activity, they're facing the ire of officers who just don't want to be recorded... We need a clear answer from courts that this is legal, or else police officers' instincts will always be to snatch the camera." More…
'I saw Roger Ebert put up a very interesting article entitled "Why 3D Doesn't Work and Never Will". It makes a really good case... I think about this stuff all the time too.' More…
'I find that the longer I work as a photographer, the less sure I am, the more relative things seem, when it comes to image cropping. Although I always work to find the best composition possible when out in the field, it's interesting to me how sometimes things change once I'm back with Photoshop.' More…
'I have posted numerous times here about the travails artists and photographers who have encountered censorship, formal and informal, justified by the fear of "child pornography." At Salon.com you can find this interesting slide show of works that have generated "controversy" along this dimension More…
Photojournalists are yesterday's... heroes. True, there are still some big names out there, among them Gilles Peress and Sabastiao Salgado. But the significance of their work is unclear. Do they shape political or social opinion through their images? More…
'This week we sponsored a panel discussion on the future of documentary photography... The panelists indicated that there's no "magic bullet" here. However, they each shared some extremely thought-provoking insights and inspiring words, well worth your time and consideration.' More…
what makes the subject of HDR such a controversial topic? Why are so many articles written to denounce or defend it?
More…
The photos of Eadweard Muybridge were a technological triumph. Industrialization, however, inflicted damage; Muybridge captured that too... More…
I'm going to go out on a limb and state, for the record, I don't like the overuse of HDR that is touted as examples of good HDR these days.
More…
"I talk to people all the time, particularly when I go and talk to students, and it's amazing to me how many kids and people feel that they have to create work... they'll look at the market and create work that fits for that market, and I think that's a terrible, terrible mistake. More…
Early on in my exploration of photography, I found myself disenchanted with conventional travel photography. Most glossy books about places that are so often found in the bargain sections of chain bookstores just don't look like what you see when you go to those places yourself. More…
Sometimes photographers have a complex about shooting in automatic. I shoot primarily in Aperture Priority (and am not here to knock manual settings AT ALL), but I have a tender place in my heart for ol' Auto. Here are 4 reasons not to write her off too quickly.
More…
You don't have to be at your clients' beck and call. You don't have to available 24 hours a day, just because technology makes it easier. Instead of being at technologies mercy, you simply have to establish your own internal priorities, and stick to it. More…
It's the time of year that many of us make resolutions to get more exercise. That's a good idea. But don't forget the photographic exercises. Here, I've created a list of 20creativity and photography exercises that you can work on all year long. More…
You and your camera are best buddies. Your camera never complains about how long your shot is taking and it never eats your snacks while you're not looking. You make a great pair. But if your camera is your only shooting partner, you're missing out.
More…
How does the boudoir photography business work, and what does it take to succeed in that segment of the photo industry? More…
On the evening of January 12, 1896, three Davidson College juniors bribed a janitor and sneaked into a physics laboratory, carrying with them a cadaver's finger and other strange items. They didn't realize that they were about to make history. More…
If you're like many photographers I know, you've got a general sense that things will continue to turn out ok as long as you keep doing what you're doing. That's no business plan. More…
A story by Thomas Hawk, a rather popular photo blogger, is making its rounds right now. Apparently the man is being sued for $2 million over some photos he took in a museum and posted on Flickr. What's going on? More…
Flickr is a great digital tool...It's likely where a lot of you share your images on the web. But if you have aspirations of growing in your photographic career, you may want to consider your continued use of this or any other photo sharing behemoth.
More…
A new year means a new chance to achieve those things you always wanted to. If you're reading this site, then chances are that this also includes getting better at photography. So here's what we'll be doing to improve our photography in 2011 and you should be too! More…
You're going to hear ten "no's" for every "yes" so don't take a lost negotiation personally. Don't burn bridges. I like to think of it this way: each person in a negotiation is just doing their job. More…
A person forms an opinion of you and/or your company in a matter of seconds. Once that opinion is formed, it is very difficult to sway the opinion one way or the other. Which means those first few seconds are crucial in turning a first opinion into a customer. More…
I knew very early on that one of the most critical and fundamental factors in any business, whether online or not, was branding. As I entered the online world for my photography business, I realized that online personal branding was key to generate a distinctive internet personality/presence... More…
'Someone recently pointed out to me that he didn't know when things were going south for him, so he also didn't know when they were going well. That resonated with me so I'm going to share these tidbits in the hope that I don't offend anyone, but perhaps shake them up enough to want to improve.' More…
'This post is part of 30 Ways In 30 Days To Redesign Your Life With Photography. This series seeks to provide you with practical steps to get you from wherever you are today, to exactly where you want to be - this year!' More…
'In Boston.com's Big Picture gallery for November 2010 we see 43 high quality images that detail allied forces, Afghan civilians. Taliban casualties and American military families...I think we should ask hard questions about how to represent a war that has gone on for so long.' More…
If you're like many photographers, you've created a Facebook "fan page" for your business and/or a Twitter account to help get the word out. But what happens when questions and business leads start coming in? More…
As both a graphic designer and photographer, I used to think that working with clients was no fun. Then I realized that all clients weren't the problem - just a certain type of client. More…
Minimalist photography is known to be the art of less. Such calm pictures focus mainly on a few essential elements for composing the perfect shot. This type of photography art provides a challenge - by arranging only one or two elements in a scene to share a particular message across. More…
Photographers plan, they dream, they write down goals on paper, yet they don't take the steps necessary to actually turn it into a business. What's holding them back? Why can't they move from an idea in their minds, to an idea that becomes reality? More…
"...just in case you might be looking to improve your photography in 2011, I have a small bit of modest advice. Set mechanical goals. That is, goals of time, number, frequency, or duration. More…
Most photographers selling prints today are pricing themselves out of business. This is because they are unaware of the important factors that influence the price that they should be charging for their prints. More…
The most astonishing thing about opening your first box of Kodachromes was discovering that in fact, your lenses really WERE sharp. It was just a joy (when you didn't screw up in the field) to open up and scan quickly through a box just back from the lab. More…
'Many technology advancements have made it both easier and more fun to be a photographer. I was thinking back to some of the big advancements that really resonated with me personally and thought I'd share them with you.' More…
What's one of the most common misconceptions in the photographic industry today? Digital is cheaper than film
At first glance, it sounds correct. More…
What is a wedding? For a photographer it's nothing but business. For the bride and groom it's the most important day of their life. A day in which two lives take a decisive turn, for the better or for the worse. More…
The Nikon USA web site's "NPS Pro Spotlight" page is featuring five videos of free-ranging ten to twenty minute conversations with and among an assortment of professional photographers and cover creative and business topics more than technical or equipment questions. More…
Here's an interesting behind-the-scenes video shot at a Leica factory that gives you an intimate look into how the Leica M9 digital rangefinder is assembled. Each of the cameras receives a lot of tender loving care. More…
I am often asked about the role that talent plays in the creation of art in general and of Fine Art Photographs in particular. I have to say that, honestly, I do not like this question very much. Why? More…
The years 2000-2010 were an amazing decade for photography and photographers. During those years, several important things happened that highly impacted the photo industry. More…
What better way to pay tribute to the web's best photo blog posts of 2010 then to write a blog post honoring them?
More…
As I'm sitting here writing out my own 2011 goals, I started thinking about a plan, and what it truly takes to create the lifestyle you've always dreamed of. If you are reading this blog, chances are somewhere in those dreams is photography and the ability to make money with your photography. More…
I have worked in Italy and across Europe, as well as the United States. I can tell you from my travels that the virus that has infected the photography industry is a global epidemic. I'm not sure we will find a cure anytime soon. More…
Google's new Books Ngram Viewer allows you to search for words and view a graph of how the usage of that word has fluctuated over time. A quick search of the word "photography" in books published between 1835 and 2008 provides a pretty interesting look at the history of photography. More…
Looking for those last minute stocking stuffers for the photographer in your life? Or maybe you are just looking to pick up something for yourself. If you love your iPhone, you're going to love some of these gadgets. More…
Is photojournalism dead? The debate has been raging for decades, and, ever since former Magnum Photos director Neil Burgess called time of death, it has taken the web by storm. But do young and emerging photographers really care?
More…
"Moving Stills" is a short 10-minute documentary created back in 1978 to show how New York-based photo agency Contact Press Images operated. It's a fun blast from the photographic-past... More…
Can photographers win substantial compensation in a US court from a British copyright pirate? We may be about to find out, courtesy of the Daily Mail. More…
It might be unimaginative, but Jojo Moyes says that the legendary fashion photographer has hit the right note for the Royal engagement - romantic and reassuringly conservative. More…
Do you promote yourself as a green photographer? Then it's important to find as many green tools as possible to run your business. WWF is a new project, a new software program, with a goal of eliminating the need for printing. More…
They are the perfect portraits of a couple in love, but even a Prince and future Princess can't get by without a little help from a photographer's airbrush, it seems. More…
7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 22: Things have obviously changed from my original 22 year old goals. A Lot! And that's okay, because right now I wouldn't change a thing. Yet if I had five minutes to go back and tell my 22 year old self a thing or two, this is probably the advice I would give. More…
Every year I make a set of predictions. Sometimes I do better than others. My predictions last year mostly came true. Let's see if I can keep that streak going. More…
I recently read a post by photographer Don Giannatti. In it, he mentioned that search engine optimization (SEO) will change dramatically over the next few years. This left a few people wondering how much will it change, and what photographers should do today if they want to stay ahead of the curve. More…
Who's value system are you selling by? One of the biggest reasons photographers fail at business is because they never learn the golden rule of a photography business. More…
'This is the first conversation in a new series focusing on photobooks and their makers. I'm talking with photographers Richard Renaldi and Seth Boyd of Charles Lane Press about what photobooks mean to them and about their experiences with their publishing company.' More…
The distribution and publication of photos of dead servicemen and women can be controversial because some people feel it disrespectful. Others feel such images reflect the realities of combat. More…
Photography has entered a whole new world, with remarkable changes in technology in just a few short years. One thing has not changed, however; the camera - not the computer - is still the most important tool of a good photographer. More…
You know what's funny? I'll tell you what's funny: by continuing to put so much financial pressure on photographers, the media industry will lose its primary source of imagery. More…
Dear Newspaper Photographer, If you think it's all doom and gloom, it's not. I say that to remind you that you, scratch that... that we, still have the best job around. We get paid to take pictures for a living. More…
Businesses have increasingly turned to low-cost microstock images to fill up real estate on their websites.
Eye-tracking studies by Jakob Nielsen, a Web site consultant, indicate that generic stock images may be worth even less to buyers than they cost. More…
It's hard to find photographers who aren't passionate about what they do. But there are so many ways that photography is used - in almost any industry and location - and it can be hard to choose which career or careers are best suited for you. More…
Before I became a picture editor, I assumed that "good photographers" took "good pictures" because they had a special eye. What I found was that good photographers take good pictures because they take great pains to have good subjects in front of their cameras. More…
I find it curious that digital photographers are preoccupied with format just like film photographers were (and are). In digital we have all sorts of delightfully unstandardized, arcane size labels-just like film, albeit even more so. Quick, what's 1/1.7" in plain English? You have no idea, do you? More…
Thinking of buying a love one a digital photo frame this Christmas? You might want to reconsider. A recent survey of 2,000 people by the British Video Association found that digital photo frames were the most unwelcome gifts, followed by foot spas, blenders and digital organizers. More…
Sometimes it doesn't take long for friends and colleagues to make the connection. They realize that "Hot Shoe Digital Photography" is me. And when that happens, a question often comes next: "Will you take my picture?"... More…
'I want to teach one of the most important lessons ever. I want to release all of you who spend so much time analyzing your photography that you forget to move forward.' More…
'If you thought war photography on the front page of today's New York Times looked different, you're right. I did too. But I'd never have guessed that it was taken with an iPhone. Using Hipstamatic, no less!' More…
I love street photography that contains "decisive moments." Those subtle moments in time that could only happen at that very instant... But is the decisive moment dead in modern-day photography? More…
Some photographers tend to be technique-oriented, precise and methodical, others are very loose, sloppy, and emotional - resulting in totally different images.
