[Photography] Program Mode: Everything You Need to Know (Ultimate Guide)

The post Program Mode: Everything You Need to Know (Ultimate Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

This article was updated in January 2025 with contributions from Simon Ringsmuth, Rick Ohnsman, Steve Gandy, and Jaymes Dempsey.

What is Program mode on your camera, and when should you use it?

Program mode is one of those “odd one out” camera settings – something that most folks never try because they simply don’t understand how it can help their photography.

Yet once you get the hang of it, Program mode is actually pretty darn useful. That’s why, in this article, I aim to share everything you need to know about this mode, including:

• What it actually is
• How it works
• How to use it for great results

So if you’re ready to become a Program mode master, then let’s get started.

What is Program mode?

The camera mode dial operates on something of a continuum. On one end, you have Manual mode, which gives you complete control over the three elements of exposure: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. On the other end, you have Auto mode, which gives you almost no control over exposure.

As you can see in the diagram above, other modes exist in the middle of the spectrum. These modes – Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Program mode – give you some degree of control, but your camera does significant work, as well. For instance, Aperture Priority lets you control the aperture and ISO while the camera determines the proper shutter speed for a good exposure.

So what about Program mode? What does it do?

Program mode exists somewhere between Aperture/Shutter Priority and Auto mode, and it works like this:

You set the ISO, while your camera sets the aperture and shutter speed.

(Remember: The ISO refers to the sensitivity of your camera sensor, the aperture refers to the lens diaphragm size, and the shutter speed refers to the length of time the shutter captures light.)

Program mode also gives you control over other camera features, such as exposure compensation, but I’ll discuss that in a later section. For now, just remember that Program mode gives you ISO control, but leaves the aperture and shutter speed up to your camera.

(In fact, Program mode is sometimes referred to as “ISO Priority.”)

When is Program mode useful?

While Program mode isn’t nearly as popular as Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, it can make a big difference to your photography – you just have to know when to use it.

In essence, Program mode works best when you care about the ISO, but you don’t care about the shutter speed and the aperture. This is either because you know that your camera will automatically give sufficient shutter speed and aperture values or because these settings won’t affect the final result in a meaningful way.

So if you’re shooting outdoors and you want to produce minimal noise in your photos, you might select Program mode, dial in a low ISO, and then let your camera do the rest.

I shot this using Program mode, which let me tweak my exposure settings on the fly.

Or if you’re photographing under powerful artificial lights, you might tell your camera to keep the ISO low, then trust it to nail the remaining exposure variables.

Bottom line:

If all you want to do is adjust the ISO, you’re set. Put your camera in Program mode, change the ISO, and focus on composing and framing your shots rather than thinking about the aperture, shutter speed, and overall exposure.

But that’s not Program mode’s only use. You see, Program mode is also a great transition mode. If you’re aiming to improve your photography skills but you’re still stuck on Auto mode, you might try leveling up to Program mode; you can then use it as a stepping stone to Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and beyond.

How to shoot in Program mode

Back in the 35mm film days, you would often choose the film you used based on the shooting conditions you planned to work in.

ISO (or before that, ASA or DIN) was a function of the film. ASA speeds of common film types might be 25, 64, 125, 200, 400, and maybe up to 800. You could go a little higher with special processing. The rub was that, whatever film type you chose, you worked with the same ASA for the entire roll (be it 12, 24, or 36 exposures).

With film, you had to stick with the same ISO (ASA) for the entire roll. (Image by Rick Ohnsman)

Working with Program mode can be a little like shooting film – in that the first thing you do is pick your ISO setting.

This could be ISO 100 for good outdoor light, ISO 200 or 400 for lower lighting conditions, and ISO 800 or higher for dim conditions (or perhaps for when you will be shooting action and need to use fast shutter speeds).

Some photographers call Program mode “ISO Priority,” because once you dial in the ISO, it will remain set, even as the shutter speed and aperture change. (Of course, the big difference from film is that you can change the ISO from shot to shot if you so choose).

So you start by setting your ISO.

Then, unless you have a special reason not to, I suggest you use the averaging metering modes: Evaluative on Canon, Matrix on Nikon. These will consider the entire image and calculate the exposure.

If your camera is set to Program mode, you will now see that it has selected both aperture and shutter speed settings. Depending on the available light, these will usually be toward the middle of the settings range – perhaps something like 1/125s and f/5.6. You may want to change these, and we’ll get into that in a minute, but if not, you’re good to go. Nail the focus and take the shot.

You can shoot all day like this, with your camera pretty much working as a point-and-shoot machine. As a beginner, rather than puzzle over what your settings should be for each shot, you can use Program mode to concentrate on more important things – chiefly composition – and let the camera figure out the exposure. Take away the clutch and the gearshift, and driving is so much easier, right?

Program mode: beyond the basics

At this point, you should be comfortable with the Program mode basics: You set the ISO, and your camera does the rest.

