J. Whyte Photography

There is good photography advice and there is bad photography advice. The difference between good and bad often depends on who is receiving the advice, because everyone is in a different situation.  What works for some won't work for others. And in many ways, I think the advice from professional photographers often translates poorly for enthusiasts who only go out when they can.  Pay for Photography Experiences and not New Camera Gear  It's pretty common to hear a photographer / influencer explaining to their audience why it's better to save up money to pay for photography experiences than spend those extra dollars on new gear.   Usually, we are being told this by an influencer who is standing on the deck of an Antarctic cruise ship right after returning from photographing penguins on a glacier.   And look, I get it. It makes a certain amount of sense. If you only have a limited amount to spend, then it makes sense to allocate as much as you can to getting o...

Even though I do make money with my camera and spend time thinking about ways to make even more money from photography, when it comes down to it I consider myself a hobbyist.   And it’s okay to be a hobbyist. In fact photography is a great hobby.  It’s a hobby that gets you out of the house and away from your screens, pushes you towards fantastic adventures in other countries, hikes through beautiful landscapes, the exploration of places you would never have been. Or maybe you just like cameras,  your dad did photography and you just inherited it. Or perhaps it’s just an opportunity to be creative in a way you can’t be at your day job.   And while being a hobbyist may not have the cool factor that being a professional has, there are still so many great things about being a hobbyist.    First, there is the freedom to do whatever you want. I can jump in my car and just go. No plan, no agenda, no shot list. If I want to go downtown and photograph architecture ...

Importance of light Suggesting that light is important in photography is stating the obvious. Let’s be honest… of course light is important. But what I had to learn was that its not so easy to appreciate how light will impact the subject of the photograph, the particular building that is being photographed.  I came into photographing architecture honestly, as a stock photographer focusing on travel and landscape.  And if you are shooting travel stock, then its inevitable that you will need to learn how to photograph buildings.  But travel photography is different, there is a different feel and vibe.  Photographing the Pantheon in Rome? Throw in a great sunset! Make it eye-catching. With architecture photography, I think the building drives the photograph and the light is there as a compliment and not as a main feature.  Its unlikely that you want that insane sunset because that might just be confusing to the viewer. What’s the subject of the photograph? The suns...

Look for a Foreground Element A good foreground element can set your photographs apart from others. If you are a landscape photographer, you will understand what I mean. A foreground element can create depth, interest and drama. It can also provide additional context for an image and help with the story.  In the above image, a pile of rubble emphasizes the fact that this location is an abandoned industrial site.  Helps add depth and tells the story by providing the general context. Here, the snow-covered tracks connect the building to its purpose as a facility to load train cars, but it also builds in depth and adds interest, and the sense of motion to the image. Sometimes you can help yourself my moving items around, if possible, but keeping in mind the necessity to be respectful of the site.  In this case I moved a part of a backbone (or some kind of bone) into the grass in front of the building and then I just go up close – this one required focus stacking ...