I originally heard about the Helios 44-2 lens when my editor said it might be great for the skin. It took four weeks for the arrival and about 12 months before I had the free time to use it for a full day.
If you want a warm film look for your photographs or videos, you might want to consider one of the easiest ways to come closer to a film look. That is halation, or a light bloom, and I'm going to show you how it's done through a diffusion filter.
Starting a photography studio can be an exciting and fulfilling endeavor, but it can also be challenging to make it profitable. Here are a few tips to help you create a successful and profitable photography studio.
Have you ever looked at a scene and thought it was just a bit too sharp, almost harsh? It can be overwhelming, right? But, at the same time, you don't want to make your shots blurry in an attempt to soften things up. Well, that's where diffusion filters come in.
Photographing female models can be an exciting and creative process, but it's essential to approach it with professionalism and sensitivity. Here are some tips based on my own experience to help you get the best results during a photo shoot with a new model.
Photographing male models can be a challenging but rewarding experience for a photographer. In order to create stunning and memorable images, it's essential to direct the model and guide them into confident poses that showcase their best features.
TikTok studio rentals are going to be a huge trend in the future for photo studios looking to increase their profitability. With such a competitive market, it can be difficult for photo studios to succeed.
You're going to book more photography clients in 2023 because we're going to uncomplicate things. People are people, and photo clients are the same, whether it's an ad agency, a new mom, a bride-to-be, or the CEO of a startup.
You can make a lot of extra revenue from photography if you think outside of the traditional box.
You can watch endless videos about lens reviews and Instagram for photographers on YouTube. Very few channels offer business advice that moves the needle for photographers.
I'm not a fan of Canon's recent decision to ban some third-party manufacturers from selling RF mount lenses. It's a smart short-term financial decision, but the long run is a different story.
You’ll get many opportunities to photograph someone for free or to offer you work for less. You don’t have to take all of them or even any of them. As a successful photographer, you’ll need to learn to say "no" more often than "yes" and how your career development depends on saying "no" to the wrong people. This blog post will guide you through the different scenarios and how to protect yourself.
Yes, the video says it's for posing women, but it works for everyone. It's for posing, it's for comfort levels, and it will help you run a more successful set. Here are three of my tips for helping models have a more successful photoshoot.
Here are four great tips to give you an advantage with your shoots, whether for a job or as a hobby.
Photographers opt for the simple hourly wage, and while it's better than working for free, I still think it's bad for the long-run. I can only imagine the comment section from hourly photographers at the bottom of this blog post!
You've heard your industry colleagues say it. You've read the news articles and listened to the business pundits. The economy is in a recession, and your photography business is suffering.
Here are five tips that save you money and get you high-quality backdrops. This is important because you must stand out as a successful photographer, and we all know that blending into the crowd isn't exactly the best way to book clients.
Running a photography business is challenging and earning your first client can be tough. In this article, I will show you how to charge for photography in the three stages of a beginner photographer's career.
Millions of photos are uploaded each day, but we don't know who took them, unless they are properly credited. With proper credit, you can actually book more jobs, and it's a remarkable way of expanding your network.
The title said photographers who charge by the hour are like vending machines of the photography world. There is everything wrong with that, and my quest is to help you earn more money.
Let's go on a location scout for my music video. The needs for photographers and directors can be similar, and how you approach the location scouting can really help you have a smooth production.
Photography studios can be very profitable if you create them the right way. Photography studios can earn you $100K in medium markets and up to $200K+ in some of the larger markets. In addition to photographers renting the studio, there are other alternative methods to booking your studio day and night. There are workshops, yoga classes, private dinners, and even YouTubers needing a space regularly.
There are a lot of photography myths regarding pricing and money. In this, I will cover big myths and expand on them in the video.
You are going to learn how to book more photo clients now! It’s easier when you ask the right questions. This blog will guide you through the first client meeting. It's the most important meeting where they decide who to hire and for what budget.
A photography studio can be exciting and profitable. It can also have major pitfalls that you should be aware of.
Photographers who want to dabble with video and have some apprehension will learn from this post. While video and photography are not identical, they have great overlap in concepts and it's likely that you know more than you think.
