When I got into photography I never really give this much thought. 

It was years before I even purchased my first photography prop. 

I’m very subconscious about everything that ends up in the frame of my images, everything must have a purpose.

So here is my take on photography props.

As a photographer I’m always wanting to try new things so I can expand my knowledge and understanding of photography in as many ways that I can.

One of those things on my list was architecture photography, or real estate photography.

I finally got the chance to mark that one of my list. I will have to say though, this was completely different than what I'm used to.

IT”S SPRING!!! Time to pull out the camera and look for Spring blossoms and flowers!

This article may be a bit on the short side, but I wanted to leave a few tips for taking Spring photos.

So you’ve been dabbling in photography for a while now and you’ve been getting a lot of compliments on your work. You decide that you are ready to start taking on clients.

But where do you start? 

This article will help you to start picking up clients and get you started on your photography business adventure!

One of my least favorite things to do is take group photos, specifically at weddings! 

It can be extremely chaotic, especially when there are a lot of kids.

But, it is one of those things that you will find yourself needing to do eventually as a photographer. So here is how I take large group shots.

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at restoring and colorizing old photos. It’s almost magic to me when I see someone do this. 

I like to challenge myself to try things I’ve never tried before. That’s how we learn. 

Just for fun, I restored and colorized a couple of old family photos. Here is the process I took.

On top of mastering your craft, you must also strengthen your people skills. It doesn't matter how good of a photographer you are if you are not good with people.

I had to learn this and continue to learn it as I go a long.

Here are a few tips for how I interact with my subjects during a photo shoot.

Part of what really made my images stand out in the beginning, is when I started using professional camera lenses.

But also starting out I didn’t have any money to invest in expensive lenses. There was just no way for me to afford them starting out, and that is the case for a lot of beginner photographers.

But I found a way to get my hands on some really nice professional camera lenses for super cheap! Here’s how I did it.

As you probably know, I don’t use flash very often. In fact, I call myself a natural light photographer. I typically shoot outdoors with whatever natural light is available to me, and even when I shoot indoors I try to only use natural light coming in through windows and doors. 

If you don’t already know by now, I use a lot of manual focus lenses.

Not that I have anything against auto-focus lenses, I think they’re awesome! But here is why I use a lot of manual focus lenses.

When I first started photography I knew that I wanted that blurry background and foreground in my photos.

For me, I somehow understood how to do that. But as a photographer, I get asked this question a lot.

A lot of people think this is done in Photoshop. Are though you can add blur to your photos in Photoshop, it certainly isn’t the easiest are the best way to do it.

Photography has everything to do with light. So the time of day to shoot is very important. But remember, it all has to do with light.

Here is how I chooses the best time of day to shoot.

I want to be able to move around as I please and not be weighted down by a ton of photo gear. One of my pet peeves is that I do not want to be restricted in any way shape or from when I am shooting. 

As much as I love the latest and greatest gadgets and photo gear, flexibility is WAY more important.

Here is what I take with me on my photo sessions.

Recently a good friend and huge inspiration, Iwona Podlasińska, one of the worlds best children photographers had her Instagram account hacked and stolen losing almost 80k followers overnight!

This situation is beyond heartbreaking and one of those worst-case scenarios that got me to thinking about what I would do if I lost it all.

I absolutely love snow photos! Unfortunately we just don’t get very much snow here in Southern Missouri. 

We get some nice little snows from time to time but it is never convenient to take photos. I’m usually at work or something when it happens and by the time I get to my camera, it has melted or stopped snowing and just looks plain ugly. 

So Christmas is right around the corner, so this article is a few tips for taking Christmas photos.

It’s such a wonderful time of year and a perfect time to take some magical Christmas photos!

There’s so many great things you can use. Christmas tree, Christmas lights, Christmas decorations, and if you’re lucky, maybe even some snow!

When I first started photography, it was candid photos that really helped me.

After I got my first camera, a Samsung NX 500, I tried to test it out be doing a little family photo session with my kids. They hated it! I was trying to pose everyone and get them to set still.

After a couple of emotional brake downs, I gave up and put the camera away.

For the first two years I did photography, I put almost no effort into posing my subjects. I didn’t think it was that important. But the truth is, it’s one of the most important things you can do during a photo shoot.

This article won’t make you a pro at posing, but it will give you a good start.

If you are just starting photography you’re probably wondering what shutter speed is and what kind of effects you can create with it.

You have to think of the shutter in terms of time. The shutter is that click you hear when you take a photo. Depending on what you have it set to, the shutter can click incredibly fast or incredibly slow.

I get asked how I find such amazing photo locations all the time. The truth is, I don’t look for locations as much as I look for light.

The way the light effects things is absolutely remarkable. So I am very conscious about how the light effects things and where it is coming from.

Here is how I look for locations.