Many photographers think that learning how to find the ideal location and take a picture at the right time is all they need to know. However, this isn’t the case, and in a world where CGI rivals reality and touch-ups via photo editing software are now seen as a necessity to customers, relying on point and click will kill your photography business. Here are seven reasons every photographer should learn how to use Photoshop.   Royalty Free Photo Touch-Ups Are Essential When a family orders school photos, they pay a flat fee for copies of the school pictures and a little more if the child’s name is embossed on the picture. They pay a separate fee if the picture is touched up, whether it is hiding acne or reducing glare on the child’s glasses. Photographers who know how to touch up photos without making it look artificial or cartoonish can ... Read more

The post 7 Reasons Every Photographer Should Learn How to Use Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography Tutorials.

There’s a school of thought which says anyone with a camera could take pictures. Why should pay high to hire someone to do it for you, if you can simply whip out your phone or fancy digital camera and snap away? With regards to wedding photography there’s even of school of thought who says you simply get all your visitors or guests to take pictures and upload them to a website for everyone to see. That is great, if you have some visitors who are skilled with a camera and are ready to spend your memorable event looking through the lens, rather than enjoying the occasion. In general, you’re much better off putting yourselves in the hands of an expert wedding photographer, in order that you end up with an amazing set of pictures which do justice your very special day. Here are the reasons why you need to get ... Read more

The post Why You Need Professional Wedding Photographer? appeared first on Digital Photography Tutorials.

Replacing the background of a photo can be useful at times if you want to superimpose the subject into a different setting, create a transparency, and so on. In fact it can be extremely helpful if you’ve snapped a photo where the subject looks great, but the background leaves a lot to be desired. Although it might sound fairly complicated to remove and replace the background of a photo, with Movavi Photo Editor it isn’t anywhere near as difficult as you imagine. To be honest even if you have absolutely no experience editing photos, you should be able to change background in a photo in a matter of minutes. To get started, launch Movavi Photo Editor and click on the ‘Browse for Images’ button located right in the middle of the main window. If you prefer you could drag and drop the photo that you want to edit into that area ... Read more

The post How to Change the Background of a Photo appeared first on Digital Photography Tutorials.

Freelancing can be a tough gig, but there is no better time than a new year to begin building (or rebuilding) a fantastic new business where you can do what you love. Being successful has a lot to do with your drive and passion, but depends largely on your efficiency, workflow and presentation. In this […]

The post 25 Best Freelance Tools to Enhance Your Business for Free appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

One of the challenges of coding premium WordPress themes is the unpredictable nature of how they will be used. Compared to coding a custom website, especially one using static HTML documents where you have complete control over the markup, you have to solve problems creatively and ensure flexibility. In these cases, CSS selectors make all […]

The post The Power of CSS Selectors and How to Use Them appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

Fonts took on a revival in handmade styles this year, from calligraphic, script and handwritten to brush painted and block-printed. Combined with the great visual appeal of hero images and typographic layouts in web design, handwriting fonts are a trend that you can expect to see more of. In this article you’ll find a fresh […]

The post 75+ High Quality Free Fonts: Handwriting, Script & Brush Fonts appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

Getting content to center perfectly within an element and then ensuring it responds properly at different screen sizes is one of the biggest challenges that still face front-end designers. It is not that it is difficult, but because there are several ways to go about it, figuring out which method is best can be confusing. […]

The post CSS Vertical Centering – Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

The year ahead should be a really exciting one for design, with the introduction of wider support for SVG and a host of new things we can do with CSS as CSS4 gains broader acceptance. In taking a look back at what made a big splash this year, I hope you will be inspired to […]

The post Design Trends in 2016 & What to Expect in 2017 appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

There is no better time than the end of the year for some fresh inspiration! One of the most popular trends this year, features splitscreen layouts, lots of white space, clean typography and subtle effects. With this playful trend in mind, I’ve created a two-part tutorial to show you how to use flexbox, 3D transforms […]

The post Tutorial: Trendy Splitscreen Layout With CSS3 Animations (Pt. 1) appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

All websites are somewhat interactive…we click on links or scroll a page, but truly interactive websites take us on a user-driven adventure or draws us in through motion and sound while giving us the power of choice. Interaction can be as simple as a series of clicks that navigate us through a story or landscape, […]

