Above: I photographed actor and comedian Rhys Darby for Foxtel Australia’s “Whose Line Is it Anyway” The energy you bring to a shoot is going to have a huge impact on the person you are photographing so it’s really important that you check your mood, body language and tone during a portrait shoot. It’s not what you say that matters. It’s how you say it and here’s why. Have you ever been served in a cafe by a waiter who would rather be at home watching Game of Thrones? Or a shop assistant who has memorised the shop assistants’ generic greetings but just forgot to care about what she was saying along the way? The waiter is polite, gets the coffee order correct and even smiles at the appropriate times. As far as serving coffee 101 goes, this guy has totally nailed it. The problem here, and it’s nothing he...

This simple little tip will make a big impact on how you view your images. Above: When working in the Develop Module in Lightroom tap “L” on your keyboard once to dim the filmstrip and tool panels around your image. Above: Lights out mode (Dimmed) removes distractions but still lets you view filmstrip and tools. Above: Tap on “L” again to completely black out the area around your image. Blacking out the area around your image removes distractions and makes it much easier to judge brightness, contrast and colour tones.

Above: Vasto, Italy photographed on my Canon 5DMK111 and 24-105mm lens ISO 100,F8 @1/1000th sec You’ve heard the saying “location, location” right? Well, did you know the place you spend the most time in is going to impact how successful you will become as a photographer? I believe the place you spend the majority of your time will have more of an impact on your ability to succeed than your technical ability. You can be the most technically gifted photographer in the world but if you spend the majority of your time living in this place then it’s highly likely your work will continue to suffer and will struggle to improve or evolve. I know this because I’ve lived in this place and getting out wasn’t easy. It’s difficult to leave a place that feels so familiar. Life here is predictable and comfortable. In fact, the place is called Comfort...

By now, I’m sure you’ve figured out that I love sharing my passion for photography. That’s why I deliver courses, and share my knowledge in my podcast and newsletter. I love seeing other people get inspired by the images they can create. So when the guys at 5DayDeal asked me to get involved in a wonderful initiative that not only helps budding photographers – but also gives back to charities – it was a no brainer. I’m collaborating with some my my favourite photography educators to bring you a deal that, quite frankly, is awesome. You’ll get so much value from The Complete Photography Business & Marketing Bundle – but it’s only available from noon 19 to noon 24 January (Pacific time) 2017. For Sydney/Melbourne people that’s (7am Friday 20 January to 7am Wednesday 25 January.) I think this bundle speaks for itself. The 2017 Complete Photography Business & Marketing Bundle is...

Above: Spotted these gorgeous creatures on the beach in Seminyak, Bali. The owner informed me they live, eat and sleep together along with three puppies. Aside from the cuteness factor I also had to contend with fading light and the fact that these guys were heavily backlit. The image was photographed using a Canon 5DMk11, 24-105mm lens @ 105mm, F4 1/100th sec, ISO 1000 “Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.” – Brian Tracy  

Above: This is one of the most genius and cheap MacGyver hacks I’ve ever seen. The credit goes to one of my assistants (thanks Maté!). Have you ever wanted to shoot with studio strobes and a fast lens but found your lights were too powerful? Yeah, me too! The work around is to use a neutral density filter on the camera or neutral density film on the light to knock back the exposure. The downside of this technique is those little suckers are very expensive and they often add a colour cast to the image. When I was first shown this technique I was amazed at just how simple, cheap and effective this little hack is, and best of all, it involves my favourite MacGyver staple – gaffer tape! This cheap little hack is almost neutral with very little colour cast, my reading above registered a shift of approx 50...

Above: I photographed Tegan Higginbotham for a promo shoot for Foxtel Australia’s new show “Whose Line Is It Anyway” using a beauty dish and white reflector. “A man can eat an elephant if need be, one bite at a time.” – Chinese proverb Have you ever wondered how the guy who got the contract to build The Great Wall of China must have felt when he first found out he got the gig? I imagine he was sitting at home on a Wednesday night watching Real Housewives of New York when he got the message (handwritten on a beautiful gold embossed scroll). Dear Dave, Your quote to build The Great Wall has been approved, please report to work on 21st April, 770 BC. Regards, Tony Great Wall Inc. Or something along those lines… Now Dave could easily have been overwhelmed by this task. There are approximately 3,873,000,000 bricks in The...

Above: Lanterns, Seminyak, Bali photographed using Canon 5DMK111, 24-105mm lens @95mm F 4 @ 1/125th second ISO 5000. “I told the universe (and anyone who would listen) that I was committed to living a creative life not in order to save the world, not as an act of protest, not to become famous, not to gain entrance to the canon, not to challenge the system, not to show the bastards, not to prove to my family that I was worthy, not as a form of deep therapeutic emotional catharsis … but simply because I liked it.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

Above: My ducks finally lined up! Bali. Photographed using the canon 5DMK111, ISO 100 F 5.6 @ 1/100th sec using the 24-105mm lens @ 105mm. When I was starting out as a photographer, I had a night job working as a cook in an Italian restaurant. One night a regular customer, Jonathan, who was an Art Director at an advertising agency, asked me if I would be interested in shooting some products for him. His regular guy was away, and Jonathan knew I was an emerging photographer and wanted to give me an opportunity. “It’s a simple pack shot, seven soft drink bottles on a white background. You’ve shot this sort of stuff before right?” At the time my experience was limited to shooting actors’ headshots and models’ portfolios, and I worked mostly with daylight because I found flash a little bit too stressful. The answer in my head was...

Above: I photographed this young student of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) Australia using my canon 1DX and 85mm 1.2 lens “Passion for something leads to disproportionate time practising or working at it. That time spent eventually translates to skill, and when skill improves, results improve. Better results generally lead to more enjoyment, and more passion and more time is invested. It can be a virtuous cycle all the way to extraordinary results.” The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller