Get a weekly serving of photographic insight, instruction, and inspiration from photographer, teacher, and author Ben Long.
Overview
Syllabus
The Practicing Photographer
- Phone photography with intent
- Introducing The Practicing Photographer
- Choosing a camera
- Looking at light as a subject
- Using a small reflector to add fill light
- Editing photo metadata with PhotosInfo Pro for iPad
- Let your lens reshape you
- Compositing street photography images with Photoshop
- Expand your filter options with step-up and step-down rings
- Shooting without a memory card
- Give yourself a year-long assignment
- Working with reflections
- Exploring mirrorless cameras
- Batch processing photos with the Adobe Image Processor
- Limiting yourself to a fixed-focal-length lens
- Creating tiny worlds: Shooting technique
- Creating tiny worlds: Post-processing techniques
- Shooting macro shots on an iPhone
- Using a tripod
- Wildlife and staying present
- Batch exposure adjustments on raw files
- Why Shoot Polaroid
- Seizing an opportunity
- Four photographers do a light-as-subject exercise
- Shooting macro bug photos with a reversed lens
- Varnishing a photo for a painterly effect
- Shooting wildlife
- Discussion on how to shoot architecture
- Using a lens hood
- Working with themes
- Setting up an HDR time lapse
- Processing an HDR time lapse
- Two perspectives on travel photography
- Scanning Photos
- Photo assignment: shooting an egg
- Reviewing the egg shot images
- Shooting in your own backyard
- Jpeg iPad import process
- Shooting a product shot in open shade
- Reviewing the product shot images
- Warming up
- Taking a panning action shot
- Scanning polaroid negatives and processing in Photoshop
- Shooting a silhouette
- Going with an ultra-light gear configuration
- Working with masks and calculations in Photoshop
- Working with flash for macro photography
- Colorizing a black and white photo in Photoshop
- Using duct tape and zip ties in the field
- When the on camera flash is casting a shadow
- Using Lightroom on the road
- Listening to your camera to get good exposure
- Shooting a successful self portrait with a phone
- Switching to Lightroom from another application
- Photographing animals in wildlife refuges
- Shooting level
- Photoshop and Automator
- Shooting when the light is flat
- Discussing the business of stock photography
- Shooting tethered to a monitor
- Making a 360 degree panorama on the iPhone
- Understanding the three flash setup
- Shooting a three flash portrait
- Understanding the differences with third party lenses
- Understanding why files look different on depending on device
- Working with a geotagging app on the iPhone
- Using high speed flash sync to dim ambient light
- Using your iPad as a second monitor
- Understanding exposure with a leaf shutter camera
- Photography practice through mimicry
- Canon wireless flash with built in radio control
- Posing and shooting pairs of people
- Shooting with a shape in mind
- Shooting tethered to a laptop
- Softboxes vs. umbrellas
- Getting your project out into the world
- Exploring how to think about shooting a new environment
- Discussing the book "The Passionate Photographer" with Steve Simon
- Highlighting iOS 8 updates on the iPhone5S
- Exploring manual controls with iOS 8 and ProCamera
- Understanding how to compose with an empty sky
- Using an iPhone to make a print in the darkroom
- How to use glycerin as a photography tool
- Understanding micro focus adjustment and Lens Align
- Working with hair in post
- Taking a quick portrait and directing a subject
- Getting inspired through the work of others
- Taking a flattering portrait with flash
- Creating an unaligned HDR image
- Exploring how to use Bokeh
- Shooting stills from a drone
- Using a monitor to get a first person view of the aerial camera
- Understanding lens profile correction
- Working with models
- Understanding the labels on SD cards
- Setting up a macro time lapse of a flower
- Taking a portrait that's tightly cropped or slightly obscured
- Tips for shooting panoramas
- Carrying a point-and-shoot camera
- Adjusting the color of shadows in an image
- Evaluating camera-strap options
- The 100th Practicing Photographer
- Using light-pollution maps for planning night shoots
- Shooting a series of star shots for a stack
- Stitching together stacks of stars
- Understanding how to clean sensor dust
- Dry sensor cleaning
- Cleaning the sensor with moisture
- Composing in the center
- Working with an electronic shutter control
- Understanding how to use the Wi-Fi feature in some cameras
- Exploring the software equivalent to graduated ND (neutral density) filters
- Don't be predictable in your framing
- Shooting with ND filter and flash to balance subject and background exposure
- Understanding when to go low contrast
- Reasons for shooting images alone
- Working with colored lens filters and converting to black and white
- Waiting for a subject when the light is good
- Understanding options for tripod heads
- Shooting a slow-shutter zoom-and-spin shot for light effect
- Shooting and processing a long exposure at night
- Getting creative with image curation
- Why equivalent lenses don't always meter the same
- Pulling stills from a time lapse
- Composing an image using what you have
- Using good photography skills always
- Converting an image to B&W with Lightroom and Photoshop
- Critiquing images from a group photo event
- Taking the "why not?" kind of shot
- Using a MIDI Lightroom controller
- Vignetting
- Thinking about shooting a metaphor image
- Evaluating different lenses with the same focal length
- Looking at anti-shine options for a natural looking portrait
- Exploring monopod options
- Shooting a product shot on black glass
- Shooting three images without leaving your chair
- Exploring options with high-speed video
- Light painting with a drone at night
- Inspire
- Taking a look at Google Photos
- Using your iPad as a cintique for photo editing
- The future of drone technology
- Correcting a B&W image for print
- Minimizing camera baggage
- Using the Dehaze feature in Lightroom
- What makes a good photograph?