The post 30 Truly Interactive Websites Built With CSS & JavaScript appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

Last week I demonstrated how to build a split-screen website layout using CSS flexbox and viewport units that offers an alternative way to present a brand’s featured content. Clicking on one side or the other navigates further into the site without a page load, using CSS transitions and 3d transforms. This week, I’ll show you […]

The post Tutorial: Duo Layout With CSS3 Animations & Transitions (Pt. 2) appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

When Spotify launched their colorful new brand identity, featuring hip duo-toned imagery, it went hand-in-hand with a new Colorizer tool that allows artists to apply a variety of filters to images. This solved a problem in which Spotify needed a way to present the thousands of images uploaded, all with a different look and feel, […]

The post How to Create Spotify Colorizer Effects With CSS Blend Modes appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

CSS flexbox is an incredibly useful tool for layout without using floats or positioning. Currently almost all current browser version support flexbox, making it a go-to standard for web design. It can solve a number of problems efficiently, such as vertical alignment, space distribution, ordering of elements and sizing. It offers more freedom to arrange […]

The post Master CSS Flexbox in 5 Simple Steps appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

Recently, I walked you through how to create a simple landing page that used a couple different CSS animation techniques. “Animation” is a loose term, in web design usually referring to anything that involves movement. CSS transitions are one tool we are given to manipulate elements on state changes or mouse events, and when combines […]

The post Easy CSS Animation With Transition & Transforms appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

CSS Transitions and transforms work beautifully for creating visual interactions based on single state changes. To have more control over what happens and when, you can use the CSS animation property to create easy CSS animation using @keyframes. This technique has a wide range of design application and can be used to build dazzling pre-loaders, […]

The post Easy CSS Animation Using @keyframes appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

There are hundreds of ways to create responsive navigation, limited only by your creativity and the boundaries of what CSS can accomplish. Good responsive navigation is a little harder – a responsive menu must become a mobile menu, adhering to the needs and rules of touch-driven devices. Mobile design is rapidly changing, and so the […]

The post Four Elements of Truly Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menus appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

Email is your post powerful marketing channel when used well. Your visitor’s inbox is a perfect opportunity for you to capture attention, communicate important updates and invite readers back to your site for increased visibility. The stats on email marketing effectiveness say it all – top marketing specialists and service providers tell us that email […]

The post Best Email Marketing Tips to Increase Engagement & Subscribers appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

WordPress is an amazingly stable platform thanks to the dedication and talent of the hundreds of professionals contributing to it, and the strict code standards they follow. Even so, the huge variety of themes, plugins and server environments out there make it difficult to guarantee nothing will ever go wrong. This guide will help you […]

The post Common WordPress Errors & How to Fix Them appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

This past week was the optimal time to photograph moonbows in Yosemite Valley. I revisited photographing the moonbow at Upper Yosemite Falls as I had last year, but this time there was considerable more water and as a result the moonbow (rainbow by moonlight) was more easily seen. It was considerably larger, more vivid in color and wider arching. Conditions were great and at times a little too good as the 3 cameras I set up were completely drenched. If you’d like to read about what it took to get this photo be sure to check out my last blog post, Upper Yosemite Falls Moonbow – Getting The Shot, as it goes into a lot of detail about the hike and the challenges I faced.  If you’re curious about gear and settings this was taken with a Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 11-24mm f/4 lens. Settings were ISO 640, 15 seconds at f/4.

Over at All Things Photo, I’ve shared a video detailing a scam targeting photographers selling prints online. Also included in the video are 7 tips to avoid being scammed online. While the video is on the long side it’s worth a listen to protect yourself and learn the limitations of fraud protection with your bank and insurance companies. If you’re driving you can also listen to the podcast recording via the All Things Photo podcast. If you haven’t already I welcome you to follow All Things Photo on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

13 Questions You Should Ask Before Backing A Crowdfunding Project on Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Beyond