What's most important is that the photographer allows his or her character to come through in the pictures. More…
Self-reflection, in moderation, can be a good driver for creatives. Here are five questions that I think every serious photographer should not only ask themselves, but be prepared to answer. More…
Is social media a waste of time, or are photographers actually using it to help them build their businesses and make real money? More…
'We're normally inclined to quote creative fees by the picture rather than by the day. That tends to align the interests of the photographer with those of the client.' More…
'A little while ago, Benjamin of duckrabbit fame sent me an email, telling me about Ivor Prickett and his story about Abkhazia. I like Ivor's work very much,,and since there currently is so much talk about how photojournalism is presumably dead (or maybe not)...' More…
Blind photographers. The phrase feels, at first, like a classic oxymoron. The very derivation of the term "photography" -- from Greek, "drawing with light" -- seems to preclude even the possibility of a sightless person becoming a photographer. More…
Before her suicide at 22, Francesca Woodman took 800 striking pictures: mostly of herself, nude, in crumbling rooms. What she meant by them is still the subject - 30 years on - of intense debate. More…
I had a debate with a student the other day about images and what they do, and she argued that since there are so many images of everything - including suffering I suppose - we've become unable to act in any way. More…
The iLCP is a fellowship of the world's top professionals who share an art and a vision. Through their images, they inform, inspire, motivate... They are defenders of a world at risk. More…
What do I mean by Photographing for your brand?Photographing for your brand is photographing with "intent." Making images that have some reason, continuity and stylistic connection to the images that are already a part of your lexicon - that body of work that is becoming your iconic images.
More…
There are two fundamental sides to most small businesses, including photography businesses: the product/service side and the business/marketing side. Most of our energy goes into the product side...The business side is not studied as often
More…
Neon Signs are an Endangered Species; Photograph Them While They Last: Neon tubes have been a fixture of outdoor advertising and signage in the United States since the early 1920s. Unfortunately, classic neon is a dying art, with signs disappearing as businesses and neighborhoods change. More…
12 Things Photo Students Need to Know/Study Before Graduation: People graduating today find themselves swimming in a vast pool of freelancers, and a good photo education is one that teaches photographers a lot more than how to shoot pictures. More…
The Oracle gathering? An International Mob of Mystery? Well, not exactly but given that this is a meeting of some of the most influential people in the fine art photography scene it is amazing this gathering flies under the radar year on year. More…
Ansel Adams or Not? More Twists: In the beginning, there was just Rick Norsigian, a California man who announced in July that he believed that he had purchased "lost negatives" of Ansel Adams for $45 at a garage sale... More…
'Since first coming across Donald Weber's series Interrogations, I wondered how the hell Weber got the shots and how he handled the ethics of the work. Colin Pantall tapped him up and got some answers...' More…
How Technology Has Changed The Photography Industry: Every single industry that has had major change over the last 20 years is due to technological advancements. And photography is right in there with them. More…
Why do you make photographs? Simple question, really.
But have you ever thought about what it is that makes you do it and love it so? More…
Anybody can take a snapshot - but what makes a truly extraordinary picture? The world's greatest living photographers tell Anne-Celine Jaeger how they craft their genre-defining images... More…
There are better photographs being made today than ever before. There are better photographers at work now than in the past. But don't be surprised if you rarely see their work, or the general audience is numb to the effect of the pictures. This much we all know: we are awash in a sea of images. More…
John Camp raised the question yesterday about why some photography books might belong in the art (or painting) section of a bookstore. More…
Jakob Nielsen's recent eyetracking study examines the effectiveness of different types of photos on websites.The main conclusion to be drawn is that photos inserted into websites for filler are essentially ignored, while photos that provide relevant information can be very engaging to viewers. More…
It's difficult for some of us to imagine life before Photoshop, but the reality is that image editing was once a far more hallenging process. Just look at how hard these Soviet computer engineers had to work in 1987! More…
As part of a photographer Steve Pyke's two-decade-long project taking portraits of philosophers, a dozen of the breed - from Kwame Anthony Appiah to Slavoj Zizek - give brief(-ish) statements of what attracted them to their discipline. More…
Freelance photographer/journalist/comedian Gordon Lewis has published his hilarious observations of the various camera tribes, coming to several very funny conclusions. Those lacking senses of humor should probably not read on. More…
When the Wired app for iPad launched in June, it sold 105,000 copies - 25,000 more than the print issue of the magazine that month. Thus, the total circulation on which the advertising rate was calculated was more than double that of the print magazine. More…
From stock photography old-timers to newly minted microstock experts, all the gurus will tell you the same thing: the key to succeeding in today's market is to carve out a niche for yourself. Only problem is, it's a doomed strategy. More…
What Your Camera Brand Says About You: Gordon Lewis's snarky guide to camera brands is so far the most popular post in the history of his young Shutterfinger blog. More…
We all have good days and bad days in our photography -successes and failures. We are often harder on ourselves than others are. Sometimes, we need to give ourselves a break. But we should also use our dissatisfaction as motivation to get better. More…
In this essay for The Luminous Landscape, Richard Sexton considers digital tools for architectural photographers. More…
Capturing light reflected from water is a time-tested technique for creating great photographic compositions and one utilised by photographers almost every time there's still water to be seen in the frame. More…
In this compelling, passionate video interview with VII The Magazine, award-winning photographer Ed Kashi talks about his years covering the explosive situation in the Niger Delta. More…
Over on his blog, photographer Chase Jarvis has written a post about what he does to get the creative juices flowing when things seem to be stuck in neutral. More…
Black Star Rising's Beth Chelette looks at how to stay positive in a negative business environment. More…
Photographs can add a whole new dimension to your writing. Magazine editors often prefer to have photographs to go along with an article, as they will attract readers that may otherwise not read that particular item. More…
About a week ago, photographer/blogger/podcaster Scott Bourne posted an article about how sharing your photos on Twitter gave Twitter a license to use your photos however it sees fit. The photo-centric section of the Twitterverse did a lot of retweeting with some serious hysteria mixed in.
More…
Often the best photos of people interacting, particularly parents with children, are the ones where neither of the participants knows they are being photographed. More…
The great photographer Edward Steichen once said that photography's job was,"to explain man to man and each man to himself." And each time we photograph another person, whether we are aware of it or not, we are fulfilling Steichen's credo. More…
Are today's business like the dandies of yesterday, deriving the pleasure of boundless creativity at the expense of the human race? More…
As a photographer, you can't make your marketing all about you - especially with social networking sites. You have to make it about your followers too. Instead of making an offer, find a way to get them to participate. Then let them dream and give you ideas. More…
'Ihave written on this topic before and must admit, it's a hot button for me. Since it's on my mind I don't know what to do about it other than to write about it. I am disturbed at the relentless pursuit of something "new" by younger photographers.' More…
James Nachtwey on the importance of photography in War: If James Nachtwey were a street photographer, he wouldn't be the type to stand on the opposite sidewalk and stealthily capture unsuspecting strangers using a telephoto lens. More…
In the 16th century, Michelangelo worked on commission. Maybe it is time for photographers to return to the Renaissance model for financing their efforts. Because for many creative professionals, the current way of doing business seems doomed. More…
While photographers like to talk about great light, beautiful subjects and cool gear, what they don't like to talk about is the pain they can suffer from injuries sustained while shooting. More…
What did Agence France Presse know when it distributed without permission freelance photographer Daniel Morel's images? What was Getty Images' role? And why isn't TwitPic in court?
More…
"I see so many photographers making work that purports to show an explanation of a subject but actually is little more than graphic cliche of a situation. That, at a time of crisis for visual journalism, isn't enough. More…
There is less socially engaged photography in the UK now...for me the fundamental thing about photography - why I'm a photographer - is because I'm a nosey person. And when I go somewhere, I want to find out about it. And you do that by going there and talking to people. More…
One of my favourite services that I offer is that of the engagement shoot. I include an engagement shoot in my wedding package and have gotten rave reviews from all my couples.
More…
The fifth instalment of Mike Johnston's '1000 True Fans' project looks at how to keep them... More…
"Twitter seems to be taking over the world (and by "seems to be," I'm sure I mean, "totally already has") and the realm of photography is no exception."
More…
The younger you are - the more likely you are to dislike watermarks on photos. That is the result of my unscientific poll. More…
Thought film was dead? Far from it. In an interview with the British Journal of Photography, Kodak's US marketing manager of pro film Scott DiSabato said that sales of color film are steady, and that black and white is "doing extremely well."
More…
Visualization is widely discussed in Ansel Adams' famous trilogy The Camera, The Negative, and The Print,where he defines it succinctly as "The ability to anticipate a finished image before making the exposure." The first of a series of three articles on the subject from Black Star Rising. More…
Beate Chelette of Black Star Rising tries to help with that most difficult of questions, 'Should I stay in the business or get out?' in this video tutorial. More…
Shoot & Burn vs Printing: Whilst there are countless benefits to shooting digital - hence why we are all here now in this digital environment - there are also some new "pickles" to deal with.
More…
"I recently found a photo of mine on the blog of a small business. The blog post that included my photo was published in 2007. Is there any "statute of limitations" on copyright violators, or can I pursue this issue whenever I come across one of my photos? More…
'I'm sorry, as cool as your out-of-focus, Hipstawhatever iPhone looks, it isn't creative. I don't know how more bluntly to put it, but the proliferation of imagery lately is slowly sucking the creativity out of photography.' More…
Professional photographers have taken a financial beating in the print media downturn. But journalists and creatives are rethinking revenue streams. Two innovative platforms, Emphas.is and Flattr have arrived on the scene to help fund photojournalists' work.
More…
With more than 2.1 million weddings were celebrated in the United States wedding photography and videography are a $3.77 billion business. Sounds promising -particularly for newspaper and stock shooters who have seen their livelihoods wither. But is shooting weddings the right business for you? More…
"For centuries pictures of the dead and wounded have been part and parcel of war communications. Often the intentions were clear, ranging from medical instruction to anti-war protests. The public's response could coincide with or diverge from the publisher's intention." More…
French photographer, Jean-Baptiste Avril, wants other photographers to join him in burning their negatives as part of a rally protesting the harsh financial conditions facing the profession. More…
'We usually see photography tips on the things we should be doing, so I thought it would be interesting to turn it around and look at the things photographers should not be doing.' More…
Brian Duffy: "Ninety-nine per cent of my work was advertising and crap...I had nothing more to say in photographs. I'd taken all the snaps I needed to take. Maybe I didn't think I was good enough." More…
What is good? asks Mike Davis: Among the conversations was one about what makes a photograph good. And I was thinking after talking that it's relatively easy to say what makes a photo bad, but to be able to say what makes a photograph good is much more difficult. More…
Tom White of Photographylot: "Ok. So can we all agree that photojournalism is not dead - As I've said before, if it's anything it's a movie zombie that just won't die!). So, what do we do with this undead creature?" More…
"Perhaps part of the reason why so much of mainstream photography is so derivative and repetitive is because photographers prefer to mimic rather than explore. Perhaps there is a fear that a new idea, a new thought may have to be transformed into a new approach and a new eye." More…
John Harrington of Black Star Rising stirs up a hornets nest by asking: Do you know the value of your work? More…
Microstock has been a contentious part of the 'professional' photography world for some time. Today's post "iStockphotos Unsustainable" Business Model: From Crowd-Sourcing To Crowd-Shafting?" is a wonderful report of what is going on inside that world of micro payments for photography. More…
The second of two articles from Black Star Rising on what photojournalists who have been laid should do to reorientate their careers. More…
Photojournalists can find themselves in some of the most dangerous places on Earth, but sometimes the hardest part of their job can be just to maintain a personal life. Olivier Laban-Mattei talks of his experience...
More…
It is not important if photographs are good. It's important that they are interesting, argues the legendary John Loengard in this post. More…
Regaining your career footing after being laid off from a newspaper job as a photographer is a particularly daunting challenge because in most cases, there is only one major newspaper in an area so if you want to find a staff position at a different employer, you will probably have to relocate. More…
While each of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards photos are mind-blowingly good, the context surrounding each photo is perhaps even more interesting. From equipment used, to how they'd reshoot given half a chance, it's a fascinating look sky-wards. More…
Is your photography business starting to boom? Have you made more money this year then you expected? Maybe its time to start incorporating wealth building strategies into your business to help you grow even more successful in the future. More…
E-Books Are Still Waiting for Their Avant-Garde: E-readers have tried to make reading as smooth, natural and comfortable as possible so that the device fades away and immerses you in the imaginative experience of reading. This is a worthy goal, but it also may be a profound mistake.
