Framing Freedom: How Frederick Douglass Used Photography to Combat Racism
Famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass was the most photographed American of the 19th century. For Douglass, the camera was a potent weapon in the fight for Black rights and freedoms.
The Stages of Self-Actualization
In his breakthrough 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation,” American psychologist Abraham Maslow describes the stages of human advancement and ascendance to higher levels of consciousness.
Photography’s Humble Beginnings
From a mid-nineteenth-century newspaper advertisement to the shaping of a presidential election and, subsequently, world history, a slice early photographic history.
19 Things We Wish Men Would Stop Wearing
From your husband or boyfriend to your best friend or brother, there are dudes in your life you care about. And you’ve seen them wear one too many square-toed dress shoe for it to be socially acceptable any longer. Help the cause and lead them away from any of the following 19 pieces.
The Trained Eye
Photographers inevitably size up the competition. It clarifies the field—and, frankly, I’m rarely impressed. Beyond lighting and framing, viewers make an instant judgment about a subject’s demeanor and expression. A glance, a slight head tilt, the tension of a jaw: these subtleties speak volumes. Classically trained figurative artists have always understood this. Many headshot specialists, chasing formula over finesse, do not.
The Eyes Have It
Cosmetic, tool of rebellion, status signifier: Eyeliner has been all these and more.
Secrets of Natural Light Portraits
Considerations when exploiting the sun and sky as your light source.
Reflections on Retouching
It’s time to restore a semblance of reality in portrait photography. Enough of the overly-slick, plastic renditions, no one is fooled.
Stayin’ Alive
Only one man could pull off a risible 70s look in the 21st Century and own it.
The World’s Finest Headshot Studio
James J. Kriegsmann’s Time Square portrait studio was the destination for America’s top talents from the 1930s to the 60s.
The Most Underrated Tip in Photography
After the capture, selecting the best frame is among the most critical skills a photographer needs to master. And it explains why photo editors are essential to publishing.