HDR photography can be a complicated subject, Here are a few tips from an expert on the subject. Trey Ratcliff is an HDR guru, old-school gentleman explorer. In this tutorial, Trey will teach you how to shoot the best HDR images possible, what software to choose, how to use it, and pick up a few

Keywording has been a fundamental part of licensing stock photography since 1945 when the preeminent historian Charles Gibbs-Smith first developed a system for indexing and organizing images. Now, 75 years later, the keywording process is more important than ever. If your photos aren’t keyworded, they simply won’t show up in image searches. They’ll just get

Whether you find it eerie or amusing—this stunning photo of a Japanese snow monkey using an iPhone captures just how much they resemble us humans. In this 500px ISO exclusive, we asked nature photographer Marsel van Oosten to share the full story behind his amazing shot and technique. Read on, and prepare to be wowed!

Do you ever wonder who captured the real estate photography on your local listings and how they went about it? Real estate is a fast-paced genre of architectural photography. Once you’ve made contacts with local realtors, you could create a steady stream of income. But first, you need to master the techniques. This essential guide

Jimmy McIntyre is travel photographer. He is currently undertaking a two-year project in Asia—writing two photography guidebooks for China and South Korea. He has taught digital blending workshops in four continents, and he also offers online courses. You can download his free Easy Panel for Photoshop program, which will create Luminosity Masks for you at the

It’s that time of year again—Questmas! So grab your gear and get creative, because this is your chance to win an awesome prize from some of the world’s top photography brands. For our second annual Questmas, we’ve partnered with 12 brands to bring you the ultimate photo challenge. 12 Days. 12 Quests. 12 Prizes. Starting

When film photographer Oleg Oprisco agreed to take an exclusive photo for 500px ISO, we were over the moon. If you don’t recognize his name, you will definitely recognize this Ukraine-based photographer’s photos. Oprisco is an inspiring photographer who brings an ethereal, fairytale quality to his photos that make them iconic. His photos have inspired so

Which one of these weird animals and critters are you meeting for the first time? Discover animal kingdom oddballs that 500px photographers have captured for you, with jaw-dropping features that range from wide cartoon-ish eyes to extremely long limbs and snouts to exaggerated body parts that look downright scary. Plus, you’ll get the story behind

Whenever we have conversations about improving photography techniques with the 500px community, we often hear questions focused on the mechanics of photography. What type of camera and lens should I use to take the photo? What is the rule of thirds, and how did you apply it? How do I work with great models? These

Hagar Wirba is an Exclusive Licensing Contributor who shoots with a strong visual aesthetic, incorporating colors that evoke feelings of nostalgia. Q: What got you started in photography? A: I started in photography as a way to document my life and savor memories when I was a teenager. I quickly realized it was also a

From the 500px family to yours, we want to wish those of you celebrating today a very Merry Christmas. In many homes the world over presents are being ripped apart with gusto as the token family photographer (probably you) annoys everybody else with the incessant clicks of the shutter as they capture this morning for

Cute Red pandas are really really cute. We’ve rounded up the most adorable and photogenic red pandas you can waste your time with. Actually, we can learn a thing or two about unwinding from these furry creatures. As you can see below, most of their day is devoted to sleeping, food trippin’ on bamboo, napping, climbing

Featured image: “Torn” by Felix Russell-Saw A few months ago, the world-renowned photographer Nadav Kander came across one of his pictures on the cover of a magazine—but he hadn’t granted permission for them to publish it. As he soon found out, a different photographer had taken a photo of his photo during one of his

Sam Brockway is a 500px Ambassador and an Exclusive Licensing Contributor. He specializes in travel and outdoor photography, featuring his travels throughout western America. Q: You shoot a lot of outdoor, wanderlust/lifestyle content. Why do you gravitate toward this genre? A: I came to photography by way of my love of travel and the outdoors,

On average, LinkedIn members with profile photos get 21 times more profile views than those without—and nine times as many connection requests. These days, a good headshot can mean the difference between getting a dream job and missing out, whether we’re talking about a fashion model or an entrepreneur, and professionals across industries are realizing