More…
Day three of style week on Lighting Essentials looks at the 'presentation' of the subject to the viewer. More…
San Francisco-based photographer Michael Jang wanted to have this personal website stand out - so he decided to clone Google. Most visitors to his page will probably think they somehow landed onto a Google search results page until they give the text a closer look. More…
When is school necessary for a Photographer?...asks Becky Patterson of Epic Edits. More…
Project Management for Photographers: Documenting Inspiration...Every project has a starting point, which can come from a variety of sources More…
Virtual Photography Studio uses the example of Chicago photographer Abby Harenberg to demonstrate what you can do with social networking to enhance your business. More…
The first in a series of posts by David Weintraub of Black Star Rising on photographers and (American) law. More…
Is the tide turning in favour of photographer's rights? This is the question that Nigel Hanson, media lawyer at Foot Anstey asks. More…
Photographers shouldn't be slaves to aspect ratios...go ahead and crop, argues Scott Bourne of Photofocus. More…
Mike Johnston of The Online Photographer discusses what he thinks is the world's best lens, and we're in for a surprise! More…
John Loengard on the role of the photo editor:
Nothing is more important than the trust of photographers. Since they are not employees, but freelancers, photographers often operate from a disadvantaged position. More…
On the 25th of October of last year, Magnum photographer Martin Parr was a guest at the Antwerp FotoMuseum. He gave a reading and participated afterwards in a roundtable on the 'Photographic Magazine as Medium.' FotoMuseum extra Magazine had the chance to talk to him earlier that day. More…
Digital Photography School looks at the issue of food preparation as a subject within travel photography. More…
Why full-time stock photographers are an endangered species: Increasingly, rights-managed and traditional royalty-free stock companies are having trouble finding photographers willing to shoot for them. More…
Danny Lyon's images of a lost time and place - Knoxville's Summer, 1967: In his artful memoir 'Memories of Myself,' the well known photographer reveals a forgotten Knoxville milieu. More…
Some detailed musings from Lighting Essentials on the question of how photographers learn their business. More…
How the late Corinne Day changed my life:
Following the news that legendary fashion photographer Corinne Day has passed away, Belinda White explains her lasting impact. More…
When most kids complain about something taking too long, their father's response isn't usually as generous as pioneering an innovation that spans the next half a century. But Edwin Land, creator of Polaroid, was not your average dad. More…
Light Stalking considers the significance of the Golden Section and the ideas of Fibonacci, and their significance to photographers. More…
The Tranquility of the Mennonite settlement of Manitoba was transformed into fear and confusion when, suspicions were confirmed that at least 100 women were raped by members of their community.These images capture the Mennonites in their everyday lives,struggling to erase a recent painful past. More…
Do you actually read the Terms of Service Agreements and EULAs that you sign or click "OK" on? I bet you don't - but you should. Especially if you are a photographer who worries about people taking your images and profiting by them without your permission or without sharing those profits with you. More…
Beate Chelette, Black Star Rising's business coach tries to answer the question, 'when is my portfolio good enough?' in this video tutorial. More…
Danny Lyon: 'The End of the Age of Photography: 'These Digis are very attractive little buggers. The cameras have made "photography" as ubiquitous as mosquitoes, they are everywhere. It's hard to believe that they are part of the collapse of our civilization.' More…
Richard Schneider of Picturecorrect interviews Indian photographer Jason Lavengood. He is primarily a wedding photographer, but is also very well versed in stylized portraiture, fashion, commercial, HDR, and landscape photography. More…
The Three Types of Photographic Criticism and How to Handle Them: Part of taking photographs is the enjoyment you get with sharing them. Along with sharing, comes learning, and criticisms. How to handle the three types of photographic criticisms without getting overly frustrated. More…
If You Have No Customer Skills, No Problem You Will Soon Have No Customers, argues Lighting Essentials in this rant. More…
We've all heard it: time is money. And as much as we sometimes hate to look at it in such base terms, it's mostly true. As service providers the time we spend on a project is directly proportional to how much we're getting paid. How we spend our time also has a big effect on when money comes in. More…
Celia Talbot Tobin:,Bialowieza: While in Poland, I ventured off for a while to the northeast corner of the country to work on a travel story about Bialowieza Forest, the last remaining primeval woodland in Europe. More…
Products and People Over Process and Dogma argues Scott Bourne: Concentrate on the end product (the picture) and the people it impacts. Who will see your photos? What stories will they tell? What memories will they protect? This is the stuff that matters. More…
Tom White of Photographylot discusses the powerful image of Aisha, the disfigured Afghan girl featured on the front cover of TIME. More…
Richard Schneider of Picturecorrect takes the opportunity to interview Australian landscape photographer Jim Worrall. More…
Gorge on these Interviews: Between April and now, right under everybody's noses, Visura Magazine only went and interviewed about over a dozen of the really important folk in photography. More…
The Face That Launched a Thousand Drones? The much talked about August 9 Time magazine cover, unabashed in its aim to shore up support for the war effort in Afghanistan, has left many still shaking their heads in disbelief at such brazen exploitation of a woman's suffering. More…
Kerry Garrison interviews Thomas Hawk for Camera Dojo. Podcast link here. More…
Wonderful Machine asks five questions of art buyer Amy Feitelberg in order to 'get inside her head'. More…
A call to arms, not only for myself, but for everyone out there. Ignore the rants preaching photojournalism is dead. It isn't. It's changed. It's what we make of it. More…
"For God's sake, somebody call it!" Has the time come to take photojournalism off life-support? After nearly 25 years in the business, agency director Neil Burgess steps forward to make the call. More…
The Value Of A Name In Art (Why Does It Matter?)
"Why is a set of photos worth millions if they were shot by Ansel Adams, and next to nothing if the photographer depressing the plunger was a nobody? After all, the images remain the same." More…
LENS, The New York Times blog features a gallery and story about Luke Sharrett, 21, who talks about his internship with the Times which included a stint with the Washington press corps. More…
'No Season', A photo story by Luca Tronci: 'No Season' is the first chapter of a long term global project about tourism and climate change. More…
A recent article in The Guardian by Sean O'Hagan asks if a picture is really worth a thousand words: "For photographers, the ideal book of photographs would contain just pictures - no text at all" photographer Robert Adams once wrote... More…
The Online Photographer presents a careful argument that the lens is not more important then the camera body, as many seem to believe. More…
If you were to read a book on photography, it would tell you the importance of composition, exposure, building interest, and so forth. But that's not really what it's about. If photography were about following rules, we could all agree on which images were great... More…
Grover Sanschagrin of Photoshelter talks to Jennifer Davick about her innovative approach to food photography. More…
Part 2 of Virtual Photography Studio's guide to building a photography business with 10 streams of income. More…
There's the old adage, it's not the camera that makes the photographer, but according to a by-the-numbers study by dating site OkCupid, the nicer camera might make you look more attractive. More…
Building A Photography Business With 10 Streams Of Income: Multiple streams of income simply means having several income sources from different means, so that you never have to rely on one source to supply you with all of your funding. More…
Famous for his extraordinary pictures of horses, TIM FLACH has now turned his lens on dogs. He talks about abstraction, neuroscience and the things we do to pets in this photo essay for More Intelligent Life. More…
JACK D. TEEMER, JR.: "Personal Spaces" (1987). In the ethnic working-class backyards photographed by Jack D. Teemer. Jr., the people he portrays are rarely present. More…
Tracking the Rise of Color on Film: "Black and white are the colors of photography," Robert Frank declared. "Color photography is vulgar," Walker Evans once wrote in an essay. And Ansel Adams weighed in on a William Eggleston photograph this way: "If you can't make it good, make it red." More…
Never has photography in the rain produced such evocative results as in the beautiful photography of Julien Coquentin. More…
Following the demise of Kodachrome Geoff Wittig of The Online Photographer muses on the way that available technology constrains what we see. More…
In noting the passing of Joanna Steichen, (Notes On) Politics, Theory and Photography argues for more consideration of the role of the active collaboration of inspiring subjects in supporting 'great' photographers. More…
The Nikon website goes behind the scenes to discuss the history, philosophy and processes behind the evolution of their Coolpix series of cameras. More…
A Requiem for Kodachrome
"Kodachrome slide film wasn't just another commercial photographic product. There was something truly special about it. The dyes and emulsions produced an effect comparable to Technicolor motion picture film. It was hyper-real, but only slightly" More…
Who goes to graduation shows? And does it matter? Diane Smyth of the British Journal of Photography asks whether final year exhibitions have had their day.
More…
More on photographing wildlife. Here, Carlos Pereira gives us his ten golden rules on photographing wildlife. More…
The model of a photographer collective may be emerging as a trend. It has become clear that the collective Luceo is not only adding value for its clients, but also achieving success and building a reputation for itself and for the collaborative model. More…
TIM is a new initiative conceived by the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). It unites professional photographers with conservation organizations for the creation of visual material to give life to specific regions or issues. More…
Should Wedding Photographers Pay for Client Referrals?Since the desire to help a friend is usually the biggest referral incentive for your satisfied clients, is it useful to provide additional incentives in an attempt to generate additional referrals? If so, should these include cash payments? More…
Photography is one of the rare hobbies that many people can earn their investment back on and actually make money. Many hobby photographers are now starting to recoup their photographic investment by turning pro, but the reality of doing so is often something that's left only as a dream. More…
Joerg Colberg of Conscientious in conversation with Trevor Paglen. More…
Christy Lange, editor of Frieze Magazine, on The limitations of photojournalism and the ethics of artistic representation. (via Photojournalism Links) More…
Lighting Essentials strikes a positive pose with ten things to do to make a real difference to your photography. More…
Alex Garcia of the Chicago Tribune considers the 10 key traits of winning photojournalists (via National Press Photographers Association) More…
Photography Workshop for Romanian Women
Prisoners Produces 14,000 Images: Fourteen female prisoners at Tirgsor Prison in Romania participated in a six-camera workshop. More…
A philosophical article from Joel Colberg of Conscientious on the advantages and pitfalls of social networking to the photographer. More…
This short article by Gizmodo explains why the bullying of photographers by the authorities is illegal, and you don't have to take it. More…
Proposition: John Szarkowski Was The Most Important Post-War American Photographer
"Szarkowski was a good photographer, a great critic and an extraordinary curator. Like all good critics and curators, Szarkowski was both visionary and catalyst." More…
Personal thoughts and approaches to the issue of which photography contests to enter from A PhotoEditor More…
Sometimes being a pro is about being able to get the shot, time after time, argues Lighting Esssentials for Photographers. More…
American Suburb X reprints 'One Life - Several Landscapes: An Appreciation of Robert Adams" by Peter Brown, originally published in 1996. More…
The digital photo frame is named as the "electronic yearbook" by many graduates. It provides them with a scientific and fashionable way to keep memory. More…
Photo Manipulation Isn't a Sin - But Lying About It Is...Paul Melcher: With technology making it so easy to profoundly alter photojournalistic images - deleting or adding items, changing the source of the lighting and so on - how can we, the audience, know that what we're seeing is "the truth"? More…
This series isn't about anything in particular other than a way of seeing. It's not 'complete', finished, concluded - it's still 'proto'. It's a non-linear, circuitous meandering that follows some of my everyday footsteps in and around Bangkok. More…
Johan van der Keuken: "On photography as the Art of Anxiety" (2001)
In the year 2000, a man collected the photos he had taken in the course of the last 46 years. This man is internationally known today as one of the greatest documentary film-makers of his time. More…
One from the archives here...Stuck in Customs' 'Ten Principles of Beautiful Photography' More…
JENNY HARDCORE: ASYLUM YEARS
Introducing a London-based photographer with a penchant for capturing the haunting presence of emotionally-charged histories More…
Has demand for microstock photography peaked, asks Jim Pickerell of Black Star Rising. More…
'Envoi': A conversation with Danilo Murru about his photographic journey through the prisons of Italy. More…
In Tito's Bunker, Ziyah Gafic, takes us into the underground world of a top secret military shelter built by Yugoslav leader Josep Tito in Konjic, a small Bosnian town. More…
Unending Divisions of the Bosnian War: Mr. Lutton, 26, lives in Belgrade. He has spent the last three years photographing in the countries that once constituted Yugoslavia, exploring the legacy of their recent violent history. He believes there are profound lessons to be learned. More…
Ninety percent of small businesses fail within the first two years. With few exceptions, working for free is the fastest way for freelance photographers to become part of this 90 percent.
