Up until about a decade ago photographers had it pretty easy.  Shoot, drop the film off at a local lab, then spend the next two to three days doing whatever you like; shoot more, meet with clients, lounge around your house, whatever.  You'd go pick up your developed film and prints and either build your albums or send the prints onto your clients.  Digital has offered us instant gratification and put more power then ever for developing our files, more commonly called post-production. With the seemingly endless ways to handle images in post, the seat time photographers now have with a computer in front of them can be as long or longer then a photo shoot itself!  This doesn't have to be the case though, and this article will lay out some time saving tips for your post-production. 1. Don't shoot with the attitude of I can shoot a little loose and just fix it in post. Digital is not an excuse to be a lazy photographer and if you start shooting with this attitude it can be a hard one to break.  Try your best to nail exposures, not only will your final image look better, it's one less thing to ...

Photography is an expensive hobby that can be totally fulfilling, while emptying your pockets.  It doesn't have to be though.  Here are 7 cool pieces of photography gear that cost less then $10. Mini Tripod - At only $1.25 these are cheap enough to buy a few of and stick one in every camera bag you have, the glove box of your car and even a purse or coat pocket.  While they won't hold a DSLR or even a larger point & shoot digital, they do just fine holding compact digital cameras and are perfect for helping do group shots with friends that you want to be in, or even utilizing the macro function of your p&s for more stability. Lens Cap Keeper - One penny will buy you piece of mind!  If you are forever losing your lens caps, these amazingly cheap accessories will help keep them close at hand.  Buy them by the dozen they are so cheap! LensPEN - stop cleaning your lens with the bottom of your t-shirt and use a LensPEN.  This small is device specially designed to remove finger prints, dust and debris from the end of your lens safely. Micro Fiber Cloth - These little things work ...

Photography is amazing, it is one of the only hobby's that can capture moments in time that will last a lifetime and allow you to recoup some, all or even profit.  Unlike say, snowboarding, where you need to not only pay for the gear you use but a drive to the mountain and buy a lift ticket every time you want to actually snowboard, photography only has the initial investment; beyond that, the world is yours to capture. Every few years a story breaks on the news about someone finding a priceless painting or artifact in their basement or attic worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  While we all dream for this to happen, what if you had a hidden gold mine in your photo collection stuffed away in a shoe box or hidden on your hard drive somewhere?  Photography is becoming an increasingly great way to earn a little income on the side, both passively and actively. What You Should Know About Stock One of the best ways to earn passive income is through selling stock photography.  Stock photographs can be used for anything from inner-office memo's and company email newsletters to product packaging and billboards.  Basically, anywhere you see a photograph ...

Photography is about capturing light though lenses, but choosing the right lens for the job isn't always cut and dry.  Lenses for landscape photographers can be particularly difficult to choose because the vast array of options available. First and foremost, there is no one-size fits all, do everything lens.  New photographers often look for the one lens that will do everything and then some, this doesn't exist.  There are options to fit your specific needs though, and that's what we're going to explore.  The real answer is 12mm-500mm, it really depends on what you're shooting and where you are in relation to it. Size and weight are also a factor for some photographers.  Because most landscape photographers are also hikers, campers and travelers, carrying around twenty or thirty pounds of gear can be daunting, so choosing faster prime lenses instead of a larger, heavier zoom lens means you won't have as much flexibility as a zoom lens provides but the trade off is a significantly lighter load to carry with you. Fast lenses, or those with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or faster aren't always needed either, because the sweet spot of most lenses, or where they are sharpest and perform the best, ...

Photography is an art, much in the same way painting and sculpting is, however the initial investment to produce art is usually much higher compared to painters or sculptors.  Oddly, you rarely hear of a painters saving money to buy the newest, latest and greatest paints, brushes or canvases to take their art to the next level; why should photographers always look into their wallets to produce better photography?  Lets explore some ways to improve your photography without spending any more money. Photo by notsogoodphotography Utilize the rule of thirds. One of the easiest ways to improve your photography is to frame subjects differently.  Rather then placing the subject directly in the middle, move them to the right or left third of the frame, or horizontally to the top or bottom third.  This can make a dramatic difference in photographs of the horizon, especially during sunrise or sunset.  A great example of how the rule of thirds works is in the photo below where the subjects are both to the right third and to the lower third of the frame, as shown by the window jams. Photo by Rock Harris Fill the frame.  Don’t be afraid to fill the frame when shooting.  There is ...

