Photo Stories

Mary Ellen Mark started using a Brownie Box camera at just nine years old. At thirteen, Francesca Woodman created her first self-portrait. Stanley Kubrick was the same age when his father gifted him with a Graflex. Edward Weston’s dad gave him his first camera, a Kodak Bulls-Eye No. 2, on his sixteenth birthday. Photography appeals

At the start of this year, the Special Covid-19 Edition of The CMO Survey revealed that social media spending increased to 23.2% of marketing budgets by June 2020, up from 13.3% in February. As brands turned to social media to connect with customers, the visual marketing landscape shifted to suit a new era—and new platforms.

Nithya Rajapandian is a documentary filmmaker and photographer from Chennai, India. Nithya’s photography portfolio includes both stunning landscapes, and creative and conceptual portraiture. Her work blends themes of beauty, both in people and nature, to draw the connection between humans and the natural world around us. Q: Nithya, do you recall your first experience with

According to a 2020 survey, 75% of workers have experienced burnout on the job, with 40% saying it’s a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re living in an uncertain time, and between schedule changes, remote work, and longer hours, stress feels inevitable, even for people who love their jobs. For photographers, burnout can take

You might not have heard the phrase “perfection fatigue,” but we’ve all experienced it. For decades, many brands have contributed to unrealistic beauty standards through the use of overly retouched photos, but fortunately, in the last few years, the tables have turned. Customers are speaking out about airbrushing and demanding more inclusive marketing—and companies are

You know the work of the iconic photographer Richard Avedon, but you might not know that before his shoots, he often asked his models what food and music they preferred on set. When he first photographed Twiggy, he famously played music from the popular English rock band The Kinks. In the end, his thoughtful approach

2020 was the year of the “side hustle,” with people around the world turning their passions into passive income or planning to do so in the near future. For many photographers, in particular, that meant selling presets, opening an online print shop, or selling their work as creative stock photography. Stock photography, also known as

Taya Iv is an incredibly talented photographer (and a 500px Ambassador) who specializes in self-portraits. Her photos are full of emotion and captivate the viewer with the story and hidden messages in each of her images. So when Taya said she wanted to judge an Emotional Portraits Quest we were very excited and with over

Anna Neubauer is an Austrian artist and photographer, currently based in London. Anna’s photography focuses on portraits, featuring diverse models of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and abilities. Anna’s work has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, Spotify, Adobe, The Today Show, Life Framer, Buzzfeed, and recently was one of five recipients of a 500px Intersectional Diversity Commercial

Shooting in midday sun is challenging for a few reasons, including hard shadows, blown-out highlights, and uneven lighting. But while most photographers prefer the diffuse lighting around sunrise and sunset, being able to harness and adapt to harsh sunlight is an invaluable skill to have as an artist. Too many times, the first tip you’ll

In the winter of 2020, amid the global coronavirus pandemic, 60% of Americans reported that they would not be traveling to see friends and family for the holidays. But at the same time, many of us longed to reconnect with those closest to us, found new ways to communicate, and made plans for the future.

There’s a famous moment in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada where Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) lectures Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) about color trends, explaining how Andy’s seemingly average cerulean blue sweater was, in fact, influenced by years of high fashion. The scene is fictional, of course, but it does have some roots in

As a photographer, building your brand and creating an authentic space to present your work online is one of the most important steps you can take. Whether you’re starting a business, or simply want to display your work for the world to see, having a website is key to getting your brand out there. But

Gear doesn’t define a photographer, but there’s no denying that the right tools can make your workflow run more smoothly. Today’s camera brands are smarter than ever, and keeping up with the “latest and greatest” gear can feel overwhelming, but the truth is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to fill your camera

Commercial stock photography has been around for more than a century now, and in that time, the industry has undergone countless evolutions in terms of what photographers shoot and what buyers want. The past few years have been reshaped by trends ranging from in-demand topics like sustainability and technology to stylistic choices like minimalism and

Research suggests that creative activities can promote well-being and help us avoid stress, regardless of our skill levels or experience. In fact, even small creative sessions in everyday life can boost our emotional health, meaning that you don’t need to be a full-time artist to reap the benefits. If we learned anything in the last

Masha Raymars is a conceptual and fine art photographer from Lviv, Ukraine. Masha’s portfolio features a great blend of different kinds of portraits, some quiet and intimate, while others are heavily stylized and surreal. Q: Masha, how would you describe the arts and photography community in Ukraine? A: Our photography community grows like mushrooms, with

The last few years have seen a revolution in design and architecture—from smart home technology and the rise of “tiny houses” to green urban planning and the use of recycled materials. As our living and workspaces have changed, the field of architecture photography—established by legendary artists like Lucien Hervé and Julius Schulman in the 19th

On one chilly December morning a few years ago, the photographer Sam Brockway retraced Ernest Hemingway’s well-worn footsteps at Idaho’s Silver Creek, free to roam the 851-acre preserve with only the sounds of nature—crunching ice, echoing water, and flapping Coots—to keep him company. As he traveled through the landscape, he identified a diverse array of

2Phoo Chan is a talented birding photographer and 500px member whose work has been published in various publications including National Geographic magazine and the latest National Geographic Complete Bird of North America (2nd edition) book cover page. His photo of a crow riding on an eagle’s back spread across the Internet like wildfire, and in