More…
'In an effort to convey an understanding of the current political situation in Iran, photographer and journalist Paolo Woods compiled these 123 images that he found on the internet, most of which were uploaded by citizen journalists...' More…
Kate Stone: In "At the Seams" I used photographs of domestic interiors and common architecture to construct impossible, uncanny spaces that evoke a feeling of hesitant curiosity, a nervous desire to explore the room, to peek around the bend or to see what lies behind... More…
Wayne Turner of Picturecorrect with some bright ideas for macro indoor photography. More…
Light Stalking's Mike Panic discusses his reasoning as to why lenses are a more important purchasing decision then camera bodies. More…
Just a Memory Before You Sleep Forever:
In tasteful black-and-white photos, the nonprofit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep captures the bittersweet farewell of parents and their lost babies. More…
Being a photographer, whether you specifically shoot weddings or not, one of your friends or family members is bound to ask you to shoot their weddings. Should you really say yes? More…
Social Media Photography And Finding Your Style: An Interview With Nordica Photography
More…
Emerging photographer Claire Martin talks to BJP about her Inge Morath Award win and on making it in documentary photography at a time when funding is rare More…
Frederick Wiggins of Black Star Rising on his personal journey to build a photographic portfolio worthy of an agency. More…
Brian Auer of Epic Edits presents his pick of 10 online photography portfolio no-no's...do you agree? More…
Grover Sanschagrin has a mooch through the camera bag of David Burnett, a Washington DC based photojournalism legend. More…
Freelance photographers who follow industry best practice on copyright earn on average 33% more a year than those who routinely give their copyright to their clients, according to new research from the British Photographic Council. More…
RICHARDSON MAGAZINE
After a seven year hiatus, the provocative, controversial erotic journal Richardson returns. More…
Behind the scenes of a Domino's pizza photo shoot, this video takes us a little way into the fascinating world of food photography. More…
Sacha Maric's Thrashers is a series of pictures brought back somehow from a bygone age. The shots, all screen grabs from 80s thrash metal gigs found on YouTube have been compiled into a storyboard of anger and poetic hedonism. More…
Misha Erwitt was born on Flag Day. That wouldn't normally be a conversation opener, but Mr. Erwitt, 56, has spent more than 20 years compiling images of the American flag. More…
Joerg Colberg's thoughts on self publishing photo books make for an interesting read. More…
Who is Takuma Nakahira? A photographer of the bure, boke1 style. A member of the Provoke group. An essayist and photography critic,,a political activist, a photographer who talked too much More…
'I'm looking forward to the day when viewing photography on a computer will be very different from looking at photography in a book or presented on TV.' Argues Joerg Colberg in this provocative essay on presenting photography on a computer. More…
Photographer Jodi Bieber talks to Jon Levy about returning to her native South Africa, the Real Beauty project and the recent publication of her new book Soweto, released to coincide with the World Cup finals. More…
Detached, formaldehyde-soaked, preserved, studied: The tattooed skin of Polish prisoners. A macabre tale from Prison Photography Blog. More…
At the end of last year (2009) Miki Johnson and Andy Adams coordinated a "cross-blog" discussion about the future of photography books. Over forty bloggers participated with a range of amateur and professional voices piping in and adding their thoughts to the mix. More…
As a "photographer of the virtual world," Robert Overweg searches first-person and third-person shooter games for striking images. Instead of looking for avatars in vaguely sexual poses though, he's seeking out the very end of the videogame world. More…
Lisa Pritichard of the Lisa Pritchard Agency looks at the value of the printed portfolio in the digital age. More…
David Saxe's 'Eight simple rules for digital image alteration' are as much about ethics as they are about technology. More…
Why write an artist/project statement? Because that's part of the game. There is more to statements than just that. You need to realize that you should have a statement because you are expected to have one and you should spend time on it, a bad artist statement will make you and your work look bad. More…
Garry Winogrand: Public Eye (1981): Photography critics raised on the classical elegances of Stieglitz and Cartier-Bresson still consider Garry Winogrand's photographs haphazard snapshots, lacking the finish, composition and clear drawing essential to "good" pictures. More…
Documentary Photographers Have Become An Endangered Species suggests this article from the Los Angeles Times: They are "threatened by the destruction of their professional habitat." More…
HDR Imaging: Is There a Point, Past Which, It's Really No Longer a Photograph? Asks The Discerning Photographer in this thoughtful article. More…
Stephen Crowley has spent most of his career masquerading as a newspaper photographer while producing idiosyncratic projects that push the boundaries of photojournalism and reveal unvarnished truths behind his most frequent subject: Washington politics. More…
This article on '10 New Things to do With Your Photoshelter Website' will be helpful to all shutterbugs with a site, wherever it is homed. More…
How Much Should You Charge to Shoot a Wedding? The problem with pricing wedding photography is that there is no single average price for a wedding shoot because there is no single average wedding shoot. More…
A short introduction by Light Stalking to the concept of negative space. If you don't know what that is, then this is probably the article for you... More…
Joerg Colberg of Conscientious in conversation with Indre Serpytyte about her work. More…
Self-Censorship and the Uses of Discomfort: Jim Johnson responds to The Guardian's reviews of Sally Mann's new exhibition (see earlier post). More…
The future of digital is analogue, argues The Telegraph.
From Hipstamatic apps for the iPhone to vintage effects in compacts, retro is the latest trend to take the camera world by storm. More…
The gentleman from Photoshelter muse wryly on the process of failing as a surf photographer in this article. More…
ars technica with a considered view on the value of the new iPhone 4 to photographers. More…
"Wide-angle lenses are great for taking dramatic photographs with a big scenic sweep, but they've got a big weakness too - they distort objects towards the edge of the frame. Now software can make wide-angled digital photos with perfect perspective, thanks to a secret of 18th-century painters." More…
Light Stalking gives us seven reasons why the much maligned and much over-used HDR is here to stay...and why that's a good thing. More…
Recently, there has been a lot of renewed interest in joint endeavors within photography world. Lots of people are discussing their work together and it's helping to rewrite the rules of the art world. More…
Interview with Thom Hogan: Thom Hogan is the writer and photographer behind bythom.com, a website that provides extensive information about Nikon gear. He has written over 30 books on computers and photography. More…
Craig Ferguson of Black Star Rising argues that company's attitudes to foreign markets can positively provoke software piracy. More…
Is HDR imaging ethical for photojournalists? Asks Dennis Hays of Black Star Rising. More…
War photography is still a male-dominated profession-but a few women are breaking out. Danielle Friedman talks to Veronique de Viguerie, a rising star among photojournalists. (via The Click) More…
Photographer Stephen Gill: the devil in the detail
The photographer Stephen Gill ensures his pictures are shown in the best possible light - in his own handmade books More…
David Saxe of Black Star Rising argues that museums are taking advantage of a No Camera rule far too often. More…
How to Start a Baby Plan: A baby plan is designed to capture the progressive steps a baby makes during the first year of life. Thinking of starting a baby plan for your studio? Here are 7 steps to get you started. More…
The online photographer mulls the importance of printing in the photographic process. Is it merely mechanical, or something more? More…
News agency Reuters is being accused of biased reporting after it was discovered that photographs released by the agency had critical elements such as daggers, blood, and injured soldiers cropped out. More…
Another of A Photoeditor's series on photographer's who have made the break to go pro. This time Kevin Arnold's story. More…
Why the iPhone 4 Camera is so promising. Gadget Lab's take on the next evolution of the popular 'phone. More…
The title of Photoshelter's latest blog entry, 'Top 10 Ways to Piss Off a Photographer' probably speaks for itself! More…
AmericansuburbX reprints 'Avedon's Endgame', an essay to accompany the exhibition 'Richard Avedon: Portraits' More…
Robert Bergman and "the democracy of universal vulnerability":What could make a photographer happier than to have two high-profile critics arguing over her work in a high profile venue? More…
Self-publish or be damned: why photographers are going it alone. Creating your own photobook offers creative freedoms major publishers can only dream of, finds Sean O'Hagan - if you're prepared to put in the donkey work. More…
Behind the Scenes with Mario Testino: Here's an interesting behind-the-scenes video by CNN showing Mario Testino in action. Testino is one of the world's most sought after fashion photographers, and this three part series gives a short but interesting peek into Testino's life and work. More…
Go Beyond Taking Photos to Explore Your Creativity and Expand Your Business. Black StarvRising argues that in these difficult times simply concentrating on photography alone might not be enough. More…
Danny Ghitis: Poland in Transition. These images are an extension of my project about the town of Oswiecim, Poland, better known by its German name, Auschwitz. More…
Choosing only to photograph friends, family members and partners, this personal project by Jocelyn Bain Hogg, photographed over ten years, seeks to look at beauty and female emotion in an unvarnished and un-retouched way. More…
Understanding the subject matter and the story behind your photograph is the topic that Scott Bourne considers in this short post from Photofocus. More…
14 Powerful TED Talks by Photographers: 'TED has some of the most interesting talks you'll find on the web, with topics ranging from how diet can prevent cancer to demonstrations of amazing new photo technology.' (Petapixel) More…
An audio slideshow of photographs by Antonin Kratochvil titled "Moscow Nights" that takes us to Moscow's decadent underworld, which is the latest feature on VII Magazine. More…
A thoughtful article from the Online Photographer that asks whether 'Real' photographers need to print? More…
Lighting Essentials provides a homily in favour of natural lighting for photographers. More…
Virtual Photography Studio looks at the interesting concept of niche photography and its business potential. More…
'Each creative person goes to different places for inspiration, and I was impressed with Evan Sklar's "source" for keeping things fresh: his iPhone...' (Wonderful Machine) More…
Kickstarter is a collective/social/new-web way to fund projects. For photographers the premise is actually quite good. You state how much money you need to pull off a project then as an incentive for different levels of funding you offer access to the project and collateral. More…
Don't give up hope against photography's dark forces, argues Black Star Rising in the face of rapidly decreasing editorial rates for images. More…
'When I think about street photography, I see black and white. Perhaps I've been conditioned to think this way, or maybe there's some other driving force here. ' Epic Edits More…
Photoshelter examines the world of the paparazzi photographer, arguing that the secrets of success include insider tips, patience and exclusivity. More…
Old Dhaka offers endless scenes of unadulterated humanity to photographers. The Western affinity for privacy doesn't exist here. Mothers bathe their children in the open, while the elderly help one another to perform basic needs and people live virtually in the open without shame or embarrassment. More…
Lightstalking's Mike Panic on 'What You Need to Know About Your Rights in America' More…
It was the early Sixties. Mary Ellen Mark was a graduate student, studying painting at the University of Pennsylvania. On a whim, she decided to take a course in photography. She picked up a Leica. Then she abandoned the brush forever and took to the streets. More…
If "successful professional" means I can live a good, somewhat luxurious, life by the profession, then I am certainly not. Hiroshi Watanabe on the Photographer's life. More…
48 HR Magazine Experiment Big Hit, Except for That Part About the Lawyers... More…
Allen Ginsberg, Shutterbug
"Knowing that [his friends would] one day be famous, Ginsberg documented their lives - their travels late nights and meandering walks. And he did it all with a second-hand Kodak camera, using nothing more than the instructions on the film packets." More…
'It's Time to Set a Price Floor for Rights-Managed Photography' argues Jim Pickerell of Black Star Rising. More…
Paul Graham - Sliding Sight, Setting Suns: A photographic record of his route-less journeys around America that had begun back in the summer of 2004, went on during 2005 and for most of 2006. More…
British photographer, Leon Foggitt, has a natural affinity for capturing something unique in his portraits: truth, simplicity, and spot-on timing. More…
Online magazines are energising Photojournalism, argues Michael Coyne of Black Star Rising. Do you agree? More…
For three periods of one month, I have let the Trans-Siberian train guide me alongside forgotten villages, from living room to living room. Some Russian words, scribbled on a little piece of paper, allowed me to be welcomed and absorbed in the warm chaos of a family. More…
AmericansuburbX reprints a 2007 interview with Martin Parr, 'Boundaries Merely Exist in People's Minds' More…
Paul Melcher bemoans the systems of photo pricing that are driving many professionals to the wall. (Via Photojournalism Links) More…
In a series of intimate portraits taken over three years, Phillip Toledano recorded the final chapter in his father's long life - his sense of humour, his struggle with memory loss and above all his unfailing spirit More…
Noupe considers what you need to know and think about before you take the plunge into freelancing as a career. More…
Some seemingly simple questions can be very complex. Scott Bourne of Photofocus asks who you think your audience is? More…
An interesting little article via The Click for budding photojournalists on looking beyond the obvious when taking images of events. More…
Joel Colberg's important and thoughtful essay, What Makes a Great Portrait? More…
Most of us start out as generalists, shooting anything and everything that tickles our fancies. But there comes a time when you need to decide on what type of photographer you are or want to be. More…
Lighting Essentials has a rant about negative opinion on the Internet, and whether it helps or hinders the cause of photography. More…
Photoshelter Blog examines the pros and cons of working with NGOs. More…
Is The Art Of Photography Over? "What is over is the narrow view of photography - the idea that the camera is a recording device, not a creative tool, and that its product is strictly representational - not manipulated, not fabricated, not abstract ..." More…
Two months of anti-government street protests continued today in Bangkok, as more and more photojournalists have arrived from around the world to capture the story in images. More…
Wonderful Machine looks at four (still) photographers and how they use motion to promote themselves. More…
Photography, Copyright, Plagiarism and the Internet. Joel Colberg's detailed and thoughtful article on this much discussed topic. More…
AmericansuburbX reprises the 2008 Fashion Magazine 'Interview with Lise Sarfati' More…
The Online Photographer muses on the identity of the most overpriced camera in the world. More…
Under Gods. As its title suggests, Hingley's work is a study of faiths, in the plural. More specifically, it is a sustained examination, carried out intermittently over the course of 18 months, of the varying forms of belief and worship she found on just one street in Birmingham. More…
Does Your Studio Need a Newsletter?..asks Virtual Photography Studio. why not put those images to good use, and have them bring in business? More…
Readers Around The World: A Photo Essay
"If you've been moved by the spirit of spring to get outside and read a book, you're not alone. In photos recently uploaded to Flickr, people are reading in public in all kinds of places, all over the world." More…
'In reviewing Scott Suchman's website I was reminded of how refreshing it is to see a simple-to-use site like his, especially after viewing so many hundreds (thousands) of websites that have confusing navigation and loading issues.' (Wonderful Machine) More…
In the Picture, but who owns the Image?
