Advanced Camera Techniques & Tips

November 28, 2018

Add Motion To Strobe-Lit Portraits By Dragging The Shutter

This slow-shutter-speed-with-flash technique adds a hint of motion and a lot of interest to portraits and fashion photographs

William Sawalich

Dragging the shutter works particularly well in settings with a bright background. In this case, the window light creates a silhouetted subject ready to be illuminated by a strobe—here softened by a large silk diffusion panel. That soft key light can sometimes look flat and plain, but the blur from dragging the shutter while handholding (visible particularly... Read more

August 27, 2018

As Numerous As The Stars

Take your astrophotography to the next level with these techniques

Text & Photography By Adam Woodworth

With today’s cameras and lenses, it has never been easier to capture the stars and the Milky Way and get sharp, clean results. All it takes is some technical knowledge, patience and a good amount of practice. Before we start, I think it’s important to note that most of these images are the result of blending multiple exposures together in... Read more

August 7, 2018

Mission: Monochrome

Think and shoot in black-and-white to add depth and beauty to your black-and-white photography

Text & Photography By Anthony Thurston

Using natural sunlight coming in through a window, and the texture of the wall behind the subject, it’s possible to create a range of tonality and shape, perfect for monochrome photography. In the bright and vibrant digital world, we all find ourselves in today, it can sometimes be an exciting change of pace to choose to explore the world of black-and-white... Read more

July 2, 2018

The Natural Beauty Of Open Shade

Understanding how to use the natural beauty of open shade will expand your creative options

Text & Photography By Mark Edward Harris

I did environmental portraits and reportage shots using open shade for part of my photo essay on the tequila-making process at the Hacienda del Patrón in the Jalisco highlands of Mexico. Noël Coward’s lyrics, only “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun,” can be expanded to include photographers on location who want to increase... Read more

June 25, 2018

Intent To Shoot

How approaching street photography with a clear goal results in better images

Text & Photography By Brian Matiash

Of all the neighborhoods in New York City, Chinatown is one of my favorites. It’s so rich in culture while also offering a lot of visual diversity for photographers. This is doubly true once the sun goes down and the lights flicker on. I’ve long held the idea that one of the most important skills a photographer can gain is learning how to approach... Read more

April 23, 2018

Stacking The Deck

Quickly improve your landscapes with focus-stacking—a simple, but rarely used technique to increase depth of field and fix common imaging problems

Text & Photography By Adam Woodworth

A focus stack of two exposures. The foreground leaves and fence at ƒ/8 for 1/3 sec., the background at ƒ/11 for 0.6 sec., and blended manually in Photoshop. Nikon D810, NIKKOR 24-70mm ƒ/2.8, all shots at 36mm and ISO 80 Are you a landscape photographer suffering from out-of-focus foregrounds or backgrounds even when you shoot at ƒ/11? Or are you... Read more

March 28, 2018

Drones: Eye In The Sky

As tomorrow’s technology matures into today’s staple tool, we look at the latest models for the photographer and videographer

Brian Matiash

In 2016, it was reported that over 2.5 million drones were sold in the United States alone, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is projecting that figure to exceed 7 million units in 2020. If you’ve ever flown a drone before, you can appreciate the thrill of instantly getting a bird’s-eye view of where you’re standing. Advancements in... Read more

December 11, 2017

7 Guides To Black & White Photography

From interviews with pros who share their techniques to software solutions to printing, these guides explore a variety of ways to work with monochrome photography

By The Editors Of Digital Photo Pro Magazine

From interviews with pros who share their techniques to software and lighting solutions to printers, these guides explore a variety of ways to work with monochrome photography. 1. Julia Dean: Finding The Lost Angels The photography legend turns her eyes on Los Angeles, a city—and people—in transition, revealing a vibrant street life in black-and-white.... Read more

November 29, 2017

Crafting High-Energy Portraits

Athletes don’t always have to be photographed outside. Bring the action in the studio for an energetic portrait session.

Text & Photography By William Sawalich

When assigned to capture a portrait of an athlete, the most obvious photographic solution is to photograph them on the field (court, track, etc.), but various restrictions and challenges might not make that practical, and often these environmental portraits aren’t what the client is looking for. A “traditional” portrait session is naturally a... Read more

September 25, 2017

The Perfect Debut

All you have to do to make movies is push a different button. How hard can it be?

Chris X Carroll

Photo by Chris X Carroll It was the perfect opportunity—shooting a cover and an ad campaign for a novel, where the client asked if we could “shoot a little video” to make a trailer. I had a brand-spanking-new Canon EOS 5D Mark II, but had yet to press the Big Button that activated the video function. I had been shooting digital stills for some... Read more

September 22, 2017

Mastering Midday Light

Turn the worst light into the best shoot with these simple techniques

Text & Photography By Tom Bol

To create this portrait in Cuba, the subject was placed in covered shade and photographed using one SB-5000 shot through a small softbox. Nikon D810, AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.8G, 1/800 sec., ƒ/1.8, ISO 32. Photo by Tom Bol Photographers have one thing in common. We’ve all gotten up early, really early, to photograph the sweet rays of warm sunshine at... Read more

August 21, 2017

Great American Eclipse 2017 Photo

One of our contributors is based in the Midwest, where he witnessed 100% totality. Here’s how he captured this image of the eclipse.

DPP / Photo By William Sawalich

Whether you were able to photograph it, watch a live stream of it or catch it in person, the Great American Eclipse was a breathtaking event. The coast-to-coast total solar eclipse began in Oregon at 10:15 a.m. PST, traveling across the country to coastal Charleston, S.C. at 2:49 EST. Contributor Editor William Sawalich, who’s based in St. Louis,... Read more

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