Documenting a Nation in Mourning

Queen Elizabeth’s passing has received quite a bit of coverage here in the United States. Millions of people turned out not only in London but all over the UK and the globe for various services held in her honor. The coverage has shown the sincere outpouring of respect and affection that the people of her country have for her, but there is a noticeable emphasis on the scale and spectacle of the event.

Are Olympus Zuiko the GOAT Vintage Lenses?

Olympus has been assigning the Zuiko name to its range of high-quality lenses since 1936. Zuiko-branded lenses were made for SLR, rangefinder, and automatic point-and-shoot cameras in medium format, 35mm, and even half-frame formats. Assessing the best of anything in photography leads to vivid debate and lots of room for subjectivity. Here are my 5 reasons why I believe Olympus knocked it out of the park with their Zuiko range, and when you look at all factors are the best film lenses ever made. Be sure to leave a comment to let me know your thoughts.

Building an Online Business in the Landscape Photography Genre

We all dream of becoming full-time doing what we love, and in 2022 it seems more possible than ever. The landscape photography genre, however, isn’t always as lucrative as wedding or portrait photography can be. So how do you create a sustainable and solid income in this field, which channels are the ones to focus on, and which are not worth your precious time?

Composition and Editing Techniques for Showcasing Your Subject

Part of the challenge of environmental portrait photography is giving your subject the context around them to make the image compelling, but still bringing the viewer's eye to them first and foremost. There are many ways to emphasize your subject, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to do it using two of the most powerful methods: composition and post-processing.

Why Photographers Struggle to Find Their Style

We work a lot on learning how to create good images, but most of that work focuses on a single photo at a time. But the mark of a successful photographer is a readily identifiable style that unifies all their work as one. So, why do so many photographers struggle to develop a style? This excellent video dives into the topic and offers some helpful advice along the way.

Learn How This Wedding Portrait Was Lit, Shot, and Edited

When it comes to working with artificial lighting, there is sometimes the misconception that professional images require multiple sources, all of which are big, heavy, and expensive. That is not always the case, though. In fact, you can create professional-level shots with just a single speedlight, and this excellent video tutorial will take you through the entire process, from setting up the shot through post-processing.

The One Thing AI Scaremongers Forget to Tell Photographers

All this hype and scaremongering about AI in photography is missing one crucial point. No matter how good it gets, far from taking over the world of photography, AI will always fail at one critical point. Our recent history tells us why.

The Qualities of a Successful Landscape Photographer

Every genre comes with its own unique challenges, and landscape photography is no different. Beyond all the skills one must have, there are certain personal qualities that set you up for success, and this awesome video tutorial discusses what they are and how they can help you realize your potential.

When You Love Prime Lenses, but Choose Zooms

Zoom lenses have come a long way in the last decade, but primes still hold the advantage in maximum aperture, portability, and often, image quality. All this is why a lot of photographers steadfastly stick with bags of prime lenses instead of just a zoom or two. So, why would a prime enthusiast use zoom lenses? This great video essay features an experienced photographer discussing the issue.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (September 2022): Hanny Honeymoon

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 2022, 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.

Is This the Ultimate Landscape Lens?

There are a lot of ways to approach landscape photography, but when you are thinking about what gear to take, it is worth considering the fact that you will often have to hike several miles with a bag of cameras and lenses on your back. So, should you reconsider what is in your bag? This excellent video essay discusses why a more unusual lens choice might be the best for your landscape photography.

Just How Good Is the Canon EOS R7 Mirrorless Camera?

The Canon 7D line of APS-C DSLRs were quite popular during their era, as they offered professional features seen in much more expensive lines like the flagship 1D series at a much more affordable price. In the mirrorless era, the EOS R7 has taken over that role, and it brings with it an impressive range of new features and upgrades that make it an intriguing option for a wide range of options. This excellent video review takes an in-depth look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

What's the Best Aperture for Headshots and Portraits?

Although depth of field is often discussed in portrait photography, the conversation tends to center around background bokeh. In this article and the accompanying video, however, I would like to address depth of field as it relates to the face itself and attempt to answer the question as to which aperture is best for photographing faces.

Don't Obsess Over High-ISO Noise in Your Photos

Every photographer worries strives for the best possible photos, and high-ISO noise is one of the most common reasons for a reduction in image quality. It might be something we worry about just a little too much, though. This excellent video essay makes a case for why we should be willing to embrace high ISOs a bit more.