The issue of copyright in the internet age is discussed by the BBC. More…
Jane Hilton: Dead Eagle Trail:
The London-based photographer looks towards a desolate America for inspiration in her latest exhibition at the Host Gallery More…
You can only improve your photos if you set a high photo standard to compare yourself against....argues Picturecorrect in this post. More…
Mull It Over presents a series of web based interviews with innovative contemporary photographers from around the world. (Via The Click) More…
Real modification or clever fake? Either way it sent me back to my formative years...18 years old, with my first SLR... a Canon AE-1 More…
Thomas Hawk discusses the reasons why he has updated his personal workflow for 2010. More…
David Saxe muses on the value of studying painting as a catalyst for creativity in photography. More…
Wonderful Machine muses on the value of crediting photographers in adverts. More…
Mike Panic of Light Stalking on 'How to Know When it's Time to Put the Camera Away'. More…
Nick Turpin's thoughtful essay on street photography, 'What was the Subject?' is well worth a read. Sevensevennine via Conscientious. More…
Sebastiao Salgado Interview: The Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado has become well known over the past 25 years for his epic images of people living on the margins. More…
David Alan Harvey of Burn Magazine in Conversation (via The Click) More…
Lighting Essentials guide to '10 Things That are More Fun and Useful to Photographers Than Playing Farmville' More…
Simon Roberts is the first photographer to be appointed as the official "general election artist" by Britain's House of Commons. He's currently travelling the length and breadth of Britain aiming to capture images of the election that have been ignored by the day to day media coverage. More…
Joel Colberg of Conscientious muses on laughter and joy in photography, or, rather, the lack of it in the contemporary scene. More…
Nokia Exec Predicts Rise of Cameraphones and Demise of DSLRs: Speaking on the explosive improvement of camerephone technology in Helsinki yesterday, Nokia Executive Vice President Anssi Vanjoki shared his vision of the future for cameraphones - a future without DSLRs. More…
"We see a lot of photo websites as we bring you dvafoto, and looking at work online is often a frustrating process. Here are a few things that I think every photo website needs." (dvafoto via The Click) More…
The Travel Photographer's take on the 'Marco Vernaschi and Child Sacrifice' scandal. Warning! This post links to very distressing images. More…
The Discerning Photographer on why it's important to do at least some of your own printing. More…
Light Stalking gives us its take on '7 Photographers You Will Probably Hear About in the Future' More…
iPad - Magazine Savior, Portfolio Replacement Or A Complete Waste Of Time?
The iPad has the potential to save the magazine industry, may become an important marketing tool for photographers but is a complete waste of time (good for consumers, bad for work). More…
The problems, pitfalls and issues surrounding model releases are discussed in detail by Luceo Images (via the Click) More…
Selling Images on the iPad: "So my prediction came true. The iPad has created a new market for photographers. What impact this will have on the future of photography is obviously yet unknown. But there is a new market none-the-less. Scott Bourne at Photofocus More…
Photojojo passes on to us Pieter Wisse's mission (just two weeks old) to find 5 photographers perweek, for 100 weeks, that some up the best in photography today...one to bookmark. More…
Bruce "Gilden often used flash to surprise his subjects and to "energise the frame". He was the epitome of the in-your-face street photographer. Today, on the more fearful and aggressive streets of London, these kinds of approaches would, before long, get you arrested or beaten up."... More…
Joel Colberg of Conscientious looks at the issue of Image manipulation, trust and the news in detail. More…
Should Photographers Buy Promoted Tweets?
Photographers now have another option for spending their hard-earned advertising dollars. Earlier this week Twitter announced Promoted Tweets, a service that finally moves them into the paid advertising space. (Black Star Rising) More…
Ryan McGinley: nude in New York: It took two police cruisers with sirens blaring and a fire engine to shut down the overcrowded opening of Ryan McGinley's most recent exhibition in New York... More…
Virtual Photography Studio's short guide to how to move from a hobby to a business with your photography. More…
"Looking at One's Self Through the Eyes of Others" AmericansuburbX reprints a fascinating article from 2000 on the experience of the remarkable collection of photographs W.E.B Du Bois assembled for the "American Negro" exhibit at the Paris Exposition of 1900 More…
The Telegraph's take on how the internet has changed photography. More…
photographic reporting of famine, especially in 'Africa',continues to replicate stereotypes. Malnourished children continue to be the obvious subjects of our gaze. What should drive our concern about this persistent portrayal? David Campbell via Conscientious More…
Virtual Photography Studio's What's Wrong With A Flash Website For A Photographer's Business? is a must read for those thinking of setting up their site - check out the helpful comments too. More…
Eight Questions BAPLA Must Answer More…
Art Does What Photography Does Not, Cannot? Prison Photography muses on the question of whether photography and art are two separate things. More…
A Guest post by Bambi Cantrell that responds to Scott Bourne's original post on Marketing to Women. Should the photographic world be gendered in this way? You decide! More…
A little treat here..Professional Photographer's take on the 100 most influential photographers of all time. Do you agree with their list? More…
The Discerning Photographer muses on Modern Trends in Landscape Photography. A thoughtful and beautifully illustrated articel. More…
Why Some Customers Will Pay More for Stock Photography: One of the key things to understand about stock photography is why some customers are willing to pay more than others to use an image. More…
A short but powerful article from Virtual Photography Studio that argues that carefully chosen words can add immense value to any photography business. More…
AmericansuburbX reprints an article from 2000 on the work of Tom Wood, the seminal Irish born photographer. More…
Digital Photography School invites you to define your visual style. More…
Are you pricing your photography to stay in business? Asks Virtual Photography Studio. More…
Epic Edits' take on the five situations when digital is better than film. More…
The Online Photographer discusses the results of an interesting test to see which types of prints the public prefers. More…
Making pictures that trigger memories and tell stories long after the immediacy of the experience fades is one of the gifts that photography can offer - if we take advantage of the potential. Mike Davis, via The Click More…
Selina Maitreya of Photoshelter uncovers the secrets of the mix...the marketing formula of successful photographers. More…
Let's Not Abandon Photography to the "Experts". A counterpoint from Black Star Rising to earlier debates about the value of the portfolio review. More…
Joel Colberg of Conscientious continues the debate started by Paul Graham on the Art world and its attitude towards photography. More…
Books On Paper, In Pictures
Images of libraries and reading by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa et al in a Magnum Photos slideshow. More…
The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Portfolio Reviews, by Jeremy Moore via Conscientious More…
Too Much Chocolate interviews Michael Napper. Interesting and thorough interview, and Very interesting collective curatorship approach to conducting interviews...take a look. More…
"...there remains a sizeable part of the art world that simply does not get photography." So suggests Paul Graham in this provocative and thought provoking article. (Via Conscientious) More…
(Notes on) Politics, Theory and Photography asks the question, can images portray moral shock? More…
"How to Get, Give, and Take Photographic Criticism" Lighting Essentials takes a look at this delicate matter. More…
Photographers need a network, argues Scott Bourne, especially at the crucial time when they are building a career and establishing a reputation. More…
The New York Times muses on the shrinking career opportunities open to photojournalists in the face of the mushrooming world of stock photography...with images largely sourced from amateurs. More…
"Presented this way, John Gerrard's work looks like rather boring photography, but it is neither boring nor photography. Using still images as a starting point and then applying video-game technology, Gerrard creates... "virtual sculptures."" (Conscientious) More…
Never have we all been so connected and yet, now more than ever, the future looks bleak to many professionals. How can this be and what do we do as professionals to find a new path? (Ami Vitali via The Click) More…
A question and answer session in A PhotoEditor takes a detailed look at the issue of photographers copying other photographers. More…
Legitimate inspiration or dangerously close to plagiairism? See what you think about this article from Digital Photography School. More…
Often shot from a long distance, Paglen explains how the fuzziness of his images questions how we perceive and interpret images in our society using techniques from both the photography and the astronomy fields. More…
'The photograph that defined the class divide' describes 70 years of misreadings and its use as illustration for shallow assessments of Britain's class disparities. An analysis by Ian Jack of Jimmy Sime's' iconic photo More…
The Los Angeles Times (via ArtsJournal) looks at the symbolism of an official picture of Obama as he triumphs in healthcare reform. More…
To retouch or not to retouch is not so much a question as an ethical decision all photographers take when they sit in front of their images on a computer screen. Neil Turner clarifies what should be considered with regard to image manipulation. More…
"I want to make people feel something" Izabella Demavlys photographs Pakistan's female victoms of acid attack. A disturbing subject but a worthwhile cause. More…
Pondering the recent death of the photojournalist Charles Moore, the New York Times takes the opportunity to examine what the still photo does best in our society. More…
Mr. Sheng, a photographer, had finished the first phase,of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a series of portraits of gay men and lesbians serving in the military, all of them in uniform and with their faces obscured in some way... More…
APhotoEditor rounds up the hot debate in the photo blogs around Terry Richardson's supposedly lewd behaviour with his models. More…
Photojournalist Dana Popa talks about her project on sex trafficked women 'Not Natasha' A thoughtful and detailed audio interview on this serious topic. More…
The rich resource that is the Nieman Reports at Harvard takes an in-depth look at the future of photojournalism. More…
Lighting Essentilas examines the dark art of the 'Elevator Pitch', that all important moment when you introduce yourself to a prospective client...what do you say? More…
Too Much Chocolate interviews Asger Carlsen, whose 'wrong and sick' photos seem to attract ire and delight in equal measure. More…
Light Stalking suggests the 7 books that no author should be without. Some interesting choices here...are they the ones that you would pick? More…
Joerg Colberg argues passionately on 'Why we must see', even when the seeing and the photographing is sometimes so painful. More…
The Discerning Photographer examines the mystery of composition through a personal struggle to adequately describe the beauty of Japanese Magnolia trees through the photographic image. More…
Can creativity be taught? Asks this interesting essay from Black Star Rising. Where does creativity come from?How do entrepreneurs use creativity? Why is innovation often a collaborative effort? Useful reading for all photographers More…
When does conceptual art become copyright theft? Acclaimed photographer Harry Benson's recent experience raises the issue once again. More…
We all need to start somewhere, but A photoeditor discusses the reasons why even relative newcomers should avoid low paid assignments if they possibly can. More…
Photo District News asks 'What Makes a Good Mentor? and receives fascinating responses from a range of photographers, old and new. More…
War wounds: Don McCullin on photography.