But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find more useful features to unlock. Many of these can help you get the shot you want, instead of the shot your camera thinks you want. In this way, Program mode is like the late-night infomercial version of Auto; it handles all the nitty-gritty complicated stuff for you, but ends with a “Wait, there’s more!”

First, Program mode allows you to use exposure compensation to correct any exposure mistakes. By adjusting the exposure compensation in one direction, you can force your camera to take brighter images, and by adjusting it in the other direction, you’ll get the reverse.

Say you take a photo of snow and it turns out too dark. With a little exposure compensation, you can bring back the snow’s natural brightness (note that you can’t do that in Auto mode).

And you can adjust plenty of other camera settings while in Program mode, including white balance, metering mode (full/center/spot), point of focus, and whether your camera should use its flash.

(Contrast this with Auto mode, and you should start to see the usefulness of the humble little “P” marker on your camera’s mode dial.)

Of course, Program mode isn’t always the way to go. Sometimes, you’ll want to independently adjust your shutter speed or your aperture, in which case one of the Priority options, or even Manual mode, is the right choice.

But when ISO is all that matters, give Program mode a try.

Shooting in Program mode gave me a good overall exposure, but I didn’t like how the microphone was so dark.

I switched to spot metering, retook the shot, and got what I wanted. Program allows for this flexibility, whereas Auto does not!

Program Shift and some Program mode examples

You now know that Program mode allows you to set the ISO while your camera sets the aperture and shutter speed – but what if you want a narrower aperture and don’t mind lengthening the shutter speed? Conversely, what if you want a faster shutter speed and don’t mind widening the aperture?

That’s where Program Shift comes into play. This option lets you adjust the aperture and the shutter speed together – so the exposure doesn’t change, but the specific settings allowing you to achieve the exposure do.

The specifics for how to use Program Shift depend on your camera model, but I’d like to walk you through an example scenario where it can help you achieve top-notch results.

1. It’s an overcast day, so you set the ISO to 800.
2. Your camera is in Program mode, and it suggests an exposure.
3. You decide you want a deeper depth of field, so you use Program Shift to set the aperture to f/22.
4. Your settings are now ISO 800, 1/20s, and f/22. (Note that you’ll need to be on a tripod if you’re using a 1/20s shutter speed.)
5. You focus, then take the shot.

Image by Rick Ohnsman

You take a look and decide it might be better to isolate the foreground leaves with a shallow depth of field. Still in Program mode, you use Program Shift to put the aperture at f/4. Your camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed to 1/640s to maintain proper exposure. You take another shot.

Image by Rick Ohnsman

Easy, huh? The ISO stayed locked in at 800, and as you adjusted the aperture, the shutter speed adjusted itself.

Suppose now you want to see the effect of shutter speed on a moving object. Still in Program mode, you leave the ISO at 800. To freeze the droplets of a fountain, you use Program Shift to set a 1/1600s shutter speed. You take the shot.

Note how the top shot, taken at 1/50s, has more blurred water drops; also note how the tree is sharper at f/22. The bottom image, taken at 1/1600s, displays frozen water – but at f/4, the depth of field is smaller. (Image by Rick Ohnsman)

Now, what if you want to get a little motion blur on those drops? Use Program Shift to set a slower shutter speed of 1/50s. The aperture automatically adjusts.

(Exposure compensation is also an option should you need to make your images a little lighter or darker.)

Then make the leap

Program mode can help you get good exposures. And if you pay attention to the settings your camera chooses, you’ll begin to understand the relationship between aperture, depth of field, shutter speed, and motion capture. Program mode can also give you a good jumping-off point to work with a mode such as Aperture Priority.

Say that after making a shot in Program mode, you see the camera chose f/11 as the aperture, and you like the amount of depth of field that resulted. You can then switch over to Aperture Priority mode (Av on Canon, A on Nikon), dial in an f/11 aperture, and start shooting. The camera will stay locked at f/11 while adjusting the shutter speed for various lighting conditions.

The same goes for shutter speed. If your Program mode shot shows a nice amount of motion blur at 1/5s and you want to make subsequent images with that amount of blur, switch to Shutter Priority mode (Tv on Canon, S on Nikon), dial in 1/5s, and shoot away.

The camera will stay locked on the shutter speed you chose and alter the aperture as needed.

In the left photo, the focus is on the tree trunk at the right edge. At f/22, there’s a good amount of depth of field. In Program mode, roll the dial to take the f-stop to f/4 for less depth of field. The camera automatically compensates, putting the shutter speed at 1/160s. The exposure stays identical. (Image by Rick Ohnsman)

Back to the safe spot

If you play around enough with your settings, you may eventually mess things up so that you create a bad exposure or become totally confused about why things are not working for you. That’s when Program mode comes to the rescue.

These were some of the first images I made when I got my Canon 10D years ago. Program mode was all I knew, but it got the job done. Don’t think you have to immediately learn to shoot in Manual mode to make nice shots. (Image by Rick Ohnsman)

Put the camera in Program mode, put the ISO to a setting appropriate for your lighting situation (ISO 200 might be a good starting point), and it’ll be like hitting the reset button: you’ll be back to letting the camera choose exposure settings.

It’s easy to explore the relationship between aperture and depth of field while in Program mode. This series starts at f/4 on the left, before a roll of the dial (with Program Shift) took the aperture to f/8 (middle), and then to f/22 on the right. The camera did all the exposure calculations. As simple as one, two, three! (Image by Rick Ohnsman)

Regardless of what mode I choose to shoot in, even Manual, I always put the dial back to Program mode before turning off the camera and putting it back in my bag. Then, if that once-in-a-lifetime shot presents itself and I must grab the camera, quickly power up, and shoot, I can be assured I will get a reasonably well-exposed shot.

I hope you will not take this article to mean you shouldn’t learn to shoot in Aperture Priority mode or Manual mode, because it’s true that a great number of professionals use these settings. But if you are new to photography and are confronted with more information than you can immediately absorb, working in Program mode might just be the helping hand you need.

Working in Program mode will free you to concentrate on composition while letting the camera figure out exposure. (Image by Rick Ohnsman)

Concentrate first on learning good composition. And make sure your images are well-focused, because blurry shots are impossible to fix in editing.

For now, let your camera help you with exposure until you begin to wrap your head around all there is to know. Even if you are a more experienced photographer, you might occasionally find that turning the mode dial and working in Program mode is the right choice for a given situation.

Program mode: final words

Program mode is a handy little option, even if it’s often eclipsed by Manual, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority.

So the next time you don’t want to give up all control over your camera but also don’t want to do everything yourself, consider Program mode. You might ask yourself, “Do I need to adjust the aperture? And do I need to adjust the shutter speed?”

If the answer is “No,” then Program mode is probably your best option!

Now over to you:

Do you use Program mode? Do you plan to start using it? Why or why not? What do you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Program Mode: Everything You Need to Know (Ultimate Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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[Photography] 15 Ways to Find Photography Inspiration When You Feel Stuck

The post 15 Ways to Find Photography Inspiration When You Feel Stuck appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christina N Dickson.

Photography is an incredible hobby, but it can also be draining, difficult, and – at times – a real slog. If you’re feeling burnt out, you may need to take a break, or you might just require a bit of extra inspiration.

In this article, I share my top 15 favorite methods to gain photographic inspiration when you’re in a creative rut. Not every approach will work for every photographer, but I encourage you to read through the list and try a few techniques that appeal to you. By the time you’re done, with a little luck, you’ll be excited to head out with your camera and take photos once again.

Let’s get started!

1. Draw up a plan for your success

As with any other professional endeavor, documenting your photography goals is a great idea. In fact, just voicing and acknowledging what is in your head is the first step toward achieving success!

So think about what you want to do photographically, and draw up a list. If you’re just starting out, limit yourself to a couple of reasonable goals (though if you’re a more experienced photographer, feel free to push yourself here – really think about what you want to achieve and the kind of photos you’d like to take over the next year or two).

Maybe you want to get comfortable shooting in Manual mode, or perhaps you want to understand how to successfully use off-camera flash. Maybe you want to get better at composition, or perhaps you want to track moving subjects effectively.

But don’t just make a list and call it a day; also spend some time determining how you’ll achieve your goals. Will you read dPS articles? Check out books on photography from the library? Take several workshops? Watch some online courses? Spend an hour each day practicing with your camera?

No matter the goal, it’s easier to achieve when you have an actionable plan to help you get there. And if you want to boost your chances of following through, take this a step further by actually writing down the steps needed to achieve the results you’re after!

2. Look at work from your favorite photographers

Taking a scroll through other photographers’ portfolios can be wildly helpful when dealing with a creative rut! Platforms like Instagram, 500px, Flickr, and Facebook are bursting with amazing images, and by spending some time looking at the shots that you love, you can discover techniques and approaches to incorporate into your own shots.

Now, I’m not saying you should outright copy what others are doing. It’s about allowing yourself to learn from the works that resonate with you. So when a particular image grabs you, take a moment and ask yourself: What is it about the photograph that’s so appealing? Is it the composition, the color grading, the subject?

And once you’ve done your deep dive, don’t just close the tab and move on with your day. Take those elements that you found so inspiring and experiment with them during your next shoot!

3. Read about photography’s history

Think history is a snore-fest? Think again! Diving into the history of photography is actually wildly exciting. From the earliest daguerreotypes to the advent of digital photography, each era came with a novel way of capturing the world, and understanding this evolution can spark your imagination and give you a fresh perspective on what’s possible and what photography is all about.

