Photo How To

Have you ever wondered why some photos go viral and others don’t? We’ve teamed up with pro photographer Jordan Matter once again to help answer this very question.

Henri Cartier Bresson, the French master of candid photography, once said, “Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera.” The quick video below reviews three important composition techniques that will enable you to start creating more dynamic images today.

Born on March 24, 1886 Edward Weston went from being a salesman in the Midwest to becoming a bohemian California artist and revolutionizing the style of American photography and modern art. In the charming video below you’ll earn the secrets behind his iconic images.

Many so-called “serious” shooters turn up their noses at mobile photography. But as you’ll see in the video below, we can all learn a thing or eight from photographers who know their way around a smartphone.

It sounds like a reference to dull Halloween costumes, but I’ve always regarded unsharp masking as the Cadillac option for beefing up the acutance of my photos. Admittedly, this is probably just a reaction to the fact that unsharp masking has a complicated dialog box in Photoshop, and my reptilian brain is dazzled by lots of controls.

Earlier this week we posted a simple primer explaining how a camera’s metering system works. In the quick video below, pro Brian Worley examines the Shutter Priority mode and demonstrates when and how you can use this setting as a creative tool.

(Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Andrew Darlow’s new book, Focus and Filter: Professional Techniques for Mastering Digital Photography and Capturing the Perfect Shot , from Ulysses Press. Darlow has been a professional photographer and educator for over 25 years, and this is his fourth book. You can also read his story with tips for taking safari-quality photos at a zoo here.