by NIck Kelsh | Jun 22, 2015 | Blog
The temptation to constantly document everything that’s seemingly important so we can relive it later is powerful. I love my iPhone camera but I hold smartphones mostly responsible for this worrisome phenomena. People who never shot photographs before they had a...
by NIck Kelsh | Jun 15, 2015 | Blog
My sister-in-law Mary needed a new headshot for her LinkedIn account. She got a new job so she wanted a new photo; it’s simple. We were at a family event, she was all dolled up, I found a beautiful space with some beautiful light and I photographed beautiful Mary in...
by NIck Kelsh | Jun 7, 2015 | Blog
Like many photographers my age, I’ve spent thousands of hours of my life in a darkroom. When digital photography came along those days were over, but the lessons we learned there paved the way for us to make beautiful digital images. This was not wasted time. In fact,...
by NIck Kelsh | Jun 5, 2015 | Blog
Becoming a confident photographer requires repeated success. Obviously, that’s easier said than done. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re trying to become that photographer that all of us want to be. Shoot pictures every day. Accept my 60 Day...
by NIck Kelsh | Jun 4, 2015 | Blog
Confident photographers shoot better pictures because they’re relaxed and having fun. Getting yourself to that enviable position, however, can be tricky. Confident people, regardless of what they’re doing, are confident because they’ve been successful. People have...
by NIck Kelsh | Jun 2, 2015 | Blog
Turn up the sound on your computer and listen to this video. Yes, I meant listen. You don’t need to hear the whole thing—it’s two minutes—to grasp that the audio quality is surprisingly good. It was recorded with my smart phone—an iPhone, actually—without any...
by NIck Kelsh | May 29, 2015 | Blog
Accomplished communicators juxtapose unexpected elements. A story that starts with a man walking into the ladies room is off to a solid start. You’ve got my attention. It may be all downhill from there—maybe even predictable—but so far so good. I think...
by NIck Kelsh | May 27, 2015 | Blog
The great photographer, Mary Ellen Mark, died yesterday. She was an inspiration to my generation and we all worshiped her. I crossed paths with her a few of times. Once, when I was covering the Republican National Convention in 1980 I saw her across the room at some...
by NIck Kelsh | May 23, 2015 | Blog
Monday is Memorial Day in the United States. It’s our national holiday for remembering those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for America. It’s also the traditional first day of summer. We remember those who have died by parading, barbecuing, and drinking. As...
by NIck Kelsh | May 20, 2015 | Blog
Admittedly, it was tempting to zoom in on the two little kids as though a gust of wind had just dropped the blossoms on them. It took me a little while to realize that the photograph here was the wide shot; the dad was actually what it was all about. It’s a...
by NIck Kelsh | May 19, 2015 | Blog
We’re proud to announce the top three winners in the FOREVER Storytelling Photo Contest. As the sole judge of this contest it became painfully obvious to me why many contests have multiple judges. This was difficult! So now, anyone who has a problem with the results...
by NIck Kelsh | May 13, 2015 | Blog
The response we received to the FOREVER storytelling photo contest was amazing. It’s always incredible when people share their personal lives in such poignant, touching and sometimes funny ways. It was beyond difficult to get it down to a Top 10. There are so...
by NIck Kelsh | May 12, 2015 | Blog
Yesterday was a big day in our neighborhood. Eric came home. Two and a half weeks ago one of our dearest friends called me and said he was having the worst headache of his life and needed to go to the hospital. Seven minutes later we were pulling up into the local...
by NIck Kelsh | May 4, 2015 | Blog
It’s a huge problem, and some of you may get tired of hearing me talk about it, but I will not be stifled. There are too many mothers in the world who are rarely photographed with their children. It’s obvious WHY it’s happening; it’s because they’re TAKING the...
by NIck Kelsh | May 4, 2015 | Blog
Welcome to the new website. This is a place where we hope information will be photographer friendly and easy to find. The old site was in need of more than just a standard spring cleaning. We’re moving on. We hope you find this site simple to use and life-enriching....
by NIck Kelsh | May 4, 2015 | Fireworks, Fireworks, Free Tips
One of the most popular features I’ve ever written for any of our sites were my tips to how to photograph fireworks. Here’s a link to that blog. The information that’s there is solid and you can proceed with confidence if you follow it. In those instructions you set...
by NIck Kelsh | May 3, 2015 | Blog
The moms of the world aren’t being photographed with their children. They’re too busy photographing the kids and dad. 90% of the family photographs taken in the United States are taken by women. That’s a wonderful thing if you love heartfelt, sensitive, thoughtful...
by NIck Kelsh | May 2, 2015 | Blog
I’m a photo tips guy. I critique other people’s photographs for a living. This one has some problems. I don’t care. This is also one of my personal all-time favorite family photos. It’s my son, Chaz, and my mother in her apartment in Fargo, North Dakota. Chaz took a...
by NIck Kelsh | Apr 30, 2015 | Blog
I had a really bizarre dream recently. I’m assuming that the heavy medication I was taking as I recovered from my full knee replacement had something to do with it, but believe me, when I woke up I felt as though I had had a close encounter with an alien creature. It...