You might discover, for instance, that techniques or styles you consider groundbreaking today were actually pioneered decades ago. Ever heard of “Pictorialism”? This early 20th-century movement focused on elevating photography to an art form by playing with soft focus and painterly lighting – techniques that are making a comeback in some modern styles.

Even more fascinating is how technological constraints shaped artistic expression. Back in the days of film, photographers had to be incredibly thoughtful about each shot, as film was costly and limited. This “limitation” led to some of the most iconic images we know today. Imagine bringing that level of consideration into your work now.

And what about the social and cultural impact? Photography has been a crucial tool for documentation, activism, and storytelling. Recognizing this wider context can deepen your understanding of why you shoot and what you aim to convey, influencing your work in powerful ways.

4. Work on personal projects

While it’s great to be busy and earn a living doing what you love, it can also start to drain your creative spirit. So if you’re a professional shooter, don’t just work on your money-making projects; give yourself permission to take on a passion project (i.e., a personal project) or two.

I captured this image as part of a personal exercise that focused on finding monochromatic patterns and frames.

See this project as a way for you to fall back in love with photography without any pressure or expectations. For instance, you might:

• Photograph sunrises
• Create a portfolio of abstract nature scenes
• Capture your local sports team
• Document your favorite forest

Note that your personal project can last for a few weeks, or it can take years. Either is fine, but do make sure the topic is near and dear to your heart; otherwise, you may find yourself getting very bored very quickly, which is the opposite of what you want.

Another image as part of my monochrome project.

Also, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to try out this strategy for photographic inspiration. Even if you’re a hobbyist, pursuing a dedicated project can be a great way to regain your motivation.

One more thing: Once you pick a project, make sure you give it the time it deserves (even if you’re busy with other work). If you put in real effort, you’re more likely to get real rewards!

5. Check out classic photo books

Before the internet, there were photo books. These timeless compilations showcase the work of masters whose contributions have stood the test of time. Names like Walker Evans, Edward Weston, Paul Strand, and Minor White might not mean much to you now, but crack open one of their books, and you’re in for an enlightening experience.

What sets these classics apart? It’s not just the age of the photographs; it’s the enduring relevance of their compositions, techniques, and subjects. Studying these works offers you a chance to break out of the current trends and standards, challenging you to think differently about your own shots.

For instance, have you ever noticed how modern photography often leans heavily on vivid colors? Some of the greats, like Ansel Adams, worked primarily in black and white. Exploring their grayscale worlds can open your eyes to the nuances of light and shadow, giving you a whole new toolkit for your own work.

And don’t just skim through these books. Really look at each photograph. Think about the choices the photographer made. How did they use light? What’s in focus, and why? This deeper engagement can be a source of invaluable inspiration.

So next time you’re in a creative rut, take a detour to your local bookstore or library and head to the photography section. You’ll find a world of inspiration that predates hashtags and filters!

6. Go shoot without an agenda

Working with a purpose isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when you have certain types of images in mind, it’s easy to develop expectations, and these can lead to pressure, stress, and frustration.

That’s why I highly recommend spending some time photographing without an agenda. Just pick up a camera – whether it’s a DSLR, mirrorless model, or even your smartphone – and photograph anything. It can be the interior of your home, your backyard, your neighborhood, or the nearest city. Just pick something convenient and do some shooting.

You don’t even need to put much thought into it. Sometimes, it’s just the act of pressing the shutter that can provide the right amount of stress release. And if it helps, feel free to delete the images at the end. The whole point is to just enjoy the act of photography without the need to create a perfect frame.

7. Photograph with a tripod

For many photographers, tripods are an annoyance – often relegated to the back of the closet or never purchased in the first place. But hear me out, because this unassuming piece of equipment can be a great way to revitalize your creative energy.

You see, when you use a tripod, you’re forced to slow down and pay attention to details that you might otherwise overlook in the quest for that next stunning shot. Setting up a tripod is slow, deliberate work – which means you have the time to adjust every parameter carefully, to think about the best focal length, to fine-tune your composition. In a way, working with a tripod gives you the chance to reconnect with the very act of photographing.

Even if you like to do fast-paced photography – on the streets or of wildlife, for instance – a tripod can help direct your focus. You’ll pay more attention to timing, to the movement of your subjects, to the changing light conditions.

One note, however: Make sure you use a tripod that fits your needs. If you’re into travel photography, you might go for something lightweight yet sturdy. If you shoot in rugged conditions, you’ll want a tripod that can stand its ground. While tripods can be perfect for regaining inspiration, it’s important that you don’t needlessly restrict yourself by picking the wrong model.

8. Do something creative (that’s not photography)

Photographic inspiration can be found in a variety of ways – and sometimes, the best inspiration comes from non-photographic activities. That’s why I encourage you to try something that’s creative, but that’s not artistic.