Faceless photos are trending—at least when it comes to photography. We’ve all seen the pictures: faceless figures in a vast landscape, tourists in straw hats gazing at iconic landmarks, and the famous #Followmeto theme, where all we see is someone’s back leading us into the unknown. When a photo is anonymous, we can’t identify the

When Ansel Adams released his early photographs of Yosemite, he stunned the world with his sharp-as-a-tack focus. To the surprise of audience members, the faraway mountains in his pictures were just as crisp as the rocks at his feet. Back in the 1930s, he’d done something as radical as it was simple: he used a

Want to master astrophotography? Want to learn the art of capturing an awesome meteor shower, or the next Supermoon, or the milky way galaxy across the night sky? Award-winning photographer, visual effects artist, and Adventure.com‘s new photojournalist Mark Gee will show you how. Based in New Zealand, he is the 2013 winner of the Astronomy Photographer of the

“How do I get a photo pass for concerts?” This is the question I get asked most often, and it was a question I myself asked a just few years ago. Once I had the answer, I had a front row seat to just about any concert I wanted to see. Here is the key…

Joshua Herrera is an American Licensing Contributor based in Charlotte, North Carolina. A Former US Paratrooper, Joshua applies his sense of adventure to his photography, aiming to capture authenticity in his captivating lifestyle photographs. Q: What led you to photography? Did you always want to be a photographer? A: I was always bouncing from hobby

Ambassador Taya Iv is well known for creating beautiful self-portraits that elicit strong emotions from viewers. She recently challenged the community to take on the art of self-portraiture by looking beyond the ‘selfie’ and focus on a more traditional approach to photography. The Selection Process “Going through so many of your amazing submissions was exciting

In the past five years alone, drones have reshaped the photography industry. While once reserved mostly for real estate and landscape photographers, today’s drones suit artists of all genres, from weddings to reportage. A quick look at popular 500px hashtags like #drone, #dronephotography, and #droneoftheday will give you a taste of the diversity and versatility

Jimmy Mcintyre is a travel photographer and educator. His photos have been published in local and national magazines, including the BBC. His online courses on digital blending and post-processing can be found in his official website. You can also check out his exclusive tutorials on 500px ISO here. In this tutorial, Jimmy shares his expert

Keep up with key trends in Licensing as 500px’s Art Director, Karen Biilmann, analyzes common threads and current themes throughout our Exclusive Contributor photography submissions. From brands taking a stand on climate change to those moving toward a sustainable future, here’s what’s trending in the 500px Licensing Collection. Taking a stand on global issues and

According to recent surveys, 90% of millennial travelers post photos during their vacations. In the UK, 40% think about whether or not a destination is photogenic before even booking a trip. “Vacation” is mentioned more on social media than Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and other mega-celebrities. Photos play a critical role in determining where we

Instagram photos look best at 1080 pixels wide. Pinterest images shine at around 1000×1500 pixels. A Facebook photo should be at least 1200 pixels wide—1920 if it’s an event photo. In 2003, when 500px launched, the perfect web-resolution was, well, 500 pixels. Now, it’s best to upload your photos with a resolution of at least

Take a peek at the best-selling images from leading stock agencies worldwide, and you’ll notice a few common themes: businesspeople in offices, families having fun, couples on romantic walks, and people with natural, authentic smiles. While stock photography can cover any genre and subject, Licensing clients always need inspiring pictures of people. After all, the

Snapchat might have cornered the nude selfie market, but when it comes to nude self-portraits (there’s definitely a difference), 500px photographer Benjamin Von Wong‘s foray into the genre is way better than any of the self-destructing messages being sent around this week. Back in 2012, Ben put up a status on his Facebook page that

“There was no ‘aha’ moment,” photographer Gracie Hagen tell us about her viral photo series Illusions of the Body. “I started the series like any other project & like any other project, the idea starts somewhere and as it progresses it morphs into something different.” What the project eventually morphed into was a viral series

Which cities are the most beautiful cities in the world that get photographed the most? We’ve compiled a list of the top 25 most photographed cities on 500px. Explore more for ideas and inspiration. GPS data is pretty awesome. We used GPS data to compile this data. You can use it to remember exactly where