Mike O'Leary
fstoppers.com
Ireland
Contact Mike
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Past articles by Mike:
7 Easy to Follow Tips That Will Improve Your Photography
Continuous improvement should be at the core of every creative person's ethos, be they professional or amateur. While this video might be aimed more at beginner photographers, the tips offered here are relevant to anyone who really wants to improve their photography. Landscape photographer and educator, Gary Gough, is no stranger to offering helpful advice to those who wish to → Read More
Clean and Crisp Product Photography Made Simple With Some Affordable Equipment
If you're interested in becoming a commercial product photographer but you don't have access to a large studio, powerful strobes, or innumerable backgrounds; don't be dismayed. There are plenty of lighting and compositing tricks you can learn in order to build that killer portfolio that will land you better-paying gigs. In this video, product photographer and educator, Dustin → Read More
How Photography and Architecture Are Intertwined
Architectural photography is an art form that is intrinsically dependent on the mind of another creator. Without architecture, there would be no architectural photography. Normally, one wouldn't imagine this to be a two-way street, but this insightful video posits a different view. Stewart Hicks is an associate professor in the School of Architecture, lecturing in → Read More
A Brief History of Photography
As camera technology continues to advance at stomach-churning speed, it might be wise to remind ourselves of just how far we've come, as it's so easy to get caught up in the never-ending lust for the next shiny new toy. Sometimes, our focus on processors and edge-to-edge sharpness make us forget about the art, the craft, and the photographers that came before us, so sit back → Read More
Scouting Landscape Photography Locations With Virtual Reality
For any landscape photographer who prioritizes getting the money shot over serendipitously stumbling on a picturesque scene, using apps to predict the weather and to visualize an image is a foundational aspect of their workflow. While there are some incredibly useful apps out there, there isn't much that could beat being able to virtually travel to a location and time. In this → Read More
Replacing Strobes With Constant LED Lighting
Strobes are at the core of any serious studio photographer's kit, mainly because they're cheap and powerful. However, as you can see from this video, constant LED lights are catching up fast and are now a real option for anyone looking to try something different with their portrait work. In this video from Adorama, portrait photographer Emily Teague replaces her strobe kit → Read More
How to Shoot Cinematic Guided Tours for Real Estate
Real estate photography can be a great way of getting started in architectural photography, and depending on where you're located, it could be a lucrative option for someone looking to become a professional. But if you really want to get paid good money for real estate work, then you need to consider offering video packages to your clients too. While video walkthroughs with → Read More
6 Tips For Getting Started In Street Photography
Street photography is perhaps one of the most celebrated and ubiquitous forms of the art of photography. Names like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, and William Eggleston pervade any list of "greatest photographers of all time," so if you also want to try your hand at it, what is the best way way to approach it? Of course, there are more ways than one to approach any kind → Read More
Learn How to Create Evenly Lit Portraits With Just One Speedlight
Sometimes, we're hampered by malfunctioning gear or we just can't afford to invest in a second speedlight, so it's imperative that we learn how to make do with what we have. Creating an evenly lit, bright, and airy portrait with just one speedlight might seem like too much to ask, but not if you have a few grips and some reflective material at hand. In this video from Adorama, → Read More
Learn How a Photographer Captured This Scene With Just a Couple of Speedlights
Understanding the basics of flash photography opens up a world of creative avenues. This tutorial uses some basic concepts but also applies knowledge of color temperature and practical lighting. In this video from portrait and wedding photographer Jiggie Alejandrino, we are shown how to use the subtle difference in tone that blue hour gives us in order to create emotive and → Read More
Never Shot With a Model Before? Here's How You Should Start
Working with models can open up a plethora of new creative outlets and professional opportunities for any photographer. But, the first shoot with a model can seem like a daunting task for some. This video aims to get you comfortable with choosing and communicating with any experienced model. Photographer and educator, Gavin Hoey, from Adorama is here in another video packed → Read More
Is Blackmagic's Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro Worth the Investment?
Blackmagic's pocket cinema cameras have been a revelation for videographers with a tight budget and high standards. But their latest iteration, the 6K Pro, while boasting some amazing features, falls well short of being the perfect budget cinema camera — according to this professional videographer, at least. Caleb Pike, from DSLR Video Shooter, goes into detail about what he → Read More
Do You Want To Know How Lindsay Adler Created This 70s Glam Fashion Portrait?
Finding inspiration for your next shoot can be difficult, but going for a vintage vibe can offer so many avenues with all the various eras to choose from. While it's nice to see Gen Z embracing the 90s, we don't often see much love for the 70s in popular media these days, but thankfully this world-famous fashion photographer found just the right props at bargain prices to → Read More
How To Plan a YouTube Video From Start To Finish
If you want to create a YouTube video for your photography, and you don't just want a talking-head on the screen for five to ten minutes, then you need to plan it out before you even turn on a camera. These YouTube creators with over 200K subscribers detail how they go about planning each of their videos. In their latest video, Becki, from Becki and Chris, goes through, step → Read More
Watch This Photographer Turn an Ugly Location Into a Great Photoshoot
If you have a big budget for an editorial shoot or you're lucky enough to live near some beautiful scenery, then finding an ideal location for a portrait or fashion shoot won't be an issue. However, the vast majority of photographers have to work with less than that, so here are some great tips to get creative in ugly environments. In this video from Adorama TV, portrait → Read More
The How and Why of Making a Travel Photo Essay
Instagram, in particular, is full of high-quality travel photography — there's no end to it. But if you want to tell a personal story from your adventuring or pique the interest of a commercial entity with the hope of landing a new photography client, then you need to be able to produce a cohesive set of images. In this video, travel and adventure photographer, Brian Lackey, → Read More
These Tips Will Improve the Storytelling of Your Photography
Putting together a cohesive set of images that illustrate a grand narrative is not an easy process, especially for those of us who taken up photography and end up just shooting single shots for a portfolio and/or to sell prints. This video has some great tips for those who want to break out of that mold and start something a bit more substantial. → Read More
Do You Really Understand How Reflections Work in Photography?
Controlling reflections on your subject has to be one of the trickier skills to master in photography. It's a deep and nerdy topic to dive into, but this video is specifically about food photography and how simple changes in your shooting angle can dramatically affect the final image. In his latest video, food photographer Brandon Figueroa of Fig and Light explains how this → Read More
Have You Considered Raising Your Photography Rates? Here Are Some Tips.
When it comes to the business of photography, for many reasons, pricing is one of the things that often trip people up. But, once you stick to a few simple rules, it becomes easier. In this video, real-estate photographer and educator Nathan Cool takes us through some easy steps we can follow in order to price our photography properly as well as the when and how of raising our → Read More
Are You Utilizing the Warp and Free Transform Tools Enough in Your Photography?
If you're dogmatic about being a photographic purist, then this video might be too much to handle for you. If, on the other hand, you're open to new ways of creating and experimenting with Photoshop, then this will be right up your alley. Commercial advertising photographer and Canon Explorer of Light, Joel Grimes, is a firm believer that a camera is a tool to be used in → Read More