For instance, you might cook a meal from scratch, do some knitting, enjoy gardening in your backyard, write a story, do some journaling, or even just go for a walk outside and study the different leaf patterns you see.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with working on an alternative artistic pursuit, such as painting or drawing (and this can be an effective way to gain new inspiration, too). But if you’re feeling burnt out, distancing yourself from all things artistic might be a good idea.

Whatever you choose, let it flow without structure or planning. Use it as a means to release the creative energy building up inside. Be kind to yourself, and just give yourself some time to take a break from photography; the inspiration will return in time.

9. Try a different photography genre

If you’ve been spending months – or years – capturing the same subject over and over again, why not jump ship? I don’t mean that you should make a permanent change, of course, but a little genre-hopping can do wonders for your creativity. If you’re a die-hard portrait photographer, consider shooting landscapes or architecture for a while. If street photography is your jam, try some macro or cityscapes.

Switching genres is often like learning a new language. Initially, it feels uncomfortable, but as you get the hang of it, you start to see patterns and gain new insights into how language works. For instance, if you move from portraits to landscapes, you may begin to appreciate the subtleties of natural light in a new way. If you transition from street scenes to macro shots, you may find yourself engrossed in the minute details of the world.

And here’s the kicker: The skills and insights you pick up in one genre can often be transferred back to your primary area of interest. Those natural lighting techniques might inspire a unique headshot in your next portrait session. Or the way you frame a cityscape could add a new layer to your street photography.

So don’t confine yourself to a single box. Break free, try something new, and see if you can’t reignite that passion!

10. Complete a self-challenge

This approach is similar to the personal project technique I shared above, except it’s a lot more constrained. The idea is to set yourself specific rules, and then use them to direct your shooting. You can always invent your own self-challenge, though here are a few popular ones:

• Take a self-portrait every day
• Capture a set of photos that convey the essence of each week (for a whole year)
• Photograph a single color for a week
• Photograph your daily meals
• Take one shot a day for a month
• Capture every sunrise and sunset for a month

Whatever self-challenge you choose, document and work on it. Perhaps even join or start a group online where others can participate with you. (As I discuss below, working with other photographers can motivate you further and help keep the inspiration alive!)

One tip: If you start a self-challenge and you struggle from the get-go, that might be a sign you should try something else. There’s nothing wrong with pushing yourself, but because challenges are nearly always tough to complete, it’s important that you genuinely like what you’re doing.

11. Spend time photographing with others

Photography can often feel like a solo journey, but it doesn’t have to be. Photo walks and photography meetups are very popular, and they’re a great place to talk with others who are passionate about the same kind of thing! Plus, photo walks and meetups are more than social events; they’re a great place to develop skills and find photographic inspiration. Working side by side with other photographers can offer fresh perspectives that break you out of your creative rut.

You see, there’s a unique energy that appears when photographers gather. You’ll find people who share your particular genre interests, and you’ll find people who don’t. This medley of viewpoints can be as inspiring as any world-class photo book or historic image.

And we shouldn’t forget the power of immediate feedback. Imagine taking a shot and then instantly sharing your excitement or doubts with someone who gets it, someone who speaks the nuanced language of apertures, compositions, and light. It’s the kind of conversation that can spark new ideas and help you see the world – and your craft – differently.

And if big meetups aren’t your thing? No worries. Even just having a buddy to shoot with on weekends can offer a regular dose of inspiration. You can bounce ideas off each other, critique each other’s work in real time, and collectively aim for better shots.

12. Go on a photography trip

We’ve all been there, shooting the same old cityscapes or meandering through familiar woods, feeling like we’re just recycling our past work. So why not venture far afield? A photography trip can breathe new life into your portfolio and, most importantly, your inspiration.

Suppose you’re a landscape photographer who’s been capturing forests for years. How about heading up north to capture the snowy tundra? The shift from green and brown to stunning whites and icy blues could be the jolt your creativity needs. Or maybe you’re a street photographer, routinely capturing the hustle of New York City. Consider making your way to smaller, quainter coastal towns.

You don’t have to cross oceans for this (although if you can, go for it!). Even a neighboring town, a nearby state park, or a historic site can make a difference. The key is to explore new environments that challenge you to see the world in a new light.

Of course, before you go, do some research. Get to know the area, look up potential shoot locations, and plan your days to maximize the time you spend shooting. Once you’re there, the change of scenery will likely trigger new ways to consider compositions, lighting, and subjects.

When you come back, you’ll likely find that the trip has given you not just photos, but a fresh enthusiasm for photographing locations that are closer to home.

13. Look through your photo archives

If you’ve been doing photography for a while, you’ve undoubtedly amassed a large collection of shots – but when was the last time you really dug into these files? Your photographic archive can be a goldmine of inspiration. You might stumble across a theme you started but never finished or a style you experimented with but dropped. And now that you’re feeling uninspired by your existing work, it might be the perfect time to revisit and possibly complete those incomplete stories.

Start by taking some time to systematically go through your photos, ideally going back a few years. Don’t rush. Let yourself absorb the work you’ve done and reflect on your growth and changes in style.