I’m happy to report 2017 was a much better year than 2016 on many fronts. Family was healthy, we avoided experiencing the passing of family members, there was a fair amount of travel, a few great photos were taken and most importantly to me my boys continue to experience nature and ask for repeat camping trips. In past years yearly recaps I’ve emphasized how much of my focus has shifted from taking nature photos to instilling a sense of wonder about and deep respect for nature in my two young sons. That continues to be the case.   I’ve never delved into it too deeply in past yearly recaps why my prioritization has shifted. In part it’s likely very obvious for some. That said I do want to call it out. I became a photographer because of my love for nature. If I hadn’t been so intrigued by nature I’d never have had a reason to pick up a camera. With the onset of social media and mobile phones with cameras I’m not sure that can be said of many young photographers today. More and more as I view photography online I wonder whether people are truly interested in their subjects (all styles of photography not just nature) or just trying to increase their follower stats because that’s the thing to do in this day and age. Perhaps my cynicism is getting the better of me after working at Borrowlenses where I dealt with photography talking heads & professional and aspiring professional photographers on a daily basis. An element of my becoming a jaded photographer I’m sure (kudos to my friend Richard Wong for writing that post). I’ll avoid going down the path of airing dirt for now as that’s a series of posts unto itself. Anyhow once my boys got old enough it was quite natural for me to want to go back to my roots enjoying nature over photography. I’d like my children to deeply respect and value our natural world. What would I be teaching them, about nature and in general, if I was always taking photos on our trips versus living the moment? For that reason my yearly recap photos have and will continue to be split between family photos and everything else. While my boys are in their most formative years I’ll continue to put my emphasis behind experiencing nature versus artistically capturing it. The fact that my boys regularly tell me, often out of the blue, they want to go camping again means the world to me. I’m incredibly grateful one aspect of my professional outdoor photographer mind has not lost a beat and that is timing our trips for optimal conditions. This used to torment me as I’d leave my DSLR behind, but the more my boys reminisce and ask for more nature experiences the more I know I’ve made the right call. Now that that’s out of the way… my favorite photos, in no particular order are below. Enjoy and thanks for taking the time to view this post and my blog in general.  If you happen to have a recap of your best photos of 2017 I invite you to submit it to my blog project, where I list the best photos of photographers who read my blog. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to get inspired at the beginning of the new year. Best of  Landscape & Nature I took my boys to witness the total solar eclipse in August of 2017. We went off road to an isolated mountaintop with 360 degree views in eastern Oregon. My focus for the eclipse itself was on the experience with my boys, but we did star gaze a lot at night before the big day. In trying to explain how the earth moves I set up a quick star trail sequence to show the boys. This was the result. Water levels were near record levels this spring in Yosemite Valley. I made what has become a regular hike to Upper Yosemite Falls to take time-lapses of moonbows with my friend, Brian Hawkins. Like me, he seems to have enough screws loose to think this night hike is a good idea along with huddling in ice cold mist to capture this view. At the beginning of the year I timed a trip to Yosemite Valley to capture some long overdue winter star trail photos. This was a single 2+ hour exposure taken with my Canon 5D Mark II. Pictured is Three Brothers with star trails reflected in the Merced River. Another single 2+ hour exposure taken with my Canon 5D Mark II. Pictured is Upper Yosemite Falls as seen from the valley floor. For most of my family trips this year I’ve rented an SUV outfitted with a rooftop tent via PacificOverlander. I took this photo on the first night of one of my trips with the boys as we explored the Owens Valley. While they slept I snuck in this photo of our truck/tent under the Milky Way. If you’re unfamiliar with PacificOverlander it’s well worth investigating. I’ve had several amazing experiences and my boys keep asking me why I keep giving the truck back. They regularly have so much fun on these trips it would seem they’re sold on having a truck/rig like this of their very own.   Best of Family Taken on our trip to see the total solar eclipse, the boys enjoy hanging out in the tent atop our PacificOverlander SUV. This photo sits atop both my home and work desk. It’s probably my favorite photo of the year as it captures the raw joy my boys have on our camping excursions. I spoiled my kids with ice cream atop the Glacier Point lookout in Yosemite National Park. A moment I enjoy remembering through this quick snapshot. Wrangling family for a group photos is… a challenge. This is especially true when the boys enjoy making faces and test the patience of my wife. Every so often though a photo comes out just right. This was one that I took while we enjoyed a sunny day at a beach near Half Moon Bay. Not a technically […]

