In the past months, I was obsessed with some photos of Karl Taylor showing a blade of light on a model’s face, and I wanted to give it a go on my own. I had one problem, though. Typically, you make these shots using expensive strobe attachments, which allow studio strobe to control light in an exact manner. My problem was that I didn’t have any of those modifiers (or strobes), so I decided to replicate this type of photo with a projector made for speedlights – a device called Light Blaster from Spiffy Gear....

It’s always fun having the opportunity to create new images, especially when the subject is something new. It comes with its own unique challenges. Like this lovely Kawasaki motorbike that we took to a little carpark near the town of Kilsyth in Scotland overlooking the countryside and surrounding towns. I then grabbed my trusty Sigma sdQ-H with 50-100 f1.8 Art lens. The fast aperture and long focal length gives a nice subject isolation and scene compression while the little Manfrotto Pixi lets us keep the camera low to the ground....

This is not about a technical perfect wet plate. This is about building connections from thousand miles away. Overcoming obstacles and being there for each other. This 5-minute exposure captured more than just an image, it’s a short movie where the plate captured our thoughts and movements. Thanks to Shane Balkowitsch to be a part of it. We couldn’t do a lot of things because of the pandemic, but I won’t let this get me down....

When creating composites, it’s important to match the colors of the shots to make the result look realistic. There are several techniques for doing this in Photoshop, and in this video, Aaron Nace of Phlearn will show you a rather simple one. He’ll teach you how to match colors automatically in just a few clicks. As you’re making a composite, start by cutting the subject out from a photo, hold the Shift key and then click on the layer mask to enable it....

I feel one of the best ways to stay inspired and motivated with your photography is to focus on a project. To take lots of random photos of anything and everything often leads to a body of work that is cluttered, un-focused, and uninteresting. In this article I will share some of my personal thoughts on how you can create your own photography project idea. Why a “personal” project? Why a “personal” project?...