If you’ve ever struggled to position a light correctly, or found your shots ruined by glaring reflections, you need to get to grip with angles – especially if you want to specialize in portrait or product photography.
How can you tell if your pictures are any good? The difficulty in finding the answer to this is that you’re often reliant on other people’s feedback, so I found the best way is to work it out for yourself using three very specific criteria and benchmark comparisons.
Want to shoot bottles like a pro?
Whether you’re a keen enthusiast or aspiring pro, you’ve probably shot a few landscape images in your time. Chances are you’ve also made one or two simple mistakes that you’ve regretted later. These 8 tips will help you avoid these common difficulties and improve your landscape photography.
From cars to motorcycles, lighting considerations, angles, polarisation, space requirements, assistants and more, I’m going to share my top 10 tips for automotive photography to help you get the best results.
As it’s becoming easier and easier to be a ‘photographer’, it’s getting harder and harder to make your work stand out. To help you overcome this challenge, I’ve answered some of the most common questions relating to photography portfolios and shared some useful tips to help you decide what to include and what not to include so that you can create an online portfolio that you can be proud of.
When it comes to using studio flash, one of the things that often causes confusion is flash duration. Flash duration refers to the length of time of the burst of light that comes out of a studio flash. Quite simply, it is the duration for which a studio flash or speedlite emits light for a single burst. This can vary across brands and also types of studio lights, but is always shown as one of two measurements: t0.5 or t0.1.
If you’re looking to create eye-catching images of mascara or elegant photos of perfumes, keep reading for my top tips for photographing cosmetics and makeup product photography.
Photoshop recently added their Super Resolution feature to Adobe Camera Raw, which allows you to enlarge images by a factor of four. Having tried to enlarge images myself previously, I decided to test this new feature to see the results first-hand.
Setting up your own photography studio is an exciting step, but there’s often a lot of questions and considerations. How big does the space have to be? What colours should the walls be? What equipment do you need and where do you keep said equipment? You’ll find the answers to all of the most common questions here, along with some of the best advice and tips from our members to help you successfully set up your first home studio.
If you’re interested in becoming an architectural or interiors photographer, or you want to take your architectural photography business to the next level, read on.
I photographed these vivid paint splash images for the launch campaign of the Hasselblad H6D, using bright orange paint to match the distinctive orange shutter button on the camera. People always want to know how I did it.
They’re not perfect, but speedlights (AKA off-camera flash units) can be extremely useful when you’re shooting products.
Let’s take a closer look at boudoir photography – exactly what it is (and is not), and how to get it right.
I’ve taken plenty of photos in my time, but very few have inspired as much excitement and curiosity as this one. So how did I do it?
Here they are: the best of the best, the cream of the crop – our most popular photography classes. Have you watched them all yet?
Juxtaposition. It sounds clever – and complicated. But what is it? And how can you use juxtaposition to make memorable photographs?
If you have an understanding of photographic fundamentals such as shutter speed, aperture and how to expose an image, you’ve already got most of what you need to start shooting long exposures. This technique can also be used for much more than just landscape or night photography though, so if you’d like to learn how to master long exposure and take more creative images, keep reading.
If you’re looking to practice your product photography, bottles are something you can easily get your hands on if you want to try something new or refine your skills. These reflective subjects can be a challenge to photograph, with their glass surface and reflections, but there are a few key do’s and don’ts that will help you understand how to get professional results
Capturing movement photography can be a time consuming and frustrating process, and freezing that perfect moment often requires split second timing. So how do we capture those decisive moments accurately and precisely? I’m going to share my top tips for photographing motion and explore what wireless flash triggers we can use to get the perfect timing for our shots.
You’ve probably heard about the rule of thirds or golden spiral, but they aren’t necessarily the most effective photography composition rules. I’m going to talk about what I consider to be the MOST important compositional rule in photography and share my top compositional tips.
If you’re looking to improve your food photography, you’ve probably seen the same old advice repeated in every article out there. So rather than re-explaining what you should be doing, I’m going to explain what not to do if you want to get more professional results. To help you take better food photographs, I’ve summarised the key points to keep in mind when photographing food so that you can avoid these common problems.
It can be easy, when creating an image, to think “I’ll just fix it in Photoshop afterwards”, but that type of mindset may actually be having a negative impact on your photography. I’m not saying I don’t use or don’t approve of Photoshop. I simply prefer to solve problems throughout the shoot, and there are multiple advantages to this approach.
Black backgrounds can look very effective in photography, and they’re a popular choice for everything from portrait photography to products. Although a plain black background may look easy to achieve, there are actually quite a few things to consider if you want to get the best results, so I’ve put together a guide to help you, including tips for what background to use, what lighting is best, and where to position your subject.
I’ve been doing professional product photography for around 20 years now, and as an educator I’m familiar with many of the most common mistakes photographers make when photographing products. I’m going to share my top product photography tips to help you avoid these common mistakes and achieve high-end professional results.
Bonfire night, the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve — there’s always a few nights a year when we have a chance to photograph these impressive pyrotechnic displays. But photographing fireworks can be somewhat tricky. What shutter speed do you use? Where, and how, do you focus in the dark? And what equipment do you need? I answer all of this below, as well as share my top tips to help you learn how to photograph fireworks like a pro.
Metering refers to the process where the camera evaluates the amount of reflected light in a scene and calculates what it thinks to be the correct exposure. Different camera makes and models have different metering modes, so I’ve explained the most common ones, how they work and when to use them.