2018 has been quite the year. You wouldn’t know it from my blog, but it’s been one of the most hectic years I’ve had in a long time. Much of that centered around establishing a new home base for my family, albeit in the same area. Uprooting a family of 4 in the SF bay area is not for the light hearted. Luckily everyone has been quite excited about our move, but it has taken up most of my free time. I’m happy to say that I’m starting to get my nose above water and eager to do a bit more photography. Another development this year was my acquisition of the domain calphoto.com and the CALPHOTO California photographic condition mailing list associated with the domain. Interested in real-time photo conditions across California? Then be sure to join. CALPHOTO is comprised of a great community of people who share a common interest in photographing and preserving the beauty of our state. With limited time this year I focused on trips for my kids versus dedicated photo trips. In years past I’ve mentioned how my focus was to foster a deep appreciation of nature and the outdoors with my boys and that has firmly taken hold. I am regularly asked when our next camping trip will be and what other cool places we can visit. I also get a great deal of joy from the kids when we’re driving around town and an epiphany hits that we haven’t been to Yosemite in a while. I suppose that adds to the prospect of more photography and photo trips as they’ve been picking up an interest in taking photos too. That should give you an idea of 2018 in a nutshell. Here are my 8 best photos of 2018… Landscapes Fall Color Abstract Redwood Circle of Life Fresh Snow in Yosemite Valley Rays of Sun in the Redwoods National Forest Family Fun Someone has picked up good tripod technique by watching his dad. He started doing this on his own randomly during our trip. He was insistent he use my tripod even if he was just resting his camera on top of it without a base plate. Fun at the Trees of Mystery Trees of Mystery Portrait Holiday Photo Hijinks Thanks for looking and have a great new year!

Thanks for checking in to see my best photos of 2019. This year for a variety of reasons I didn’t have many opportunities to get out and pursue photography to the degree I’d have preferred. Some of the reasons why were good (new house, settling in, kid activities with both boys being in elementary school for the first time, etc.) and some were downright bummers (passing of my grandfather, getting used to this aging thing, etc.). Through it all though I got the kids out on some bigger trips this year beyond our regular trips to Yosemite. We drove from California to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Glacier National Park in Montana. With my focus on the boys having a great experience my normal serious photographic endeavors were kept on the sideline. As always I felt good with that decision after hearing how much they loved Glacier National Park, especially given Glacier it is a personal favorite of mine. In 2020 I’m looking forward to exploring more of my favorite locations with them and seeing it all a new through their eyes.  All that being said enjoy my best of the year…   Landscapes & Wildlife Much of my time outdoors this year was spent showing the boys more of my favorite locations and experiencing the great outdoors while indulging them with great views and of course many evenings of campfires and s’mores. The following view at Two Medicine lake in Glacier National Park was incredibly memorable as we explored the shore and skipped rocks.   Of all my time at Glacier National Park I’ve never once seen a Pika… until this year. Not only are they well camouflaged and hard to see, but they’re incredibly fast. Being small even photographing them with a 400mm lens isn’t nearly enough magnification. The first photo below is a severely cropped photo taken at 400mm. The uncropped photos, 2 down, is included to give you an idea of how hard it is to find them in a rock pile. Add in their constant state of running, to forage food for the winter, you have an even tougher subject to photograph. That said I do have a good number of Pika butt photos now.   While in Glacier National Park it’s always fun to see marmots scurrying about. On a hike at Logan Pass my boys and I saw several. One of the more interesting was perched in a tree surveying his territory.   Adventures with the Kids My boys enjoying a brief encounter with a curious ground squirrel was amusing. Even more amusing was the play structure my youngest son built for him with rocks near his den.   My youngest still has not shaken his interest in photography. While he wasn’t as steadfast about using a tripod this year he still seemed to enjoy taking some ‘serious’ photos.   A brief moment my kids weren’t a blur from running around, tackling each other, and/or tackling me.   A personal favorite of mine taken by a passing hiker. Thanks unknown hiker, I salute you and your ability to capture a well framed photo while maintaining focus. You’d be surprised how hard it is to get that even with an iPhone. Thanks for checking in and Happy New Year!

