Flower portraits: Beautiful examples and must-have tips

From Horst P. Horst’s 1951 picture of the fashion model Evelyn Tripp in a ballgown to Tyler Mitchell’s now-famous 2018 cover photo of Beyoncé for Vogue magazine, flowers have always had a place in creative portrait photography. A few years ago, Emily Soto made this portrait for Allure on film to celebrate springtime in New… Continue reading Flower portraits: Beautiful examples and must-have tips

The power of a background in portrait photography

Ever since Irving Penn first started experimenting with white paper backdrops in the 1940s—and later, an old, repurposed theater curtain from the 1950s—portrait photographers have been pushing the boundaries of what backgrounds can look like. Far beyond the scope of the conventional, artists on 500px have found new ways to use traditional studio items—such as… Continue reading The power of a background in portrait photography

Freeze! The week’s best reader-submitted still life photos

“A traditional still life of three pears exhibiting the interplay between light and shadow”. David Terao For this week’s reader challenge, we asked you to submit photos of the inanimate. And as always, you delivered. While some folks settled on more unusual subjects to photograph, the vast majority of you stuck with classic still life… Continue reading Freeze! The week’s best reader-submitted still life photos

50 Top Lightroom Preset Packs for Instant Image Filters and Photo Looks

In this article we showcase a selection of top Lightroom presets for portraits, landscapes, black-and-white, film, weddings, fashion and editorial, and special effects. All of these presets are included with an Envato Elements subscription. Within each category we’ll profile the best Lightroom presets available on Envato Elements. You can download all of these and millions… Continue reading 50 Top Lightroom Preset Packs for Instant Image Filters and Photo Looks

Fruit bowls & floral arrangments: Show us your best still life photos

Abby Ferguson From Cézanne and Van Gogh to the Flemish aces, still life is a genre much studied, quite revered, and difficult to master. Done right, images are rife with symbolism and filled with compositional mastery. So, for this week’s Photo of the Day challenge, we want to see your interpretation of the still life… Continue reading Fruit bowls & floral arrangments: Show us your best still life photos

JPEG jumble: the week’s best reader-submitted photos

Rudiescu on Flickr A race car zips down the track to a child‘s delight. The sun’s last golden tendrils cling to a cloudy sky. A horse and its rider share a tender moment. For this week’s Photo of the Day challenge, we asked readers to show us what they most love to photograph, and the… Continue reading JPEG jumble: the week’s best reader-submitted photos

David Ulrich: How to be a more mindful photographer

Swimming Pool, Cape Cod, MA. © David Ulrich David Ulrich is a photographer, writer, and teacher. He worked as an assistant to Minor White, drank with Ansel Adams, and crossed paths with many of the great photographers of the late 20th century. His life was changed when he witnessed the Kent State shootings in 1970,… Continue reading David Ulrich: How to be a more mindful photographer