- The importance of a catch light
- Working without a tripod
- Printer options
- Looking at tilt-shift options in post
- Handing out business cards as a photographer
- Shooting time-lapse panos with an egg timer
- Developing a photographic style
- Understanding the wide-angle macro lens
- Shooting with a wide-angle macro lens
- Avoiding the intimidation factor in photography
- Editing photos using a bigger screen
- Understanding JPEG profiles in raw processing
- Exploring image processing in Snapseed
- The relationship between saturation and brightness
- Working with Smart Objects in Photoshop
- Using a table or other surface to support a tiny tripod
- Storytelling through photographic images
- Understanding how cameras handle ISO and low light
- Exploring lo-fi printing options
- Making a transition from photo to video
- Contrast and phase detection in cameras
- IOS macro photography gear
- Getting access to photographic subjects
- Shooting a handheld macro focus stack
- Post-processing a handheld macro focus stack
- Understanding the job of a photojournalist
- Converting a camera to infrared
- Introduction to Bob Sober macro bug photographer
- Finding a macro insect project to shoot
- IR Conversion Part 2
- Macro insect photography gear and setup
- Raw editing in Lightroom mobile
- Shooting a macro insect shot
- Macro insect photo editing workflow
- Editing an Infrared image
- A brief history of photography
- Workflow with Lightroom for mobile
- You probably already have a full frame camera
- Shooting with a Petzval lens
- Nighttime drone photography using a cube light
- Photographing water from a drone at night using a second drone
- Remembering that your photographic vision matters
- Using the face detection built into the camera
- Working with raw files on the iPhone
- Using the gimble as a camera stabilizer
- What is a low-pass filter?
- Lindsay Addario's book, It's What I Do
- Photography with drones in an immersive view
- F-stops vs. t-stops: Understanding what this means
- Teleconverters and lenses
- Cards speeds and newer formats in cameras
- Recovering details and exposure settings
- Understanding Raids and when to use them
- Media card care
- Dual slot
- Adding EXIF viewer to your phone
- Shooting raw on iOS and Android with other apps
- Exploring smart previews
- Shooting aerial photos from a helicopter
- Camera raw filter in Photoshop
- Flying and photo batteries
- Using improv to improve your photography
- Partial vignettes on photos
- Addressing the concept of luck in photography
- Options for making a stand for VR cameras
- 360 image editing plugins
- Using a gimbal with an SLR
- Review of drones that are meant for selfies
- Telling a story with nine images
- Respecting culture and subjects in photos
- Photographing an iconic city or just a hometown
- Looking at the Nikon KeyMission
- Should you be shooting in 4K?
- Using metadata to sort and find images in a catalogue
- Scanning images for preservation and restoration
- Using images to find additional information
- Choosing a lens
- Switching camera systems
- Getting faster performance out of Lightroom
- Looking at video options on the Fuji X-T2
- Filling a media card to find images
- Media card challenge image review
- Using 360 drones
- Finding your place in the photo market
- VR gimbals
- State of the commercial photo industry
- Working with a photo subject
- Posing a photo subject
- Diversifying to broaden your projects
- Framing and safety
- Building Smart Previews in Lightroom
- Getting the best images by increasing the amount you shoot
- Colorize-it.com for colorizing black and white images
- Processing older images in a newer RAW processor
- Taking a safari through your own images
- Looking at custom book options for showcasing photos
- Shooting with two cameras simultaneously
- Making images in color intentionally
- RAW converter options
- Drone flight
- Basic abstract photography
- Aspect ratio
- Focus lock on your camera
- Getting commercial photography clients
- Using Adobe Bridge for renaming
- Using the Astropad app
- Working with dim sunlight
- Configuring dual cards
- Comparing the Fuji GFX and the Hasselblad X1D
- Long lens options
- Moving images from catalogs
- Photography education
- Large sensors and dynamic range
- The state of commercial photography
- In-camera focus stacking
- Photoshop alternatives: Capture One Pro
- Exposure isn't everything
- Why shoot film?
- Culling
- Photoshop alternatives: Luminar Pro
- Learning rhythm from magazines
- Choosing a film camera
- Essential Photoshop keyboard shortcuts
- Analog workflow
- Easily produce giant prints
- Photoshop alternatives: Photos
- Luna Display
- Choosing film
- Photo fads
- Konrad Eek influencers: Imboden and Grant
- Portrait lighting techniques
- Is a cinema lens right for you?
