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Mike Kelley vs. Trump: The Photo That Could Spark a Presidential Copyright War

Every photographer dreads the moment their work gets stolen — but what happens when the President of the United States is the thief? Last night, Donald Trump took Mike Kelley's most iconic photo and turned it into a controversial deportation meme. Will this lead to one of the more interesting copyright cases in recent history?

Top Ten (Twelve!) Questions With Mathieu Bitton

Paris-born Mathieu Bitton, a Leica Ambassador, has photographed some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Quincy Jones, The Rolling Stones, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and Bruce Springsteen, as well as designing and art directing albums, posters, books, and promotional materials — earning him three Grammys. Here he explains how to break through a creative block, why rules of composition are meant to be broken, and why he burns sweetgrass over used equipment.

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The Great Outdoors
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The Great Outdoors

Submit Your Best "Outdoor" Images!

Summer time is here which means it's time to see your best outdoor images! For our June contest, we want to see your best images taken outside, and the winner will be rewarded handsomely. 

Submission Deadline:
June 29th 2025 - 1:00am
The Client Red Flags Every Photographer Should Know

Every experienced photographer has a story about the client from hell—the one who made their life miserable, didn't pay on time, demanded endless revisions, and left negative reviews despite getting exactly what they asked for. What separates seasoned professionals from struggling photographers isn't just technical skill or marketing savvy—it's the ability to spot problem clients before they become problems.

Four Stages Every Photographer Goes Through

Photography is a continuous journey, evolving through distinct stages of skill and understanding. Recognizing your current stage can clarify your path and inform your next steps, helping you grow both technically and creatively.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (May 2025): Hanna Nevreva

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2025, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

Powerful Noise Reduction: What's New in Topaz Photo AI Version 4

When dealing with high ISO and fast-action photography, noise and image sharpness are constant challenges. Choosing the right tools can mean the difference between usable shots and missed opportunities, especially when your lighting conditions aren't ideal.

Instagram Wasn’t the Problem. Our Obsession Was.

Instagram was great until it ruined the art of photography. Somewhere along the way, the app that once celebrated still images traded intention for attention, and in doing so, it didn’t just change photography — it helped ruin the art.

The Portfolio Mistake 90% of New Photographers Make

Your portfolio is sabotaging your career, and you don't even know it. Right now, thousands of photographers are losing potential clients because they're making the same fundamental mistake that screams "amateur" to anyone who views their work. It's not about technical quality, composition, or editing skills—it's about something much more basic that most photographers completely misunderstand.

Stop Obsessing Over These Camera Settings

Many photographers get stuck obsessing over camera settings, but it turns out many of these details don’t matter as much as you might think. Your camera should support your creativity, not distract from it.

What to Do When Clients Ask for 'Just a Few Quick Edits'

Every photographer knows this email. You've delivered the final gallery, the client loves 90% of the images, and then comes the follow-up: "These look amazing! Could you just make a few quick edits? Nothing major—just brighten this one a bit, remove that person in the background, and maybe make my skin look smoother in these five shots. Should only take a few minutes, right?"

The Hidden Costs of a Photographer's Passion

Photography reshapes the way you see everything around you, from casual walks to vacations. It’s more than a hobby—it rewires your attention, making you sensitive to subtle details that others might miss.

Why So Many Photographers Are Burned Out in 2025

Something's wrong in the photography world, and everyone can feel it. Browse any photography forum, scroll through Facebook groups, or check Reddit threads, and you'll see the same conversations repeating: established photographers selling their gear, newcomers questioning whether it's worth starting, and veterans openly wondering if the industry they once loved still has room for them.

Franco Fontana’s World of Bold, Abstract Color

Franco Fontana, born in Modena, Italy, is a photographer who built his career on a simple—but, at the time, radical—approach to photography: the use of color. At the time Fontana was working his way through the art world, black and white photos dominated the medium.

