How Photo Mechanic Was Born at Super Bowl XXXII in 1998

It was Sunday morning January 25th, 1998, and I was in The Associated Press’s trailer in the parking lot at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego. Last-minute preparations were underway for coverage of Super Bowl XXXII between the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos – Favre vs Elway. Perfect! [Read More] petapixel.com »

2023-02-11 20:54

How a Photo Editor Made $100,000 Photoshopping Dog Pics

Photo editor Mandy Helwege has made $100,000 so far this year Photoshopping pictures of dogs next to their younger selves.

[Read More]

2022-07-25 19:30

How My Photo Became the Symbol of the UN Global Plastic Treaty

This is the story of how a single photograph and an irreverent NFT community became the international emblems of the United Nations global plastic treaty. [Read More] petapixel.com »

2022-03-08 19:57

How My Photo Walk Almost Turned Deadly During a Winter Storm

On December 20th, 2018, a winter storm in the City of White Rock, British Columbia, Canada, made for some dramatic photos and resulted in the helicopter rescue of one man. The event started out for me as a photo walk with my adult daughter. petapixel.com »

2019-01-29 20:54

How My Photo Went from Reddit to the Walls of NASA

About 4 months ago, I posted a photo of my 7-hexagon canvas cluster to Reddit’s r/space (on a Sunday, the only day you’re allowed to post your own astro photos to the sub). The title of the post was: “I’m a photographer and print-maker and my passion is the night sky. I made this 7-hexagon […] petapixel.com »

2018-07-27 21:39

How My Photo Ended Up in the New York Times Without Credit

The Internet is becoming a hectic and volatile place for photographers to share their work. Social media enables photos to be put in the hands of tens, thousands, and even millions in a matter of minutes. petapixel.com »

2018-01-12 22:27

THIS is How You Apologize for Using a Photo Without Permission as a Brand

The camera accessory brand Tether Tools just earned a great deal of goodwill from photographers by taking a copyright infringement mistake seriously. After discovering that they had accidentally used a photographer’s image without permission, the company posted a lengthy apology and explanation on its website and social media. “We messed up and would like to […] petapixel.com »

2017-12-18 20:19

How Instagram’s Photo Filters Are Used by Top Users

My name is Stefan, and I’m the CTO of the marketing firm Relatable. To facilitate execution of global, large-scale influencer marketing campaigns, we rely a lot on data to give us insights. Using a sample of about 2 million Instagram accounts (with a minimum of 1,000 followers) and 40 million posts, I’ve been digging deep, […] petapixel.com »

2017-10-28 19:34

How to Dramatically Shape the Light of a Landscape Photo in Lightroom

Lightroom’s adjustment brushes allow you to apply local adjustments to specific areas in your photos — great for landscape photography. In this 18-minute tutorial from PiXimperfect, learn how to use the brushes to “shape light” in landscapes. petapixel.com »

2017-09-30 18:51

How to Easily Make Photo Selects with a Client Using Lightroom Web

You’ve always been able to do selects from Lightroom on the Web, but until now you needed an Adobe ID. Convincing a client or model to sign up for an Adobe ID can be a challenge. Now they can authenticate using either Facebook or Google, making the process much simpler for everyone. If you are […] petapixel.com »

2017-09-20 22:48

4 Common Photo Composition Errors and How to Fix Them

When it comes to composition “rules”, it’s important to understand the concepts so that you have them in the back of your mind while shooting. You’re not going to jail if you break them, but you will likely end up with a better image if you follow them! This 6-minute video from photographer Evan Ranft […] petapixel.com »

2017-09-15 21:44

I Figured Out How To Instantly Improve Any Photo – Just Add Water!

I’ve been researching and testing photography hacks for years, trying to capture unique and compelling images. I love sharing my work with the world through free stock photo sites and I’m always looking for ways to take my images to the next level. boredpanda.com »

2017-09-14 21:58

How to Do a Realistic Sky Swap in a Photo Using Photoshop

In this 9-minute video tutorial from Serge Ramelli, learn how to easily swap out an unattractive white sky from a photo for a more dramatic one using Photoshop. Utilizing the power of the multiply blend mode, it’s possible to convincingly change the sky in the shot in minutes. First, open up your alternative sky in a […] petapixel.com »

2017-08-31 19:02

AI Can Easily Erase Photo Watermarks: Here’s How to Protect Yours

Happy that your photos are safe online hidden behind aggressive watermarking? Maybe it’s time to reconsider. New Google research shows that a lot of watermarks, including those used by major stock websites, can be easily removed automatically by computers. petapixel.com »

