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JP Danko is a commercial photographer based in Toronto, Canada. JP
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water,
or use a camel as a light stand.

To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.

JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.

How To Become A Wedding Photographer In 10 Easy Steps – Photographers Hate This

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Starting a career as a wedding photographer is EASY – all you have to do is follow these 10 EASY STEPS TO BECOME A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER!

If you have ever wanted to start a fun, glamorous and profitable ($$$$!!!) career as a wedding photographer, I will share the secret to success that professional wedding photographers don’t want you to know.

The best part is that you don’t even need to know how to use a camera – or even have a camera to get started!

And you can learn it all FOR FREE – just read the rest of this article (and then be sure to buy our eBook*)!!!

Is losing your camera the worst end to a trip ever?

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My family and I recently returned from a week-long early spring backcountry camping trip.

This trip involved canoeing in snow squalls and an extended portage where the lake was still frozen solid. Physically, it was a challenge, but it was also an amazing family bonding experience with my wife and our 9 and 12-year-old kids (the golden years when they are useful humans but not yet teenagers).

At the end of the trip I sat my trusty old Fuji X100 (the original model) on a post in the parking lot to snap one final family portrait in self-timer mode.

Then we drove home…

Do not submit user generated content to brands or marketers – know your rights

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Brands and marketers are increasingly reaching out to social media users for “user generated content” (UGC).

Usually, you will receive a friendly request from the social media account of a brand or a marketer that would like to re-publish or use an image or video that you have previously shared to social media.

Effective marketers will find a way to stoke your ego a little, it’s a pitch that most social media users (myself included) are inclined to accept without a second thought.

If you’re on Instagram, they will usually ask you to simply reply with a specific hashtag.

But before you submit your user generated content (UGC) to a brand or marketer you need to know your rights – you are being ripped off.

Upleap Review – Instagram Tool Promises to Grow Organic Followers and Engagement

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Instagram is becoming more and more relevant to photography and video clients, to the point where a respectable Instagram following is part of how clients choose potential creators for paid jobs.

Brand sponsorship, affiliate marketing, complimentary products for review and influencer access are also a few of the side benefits to growing a large Instagram following with high engagement.

As a visual medium, Instagram is uniquely tailored to the advantage of photographers and videographers who produce visual content for a living…so how do you grow organic followers and engagement on Instagram?

I have tried many Instagram growth strategies over the years: from like and follow schemes to bots to outright purchasing followers and likes – but in this Upleap review, we are going to look at a new Instagram tool that promises to grow organic followers and engagement.

This Photo of Trump is Hilarious – And Why An Ultrawide Lens Might Not Be Your Best Choice

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I came across this photo of US President Donald Trump today and I laughed so hard coffee was coming out of my nose.

Here we have the most powerful man in the world, surrounded by an entire squad of beefy manly dudes, and Trump looks like a tiny little muppet in the middle.

You’d think that a guy with a thing about the size of his tiny hands and a tough-guy caricature to maintain wouldn’t want to look like a helpless tiny Benjamin Button…yet this is the photo he (or his best people) liked enough to post as his Twitter banner.

OK – I know American politics are a little nutty – so as a community of photographers, lets just take a moment to analyse why Trump looks so funny in this photo, and how you can avoid it.

Smartphone Vs Camera – Why Is This Still A Problem?

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It’s 2018 and it blows my mind that we still have to choose between using a smartphone camera and a real camera.

Why hasn’t a single camera manufacturer added mobile data and standard smartphone apps to a real camera?

Why hasn’t a single smartphone manufacturer made a smartphone with a real camera attached to it?

How hard can this possibly be?

In this article, I will outline what I want in a smartphone/camera hybrid and why I think it would be an instant success.

DIY Options for Charging Drone Batteries Off-Grid

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If you have a drone, sooner or later you’re going to want to charge your drone battery off-grid.

The problem is that drones use big batteries, so to charge a big battery you need an even bigger battery – a simple solar panel USB charger might be good enough to charge your phone, but it isn’t going to provide enough current to charge a drone battery.

There are a few commercial options available that can charge your drone batteries without an AC outlet, but I decided to build my own…(spoiler – don’t bother!)

Is Flickr Still A Relevant Social Media Outlet? Yes – and You Should Use It!

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Years ago I had a Flickr account – I didn’t use it much and it languished in oblivion until at some point Flickr deleted it.

I didn’t really give it a second though – I kind of thought of Flickr as a place newbies post snapshots of flowers and sunsets. All the cool photographers used 500px. Flickr is a dead social media platform anyway right?

However, I recently needed a platform where I could keep track of all my published photography, so I opened a new Flickr account – and hello, I discovered that Flickr is actually an amazing tool for your photography business (if you treat it like a tool, not a social media platform).

Here is why I think you should still post your photos to Flickr…

Signili Review – Invisible Digital Watermark to Protect Your Photos from Copyright Infringement

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If you share your photography online, you know that your images will be re-distributed and re-published without your permission.

If you are a professional photographer, or a photo enthusiast, you probably also realize that rampant online copyright infringement costs creative professionals a significant amount of lost revenue – every image that is published without a valid license is a lost sale for someone.

If you have always wanted to fight back against copyright infringement, or if you just want to see exactly who is using your photography where, one solution is to apply an invisible digital watermark to your photography.

In this article, we will review Signili, a new service that can add invisible watermarks (as hidden copyright information) to your photos, and then help track exactly where those photos are used online…

Underwater Photography In Murky Water – Tips and Tricks

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If you’ve ever tried to photograph a person underwater, you know how important crystal clear water is to producing usable images.

I do most of my underwater photography in Georgian Bay which is exceptionally clean and clear.

It’s also freezing cold, and far away from urban areas – which complicates the logistics required to produce a commercial photography session (it’s a 3 or 4 hour drive for me and most models, stylists, make up artists etc. and there is a window of about two weeks in August when it’s warm enough to swim without a wet suit).

However, I live right beside Lake Ontario (which is not exactly known for being clean or clear), so I thought I’d try an underwater photography session here – with easy access to talent from Toronto.

In this article I will share a few of my tips and tricks for underwater photography in murky water.

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