Browsing all posts in Inspiration.

Your Weekend Photography Project – Ordinary Objects

There is something very challenging about finding the extraordinary within the ordinary. You have to slow down, look a little closer, and examine every object with the knowledge that there is something about it that is worthy of fascination. Photographers take pictures of ordinary, every day objects in order to train their eyes to see [...]

Composition – Simplicity

By Steve Russell. Although simplicity in photographic composition tends to be discussed as a broad category that includes the complete image, I’m going to divide the subject into two categories – simplicity in subject and simplicity in background. Today I’m going to focus on simplicity in subject. When someone looks at one of your photographs [...]

Four Things We All Need To Remind Ourselves

1. It doesn’t have to be a difficult picture to take, in order to be a worthy picture. I was talking to a photographer friend of mine the other day, and asked how he composed a particular shot we were looking at. He gave me chapter and verse on lighting, light modifiers, angles, the inverse [...]

This and That

By Steve Russell From time to time I like to write an article that covers multiple subjects, none of which would make a complete article alone. I haven’t done this in a while and thought now would be a good time. This photo has nothing to do with the article, I just liked it when [...]

Your Weekend Project – Purposeful Focus

Focus is inherently critical in photography. What is OUT of focus is just as important as what is IN focus. Using unexpected focus, or off-center focus, can add interest to your photographs. This weekend practice purposeful focus. Focus and recompose, or practice moving your focus points around through the viewfinder. Break away from auto focus [...]

Six Tips For Overcoming Photographer’s Block

By Steve Russell This isn’t going to be one of my usual 1,000+ word articles but for some people it may be more important than an article on the difference between bokeh and depth of field. Over the last two years I’ve seen enough comments here and on our Facebook page to make me believe [...]

BMP Greatest Hits: Beating the Intimidation Factor

I had a post all ready to go today, but things didn’t work out according to plan. Hey, it happens sometimes, right? So rather than not post, I thought I would re-run one of Beyond Megapixels Greatest Hits from December of 2010: Beating the Intimidation Factor In my recent article, Six Tips for Finding a [...]

Weekend Project – Pattern Interrupted

This weekend, train your photographic eyes to find pleasing patterns and unique interruptions in patterns. Patterns can be abstract or specific, and occur naturally or are constructed. They create a path for the eyes to follow, and are heavily dependent on lines and angles to inspire interest. There is especial allure created in a pattern [...]

10 Personal Photography Project Ideas

By Steve Russell If you take photography classes or attend photography school like the New York Institute of Photography or the New York Film Academy, you will be assigned photography projects. An example of one from the syllabus of the New York Film Academy is: Conceptualize, shoot, edit, and print a cohesive, conceptually unified fine [...]

Prioritize Photography

I work about sixty hours a week (between my “day” job and my freelance work). My schoolwork (yes, back to school I go!) occupies about 10 hours a week. I absolutely INSIST on at least 8 hours of sleep every night, so that’s 56 hours. Throw in another three hours a day for things like, [...]