Advanced Photography Techniques

January 3, 2013

iPhone Photojournalism

Michael Christopher Brown uses an unlikely device to create iconic news photos that wouldn’t be possible with a DSLR

By William Sawalich, Photography By Michael Christopher Brown
When journalists use mobile phone cameras, it’s usually for one of two reasons: They’re either writers with no other options or photographers exploring a gimmick. That’s what makes Michael Christopher Brown’s use of iPhones for serious photojournalism so interesting. He’s a classically trained photographer with plenty of... Read more
January 2, 2013

Highlights And Shadows in Your Photography: Take More Control

Use new controls in Lightroom 4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7 to fine-tune the yin and yang of highlights and shadows

By George Jardine
Just when you’re becoming comfortable with image controls in your editor of choice, an update comes along and changes everything, so I sympathize that it sometimes feels like you’re aiming at a moving target. But no matter what image processor you’re using, I always try to urge photographers to think of “image correction”... Read more
December 1, 2012

Manage The Blur

How to use shutter angles for creative control in your motion-capture work

By Sean McHugh
The advent of digital cinematography has opened up new creative possibilities for how motion is captured. This article explores the influence of shutter angle, along with how it can be used as a creative tool for accomplishing one’s artistic goals. What Is Shutter Angle? The "shutter angle" is a useful way of describing the shutter... Read more
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November 1, 2012

Small Lights Big Effects

Get the most out of small strobes for big lighting effects when you need to work fast on location and don’t want to sacrifice an ounce of lighting control and quality

By William Sawalich, Photography By Corey Woodruff
I’ve had my share of 90-second portrait sessions with important people who are short on time, and the ability to set up refined three-point lighting in no time flat can be the difference between getting the shot and going home with nothing. Photographer Corey Woodruff, a small-strobe specialist, once drove seven hours round-trip to shoot for three... Read more
September 1, 2012

Proper Exposure Matters!

Translating the film-based Zone System to a digital way of shooting and seeing

Text And Photography By George Jardine
Back in the fall of 1972, my very first photo school assignment for Commercial Photography 101 was entitled "An Industrial Interior." I had read Ansel Adams’ Basic Photo series the year before, and I was enthralled with his Zone System for exposure and development. So by the time I got to school, I had enough of the basics to know how... Read more
September 1, 2012

Viva Lucha Libre!

How Douglas Sonders used an iPad to build trust and photograph the colorful cast of characters of the Mexican wrestling community

By Amanda Quintenz-Fiedler, Photography By Douglas Sonders
As more and more images proliferate our culture, so do more and more image-making devices. Where photography has long been hailed as the everyman art form, the sheer multitude of cameras present in an area at any given moment is unprecedented. With the advent of cameras integrated into mobile devices, suddenly we’ve reached an era of relentless... Read more
July 1, 2012

Simplify Your Lighting

Less is often more when it comes to crafting beautiful illumination

By William A. Sawalich, Photography By Martin Wonnacott And Scott Markewitz
I recently received a call from a commercial photographer who was to visit my city on assignment. Along with recommendations for assistants, digital techs and hairstylists, he also inquired about renting a basic lighting setup. "Only four or five packs," he said, "and maybe just eight or 10 heads." He would be bringing some more... Read more
April 10, 2012

Lighting For B&W

High-key black-and-white portraiture has been popular since Hollywood’s golden era

Text And Photography By William Sawalich
High-key black-and-white portraiture has been popular since Hollywood’s golden era. While those early greats created high-key glamour with hot lights and film, we can achieve the same effect today with almost any lighting approach—from daylight to strobe light, outdoors and in. A high-key image contains tones that are primarily light gray... Read more
March 1, 2012

Going Viral

August Bradley’s personal project “99 Faces of Occupy Wall St.” was simple to execute and brought immediate media attention as it caught fire online

By David Willis, Photography By August Bradley
This Article Features Photo Zoom August Bradley is known for photography that’s incredibly detailed and highly stylized, with deep literary references and complex, psychological motifs. He refers to his intensely cerebral approach to portrait and commercial photography as "conceptual," but for a more recent project, Bradley... Read more
March 1, 2012

Car Shots

How to take pro-level automobile pictures

ext And Photography By Randy Wells
1962 Cadillac Interior, Costa Mesa, CA Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 17-35mm lens at 17mm, 1⁄15 sec., ƒ/16. There’s nothing like the interior of an early ’60s Cadillac. This image was part of a job for a car collector in California. To accentuate the deco design and colors of the Caddy, I parked the car in front of an appropriately painted... Read more