The acclaimed frontline photojournalist speaks about the horrors of conflict, struggling with 'this terrible name, war photographer', and why shooting landscapes instead of battle zones has finally granted him a sense of peace. More…
Photographer Shawn Records takes the opportunity to dig into what led three photographers who he has admired for years- Jason Fulford, Alec Soth, and Richard Renaldi to become publishers. More…
Virtual Photography Studio's thoughtful post reminds us that wedding photography isn't just about taking pictures. The main point is creating a fantastic experience for all concerned. More…
Standing in front of these large-scale photographs, as I became accustomed to the visual impact of their astonishing color, the meaning of these images grew. Each canister held the remains of a human body, an unknown person who had been labeled mentally ill... More…
Americansuburbx reprints a 1974 interview with Walker Evans, "Walker Evans with Students" More…
The debate about the future of Leica carries on through the pages of various blogs. Here, Mike Johnston of The Online Photographer summarises the debate thus far before adding his own opinion. More…
Viewer or voyeur? The morality of reportage photography
Do you look away from images of real-life horror, or look closer? A series of shocking photographs from Somalia asks disturbing questions about the ethics of bearing witness (Guardian) More…
In the fifth of a detailed series dealing with preparing your photographic marketing plan, Matthew Kauffmann of Black Star Rising More…
Photoshelter's blog has an unerring knack of coming up with 'why didn't I think of that' articles. Here, Grover Sanschagrin talk about ways to use coupons to drive the marketing of your photography. More…
The third in Scott Bourne's essays on how he feels the Apple iPad will change photography concentrates on its innate transportability. More…
Perhaps the most staggering statistic in Digital Photography School's fascinating tutorial 'So You Want to Enter the Photography Business?' is that 85% of new businesses in this area will fail within the first two years. More…
Photography's impact on Surrealism is analysed in this essay from The Smart Set, passed on to us by the Arts Journal. More…
Lord Snowden, the 80 year old Royal photographer says the 'Taking photographs is a very nasty thing to do' in this illuminating interview. More…
Mog of foto8 (aka Colin Jacobson) has a good old rant at the current state of press photography. More…
Light Stalking's Mike Panic gives us an interesting twist in a tutorial on the 7 things that Photographers should never do.... More…
It's not Plagiarism, it's just a Meme...Except in the Case of Burdeny, that IS Plagiarism! Just when does creative inspiration reflecting the times become copying? More…
Website APhotoEditor delves a little more deeply into the acquisition of the Magnum photo archives by Michael Dell. More…
Preparation Comes First in photography argues Jack Graham in this interesting and useful article for The Luminous Landscape. More…
AmericansuburbX considers the complex world of Josef Koudelka "I try to be a photographer. I cannot talk. I am not interested in talking. If I have anything to say, it may be found in my images. I am not interested in talking about things, explaining about the whys and the hows." More…
Maki Kawai muses on what to do with your Tamron SP AF 60mm F/2 Macro lens once you have bought it. Her informative seminar focuses somewhat unusually on food photography. More…
"The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to the deadliest war in the world today. An estimated 5.4 million people have died since 1998, the largest death toll since the Second World War" Marcus Bleasdale's powerful photoessay 'The Rape of a Nation' reflects powerfully on this tragedy More…
In a lyrical essay, the Strobist considers the relationship between music, lighting and photography. More…
A new essay from Luminous Landscape, 'What's it About?' goes through the often complex process of deconstructing an image More…
Wired beat a familar drum, asking 'Do Mirrorless cameras spell the end of DSLRs? More…
What can't Digital Do for me? Asks Ctein in this column for the Online Photographer More…
Alain Briot looks at compisition in a very different way, taking colour as a starting point.... More…
Beate Chelette, ace business coach answers the question 'How do I find my first five clients?' The answer is networking, she advises in this helpful video tutorial for Black Star Rising More…
David Etchells of Imaging Resource interviews Kazuto Yamaki, COO of Sigma about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the company. More…
British sculptors Craig Little and Blake Whitehead accused of plagiarising Alex Brown's famous 'Sad Vader' photo. More…
The oft quoted phrase 'Content is King' applies to photographers too in their web marketing strategies. Daron Slade digs further into the issue in this post for Lighting Essentials. More…
In the viral video realm, amateur Iraq war footage ranks just behind pornography, celebrities' drunken exploits, and shark attacks. Do these videos represent what Sontag called our 'right to view,'or are they a porn medium made from leftovers of a world filming its self-destruction? More…
Jeff Wignall from Black Star Rising muses on why he has taken the difficult decision to take photos only in raw format from now on. More…
'Zoriah Miller has put aside his photojournalist work to pursue photocollage full time.
Zoriah's statement declared photojournalism "rigid and stagnant... obsessed with rules, hiding behind "ethics" in order to produce nothing but formulaic, generic press photography.' More…
Jacopo Quaranta powerful photo essay about a a neighbour living in poverty in London, demands to be watched. More…
Photographer Matt Stuart is exhibiting a decade worth of accidental moments captured in London. David Hellqvist profiles the man who '...has perfected the art of snapping the fleeting moments of everyday big city life.' More…
'There is no shortage of marketing guidance for photographers on the Web today...But all this information isn't worth much if you don't have a plan' muses Black Star Rising's Matthew Kauffmann in this interesting post More…
Be sure to catch Carsten Bungaard's amazing pictures of the Sulawesi Gold Rush in Indonesia...'The quest for gold has vast consequences for the people living close to the mines.' More…
'UK Gov nationalises orphans and bans non-consensual photography in public'. The website copyright action rails against the latest provisions of the Digital Economy Bill in the UK More…
Photos Sear the Memory in a Way that Video Does Not, argues Harrison McClary of Black Star Rising More…
The World Press Photo Awards, Julie Jacobson and Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard
One of the winning shots was taken by in Afghanistan by AP photographer Julie Jacobson of a fatally wounded Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard being tended to by his colleagues. More…
Always worth more than a glance, issue 11 of Fraction Magazine is all about the sense of Place. More…
Dawoud Bey muses on bridging the gap between the art world and the real world in this keynote speech for the recent CAA conference in Chicago. More…
A Sense of Urgency. Are You Demanding More Of Yourself? asks this thoughtful article in Lighting Essentials for Photographers because, as it suggests, 'Going is the thing that makes it work'. More…
Americansuburb X reprints F. Jack Hurley's seminal essay on Russell Lee (1973) More…
The Gulf Between Us? Tewfic El-Sawy muses on how photos can sometimes accentuate difference rather than similarity when cultures collide...as his personal experience in a mosque in Allahabad shows. More…
Why people aren't linking to your photo website....some clear and sensible advice from the good folks at Photoshelter More…
It had to happen eventually...a round up of the best of the round-ups of the best photos of 2009..in this case by Photojojo More…
Protecting your copyright in a digital world . Haje's rant at the stealing of others ideas and knowledge online and offline..which we carefully link to and acknowledge! More…
'A lifetime of enjoying wonderful images has taught me a number of important lessons. One conclusion is
that really wonderful images often share certain traits and that a study of these characteristics could
repay us when we make our own images.' So says George Barr in this important essay. More…
Do People Recognise Great Photography? asks Michael Zhang at Petapixel. He draws parallels with the social experiment that saw the greatest Joshua Bell busking to an audience of a very few in a Washington subway... More…
Disaster Photography: When Does It Cross The
Line? asks Jasmine Garsd in the context of Haiti. Some distressing photos here. More…
'German film director and photographer Wim Wenders created this short film for Leica that captures his
passion for photography in a beautiful and powerful way. It's sure to inspire you, and may rekindle your
love for the art if it's grown cold.'
More…
Photography by blind people may seem like a contradiction, but UK charity PhotoVoice hopes to change hearts and minds, whilst training the blind to use cameras... More…
Professional photographers are quickly turning the iPhone into standard camera equipment, using it not only as a visual notebook and a method to free their minds from creative stumbling blocks, but also for their commercial work. More…
Brian Duffy's photographs chronicled the fun and fashion of
swinging London. Then, one day in 1979, he decided to burn the
lot. He explains why... More…
A portrait of the artist as a technophile.The Internet has been an important distribution platform for artists, but piracy is having a
chilling effect, finds Ted VanCleave. More…
For once, a photo editor finds some good news coming out of the photo world. He finds many online photographers who are doing well and growing their business. More…
Female photographers have saved the photo industry from recession, claims an industry chief. Women have saved the camera business from succumbing to the effects of the worldwide recession, claims the head of a
Japanese photo industry association. More…
Lighting Essentials for Photographers muses on Recharging the Soul, Personal Projects and Private Moments. More…
Is the end of the camera megapixel race nigh? This review from Arstechnica.com certainly thinks so. More…
Stephen Shankland has more than a few gripes about the standard of online printing services. More…
With all of the controversy currently surrounding photographers and their rights, Jim Johnson makes the very important point the the significance of Google Street View as a threat has been largely overlooked. More…
'The rise of the camera-phone
Everywhere you go these days, there are people with camera-
phones - many of us record, document, and upload the minutae
of our lives. But, ultimately, should we be doing it just because we
can? '
More…
Here's a strange one...James Pomerantz lists songs about Photography! More…
Scott Bourne ponders the question, how important is it to have a photographic goal? More…
Rachel Olding reviews the life and times of Sydney's club photographers. More…
News from Underground. Igor Posner's images try to reconstruct the soul of St Petersberg. More…
Virtual Photography Studio's useful series on the business side of photography continues here with '25 Ways to Get Clients' More…
Dirk Halstead reviews 2009 for digital journalism and sums it all up... a disaster! More…
'Jim Krantz May Have Finally Gotten His Attribution' says the Photo Editor in a thoughtful article on the ethics of 'borrowing' photography for Art More…
One for the collectors among us...Luc Sante's talk on his thirty years collecting postcards, presented here as a two part video. More…
Digital Photography School's 30 New Year goals may be challenging, but there are some very good ideas hidden in there for all of us... More…
It had to happen somewhere...a Photographer's New Year resolutions. Here are Erik Lunsford's, from the St Louis Post-Dispatch More…
Not to every reader's taste, the adult photo industry has had a tough year. At the heart of it all has been the rise and rise of Sasha Grey More…
What photographer has inspired you to be a better photographer...asks Justin Korn before providing his own very interesting and linked list More…
Louis Mendes has an interesting story to tell, catching a living with an old style Polaroid camera, and the excitement of the Rockerfeller center Christmas Crowds More…
Northwestern University Library has made available online a database of over 7,000 photos documenting the colonialialisation of East Africa More…
High-Tech Handiwork; How the advertising boom for iPods, Kindles, and other gadgets is creating a
new kind of supermodel...In this article Newsweek broods on how modelling has suddenly become 'hand -on' owing to new technology. More…
Tim Hussin asks the question:Does ambiguity
and mystery in images leave more to be explored by the viewer, like a complex album that takes months or years to really begin to understand? More…
Larry Sultan: Homeland (2007-2009). For his latest body of work, Larry Sultan hired Mexican day laborers as actors and subjects in his
photographs, which he made on the outskirts of Southern Californian suburbs. More…
Ryan Lobo: Photographing the hidden story. Lobo's great skill is reframing difficult scenes with empathy. In this TED video he discusses his travels through war-torn and poverty-stricken regions of the world. More…
Vision? Interpretation? Intervention? A photo-essay about objectivity in photography brought to you by the AnamorFose Gallery, and dowwnloadable in PDF form. More…
Siobhain Butterworth muses on the difficult issues surrounding the depiction of death and sorrow in photography, issues that we are often all too ready to hide under the carpet. More…
From snapshot to Special Branch: how
my camera made me a terror suspect Another day, another dreadful story of the infringement of Photographer's rights. Here The Guardian's Paul Lewis tells his tale of woe... More…
Korean artist Yeondoo Jung does interesting things with the thousands of children's drawings that he collects...he turns them into the inspiration for his photo shoots... More…
Images from Life Magazine are always worth a look, and the magazine's pick of images from 2009 are just as striking and thought provoking as you might imagine More…
Five Reasons Why Photographers Should Build A Blog Rather Than A Website...Tired of the '...long load times,
terrible-loud music, poor animation and a serious lack of good imagery in most photographer's websites, Scott Bourne advocates a different path. More…
Scott Rensberger Arrested At Mall After Shooting
Holiday Photos. This story is the latest in a worrying trend for photographers...civil liberties that seemed set in stone are gradually being nudged back and back and... More…
Who would be your photoeducator of the year? Here, Photofocus makes a pretty strong pitch for Scott Kelby, book author, podcaster and blogger extraordinaire! More…
'Stereotypical images can overwhelm a nuanced text'. This is the finding by researchers at Temple University. They studied a National Geographic cover article on Saudi Arabia and found that text and images conveyed quite different impressions. More…
Every time Allen Murabayashi looks at photographer's websites he sees mistakes. He thinks that they 'lack the basic data to inform their decisions'. Intrigued? Want to avoid your website being criticised by Allen? More…
The Digital Journalist's December 2009 edition looks at two remarkable photographers who have chronicled the war in Afghanistan, Lucian Read and David Bathgate. Combining video and stills photography, this is a must read. More…
Is fashion photography in decline? Karen Lehrman certainly thinks so, and makes use of an online photo essay to present her argument. The problem? '...today's fashion photographers see themselves as artists'... More…
If you are interested in the history of photography in Australia, then Gael Newton's Shades Of Light is for you. The text to the original book is to be found reproduced for you here... More…
How do you use a mechanical medium like photography to express spiritual qualities? Can it be done at all? These are the questions that underlie Leslie Brown's thoughtful essay to accompany the exhibition 'Concerning the Spiritual in Photography'... More…
Geoffrey Batchen reviews Jonathan Crary's latest book, and in so doing muses on the larger role of the Camera Obscura within 17th and 18th century European society. He finds much to dispute and much to applaud in this complex territory... More…
Curator Akinbode Akinbiyi talks to Sarah Wendle about the traditions of Western photographic representation of Africa. His 2007 exhibition 'Bamako 2007' intended to directly challenge the preconceptions that these traitions have created... More…
By way of response to Errol Morris, Susie Linfield's thoughtful article argues that the very ambiguity of photography invalidates it in the eyes of critics, but this quality is also key in empowering it as a medium for the masses... More…
Taking the issue of value a step further, Errol Morris argues that there can be no such thing as truth in photography, and suggests that the very ambiguity of the medium utterly invalidates it More…
Photography has always been seen as a factual art, but from its inception concepts of truth in photography have been contentious. Chris Woolfrey examines how Web 2.0 presents new challenges to the concept of the image as fact... More…
Collecting photo websites may seem like an odd hobby, but Dave Feltenberger is infectious in his enthusiasm for snapping up the best that come under the theme of 'Urban Decay'. Here he lists his favourite 25 examples... More…
The world of photography and digital imaging is no stranger to leaks and rumours, sometimes directly at the behest of the manufacturers themselves. Here, Simon Joinson muses on the advantages and disadvantages of taking the rumour mill too seriously. More…
|
Tips, Techniques &
Technology ...