What should you be looking for? Perhaps an old but interesting technique or an unfinished series that could be turned into a portfolio piece. Maybe a type of photography you haven’t done in a while.

Then, when you find something inspiring, think of ways to take your old ideas to new heights. Maybe modernize them with skills you’ve acquired since then or combine old and new approaches to create something entirely different.

14. Work on your editing skills

If you’ve been stuck in a creative rut, you’ve likely thought about stepping away from photography for a bit. It makes sense: When you’re burnt out, a break can make a big difference. But you don’t have to drop photography entirely. Instead, you can focus on skills that don’t require a camera, such as editing.

Editing is far more than a final coat of paint; it’s where your images come alive and take form. And by learning new editing techniques, you may find yourself inspired by all of the photographic possibilities – the way you can combine editing and photography to create breathtaking results.

Even if you’re well-versed in the basics – cropping, adjusting exposure and color – you might be missing out on some of the most effective professional techniques. Color grading, blending modes, masking, dodging and burning; they’re all advanced approaches and tools that really can revolutionize your portfolio.

Developing your editing skills might seem difficult, but a plethora of online tutorials can guide you through these processes. YouTube is full of skilled editors sharing their favorite tricks. And you can find courses that go more in-depth, teaching you how to harness the full potential of your editing software.

So, instead of walking away from photography, channel your energy into mastering post-processing techniques. You may find that by improving your editing skills, you’ll view your past and future work with new enthusiasm.

15. Take a photography course

Sometimes, the best way to jumpstart your creativity is by learning something new. And what better way to do that than by enrolling in a photography course?

Structured learning helps you master new skills quickly, whether you’re a beginner seeking foundational knowledge or a seasoned pro craving advanced techniques. And the options are plentiful; there are literally thousands of online courses that let you learn at your own pace, right from the comfort of your home.

(Of course, if you prefer a hands-on experience, you can also explore workshops or even take classes at your local community college.)

Picking the right course depends on your needs. Are you into wildlife photography? There’s a course for that. Portraits more your style? Plenty of options there, too. You’ll find specialized courses covering topics like studio lighting, macro photography, post-processing, bird photography, and so much more. The world of photography education is incredibly vast and really does offer something for everyone.

At the end of the day, a new skill can push you to see – and photograph – the world in new ways. So don’t hesitate. Dive into a course and watch how quickly you regain that photographic inspiration!

Ways to find photography inspiration: final words

If you’re feeling uninspired, dejected, or just plain burnt out, I hope this article has been helpful. With a few simple techniques and a conscious effort to change your mindset, you can come back more inspired and more motivated than ever, ready to explore all these wonderful facets of an art form that has so many ardent fans all over the world!

So pick one or more of the methods for inspiration I’ve shared. Then really commit to it. If you do a self-challenge, give it your all. If you take on a project, block out time to complete it. And if you take a break from photography and do something else creative, put real effort into that, too!

Now over to you:

How do you plan to feel motivated again? Do you have any techniques for gaining inspiration that I didn’t cover in this article? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 15 Ways to Find Photography Inspiration When You Feel Stuck appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christina N Dickson.

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[Photography] How to Photograph Artwork (8 Essential Tips)

The post How to Photograph Artwork (8 Essential Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Neil Creek.

Looking to photograph your own artwork, artwork at a museum, or artwork at a gallery?

Capturing artwork may seem simple, but it’s hard to do well. There are technical hurdles to overcome; for instance, you must achieve an even exposure, avoid reflections, focus accurately, and choose the perfect aperture to keep the art sharp.

I love to document artwork. And in this article, I share the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years, which cover lighting, settings, gear choice, and more.

Note that the techniques I give are geared toward two-dimensional art: paintings, drawings, and prints. But many of the tips I offer also apply to three-dimensional art – so if you’re hoping to capture installations and/or sculptures, I’d still encourage you to keep reading!

Detail from The Ninth Wave (1850) by Ivan Aivazovsky. Russian Museum, St Petersburg.

1. Carefully adjust the white balance

When photographing artwork, white balance is not objective – there’s a creative decision that must be made. Do you want to preserve the color of the art as you see it? Or should you neutralize any color casts and make the whites white? Will you be a historian? Or will you be a restorer?

I could have restored the whiteness and original color to this Victorian newspaper with a single click. Instead, by using a gray card, I’ve reproduced its 125-year-old state.

Paper and paint tend to discolor with age. You have to decide if you want to copy what you see or turn back the clock – assuming you’re correct in your assumptions about the original color.

