365 Photo Challenge – How to Start a Project
Creative people often struggle to remain inspired and productive. The 365 Photography Challenge is an ideal photography project to keep you motivated. But how can…
Author: Kevin Landwer-Johan
Kevin bought his first camera in the early 1980s and started working in the photography department of a daily newspaper a few years later. His whole career is focused on photography and he's covered a multitude of subjects. He loves to photograph people the most. During the past decade, Kevin has begun to teach and write more, sharing his passion for photography with anyone who's willing to learn.
13 Tips to Improve Your Natural Light Portrait Photography
In this article about making portraits in natural light, I want to share with you a selection of the most practical tips I’ve learned. I hope these …
Understanding Digital Camera Modes
Digital camera modes are often misunderstood and an area of confusion for many new photographers. This article takes you through the basic camera mode…
How to Choose a Camera: 9 Questions to Ask
Choosing a camera can be challenging. Here's a series of questions to help you decide which is the best camera for you.
10 Common Beginner Photography Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
It's inevitable for beginners to make photography mistakes. Here's our detailed guide to help you overcome all the errors!
Camera Metering Modes Explained
Knowing how and when to use which metering mode can initially be a bit confusing. You can learn about the various modes in this article.
How to Shoot in Manual Mode
Manual camera settings may be challenging for beginner photographers. In my opinion, shooting in manual mode with your camera is a great way to learn…
What is Exposure in Photography?
In photography, your exposure determines what gets recorded on your camera’s image sensor. The science behind exposure in photography is called Sensitometry. Getting the right…
How to Use Strong Lines in Photography Composition
Making use of strong lines in photography compositions creates strength, adds peace, guides a viewer’s eye, and much more. You have to be aware of…
What is Shutter Speed in Photography? Basic Guide for Beginners
ContentsWhat is Shutter Speed?How is Shutter Speed Measured?Mechanical Operation of a ShutterHow to Set Your Shutter Speed?Determining Shutter Speeds in PhotographyCamera Shutter Speed ExerciseTips for…
City and Urban Photography: 5 Tips for Beginners
Urban photography is a broad topic that is only bounded by location. You have to be in a city to do urban photography. An urban…
Spot Metering – A Beginner’s Guide on How to Use it
Using the spot metering mode on your digital camera can help you make better photos. Spot metering helps you set more precise exposures than other…
What is HDR Photography and How Does it Make Better Photos?
HDR photography has become more and more popular among various groups of people. Everywhere we look, we see photographers posting the results of their experiments…
How to Analyze a Photograph (4 Simple Steps)
Analyzing a Photograph Learning to analyze a photo requires introspection and self-analysis. Whether is a photo you have taken or one taken by another photographer.…
How to Use a DSLR Camera: Basic Guide for Beginners
Learning to use your camera is on the mind of every new photographer who has one. These cameras are complicated pieces of technological equipment. If…
The Circle of Confusion: What it is and How it Affects Your Photos
In one of my previous articles on this website, I delved into the concept of depth of field (DoF) and the parameters that govern it.…
RAW vs JPEG – Which Image File Format is Better?
RAW format and jpg (or jpeg) format are two distinctly different file types produced by your digital camera. When you set up your camera you…
How to Start and Complete a 365 Photo Project
The 365 Project is the most popular program in the world to help you improve your photography skills. Sure, this photography project requires a commitment…
Long Exposure Photography: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide
Long exposure photography is a creative technique that produces stunning images you cannot replicate through normal exposure. It is a creative art that is unique,…
Understanding White Balance in Photography
Did you know that light can be colored? Not only LED, neon, or fluorescent lights, but natural daylight can have a distinct color cast. This…
How To Edit Portraits in Lightroom: 7 Basic Steps
Editing portraits in Lightroom is not as difficult as you might think. Working with a goal in mind and following a series of steps will…
Why is it Important to Fill the Frame for a Fantastic Composition?
Filling the frame is important to good composition. This is because it keeps everything relevant to the image you are making. Beginning photographers are often…
Black and White Street Photography: 13 Key Tips
Black and white street photography can be timeless and classic. This is especially true when you intentionally create these photos. Thinking and learning to see…
Depth of Field: What is it and How to Use it?
