Pro Techniques

Chris Vincent knows how to make a splashy shot for his clients. When it comes to liquids—pours, spills, splashes, and explosions—Chris Vincent (www.cvincent.com) has done it. That and the more sedate still life studies where all is quiet and calm.

I met Vincent years back when he was...

“Most of the photo equipment that I use is rented,” says Atlanta, Georgia-based pro photographer David Stuart (www.davidstuart.net). “I don’t even own that much gear to begin with.”

For most of his assignments, Stuart prefers a Hasselblad H2 with a Phase One P 45+ back...

Automotive photography involves more than cars, although these vehicles make up the bulk of this genre. Automotive can also mean motorcycles and practically any motorized conveyance that hits the road. Tackling these vehicles may appear overwhelming at first, but not to veteran automotive photographer Richard Izui.

Shooting professionally since the 1970s, San Diego-based Marshall Harrington (www.marshallharrington.com) has employed various processes and techniques, film and digital, that give him a competitive edge. In my book, Location Lighting Solutions (Amphoto), Harrington described his work as “visual semiotics,” explaining...

It comes as no surprise that many professional and some high-output amateur photographers use AI-assisted editing apps and/or plug-ins to perform standard image editing operations in bulk. Pros have outsourced common, repetitive editing tasks (like knocking out backgrounds) for years. In fact, beginning back in the good ol' days of analog photography, studios routinely outsource retouching and — of course — film processing and printing.

Chase Jarvis is one of a new breed of successful young photographers who’s at the top of his game. His use of social networking has brought him an enormous following while his exploration of radical business models is opening new markets. Best known for his lifestyle and sports images, the creative and financial success of his personal projects has earned him top corporate clients like Nikon, Reebok, and Microsoft.

Shutterbug: You have no formal training as a photographer, yet arguably you’re one of the top photographers working today. How’d you get there?

Chase Jarvis: I wish I could answer that in a sentence. I think maybe the shortest description is by being incredibly curious and very hardworking. And throw a whole bunch of luck in there, too. There’s a lot of timing and luck involved in anything I do.

Last year I wrote about the need for every photographer, regardless of their ability, to have a current portfolio. In my business as a commercial photographer, a killer portfolio is a necessity. I received a few e-mails inquiring about the...