Tag Archives: An Expert Guide to Matting and Framing a Photo

Top 50 Photography Posts 2012

2012 is fast coming to a close, so I thought that now would be a good time to reflect on my 50 favourite photography posts from the year, covering tutorials, tips, news, videos, photos, inspiration, and more.

I tried my best to order them by content, rather than quality, but to be honest with you, I gave up. When you browse through the very vast array of content, I think you’ll agree that it would be near impossible to rank them by quality. Like apples and oranges.

Also, with 50 tutorials to browse through, the last thing you want to do is read more from me (I’ll be surprised if you’re even reading this), so I’ve tried to keep my summaries short and sweet.

Without any further adieu, here’s my top 50 photography posts from 2012…

15 Photography Mistakes I Made All the Time As A Beginner

I’m a big believer in learning from other people’s mistakes, rather than my own. So when a post like this comes along, I’m always interested in seeing if there’s anything I can learn. Fun little post.

50 Quick Photography Tips

This is from Kai at DigitalRev, where he lists 50 Quick Photography Tips in less than 15 minutes. Quite amusing as always, and good content too.

RAW vs JPEG (JPG) – The Ultimate Visual Guide

Shooting RAW vs JPEG is a question that every photographer faces at some point. This is basically everything you need to know about making the choice. Hint: you want to shoot RAW.

Common photographic mistakes by beginners, amateurs and pros – and how to avoid them

Beginners: Ever wonder why your photos don’t look ‘professional?’ Amateurs: ever wonder why you lack consistency? Pros: Ever wonder why you lose your edge or drive? Wonder no longer.

10 Ways To Improve as a Photographer

This post comes from by Jim Goldstein, a very well known landscape, nature and travel photographer, and he offers up some really useful insight into what he believes it takes to improve as a photographer.

Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Glamour Photography

I’ve seen a lot of posing guides this year, and this one in particular seems to be quite popular, as glamour and fashion photography is on the rise.

This Great Summary of Exposure

Understanding Exposure – ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed Explained. When you think of the craft or art of photography, you must immediately think of exposure. Exposure is a critical element that determines what is actually recorded on film or the image sensor.

The Ultimate Beginner’s Introduction to Exposure

This is a very long post, so be warned. But it’s one of the best guides that I’ve come across as it covers everything you need to know, and there’s good diagrams too.

99 Common Photography Problems (and how to solve them)

These are 99 of the most common photography problems and offered solutions to get round them, so you never have to be in doubt ever again! They’ve offered a mix of camera tips, explanations, definitions and more to help answer your questions.

The Simplified Guide to Getting Started in Photoshop

When photographer Devon Mikale was in high school, he created this lengthy manual for his newspaper class to help others learn how to get started in Photoshop. Here he’s shared it online for free. It’s great.

39 BS-Free Tips To Change Your Photography Forever

Is it a faux pas to include my own website in here? Possibly. But it’s the best post that I’ve written this year, and I wanted to share it with you. It’s something I wrote on a bit of a rant, and it came out great.

How Lens Focal Length Shapes the Face & Controls Perspective: A Lighting Tutorial

The lens or focal length of the lens you choose has a profound impact on the image. It effects the perspective, background and features of the subject. This is an important lesson.

A Behind-the-Scenes Glimpse of Matthew Albanese’s Magical Miniature Worlds

These amazing images appear to show beautiful outdoor scenes, but were actually shot on a tabletop in his studio. He creates extremely detailed dioramas that take months to complete, and then uses various photographic techniques to make the scene look like the real world.

BeetleCam vs the Lions of the Masai Mara

These guys basically strapped a Canon 550D and a Canon 1Ds MK III to a couple remote controlled cars, and got up close and personal with some lions in the wild. Some really cool shots, definitely worth checking out.

It’s all about the Jaw

Peter Hurley explains how he accentuates the jawline of his clients with a few simple tips that you’ll want to add to your repertoire for quick use whenever you have a human being in front of your camera.

Photographing the Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima

VICE accompanies photographer Donald Weber to the buffer zone at Fukushima, Japan, where the eerie silence mirrors that at Chernobyl, and follow him as he attempts to document the unfolding nuclear crisis. Gotta love VICE magazine.

Get Some Perspective

It’s good to have a little perspective—to know where you stand and just how big (or small) your world and the things in it are. Most pictures we see include something we recognize—a person, a house, a car, or something else that we already know the size of.

102 Things I Have Learned About Street Photography

Eric Kim has been doing street photography for five years, and he’s learned a lot through trial and error during that time. Here’s a list of 102 of those lessons. You can read my interview with him here.

