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These infrared photos shot from a hot air balloon are truly beautiful

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There’s something about floating around in a hot air balloon that just seems so peaceful and tranquil – despite the roar of burners blasting hot air into them. The views one can get from them are also quite astounding, too. And when you’re in one with a camera, they offer a level of control that a drone simply cannot.

Ted Forbes at The Art of Photography recently had his old Sony NEX-7 camera converted to full-spectrum. This means it can now see light outside of our human visible colour spectrum. He decided to take it up in a hot air balloon, and the results are just beautiful.

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Three things you should (not) do if you want to succeed as a photographer

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Making a career out of photography requires so much more than your talent: interpersonal and business skills, constant learning, and time management skills, to name just a few. In this video from The Art of Photography, Ted Forbes discusses three things that I think are in common for everyone who wants to be commercially successful or recognized as a photographer. Regardless of the skills, knowledge and the talent you own, these are three things you should (and shouldn’t) do if you want to succeed.

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Stop blaming your camera – It’s better than Ansel’s was

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Often, we a point made so often that the actual message becomes lost. We hear arguments from both sides that justcompletely don’t get it. To the point where we forget what the original discussion was all about. “The gear does not matter” is one such debate. It’s one that pops up all the time, and there are compelling arguments for both sides, but many arguing “for”, are completely missing the point of the message and arguing against something that it never its intent.

Ted Forbes at The Art of Photography put out a video on this topic a while ago and a lot of people there didn’t seem to get the point, either. So, he’s released an update to it. When you look at photographers like Ansel Adams, and the gear they used vs the gear we have available to us today, it definitely helps to drive the message home.

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Here’s what images from a $63,000 camera look like

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What’s the most expensive camera you’ve ever had the chance to have in your hands? The Art of Photography’s Ted Forbes has tested the camera I think most of us will never have the chance to hold: a $63,000 Phase One XF medium format with the IQ3 monochrome back.

$63,000 is certainly quite a lot, but according to Ted, this camera setup is a game changer. With the 101 MP sensor and design to capture light past the visual spectrum, you’d expect a miracle from this setup. And judging from the video – the miracle is what you get.

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Your fear in photography and creativity might be your parents fault

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Fear and creativity go hand in hand. At least, I believe they should, if you want to really push yourself. But getting over that fear can be very tough. But it’s a weird kind of fear. It’s not like a fear of flying, or rattlesnakes, or something tangible that does hold at least some chance of causing you physical harm. Fear in creativity is often created solely in our minds. And we suppress it.

Because we can avoid it by simply not pushing ourselves and not putting ourselves out there. Ted Forbes from the Art of Photography discusses this fear in a recent video, and makes some extremely good points about how what might be the cause of it. It turns out that, as well meaning as they may have been, it could be our parents fault.

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Nobody cares about your photography

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I like Ted Forbes, I really do, and I’ve been following his videos for about five years, but this is a difficult one for me to wrap my head around. Part of me agrees with him completely but another part of me vehemently disagrees, because it all depends entirely on context and one’s goals as a photographer.

Ted’s recent video on the Art of Photography YouTube channel does make some very good points, though, regardless of whether you agree or not, or even if you feel it doesn’t apply to you or your work.

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The Cold Hard Truth When It Comes To Dealing With Problem Clients

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A major part of being a working photographer is spent managing your business and tending to your client’s questions, concerns, feedback, etc…For the most part, this aspect of professional photography isn’t the worst thing in the world, but there always seems to come a point when you find yourself working with a problem client that is too demanding, too irrational, or too cheap to even make doing the job worth it.[Read More…]

Why You Should Get a Degree in Photography; and Why You Shouldn’t

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Back in the day things were very clear; if you wanted to become a photographer, you’d get a degree in the field. As in many other professions, a formal education was required in order to gain experience, learn the technical aspects and obtain official certification.

Nowadays you’ll have a hard time finding an employer or client who cares if or where you got your “proper” education, you no longer need to be a semi-engineer to take your photos or a chemist to develop them, and some level of experience can easily be gained since everybody has a camera now (even dogs).

You’d think all that would lead to a clear cut answer when it comes to people asking if they should get a degree in photography. However, as Ted Forbes explains in the video below, things aren’t so black or white.

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Ted Forbes on the ‘Should I Work for Free?’ Question

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The “should I work for free?” question is one of the more controversial topics in photography these days and is right up there with the “Canon vs. Nikon” and “prime vs. zoom” debates.

Ted Forbes, the man behind The Art of Photography YouTube Channel addresses the question that comes up at some point in every photographer’s career in this 8-minute video.

Right off the Forbes says he “hates the idea” and doesn’t work for free, and then goes on to give an in-depth explanation as to why he is so opposed to it and why you should be too.

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