Making photographs for a model's portfolio involves much more than just using the proper posing and lighting techniques and includes all of the less glamorous and business-oriented aspects of creating these kinds of images. The...
Putting two or more captures on top of each other in a single image multiplies the potential for impact and opens up new avenues to creative expression. Whether you want to inject motion into a static shot, add moody atmosphere or dreamy nostalgia, or enhance one subject with the texture of another, multiple exposure offers a myriad of possibilities. The techniques complement...
A large percentage of the population has always had a love affair with the automobile. We own more cars per capita than any other culture and we have a genuine fascination with older models. When "classic" vehicles reach a certain age, some will spend small...
In June 2009, Sigma Pro director Dave Metz contacted me, requesting some wildlife images for full-page Sigma advertisements. He knew that I had been working on my first book, Animals of Ohio’s Ponds and Vernal Pools (Kent State University Press, July 2011), so he figured I could send him images fairly easily. He then made an interesting—and at the time slightly disconcerting—request: would I please photograph the animals not within their natural settings but against white backgrounds?
One of the challenges to home or professional photographersthese days is trying to keep every portrait set from looking the same. In a world where “freshness” counts a lot, being able to mix things up from one session to another, from season to season, all without jumping through too many hoops to change the set, is an advantage for many. A current trend is the ability to not only change backdrops but flooring as well, and with that in mind we recently had the opportunity to work with products from a division of the pro lab White House Custom Colour called “Backdrops by WHCC.” They have a wide range of interesting offerings in both fabric backdrops and rugged “rubberized” studio flooring.
When our resident digital guru's Digital Darkroom Resource CD appeared in 2003 it debuted to much fanfare. The first volume included 11 chapters; shortly thereafter, Brooks released a second volume containing 16 chapters. He's now outdone himself with a new, third volume that contains 26 chapters, totaling 318 pages in PDF format plus a folder of images for print test...
"Photographers may believe in certain pictures, but they have to have the educated eye of the picture editor."
"We're actually looking at film," David Doubilet says. He's at the offices of National Geographic magazine, going over the take from a recent two-month assignment in the South Pacific. The job was shot with both film and...
One of the primary differences between a photograph and the real world is that reality has three dimensions: height, width, and depth. Your photos, of course, only have two—height and width. Any depth that exists in a photograph is purely an optical illusion. Even if you were able to create a print that was the exact same size as the scene (and wouldn’t that be fun) it would still pale beside the real thing because of the lack of that third dimension.
Photography has taught me to be aware of color, design and patterns, and I am always looking for something interesting to photograph. A few years ago when my wife was making a marble cake, I was drawn to the design in the swirling chocolate and thought it would make a successful abstract shot. I liked the images I took, but I felt more color would make the pictures a lot more interesting.
I have to admit something to you. About five years ago, when it was becoming very evident that digital technology would become increasingly important for the imaging professional, I tried to look the other way. I figured it would be a niche market. If they...
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from “Digital Photographer’s New Guide to Photoshop Plug-Ins,” a new book by Jim Zuckerman and Scott Stulberg. Zuckerman and Stulberg have created a comprehensive look, along with easy to follow step-by-step instructions, that illustrates the power of modern plug-ins for your work. In this excerpt they share the fun of working with Flaming...
Having worked with Steve in the past, and knowing him for many years, we are always pleased to feature his photography and writing. Recently a new book of his came across our desk (ISBN: 978-1-4547-0327-3, published by Pixiq, www.pixiq.com, 272 pages, $29.95) and we are happy to offer an excerpt of just a few pages of the tip and technique filled volume here. This is one book where Steve’s personality, experience, and expertise certainly comes through in each and every well-illustrated page.—Editor
As primarily a landscape photographer Iam often in a situation where I am struggling to give a feeling of scale to big dramatic views. I will look for something to place close to the camera, such as a dramatic flower or rock, to capture the viewer’s attention and draw them deeper into the photo. In some cases, though, I find including a person rather than a natural element within the scene does a better job of it. Not only does the figure add scale, but it also makes viewers feel like they are standing within the scene rather than looking at a print on the wall, a kind of visual empathy.