Unpredictability and potential imperfections are part and parcel of film photography. These may be unplanned, like accidental double-exposures or light leaks, or they may be deliberate like shooting expired film or a Holga or Lomo camera. The effect you see on these first of the roll photographs is another example … Read more
When you’re deciding on the best mirrorless camera for your vintage lenses, narrowing down your options based on what you plan to shoot with it and where is a highly worthwhile exercise. It will ensure your choice has everything you need while saving you money by ruling out the things … Read more
If you’re looking to buy a mirrorless camera for your vintage lenses, the good news is you won’t be short of options. The problem though is there are so many out there that choosing the best one for your needs can at first seem a little overwhelming. With so many … Read more
If you’re looking for a place to show and sell your photography but don’t have time to get into the weeds of coding and web design, one of the following photography portfolio website builders might be just what you need. While I use and would recommend WordPress for building your … Read more
If you’ve had your DSLR or mirrorless camera for a while and still only have the kit lens that came with it, the thought of picking up a prime lens may or may not have crossed your mind. For most people, when the time comes, this means getting a 50mm. … Read more
It seems to me there’s a school of thought that street photography is inherently better shot in monochrome. For that timeless, classic, gritty look, of course. However, most of the time I see a photograph that stops me in my tracks, or makes me stop scrolling on my phone at … Read more
If you think you’ve reached a plateau with your current gear but have never tried a prime lens, I’ve got good news. They can make a huge difference when compared to shooting with your kit lens.
A great one to start with is the ubiquitous 50mm – also known as a nifty fifty. Come see why in this guide to why you should have one in your photography arsenal.
Zone focus and hyperfocal distance are two timeless techniques that can help you improve your street photography once you’ve learnt how to use them.
Don’t be put off by the fancy sounding names, either. All it takes is a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow tutorial, which is what we have here, and some practice, which is what you’ll need to do after reading it.
Also included is a section on pre-focus, which is another closely related way of going beyond auto-focus and taking your street photography to the next level. Come read. You know you want to.
I was asked a question on an Instagram post that went a little something like this – “… how do you manually focus for street; what method do you use to guarantee pin sharp focus?”
It was a good question and one I appreciated receiving. While I did answer at the time, I thought it also deserved a more detailed guide on here. Because maybe you want to know too.
Shooting street photography with vintage lenses really isn’t hard once you get going. Come read and learn how, and get yourself inspired to give it a go.
If you’ve ever considered using vintage lenses on your digital camera but haven’t yet taken the plunge, it’s possible the thing holding you back is uncertainty. That may be uncertainty in how it all works, and uncertainty in whether you’ll be able to make it work for you.
I’m here to dispel those misgivings. The technical aspects of using vintage lenses on digital cameras are not hard, and nor are the creative ones. That means fitting them to your camera isn’t hard, and neither is getting good results from them.
Come read and see how to use vintage lenses on your digital camera.
Using vintage lenses on digital cameras has become pretty popular in recent years. There are plenty of reasons why this is, with a big one being the rise of the mirrorless camera making it so easy to do so.
Whatever the real and full reasons are though, there’s one thing about using vintage lenses on a new camera that cannot be avoided: you’ll probably need a lens adapter.
If you don’t know much about lens adapters and why we need them, this guide is for you. If you do already know and want to find the ones you’re looking for, the handy tables can help you quickly track them down. Come read, come learn, come find the lens adapters you need.
If you do colour street photography, I’d like to ask you a quick question.
Are you simply shooting ‘in colour’, or are you truly ‘using’ colour in your work? There is a difference, and making the mindset shift to actively using colour can help take your street photography to the next level.
Come read to find out two ways how and, perhaps more importantly, why.
There are certain photography types, looks, and styles that fall out of fashion and can make your work look dated at some point in the future.
And then there are eternal composition tips that pre-date photography and will never not be effective. The rule of odds is one of those.
Come learn what it is, why it works, when to use it, and when not to. It can help you improve your street photography from today, and that improvement will last forever more.
If you’re not selling your street photography on any print-on-demand websites – and have never considered doing so – then I’m going to suggest you should be.
I’m also going to tell you it’s not a get rich quick scheme. Think of it as a piece of your overall long-term money making strategy.
