A powerful portfolio involves so much more than just a strong grasp of the technical aspects of photography—it’s a complex mix of style, techniques, and intriguing ideas. Many photographers struggle to achieve a high-impact portfolio, feeling that they lack the creative spark to invigorate them and move their work forward.
Bruce Myren, photographer, digital guru, and dedicated artist, is often cast in the role of the assistant who doesn't carry lights or equipment. He quietly trails into a shoot behind some of the area's top pros who don't happen to shoot...
The word "portrait" has had a fairly strict definition for ages. From the days of Rembrandt and Carravagio through modern photographic masters like Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, the portrait has remained a constant. While techniques...
If you still think of portraits in terms of main light, fill light, and key light, I think you're missing out on some fresh and exciting techniques. While the classic studio portrait is still practiced by lots of amateurs and practically every...
Previously I discussed photographing bubble solution stretched across a frame. You can get the same swirling pearlescent colors in the spherical surface of a bubble as it’s sitting on glass. When I was experimenting with this a few years ago, I discovered that you could even blow a bubble inside a bubble and then another one inside of that. Image (#1) is a picture of a bubble in a bubble in a bubble in a bubble.
Ever since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with 3D viewing of photographs. In grade school, in the 1960s, the school library had a simple viewer with pairs of black-and-white stereo images. I loved to look at those over and over again.
Surreal Composites--A great technique is to take a collection of original images and combine them to create a fanciful and surreal final image. For this other-worldly desert scene I took four original film shots of...
In my workshops I often get asked, "How do you find digital clients?" I think there is a myth surrounding the word "digital." Photography clients are not really "digital" as a category to target in your marketing. Clients are hiring you to create images and, if it is commercial work, buying the use of those images. If it is consumer, wedding...
As photo businesses go, David Alan Wolters (www.DavidAlanWolters.com) started out as many of our readers--a 12-year-old kid with a camera trying to find a place for himself in the world. Again, like many of us, Wolters went on to work on the high school yearbook as a photographer. Raised in the small town of Spring...
For all practical purposes, you can narrow your film scanning options down to four choices. There are three types of scanners: drum, flat-bed, and dedicated film scanner. The fourth alternative is to have your film scanned by a professional lab.
The guy at the camera store told you that a filter is “cheap insurance against fingerprints and expensive repairs” but was he really looking out for your best interests?
Many of the cameras used by Shutterbug readers use SD memory cards. SD stands for Secure Digital, and it’s the most popular type of media for digital imaging. SD has been around for so long that people use this identifier generically, and refer to all variations simply as “SD.” This practice can lead to problems. There are a couple of new kids on the block, and you should know...
The concept of carrying a small camera with you at all times certainly isn't new. Street photographers from the first half of the last century, whose main work was most often done with a cumbersome tripod and large format camera...
For the past three summer seasons Canon has sponsored their Photography in the Parks Photo Contest, highlighting images made by photographers in our nation’s national parks.