- Konrad Eek Influencers: Orland and Sexton
- Diopter control
- Incorporate printing into your photo workflows
- Konrad Eek Influencers: Uelsmann and Mann
- Loupedeck for Lightroom
- Manage expectations when printing
- The importance of being in a niche
- Printing small
- Not everyone sees things the way you do
- Why you should strive to get into a rut
- Lens flare removal
- Select images for a portfolio
- Paper choice for prints
- Seeing what you don't see
- Maybe you don't know enough yet
- Body positioning with a wide-angle lens
- Aspect ratio for portraits
- When in doubt
- Composition lesson from Instagram
- Looking vs. seeing
- Avoid the zoom!
- Confidence booster: Shift perspective
- Greatest hit: Working with a photo subject
- Essential skill: Developing a photographic style
- Do you need a carnet?
- Production insurance: Worth it?
- Back in action with Polaroid
- Scan large items
- Scan large negatives
- Wedding photography: Is it for you?
- Wedding photography: Skills and gear
- Wedding photography: Marketing
- Wedding photography: The business
- Create an honest portrait
- Converting video with ScanCafe
- Photographing birds in the wild
- Do you need an external light meter?
- A portrait assignment
- Why group critiques are good for you
- How to critique a photo, part 1
- How to critique a photo, part 2
- Greatest hit: Seeing accurate white in images
- Essential skill: How to look at photograph
- Am I good?
- Boredom
- Clichés
- Trying to control the shoot before you start
- Finding inspiration
- The difference between Of and About
- An everyday project
- Learning from students
- Photo project: Holiday edition
- Life as a project
- Why take a workshop?
- Photographic honesty
- Sensor size and depth of field
- To Instagram or not to Instagram
- Up to interpretation
- Photographic style
- Shooting a selfie video in focus
- Create a portrait with a tilt-shift lens
- Why things going wrong can be good news
- Should you talk to your model or not?
- Don't tire out your portrait model
- Photography drills
- Development stages of a photographer
- Don't overdo it!
- Digital chores
- Photos and words
- Stay-at-home exercises
- How to make yourself practice
- Eneloop rechargeable batteries
- Understanding your medium
- Darkroom for iOS
- iOS image editing extensions
- On set: Simplicity
- On set: Corners
- On set: The build
- On set: Lighting
- On set: Same pieces, new set
- Choose a price first
- Rewind: What makes a good photograph?
- Rewind: Finding your place in the photo market
- Rewind: Choosing a camera
- On time and in tune
- Five ways to look like a genius
- Five ways to look like an idiot
- Avalanche for aperture
- The value of instant photography
- Evaluating a wide-angle lens
- Buyer's guide: Fuji Instax mini camera
- Buyer's guide: Fuji Instax SQUARE
- Auction catalogs
- Photographic inspiration: George Byrne
- Get out and shoot (safely)
- Do ruts exist?
- 16-bit in Photoshop
- When do you become a photographer?
- The artist's statement
- Constraints
- Legibility and communication
- Good Photoshop isn't a good photo
- Check your goal
- Two kinds of seeing
- Photographers to consider
- The other meaning of practice
- Instant Print care
- How to sell a photo class
- Leave yourself wanting more
- Web-based photo editing with Pixlr
- Finding inspiration at home
- Photography isn't precious
- The practicing mindset
- Practice privacy
- Seeing like other people
- Why JPEG is okay
- The authority of process
- Shoot for yourself
- Printer maintenance
- How much can you crop?
- Fear and focus
- Discomfort
- Solo production, part 1
- Discomfort: Wrap-up
- Documenting
- It's up to you
- The language of shooting
- Practicing strong choices
- The book
- Collaboration
- Choosing a camera
- Is more dynamic range better?
- What can you learn from renting a camera?
- Seeing an image in post
- What does it mean to be an expert?
- Beware of overtraining
- Find shapes in landscapes
- Find shapes in cityscapes
- When to use a tripod
- Should you still shoot HDR?
- The 70% rule
- Lighting starter kit, part 1
- Lighting starter kit, part 2
- Moving from digital to film
- Use Stream Deck to work with photos
- Rewind: Looking at light as a subject
- Rewind: Composition lesson from Instagram
- Rewind: Deepen your understanding
- Work with a three-way laser
- The rules about rules
- An exercise in writing
- Make your own gear
- Diopters
- Revisiting your images
- You can stop worrying about gear
- The other kind of lens flare
- Story
- Resolution by any other name
- Shoot flowers with an infrared lens
- Photograph with app-based lights
- Surviving AI in the world of photography
- What I learned from David McNeese
- Why you need an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription
- Phone photo-editing limitations
- The AI elephant in the room
- Transition from digital to film
- Switching camera brands
- Work smarter, not harder, with a gear cart
- REWIND: Finding inspiration at home
- Is AI cheating?
- A film shoot critique project
- How to get unstuck
- Video settings for photographers
- Practice photography using AI
- An AI storybook project
- Interview: Jacob Cunningham, part 1
- Photo review: Failures vs. disappointments
- Interview: Jacob Cunningham, part 2
- Photo review: The right way to critique, part 1
- Photo review: The right way to critique, part 2
- How to make a photo book
- Rewind: What does it mean to be an expert?
- Photo critique: Elizabeth Greenberg
Taught by
Ben Long
