Quote: ”Light is the soul of a photograph.” – Fan Ho

Techniques and Tutorials:

The Importance of Finding Balance in Landscape Photos

Creating Powerful Art – Brooke Shaden

9 Priceless Composition Tips For Amazing Photos

Unlock the World of Fine Art in Photography

10 Brushes All Photographers Should Have

Paint Brilliant Color with Linear Light Blend Mode

Thought for the day: What is Useful Feedback on Your Photos?
Likes? Comments? Camera Club wins? All may or may not be useful, but what are your goals? If in your photos you are trying to be true to your own inner dreams, then is feedback needed? And what feedback is useful? Do ‘likes’ matter when you don’t know the knowledge of the voter? Consider your goals and who can provide useful feedback during your current stage of your journey.

History: On “Desolation” by Drysdale

Artist of the week: Fan Ho – The Narrative Photography of Fan Ho

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News December 5, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: When you move the horizon up you bring in a sense of scale” – Alex Kilbee

Techniques and Tutorials:

The Hidden Power of the Horizon Line In Photos And Film – Alex Kilbee

3 Superfast Ways to Auto-Repair Skin + Free Actions! – Photoshop Tutorial

The Ultimate black & white conversion for a Dramatic look – Joel Grimes

How to Composite Photos in Photoshop

Giant Reflectors, Scrims and Absorbers for $5

Quick and Easy Skin-Tone Copying in Photoshop under 1-Minute

Thought for the day: Why you should or shouldn’t care who likes your photos
Aside from family and travel photos, what are you trying to accomplish with your photos? Art? Fame? Interesting or beautiful pictures? Trying new methods in creation? While there is overlap in these, what is your goal? If you post or show these, who is competent to evaluate and provide useful feedback on your goals? Can you separate the useful feedback from people who are just giving you a friendly ‘like’ (family, friends, etc.)?

History: 1717, Johann Heinrich Schulze captured cut-out letters on a bottle of a light-sensitive slurry, but he apparently never thought of making the results durable.

Artist of the week: Sebastiao Salgado – Unearth the TREASURE in Sebastião Salgado’s EPIC photos

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News November 28, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “I am always stimulated by people. Almost never by ideas“
– Richard Avedon

Techniques and Tutorials:

• Should You Imitate?
• Capturing Colors Unseen: A Simple Tutorial on Cross Polarization Photography

Best $50 to transform your photos

$200 curved reflector results for $15!

7 top tips for better mono photography

How to Shoot Conceptual Photography

Thought for the day: Critical Onc-Chance-Only Photograph?
Walk through in your mind what you want. Simulate and brainstorm as best you can ahead of time. Figure out where you want to take the picture from, the best focal length, exposure, f/stop, tripod setup, etc. head of time. Do dry runs before the event. My photograph with the most awards, of a space launch from Vandenberg, was done this way.

History:
View from the Window at Le Gras – Oldest surviving photograph 1826

Artist of the week:
Vivian Maier – Finding Vivian Maier

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News November 22, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “I think all art is about control – the encounter between control and the uncontrollable.“ – Richard Avedon

Techniques and Tutorials:

• Remember This Date: Dec 28, 2024 – Death of DSLRs?
• Photographing Mushrooms Without a Macro Lens
• How Much Do You Make? 27yo Female Photographer, Austin, TX

How to Deal with Rain with Landscape Photography

Thought for the day: Copying or Learning?

In Europe artists train by studying and copying great painters of the past. Not just composition but also. light, shadows, color, brush strokes, finishes and much more. In the same way photographers can improve their work. And for portraiture Richard Avedon is one of the best to study. As you see each picture think about why the image works. What camera club rules, if any, does Avedon break, and does that matter?

Artists of the week:
Richard Avedon with great short interviews and Richard Avedon – examples

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News November 7, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

The post Photography News October 24, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “No photographer is as good as the simplest camera”
– Edward Steichen

Techniques and Tutorials:

• Ocean Moods – Michael Frye
• The Artist’s Paradox
• Art Plagiarism: Top 5 Worst Cases of Photo Plagiarism

How To Create Soft Light

The Key to Successful Exposure Blending For Stunning Interior Photography

Fraud Complicates AI Copyright (In re: Théâtre D’opéra Spatial)

Thought for the day: A Painful But VERY Useful Exercise
Take a bunch of your finished images. Maybe a handful to a dozen dozens*. Downselect them to the best 10%. Wait a week. Further downselect to the best image. I use to find this exercise difficult and painful but very useful. Still hard for me to do but the selection/evaluation can lead to better new photos and improvements in what you show people. Yes, this amount is gross.

Artist of the week: Edward Steichen – Photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography.

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News October 11, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: We all move on the fringes of eternity and are sometimes granted vistas through fabric of illusion.” – Ansel Adams

Techniques and Tutorials:

What is Fine #Art #Photography?

Portrait Lenses: A Thoughtful Conversation with Chris Orwig

Secret Life of Animals: Behavior & Wildlife Photography

Getting Started with Macro Photography

2 Mistakes the Best Photographers Never Make

Aberration in optical systems

Thought for the day: If?
If you never post-process your images. If you never ever share them. If the images just stay in the (phone, card, computer) until the heat death of the universe? Would this help improve your photography? Your satisfaction with your artistic life? With your life?

Artist of the week: Herb Ritts – Photographing the Famous and Fashionable

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News September 26, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “The pictures are there, and you just take them.” – Robert Capa

Techniques and Tutorials:

• Planning vs Spontaneity in Landscape Photography
• Previsualization in Photography
• Meaning, Use and Origins of Bokeh
• Top Photoshop Adjustment Presets
• Why Using the Golden Ratio in Your Photos Might Not Be a Good Idea After All

3 Things That Ruin Poses: How to Fix Them – Lindsay Adler

Thought for the day: Safety – Annular Solar Eclipse in October, be safe
If you want to photograph or view the annular solar eclipse in October it might be a good idea to order safe and effective solar filters now. Or for the total eclipse in 2024!