Your website is set up and you're blogging regularly to attract customers, right? Did you set Google Analytics up for your website? Have you been tracking website visitors and actions? Did you know about the Real Time feature? More…
NPPA's lawyer, Mickey H. Osterreicher, provides a brief overview of today's copyright law as it pertains to photography, also taking into account how photographs are used and abused on the rapidly-changing Internet and technology fronts. More…
Once you start getting all these great ideas for images, how do you keep track of them all? Well, here are a few things that have worked for me More…
When it comes to emphasising textures, tones and forms of the landscape there seems nothing like a black and white image to draw out the best in these elements of composition.
More…
I usually use my 70-200mm lens for portrait work. It works for me. It also works for a number of very successful portrait and wedding photographers I know. But there's a catch, a number of reasons why that works for me and may not work for you. More…
For Mac users one of the most powerful image management programs on the market is Aperture. In this series of tutorials I will take you through the basics of Aperture, to give you a working knowledge of the program.
More…
Taking candid photos are not always easy, but there are various techniques that one can adopt, which will help make taking them a little easier. More…
Professional photographer Rob Hanson has taken the time to create a detailed video tutorial to teach viewers how to make HDR photographs. More…
There is no shortage of interest in Pinterest, and photographers seem especially keen to take advantage of this most visual of social media. But, as with most everything shiny and new, there are concerns More…
There is certain information that I always want to have included in the metadata of my images. Copyright information is one of them and always an important thing to add to your photos. Here is a walk through on how you can automatically add your copyright info in Lightroom. More…
Copyright gives photographers, artists, authors, musicians, choreographers and architects the exclusive right to use and reproduce their works. Essentially, all original works can be copyrighted. More…
Recently at a get together with 6 photography friends we started chatting about the idea of adding Drama and Mystery to images.
More…
Rich Harrington shows you how to use ACR's Fill/Recovery Command to fix a poorly exposed photo. More…
There's a great saying, "You've got two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you talk!" I really could end this post right here, but lately I've run into a few photographers who don't listen to much of anything. More…
How To Blend Two Photos Edge To Edge In PS - How to use Photoshop's Layer Masks to merge two images side by side' edge to edge. More…
Flickr user Maciej Pietuszynski had a great shower when the idea of combining a shower head, a rubber glove and an old nifty fifty into a unique tilt shift lens. More…
Even the most seasoned traveler has mundane tasks or habits that seem anything less than glamorous. While there is certainly something to be touted and enjoyed from the exotic images we all love, there is also some thing to be appreciated in the mundane.
More…
Here's an intro to working with Silver Efex Pro that will show you how and when to use some of its unusual features. You will quickly see how different (and more efficient) it is to make a b&w conversion in this plug-in compared with using one of Photoshop's tools. More…
Tax day is creeping up on us once again. And if you are like most photography business owners, filling out tax forms are anything but a fun time. Check out these commonly overlooked deductions to see if you qualify for more this year. More…
The Appalachian hollers of Eastern Kentucky are a restorative realm for Shelby Lee Adams and photography a tonic. Change is coming to these isolated communities and Adams' latest monograph, Salt & Truth from Candela Books feels like something that needs to be said,while there's still time. More…
I was out shooting recently when an old tire, some sand and a bit of water got me thinking about how critical shutter speed can be to all that we do as photographers. More…
"I wrote this Manifesto for pro's and newbies alike. As professional photographers, we all need to be reminded of good habits from time to time. For those just starting out, it's great to encourage wise habits from the beginning." More…
One of the more common problems I find is the presence of shutter lag in digital cameras. You depress the shutter button on the camera, expecting the shot to be taken - but to your surprise the camera waits just a little bit before it "clicks". More…
Want to inform someone of their right to take pictures in the US? Just share this short cartoon created by the ACLU, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and The Gregory Brothers. More…
With several major trade shows and conventions coming up it's the perfect time to talk about laying the groundwork if your goal is to someday get published. More…
Stuck behind a wire fence when trying to shoot an interesting subject can be a pain. It's a challenge most often faced at the zoo but you also come across it when shooting at some sporting events.
More…
Most wedding vendors have one chance to make a sale for one event, but as a photographer you have the chance to make an almost life long repeat client, depending on what your photographic specialties are. More…
One question I frequently get asked is how to get rid of shadows in the picture when the subject is close to a wall? Well, it depends on if the shadow is being created due to a specific angle of the speed light or you're using some sort of a flash diffuser
More…
Depending on how well you do with both marketing and sales, your ultimate goal is to bring in more qualified prospects as time goes by so that it becomes easier to convert them into paying customers. The greater the ratio, the more your "system" works More…
While professionals are able to practice, improve and sharpen their skills by shooting every day, enthusiasts have to make do with stolen moments...
The solution though, other than to add a few more hours to the day, is to look for places where profession and passion overlap. More…
I work with a lot of people just starting out in photography. People who want to move off of Auto mode and on to something more. And they show me their images, asking, "What can I do better?"
More…
For today's post we are going to ignore all of what we have learned about how to make great landscape photographs and look at another way of shooting...Impressionistic photography. More…
If you ever had to shoot in a confined space you know that getting your light in the place can be challenging .Limited space, cabinets and shelves all join hands in eliminating good lighting placements. More…
Are you in compliance with United States Tax Laws? Are you even aware what to look for? Let us help you with this informative guide. More…
If you're starting out on a new photography venture in the hopes of turning a hobby into a career, make sure you have signed model releases for any images you use to promote yourself online or in print. More…
The hard truth is, no matter what you charge, you will always be too expensive to someone, especially those whose "anchor" is a grocery store. You might as well price your work profitably, and in the meantime, work to "re-anchor" your potential clients to your price range. Here's how
More…
Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've almost certainly heard that the ancient Maya long-count calendar rolls over in December this year. You may well be considering a photography trip to the Maya realm. If this is the case for you, please allow me to give you a few pointers
More…
As a professional photographer you might scoff at the idea of using an app like Instagram to market your business. But the fact of the matter is that Instagram is popular, very popular indeed so why wouldn't you be embracing a popular photography community? More…
A lens cap keeper can save you a lot of hassle and ensure the protection of your camera lens. Learn what its design is and how it works. You will certainly be amazed how functional this creative solution is. More…
Being a photographer is like playing a game of chess, you must think first before you move. No matter which style of photography I am doing, I have to prepare myself. This can make a long day easier because it allows me to focus on the creation of images More…
Here's a Photoshop protip: before saving a final version of a photo for publishing on the web, make sure all the layers you want in the image are actually visible. More…
Building a successful photography website might seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be. Depending on your clientele and addressable market, your website will need to focus on some features more than others More…
Panning is a technique that can produce amazing results (if you perfect it... or get lucky) but is also one that can take a lot of practice to get right.
More…
Are you wondering how to get creamy newborn skin and edit baby images in Photoshop? It all starts in camera with proper lighting. Nice, diffused, even lighting will help even out skin tones. Many babies have red or yellow coloring and bumpy or textured skin. More…
Kai of DigitalRev shares some tips - both serious and humorous - on the art of street photography. More…
Many people dream of the day they can quit their jobs, throw a camera in a bag and travel the world. We love to travel and experience new things. Taking pictures is a way to remember each step of the way. And if you can get paid for doing it as well, why not start today. More…
Here's a short and sweet video in which Chicago-based food photographer Stephen Hamilton shares some tips on how to take photographs of food using your smartphone. More…
Good client communication is not about taking great photos, but about trust and follow-through. Even after the job is done your client should leave without lingering questions. So here are 9 tips - things I do and recommend - to help enhance your client relationships. More…
How to work out what to charge for your photography services - are your rates high enough? Photography - your only job? I'll keep this one short and simple. I often get asked about what to charge as a professional photographer by other photographers. More…
Here's a tutorial on how to do non-automated HDR for real estate photography using Photoshop CS5. The first thing you'll need is a sturdy tripod with a level. The closer you are to a leveled image, the less correction you'll have to do later. More…
According to many of the top SEO companies that study social impact, the two things that matter most when using Facebook to gain authority within the search engines is:
1. The number of Facebook shares you have
2. The authority of your sharers More…
We spend loads of money on high-tech cameras and lenses yet sometimes little consideration is given to how the camera should be supported when taking a photograph. More…
When shooting a scene, you hold a camera in front of your face just as the manufacturer intended, unless it's a person, then you rotate it 90 degrees. I am going to let you into a little secret; the opposite works for either, both formats are a really effective way of capturing your subject.
More…
A while back we posted a guide that shows how to build a TTL cord extender using Cat 5e Ethernet cables and plugs. YouTube member Matthewrichey made a short video describing the process which is worth checking out. More…
5 Ways for Photographers to use an iPad to Jumpstart their Business
More…
Film and digital sensors do not see as well as you do. The shadows and highlights may be quantified as numbers that represent the luminance of any scene. More…
Fortunately for our clients - and for us - the world of formal portrait and people photography is now coming to a new era: Portrait Photojournalism More…
The debate on whether to import and post-process files as RAW or as DNG (Digital Negative) is almost as heated - and opinionated - as whether to shoot with Canon or Nikon. The long and short of it is, "it depends," and "it's up to you." There is no "right" answer. More…
It's been over a year now since we've had the ability to use hashtags on Instagram. Not everyone feels the need to add a hash tag to their photos and that's okay; however, I want to share one reason why you should use a hash tag with each photo you post to your Instagram feed. More…
How do you proceed to grow and develop as a fine art photographer? Basically, regular use of your camera with deliberate intent, while paying attention to the following, is what brings it about. More…
Every business owner must be a self promoter too - unless you have the ability to pay someone else to do it. If that's not you, spreading the word is your task. Not to be confused with marketing, publicity gets others talking about you. More…
One of the more difficult things for a portrait photographer to do is start the shoot with a resistant subject. More…
You often hear about percentages, sometimes in statistics, like 75-percent of all statistics are made up, which often leaves you wondering about the accuracy of such numbers, but when it comes to photography, one percentage that is accurate is the 90-percent rule of lighting. More…
When photographing the wedding family portraits, you can really help yourself by nailing your lighting. Get it down. Then you can concentrate on getting the groups together, and concentrate on posing the groups. But your lighting works! Much less stress. More…
The filter that I have come to appreciate more as time passes is the neutral density filter, or, more specifically, the variable neutral density filter. This puppy can do things for you that will add a completely new dimension to your photography, from landscape to portrait work
More…
Low light photography is a challenge. Depending on the circumstance, it may not be possible to capture a desired image. That being said, it's essential to know every possible thing that can be done before you throw in the towel. More…
Landscape photography in colour is a truly beautiful thing, the pink and purple hues of dawn, a red sunset or a blue sky above a golden sandy beach, colour can really make an image pop. However, sometimes colour can become a bit of a distraction.. More…
What if I told you that by the end of this article I could drastically boost your Photoshop productivity? Interested? That's actually not an exaggeration if you've never taken advantage of Photoshop's actions and batch processing tools. More…
A young photographer recently asked me how to structure his time so that he actually gets things accomplished. A lot of time can easily be wasted on social media outlets, but if you plan your time and make a schedule you will get more done each day. More…
LinkedIn is a fantastic method to network with other photographers and customers, share stories, articles, and request feedback on new photographs. If you're a photographer with another business target in mind then LinkedIn is an amazing tool to use. More…
It's one thing to get a shoot now and then, and another to create and sustain a commercial photography business. Here are a couple of thoughts for you to consider. More…
Printing at home can be a good thing, but sometimes it's best to let someone else do it. Maybe you want to make a whole bunch of 4x6 prints, or you need a print larger than your home printer can produce. More…
Posing is one of those words that I really never liked. It always reminds me of some uncomfortable pretzel style positioning where every finger, hand, toe is placed just right and really so much just right that the person being photographed looks as uncomfortable as they can be. More…
As its convention and trade show season I'm sure that you'll be overwhelmed with ideas and inspiration for marketing campaigns. The biggest problem is that you might have come across a golden nugget that at this point in time isn't quite the right fit for your business. More…
One technique I've seen used a lot lately on blogs, websites and even email newsletters is a hand drawn frame effect.
In this post, I'll show you how to create an effect like this and save and use it for your images.
