4 Tips to get Pro Photos Using Beginner Cameras
When I talk to entry-level photographers, the conversations almost always turn to something about gear. And while these conversations somewhat irk me now, there was a time when I was exactly the same. A time when I felt the tools that I had were what held me back the most. In some ways, entry-level gear […]
How to take photographs using manual settings
Taking photographs in manual mode is daunting for many new photographers. That much power is way too scary and often results in underexposed, or blurry images. And I get it, there’s a lot of nuances to wrap your head around! But once you understand how simple the settings are, manual mode will be all you […]
5 tips for stunning Northern Lights photographs
Photographing the Northern Lights is an absolute dream for landscape photographers. The vast majority of the world’s population lives too far south to see them. And when they’re most visible, most of the world wants to be inside, huddled around a fire with cocoa. For that reason, and the fact they’re impossible to plan for […]
Photo Planning 101: Let’s Talk about the Weather
You don’t have to be a meteorologist to understand how to find the perfect weather conditions to take great photographs. Planning for the weather is one of the key factors that distinguishes a successful photo from a snapshot. And this kind of planning is about so much more than just planning to go out at […]
10 ways to take better images of flowers
Plants expend a lot of energy to make flowers beautiful. They do it because there’s a major payoff at the end. Pollinators like bees and hummingbirds will spend extra time around the most interesting and attractive flowers. And this means the plant is more likely to reproduce. And of course, the most beautiful flowers are […]
Photography Planning 101: How to Find the Perfect Location
Great photographs don’t happen without planning. This is a lesson that I repeat to my students all the time. You can’t just point a camera outside of a car window and expect that image to land in a gallery. And no professional photographer books a ticket to another part of the world without having planned […]
Contrast Part 2: Composing it right in camera
Contrast is everything in photography composition. Right now we’re going through a moment in history that is defined by playing with light. The memorable images are the ones that use contrasting elements to draw the user in, and keep them there. Because photography has become so accessible through applications like Instagram and Google Images, there […]
Tips for reducing noise without ruining your photos
Reducing noise without degrading image quality can be tough. But over the years, I’ve learned a number of techniques for reducing noise without paying for expensive Photoshop plugins. There have been many times where I was traveling without a tripod to save some weight and ended up needing to boost my ISO. The best photo […]
FIREBASE – A checklist that’ll save your photos
I’m a landscape photographer. I’ve taken tens of thousands of landscape photographs, and I’ve screwed up so many of them that I made myself an acronym checklist so that I will remember exactly what my camera’s settings should be. Technology in every other aspect of our lives has become so automatic that users don’t even […]
Lightroom Classic: The unabridged, beginner’s guide
Adobe Lightroom is one of the most powerful tools out there for photographers. It’s the photographer’s equivalent to Microsoft’s Excel, which nerds and bean counters have loved for generations because of its flexibility to do literally anything you throw at it. Lightroom is almost that powerful. It’s almost a one-stop-shop for a photographer’s entire editing […]
Contrast Part 1: Edit Photos to Stand Out
One question I get asked all the time by new photographers, is why aren’t my pictures turning out? What problems are causing these images to look flat, or uninspiring? And the truth is, it can be hard to know what makes a really good photograph. In the beginning of my photography days, I would take […]
The secret behind stunning fireworks photography
New Years’ Eve is coming up, and that can only mean one thing for landscape photographers — it’s fireworks season. I’m going to show you in this video how you can take stunning photos of fireworks. So, number one, here’s the quick equipment list. You’re going to need a tripod in order to keep that […]
