I wanted to share some of the best articles we have written over the years that we have been told have created the biggest impact on people’s photography.
These are articles that will help you expand your perception of photography, help you awaken your inner artist and give you techniques and skills so you can shoot with confidence.
If you want bring more creativity and feeling into your photography – you will find something marvellous on our list of our best articles & videos.
(Do we care about) Kit & technique?
Answer: yes and no
- My (reluctant) love affair with my smartphone camera – I didn’t initially embrace my smartphone as a new tool, but it has slowly seduced me with its improving quality and ease of use.
- Video: My first Astrophotography Shot – From the recce, to the shoot, to the processing. The whole journey from the stars and back.
- Tripod as Zen Master – Using a tripod regularly in my photography has created a huge impact on my photos – not just technically but in how I shoot. It has slowed me down and given me the opportunity to become even more connected with my environment.
- My most controversial photography article – ever – Even with my regular smartphone use I am still a massive fan of shooting on manual. No computer makes better creative choices than us. Hands down. Until that changes, this is what I discuss in an article I wrote for Digital Photography School which people loved or hated!
- 19 Photos to Show You Why Your Camera Doesn’t Matter – Because I also embrace my smartphone as a tool, I share my favourite photos in this article to show you it’s YOU not your CAMERA that matters, regardless of what you are shooting with.
- How to Print from Lightroom – this in-depth video lesson covers how to prepare your photos for printing.
- Video: You are only 1,000 photos away from shooting on manual! Here’s me explaining to Di (Miss Technophobe) how to shoot on manual.
- 19 powerful tips for beginner photographers (a useful checklist) – Not tech-related per se, but a nice collection of tips when you are starting out on your journey.
(It’s really all about) Developing the artistic mindset
“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.” Ernst Haas
This is where I start with people in my workshops and courses – your mindset! Because we are what we shoot!
Photography starts with preparing yourself and how to connect with your creative energy, becoming present and connected to your environment and bringing your imagination into your photography.
Here are some great ideas to help you:
- You are an artist (even if you don’t think you are) – So many people say to me – I’m not a creative person! Well, you are. Every single human being is creative. It is how our brains are made. All that happens to our creativity is that it atrophies from under-use.
- Two essential things you need to be a great photographer – If you haven’t downloaded and read our Creative Photographers Manifesto – I urge you to do this right now! This is a wonderful eBook which is the very heart of my teaching and artistic process as a photographer.
- How you live your life is how you take photos – Working out how your personality and habits affect how you shoot – and how to overcome the ones that are inhibiting your creativity.
- Letting go of judging your photography – We all judge out photos, it’s natural. But excessive judging can inhibit your ability to be free and connected when we go out and shoot. Some ideas to help!
- 10 Powerful Ideas For Your Photography this year – Many ideas to kickstart a great year of photography for you.
- What kind of photographer are you? – We are all on our path, our own journey as creative people. So there will never be a one-size-fits-all learning journey. That’s why I personalise everything I teach, so that it connects to who you are as a photographer, as a human being and what excites you creatively the most.
- Fear is prevalent in almost everybody’s photography practise. It’s a normal reaction to new experiences and new learning situations. I am not immune to it either. Here are two articles about how I deal with fear – How fear holds us back from being better photographers and
- Fear and photography (it happens)
- Creativity and Age – There is such a misconception about aging and being creative. I say – let’s get more creative as we get older, not less. Use our incredible life experiences to blossom in our photography.
(Not the normal) Composition techniques
- Photography is all about what you leave out – Photography is a process of construction AND reduction. In this article we talk about how to bring this idea into your photos so that you are able to consciously construct your composition.
- Video: The Problem of Subject Fixation – This 5 minute video introduces one of the biggest issues we see with amateur photographers. And, of course, how to solve it!
- Capturing the feeling of light – George Eastman summed it up for me when he said – “Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”
- The Mesmerising Qualities Of The Colour Blue In Your Photography – Colour is a very powerful compositional tool – it will create stories and communicate feelings. Here is a deep dive into one of my favourite colours to compose with – blue!
- 10 Ways to Use the Beauty and Complexity of Reflections in Photography – I love to photograph reflections. They are a very cool way to create abstraction, fun, mystery, intrigue, patterns, complexity and symmetry in your images.