To correct the white balance on a piece of art, you have two main options:

1. If you want to make the whites appear white, take the photo using your camera’s Auto White Balance setting, then open the image in a photo-editing program. Choose an area within the artwork that should be neutral in tone – preferably a mid-gray spot. Click on this area with a white balance tool to equalize the RGB values and correct color throughout the piece. Problems arise when the artwork has aged more in some places than others, and you may end up with ugly yellow blotches in certain areas.
2. If you want to preserve signs of aging, take a shot using a gray card, then use it to set the white balance when processing the file. It’ll keep the existing color of the artwork, including signs of aging. And if you want to emphasize an antique look, you can always warm the photo up a bit.

A third option – if you have no neutral tones in the image and you didn’t use a gray card – is to fiddle with the color temperature and tint sliders until you think the white balance is correct. Correcting color by eye is hit and miss, however, and it’s never as accurate as the options discussed above.

One thing we know about snow is that it looks white! Artificial lighting and/or aging made this painting yellow. A white balance tool can quickly restore the whites, though it’s hard to know how the painting looked when fresh. Artist: Ferdinand Schmidt (c. 1900), La Piscine Museum, Roubaix.

By the way, the light source will dramatically affect the white balancing process. Avoid mixed lighting if you can! In museums, you won’t often find paintings under mixed light sources, but the same is not true of sculptures. A mixture of warm artificial light and window light can cause strong orange or blue color casts in parts of the final image, which can be hard to deal with in post-processing:

Art museums rarely display paintings under mixed lighting, but you might find sculptures near windows. That will often result in blue highlights and orange shadows. Sculpture: Epicurus and Metrodorus, Louvre Museum.

2. Be careful when using window light

This old advertisement was on display outside. Though the temperature of daylight varies, no other light source displays color so fully across the visible spectrum. Kattenkabinet Museum, Amsterdam.

Daylight is great at displaying the colors of the visible spectrum with little bias. It’s an ideal light source for art. The only problem? You can’t control it very well. If you use window light to photograph a piece of art, the exposure will likely be uneven from side to side. In fact, you may see a difference of a stop or more! (By using a reflector, you can get this down to about half a stop or less.)

Of course, you can balance the exposure in post-processing. It can help to photograph a blank card or piece of white paper under the same light; the result will make the uneven exposure obvious when viewed on the computer. You can then use what you see to correct your other photos from the same location.

If you photograph a postcard by window light, flipping it over makes an uneven exposure more obvious. The right portion of this photo is 25% brighter than the left.

Once you identify exposure inconsistencies, use adjustment brushes or a graduated filter tool to correct the issues. A graduated filter tool is perfect for this, but you can just as easily use brushes with lots of feathering.

3. Correctly position the art and your camera

When photographing a 2D piece of art, you’ll need to position it flat against a wall or table. You should then align the camera sensor perfectly with the art’s 2D plane. Otherwise, you’ll see the same “keystone” effect you get with architecture where vertical lines converge. In other words, the art will be slightly distorted if you take your photo at an angle (though not always to a noticeable degree).

Use spirit levels along with perpendicular lines in the artwork to achieve the best possible perspective. Heavy corrections for keystoning after the fact have an adverse effect on image quality, which may or may not be noticeable depending on your intended use.

One way you can align a camera with 2D art is to use a spirit level. Test the surface that the art lies against, then make adjustments with props if necessary (much as you would fix a table leg on an uneven floor). Do the same thing with your camera, using a spirit level on the hot shoe to ensure that it’s perfectly level.

Ideally, you want the camera to be level with the center of the picture when photographing art. I haven’t done too badly with this handheld shot, though it’s slightly tilted to the right (wall-mounted paintings can tilt at the top). The correction will be moderate. Artist: Lucien Jonas (1880-1947), La Piscine Museum, Roubaix.

Spirit levels vary in their accuracy, but you’ll soon determine if your method works. If it does, the horizontal and vertical edges of the artwork will align at 90-degree angles. If your setup is off-kilter, you’ll see the slight keystone effect discussed above.

If you don’t shoot with a perfectly level camera toward a perfectly level piece of art, all is not lost; you can correct the perspective in editing software, but you’ll lose some sharpness along the way. So it’s best to do the best you can while working in the field and only make minor corrections later.

Note: If all you’re doing is sharing a photo of a painting on Facebook, you don’t need to be fussy about aligning the artwork and your camera. Using a sufficiently narrow aperture will compensate for minor focusing errors, and nobody’s going to notice imperfect verticals! On the other hand, if you’re selling art online, you want the images to look as perfect as possible.

4. Use the right lens and aperture

You can photograph artwork with any camera, but it’s important to choose a lens with minimal distortion and excellent optics. You also want a lens that you can use at close range without issue.

I’d recommend a 50mm or 100mm prime lens with decent close-focusing capabilities. Many people use macro lenses, not least because they create very little distortion at close range. A high-quality zoom – such as a 24-70mm lens – will also suffice.

Two-dimensional art doesn’t require much depth of field, so don’t feel compelled to choose a small aperture if you don’t have the necessary light. On the other hand, closing the lens down two or three stops will often give you maximum sharpness and will compensate for slight focusing errors or a failure to properly align your camera with the artwork, so if you can, shoot at f/8.