The Three Camera Specs You Should Stop Obsessing Over in 2025

Camera manufacturers have turned photographers into spec addicts, and it's time for an intervention. Every product announcement sends us scrambling to compare numbers: How many megapixels? What's the burst rate? How many autofocus points? We've been conditioned to believe that bigger numbers equal better photos, but that's marketing fiction designed to empty your wallet.

DVD Captions: What Modern Tech Forgot

Did you know that DVDs store captions in two fundamentally different ways? This isn't just trivia; understanding this matters if you're relying on older media for accessibility.

We Review the 2025 Mac Studio: The New Performance King

Craving a Mac that tears through demanding projects without crowding your desk? The new Mac Studio with M4 Max aims to be your next power-packed desktop, merging blistering performance with a compact form factor that sits discreetly on any workstation.

Google’s Veo 3 Melds Audio With AI Video. Are Creators Doomed?

If you've opened up any social media at all in the last year or two, you've probably seen a fair number of AI-generated videos set to music. I know for me, my feed is filled with many strange videos involving Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and a bag of Cheetos. But none of those videos have had any dialogue—until now, with Google's Veo 3.

How to Handle Copyright Theft (Step by Step)

You're scrolling through Instagram when you see it: your photograph, posted by someone else, with no credit, no permission, and often with their own watermark slapped on top. Your stomach drops. That image took hours to capture and edit, and now someone is using it to promote their business, build their social media following, or sell their products—all without paying you a cent.

We Review the World First Remote Control Lighting System: Falcam Move LightGo

If you’re a one-person crew or working with a small team on photo production, you’ll know the pain—especially when it comes to lighting setups. It can be one of the most frustrating parts of a shoot. It’s not just about turning a light on. It’s the constant need for micro-adjustments: tilt it a little more, feather it to the edge, raise it higher—only to realize the angle’s off and you have to bring it back down again. When your light is way up there, you never really know how much to tilt until it’s already in the air.

Why Friends and Family Discounts Backfire

Your sister needs engagement photos. Your college roommate is getting married. Your neighbor wants family portraits. They all know you're a photographer, and they all expect the "friends and family discount." It feels natural to help the people you care about, especially when you have a skill they need. So you cut your rates in half, or maybe shoot for free, thinking you're being generous and strengthening relationships.

Advanced Lightroom Techniques for Perfecting Contrast

Contrast can make or break your images, and knowing how to control it precisely is essential. Getting beyond the basic slider in Lightroom opens up powerful editing options that enhance your creative control.

We Review the Viltrox 35mm f/1.2 FE LAB: Flagship Performance, Remarkable Value

Lenses like the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art and Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM have long dominated the fast 35mm space on Sony E-mount. But Viltrox, with its new 35mm f/1.2 FE LAB, is aiming right at the high end. Is this latest entry in Viltrox’s already impressive LAB series a competitor for the best-performing 35mm on E-mount?

Four Months With the Powerful Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera

Sony's a1 II is their latest flagship camera, boasting top-tier specs and the best performance Sony currently offers. But despite these exceptional features, this camera isn't necessarily the right choice for most photographers or content creators.

Inside the '90s Magic Eye Phenomenon and How It Was Created

Magic Eye stereograms swept through the 1990s as a cultural phenomenon, capturing imaginations with their ability to transform a flat image into a mesmerizing 3D scene. For many, they became an intriguing challenge that separated those who could instantly discern the hidden depth from those left squinting at a frustrating blur (aka me).

We Review the ASUS ROG Flow Z13: A Portable Powerhouse for Photographers, Creatives, and Coders

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 combines the power of a high-end laptop with the versatility of a tablet. This 13.4-inch 2-in-1 packs cutting-edge hardware in a sleek CNC-milled aluminum chassis, aiming to deliver pro-level performance for photographers, digital artists, and programmers on the go. In this in-depth review, we’ll explore its design, display quality, performance benchmarks, thermals and battery life, connectivity, cameras and audio, and overall user experience to see if it lives up to the hype.