Kite Aerial Photography 101

In this post you will be shown how to build a quick and easy rig to get your camera flying (without any magic wands and jumping from nukem driven airplanes).

6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know

In classical portraiture there are several things you need to control and think about to make a flattering portrait of your subjects, including: lighting ratio, lighting pattern, facial view, and angle of view. This is one of your first steps.

Give Yourself an Honest Portfolio Review

Portfolio reviews are incredibly important because it allows you to see your work through someone else’s eyes who are seeing your work for the first time. This will help you to see where you can improve.

Behind the scenes at a McDonald’s photo shoot

Isabel M from Toronto asked “Why does your food look different in the advertising than what is in the store?” The answer? An exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of a McDonald’s Canada photo shoot.

Futuristic Family Reunions with Skype

In Singapore, it is a common practice for entire families to gather on special occasions for a formal picture, often at a studio, with the resulting image framed and prominently displayed at home. The growing tendency of younger family members to take jobs abroad, however, has left many modern portraits missing a relation or two. So the Singaporean photographer John Clang devised a solution, piggybacking on the video-calling technology that already helps ease the dislocation of separated family members: Skype.

How To: Photograph a Stranger, by Jimmy Hickey

This video goes over the process of taking photographs of strangers while traveling the world, or walking to the local convenience store. The idea, the approach, creation, and closing are the four main points presented here.

How To Shoot A Liquid Flow

If you like waterdrop photography, then you’re going to love this. It’s creative, colourful, and very impressive photography, which you can do at home by yourself.

How to Manually Create an HDR Photo in Photoshop

Here’s a tutorial on how to do non-automated HDR for real estate photography using Photoshop CS5. I hate HDR which looks like a clown has thrown up on it. This is much better.

The Photographers You Idolize Are No Better Than You

Think you’re rubbish, and you don’t know what you’re doing? Don’t worry, you’re certainly not alone. Pros are just pretending anyway- fake it til you make it!

12 Things You Didn’t Know Your DSLR Could Do

Your digital SLR is a picture-making powerhouse. It likely has additional capabilities you may not know about—features that can improve your photos and make for a more enjoyable shooting experience. You may be surprised at the clever elves lurking in your camera body.

Famous Photographers: 225 tips to inspire you

Here are some insightful words of advice from more than 50 DCW interviews. Famous photographers from a wide range of disciplines offer their top tips and photo ideas, as well as provide insight into the best practices that helped make them famous.

An Expert Guide to Matting and Framing a Photo

Photos live in the print, and this is a really tremendous guide about how to matt and frame them yourself, with lots of photos to guide you. Sure, you can pay someone else to do it for you, but I enjoy this sort of thing.

Almost (I’ll make ya) Famous

This is probably a photo you’ve all seen before. Read the story about how the photo was taken, and the response the photographer has had since he first published it.

Inspirational Photos by Neil Armstrong

As the primary photographer of that first successful manned lunar mission in 1969, Neil Armstrong, was responsible for some of the most iconic images of the modern age. Come have a look at some of them.

100 Things I Have Learned About Photography

This is similar to the other post listed by Eric Kim above, only it is much more broad, covering photography as a whole. My favourite point is: Travel and photography are the perfect pair.

20 Things I Wish I Knew About Camera Lenses

People often think that the 18-270mm lens is a really great choice, because it does so much. False. It sucks. This post will teach you plenty about camera lenses.

10 DIY Photography Projects to Save You Money

Whoopsies, here I am again. The post I listed previously was my best post of the year, this is the post that’s received the most visitors, so I figure it’s only fair to include it. Plus finding 50 different posts is harrrrd. It links to 10 different posts, so don’t go giving me the credit.

50 Great Photographers You Should Know (With Portfolios)

Being a good photographer is not easy, let alone getting to that professional level. Here are some of the greatest photographers around the globe and their awesome portfolios. Hopefully you’ll be able to get some sort of inspiration from their work.

How to See If Your Photos Are Being Used On Another Site

People steal photos all the time, because they’re selfish, or they’re tight, or they just don’t get that it’s stealing. Using this technique, you will be able to see for yourself if anyone has taken your photos.

Rules for Perfect Lighting: Understanding The Inverse-Square Law

This is a rather technical post, all about lighting, and the inverse-square law. You may find it a little heavy if you have no experience with lighting, but I assure you it’s worth the read.

Scanning Film Negatives with a DSLR

I don’t know if this is something you’ll be able to crack on your first try, but it’s certainly a good way to scan your film negatives, you that you can maximise the resolution, and get the results you want.

