Lighting How To

If you’ve ever shot portraits in front of a seamless white background or a cyclorama, you’ve probably had to deal with pesky background shadows. They’re fine if you’re going for a dramatic look in your portraits, but what if you wanted something cleaner as your background to draw attention to your subject?

Beginner portrait photographers should check out the below tutorial from Bach Photography.  Titled "How to Instantly Improve Your Natural Light Portrait Photography," it's a great starting point for anyone wanting to shoot beautiful portraits using only natural light.

The fun video below from The Slanted Lens -- with support from Tamron, Dynalite, and Roscoe—features host Jay P. Morgan and actress Jodie Sweetin of Full House fame, as they set up for a crazy photo shoot.

Photography gear is great, but photography gear can be expensive and it’s always so much more fun and cheap when you can make it yourself. In the below video from COOPH, they teach you how to do just that.

Whether you’re photographing birds in the backyard, planning an outing to a local zoo, or shooting big cats on safari, achieving correct exposures is absolutely essential. This task is often challenging, as subjects move in and out of ever-changing light.

Here are 10 tips to follow before you dial up ebay. And BTW — most of these apply to food photography, too, if you Instagram your meals. This story is smartphone compatible.

We all try to shoot outdoor photos in the morning or late afternoon whenever possible to take advantage of the "best light." But that doesn't mean it's impossible to capture stunning images under harsh midday sun—especially if you understand the pitfalls and compensate accordingly.