Godox Announces FL100R, FL200R, and FL200SR Foldable LED Mats

Godox has announced three new LED lights and light mats: the FL100R, FL200R, and FL200SR. The company positions these full-color LED panels as affordable lighting solutions for small studios and independent content creators, building on their existing KNOWLED F series.

Seeing Landscapes Differently With a 100-400mm Lens

When it comes to landscape photography, choosing the right lens isn't just a detail—it shapes your entire creative process. Many photographers default to wide angle lenses, but exploring telephoto options can completely redefine your images.

Are Niche Cameras Even Worth It Anymore?

One need only look at GoPro's stock price, once at almost $94 in 2014 and now trading at less than a dollar, to recognize that maybe action cameras — and other niche, specialized cameras — aren't the best ideas. Still, that hasn't stopped me from buying a good many of them over the years, and after watching this video, I have some feelings.

Unlock the Hidden Potential of Your Camera’s Timer

Understanding camera drive modes is critical if you want crisp, professional-looking images. Knowing how and when to utilize these settings can significantly improve the clarity and composition of your photographs.

Top Ten Questions With Alison Conklin

Alison Conklin is a Fujifilm creator who has spent more than two decades capturing emotional, candid imagery for weddings, engagements, families, and editorial clients including Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, and Brides. She tells us what gear is indispensable, what she learned from Linda McCartney, and why instinct tops technical skill.

Cameras That Failed Hard (And Why)

The camera industry is littered with the corpses of products that looked revolutionary on paper but crashed spectacularly in the real world. These aren't just minor missteps—these are epic failures that cost companies millions, confused consumers, and taught us valuable lessons about what not to do. Here are the cameras that failed hardest, and the brutal reasons why.

Is Fujifilm’s X half the Perfect Blend of Digital and Analog?

The Fujifilm X half is a unique compact camera that blends modern features with the feel and simplicity of analog photography. If you've been curious about a smaller camera that captures images with a distinct retro vibe, this might be an intriguing choice to explore.

The Myth of Perfect Composition in Landscape Photography

Composition is one of the most talked-about aspects of landscape photography. You hear it everywhere: follow the rule of thirds, use leading lines, balance your frame. These principles are undeniably useful, but the problem is that they are often treated as absolutes rather than guidelines. The notion that there is a single "perfect" composition is one of the most pervasive myths in landscape photography, and today, we will break it down.

Photography Myths That Actually Hurt Your Photos

Photography myths can clutter your approach and limit your creativity. Knowing which advice to discard can drastically improve your results and reduce unnecessary frustrations.

How to Choose the Right Camera Mode Every Time

Understanding your camera's exposure modes goes beyond basic settings; it's about taking control of your creative outcomes. Using the right mode in the right situation can significantly influence the quality of your photos and your growth as a photographer.

Photoshop or Lightroom? Choosing the Right App for Color Edits

If you've ever felt confused deciding whether to use Photoshop or Lightroom for color adjustments, you're not alone. Adobe’s latest updates have added to this confusion by offering overlapping color editing features in both apps.

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus: The Ideal NAS For Photographers?

As creators, we're constantly managing massive raw libraries and hefty high-resolution video clips. External hard drives quickly turn into clutter, and direct-attached storage can limit flexibility when switching between devices. Network Attached Storage (NAS) is the logical next step, but historically, high-performance solutions with features like 10GbE have been prohibitively expensive. Enter the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus: promising robust hardware, content-creator-focused capabilities, and affordable 10GbE connectivity. In this review, I tested it to see if it genuinely delivers for demanding creative workflows.

Master Accurate Selections With Photoshop’s Latest Update

Photoshop's latest update introduces cloud-based processing for the Select Subject tool, aiming to dramatically improve the accuracy of selections. If you frequently cut subjects from images, particularly complex ones, this feature significantly simplifies your workflow.

Hidden Sony Camera Settings Worth Mastering

Every Sony Alpha camera has powerful features tucked away in its menus. Knowing about them can drastically change your results and prevent potential mishaps during important shoots.