The Internet is an amazing thing, and we take pride in providing you with content to help you with your passion for photography.  There is however, something to be said about printed material, just like it's a different experience in holding a photographic print compared to looking at it on a monitor.  Magazines offer this same experience, and often in a format that is more easily read over a period of time whereas most Internet articles tend to be under 500 words for easy consumption.  Additionally, photography magazines have some of the best work which can be admired and inspire.  For that reason, here are five great magazines you should be reading.Thomas Shahan's Photos in Popular Photography Magazine Popular Photography is perhaps one of the most comprehensive magazines for gear, technology and everything about cameras and accessories.  Packed full of articles on the latest and greatest, and how to use them, it's an essential magazine for all photographers.B&W, as the name implies, focuses on black and white photography, both analog and digital post-processing. By many, black and white is still the most pure form of photography and the striking range of a quality image can be breathtaking.  It's also worth noting ...

Part of taking photographs is the enjoyment you get with sharing them.  Along with sharing, comes learning, and along those lines are criticisms.  This article will show you how to handle the three types of photographic criticisms without getting overly frustrated.Photo by Paulo Brandão Unsolicited criticism. Sometimes we hang photographs in our home, post to our website, Facebook or have on display at local businesses and viewers will offer their criticism.  Sadly, most don't viewers don't understand how to compliment and usually look for flaws in the work.When an unsolicited criticism comes, and it's negative, thank the person for their input and ask them what they would have done differently.  Don't defend your work, rather ask for their input.  If they can't offer you any, ask them to explain what they don't understand, or if they'd like to know how or why you shot and captured what you did.  This will, hopefully result in a conversation about the piece, rather than a debate about what is or isn't a good photograph.Photo by Paul (dex) This is good but... Posting photos to sites like Flickr and Deviant Art will without a doubt get you lots of exposure and room for comments, but the ...

Photography is one of the rare hobbies that many people can earn their investment back on and actually make money.  For example, if you snowboard, it's very unlikely that you'll ever make back the investment in gear, lift tickets and travel from that hobby, where in photography there's a chance you can.  Many hobby photographers are now starting to recoup their photographic investment by turning pro, but the reality of doing so is often something that's left only as a dream.  For the sake of this article, we'll break down one of the more popular avenues of professional photography, wedding photographers. The DreamPhoto by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³Working for yourself Making a lot of money for a day's work Traveling Working only selective days Shooting, which is what we love doing anywayThe RealityPhoto by Elsie esq.The daily grind is hard Working by yourself can be lonely One day of shooting often means up to 40 hours of associated work Medical insurance, equipment and liability insurance is expensive Weekends are all but gone Shooting stops being fun and turns into a job Marketing costs skyrocketAgain, this article is focusing on wedding photographers, but the concepts can be applied to many other types of photography.Most of us dream of being able to quit our day ...

For nearly ten years I've been taking photographs, capturing moments and creating art with a multitude of cameras.  I've had an interest in photographyp for over twenty years, but it wasn't until 2000 when I started to pursue it more aggressively, actively learning and trying to improve, and breaching past the advanced amateur or hobbyist phase and move more into being a professional.  While the first few years were a lot of trial and error and cost a small fortune with film (pre-digital age for me), it was by far the worst day for me as a photographer.July 11, 2008 was going to be an amazing day.  I had been invited to Manhattan for a birthday party to end all birthday parties for a friend, along with a few other people celebrating their birthdays.  The party would be held in a private loft, above a nightclub that was used to check IDs and verify age before special admittance was allowed upstairs.  1800 square feet of living space had been completely cleared out with the exception of a kitchen table to hold alcohol and a custom built DJ stand holding 4 turntables and a huge LCD TV on it.  Any movie ...

Weddings are a spectacular event and mark the start of a life shared between two people.  Those who shoot weddings know how to capture the moments and truly work for the photos that will make the bride and groom remember exactly how they felt on that special day.  Being a photographer, whether you specifically shoot weddings or not, one of your friends or family members is bound to ask you to shoot their weddings.  Should you really say yes?Photo by Ka Red There are many sides to this question, all of which need to be examined.  Right off the bat it's probably a no, but there could be some exceptions.  Why not?Is your friend asking you to shoot the wedding because they expect you to do it for free, or for a fraction of what wedding photographer charges?  If so, the answer should be no. Are you an immediate family member of the bride or groom, or lifelong friends?  If so, the answer should be no. If you aren't shooting the wedding, would you be asked to  be part of the bride's maids or groomsmen?  If so, then no. If you have limited or no real experience shooting weddings, your answer should be no.These ...

