Photography | Webdesigner Depot

10 Feb

Nature is a superb way of finding natural and unique inspiration.

It refreshes our mind and gives us something to think about in new and exciting ways.

I’m a huge fan of character illustration, especially monsters and aliens.

When searching for inspiration for these illustrations, I find taking a good look at the world beneath us, the sea-bed of the ocean always points me in the right direction.

The bright colors, unusual but natural shapes and the detail in the photos below will hopefully inspire you as well… Read more

16 Dec

Incredible Examples of Snowflake Photography

Compilation, Inspiration, Photography

71

Although the web is a great place to look for quick inspiration for a project, nothing can beat going on a long walk in nature.

The summer brings us sunny days, fields full of crops and plenty of insects and wildlife, whereas the winter brings us rain, icy roads and snow.

When Christmas comes around we often find people looking at plastic tree decorations saying “snowflakes don’t look like that!”. That, of course, is where they are all wrong.

With a decent camera and zoom or macro lens, things we wouldn’t normally pay too much attention to become a complete world in themselves, making them a magnificent source of inspiration for artists and designers all over the world.

Below we have collected some incredible close-up/macro shots of snowflakes to really get the arty-side of you in full flow this Christmas season. Read more

3 Nov

The Unbelievable and Impossible Photos of Li Wei

Best Of, Inspiration, Photography

127

Li Wei, a contemporary artist from Beijing China, has been taking self portraits to new heights… literally!

His gravity defying photos have been mesmerizing the world, capturing impossible looking moments of apparent extreme danger.

You’ll find Wei hanging on in dangerous situations, or crashing head on into sidewalks and cars.

Li Wei states that these images are not computer montages and that he works with the help of props such as mirrors, metal wires, scaffolding and acrobatics. He then removes the wires and scaffolding with Photoshop to create these seemingly impossible photos.

“My artistic language is universal and deals with themes about contemporary politics and society using symbols understood by everyone in every part of the world. I am fascinated by the unstable and dangerous sides of art…”

Here’s a collection of some of Wei’s most outstanding photos, in a unique combination of artistry and acrobatics that are sure to make you take a second look. Read more

19 Oct

Do’s and Don’ts of Photoshop Retouching

Photography, Photoshop, Web Design

48

A photograph of a stunning model is sitting before you that has serious potential but several flaws.

The shade of the female model’s hair is dull, her eye color just isn’t doing it for you, and she has several pimples across her otherwise flawless face.

What do you do? Touch up the photo using Photoshop, of course!

The number of options available for enhancement are now sky high, but what’s the best way to clean the photo up?

To simplify the retouching process, we have highlighted the best and worst ways to create a clean, professional-looking photo in Photoshop. Read more

29 Sep

50 Stunning Examples of the Droste Effect

Art, Compilation, Photography

37

The Droste effect is a Dutch term for a specific type of recursive picture.

An image exhibiting the Droste effect depicts a smaller version of the image within itself in a recursive manner.

In theory, the picture in picture effect continues deeper into the picture ad infinitum, but it really only goes as far as the image resolution will allow while still being visible, but it still has the feeling of being never ending.

The advent of the digital age has taken the old Droste effect to a whole new level.

In this compilation, you’ll find over 50 stunning examples of the Droste effect. Read more

26 Aug

60 Stunning Satellite Photos of Earth

Compilation, Inspiration, Photography

78

Looking at nature from different perspectives can create stunning compositions for your photographs.

This couldn’t be more true than when we look at our planet from outer space and appreciate the reality of its beauty from such an incredible and rarely seen perspective.

The images in this compilation are from the Landsat 7 satellite and were created to introduce the general public to the Landsat Program.

Various combinations of the eight Landsat 7 spectral bands were selected to create the vivid RGB composites that we have featured.

Here are 60 absolutely stunning images of the Earth as seen from outer space. Click on the images for large resolution versions which you can use as wallpapers. Read more

7 Aug

100 Striking Examples of Grunge Photography

Grunge, Inspiration, Photography

48

Grunge photography goes far beyond what the naked eye perceives and brings with it a dimension of frightening and powerful emotions.

These images are usually heavily edited and enhanced in order to create the grunge effect.

This effect can be described as dark, dirty, old, gloomy and definitely has an eerie vibe to it.

You’ve probably spotted plenty of examples of grunge photography as movie studios use it a lot when promoting their horror and scary movies, giving the viewer a feeling of dread and fear.

In this post, we’ll take a look at 100 striking examples of grunge photography that are sure to make you cringe and keep you in suspense.

7 Jul

20 Amazing Examples of HDR Portraits

Effects, Inspiration, Photography

62

High Dynamic Range (HDR) images can really take your photography to the next level.

But creating compelling HDR images, whether through fake HDR techniques in Photoshop or multiple exposures and tone-mapping, can be tricky.

Creating portraits can be even trickier, because human subjects are often less forgiving in HDR photos.

But you can do a few different things to get better results with your HDR portraits every time.

Below are 20 examples of excellent portraits representing a variety of HDR techniques. Read more

30 Jun

50 Dazzling Examples of Polar Panorama Photography

Inspiration, Photography, Photoshop

81

Polar panoramas, also known as stereographic projections or ‘little planets’, are spectacular images that are created out of panoramic photos.

While the effects are quite stunning, these images are actually very easy for anyone to produce.

The basic principle is to take a panoramic photo, make some easy changes to it, and finally apply a Photoshop filter (Distort > Polar Coordinates) to complete the effect.

