General

Simplify. Back to basics. Classic. Timeless. You see, the biggest criticism I find myself offering to students and friends of mine is to simply an image. Most importantly, the background. People seem to enter this state of mind where they lock a camera lens down to 1.2 or 1.4 etc and shoot the model or subject anywhere and everywhere as long as the light looks great on them. “Once the background is blurry it’s all gravy!”, well, I disagree, and I disagree strongly. Here is something I picked up from Roberto Valenzuela: The background of an image is easily just as important as the framing,...


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Avoiding model flakes is something all photographers would like to do and this article will help you identify some of the red flags you may encounter. First, I want to define what I, and most people, consider flaking: model flakes are models who do not show up to the shoot or who cancel at the last possible second (as in day of the shoot) without a legitimate excuse. Models who cancel with a legitimate excuse are generally not considered flakes. I think in order to cut down on your flake rate, you need to examine your situation. Sometimes there were no warning signs before a model flaked....


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by JO PLUMRIDGE It’s nearly 30 years since I was given my first camera aged 10 (a bright red Halina with no focusing, in case you’re wondering!), and nearly 20 years since I started working as a pro photographer. So I thought it was time for a (light hearted) look back at what I’ve learned over the years. By the way, this article was somewhat inspired by the wonderful Tom Cox (check him out if you like funny writing) who recently wrote a similar article on things he’d learned as a writer. Anyway, back to the photography… If you’re a portrait photographer, you will get used...


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Some might argue that retouching photos is part of the jobs. Others would say that it’s an entirely different trade altogether. Whatever your opinion on the matter is, it appears the art of retouching has officially made its way to the online marketplace of eBay.  You did in fact read that correctly. For just a few dollars, you can have a photo ‘professionally’ retouched and enhanced to your liking. Emphasis on ‘professionally,’ as some of the offerings don’t look more than a quick run through a skin softening program or a ten year old filter. There isn’t much information...


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Understanding light and lighting is part of being a good photographers. This includes knowing when and how to use flash, when NOT to use flash, and some ways to avoid using flash in your photos. Here are a few quick tips to help you understand how you can use (and avoid) flash in your photography to get the best results. Dan Eckert — Dan flash fog When and how to use flash Indoors A very common reason to use your flash unit is low-light indoor environments. If there’s not enough light shining on your subject, a flash will help illuminate them. Your camera can’t see things that aren’t...


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