Finding Your Voice in a World of Photography Trends

Every year, photography trends roll in like seasonal fashion, bold colors one moment, muted tones the next. One month, everyone is chasing moody neon; the next, they’re knee-deep in minimalist beige. If photography had a thrift store, last year’s “must-have” editing style would be sitting in a bargain bin, right next to those dusty Instagram filters we swore we’d never […]

Remote Modeling Sessions, My Honest Take on Pros & Cons

Remember when “virtual happy hour” was the hottest thing in town? Well remote modeling sessions rode that same wave out of necessity back in early 2020, and they’re still bobbing along, for better and worse. My take might ruffle some feathers, but here it is: what started as a lifeline has morphed into a sometimes messy, often transactional circus. Grab […]

How to Rescue Soft Photos in Lightroom & Camera Raw

We’ve all been there. You line up the perfect shot, your composition is on point, the light is buttery golden, and the subject, be it a mountain, your dog, or your cousin Carl, is exactly where you want them. You get home, import the RAW file into Lightroom, zoom in with anticipation and… yikes. It’s just a little soft. Not […]

Retouch4me Apex Review: One Plugin to Rule Them All?

There’s a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from a streamlined workflow, especially when you work in the fast-paced world of portrait and headshot photography. When clients expect a polished product quickly, you don’t always have the luxury of diving into every layer or adjustment mask. That’s where tools like Retouch4me Apex promise to be game-changers. I’ve tested a lot […]

Do You Really Need to Go to School for Photography?

There’s no shortage of photography knowledge out there. From the countless tutorials on YouTube to detailed blog posts like the ones right here, you could spend a lifetime learning about aperture, shutter speed, and sensor sizes — all without ever stepping foot in a classroom. With so many free and low-cost resources available online, it’s fair to ask: does it […]

Why Photographers Need to Stop Giving Away Their Work for Free

Let’s talk about one of the trickiest little dance steps in the life of a photographer: saying no when a friend or family member asks you to shoot something—for free. If you’ve ever been guilted into bringing your camera to a cousin’s baby shower “just for a few shots,” or you’ve gotten the ol’ “hey, you’re already going to be […]

Do you really need expansive camera gear?

Photography, like almost every hobby, is expensive, and the camera lens and body you buy is only the beginning of the expenditure needed to enter and stay competitive in the photography game. If you are like me, and don’t have unlimited funds to spend on photography, it can be confusing to determine what will get you the biggest bang for […]

Embrace Ai as a tool to make things easier

Over the years, I’ve watched technology transform photography, graphic design, and other creative industries—and the latest wave of AI is simply breathtaking. When Change Rolls In Every business faces a turning point. Picture a scenic mountain pass near Denver: as you drive, the familiar landscape gives way to unexpected vistas. Similarly, when the market evolves—like AI stepping onto the stage—business […]

Retouch4Me, Ai portrait retouching magic

Retouch4Me Review Website: https://retouch4.me/ The folks at Retouch4Me reached out and asked if I would be willing to give their Ai photo retouching suite a test drive. Since I am always happy to try new software, and even happier to let you all know about my experiences, I enthusiastically said yes. My longtime readers know that I always give objective […]

Our tactile art project has launched!

Over the fourth of July week, my wife Carrie and I were in Orlando at the National Federation of the Blind national convention. This is the largest gathering of blind and vision impaired people in the United States, and we could not think of a better place to debut the tactile photography project we have been focused on since the […]

Big update on our tactile art project

May 29th Our journey so far Late last year, Redline Contemporary Art Center of Denver @RedLineDenver and the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Art @warholfdn entrusted us with a daunting task – to bridge the gap between visual art and the visually impaired. Whether it be paint, photography, or sculpture, art is a powerful means of expression that transcends language […]

Choosing the right lens

One of the most common questions I get is: “how do I choose the right lens for what I am shooting?” It seems like there are a million choices they are all in millimeters and they have f numbers attached to them. What the heck is the difference between a prime and variable aperture zoom/telephoto lens? Do I need a […]

Remembering Leonard Nimoy

‘ ’ . … ‘ Leonard Nimoy. Remembering Leonard Nimoy who died nine years ago today, on the 27th of February 2015, at the age of 83. Was an accomplished actor Nimoy was a passionate, well published photographer, who first picked up a camera at the age of thirteen. Over the years, Nimoy had numerous exhibitions and publications to his […]

TFP what is it – the ultimate guide

TFP stands for Time for Prints (sometimes also referred to as Trade for Prints or Time for portfolio). In the world of photography, TFP represents a collaborative arrangement between a photographer and a model. Here’s what it entails: Definition TFP involves a mutual exchange where the photographer agrees to provide the model with a specified number of selected photographs from […]