More…
"What effect does a camera's white balance setting have on a raw file? Why should I bother with a white balance setting in camera when shooting raw?" More…
Now that you've had some fun capturing great photos and touching up the images to arrive at a finished product, it's time for a less fun task - that of backing up all those files. More…
Learning how to choose your lens aperture (the 'f-number') can be very confusing for the beginning photographer. The discussion can quickly get into a daunting explanation of the shutter speed/aperture relationship, all of which means absolutely nothing to the novice. More…
Event photography is many things, but 'easy to make money off' isn't one of them, and it strikes me time and time again that the way most photographers do it, doesn't make much sense. More…
Video Tutorial - How To Fix Photos That Are Too Dark Using Adobe Photoshop
More…
We know that a lot of blog readers use Gimp and, in the interests of taking a step away from Photoshop for a minute, here are 5 of my top tips for working with Gimp.
More…
You remember those photographs that remain etched in your mind and leave you wondering how can you create such an image? The usual thought is, what you need to add to your work, what fancy tricks do you need to learn? More…
Too often there's the desire for us to bring the detail in our backgrounds back in by adding flash. But often, the image will be stronger if we just allow the background to completely blow out. It especially works in our favor if the background is cluttered More…
In working to license rights to your photography, you need to recognize that there is a tremendous oversupply of images. So while your images are certainly much better on a quality and artistic level than most of the images out there, unfortunately that isn't all it takes to make sales. More…
I've always loved browsing the insanely detailed and realistic artwork created by digitally painting in Photoshop...this year I'm planning on setting aside some time to learn the basics myself. All the tutorials showcased here describe the step by step process More…
Using an open, unfinished, uncluttered space provides the photographer with the greatest amount of flexibility in the setting up of backdrops, props and lights. More…
We all know that composition is important to keep in mind when taking a photo, and it's just as important to think about composition when you're designing a photo book layout. Here are my five top tips for designing good photo book layouts.
More…
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. This visual details all the basics on exposure to get you started More…
When I did my first photo-a-day project, it was challenging. I started with a 30-day trial and decided that I would pursue the full length project. As the time went on and as I tried to take a photo every day, I started seeing photographs everywhere. More…
Photography Resources to Quench Your Thirst More…
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. More…
I wrote about the gradual demise of dedicated film scanners and how that might make it increasingly difficult if not impossible to conveniently scan film photographs for digital printing. Many readers expressed interest in the idea of using a good digital camera in lieu of a dedicated film scanner More…
Here's a quick video on how I'll use a vignette in Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro to direct the viewer's attention in the frame. More…
I'm regularly contacted by photographers wanting to know how they can license rights to their images in today's market. Recently I was contacted by a nature and wildlife photographer whose work was excellent. Here's what I told him. More…
Employing long exposure photography techniques is a great way to create an image that makes others go "Wow!". If you're unfamiliar with long exposure photography the major ingredient needed is low light conditions, which will require your camera to expose for longer periods of time.
More…
Its no secret that people are less accepting of more traditional types of sales methods and marketing. How many people truly use a yellow pages anymore, or trust an ad they see in a newspaper? But one thing will always remain true. People hate being sold to. But they love to buy. More…
Looking at your background when composing your photo is as important if not more important than looking at your subject. Photographers have a knack for visually filtering out everything but their primary focus when taking a photo.
More…
According to Neal Clipper,Abbey Photographers has increased customer satisfaction and built interest in its business by more than 60% with the use of this innovative slideshow technology. More…
Some thoughts about how to get the best from printing your photos. Why trying lots of different papers is rarely a good long term approach More…
Learn how to make the most of your digital camera's white balance mode to ensure accurate colour in all lighting situations. More…
Low key lighting is a type of portrait lighting that creates a very dramatic light setup, as well as creates some intense classic looking photos. Low key lighting lends it's self strongly to a darker side of glamor and artistic photography. More…
People will ask you to shoot a portrait of them.
If they haven't before, they will.
You're a photographer, right? You know how to do that.
Well, there are many answers to that question, but we'll try to simplify some tools for you to successfully answer the call. More…
Taking photographs in fog can add intrigue to an image but it's not always easy to do. This article aims to help you with this photography challenge. More…
While rewarding, working with limited light presents many challenges, especially for digital photographers. Low-angled directional light can easily fool camera meters, and low light and long exposures can push the limits of batteries and camera sensors. More…
Awhile back I wrote out a Photoshop tutorial on How to Create a Digital Lomo Look in Photoshop, and today I want to give a run through on how to get this same effect with Lightroom. More…
We all know that word of mouth is the best form of marketing, but for creative industries it is even more important.
More…
While I know there is proof that SEO can get your website to the top of search engines, I also believe that content is as important, if not, more important than SEO. With that said, here is some information. More…
Phoneography is the best. No matter where you go, you've got a camera. Not just any camera, but a camera that lets you share your photos in that same instant with all your friends. More…
Scott Hargis, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is living the dream life as far as I'm concerned. He gets to photograph gorgeous interiors and exteriors as part of his work, and he produces outstanding finished images. He's also a great instructor. More…
In our latest tutorial, HDR Workflow For The Rest Of Us, Vegard Brenna takes a look at how HDR when actually needed can be integrated into a normal photographic workflow. The aim is to produce consistent, high quality, natural looking images with a minimum of fuss and time spent. More…
Here's a short video in which photo instructor Bryan Peterson shows how you can use sunlight and a simple reflector for creative macro shots - perfect for people who have a macro lens but lack lighting equipment. More…
If you dabble in iPhoneography, then you are likely, and often, faced with having to type certain phrases a lot. Possibly some hashtags. Here is a quick tip to save yourself some time. More…
Smile, you're on candid camera! Remember that TV show? One of the most exciting forms of photography is candid photography. Taking pictures of people in public situations doing natural acts has always been fun. More…
Tilt Lens Effect Using Photoshop - How to create toy model type photos using a tilt lens effect in Photoshop More…
Steve 21 has an interesting trick for finding good available light: he places a marble in his hand to simulate what the light would look like on a human face More…
Whatever memory card you use, there are some best practices that you might want to consider to keep your memory cards safe, and operational. Here are some suggestions. More…
Publishing a photo book used to be confined to independently wealthy photographers or top pros. But the self-publishing revolution now allows photographers to easily create books on the fly that can be continually updated and honed for a target audience. More…
TeraPixel (Charly) is using a wide array of DIY solutions for his amazing macro photographs. Including reversed lenses (with electronics modified to allow metering and control), bellows and extension tubes More…
When using a tilt-shift lens, photographers have options. Yes the obvious ones are whether to tilt or shift. However, what about shifting the tilt? What I mean is, if a photographer is using the lens for artistic purposes and not just to get lines straight, then there are choices. More…
The other day I was processing some bracketed HDR images that I had recently shot. My typical workflow is to take the images from Lightroom into HDR Pro in Photoshop. More…
Today, there are many options for managing your digital library, some free, some not. Until a few years ago managing a large collection meant investing in some expensive top end software or simply cataloging in a folder hierarchy.
More…
As Cameron Chapman writes in his article "Why SEO Doesn't Matter Anymore and What You Should Do Instead" there are seven reasons as to why Cameron thinks Search Engine Optimisation doesn't matter. More…
You can securely mount an iPad 2 to your favorite tripod for movie recording and time lapse photography. All you need are a few standard studio hardware items that may already exist in your lighting kit More…
Like all of the other social media tools out there, LinkedIn is a way of creating and nurturing relationships. It's a way of allowing you to be approachable, visible and helpful to those in your circle of influence. More…
I've written here before about shooting your way out of a rut. Now I want to help you before things get that bad. This is a little secret I learned years ago and it has helped me to keep my photographic interests alive longer than most of you reading this. More…
At the recent Asbury Park Photowalk I was playing with my 10-stop neutral density filter a lot. The boardwalk was very busy so I knew removing people would be fun. There are a few things to keep in mind when shooting with a neutral density filter. More…
As something of an interesting experiment, I asked my Twitter followers to answer the question: "What are the top business errors by 'rookie' photographers?" More…
You may not have thought of starting a long term project. Most of us don't because our photographic interests change over time, more quickly as we start to dabble in photography and learn new techniques.
More…
Video Tutorial - Using The Crop Tool Within Adobe Camera RAW More…
Listing Your Prices the Right Way as a Photographer More…
One is a 6-minute tutorial by Russell Brown that shows how to create time-lapse movies using the "image sequence" import feature of Photoshop Extended. More…
Publishing photos online is the new way of marketing your business, brand and even yourself and your own interests. More…
I love seeing how other people put together campaigns. And because of it I follow a lot of people online to see what they will do next. About a year ago I was introduced to a woman who has a huge following online. So I started following her. And I really like her style. More…
I felt like horsing around today... so here are some tips on how to photograph running horses.Try to get a shot with all the hooves off the ground. Set your camera on the fastest frame rate and fire away. More…
Video Tutorial - How To Convert To B&W In Photoshop - Best Practices More…
In this digital photography tutorial I discuss the technique of isolating the subject matter of your photograph using the focusing technique of bokeh. More…
Here's a short and sweet tip from me on how you can improve your Twitter SEO. If you're a professional (or aspiring professional) photographer, you should have a Twitter account. More…
Sometimes, as a photographer, you're going to want to lead people to look at a specific part of your images. There are a lot of various techniques that can be used to help you draw the eye of a viewer in situations like this, so let's look at a few of them.
More…
Start thinking about selling your photos and your first thoughts are likely to be of prints and licenses. A myriad of options from Buy Now buttons on websites and photo-sharing platforms to garage sales and galleries let photographers offer framed versions of their art. More…
We all want absolutely tack-sharp photos. We all know that sharpness begins with the shot itself - there is no saving a blurry photo in post-production. We are somewhat familiar with sharpening techniques in Lightroom or Photoshop, but what is the best way to apply sharpening More…
Firstly if you're using a light meter then great! You're on your way to becoming a better photographer already!
But what should you meter... or rather what direction should you point your light meter when taking a reading?
Here's your choices More…
Operating a photography business can be so much fun.
But on occasion, you hit a rough spot. You have a day where something goes wrong - terribly wrong in some cases - and you're just not sure if its all worth it. More…
This is the next-to-last (I think) of my columns on getting started in digital printing. More…
A portfolio of your works is a very important thing that every photographer has to create. Obviously, there are good and bad shots in your reserve. So what do you do with them?
More…
In this video series, Dave Cross shows off some creative ways to use Photoshop and Illustrator together. In the second video, Dave talks about taking basic shapes from Photoshop's shape tool bibrary of presets and copying them over to Illustrator to use as starting points for vector illustrations. More…
Using small portable strobes when capturing a landscape can dramatically transform a scene. Sometimes the use of a small light to illuminate for instance a leaf in a rainforest can focus a viewers eye. More…
Portrait photography is something we have all attempted at some level or another. Sometimes it takes just a few tips to take your photography to the next level. Here are 10 tips that should help do just that. More…
Adding texture to photographic images has exploded in popularity in the last year or so. You can create your own textures, or choose among a wide range of both free and commercial offerings available on the Internet, including smartphone and tablet computer apps. More…
photography composition - finding the other angles More…
Here's a video in which business-savvy photographer Sal Cincotta shares some tips on how to turn your photography service into an experience that your clients will remember and be excited to recommend to others. More…
You can do just about anything to an image with Photoshop, but if you don't have the cash to shell out, free program the GIMP-available for Windows, Linux, and OS X-can take you pretty far. More…
There are multitudes of daily, weekly and even monthly projects to choose from, but a popular choice is a self-portrait project. Whether you commit to a daily 365 project, or a 52 weeks project, let's look at the benefits and possible challenges of a self-portrait project for 2012
More…
If you can understand what a model is going through and how you can help them pose better and get more comfortable in front of the camera, both subject and photographer will have a much higher rate of success in photo shoots. More…
Have a habit of losing your lens caps? Add a clip to them to keep them attached to your camera strap when not in use! All you need are a lapel clip - the kind found on old wired cellphone headsets work great - and some strong mounting tape. More…
Want to made giant prints of your tiny phone photos? Instead of doing the enlargement purely with Photoshop, Photojojo suggests using a scanner for high-quality enlarging. More…
I was talking with a friend this week who started asking me about my blogging habits. She was wondering how I create new content almost every day, and how I can stay with it month after month. Do I really have that much to say, or am I just filling up my site with content? More…
A business card is the one marketing piece about your company that people will gladly take, and keep. They project your business' image, and are a vital form of communication. Not having a card projects a lack of professionalism. More…
In tough times, it's a natural reaction. Business slows so people lower prices to try to get new customers in the door. There are times and places and industries where this makes sense. But don't automatically think it makes sense for you as a photographer More…
A long time ago in an old version of Photoshop, you could find the Brightness slider. It was paired with the Contrast slider and was without question one of the worst adjustment tools around. It was also the go-to tool for the Photoshop novice who just wanted to make their photos lighter or darker. |