5. Focus using Live View

Without question, the most accurate way to focus on art is to set your camera up on a tripod and use its Live View mode while focusing manually.

So if sharpness is critical, it pays to switch your lens to its manual focus mode, turn on Live View, then zoom in and focus carefully using the LCD.

Note that for three-dimensional subjects like statues, Live View is invaluable. It’ll help you overcome problems like field curvature, inaccurate focusing screens or focusing points, and misaligned mirrors and sensors. When in doubt, Live View is the way to go!

Of course, if you’re just taking casual shots, feel free to focus (manually or automatically) through the viewfinder and let a deep depth of field take care of any minor errors.

6. Take steps to avoid reflections

When you’re capturing a photo of two-dimensional art behind glass, you’ll often run into reflections that distract the viewer and ruin image clarity. If you’re not set on photographing that particular piece of artwork, it might be better to just move on to another subject. That said, there are ways of avoiding or minimizing reflections in your artwork photos:

• Do not use direct on-camera flash. It’ll create a hideous hotspot on the glass that will be impossible to remove in post-processing.
• Use directional light sources that come from the side, preferably two at equal distance (one on either side of the art). Non-directional light is softer but will create reflections of other items in the room.
• Wear black clothes; they’ll show up less in reflections and absorb light from other sources.
• Get friends or relatives in dark clothing to stand near the art and block reflections.
• Use a large black scrim/screen and push your lens through it to photograph the art. This is similar to the black-clothing approach, but it’s more effective.
• Use a polarizing filter to cut out much of the glare. Unfortunately, a polarizer forces you to increase your shutter speed or boost your ISO, so it’s not ideal for capturing handheld shots in dim museums.
• Shoot at a slight angle to cut out reflections, then adjust the perspective in post-processing. As discussed in a previous tip, if you overdo this, you’ll see a decrease in edge-to-edge sharpness.
• Examine the artwork carefully for reflections that may not be immediately obvious. In my experience, reflections have a habit of being more noticeable on a computer monitor!

7. Use the right lighting to capture artwork texture

If you want to capture texture on a piece of art (e.g., an oil painting), the last thing you want is a diffuse light source like a fluorescent bulb. What you need is a directional light source that’s positioned off to one side.

In oil paintings, revealing texture usually means that some light will reflect into the lens, which can be distracting. It’s a question of controlling the effect so that spectral highlights don’t ruin the picture. A polarizing filter will help as long as it doesn’t increase the exposure time too much.

The reflections in this oil-painted portrait emphasize texture, but they’re distracting. Like all spectral highlights, reflections in art need to be subtle and kept away from the image focal points.

Note that LED lighting is directional by nature. You can improvise at home by setting up LED narrow-beam G50 spotlights or similar. Otherwise, you can control diffuse artificial lighting or flash lighting with modifiers (such as snoots).

8. Consider purchasing advanced equipment

If you’re photographing fairly small artworks, you can be ultra-professional by using equipment designed specifically for art photography.

For instance, consider purchasing a copy stand, which includes a base, two lights, a column, and an arm to hold your camera. A copy stand is ideal for photographing large volumes of flat art; it’ll keep you set up and prepared to shoot, whereas setting up a tripod, a camera, and lighting takes time. Copy stands cost around $200, but you can pick one up secondhand for $100 or less.

I’d also recommend looking into light tables; these are often used to create product photos with a clear, smooth white background, but you can just as easily use one to photograph small artworks and ornaments. (That said, if you want to record flat artworks without a background, a copy stand is a better bet.)

Finally, consider purchasing or making a light tent: a five-sided cube held together by wire or plastic. Light tent sides are made from a translucent material that diffuses the light, and many tents come with various backgrounds. Some tents even have a hole in the top that lets you point the lens downward, which is ideal for photographing small, flat artworks.

You need an even exposure for flat art, so it’s a good idea to position lights of equal strength at an equal distance on either side of the tent.

Light tents can easily be made at home by constructing a simple frame and covering it with translucent material.
Photo: Alison Christine from North Yorkshire, UK [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Light tents are often cheap to buy, unlike light tables and copy stands. They’re often flimsy, but since they’re only a few bucks, they’re generally worth trying. If the gear works, no viewer is ever going to question how much you spent on your gear!

A young girl distracts herself with flowers whilst possibly slightly bored at a wedding table. Artist: Albert Fourié (1854-1937), Musée des beaux-arts de Rouen.

How to photograph art: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you’re ready to capture top-quality photos of art – whether you’re shooting at home or at a museum.

Just remember to keep your audience in mind. You don’t need to spend long minutes taking each shot if you only plan to share your images on Facebook. Conversely, if you’re after highly faithful record images, then make sure you spend extra time getting everything right.

What art do you plan to photograph? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post How to Photograph Artwork (8 Essential Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Neil Creek.

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