A horseman charges across the frozen plain in Inner Mongolia. Photographer Anthony Lau captured this misty moment on his trip to the region. PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTHONY LAU, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHOT Nat Geo Travel spoke with the 2016 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year, Anthony Lau, to learn how he made the grand prize-winning photo. Congratulations on winning the …
How Much Should Photographers Charge In 2016?
Photography Pricing How Much? I write this annual article to help photographers with one of the toughest parts of their job, pricing their work. In the 2016 version, I’m going to add some new elements such as a little advise for photography buyers (found after the state of the industry). Another section I’m most excited about is the question and answer portion at …
How to Find Photography Inspiration
What do you do when you can’t find photography work? Pitching is a good use of time, but too much can burn out new artists. Here’s another idea: Watch every movie, go to every art gallery, and dig out every photo you can find to get new visual ideas for inspiration: This advice comes from established fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski, who’s shot …
Photographs Are No Longer Things, They’re Experiences
TO SAY THAT digital cameras have profoundly changed photography is both true and cliché. But few of the regurgitaters of the idea can tell you exactly how. Stephen Mayes, director of VII Photo Agency, is one of those few. He argues that the rise of digital changed the very nature of photography by moving it from a fixed image to a …
QUICK TRICK FOR “HIDING THE LIGHT” FOR LOCATION SHOOTS
This is the written tutorial of something I did in my course on using Westcott Speedlight Modifiers over on KelbyOne, and the trick is a very effective, location lighting technique for a formal portrait of the bride, and part of the technique is done in camera, and then the other part in Photoshop, and the good news is — both parts are …
9 Steps to Get Over Your Fear of Off-Camera Flash
For the first three years as a professional photographer I suffered a severe case of Photophobia and Photoaugliaphobia. I tried to cover it up by saying things like, “I’m a natural light photographer” or “I really don’t like the aesthetics of flash photography”. In reality I was scared to death of using flash. I just couldn’t wrap my head around …
Lifestyle Photography: Newborns
There is nothing sweeter or more ephemeral than a newborn baby. Those sweet milk drunk smiles and three hour naps don’t last long. All parents will, at one point or another, find themselves astonished to look down at their child and realize that little baby has turned into a child. Lifestyle photography is one of two main forms of newborn …
Why you should learn blog photography & graphic design for yourself
If there’s one thing I’m passionate about, it’s about learning to do things for yourself. Maybe it’s because the things that I’ve wanted to learn over the years were things that no one I knew could teach me. Maybe it’s because I’m a combination of broke and cheap (that’s the student life!) and I would never pay for someone else …
Should you Study Photography at College or are There Better Options Now?
If someone were to ask me whether it’s worth going to college or university to study for a degree in photography I would find that a difficult question to answer. I don’t think there is much value in studying photography at college, yet I don’t want to destroy anyone’s dreams (the good news is that there are plenty of other …
7 Habits of Boring Street Photography
Street Photography is hard to do well. Really hard. Even if you are great, most of your shots will not be. The internet is filled with boring street photography. The biggest problem is people thinking any photo taken on the street is now Street Photography. There is so much more to Street Photography than that so how do you capture more in your …