2017-08-18 19:28

How I Shot a Photo Assignment in Zero Gravity

One of the greatest things about photography is the seemingly endless supply of new opportunities and new challenges. No matter how many “new” or “weird” or “difficult” experiences you’ve had as a photographer, you’ve never seen it all, and there’s always something unique about each project. petapixel.com »

2017-08-10 20:09

This is How Chinese Models Get Photo Shoots Done Fast

If you’re a fashion model in China who needs to pose for over a hundred outfits every day, you learn to work fast. Really fast. There are videos online showing how models pose rapid-fire style for the photos used on Taobao, China’s equivalent of Amazon. petapixel.com »

2017-07-22 18:24

This is How Much Photo Editing Can Impact Portraits

I’ve been doing professional portrait and fashion photography for over 3 years now, but from the very beginning I have always considered myself an “aspiring photographer,” because you never stop improving and looking for new challenges. petapixel.com »

2017-06-30 22:05

How to Cut Your Photo Editing Time in Half

Editing photos after a shoot can be extremely time-consuming, especially if you have not spent some time optimizing your workflow. If you’d like to speed up your editing process, here’s a 5-minute video by Mango Street Lab with tips and tricks for culling, organizing, and editing photos. petapixel.com »

2017-06-01 19:38

How I Shot a Photo Series Based on The Twilight Zone

I had been itching to do a composite photo series for quite some time. It’s something I had never actually done up to this point, but I was and currently am a huge admirer of the art form. I’ve been following the great composite photographers like Dave Hill and Drew Lundquist for the past several […] petapixel.com »

2017-05-25 19:33

Photo Gear News shows you how to make a DIY lapel mic

Professional microphones for video are expensive, and even if you have the means, some cameras don't offer the correct inputs. In this video, for Photo Gear News, Daniel Peters shows you how to make a DIY lapel microphone using a smartphone and a pair of earbuds. dpreview.com »

2017-05-22 23:58

How to Capture a Bold Wine Bottle Photo with a Single Speedlight

If you’re interested in product photography, Dustin Dolby‘s channel workphlo is definitely worth a bookmark. Using minimal equipment, he’s able to capture distinct looks like this makeup shot, and in this tutorial he’ll show you how a single speedlight can produce a bold beautiful wine bottle photo that looks 100% pro. As usual, Dolby breaks […] petapixel.com »

2017-05-10 23:20

5 Pictures In A Day: How The Time Of Day Affects A Photo

Travel photographer Mohamed Hakem recently visited Siwa, Egypt's largest oasis and one of the most remote places on Earth. Meanwhile, he did a little experimentation. 5 who took pictures of the same place for 24 hours, showing how the time of day changes the image. boredpanda.com »

2017-05-08 21:13

5 Photos in 24 Hours: How the Time of Day Affects a Photo

Travel photographer Mohamed Hakem recently visited Siwa, the largest oasis in Egypt and one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. While there, he did a bit of experimenting. He took 5 photos of the same location over the course of 24 hours, showing how time of day changes a photo. Hakem shared the […] petapixel.com »

2017-05-08 20:24

This is How You Capture Emotion in a Wedding Photo

Australian wedding photographer James Day recently shared a beautiful wedding photo and story that are tugging on heartstrings around the Web. It’s a terrific example of emotion being captured and conveyed in a shot. petapixel.com »

2017-05-05 20:13

Walkthrough: How to Edit a Landscape Photo in Lightroom and Photoshop

Lots of photo editing tutorials these days focus on one specific technique or edit—how to sharpen, or how to use the HSL tool, for example. But if you’re just starting out and you need a complete photo editing walkthrough, this tutorial will take you through a landscape photo edit from start to finish. The tutorial […] petapixel.com »

2017-05-03 23:37

How to Shoot a Professional Wine Photo with Speedlights and a Kit Lens

This simple step-by-step tutorial comes to us from Dustin Dolby of Workphlo, who’s got a knack for shooting high-end product photography with minimal gear. This time, he’s showing us how to quickly and easily capture a professional wine photograph using just two speedlights and a kit lens. Just like he did last time, Dustin breaks […] petapixel.com »

2017-04-27 00:07

Copyright & Censorship on Instagram: How Marie Claire Stole My Photo

Yesterday I found out that one of my photos was misused, stolen if you ask me, by a major international company. Sadly this type of thing is so common that it’s almost not worth writing about. However, it’s what happened during my quest to call-out the company that really captured my attention. I was contacted […] petapixel.com »