The term depth of field is common photography jargon. It refers to the part of a photo that is in acceptably sharp focus. The range…
A Glossary of 251 Most Essential Photography Terms
Photography terms are numerous and can be super confusing for new photographers to get their heads around. But having a good understanding of the photography…
Frame Within a Frame Photography: What it is and How to Use it?
What is a Frame within a Frame in Photography? A frame within a frame is a photography composition technique. Within the four-sided frame of the…
How to Use Low Key Lighting for Stunning Black and White Photos
Low key lighting is great for infusing mood into black and white photos. It can create a mysterious, dramatic, or sometimes sensual mood. This is…
How to Use a Light Meter in Photography for Great Results
Don’t you hate it when your photos are too light or too dark? This happens because the light meter, also known as an exposure meter, has…
Stunning High Key Photography the Quick and Easy Way
To create stunning high-key photography quickly and easily, you need to do just a couple of things. The first is to make sure you have…
The Best Camera Settings for Portrait Photography
Selecting the camera settings for portraits is challenging for many new photographers. Even some more advanced photographers who are not used to portrait photography find…
How To Make Extraordinary Photography from Ordinary Subjects
A good subject does not make a good photograph. Nor does a good camera. Good photographers make good photographs. Ordinary subjects and ordinary cameras can…
How to Use Dramatic Lighting Effectively in Your Photos
Light is the essence of photography. With no light, you cannot take a photo. The more you can ‘see’ light and understand it, the better…
Contrast in Photography – How to Make the Best Use of It
The contrast in photography comes in a few different forms. How you make use of it is well worth considering. Contrast, or lack of it,…
How to Unblur an Image – The Most Effective Way
How to unblur an image is a common problem for digital photographers. Opening and reviewing your images and finding that a bunch of them are…
What is Ambient Lighting and How to Make Best Use of It
What is Ambient Lighting in Photography? Ambient lighting is simply the light that is available. It can be natural or artificial light. This is the…
Understanding Color in Photography: Full Guide
Color in Photography The definition of color is a component of light that is separated when it is reflected off of an object. Color begins…
The Best Flash Diffusers and How To Use Them Effectively
Flash diffusers help you illuminate your subjects with a much more appealing light than using bare flash. A flash diffuser scatters and softens the light…
What is Aperture? An Introduction Lesson
Aperture in photography is a diaphragm in lenses that controls the amount of light that can enter the camera. This function works in a similar…
How To Use Leading Lines in Photography
Knowing how to use leading lines in photography is one of the key composition skills beginner photographers can acquire. Learning composition starts with an understanding…
How To Use Negative Space to Make Your Photos More Powerful
Carefully thought-out photography compositions often incorporate negative space in their design. Photographers who make use of negative space add power and meaning to subjects that…
What is the Rule of Thirds and How to Use it in Photography?
If you’re new to art or photography, the Rule of Thirds is a helpful basic composition technique so you can create compelling images. Even though…
How Do You Know if You Have a Correct Exposure?
Setting a correct exposure is foundational to good photography. But what is a correct exposure? A correct exposure is one that you are happy with.…
How to Use the Zone System to Make Your Best Digital Photos
Are you a photographer who desires to better understand exposure and dynamic range? Learning to use the Zone System is a great foundation on which to …
How to Edit Photos in Lightroom Classic: An Overview
For many beginner photographers who have started saving their photos are RAW files, learning how to edit photos in Lightroom is a problem. Where to…
How to Blend in Photoshop: Make Stunning Composite Images
Compositing images in Photoshop can be quite simple or pretty complex. You can choose the level of complexity depending on the final result you want…
How to Whiten Teeth in Lightroom
Everybody likes to have their teeth looking nice and white in photographs. Well, not all people do. In some cultures, it’s considered attractive to have…
The Ultimate Guide to DIY Product Photography Lighting
DIY product photography lighting is easier than you might think. You can put together a home studio with items from around the house. You can…
Personal Photography Projects: 13 of the Best Ideas
Personal photography projects are one of the best ways to help you improve your photography. Being focused on a particular topic you will develop more…
33 Street Photography Tips and Techniques
Taking photos in a busy, public place can feel intimidating. Especially when photographing people. In this article, I’ll share my best street photography techniques and tips…
What Makes Good Black and White Portraits?
