Yanik’s Photo School went live on April 5th of this year. Actually, it was called Yanik’s Photo Blog then and I wasn’t really sure where I would be going with it. It didn’t take long for me to change the name and focus the site on photography learning. Looking back, I’m glad I chose this area of photography since I combined two passions: photography and teaching.

I’m also very excited for 2009! I’ m in the process of moving to Montreal (hopefully in April) which will give me access to 2 professional studios which means more tutorials on a subject close to me: lighting! I’ll also have a video camera to show you detailed Continue Reading »

Here are your January off-campus learning links.

I thought I would add at the end of the list a “non learning” Youtube video. It’s really worth it! 

And remember, if you find great articles about photography learning that aren’t listed that month, please share them in the comments so that Continue Reading »

I’ve been asked often about Gimp and if I would write up tutorials for it so I thought that I would post something up.

First of all, if you don’t know Gimp, it’s the most popular and function-rich, stand-alone photo editing software out there that’s 100% FREE! Got your attention?

I wish I could personally write up some Gimp tutorials but, to be honest, I’ve never tried it! I’ve been with my good buddy Photoshop since version 3 (not CS3).  I know that for many of you, Photoshop is pretty expensive especially if Continue Reading »

There are so many cool and informative photography articles out there that I’ve decided to start an “Off-Site Learning” post. This post will be once a month for now and will focus on links that I found engaging and informative. It’s all about getting as much information in you to continue to perfect your skill as a photographer.

I hope you enjoy this new feature at Yanik’s Photo School. And if you find great articles about photography learning that aren’t listed that month, please share Continue Reading »

There are literally thousands of photography contests on the Net with all sorts of prizes (or not) and all sorts of ways to win these prizes. I don’t bother mentioning them here since Yanik’s Photo School’s mission is all about photography learning and not about winning prizes. But if both can be combined in an original way then I would owe it to you, my loyal readers, to point it out.

My good buddy Udi over at DIY Photography started a unique contest with an educational twist Continue Reading »

I did something this summer that I’ve only done once before as a professional photographer… enter a professional photography competition.

Last winter, a fellow photographer sent me a link to the Black & White Spider Awards informing me that some of the top pro photographers in the world participated and it could be a great learning opportunity. So I checked it out carefully to make sure it was serious and after seeing being blown away by the winners and nominees, I thought it would be a fun Continue Reading »

As photographers, we use our computer monitors more than our cameras since it’s the window to our digital darkroom. Personally, for every hour of shooting, I have roughly 2-3 hours in front of my monitor. So my monitor is my buddy when it comes to post processing.

But what if we thought outside the box for a minute. What if we could use our monitors as a light source? That’s exactly the Continue Reading »

I’m a guy of my  word so, as promised at the end of my Exploring Small Strobes - Why Should I Use a Speedlight? I’ll go through both the lighting setup and the post processing to get the final intro image you see here.

You can see my other lighting setup tutorials HERE.

Studio & Lighting Setup

Let’s start with the studio setup. For the background, I used black cotton fabric. I would have preferred seamless paper but… I don’t have any because I never saw the use since I never shot light directly on a black Continue Reading »

OK. The real title should have read: 10 Steps to Perfect Smooth and Silky Waterfall, Cascade and River Shots but that was just too long!

I just love taking photos of water, especially moving water. And autumn is my favorite season to shoot waterfalls, streams and cascades. The weather’s cooling down, the trees turn to fire and it’s cloudy more often. And since autumn is upon us, I thought I would share with you what you need to do to get that perfect waterfall shot.

This article is part of my “STEPS” series of tutorials. You can Continue Reading »

I’ve been asked by Udi Tirosh, the owner of DIYPhotography.net, to do a series of guest posts on speedlights, also know as small flashes. I’m delighted to take on this wonderful challenge that I’ve entitled: Exploring Small Strobes.

Looking at Yanik’s Photo School 1st Poll , flash photography was the #1 request from you, my loyal viewers. So this series will fit perfectly to satisfy your flashgun hunger. The only difference is that you’ll be reading my article on the DIYPhotography.net Website instead of here.

So if you’ve been pondering the purchase of a Nikon SB-600, SB-900, Canon 430EX, 580EX II, or any other speedlight, this introductory Continue Reading »