Pro Techniques

Success is 95% preparation. Here are 10 essentials to consider when readying for a photo session.

For those times when you want to isolate an object with a pleasing non-competing background, here is a system that will give you lots of options. It worked especially well when a client asked me to photograph individual pieces of jewelry to illustrate...

For Jess Findlay, outdoor photography was a natural. Growing up in British Columbia (BC), Canada, surrounded by lush landscapes, enthralling wilderness, and birds of every feather, nature called to him every time he stepped outside, spurred on by family activities that included hiking, mountain biking, and birdwatching. As a young child, he would buy disposable cameras for family outings, and that only whet his appetite for the photographic arts. Before he knew it, he was thoroughly immersed. Nature and photography were on converging paths, meeting at a crossroads that would mark his future forever.

It sometimes seems that there are two kinds of photographers: those who bang their cameras and lenses around mercilessly, and those who baby them. The former see themselves as rough, tough, and macho; the latter are perpetually worried about the slightest risk of damage to their precious cameras.

Neither attitude makes a lot of sense. Yes, you need to be unlucky to damage a...

In the early days of the web, small images were the only practical way to keep pages loading fast on slow dial-up connections.

Joyce Tenneson's photographs are thought-provoking and deeply moving. Her portraits provide insight into the soul and spirit of her subjects. Perhaps this is why Tenneson has enjoyed such a long and successful career.

"I started photographing in my 20s--I feel I have lived at least four lifetimes! My work has evolved as I have, and looking back on it...

Joe McNally is an expert at lighting big jobs with small flashes. Besides being a successful commercial photographer, he also spends a great deal of time teaching. His new book, The Hot Shoe Diaries, is a virtual how-to for setting up complex lighting using Nikon SB flashes.

Normally, when we do interviews like this, we also discuss in detail how some of the photographer’s...