A good black and white portrait photo will attract our attention sometimes more than a color portrait will. What is it that makes a good…
How to Make a Watermark in Photoshop: 5 Easy Steps
Do you worry about your photos being copied and used illegally by others when you post them online? Do you want to make sure everyone…
How To Create a Panorama in Photoshop
Sometimes you come across a scene that a single image cannot capture enough of it. Time like this it’s great to make a panorama. Phone…
How to Avoid Making Bad Lighting Mistakes
Good lighting is essential to good photography. Bad lighting mistakes can ruin an otherwise fabulous photograph. This is frustrating for any photographer. Learning how to…
How To Use the Gradient Tool in Photoshop
Diverse, creative edits that make your images pop are possible when you apply the Photoshop gradient tool. Make a dull sky sing, infuse mood and…
How to Blur Background in Lightroom
When you search ‘how to blur background in Lightroom’ you may be a little disappointed at the results you find. Blurring backgrounds is such a…
How to Use Props Effectively When Taking Portraits
Well used portrait props in photography can make your pictures come alive. Whether you’re taking photos of your partner, kids, friends, or anyone else, photography…
How to Add Watermark in Lightroom
Whether you love them or hate them, watermarks on photos are used to display who owns the photo. Adding a watermark also gives a pretty…
How to Create a Wonderful Lightroom Slideshow
You can make wonderful professional looking slideshows in Adobe Lightroom. This is a great feature that many people are not even aware is a module…
How to Take Interesting Environmental Portraits
Taking an interesting environmental portrait requires you to include location-specific elements. It may also involve what your subject is doing and contain more information about…
How to Shoot Street Portraits: Tips & Techniques
Street portraits are all about connecting with the strangers you’re photographing. This differs from the general idea of street photography. That’s where the photographer makes…
What You Need To Know About Upgrading Your Camera or Lens
Should I upgrade my camera or lens? This is a question that many photographers have not too long after they become enthusiastic about taking pictures.…
How to Take Stronger Portraits by Isolating Your Subject
Isolating your subject will make for a stronger photo than when they are surrounded by clutter. Distracting elements in the same composition as a person…
Why It’s Good to have Photographer Friends
Often photography is a solo experience. Being alone with my camera is one of the things I love most in life, but sometimes it’s great…
What is EXIF Data and How Can it Help You?
EXIF data is Exchangeable Image File Format. This is metadata associated with every digital photograph and stored with the image. It’s descriptive information about the…
All You Need To Know About Fill Flash
How you use fill flash is a question many photographers struggle with. Flash adds another level of complexity to photography. Like anything, once you have…
8 Reasons Why Your Photos Are Blurry
No photographer likes to see that their photos are blurred. Wondering ‘why are my pictures blurry’ is the cause of much frustration. The good thing…
10 Different Types of Cameras
From DSLRs, mirrorless cameras to the iPhone, it’s easier than ever to find a digital camera and start taking great photos. We’ve compiled a list…
Smartphones vs Digital Cameras: Which is Better?
Photography is more popular than ever. Everyone is a photographer these days, at least those of us who use smartphones are. But there’s always a conflict…
How to Use Dynamic Symmetry in Composition?
Composition is challenging for many beginner photographers. It is one key element in any great photo. Some photographers compose their images intuitively. Others take a…
6 Types of Camera Lenses & What to Do With Them
Basic Types of Camera Lenses Do you have a camera lens FOMO? We’ll break down the types of camera lenses out there and how can…
Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB)
What is Auto Exposure Bracketing? Auto exposure bracketing, or AEB, is a term that is used to signify a process where the camera automatically takes…
Introduction to Flash Photography for Beginners
Welcome to our introduction to flash photography. In order to learn how to use a flash, it will help a great deal to understand what…
How to Adjust the Aperture on a DSLR
Adjust the Aperture Figuring out your aperture is important to learn in tandem with shutter speed. If you are unsure of the aperture, visit the…