Guest Bloggers
Avoid the “Flashy Look” ~ Learn To Use Fill Flash in Your Portraits
Part 5: Avoid the “Flashy Look” ~ Learn To Use Fill Flash I was photographing a small girl, in a field. Gorgeous backlight, 4.45 pm light. Her face is dark due to her back to the sun. I want to fill her face with light, but also keep the background exactly as I see it!…
Ready To Start Shooting With a Flash? Here’s Where to Start!
Part 4: Ready To Start Shooting With a Flash? Here’s Where to Start! In the wise words of Zack Arias, “just start somewhere!” You know you have a shutter speed limit of 200, so I often start there; I then choose an aperture, usually something middle of the road say 5.6. I could use a…
Control Light and Get the Look You Want Using Flash Photography
Part 3: Control Light and Get the Look You Want Using a Flash I am going to explain this as easily as I can. In real life I could show you, which is how I learn easiest. I don’t want these written words to confuse you, or make you skip over it and class it…
Get Your Flash Off Your Camera: What Equipment You Need
PART 2: What Equipment You Need to Get Your Flash Off Your Camera I am going to teach you the BASIC way to use flash, once mastered , you can then go on to add more lights, gels, grids and anything else, the world of light opens up to you. So start by taking a…
Flash Photography, The Natural Light Photographers Dirty Words
Flash Photography! A free 6 part series on learning to LOVE and embrace flash photography. One topic MCP Blog readers email me about all the time is flash – how to use their on or off camera flash, studio lights, and even what equipment they should purchase. I am very lucky to have Ainslie Bernoth…
So You Booked a Newborn Photography Session. Now What?
If you want better newborn images, take our Online Newborn Photography Workshop. So You Booked a Newborn Photography Session. Now What? Most photographers, especially those just starting out, get very excited after booking a newborn session, then immediately nervous and anxious! Newborn photography takes a lot of practice and patience. But there are things you can…
Want Guaranteed Perfect Focus In Every Photo? Learn To Use Selective Focus
Do You Want Guaranteed Perfect Focus In Every Photo? Learn To Use Selective Focus Focus and exposure are the two most important elements in photography. Exposure is discussed a lot, but with technological advances, and the creation of auto focus mode, many people have gone to trusting the camera to do the focusing for you.…
3 Tips for Using Levels Adjustment Layers in PSE and Photoshop
3 Tips for Using Levels Adjustment Layers in Elements and Photoshop Photoshop and Elements are often intimidating to new users. Conquering the Levels Adjustment is a great place to start building up your Photoshop Elements comfort level. Adjusting levels can improve many aspects of your photo: Exposure Contrast White Balance Color casts Dark or cloudy…
How to Eliminate Background Distractions in Photoshop
How to Eliminate Background Distractions & Objects in Photoshop There’s a lot to pay attention to during a shoot, no matter what kind of shoot it is. As photographers, we strive to capture the image perfectly in camera. Ideally, we use Photoshop to enhance the already fabulous, unique, decisive moment we have captured, because every…
Find Your Portrait Photography Style
Find Your Portrait Photography Style by Wendy Cunningham Years ago, when I first started shooting, I had no idea what ISO, F-stops, shutter speeds, yada yada… even meant! It was so difficult to grasp how one has to find the perfect balance between the three. It was like learning a foreign language! As I was…
Photography: Scoring Vintage Items for Photoshoots (Even for Free!)
Vintage Items for Photoshoots: How to find these items for your photography? Whether you specialize in portraits for toddlers, teens or brides-to-be, adding vintage toys, clothing and props to your photo shoot can bring a glimmer to your subject eyes and something special to your overall session. But unless you have the free time to…
Representing Yourself as a Professional Photographer in Your Community
Representing Yourself as a Professional Photographer in Your Community I recently had the pleasure of giving a talk to a group of business professionals in my area. Even though this is a group I see on a regular basis, this talk was important because it was the only opportunity I had (in this case, during…
Tips for After Your First Portrait Portfolio Building Session: Part 2
Tips for After Your First Portrait Portfolio Building Session by Pamela Topping Yesterday I discussed 7 tips for your 1st portfolio building session. Today I will give you some more ideas on what to do after you photograph your 1st “big shoot.” 1. Learn from Your Photos Examining your images is the best way to…
7 Tips for Your First Portrait Portfolio Building Session: Part 1
7 Tips for Your First Portrait Portfolio Building Session by Pamela Topping Are considering going from hobbyist to professional? If so, you will need a portfolio. One great way to build a portfolio is to offer sessions to family, friends and even people you meet while out. Once you schedule a portfolio building session, here…
Senior Photography: Tips and Tricks on Posing, Locations and More
Senior Photography: Tips and Tricks on Posing, Locations and More With Fall coming, photographers are getting ready for photograph high school seniors again. This style of photography is very popular in the United States and is starting to gain presence in other countries. I’m back with another compilation of links to great MCP Actions Blog…
How Photographers Can Respect Music Copyrights and Licensing Fees
How Photographers Can Respect Music Copyrights and Licensing Fees What if you stumbled upon a website when you were surfing the web and there was an amazing image of a beautiful little girl. It happens to be that the website is selling a service. But you look closer and you discover it is YOUR picture!…
Ask Deb ~ Answers to Your Photography Questions From a Professional Photographer
Have you ever wanted to ask a professional photographer your photography questions? Deb Schwedhelm will answer some questions posed on the MCP Facebook Page, in this installment of “Ask Deb.” If you have more questions, please leave them in the comment section for a future installment. How do you handle clients that want to see…
6 Easy Tips for Photographing Grown Men
Photographing Men And you thought photographing kids was hard… Try men. In my guest post, 5 Foolproof Tips for Photographing Children, there were a lot of inquiries about photographing grown men. So here we have some great ideas on photographing men from a woman’s point of view. In my experience, it’s been a little harder…
5 Photography Tips to Make the Most out of Any Location
5 Photography Tips to Make the Most out of Any Location My clients sometimes tell me that their wedding or reception location isn’t the most beautiful for formal photography. When there just isn’t time to photograph at the [insert beautiful location] that is 10 miles away, I always reassure them and tell them that we…
How To Create a High Key Image in Photoshop
How To Create a High Key Image in Photoshop by Michael Sweeney A classic look in photography is Black and White imagery. Black and white images are not always pure; sometimes they are sepia tone or cool blue tone, or even Duotone which is not B/W but most drop it into that catagory. It’s a…
Sun Flare: How to Achieve This Special Light
I’ll admit it… I’m addicted to sun flare, especially a good sunburst. I’m secretly quite proud when I achieve it, especially since it required actually remembering the tips I read about creating it in the first place. Perhaps you are like me and scour the internet for all things photography related and end up only…
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