Product photography is one of the most lucrative genres of photography, but it often requires a good selection of equipment and a thorough understanding of light. By the end of this article you’ll know exactly what you need to get started as a successful product photographer, what equipment you’ll need, what critical skills will come in handy, and much more.
When it comes to image quality, there is a big misconception that if you want better quality, you need more megapixels. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) it isn’t that straightforward. To better understand image quality, considering the number of megapixels alone isn’t enough. You also need to look at the size and type of sensor, understand how images are formed, how light is focused onto the sensor, the impact of lens choice and quality, and consider the pixel size to get the full picture.
Car photography is notoriously difficult and often requires some high-level professional equipment. I’ve photographed plenty of motorbikes before, but car photos require much more space and specialist equipment. Because space isn’t an issue in my studio, I’ve been wanting to fit a proper floating panel for car photography for a couple of years now…
When it comes to photography, knowing what you should be doing is great, but knowing what to avoid can be incredibly useful too. To help you quickly improve your photography, I’ve summarised the key points to keep in mind when shooting portraits and explained how to avoid the most common problems.
Abstract images of fruit; colourful collections of books; styled sets of stationery… If you’re looking to get creative with your photography and make the ordinary seem extraordinary, then still life photography is probably for you. One of the best things about still life photography is that you can get creative and test your photography skills using almost anything you have laying around the studio or your house. You also don’t need very much equipment. And if that’s not enough to persuade you, still life images can also be a great way to make money.
E-commerce is a booming industry, and with it, e-commerce photography. Done correctly, e-commerce photography can be a quick and easy way to make money, but there’s a few tricks to getting it right. Whether you’re shooting fashion or products, I’ve outlined a few important guidelines that will help you produce the best possible results simply and easily.
Levitating burgers, suspended salads and exploding tea — the craze of flying food images is taking over the food photography market. But how are these exciting images created? As with most studio shoots, these images can be divided into four distinct stages: pre-visualisation, preparation, lighting and shooting. Each of these stages is crucial if you’re to get the best result possible.
LIVE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Motorbike Photo Shoot
Recorded live on 19th December 2019
Now available on replay
In this live show Karl will undertake the exciting task of photographing a motorbike live in the studio.
If you’ve ever tried to convert an image to black and white, chances are you’ve ended up with a flat, dull photo with none of the original contrast. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially for photographers who are new to Photoshop. To help you create stunning black and white images, I explain the key things to understand when shooting for black and white and also share my preferred method of converting images to black and white
Food photography can be challenging, but in its simplest form it couldn’t be easier — you don’t need extraordinary culinary skills, fancy lighting equipment or masses of props. You can get some great results photographing in your own kitchen using store bought products and only natural light.
Learn how to identify and overcome common challenges associated with product photography as I discuss how to plan commercial product shoots, execute photography briefs, and what to charge for commercial photography shoots.
Splash photography is exciting, fast-paced, messy and creative — what’s not to love? If you’ve never tried splash photography before or if you’re looking for a few useful tips or new ideas, then this is the place to be. I explain the equipment, lighting, important photographic concepts and also share a few creative ideas for you to try.
The moon is a beautiful and fascinating subject to photograph, but determining the right exposure and the best composition can be a challenge. To help you get even better photos, I’ve outlined four simple tips in this blog post. I explain what to consider when it comes to when and where to photograph the moon, what equipment you’ll need, how to compose your shots and share some go-to settings to help get your started.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings, we take a closer look at the science and challenges of moon photography ahead of our exclusive live talk show with a Hasselblad technical expert.
When people ask me about product photography, the most common questions I get asked are things like “What is the best camera for product photography?” Or “Which is the best lens for product photography?”. The reality is that the most important thing you can have isn’t the top camera or most expensive lens — it’s a good understanding of light.
Whether it’s diamond rings or gemstone necklaces, jewellery photography is notoriously difficult, but there are a few useful techniques you can try that will make the process so much easier.
As a commercial photographer business portraits are still a regular feature in my calendar. Here I’ve outlined the key elements to ensure you’re able to successfully tackle a business shoot, including lighting setups, posing your subject and recommended camera settings and lenses.
Macro photography is a popular genre of photography that can yield some fascinating results. I’ve put together a complete guide to help you get started and quickly improve your macro photography.
Over the years I’ve built up quite a collection of photography books and as many of you have asked what my favorites are, I thought I’d put together a list of my favorite inspirational and educational photography books.
From iPhones to kettles, self-illuminating dials, LCD screens or LED lights are key components of many products nowadays and while many photographers find it difficult, it’s actually quite simple. For our next live show I’ll be showing you how to photograph a voice recorder that has both self-illuminating illuminating buttons and a LCD screen.
As a professional photographer and educator people often ask me how they can improve their photographs so I’ve put together some simple photography tips you can use to improve your photos.
Starting out in photography can seem daunting but this quick start guide contains all you need to know to get the ball rolling. Having this knowledge will ensure that you not only master the basics but have the skills to progress and confidently take creative control of your photography.
Get more from your standard 50mm lens! Using this lens can often reveal new compositions and force you to think more about your images and composition! If we really strip it down landscape photography can be summarised into just three simple steps.
If learning food photography has been on your list then you don’t want to miss our NEW food photography online course.
In this short professional photography video tutorial, I show you how to capture this lovely bottle of red wine. I show you exactly how I set-up this shot, step by step, and explain all the necessary components in the lighting details.