Inflation is slowly killing your business, and many photographers haven't seen the big picture yet. Inflation is an on-going process but the past couple of years have really taken a bite out of the small business success story.
Photographers are making some terrible mistakes with their TikTok and Instagram Reels content.
If you want a successful career as a photographer, you have to dismiss one toxic term that damaged our industry: "starving artist." It has caused more damage and more self-doubt to artists across the globe than probably anything else.
I operate a channel that helps photographers on YouTube and Instagram, and both audiences are predominantly male. I've worked on sets for over a dozen years, where there is the expectation that men are the directors or photographers and women handle the glam. Is that a problem? Yes, it's a big problem, and here's why.
It's not easy and if it were, everyone would be doing it. You have to keep repeating that to yourself because it's true and you are entitled to some grace, as you grow. These 3 tips help me continue and I'm sharing them with you!
You don't need many photography lights or a big crew to accomplish a professional campaign, but it helps. The big crew and system is a major asset, especially if you have the assistance of lights to help you shape an image.
Having a successful business means you are often changing, learning, and creating a better path to success. In this video, I'm discussing four habits that I have seen with many photographers actively participating in.
One could easily say that nothing is what it seems because our minds create a subjective representation of the world around us. With memories, this representation may be even more complex. As scientists explain, encoding a memory in the brain is a biological event that begins with a sensory experience. Every memory we have captures emotions, and colors are one of those aspects that evoke and illustrate what we feel.
One of the first things you learn when using strobes is the advantages they have over constant lights. Here are the reasons why using constant lights can be better in studio than strobes.
Last week I wrote about the importance of the test shoot for the budding photographer, and even the established photographer. It's a way of proving your talents and style, something new clients are always looking for.
Today, Fstoppers has teamed up with NiSi filters to launch a brand new, free tutorial series with landscape photographer Elia Locardi. Not only are we releasing new video lessons every week, but we are also giving away over $600 worth of free gear with every video. Welcome to our long exposure adventure in Puerto Rico!
Creative entrepreneurs have a different hill to climb compared to other professions. Other professions have a set path to follow. Sign up for the right classes, then pass the predetermined tests, and qualify for a piece of paper that tells the market you are good enough.
The landscape of all businesses looks different, and store after store keeps closing because of online businesses. The type of business we see consistently is the dining establishment, and their need for content is immense.
I am a photographer but I often forget to shoot. Isn't that a ridiculous thing to say? I must admit, it's my reality more often than I'd like to admit.
You'll make countless mistakes as a professional photographer. This is how we grow as artists and entrepreneurs, and I encourage experimenting with your marketing and photography. I'm certain someone will object, but show the person without mistakes, and I'll show you a person who has accomplished very little.
I have noticed a huge trend of photographers calling themselves creative directors. On the social media app Clubhouse, there was a wave of creative directors. I hosted rooms to educate the photography community on what a creative director does and why calling yourself a creative director prematurely might hurt your growth.
Do you charge for your photography? For the photographers who want to use their passion as a revenue opportunity, you will have to figure out what works best for you.
For years, we've heard clients ask photographers for a few images. The client would pay for all types of usage rights and then they'd ask for a few images as freebies, for social media. And that trend continued for several years. We'd throw in a few for social media and make the client happy. As social media grew, the budgets stayed small.
For the bulk of my career, I’ve operated on single-light photography for my projects while many others relied on multiple heads. This video is for the photographer eager to start and they think it requires a stockpile of gear. It’s to remind them they can operate on a lot less and start sooner if you have a clear direction with your concept.
In my 10th-grade drama class, my teacher would usually hand me a detention slip for "toilet humor" for breaking her rules with my drama productions. I was immature and found humor in pushing her buttons.
Recessions are rough on nearly everyone, especially the businesses without a store front because we miss out on the community drives to save a business from going under. That's OK, we'll survive and here are 6 of my favorite tips to help you have a bigger punch during the pandemic.
I'm fairly certain this one might light up the comments: If you don't act on your photography business goals, you're selfish.
Location scouting is a job you do, whether you know it or not. In this video, I discuss the four methods that I often use for finding the perfect photoshoot location.
You'll often hear people talking about your photography style, but what does that mean? Does it matter in how you book jobs or how much you can charge? How does one even find their photography style, and why is it important?