- How I Got the Shot – I’ve done a bunch of these articles, dissecting how I created some of my favourite images. This is cool one giving a behind-the-scenes tour almost of my images.
- Simple ideas: Shoot the third thing – This is a very cool idea about how to develop more original and interesting photos.
- 5 advanced composition techniques – I love to teach all of the core compositional techniques like leading lines, as they have helped my photography tremendously. But here are some more unusual techniques that are super-helpful to create better compositions.
- My ultimate guide to travel photography – Immediately I am going to say I am not a traditional travel photographer, but really a photographer who happens to travel a lot. But what I have to share is fascinating and it’s a lot of in-depth teaching in this guide.
- Take better photos by breaking the world down into elements – When you are overwhelmed with a scene and are struggling to construct a clean and compelling composition – this is the advice you need!
- How mini-seeing projects can improve your photography – This idea has helped me develop my awareness and ability to ‘see’ photos in the world around me.
Challenge yourself!
One thing that comes up a lot with people who want to develop their photography is a word that many people don’t want to hear – and that is practice.
If you want to improve at anything, it’s about practice – consistent practice. Even if it’s just one photo a day, or shooting for a few hours a week.
But of course when you are working, living, looking after family and involved in many, many other things in life, photography isn’t always the priority and it can be hard to practise.
And so photography challenges can provide a wonderful way to focus your attention and bring photography more into your life.
Here are some excellent challenges:
- Photo Challenge: Your best photo 100 metres from your home (or work)
- 30 photo challenges to boost your photography
- Photo challenge: Simplicity – “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci
Advice from the Masters
I enjoy looking for ideas and teachings from great photographers and artists. I am always, always looking to learn more about the craft I love.
- Lessons from legendary photographer Ara Güler ‘The Eye of Istanbul’ – One of my favourite photographers who captured one of my favourite cities over many decades, Güler had an incredible eye for catch the changing world of Istanbul.
- Videos: How to Sell Your Photography – If you want to sell your photos, this interview that I did last year in Arles with Crista Cloutier from The Working Artist is very helpful.
- 13 things Ernst Haas taught me about photography – The photographer who has inspired me the most! I discovered Haas in college, and he showed me the potential and possibility of photography. He is a true master.
- 10 Lessons On Photography & Art From Richard Avedon And James Baldwin – Lessons from a book by a great photographer and a great writer. This oozes inspirational ideas!
Non-photography Photography Advice
In keeping myself motivated as a photographer, I love to look for inspiration from all across the creative spectrum. I like to take the advice of my favourite photographer Ernst Haas in this, when he recommended to: “refine your senses through the great masters of music, painting, and poetry. In short, try indirect inspirations, and everything will come by itself.”
- Photos of the Full Moon + 11 Mary Oliver quotes to inspire bold creativity – Mary Oliver was an extraordinary poet. She had the most exquisite ability to capture some of the beautiful truths about recognising the very best of this life and being creative. This was a lovely collaboration between Di and myself.
- 10 quotes from writers that will make you a better photographer – Writers or Painters, Poets or Musicians – I don’t care where ideas that inspire me come from.
- 10 things Van Gogh can teach us about photography – Both eloquent in his writing about creativity and art, and an incredible painter. Lots of beautiful ideas here from Van Gogh.
- What John Berger can teach us about photography – I photographed the writer John Berger before he died a few years ago and he inspired me so much with his love of photography and art. He has a wealth of excellent ideas for us photographers.
Some pure and beautiful photography inspiration
Here are a couple of videos I made about my love of travelling, shooting and light!
- Video: For the Love of Light
- Video: How I Travel as an Artist
- Video: How I Travel as an Artist: Hong Kong at Night
- BBC Video: The beauty of sunrise in London, Paris and Venice – Me talking about and showing his Cities at Dawn projects on the BBC a few years back.
I hope you enjoyed this little sojourn into our archives – let us know in the comments below.
We are always up for suggestions for subjects to cover in our articles and videos – feel free to email us on info@anthonyepes.com.
And you can watch more videos on my Youtube Channel – subscribe to be alerted when I add more videos 🙂
Have a great day,
Anthony and Diana