14 Ways To Significantly Improve Your Photography Today

Here is a collection of tips you can go out and try today to improve your photography and creative eye. Pay no attention to the order, they are all completely random and spontaneous.

Ian Ruhter - self-taught tintype photographer making the largest wet plate print ever

Ian has created some truly amazing photos using a tintype camera, which he’s made in the back of a van. This interview and video discusses how he did it, and the amazing results he’s produced.

Dirk Dallas Shares His Favorite Phoneography Apps, Tips & More!

The majority of us carry a camera with us everywhere we go. And the best camera we have is the one we have on us. The one on our phone. Learn how to improve your phoneography.

The world’s 25 most beautiful travel destinations

Photography and travel go hand in hand, and if you’re looking for inspiration, and beautiful places to take photos, then this blog post covers a really cool selection of locations.

lebron, wade, and i

I love seeing behind the scenes photos like these, especially when they’re this good. The style is really candid, and expressive, and they capture the atmosphere of a professional athlete. Well worth a look if you haven’t seen them already.

10 Tips for Improving Your Wildlife Photography

More and more people have become photography enthusiasts, and more and more photography enthusiasts have started venturing into a genre previously reserved for only a select few…Wildlife Photography.

Tips From The Pros: Follow Three Photographs From Shutter Press to Finished Images

In fine-art, advertising, fashion, even landscape photography, the distance between a single press of the shutter button and the final image has never been greater. Here’s an inside look at what some master manipulators do to create their work.

Seven Things I Wish I’d Have Known When I First Became A Photographer

Scott Bourne wants to tell you seven things he wishes he’d known before becoming a photographer. Why would you not read this? My favourite point is number 4.

28 Resolutions from 28 Seasoned Photographers

Lots of outstanding insights, commitments and lessons can be found in their goals for 2012. And one thing is clear – regardless of their niche, these photographers are determined to get serious about marketing.

Online Hue Recognition Test

How good is your hue recognition? It’s important to know, because 1 out of 255 women and 1 out of 12 men have some form of color vision deficiency.

Best photos of the year 2012

The conflict in Syria escalated as the pressure to oust President Bashar al-Assad intensified. Hurricane Sandy struck the U.S. Northeast leaving heavy destruction a week before the country re-elected Barack Obama as President. In this showcase, the photographers offer a behind the scenes account of the images that helped define the year.

How do you think I did then? What have I missed? Leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks – Josh.

Hover over the image to pin it .

Top 20 Photography Websites 2012

Coming from a photography tutorial background myself, it’s no surprise that these websites mainly focus on learning, and reader evolvement. You can learn something new everyday with photography, and just when you think you know it all, something else comes along to challenge your abilities. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of what I believe to be the top 20 photography websites in the world.

I’m a self taught photographer, and when I first started, websites like these really helped me along, so I know what to look for in a great photography website.

The order of these websites have nothing to do with who writes them, or how many people follow them; it’s all about the content they produce.

This is a sequel to last year’s top 20.

Without further ado, here they are…

Top 20

1 - Fstoppers

Number one. This is going to need more justification than any of the others, so here it goes… Fstoppers do things a little bit differently; they base their website on videos. Really high quality videos. You may find this odd for someone such as myself, but even though I’ve written 200 articles for this website, I find it really hard to learn by reading on the internet. I’m a much more visual person, so Fstoppers really suit me well, and I hope you’ll find something good from them too.

This isn’t a traditional tutorial website like many of the others on this list, but I find their content to be just as interesting.

Here’s an excellent example of the type of content that you can expect from Fstoppers: The iPhone Fashion Shoot By Lee Morris.

2 - PopPhoto

If you viewed last year’s Top 20 Photography websites, then you’ll know that PopPhoto came out at number one, but this year, they’ve dropped one place, to number two. It’s just a really good all-round website, full of tutorials, photos, news, and reviews. I’ve found myself lost on their homepage for hours, delving into articles ranging from portrait photography, to the legal aspects of photography.

Here’s some reading to get you started: 12 Things You Didn’t Know Your DSLR Could Do.

3 - Pixiq

You have more than likely heard of Pixiq before, and if you haven’t, then I’m willing to be that you’ve read something by one of their writers, somewhere on the internet. They’ve invested in a team of contributors, many of which could (and do) run websites themselves. Names like Damien Franco, Alex Koloskov, and Haje Jan Kamps all spring to mind.

But enough name dropping, it’s the content that really matters. The first thing you’ll notice is that there’s a lot of posts on the legality of taking photos, and current cases, but this can make for some pretty heavy reading. I like to flick through their homepage scroller and explore the vast array of new content which is posted regularly.

