Discover the transformative power of negative space in photography. Dive into the art and science behind this often-overlooked technique and learn how it can enhance composition, evoke emotion, and elevate storytelling in your images.

During the month of January my Facebook group Develop with Light practiced slow shutter photography and ICM. A few of the members asked how to be more intentional when using slow shutter speeds. This made me think about why and under what circumstances I use this technique.

Today I want to talk about Creative Photography, one of my favorite topics.

In my workshops, I most often hear students struggling to come up with a photo composition that is both meaningful and pleasing to the eye; this is one of the most challenging photography skills. While learning about technical aspects like exposure, aperture choice and corresponding shutter speed is relatively straight-forward, the answer on how to compose an eye catching photo is a far more difficult to find.

Did you know that Camera Obscura, which is latin for dark chamber, is the term for a photography technique that can be considered the origin of modern photography? I recently discovered this ancient technology again when Lensbaby released their newest product, a pinhole lens, which I got to beta-test over the last few months. It surprised me to learn that modern photography has roots far older than a few centuries. But is any of this still relevant?

The beginning of a New Year is always my time to reflect on personal growth. 2020 was an especially challenging year for all of us and even more so for us here in Southern California with the riots and wildfires that took place earlier this year. Beyond that, the number of Coronavirus cases are sky-rocketing and another stay-at-home order will keep us from socializing well into 2021. However, while living a socially distanced life, photography has helped me tremendously in dealing with stress. Today I want to talk about the benefits of a 365 photography project and invite you to join my online community over at Gather Academy.

Just recently, Lensbaby came out with a new lens, the Spark 2.0. Since its release, I have gotten many questions about it and whether or not it is worth buying over the Composer Pro. I wanted to be able to explain more comprehensively to anyone who has questions, so here are my thoughts on the two lenses!

In the following blog post I want to discuss how the newest Lensbaby lens, the Velvet 28, performs in the streets. Back in March, only a few days before the pandemic started and people in California were asked to stay at home, I spend a last day photographing people on the streets of Venice Beach. Now we all wear face masks on the rare occasion we leave the house and Lensbaby published the Velvet 28 a while ago. Nevertheless I want to share and discuss some of the pictures that I’ve taken at what now feels an eternity ago.

Lensbaby is releasing a new OMNI filter expansion set.

Luckily I was able to beta test them and these are my initial thoughts:

I can honestly say that this product is one of my all-time favorites from Lensbaby.