Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
If you can look beyond the painfully obvious click bait nature of the title for a moment, I promise you that the following 5 things need to become a mandatory part of your pre-upload checklist.
Remember you only get one chance to impress with your shots and I know we all get very excited to share an image as soon as we’ve taken it, but just take a few moments to check these 5 things are done before you do so and I promise you’ll thank yourself later.
It’s an interesting thought. Do photographers really still need a website today? Is it possible to survive on social media alone? After recently cutting out a bunch of old social media platforms from his life, photographer Ed Verosky has been thinking long and hard about this question. Should he kill or keep pursuing his website?
As Ed says in this video he recently posted, cultural shifts happen rapidly. The way people use the Internet changes all the time. We’ve seen the mass exodus from one social platform to another over and over again. But are people even going to photographer’s websites when they can see a living portfolio on services like Instagram?
Quitting social media, even for a brief time is something that most of us wish we could do. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to get away and completely unplug for a few days here and there. Others aren’t so fortunate. We’re often tied to it by friends, family or work.
Photographer Dave Morrow, though, decided to take a complete break from social media. With a combined following of over 1.8 million, he just quit cold turkey and deleted his accounts. It’s been a year so far, and in this video he talks about why he did it and how it’s helped to change his life.
Copyright and intellectual property law are the foundations of the photography industry and all other creative business.
However, it is shocking how misunderstood (and strangely controversial) copyright and intellectual property law are among photographers and other creative professionals.
What is even worse is the amount of misinformation there is online when it comes to copyright and your intellectual property rights as a creative professional and content creator.
In this article, DIYP sits down for a Q&A session with Pixsy (a global leader in pursuing monetary compensation for copyright infringement on behalf of creative professionals) to answer 20 things photographers must know about copyright and intellectual property law.
Thanks to social media, we have seen particular locations across the world grow insanely popular. Sadly, this same popularity has also made these locations prone to damage, or even being destroyed by visitors. This sad video from vlogbrothers shows just how dangerous it can be to share photos of your favorite place with the entire world.
My first paying photo gig was a product shoot. It ended up turning into a regular thing for a couple of years. It wasn’t what I was passionate about, certainly not as passionate as Peter McKinnon is in this fourteen and a half minute video, but it was a lot of fun. It taught me a lot about light, shadow, reflections and perspective, and I’m so glad I had this opportunity early on in my days with a camera.
It turns out that product photography was Peter McKinnon’s first photo gig, too, and his bread and butter for several years. And it’s something he’s very passionate about. In the video, Peter walks you through his thought process and how product photography allows him to get creative. He also talks about potential ways one can monetise product photography, too.
Gaffer tape is one of the most useful tools in any photographer or filmmaker’s bag. It comes in handy for so many things, and just to make sure I’ve always got some with me, I keep a roll in each of my bags. And I can’t remember the last time I did a shoot where I didn’t need it for something. In this 2-minute video from filmmaker Burke Cullinane we see 10 great ways to use gaffer tape on set.
There are people who want to stand out, but also those who feel better when they blend in. But photographer Joseph Ford brings these two together, no matter how strange that may sound. His photography project Knitted Camouflage simply can’t get unnoticed. And yet, the subjects in his photos blend in with the environment.
Joseph’s subjects wear knitted clothes that blend in with the surroundings, creating a fun project that will often make you look twice.
I’m sure you’ve seen many photographers trying to emulate the “film look” in their digital photos. There are different techniques to achieve it, but you’ll often hear that the “film look” is a lie and only actual film can give you this effect. Photographers Jay P. Morgan and Kenneth Merrill have decided to do a little test and compare some film and digital images side-by-side. Can the “film look” be successfully replicated in digital photos? Or you can see the differences straight away?
Like all industries, photography has its jargon, and most photographers don’t even think about the words they use on a daily basis. Photographers Tony and Chelsea Northrup discuss some of the most common photography-related terms and suggest that they are “stupid.” They suggest replacement terms which would sound more logical. When you think about it, some terms we use every day indeed sound illogical. But, would you change them?
You can find out more about John on his website or follow him on Facebook and YouTube.
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.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