Read this (don’t worry, it’s fairly light): How To Become A Successful Photographer.

4 - Strobist

David Hobby is the man. No question about it, when I want to know something to do with lighting, this is my first (and usually only) stop. Sure, it’s not the most attractive website in the world, and perhaps a little bit hard to work around, but it’s the content that speak for itself. I know that I’m not the only one who would say that his Lighting 101 course has changed the way I use my flash. David is also a fairly active Twitter user too and you can follow him here.

Same as last year, I recommend reading: Lighting 101.

5 - Digital Photography School

Here’s another website that needs no introduction. I know you’ve visited before, because lets face it, you can’t really Google anything to do with photography without ending up here. The site was started by Darren Rowse (a very highly respected blogger and photographer) in 2006, and it’s amassed an incredible 888,000 subscribers since then. It’s not about numbers though, it’s about the content, and DPS has plenty of it. With a huge range of guest writers, over many years, there’s barely anything that’s not been covered here. Be sure to check out their forum too.

Start here: Giving Film a Go.

6 - PictureCorrect

The thing I love about PictureCorrect is their diversity. Just have a look at their homepage, it ranges from cat photography, all the way down to the study of what makes one photographer different to another. I often frequent this website when I’m bored, because there’s always something just a little bit different on there. It’s also an excellent resource for finding reviews for camera gear, and shopping guides. Be sure to check out their photographers network.

This is good: Photographing Smoke.

7 - Fro Knows Photo

Love him or hate him; pick one… That seems to be the general consensus at least. He’s a photographers with a big personality and even bigger hair, from which the name of the site came. Seriously though, he provides some really good content, and if you shoot in RAW (you do, don’t you? You’d better), then you will find his website really useful.

I don’t really know where to start, he has such an extensive selection of content, ranging from quick tips, beginner’s advice, and hands on with the new Lytro camera (the one where you can select the focus later), to videos of him chatting with his grandma.

The site is run by Jared Polin, who I met back in March and ending up losing a dance-off to (not even joking). You’ve probably seen his ‘I Shoot RAW’ T-Shirts about before, and although I didn’t really like his old designs, he’s brought out some really cool ones recently. And I know for a fact that he throws from freebies in with the package too. I’m still waiting for the one he said he’d give me though (I’m a medium Jared)…

Click on the ‘Random’ slot machine at the top of the page.

8 - Light Stalking

Light stalking focuses on beautiful photography, so if that’s your thing (and I’m assuming it is), then this is the site for you. I regularly find my newsfeed on Facebook filled with posts like ’50 Beautiful photos of…’ and ’100 photography links…’, so although they focus slightly less on tutorials (there’s still plenty), they still make for a great resource.

As someone who shoots with wide angles a lot, I really enjoyed this: What Photographers Must Know About Using Extreme Wide Angle Lenses.

9 - Improve Photography

Improve Photography is run by Jim Harmer, who seems to never sleep. By that, I mean not only has he built this very successful website in a little over a year, but written ebooks, created courses, tons of content, photos, and other websites too. Oh, and he’s also finishing a law degree. You may well have been linked to Improve Photography before, because something Jim is really good at, is writing content that gets shared relentlessly on the internet. It’s a really great, young website, that has come far in a very short space of time. Watch out for this one.

Here’s what has to be his most popular article: 22 Things You Can Do Today To Change Your Photography Forever.

10 -Cambridge In Colour

Cambridge In Colour have jumped up one place from last year, and for one very simple reason: they’ve redone their website. A simple, yet effective redesign has made it much more welcoming, and easier to browse, and their content has always spoken for itself. I would liken this website to an online textbook, as the resources cover everything you could hope for, and is organized in a way that’s easy to browse. Why’s it not higher on the list? Well, although the content is very good and excels in some areas, I have found it to be lacking in some really important subjects, such as composition.

When it’s good, it’s great: Natural Light In Photography.

11 - PhotoTuts

PhotoTuts is probably one of the biggest websites on this list, because it’s not just a website, it’s an entire network. Content is posted everyday in their photography section, but it seems that they’ve started to take the website in a different direction. They’ve started charging people to view their premium content. I’m not saying that it wouldn’t be worth the money, and I’m certainly not suggesting that the rest of the content is no good, but it’s not really in the same spirit as the rest of the websites on this list. Nevertheless, a great website.

I just found this, and it’s really useful: An Expert Guide to Matting and Framing a Photo.

