Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! This is a fictional photography story. I didn’t get hurt writing it. Or did I? Maybe, just a tad. See, I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with an acronym for aperture. Because let’s be honest… remembering how it works is one thing. Explaining it? That’s another beast entirely. More on that in a second… First, I don’t know about you… …but when I started photography, aperture confused the heck out of me. Big number...
3 days ago • 2 min read
Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! ⚠ Warning. Proceed with caution. This email will forever change how you think about and capture your images. Once you read this, there’s no going back. I’m about to share one word that will… …completely transform how you approach photography. One word that shifts your mindset. One word that separates amateurs from masters. And once you start using it? You’ll never see photography the same way again. I didn’t realize it at...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! I was 24. And... They laughed at me. Ouch. I’d just arrived back from a weekend trip to Sedona, Arizona. The year 1995. And my photographic prints had just been processed. Sedona | 1995 I had been so excited—until I saw their faces. What was I thinking? Were the colors too bold? The composition too experimental? I stood there, waiting for feedback… and then it came. A chuckle. A smirk. That moment hit hard. Someone even...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! Patterns in photography make people happy! And they can make you a better photographer, too. Let me explain. What’s your favorite song? You don’t even have to think… …it just lights you up, right? That’s because music triggers dopamine… your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitter. Patterns in photography work the same way, activating your brain’s reward system by creating a sense of order and satisfaction. That’s why our eyes...
24 days ago • 2 min read
Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! Imagine this… … you're trapped. Behind you, gators. In front, a herd of wild buffalo. To your left, a marsh that might as well be a nest of snakes. And to your right, a forest blocked by barbed wire. There’s no escape! Your heart’s racing. But you think, "If I can nail this shot, it’ll be worth it… maybe." Well, that was the situation I found myself in one day last spring. So, I only had one choice… …create photos of the...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! I have a confession to make. Even after 35 years of photography, I still second-guess my shutter speed choices. Too fast, and I lose the beautiful motion blur I wanted. Too slow, and the subject isn’t as tack-sharp as I’d like. Sound familiar? At first, I thought shutter speed was just about technical precision—following a formula to get the “right” setting. And while that’s partly true… The real challenge is knowing what...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! I was all alone. Shrouded in darkness. An hour before sunrise. But I was as giddy as a child in a candy store. Soon... the sunrise would bloom behind me. But for the first time, I didn’t care about that. My eyes were locked on the butte in front of me… …its silhouette a quiet promise of the magic to come. Patiently, I waited. The colors I’d envisioned danced in my mind, ready to transform the scene into something...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! Does this sound familiar? You're standing before a stunning scene. The light is perfect, the moment is fleeting… and yet, you're stuck—searching for the composition that just won't come. Frustration builds as the pressure mounts. You scan the scene again and again in vain. _________ Been there, done that. But what if it didn’t have to be this way? A few decades ago, I challenged myself to retrain my brain to "see"...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Parker Photographic Insiders Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! I hated every minute of it? 25 years behind the camera as a portrait and wedding photographer. It wasn’t my dream field, but it was the one I stumbled into… practical, familiar, and in demand. But deep down, I always wondered… can you teach an “old dog” (like me) a new trick? Let’s find out… What I really wanted was to capture the raw beauty of landscapes and the unpredictable grace of wildlife. But my reality wasn’t as...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Parker Photographic Elevate Insiders | Photography + Editing tips Hello Reader ! I got slapped, my hand pulled back,No cookies in the jar, just bills in a stack. “I’ll snag a dollar, buy a cookie,” I said,But nope—Mom’s glare filled me with dread. Fast forward a decade, earning my keep,Bagging groceries while dreams ran deep. Three thirty-five an hour, I worked with pride,Plastic or paper? I’d ask, smiling wide. I bought a computer before my first car,A three-door Mustang that wouldn’t get...
2 months ago • 1 min read