Photographing the night sky can be a surreal experience, and star trail photography is highly rewarding if you have a bit of patience. Those 2 hour long single exposures can turn an otherwise mundane day shot into an otherworldly image. Photo by Andrew Stawarz When photographing star trails, your goal is to allow your camera […]
Author Archives: Christopher O'Donnell
Perfect Layers by onOne Software: Bringing Layers to Lightroom
Recently I was introduced to Perfect Layers, an add-on or stand-alone program that gives layer functionality to photo editing software like Lightroom and Aperture. Now I’m a Photoshop guy and don’t use either programs often, but I do enjoy the clean workflow that both Lightroom and Aperture provide (especially for high-volume projects) and see why many […]
REVIEW: “Andes” by Andrew Gibson
The talented Andrew Gibson has recently released another invaluable photography ebook, this time covering the topic of traveling to South America. In the simply-titled “Andes”, Andrew discusses his journey through South America and reveals the hows and whys to some of the most impressive photos I’ve seen. Andrew starts off with a wonderful collection of […]
Timelapse Photography: A Complete Guide for Beginners
If you’re not familiar with timelapse videos, you’ve probably already seen them but just aren’t aware of it. With timelapse photography, you can take sequential photos captured over a period of hours and compress them into a video of only a few minutes in length – this allows you to see a slowly changing scene […]
How to Capture Stunning Backlit Portraits During the Golden Hours
Portraits taken during the golden hours – that is, the time just before sunset and after sunrise – have an incredibly powerful light to them. The dramatic back-lighting from the sun and the golden tones that flood your viewfinder can give you an incredible image. Not only that, the mood of your photo is vastly […]
Capturing Powerful Photos of Fire Trails
Photographing fire performers – and the trails they make – is an art form of its own. These incredible artists can put on quite a show, and photographers love the opportunity to capture surreal images using long exposure techniques. Burning Dan by naturalturn, on Flickr Successful fire trail photography takes much skill and practice – […]
How to Photograph the Blue Hours With Amazing Results
While you’ve most likely heard of the golden hours – that time right after sunrise or before sunset where the outdoors turn into a golden paradise – the blue hours are also a fantastic time to photograph under dramatic lighting. Chances are you’ve seen examples of blue hour photography but didn’t realize that they were […]
How to Photograph Sunsets With a Surreal Effect
Sunset photography is one of the most common, but most diverse, subjects in the realm of landscapes. No two sunsets are ever alike, and the amount of unique environments and compositions are endless. However, there can be a great disparity between what you see in person and what your camera captures – blown out skies, […]
Review: The Art of Self-Portraiture by Anna Gay
Portraiture is one of the most difficult areas of photography to master….which is why one would should have a detailed guide by their side. With so many options available to you, it’s easy to head in the wrong direction with bad information – and waste a lot of time doing so. It really is imperative […]
How to Create a Starburst Effect in Photographs
When shooting into the sun or other light sources, you may notice that some of your images have a unique quality to the light – this is known as a “starburst” effect. This can create a very strong focal point and add an entirely new dimension of interest to your image. Photo by Christopher O’Donnell […]