St. Valentine’s Day isn’t just great for business. It’s great for photographers too. So grab the opportunity and take an original Valentine’s photo that’s sure to please lovers everywhere.

Work with a model depends on more than just posing. You also need to talk right and act right. Act natural, and you’ll get good results without actually having to instruct your model at all. Read on for some tips before you try out model photography for yourself.

When you photograph people under bright sunlight, they tend to scrunch up their face and look… silly. How can you avoid that? It’s simple—do these shots in autumn or winter. This works because the light in these seasons is much gentler on the eyes—the sun’s farther away, making it less intense. You can take pictures practically at high noon.

The aperture you use fundamentally influences your depth of field, and depth of field fundamentally influences your final picture. In this article we’ll take a practical look at a variety of apertures and how they affect background sharpness.

The foundation of any good photo is composition. Use solid colors and surfaces to rid your photos of everything that doesn’t belong, everything that might distract your audience’s attention. Bring life to your pictures—and don’t underestimate the details. Read on for some tips on how to add life to your pictures. As well as what mistakes to avoid.

You know the feeling—normally you’re always the one taking the pictures. But then one day you’re in an enchanting place or you meet your lifelong idol, and you want to be the one in the picture. Meanwhile, you hate selfies and you find them worthless. So there’s nothing left to do but to let a passerby take a snapshot. How will you teach them the basics of photography in seconds, so you can get something you won’t have to delete?

The summer months bring heat, with heat the sun, and with the sun, sharp light. For a photographer, harsh and direct light is among the most unpleasant light there is.

When you’re getting started in photography, even camera settings can be a sack of troubles. Now add to this the fact that sometimes you pull out your camera or cell phone and quickly snap a picture without thinking. In portrait photography, this can spoil your picture—it can deform your subject’s face. So—how do portrait photos look when taken at different focal lengths? And what should you do to keep from ruining your portrait photos? Read on to find out!

Like many beginning photographers, you may wish for your own studio. But do you really need one? Many pro photos today are born outside the studio. In fact, more and more photographers are avoiding classical studios completely. This trend has been apparent for the past several years. So here’s a tip on how to work like a modern pro from the comfort of your home—by creating your own home studio.

Hollywood has been using color edits to get some fascinating looks for certain films in recent years. The’re especially prominent in war movies like Saving Private Ryan and Fury. Outside film, you’ll find them in Band of Brothers. Contrast and desaturation electrify these works’ atmosphere. The same look does great things for photos too. Read on to learn all about it.