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How I shot color and black and white film… at the same time!

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There are a lot of crazy ideas out there when it comes to experimental photography. Multiple exposures. Film Soups. Shooting your rolls backward. But have you ever heard of anybody loading two rolls of film into a camera at the same time? Me neither, and that’s exactly why I’m going to do it!

The idea in a nutshell is to figure out a way to get a color roll and a black and white roll of 35mm film loaded into my Nikon F3 so that each press of the shutter exposes both films at the same time. After they were developed I could possibly stack or layer the developed negatives for a cool effect. Hopefully.

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How I light painted and photographed a flock of seagulls at night with minimal equipment

I have been light painting for a couple of years now. It is something I enjoy immensely. For me, it is a great pairing between being outdoors in nature and using photography as a creative outlet. With light painting, you can truly create anything you can imagine, and I enjoy the challenge of doing everything in a single exposure.

I wanted to try something different from the usual light painting subjects like stars and hearts. As a volunteer for animal and environmental protection who lives on the coast, I came up with the idea to use seagulls in my picture. Here, I wish to share with you how I created this image. You will see that it’s not difficult, it just requires a little patience and some trial and error.

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The best camera (and how I found it)

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You’ve probably all heard the saying, “The best camera is the one you have with you.” And while that holds some truth there are good reasons why this sentiment is debatable. (“A camera” is better than no camera, but it definitely does not make it the best for you). Let me elaborate on that. But first, I’d like to lay out my own photographic journey. I feel like it is crucial for the point I’m trying to make with this essay.

I have enjoyed taking pictures for as long as I can remember. It was probably my grandma who instilled a fascination for it in me, she always carried a camera and documented our adventures. But it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that I began to develop a more-than-casual interest in photography.

OK, Ok, you got me. The title here makes a bold claim. It would have probably been more accurate to say The best camera for me, but hey, I wanted you to read this.

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Lighting setup: Simple long exposure LED portraits

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Long-exposure photography has been around as long as photography itself, but it’s had a tentative relationship with its audience over the years.

20+ years ago when I was shooting analogue film, long exposure was fairly common, even though it was pretty risky to do without the instant feedback of seeing the resulting image. Then digital came along and with it, a brand new world of creative options opened up in the form of Photoshop, consequently, some of the more traditional creative skills fell by the wayside.

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18 Ways to Stand Out in the Crowded Field of Professional Photography

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There are more photographers than ever before. And while I don’t believe that’s necessarily bad, it does create a lot of marketing “noise.” Our mission must be to raise ourselves above that noise so that we become more of a solo instrument, with the din of all the ‘others’ serving as our backup band.

We are constantly getting slammed with information and instructions to “put more out there”, share more images on Instagram, start a TikTok account, post more… more more more more.

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All photographers need to know about wealth management and financial literacy

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Photographers think a lot about how to make money, but saving it (or wealth management) is a different matter altogether. It’s something that presents a unique challenge for many freelance photographers who don’t collect a regular paycheck or have employer-sponsored retirement plans. Saving can be even tougher when there’s always some new piece of equipment, software, or marketing program demanding your hard-earned cash. But saving is essential for anyone interested in owning a home, sending their kids to college, or retiring someday. We discuss the ins and outs of wealth management and financial literacy for photographers to help you set your financial goals.

Saving is something that I’ve been conscious of since I was a little kid watching Wall Street Week with my dad on Friday nights. I can remember learning that some people in the world had saved enough money that they didn’t need to work anymore. They had so much money that they could live off of just the interest and dividends from their investments. I remember thinking what a great idea that was and I was going to try to do it. Though I never made big money as a photographer, I’ve always been able to save. Even when I was shooting fifty-dollar assignments for the Associated Press.

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Beware of this photography scam (and learn how to spot it)

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Unfortunately, if you use the internet for work, you probably already know that new scams and scammers pop up every day. Recently, I’ve seen the rise in popularity of a new scam targeting photographers. I don’t want to see anyone, especially other photographers, being scammed out of their hard earned money.

If you’ve ever heard of the check scam, this is a pretty similar beast. In this post I’ll share 10 Red Flags you need to look out for to avoid being scammed. As always, check out the video below, or if you enjoy reading, continue scrolling!

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The importance of retouchers in post-production of photos

Retouchers are commonly found behind the metaphorical curtain of the photography process. They operate as the hidden muscle behind a large quantity of the high-end imagery we see these days. They can play an integral role in refining a successful image and taking it to the next level.

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How being open-minded makes you more creative

As I spend time researching and developing my creativity, one of the problems I encounter is that if we want to be creative, we need to be open-minded. And unfortunately, the more I look around the country more I see how much harder it is to retain open-mindedness as we grow up.

Meanwhile, my kids are great at the open-minded mindset. They entertain all the wild ideas sometimes even, especially the bad ones.

By the very definition of creativity, making something new and original, we need to have a mind that’s open to new ideas and new ways of thinking and seeing. If we hold on tight to our outdated or incorrect beliefs, we’ll never come up with new ideas that transform the world. And sure, change isn’t always good, but growth usually is.

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