2017-04-21 21:08

How to Shoot a High-End Cosmetics Photo with Cheap Speedlights

If we wrote it once, we’ve written it a thousand times: you don’t need expensive equipment to capture high-quality studio photography. As photographer Dustin Dolby of Workphlo demonstrates in this video, even that expensive cosmetics look is doable with cheap speedlights… and skill. petapixel.com »

2017-04-08 00:02

How To Transfer A Photo To Wood

You may think that printing on wood is something that can only be done in a factory, but to our surprise there's an awesome DIY way to do that. A photography blog called SLRcoaching.com has realised an informative step-by-step video tutorial that requires only a few items. boredpanda.com »

2017-02-06 19:09

How I Turned $3,000 Into a Successful Fine Art Photo Business

About a year and half ago, after what seemed like a lifetime of living paycheck-to-paycheck (paying off student loans and other debts) my wife and I were sitting in the office of a financial advisor with money to invest. petapixel.com »

2017-01-20 19:42

How To Do A 365 Photo Project Without Failing

I’m a photography addict…and happy to admit it! So how did this addiction take hold? Well, it’s all down to something I’ve been doing every single day for the last eight years: a 365 project. petapixel.com »

2016-12-23 18:43

Lightroom Tip: How to Match Different Photo Exposures in One Click

If you captured a range of exposures for a certain scene, you don’t have to painstakingly adjust each one once you’ve got them in Lightroom. This really useful tip from the folks at Adobe shows you how to do it in a single click. petapixel.com »

2016-12-13 22:42

How to Shoot ‘Frozen’ Action Sports Athletes in a Photo Studio

For his recent project titled Frozen, photographer Denis Klero shot creative studio portraits of action sports athletes in a way that makes them look like they’re frozen in ice. Much of the snow look was created using many cans of Sno Blower, an aerosol spray that costs about $11 for a 16-ounce can. Behind the […] petapixel.com »

2016-12-10 19:30

How to Direct a Young, Inexperienced Model During a Photo Shoot

As a photographer on set, it’s your job to get the most out of your models—to make them feel comfortable, and help them help you achieve your vision. In this great video, photographer Clinton Lubbe of dphog explains how to do this when your model is young, inexperienced, or both. When you’re first starting out, […] petapixel.com »

2016-11-30 20:20

How I Faked Natural Window Light for a Photo Shoot

I definitely love do-it-yourself projects, especially those that help me out with a project in a niche way. I recently had a story planned and I wanted the opening and closing shots to be of sunlight and moonlight streaming through a window, illuminating a girl who had fallen asleep reading… but how the hell was […] petapixel.com »

2016-11-02 20:39

PhotoPlus Expo 2016 to offer 22 photo walks covering roster of topics

PhotoPlus Expo 2016 will offer attendees a total of 22 photo walks over a three-day span, giving them the opportunity to learn different skills and gain experience from top educators and photographers, including Me Ra Koh, Jen Rozenbaum, Michael Grecco, Brooke Shaden and Matt Kloskowski. dpreview.com »

2016-10-07 21:07

How to Stay Alive in the Wild… Using Only Photo Gear

What would you do if you were stranded in the wild with nothing but your camera gear? Could you fashion tools for yourself to stay alive? That’s what Chris Niccolls of TCSTV explores in this unusual 14-minute video. petapixel.com »

2016-10-04 18:53

Photoshop Tip: How to Crop & Resize a Photo to Exact Dimensions in One Step

Cropping a photo to exact dimensions in Photoshop can be a real pain, but there’s actually an easy one-step solution built right into the program. This quick tip comes from photographer and educator Phil Steele of Steele Training, a master whose more basic photography tips have been popular on PetaPixel in the past. In this […] petapixel.com »

2016-09-30 01:43

How to Plan and Capture a Perfectly Aligned Moonrise Photo

Photographing the moon can be spectacular—a rising full moon looks very big and is often red. And combining a spectacular moonrise shot with landscapes or objects in close-up can give really great results. petapixel.com »

2016-08-25 19:24

Humor: How to Ruin Someone’s Instagram Food Photo

This person deserves a slow clap… Someone finally did (and recorded) what many of us want to do when a friend whips out the smartphone to capture their dinner for Instagram posterity. Check out the video above for your dose of silly humor this week. (Warning: Strong language.) petapixel.com »

2016-08-22 19:11