We all have one of those moments when we wonder why we bother with this hobby. You know, the kind of "less than zero" moment when you begin to question if it's really all worthwhile. Share Your Worst Photographic Moment in the Comments! I had been in New Zealand for a couple of weeks just relaxing and taking photographs. Not too far from where I was staying was a small grove of trees that I thought would be worth exploring a little further for some possible photos.The day was a little dreary and I had missed the golden hour in the morning, but that's not always a big problem in a shady forested setting so I decided to get my gear together and go exploring. I packed two camera bodies, a couple of lenses, a tripod and an umbrella. Packing them all on the quad bike, I started heading up to the grove on the other end of the farm where I was staying, with the weather starting to look a little ominous.It was wet season in New Zealand so the ground was quite muddy, but the fields were very green too. It was very isolated and a very relaxing place to ...

Photography, like most arts, is something you can master in concept, but never stop learning, evolving and pushing the limits.  If you are just starting out, learning the basics and understanding the principles of photography are important, but as you become more proficient in the craft, you shouldn't stop.  As a seasoned shooter, the day you stop learning is the day you fall behind the pack, and when you stop taking the best possible photos you can.  If you're a professional shooter, learning the newest trends, techniques and equipment is essential so in turn, you can offer the very best product to your customers.The web has opened up an amazing resource of knowledge and knowledgeable people who are willing to share for free what they've learned through years of practice, trial and error.  Here are seven websites for free photography lessons sure to fill you with the knowledge and information you crave.Digital Photography School. DPS covers the three main focal points of photographers, shooting tutorials, camera & equipment and post production.  Each section offers several updates per week from novice to advanced levels with plenty of sample photographs and great explanations.  They also offer an in-depth newsletter the features bonus ...

We've already touched base on cashing in on your existing photo collection, but what if you're more interested in making money from stuff you're shooting now?  There are two main ways to make money from photography; getting hired to shoot or selling your work as art - each requires a unique approach to acquiring clients and making sales.Photo by Shoken What if you're still making sales though?  Photography is about telling a story through still photograph, capturing moments and building memories - here's some tip to get the sales that maybe you are missing out on.Things to Remember if You Want to Get Paid to ShootIf you're the type of photographer who's getting hired to shoot, weddings, event coverage, etc. then your job is to capture the event exactly how the people attending it remember it, and the intimate moments and interactions between two or three people.  Blend in, mingle and look for these moments.  What should set your photos apart from say, Uncle Joe at the wedding reception with his DSLR is how you shoot these moments.Utilize fast lenses, shoot wide open, the depth of field alone creates the separation from subject matter to the background that most amateurs don't ...

Competition Closed! Winners: Gabriel with 166 Votes, Sarah with 221 Votes and Bronwyn with 345 Votes and Knitting Satori won the Twitter section!Congratulations to the winners!We haven't had a competition for a while! Well, now we've decided to remedy that and Udi from Bokeh Master Kit has come to the rescue with some great prizes! It also fits in nicely with our recent article showcasing 27 Incredible Bokeh Photographs! What are the Prizes? We’re giving away three Bokeh Master Kits to the top three winners of the competition. Udi will ship the kits out to you directly! They are funky little attachments that fit on your lens! They are ready out of the box and don’t require any special attachments or software. You can read more about how they work over at their website.How to Enter Step 1) Post your best bokeh photograph in the comments below (Use the link under the reply box that says “You can add images to your comment by clicking here” to insert images into the comment). (If you’re not sure how to do bokeh, then check out this great DIY Bokeh tutorial).Step 2) Make sure you click on the little thumbs icon ( )next to your photo ...

Becoming a better photographer usually means being inspired by someone else, or at the very least, appreciating the work others put out.  In this article we'll showcase 7 photographers that you will probably hear about in the future who are on their way up.Alison ConklinAn eastern Pennsylvania based wedding shooter, Alison has been shooting for years and can often be found shooting in Philadelphia, New York City and as of late, Ireland, Mexico and just about anywhere else couples want to get married and have amazing photos captures.  Her unique style graces the covers and pages of wedding magazines on a regular basis and she routinely wins national awards for her work.David HessellDavid has a resume longer then both my arms put together, the highlights of it include travel to six continents, 50+ countries, a photography degree from Columbia and professor at the college level, and he's been published in dozens of magazines.  David's style evokes that of a travel photographer, not a tourist and his images make you want to book plane tickets, lots of them.  Look for his work to continually appear in magazines and his workshops to grow in size.Maciek SokulskiMac is a Canadian photographer who specializes ...