Artist of the Week: The Most Infamous Henri Cartier-Bresson Photo

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News September 18, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “The truth is the best picture, the best propaganda…” – Robert Capa

Techniques and Tutorials:

• Ocean Moods – Michael Frye
• Six Lighting Setups to Try on Your Next Photoshoot
• How to Photograph a Music Festival – Lens Rentals
• Unlikely Hero Accessories for Landscape Photographers
• Comet Nishimura will be at perihelion on September 18 and at its brightest the comet will be visible in the evening twilight skies of San Francisco low along the western horizon for maybe 15m after the Sunset.

How to Plan and Photograph Comet C/2023 P1, Nishimura
(8–17 September 2023)

Thought for the day – Forever?
Cameras don’t last forever, and nor do computers.  However your disk drive is going to die, probably at the worst time for you, first.  Also moving your data from a decade or more older computer may be difficult.  Back up your data. Frequently! And check that your backups actually have the data you think they do and are kept in a safe place.

Artist of the Week:
Robert Sargent, Taxis to Hell – and Back

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News September 11, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

The post Photography News September 6, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “Lately I’ve been struck with how I really love what you can’t see in a photograph. An actual physical darkness. And it’s very thrilling for me to see darkness again.” – Diane Arbus

Articles:

The Best Photography Advice I’ve Ever Heard – Stills in Motion, Episode 3

FRAMES — Photography Visual Patterns #1

Opacity vs Fill in Photoshop

What Every Photographer Should Know About Lenses

Example of the Arc of Storytelling in a PhotoBook

Another landscape shot with discussion on angles, sun, etc. and a detailed discussion on post-processing: shadows, highlights, blacks, saturation, vibrance, contrast, tone curve, HSL sharpening, masking, adding grain, etc. And why he made these adjustments. Also compares files from a Leica and Sony and result is they are the same quality.

Thought for the day: Want to Get Better at Photography?
Look at great photographs and paintings. Why do they work?
Take a lot of photos and downselect to the best 1%.
What is the difference between them? What can you do better?

Artist of the Week:
Mariano Vargas – not same person as the more famous Alberto Vargas

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News July 24, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “Yes, for me the drama of storm in nature, the drama of sorrow in life, are the most impressive. Oh, there must be a little bit of light, a little bit of happiness, just enough to indicate the shape, to make the limbs of the silhouette stand out, but let the rest be dark.” – Vincent van Gogh

Articles:

• How AI Tools are Making Retouching Easier Than Ever
• Beware the Poisoned Apple (AI in Art)

Leading Line – The Best Technique To Tell Stories In Your Images

JPEG vs PNG – Are You Using the WRONG Image Format?

Creative Portrait Shoot in Bad Light in Redwood Forest

Telling the Story: Documentary Photography with Thatcher Cook

Thought for the day:RAID as a Backup?

Another friend of mine recently had problems with her RAID disk.  RAID does not give you an offline backup.  If your RAID system is fried then you may have lost all of your images.  Make offline backups and store them elsewhere (at a friends house, in a safe-deposit box, etc.)

Artist of the Week: Nobumichi Asai – Media Artist

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News July 17, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: The negative is comparable to the composer’s score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways.” – Ansel Adams

Articles:

• Is AI-Generated Art Ethical? – suggested by Linda Lee Rutherford

Landscape Photography Tutorial

Creating that Dreamy look, using Vaseline

Andromeda Galaxy with only a Camera, Lens, & Tripod

Street and Travel Photography Full Online Course

Photoshop Retouching for Beginners

Thought for the day: The excellent video Creating that Dreamy look, using Vaseline has good ideas, but two major problems. This may be due to wanting room to video the back screen of the camera, but… use the neck strap or similar to protect against falls and anchor the camera against your eye with hands close in to avoid camera shake.

Artist of the Week:
Siegfried Hansen – Meet Germany’s most respected Street Photographer

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News July 10, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “Artists (fine ones) don’t copy nature, and when they do record quite literally the presentation is such as to arouse connotations quite apart from the subject matter.” – Edward Weston

Articles:

Dramatic Portraiture & Lighting Class w/ Chris Knight Tutorial

Lightroom Classic Masterclass 2022 – Developing Images

What Pros Know about ISO that Beginners Often Ignore!

How to capture a Galaxy with your DSLR

Ultimate Guide to Street Photography

The Biggest Lie Social Media Feeds Photographers

Thought for the day: What sees Truth?
What the camera sees isn’t what my eye sees.
What my eye sees isn’t what my mind sees.
Which of the three is more correct or accurate or truthful or meaningful?
Which maters? Which matters most for you.

Art of the Week
Human body is core, Coderch & Malavia

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News July 3, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.

Quote: “To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist.” – Robert Schumann

Articles:

• How to Quickly Ruin Your Camera and Lens

Generative Fill AI This WILL Change Everything!

Capturing Powerful Portraits – Photographic Tips and techniques

How to Shoot Like Sean Archer, Tutorial

How To Edit like Sean Archer

How to Quickly Improve Your Landscape Photography Compositions

Thought for the day: You can learn a lot about better photography from great Hollywood movies.

Art of the Week: Casablanca Behind The Scenes – many good ideas for photography in story, lighting, and more. Also see Roger Ebert

The content of this blog post done in collaboration with one of our members, Greg Edwards: http://gregoryedwards.slickpic.site

The post Photography News June 26, 2023 appeared first on SlickPic Digital Photography School.