For detailed instructions, please follow this easy tutorial.

Here are 50 dazzling examples of polar panorama photography. Read more

24 Jun

The Fantastic Photography of Clark Little

Inspiration, Photography

110

Today we’re featuring the fantastic photography of Clark Little, an amazing surf photographer.

His photographs have been mesmerizing the world since 2007, with captivating photos taken inside waves as well as stunning angles usually only seen by hard core surfers.

His work has been showcased extensively through the media such as on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Inside Edition as well as multiple publishers and newspapers in the U.S. and abroad.

His limited Edition book, The Shorebreak Art of Clark Little, is now in production and will be available for purchase online in the summer of 2009.

Now, let’s browse through some of his collection and enjoy this breathtaking experience… Read more

19 Jun

100 Outstanding and Inspirational Infrared Photos

Inspiration, Photography

43

Infrared photography produces some of the most amazing photographs on the planet.

In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used within a digital camera is sensitive to infrared lighting, which allows the camera to pick up any light that’s invisible to the human eye.

Objects that are normally bright in visible light look dark, while normally dark objects look especially bright.

In most cases, an infrared filter is used which lets the infrared light to pass through to the camera.

In this article, we’ll take a look at 100 inspirational examples of infrared photography that are sure to both inspire and amaze you. Read more

10 Jun

40 Examples of Incredible Photo Manipulation

Inspiration, Photography, Photoshop

129

Photo manipulation is an ever evolving collaboration between photography and graphic design.

Combining certain elements to create a unique image, that can convince even the most experienced set of eyes, requires a very creative set of skills.

Because the manipulation of a photo gives a realistic view of an unreal picture, you should have an open mind when gathering ideas on how to get creative with your images.

Photo manipulations are a great source for inspiration, generally because designers are able to express their creativity through various aspects of design.

Several of the following images contain illustrative elements, while others display a more realistic approach.

So here are 40 of the most incredible examples of photo manipulation. Read more

8 Jun

100+ Portraits of Iconic People of All Time

Art, Inspiration, Photography

295

Today we bring you a great collection of portraits of the most iconic people throughout history.

Portraits explore the relationship between the subject and the photographer or artist and usually continue to impress the viewer years after they have been created.

The common thread running through all of these portraits is superlative design. Each is a masterpiece in its own right, from the medieval painted portraits right up to the most current photographs.

This collection is arranged in alphabetical order and is by no means complete. We encourage you to post comments as to which portraits we’ve missed, that you feel should be part of this collection.

We hope that this collection inspires you, makes you gasp and even smile. We want you to come away with a sense of what made each portrait unique and memorable, and incorporate these concepts into your own portraits.

12 May

20 Stunning Panoramic Landscapes

Inspiration, Photography

56

I’ve always been fascinated by how 360° panoramic photos draw one into the scene. It’s almost like you’re really there and taking it all in.

In this article we’ll take a look at 20 stunning panoramic photos of landscapes from around the world. To view the fully interactive 360 degree versions, simply click on any of the images below.

Please note that you need to have Quicktime and Flash installed in order to view these photos. If full screen versions are not loaded at first, just click on the full screen icon to enlarge.

So browse away and enjoy your virtual trip to all of these amazing locations….

28 Apr

Results of Self Portrait Design Challenge

Challenge, Design, Photography

56

Thanks for all the submissions received over the past few days for our weekend Self Portrait challenge.

Your submissions were of very high quality once again and a true source of inspiration.

The self portraits you’ll find below are very diverse, extremely creative and full of emotion.

Thanks to all for your hard work and we’ll continue to bring you more design challenges in the coming weeks.

Please leave your comments after the photos below and give us feedback as to what design challenges you would like to see next. Read more

24 Apr

Weekend Design Challenge: Self Portrait

Challenge, Design, Photography

23

After reviewing your feedback on last week’s photomontage design challenge and knowing that you truly enjoyed the experience, I think it’s time for another great design challenge…

Do you recognize the picture on the left? That’s Sharbat Gula, an Afghan woman whose photo became the world’s most famous portrait after appearing on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985.

In this week’s challenge, we’re concentrating on self portraits, having just covered this in today’s article: How to Take Excellent Portrait Photos

Will you possibly be the face of the next world famous portrait? You certainly have the power to do it! Are you ready for the challenge? Go grab your camera and get ready for some serious fun!

24 Apr

How to Take Excellent Portrait Photos

Design, Photography, Tutorials

28

Simply put, a portrait is a representation of a person.They usually focus on a person’s face, mood and expression.

Traditionally portraits were sculptures or paintings however, in modern times, a photograph is the most recognized way of taking a portrait.

In most cases, the subject looks straight at the camera in order to engage the viewer.

In this article, we’ll be giving you simple techniques to help you take portraits and also self portraits, to make the very best of your photos.

At the end of the article, you’ll find a showcase of great portraits and self portraits that you can use for inspiration. Read more

4 Feb

How To Sell Stock Photos – Part 2

Photography, Stock Photo

20

In the first part of this series, we presented stock photography from a marketing and advertising perspective.

You learned about different license types, the photo subjects most sought after by stock agencies, copyright, licensing and more.

In this second part, we’ll present the technical and design aspect of stock photography. You, the photographer, will learn the technical skills necessary to improve the quality of your photos in order to be accepted on stock photography websites.

We’ll cover photo composition, file formats, and post processing as well as a short list of insider tips. Read more