A mode dial on a point-and-shoot camera.
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Street Photography Camera Settings: Mastering Your Camera for Best Results

If you’re just getting into street photography, you may be wondering what settings to use for it. There are some differing opinions on this topic, but there’s a lot of common ground in the way that the masters of the craft approach their camera settings. In this article, I’ll be sharing the camera settings I…

Teenagers on a subway car laughing with text overlay saying 'street photography ethics'.
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Street Photography: Is it Ethical?

If you’re a street photographer or thinking about getting into, you’ve probably wondered to yourself about the ethics of street photography. It’s only natural to question something that can make you feel uncomfortable at times—and you may notice you’ve caused someone else to feel uncomfortable at some point or another. It begs the question: is…

A young woman on a beach wearing a pink shirt with her phone out.
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Some Thoughts on Street Photography Etiquette

Street photography etiquette is a tricky subject. It’s subjective. It also can be difficult to practice proper etiquette on the street when someone takes offense to you photographing them. While I certainly don’t have all the answers, I have done quite a bit of street photography and share my personal take on street photography etiquette…

A Fujifilm rangefinder-style camera with a 35mm lens attached.
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35mm Street Photography: 8 Reasons Why It’s Great for Street Photography

In my opinion, 35mm lenses are pretty much the ideal focal length for street photography. Many street photographers must agree because it’s one of the most widely used focal lengths among street photographers. After trying out pretty much every reasonable option for street photography, I’ve grown very fond of shooting with 35mm lenses. In this…

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35mm vs 50mm Street Photography: Choosing the Right Focal Length

Trying to decide between 35mm and 50mm lenses for street photography isn’t an easy decision for many photographers. After all, there are many examples of excellent street photographers who have shot with 35mm lenses and the same goes for 50mm lenses. Ultimately, one isn’t ‘better’ than the other; it comes down to your personal preference…

A man holding a girl up on a city decoration for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
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8 Reasons Why 28mm Street Photography Works So Well

It depends on where you’re at in your street photography journey, but it’s likely you’ve heard that 28mm is a common focal length among street photographers. But why is that—why would so many street photography greats and enthusiasts alike have such an affection for 28mm street photography? Well, as with anything in photography, these things…

A Paris street with a gold installation.
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Mastering Cityscape Photography Settings

A striking cityscape… is one where the composition is unique and the exposure is excellent (where the full latitude of the sensor or the film stock is utilized). I can’t ensure that your compositions will be jaw-dropping, but I can give you some guidelines/suggestions so your exposure does all it can to make your images…

A pinhole portrait of a young woman looking into a mirror.
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Creative Portrait Photography: Adding a Unique Twist to Portraits

Creative portrait photography comes in many forms. From a simple touch of color grading for a more cinematic look to elaborate post-work creating a contemporary piece of conceptual art, the umbrella is huge and the sky of imagination is the limit. In the end it’s all about adding a little, or more depth to your…

A frog sticking out of a pond on a lily pad with a butterfly on it.
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Camera Settings for Nature Photography: Explanations and Recommendations

Of all the photographic genres, the “nature” niche may be the least specific. After all, just about anything that isn’t man-made fits into this category. Given that, any discussion on camera settings for this type of photography would be pointless, right? Right – and wrong. While you’re certainly not going to use the same settings…

A river with a lit-up bridge and the Milky Way in the background.
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Best Camera Settings for Stars

When done right, a photograph of a starry night sky is awe-inspiring and is capable of reminding the viewer of the infinite nature of space and their place within it. But many photographers, maybe even you yourself, come away from the experience of trying to photograph the stars extremely disappointed. It’s not uncommon to botch…

The New York City skyline and the lights from the building being reflected in water.
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What White Balance to Use for Night Photography

First of all, there are many different settings you’ll want to be familiar with before going out to shoot the stars. You can certainly check out my article on “Nightscape Photography,” to see some of this information, but there are many other sources to learn this information. Most importantly though, photography in general, and certainly…

Compilation of portrait headshots with teal and white lines separating them.
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Corporate Portrait Lighting: Producing Professional Results for Busy Clients

Corporate portrait photography means you need to be able to adapt, be flexible, not waste anyone’s time and produce great images quickly. You’re not only dealing with people, but with people who are busy and don’t really have time for this, so you better be well prepared! Understanding your options and limitations, knowing when and…

A bright green mountain range with a village from up high with the sun shining but with lots of clouds.
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How to Sell Landscape Photography Work: The Mindset and the Methods

Would you rather hang out with Mother Nature than photograph people? If so, you’re certainly not alone. Compared to genres like weddings, events and portraiture, landscape photography offers a slower-paced, less stressful and arguably more rewarding experience. Unfortunately, it also means selling your work as art, rather than yourself as a service provider. The general…

A rocky shore with a blue starry night sky.

The Nightscape Photography Settings You Need to Know to Master the Genre

Nightscape photography is a fun and yet challenging field of photography. I have spent many nights under the stars and come up with some absolutely stunning images. It wasn’t all glory though, there are a lot of elements that need to fall into place for this type of photography to be successful and ideally, you’ll…

A drugstore at night in black and white.

What is Cityscape Photography? Meaning, History & Purpose

Light and shadow battling for supremacy in jungles of steel, concrete, glass, and brick… this is the hunting ground for cityscape photography. I say hunting ground because an adroit photographer has no choice but to avoid the oft-photographed and easy “shots” in order to capture the magical parts of a city that are overlooked. Most…

A bride and groom dancing as guests take pictures.
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Photojournalistic Wedding Photography – Is it The Right Style for Your Business?

Photojournalism at its core is quite simply journalism, the act of gathering and presenting information, through the use of photography, as opposed to other mediums. The job of a photojournalist is to capture moments as they happen with minimal interference. The mere presence of a photographer is usually going to shape the course of events…