15 composition tips for better photos
Henri Cartier-Bresson believed that the composition of a photo could be drastically changed by the tiniest gesture—a slight turn of the head or a minor bend in the knees. Diane Arbus thought some of the best compositions could come from “funny mistakes.” Edward Weston insisted that following the “rules” of…Read More
2020 round-up: highlights from an unforgettable year
Dominated by issues surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, this past year has been a challenging one, to say the least. We’ve all endured massive worldwide restrictions, both national and local lockdowns and having to adapt to working from home—as a company we’ve been doing so since the first UK national lockdown…Read More
8 photography exercises to train your eye and mind
Artists rarely wait for inspiration; instead, they seek it out using creative exercises. The artist John Baldessari, for example, advised his students to go to thrift stores, find broken objects, and mend them. In her seminal book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron advises readers to go on “artist dates,” or…Read More
Creating the Affinity Publisher Workbook
With the Affinity Publisher Workbook hot off the press, we talk to our Head of Documentation Andy Capstick and Creative Projects Manager Ian Cornwall to learn how it was created using—you guessed it—Affinity Publisher. With ten hands-on projects, a 59-page Interface Tour, a Core Skills section (for brushing up on…Read More
Tips for shooting stunning architectural photography
From minimalist compositions to blurred human figures to ‘blue hour’ photoshoots, the last few years have brought new trends in the time-honoured genre of architectural photography. As ‘Insta-famous’ structures—like the Choi Hung Estate in Hong Kong, La Muralla Roja in Calpe, or the Cloud Gate in Chicago—continue to pop up…Read More
Producing BARDO: The Summer of ‘20 with Affinity Publisher
Documentary photographer Simon King talks about the way he and the members of the British photography collective “New Exit Group” used a unique methodology to produce their debut zine, BARDO: The Summer of ’20. From April to August 2020 I, and a group of three other photographers (David Babaian, Andrew…Read More
The making of HyperRace with Dimitrios Sakkas
From Blender to Affinity Photo, to After Effects and DaVinci Resolve; talented 3D artist Dimitrios Sakkas takes us behind the scenes on creating the final look of his recent animation project HyperRace. My name is Dimitrios Sakkas and I am a 3D artist from Greece. Recently I published a project…Read More
11 things they don’t (always) teach you at photography school
For many of today’s photographers, graduating from school isn’t an end but a beginning to a lifelong learning process. They’re taught on the job, picking up tips from mentors and honing their skills while they’re in the field. We asked nine professional photographers across an array of disciplines, from commercial…Read More
Interview with Matt Searston, Affinity Designer product expert
We caught up with Matt Searston, our in-house Affinity Designer product expert, to learn more about him and his role, and to get his top tips for using the app. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into graphic design. So, I guess I first got into…Read More
Mastering headshot photography with Ivan Weiss
Ivan Weiss is a portrait photographer based in London. Born with a camera pointed at him, he grew up surrounded by photography. His interest in portraiture was influenced by 12 years living in Florence. By 2011 he began transitioning out of a corporate career in media into photography. He creates…Read More
12 photography ‘mistakes’ that are actually creative tools
From ‘filling the frame’ to the ‘rule of odds,’ the world of photography has its fair share of dos and don’ts. In school, photographers are often taught to shoot in manual mode rather than auto, keep their ISOs as low as possible, and get perfect exposures without losing detail in…Read More
M62: a magazine dedicated to helping German newcomers to the Affinity suite
Affinity user Georg Walter talks to us about his new online magazine ‘M62’ dedicated to helping German users of the Affinity suite. Georg Walter is a freelance graphic designer and book author with over two decades of experience in the digital marketing and print industry. He is also an early…Read More
Final Fight: creating a replica arcade cabinet of a beat ‘em up classic
Video game enthusiast Sergio Gargallo has been making replica arcade cabinets in his spare time for more than 15 years. He talks us through the process for creating his latest cabinet—a replica of beat ‘em up classic Final Fight—using Affinity Designer on desktop and iPad. Sergio’s Final Fight replica arcade…Read More
How to create a signature ‘style’ in your photography
In our content-heavy world, a distinct aesthetic can get your photography noticed—and recognised again and again. Maybe it’s an unusual lens, a unique filter, a custom preset, or an unconventional post-processing technique, but a visual ‘signature’ always sets an artist apart. “Being recognisable is critical in this digital era because…Read More
Essential tips for getting started with light trails
Set up your light trail shoot for success with these handy tips. Once you know what time of day is best for shooting, which circumstances will get you the best results, and how to maximise your existing photography setup, it becomes remarkably easy to get those classic, bright streaks travelling…Read More
Mixing vector and raster: Andrew Salfinger’s year-long illustration challenge
At the beginning of 2020, Andrew Salfinger set himself a challenge: to create a hybrid vector and raster illustration during each month of the year and post it on social media. Now just over halfway through, he talks to us about what inspired his year-long challenge and what he’s learnt…Read More
How to create a dynamic flower photo composition
Photographer Dina Belenko shows us how to add dynamism to a static flower photo using some simple but highly effective techniques. There are two sorts of objects which always look good in photos: sweets and flowers. They are the easiest objects to shoot, but that means you need to be…Read More
10 creative ways to market your work on social media
You’ve heard all the standard social media tips for photographers: post every day, share only your best work, maintain a consistent aesthetic, and use trending hashtags… Those are all essential and they form the foundation of any successful online presence, but within the last few months, the global pandemic has…Read More
Interview with James Ritson, Affinity Photo product expert
We talked to our very own Affinity Photo product expert, James Ritson—who some of you may know as the voice of Affinity thanks to his stellar tutorials—to learn more about him and his role, and to see if he has any tops tips for Affinity Photo users. How did you…Read More
12 business tips every photographer should know
With more people than ever viewing freelancing as a long-term career path, we ask the experts how they combine creative skills and business expertise to cultivate a successful photography practice. A few weeks ago, the Houston-based commercial/advertising photographer Nathan Lindstrom gave some advice to an assistant who was thinking about…Read More