All Posts by Jacob Maentz

Jacob Maentz

I'm a freelance travel, culture and documentary photographer based in the Philippines. My passion lies in creating images that communicate a strong sense of place and cultural awareness in unique, challenging situations. You can see my work at www.jacobimages.com

2 Essential Corrections to Know When Post Processing Underwater Photos

2 Essential Corrections to Know When Post Processing Underwater Photos

With the market today providing an assortment of underwater casing options, more and more of us are beginning to bring our cameras under the surface to explore this fascinating world. From the more affordable soft casings for our DSLRs to the simple waterproof coverings for our smart phones, underwater photography is becoming more and more [...]

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Natural Light Techniques to Make Amazing Travel Portraits

Natural Light Techniques to Make Amazing Travel Portraits

Being on the road often limits the amount of gear we want to take with us as photographers. By learning and getting more comfortable with natural light we can not only help lighten our bags, but it’s one of the most powerful ways to create dramatic images. Depending on the time of day, natural light [...]

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The 7 Essentials of Crowd-Funding Your Next Photography Project (and How We Funded Ours)

The 7 Essentials of Crowd-Funding Your Next Photography Project (and How We Funded Ours)

Crowdfunding is a relatively new phenomenon that has emerged over the past few years to help creative people fund their personal projects, including photographers. Kickstarter was the first company to offer this type of platform and others such as emphas.is and IndieGoGo have emerged since. Crowdfunding is a unique way to raise funds for projects [...]

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The Crucial Skill in How to Select your Best Images

The Crucial Skill in How to Select your Best Images

When most of us hear the phrase “photo editing” we generally think of editing a photo to enhance it in some way using computer software. Although that is usually a big component of post-production, the “photo editing” process should always start with photo selection. When photo editors edit photos, what they are usually doing is [...]

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16 Unmissable Travel Photography Resources for Photographers

16 Unmissable Travel Photography Resources for Photographers

Whether you’re looking for inspiration, insightful tips, or contest information, here is a list of travel photography resources that I find myself referring to regularly. Articles: Take Better Travel Photos – Timothy Allen’s article is one of the best I have come across about improving your travel photos. The Photo Essay – Matt Brandon gives [...]

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Essential Keywording Tips and Strategies for Photographers

Essential Keywording Tips and Strategies for Photographers

Keywording is a tool to assign or tag meaningful words to your photos so people searching may find them. I often think of stock photography when I hear the word “tag” or “keyword” because it’s an important step in that industry — allowing photo buyers to find appropriate images. Although this is the case, adding [...]

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5 Key Steps in Creating a Stronger Portfolio

5 Key Steps in Creating a Stronger Portfolio

In our growing digital world an online portfolio of images is now the preferred way most photographers choose to showcase their work. Whether you want to attract more business from potential clients or simply show off your best photos to family and friends, here are five key steps to help you create a stronger online [...]

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The Keys to Developing Your Personal Photographic Style

The Keys to Developing Your Personal Photographic Style

We all have a photographic style whether we realize it or not, amateurs and professionals alike. Many photographers, however, never give much thought to this with the result often being images that are “normal” or lacking expression. If we want to improve our photography we need to: First, understand we each have a unique style. [...]

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8 Useful Tips For Your Next Photo Documentary

8 Useful Tips For Your Next Photo Documentary

There are numerous things to think about and often challenges to overcome when working on a photo documentary. Here are eight useful tips that I believe will make the process easier and help you create more compelling and powerful stories. 1. Shoot What You Like. The best photos will always come from a subject that [...]

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How a Wide-Angle Lens Can Add Intimacy To Your People Photos

How a Wide-Angle Lens Can Add Intimacy To Your People Photos

Robert Capa once said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” Capa wasn’t advocating the use of longer lenses; he was telling photographers to physically get closer and more involved with their subjects. If you ever look at the lenses photojournalists have on their cameras, you will almost exclusively see some type [...]

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