12 - 500px

If you read last year’s list, then you will probably notice the distinct lack of Flickr on this list, which has been replaced with 500px instead. I don’t really think I need to explain why Flickr isn’t that great anymore, and I’ve found that more serious photographers have made the switch to 500px instead. It’s a really nice website to navigate and photos look great on there, with a simple UI.

But wait, there’s more! There’s a really cool blog on 500px, which focuses on taking photos and good photography. Check it out.

Here’s one I’ve featured on this blog before: Almost (I’ll make ya) Famous.

13 - Chase Jarvis

These next three blogs have been the hardest to put them in order, because where do you place three personal blogs, which easily rival any of the other websites on here? I first came across Chase Jarvis a couple years ago when I saw this video on Workflow, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Not only does his blog cover the same sorts of tutorials, news, and videos that the other websites here do, but it also focuses on a behind the scenes look into the world of a professional photographer.

This video changed the way I manage my photos: Chase Jarvis TECH: Complete Workflow for Photo and Video.

14 - Scott Kelby

Scott Kelby is a name you’re probably very familiar with, maybe because you’ve read one of his 2 books on my Top 20 Photography Books post, or perhaps Scott has taught you Photoshop & Photography at KelbyTraining.com. He is also Editor-in-Chief for Photoshop User magazine and hosts shows at KelbyTV.com. If you’ve not heard of Scott, then that description probably gives you an good indication of what it is he does. Whenever I want to know something about Photoshop, one of Scott’s websites always helps me out.

This is really a pretty big undersell, but we don’t have all day, just be sure to have a browse through his website.

15 - Joe McNally

You might know Joe from his 3 books on my Top 20 Photography Books, or perhaps his place in my Top 20 Most Influential Photographer Bloggers, but it’s more likely that you’ve seen his website before. The one thing that Joe has really helped me the most with is portrait lighting, which is a subject he covers often. Again, no description will do him justice, go and click on the link below.

Don’t like reading from a computer too much? Check out his videos.

16 - DIY Photography

This is a great website to be creative with your photography and impress your friends with the results (while taking all the credit too). The site’s content ranges from cool photography products, to interesting photography ideas, and of course, DIY Photography. By DIY photography, I mean photos that were taken with a low budget gear, which look like they were taken with much more expensive kit. It’s no secret that studio gear is expensive, so it’s great to see a website which is getting similar results, at a much lower cost.

Here’s a great example of what to expect: How To Build A White Background Home Video Studio.

17 - Photography Talk

This is one of the best photography communities on the internet, with over 200,000 fans on Facebook. The tutorials on this website are… alright, but there’s nothing that really stands out too much to me. I think the main selling point of this website is the forum. It’s enormous. I typically don’t like big forums, but this one is actually pretty welcoming, and sometimes you just can’t beat a community of photographers that size. There’s so much knowledge floating around, and people that are happy to help, it’s a great place to go if you’ve got any problems.

Check out the forum.

18 - British Journal of Photography

BJP is THE photography news website on the internet, and with very good reason. Established in 1854, British Journal of Photography is the longest-running photography magazine in not just Britain, but the world. The site is updated daily with news articles, informational resources, community galleries, and forums. This is a proper website, with quality articles; it’s for more serious photographers with a true interest in the industry.

And as a Brit myself, it’s nice to tip my hat to another British website.

Looking for work? Check out the jobs section.

19 - PhotoShelter

You may well be familiar with PhotoShelter if you run your photography website with them, but did you know they have a blog too? Their main site is great for photographers because they provide professional photography templates, as well as client and sales management tools, for a pretty reasonable price. Their blog is a free service though, with a really useful and diverse selection of content. They cover composition, tips on creating your portfolio, advice on the business of photography, search engine optimisation, and much more.

Here’s a good place to start: 10 Secrets to Successful Online Photo Portfolios.

20 - PetaPixel

PetaPixel take the best photography content on the internet, and share it with you on their own website. I’ve even been featured there myself. It’s a really lazy way to keep on top of some of the best photography websites around, and find content that’s a little bit different to the tutorials that you may typically browse. This is the sort of website that I like to click ‘like’ on Facebook, and then browse through their updates in my newsfeed when I’m bored or procrastinating (daily).

Here’s an example of what you can expect: Woman Born Completely Blind Now a Successful Photographer.

Bonus Site

Photo Attorney

This website is like a niche within a niche; it’s photography law, within photography. It’s a really good website to go to if you have any questions about the legality of certain photography situations. It can be a little bit heavy at times, but they do provide some really good content.That’s the complete list! I hope you’ve found a couple of sites that you’ve not heard of before, and if there’s any that you think should be in this list, please leave a comment below.