I had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Scott Montoya about his upcoming book, Path of the Freelancer. The book is a deep dive into the world of freelancing. The book is available for pre-order now at Amazon. Path of the Freelancer is available in soft cover at this...

The assignment was to shoot personal sports equipment (non-team sports). The photographers gave us some very nice shots, and the ways they came up with them really rock. Rainie Mills gave us a workout box with an example of its use. The key element in her image was to...

The client wants to see something special for his new PR work for a local church. The image should not have any cars in the parking lot and light MUST be on the front of the church. The client is suggesting a very early morning shot (or sunset if the light is better...

PROJECT 52 HAS BEEN A LAUNCHPAD FOR HUNDREDS OF PHOTOGRAPHERS OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS. THE TRADITION CONTINUES WITH A REBOOT. ENROLLMENT STARTS SOON. SIGNUP HERE FOR NOTIFICATION.

The assignment was to shoot Brussel's Sprouts. Anyway you want. Some people do not like Brussel's Sprouts, and some people love Brussel's Sprouts. Couldn't find anyone who was ambivalent to them. Either love 'em or hate 'em. The image above is by Karen Green who...

Nicole shot these images for the Still Life Class. The idea was to shoot a portrait and a landscape of the same image to see how the subject matter changes in the POV of the camera. She wanted a very soft, natural feel to the light. The photo at the top shows the...

This shot cannot be done in a studio, the client would prefer it be done on location. Snow is good. Desert is good. Trees are good. It's all good because their tagline is "It's Always a Good Time for a Good Wine" (Please drink responsibly means probably not while...

This is a fun assignment. An art director needs a cover shot for an industrial trade magazine. Which industry? Whichever industry you choose – but it is industrial. Mechanical… build stuff! The gig can be one of three approaches. People: This shot would be a worker,...

CHESS as a Business Strategy We read about chess masters. There are movies made about chess and those who play. An esoteric, and definitively challenging game of wits and skill. Like business. Your assignment this week comes from a business magazine (Forbes, The...

From some of the students in the 8 Week Black and White Class comes this selection of ten images that really look like film and paper. The assignment was to make sure the image was designed to look as though it was shot as a black and white, not simply a converted...

This is an ongoing feature of Lighting Essentials, a Place for Photographers. We will be looking at images on a consistent basis. The images will all be work from my 8 Week Workshops or Project 52 Pros. These critiques will be short, but very informative and full of...

OK… time to shine. This must be a photograph in which the subject inhabits about 25% of the image. There is not much specifics to this assignment. After the difficult magazine assignment shoot, it is time to relax and make something fun. Here is a Google page of...

This is an ongoing feature of Lighting Essentials, a Place for Photographers. We will be looking at images on a consistent basis. The images will all be work from my 8 Week Workshops or Project 52 Pros. These critiques will be short, but very informative and full of...

This is a new feature on Lighting Essentials. We take a look at images and how they were made. We will be doing these posts as often as possible, and if you follow along you will get a heavy dose of instruction in lighting, composition, and the finesse of solving...

"THE INCREDIBLE EDIBLE EGG" Yeah... it is a popular headline, but that is what the client wants. The Design Company is located out of your area, but wants you to shoot this because you have been consistently marketing to them with great work. A local restaurant supply...

Let's look at light and the four principles of how light works. First up, the size of the light source in relation to the size of the subject. Imagine looking out the window at the front yard and without seeing the sky knowing whether it is sunny or cloudy. We do...

Assignment Number One: Brief: A local newspaper has annexed an adjoining town when its newspaper folded up shop. The in-house creative at the paper wants to make a splash in the area by featuring some of its residents exclaiming happiness and joy that they can now get...

DISTANCE OF THE LIGHT SOURCE FROM THE SUBJECT The second principle of light is the distance of the light source from the subject. One thing for sure, if it is artificial light, the distance of the light source from the subject can change the size relationship, but...

LIGHTING PRINCIPLE THREE: THE COLOR OF LIGHT We see light usually as a white source, or at least a neutral source. It isn't. neutral, it has a color to it and that color can influence all the parts of your image, from shadows to highlights. We don't see the color of...