It requires some time in the beginning to get everything uploaded. Sales might be slow. But, for me, doing it is better than not doing it. Come learn exactly why.
If you’re looking to buy vintage lenses or pretty much any camera gear in Shanghai and don’t want to order online, there’s really only one place you’ll need to go.
That place is Xing Guang Photographic Equipment.
A 6-storey department store full of cameras, lenses, studio equipment, and all the accessories you’ll ever need, it’s my go-to place for my vintage lenses. Come see why, and learn all about how to go there to fulfil your photography gear needs too.
Understanding what ISO, aperture, and shutter speed are isn’t essential in making good photographs, but it can help you to make better ones.
However, for that to happen, simply understanding what they are isn’t enough. You’ll need to know how to use them too.
In this actionable post, you can learn both. Grab your camera and a cup of coffee and come follow along.
Lightroom presets will dramatically streamline your post-processing workflow. However, before you can use any you’ve bought or downloaded, you’ll have to install them.
The good news is, whatever version of Lightroom you’re using, it’s pretty simple to do so. All is explained in this post. Come read, come learn.
Post-processing. How do you do yours? For me, it’s all about the Lightroom presets. If you’ve never tried them yourself, I think you’re missing out on something that could transform your workflow.
That’s quite a bold statement, but this article explains all, with the main points being that Lightroom presets can save you time, help you find consistency and your own style in your work, and actually improve your editing skills.
Why wouldn’t you want to do all that? Come read to learn how. To learn exactly why you should use Lightroom presets.
If you’re a travelling film photographer, finding a place to buy and develop your rolls on the road can be tricky – especially in a place as big and confusing as Shanghai.
So to make your life easier, I’ll tell you where I’ve had mine done. Right now that’s two places. One called Weima Professional Photo and one called Film Park. This post includes directions, maps, and my thoughts on what you can expect at both.
Come read, come learn, and don’t waste any more time researching where to buy or develop 35mm film in Shanghai.
If you’re a photographer or blogger, or even a photography blogger, you probably want to use photo editing software that you know gives you the best results.
I certainly do for the images I post on here, which is why I use Lightroom. It’s not free, but it does save me time and gives me peace of mind. Both of which I value highly.
Come learn more about why I use and recommend Lightroom in this piece here. If you’re struggling with some other software, it might just change your whole workflow.
Got any old cameras and lenses you never use but don’t know what to do with? Having them take up space in your home in some sort of forced retirement seems a waste, to me.
So what should you do with them? What can you do with them? I think the best thing to do, for your gear and for the photography community as a whole, is to get them into the hands of people who will use them. You could even help out a charity while doing so.
There are plenty of options to achieve this. Want to know what they are? Then come on in, read, learn, and figure out the best thing to do with your old cameras and lenses.
After spending so long practicing and improving your photography, it’s easy to hit the wall, or plateau and find yourself shooting the same photographs over and over.
It’s also common for hobbyist photographers to lose motivation or inspiration for what to shoot. The good news is, choosing a photography theme before shooting is a surefire way to get back your enthusiasm, improve your skills, and vary your portfolio.
Still not sure? Come and see more about why choosing a theme for your next day’s shooting can only be a good decision, and take a look at a few ideas for what theme you could adopt.
Focal length is something I believe most hobbyist photographers can get away without knowing too much about. Especially those who never move beyond the kit lens. I don’t think it’s necessarily essential knowledge, and given the choice between learning it or going out shooting somewhere, I’d probably advise the latter.
The differences in your pictures caused by different focal lengths should be obvious to the naked eye, and you’ll know when you’re shooting what looks good and what doesn’t. Even if you don’t know why.
Having said that, an understanding of focal length is good to have when buying lenses, or simply wanting to know how zooming in alters your photographs in ways that simply getting closer to your subject doesn’t.
This then is a comprehensive yet simplified explanation of what focal length means for photographers. It explains how it affects your pictures without drowning you in science.
I love shooting with vintage camera lenses so much I made this whole website about the pictures I take with them as I travel around. But what is it about them that makes them so special?
For me, it’s a combination of a few things, as I explain in this post. I didn’t ever really plan to get into vintage lens shooting. It was a matter of circumstance, but I’m truly glad it happened the way it did.
Should you try shooting with some vintage camera lenses yourself? I really think so. Come read and find out why.