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When art styles synergize, the energy of two or more artists combine into one artistic style. Great artists, from photographers to painters alike are defined by their unique style in their specific arts. It’s this style that influences their creations, and in my case...

Often photographers are challenged to bring out the detail in the clothing or hair of their subjects, especially of light or dark fabrics, or blonde or black hair. The solution is simple, but first you must understand the physics 90-percent rule of light and...

Professional photographers capture the perfect moment in time because they know how to funnel their passion into the camera and they exercise great communication skills to build rapport with their subjects. This marriage of the minds brings out that perfect smile —...

All models and photographers will have a “first-time shoot” before they can start their professional working relationship with each other, it’s unavoidable, whether either party is experienced or not. While some photographers and models instantly synergize on set,...

Over the decades I’ve had photo industry manufacturers and vendors offer me sponsorships and product support in exchange for my endorsement at my workshops, articles, seminars, books, and any world stage to include social media and the Internet. When I’m approached...

One of the world’s greatest hockey players, Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take” and that famous quote applies to sports photography too. Here’s are 15 sports photography tips you can use from my years of experience photographing everything...

Every photographer hits a creative rut where no matter how much our heart and passion drives us to shoot, we draw a blank. Well you can kick-start your photography with themes to get out of that rut. Themes are concepts photographers should carry in their brain to...

Photography is a creative art, and like all arts, there’s one emotion that can bring our artistic abilities to a screeching halt — fear. A basic human emotion, fear normally arises from the perception of danger, but fear in photography isn’t as much about danger as it...

There are many ways to improve your photography, but if you want to turn pro, as a minimum you should start with the 10 steps to become a professional photographer listed below. Why not become a pro if you're not already? If you have a smartphone, you’re already a...

When I conduct a workshop or seminar, I’ll often ask the attendees to define a professional photographer. The most common answer is, “Someone who’s primary income comes from photography.” After I hear that, I’ll disagree and remind the group that the key word in my...

Once at a hairstylist’s salon I saw a sign that read: “I’m a beautician, not a magician.” Ever since that, I’ve wanted to create a similar saying for photographers, but so far, I haven’t been able to devise one that is filled with the same rhyme and eloquence....

Sometimes a photo might need a little more oomph due to strong back-light or perhaps you simply want to brighten deep shadow areas on your subject and you can do this with fill-flash. While there are many fill-flash photography techniques, the two most common...

Often people tell me photographers have it easy, just click and they’re done. I remind them it’s about the fundamentals, concepts, and principals of photography plus the processes that it takes to create great photos. So here are some photography process tips to make...

Back in the days of film, professional photographers would prioritize their time to include darkroom days, shooting sessions, and administrative time. Call it a part of the photographic culture and to survive in any creative profession, you have to allocate time to...

Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Gretzky created his own style of play with passion and hard work and he knew how to find the shot and take it without hesitation, similar to great...

There are many ingredients that fuel a photographer’s appetite when it comes to their abilities to create, but two ingredients that every photographer should have are sources of influence and inspiration. Normally inspiration comes from a muse and influence from the...

The only photography tip here is that we all need to recognize that photography dopamine addiction exists. It’s not about blame, it’s about reality. Interpret this how you wish, but it’s meant to help you understand why more selfies are captured per second than...

So, you want to do some photography, but your mind draws a blank and you can’t think straight. It’s a mental lapse just like writer’s block. As a photographer you’re in a creative rut and have to overcome it to pre-visualize the photos you want to capture, so what do...

There’s always chatter on the Internet about mirror-less vs. DSLR cameras, especially with the new Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic mirrorless cameras and lenses. People often express their opinions daily on social media and some focus on “whose camera beats...

In all forms of photography there are elements that make or break an image, some elements are required, some are optional, and some while required, vary in strength and play lesser or greater roles in the context of the image, depending on their use. Clothing in...

Over the decades at my photography workshops, seminars and lectures in all the America’s and throughout the United states, I’m often asked, "How do you pose a model?" I usually answer with a demonstration because posing is the body language of a photograph. You start...

We see through the viewfinder with our eyes as we hold our camera with our hands, yet we often take for granted that the eyes and hands are the top reasons a photo editor will trash an image when it comes to publication consideration. As photographers of models we can...

Any photographer can kayak or canoe down the river, but great photographers avoid canoes whether they paddle on water or not. When you canoe on a body of water it takes strength, but in photography you avoid canoes in your subject’s eyes through the angle of your...

Every morning someone snaps a great sunrise photo on the east coast and later in that day, someone will snap a sunset photo on the west coast and both photographers will have captured a horizontal photograph because they didn’t turn the camera. But it’s a horizon...

Marketing and branding are two words often confused with one another but they’re important words all photographers or anyone in business should understand. It's more than just building your brand in photography. So, to start your guide to marketing and branding and...

Recently I viewed a magazine and was shocked how photographers ignore the rules of cropping when it comes to people photography. While it’s often heard, “learn to break the rules” when it comes to photography, it’s better said, “Learn the rules first, then learn to...

When you say “available light photography” to two photographers, you might get two different responses as that term can mean different things to many photographers. One former major magazine staff photographer told me once that available light photography meant to use...

A common mistake for photographers happens when they arrive to a location and look at the big picture when instead, they should focus on the “picture in the picture,” or the small things around them. When publication photo editors see this in an image, your image gets...

If you Google “conceptual photography” you’ll find many views on the genre itself. It’s like no one agrees on specifics, though you’ll find some common points, like, “It all starts with imagination” or, “It’s a type of fine art photography.”Ultimately, I define it as...

Lighting Basics First In the days of cellulose film-oriented photography books, most authors recommended the photography lighting basics of three and four light setups. These lighting setups usually included a main or key, fill, back and background light for studio...

Sometimes we look at a photograph and wonder, “How was that done?” and other times, “Oh, I could do that.” But in reality, it might look easy, but often it takes work, rarely are great shots stumbled upon and if they are, it happens more to photojournalists than...

Most agency-signed fashion models are at least five-foot-eight in height though the majority are even taller, and many glamour models are usually much shorter. It’s not that a glamour model couldn’t pull off fashion, it’s just that the major fashion model agencies...