Parkdale. Toronto, Canada 2019 Follow me @benhuang.photography

Ginza. Tokyo, Japan 2012 Follow me @benhuang.photography

Minamisoma, Japan 2014 Follow me @benhuang.photography

Dear pigeons, Self-isolation does not mean you can SHIT on my BALCONY!!! ハトへ 外出自粛だからこそ勝手に俺のベランダでウンコするってゆるさん！🤬

Ginza. Tokyo, Japan 2012 Follow me @benhuang.photography

Seagate. Rikuzentakata, Japan 2019 Follow me @benhuang.photography

Found the culprit! (犯人発見！)

Yonge Street. Toronto, Canada 2020 Follow me @benhuang.photography

Wow, you really do have a ball…🤦🏻‍♂️ (あんたやるね！🤦🏻‍♂️)

Ikebukuro. Tokyo, Japan 2012 Follow me @benhuang.photography

Quote of the day… Reporter: How do you achieve the 80% decrease in spreading of the virus? Respondent: A good time to dump my bf…

Minamisoma, Japan 2014 Follow me @benhuang.photography

Have you got yourself a Sony Xperia Z1 Compact but not sure how to do something on it? Don’t worry, we’ve come up with a comprehensive guide for all the things your handset is capable of. Navigate the various sections using the links below. If you can’t find what you’re looking for just leave a … Continue reading Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Complete Guide →

UPDATE: After spending an extensive amount of time with the HTC One we have added our thoughts regarding the handset’s battery life. Click here to find out what we reckon. The HTC One is the latest Android handset from the Taiwanese manufacturer and is aimed firmly at the flagship end of the market, featuring a … Continue reading HTC One Review: Top Of The Premium Pops? →

GPS is a must in any cell phone for seniors. It’ll help them get their bearings when they’re lost via GPS navigation and maps and it’ll help you (or emergency services). Cell Phones for Seniors

By The European Environment Agency What we throw into the trash bin might end up into the sea. Our understanding is growing on the global issue of marine litter, which has impacts on marine wildlife but also human health and … Continue reading →

By The University of Sheffield Giant icebergs leave trail of carbon sequestration in their wake – a month after they have passed Geographers analysed 175 satellite images of ocean colour which is an indicator of phytoplankton productivity at the ocean’s … Continue reading →

By Lauren McCauley Common Dreams At this rate, plastics production will account for 20 percent of total oil consumption and 15 percent of the global annual carbon budget by 2050. The weight of plastic waste clogging the world’s oceans threatens … Continue reading →

By DiveIn.com This marvelous infographic, created by the scuba magazine DiveIn.com, is a deep-dive into the wonder, mystery and vital importance of our earth’s oceans. 50 fascinating facts about the ocean – Graphic by the team at DIVE.in

By Lauren McCauley Common Dreams Even scientists who question findings say ‘we ignore James Hansen at our peril.’ Dr. James Hansen, the former NASA scientist who is widely credited with being one of the first to raise concerns about human-caused … Continue reading →

By Julie Cohen The UC Santa Barbara Current Oceanographer Uta Passow demonstrates that contaminants from Deepwater Horizon lingered for months in subsurface water before sinking to the seafloor Between April 20 and July 15, 2010, millions of barrels of crude … Continue reading →

By TEDxCharleston Eight million tons. That’s a lot of plastic to swallow, and a lot of straws to bear even if you’re the world’s oceans (yes, who knew we use 300 million plastic straws a day?). Or rather, especially if … Continue reading →

Video by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Jefferson Beck Arctic sea ice has not only been shrinking in surface area in recent years, it’s becoming younger and thinner as well. In this animation, where the ice cover almost looks … Continue reading →

By Hannah Hickey UWNEWS While winter sea ice in the Arctic is declining so dramatically that ships can now navigate those waters without any icebreaker escort, the scene in the Southern Hemisphere is very different. Sea ice area around Antarctica … Continue reading →

By Nate Seltenrich Environmental Health Perspectives Roughly one in seven U.S. residents relies on a private well for drinking water.1 Unlike the rest of the population served by the nation’s many public water systems,2 these 44.5 million Americans are not … Continue reading →

By David Suzuki David Suzuki Foundation The fossil fuel era must end, or it will spell humanity’s end. The threat isn’t just from pollution and accelerating climate change. Rapid, wasteful exploitation of these valuable resources has also led to a … Continue reading →