Outdoor Photography How To

One of the banes of outdoor portraiture is that you’re always at the mercy of prevailing lighting and weather conditions. Equally challenging is the fact that, whether you’re shooting images for a client or photographing a model for your portfolio, you don’t always get to choose the time and location of a session.

Summer is a great time to photograph birds, especially during these days of social distancing, and the quick video below is designed to help everyone improve their results. But rather than discussing gear, focusing methods, or image-editing techniques, the topic of this tutorial is a more basic one: Composition.

Here's a thought-provoking video from Adam Karnacz of First Man Photography: is your photography fake or authentic? The crux of Karnacz' argument is that when you over-edit an image, it can sap it of its authenticity, making it nothing more than a manipulated photo illustration, not a photographic representation of a real scene.

Maybe it's cold outside . . . but it's a great time to take pictures!

Winter brings with it some great photo opportunities. In many areas winter means snowy landscapes and snow sports; in others, it's just a somewhat cooler and slightly wetter time of year. Here are some winter-oriented photo tips that should help you add some nice shots to your portfolio, and have some fun doing it.

Here are 10 ways to get your creative juices flowing . . . and some great photos

1. Discover Your Own Backyard

If you put your mind to it, you can find lots of neat photo subjects right in your own backyard. (If you live in an apartment and don't have a formal backyard, don't worry—this assignment is about...

There’s a common misconception that beautiful photos of the night sky are a product of sleepless nights and big expense. While fancy equipment and ample free time may increase your chances of capturing amazing shots of the heavens, much can be achieved with the equipment most photographers already have, and a few minutes of experimentation—even if they’ve never thought about astrophotography.

There’s no reason to pack your photo gear away when the first snows of winter start to fly. Winter photography presents some of the most wonderful opportunities to capture stunning subject matter that is not available during other times of the year. With the ground enveloped in a blanket of white snow, even familiar surroundings will take on an entirely different perspective and serve as the background for new and exciting images.