As somebody who finds it very challenging to manipulate light in photographic scenes to suit my tastes - especially as I tend to travel light without much lighting equipment, I was quite happy to stumble accross a guide by Mitchell Kaneshkavich called 'Seeing the Light' and devoted to 'making the most of available light and minimal equipment.' Like me, Mitchell is somebody who loves travelling and knows the value of taking as little gear as possible. Lugging around a huge pack even in your own home town isn't fun, but it can be torture overseas. I was therefore hoping that his guide would help me out. A quick google of Mitchell's name revealed that he has been the winner of the 2009 Sony Exposed competition as well as being an excellence award winner from "Color" magazine in the USA. He also shoots for Getty and has been on the cover of or featured in half the photography magazines I read! In short, he knows what he's talking about. The book itself is intelligently divided into three sections corresponding to the three main lighting situations you are likely to find yourself in - The Flash, The Reflector and Natural Light. The Flash Michell covers both ...

Some subjects make it very difficult to take a poor shot. European castles tend to be one of those subjects where even the lower quality photos you find are still very interesting due only to the nature of the subject. These photos of castles however, get almost everything right with great composition and solid post-production. Evoking everything from thoughts of fairy tales through to horror, a castle is one of those things that a photographer can really make their own. We think these photographers did a pretty good job. Photo by David Bunting Photo by Pear Biter Photo by Xavier Fargas Photo by Allan Gourlay Photo by Maz Hewitt Photo by Tomanthony Photo by Karl Randay Photo by Karl Randay Photo by Fatboyke Photo by Nicomedes Photo by Lorenzo T Photo by Simpologist Photo by Wolfgang Staudt Photo by Cinzia Rizzo Photo by PixieSticks23 Photo by Nikomedes Photo by Koert Michiels Photo by Fr Antunes Photo by NickPix2010 Photo by Sam Snook Photo by Saturn

The location of most lighthouses allows us keen photographers a unique opportunity to practice all the skills associated with seascape or landscape photography in a setting that is likely to produce some spectacular results. These photos of lighthouses show that if you're willing to wait for the right lighting and compose your shot well, the resulting images can be fantastic. We put this collection together from the great creative commons photographers of Flickr. We love these shots and hope you do too! Photo by Garry Photo by Xavier Fargas Photo by Viamoi Photo by Mic Stolz Photo by John Curley Photo by Macropoulos Photo by Wild Pianist Photo by Stuck in Customs Photo by Wild Pianist Photo by Karl Randay Photo by Jim's Outside Photos Photo by Orvarati Photo by Christopher Chan Photo by Lapidim Photo by James Jordan Photo by Janusz Photo by Xavier Fargas Photo by Caese Photo by Lapidim Photo by Christopher Chan Photo by Giorgos Photo by Taivasalla Photo by Terry Grealey Photo by NapaneeGal Photo by Sachman75 Photo by AGrinberg

Whether you’re a pro photographer or an aspiring amateur, you cannot ignore the fact that one of the most popular places to share photos, talk about photography and learn the art is the internet. And if you’re on the internet, you’re probably going to get a lot of the best photography interaction on social media sites. Here are our list of social media applications that make life so much more pleasant for we photographers – pro and amateur alike. Flickr – No other site has yet come close to it in terms of popularity. This is about the easiest way to share your photos online, not to mention comment (or get comments) on them as well as chat and connect with other photographers. The privacy settings also mean you can keep everything away from public eyes and just use it as a place to store your images. And we even have a LightStalking Flickr group which is awesome! [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Photo by Zanastardust"][/caption] Picasa – Probably the only real challenger to Flickr at the moment is Google’s Picasa. While the site itself is great, it’s the free downloadable software that really makes this setup attractive. It is probably the best free ...

If you’re into landscape photography then you will almost certainly know that clouds can have a massive impact on the atmosphere and beauty of a shot. Whether they are whispy and light cirrus clouds or thick and smoky cumulus, a cloudy day is often the perfect time to pull out the camera. But how do you photograph clouds to get the perfect result? Let’s take a look at some methods you will want to learn and also take a look at some stunning examples! Photo by Garry Let’s Talk Lighting and Camera Filters Perhaps one of the trickiest parts of getting a great cloud photograph is the fact that often, clouds will emit a large variance of light. From the deep dark greys of a storm cloud, you might find that the edges are bright white, especially if the sun is behind the cloud. This can make it difficult to meter the light. If you’re shooting digital, then it won’t be so much of a problem as you can see the results instantly and know if you’ve over or under exposed the shot. You can minimise the chances of getting it wrong by getting your filters right though. The first thing you are going ...