Some Helpful Tips for Better Landscape Photography

Landscape photography takes a range of aptitudes to make successful images: technical skills with your camera and equipment, creative vision, the ability to forecast and respond to evolving conditions, and strong post-processing technique. If you would like to improve your landscape work, check out this fantastic video tutorial from an experienced photographer that offers a wide range of helpful advice sure to put you on the right track.

Skylum Has Created a 'Neo Jr.' for Your Smartphone

Skylum has been one of the leading software companies providing AI-based editors for pro and semi-pro photographers. Luminar Neo has been a big seller, and it has fans and critics, but it has moved the market. Even Adobe and some of the other "big players" are embracing AI.

10 Important Pieces of Photography Advice

The beautiful thing about photography is that no matter how new or advanced you are, there is always something new to learn. This excellent video essay features an experienced photographer offering 10 important bits of advice on a range of topics and will help you become a better and more content creative.

The Easiest Way for You to Practice Portrait Photography

As a portrait photographer, I often struggle to create new work. To add a new image to my portfolio, I must involve at least one other person who will be photographed by me. Contrast this to a landscape photographer, who can get into her vehicle, drive to a cool shooting location any day she desires, and create new images with relative ease.

7 Camera Settings Professional Landscape Photographers Turn Off

Every genre has different optimal gear setups, which is why it is important to sit down with your camera and take the time to adjust its settings to fit your subject matter and workflow. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing seven camera settings you should turn off to make your workflow more efficient and to improve that quality of your images.

A Review of the Canon EOS R7 Mirrorless Camera

Canon's 7D line of advanced APS-C DSLRs were some of the most popular cameras of their time, offering professional-level features in a much more affordable body, making them attractive to a wide range of photographers. The EOS R7 is the mirrorless successor to the 7D line, and it inherits that heritage and modernizes it with some impressive new features and upgraded capabilities. This great video review takes a look at the camera and if its performance and image quality can compete in a crowded mirrorless marketplace.

Everything Your Need to Know About the Select and Mask Workspace in Photoshop

Before you get into any sort of advanced adjustments or edits in Photoshop, you need to select the part of the image you are working on. Depending on the photo, this can be a tricky process, but luckily, Photoshop has a wide range of built-in tools for extracting specific parts of an image or creating layer masks. The Select and Mask workspace is the place to go for a lot of this work, and this excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to use and get the most out of it.

Improvements for iPhone Cameras Will Shape Photography Forever. Here’s Why.

We benefit every time that smartphone in your pocket improves its camera system. Professional or not, we must admit that the quality of the software producing images on our smartphones is brilliant. All this clever tech will hugely impact photography in the future. Here’s why.

Zoner Photo Studio X Receives Major Update, Continues Pressure on Adobe

Zoner Photo Studio X is a holistic solution to post-processing and file management for photographers, and yet it flies under the radar. Despite the fact its price is a fraction of Adobe's full suite, major updates to improve it are rolled out regularly, and this latest one adds a number of features.

Everything You Need to Know About Rolling Shutter

Now that we are firmly in the age of mirrorless cameras, many photographers have discovered the silent magic of the electronic shutter, but that is not without its drawbacks. Filmmakers have known about the dangers of rolling shutter for years, and it is now something photographers need to be aware of as well. This excellent video tutorial will explain what rolling shutter is, why it happens, and how to avoid it.

Traveling With the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II Lens

24-70mm f/2.8 lenses and some of the most versatile and popular choices out there, as they can tackle a huge range of needs and scenarios with easy. For Sony shooters looking for top quality out of such an option, there is the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

How to Create Your Own Lightroom Presets

Lightroom presets sometimes have a bad reputation, but they are a tremendously useful tool and time-saver when used properly. One of the best ways to use them is to create your own, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to do just that.

7 Photography Mistakes That Are Easy to Avoid

There are few better ways to learn about mistakes in photography than watching someone knowledgeable critiquing photographs. This video is exactly that and contains seven mistakes that are easily avoided.

A First Look at the Fujifilm X-H2 Mirrorless Camera

The Fujifilm X-H2 is the company's latest entry in its highly popular X Series line of mirrorless cameras, and it brings with it some impressive new features, the most notable being its new 40-megapixel sensor, the highest ever in an APS-C camera. This excellent video review takes a look at the new camera, how it compares to the X-H2S, and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

Everything You Need to Know About Microphone Pickup Patterns

When it comes to video work, while getting good visuals is obviously crucial, you also have to know how to record high-quality audio as well, or the final product will be dragged down. One of the most fundamental and crucial bits of knowledge you will need is how microphone polar response patterns work and which to choose for different situations. This excellent video tutorial will show you what polar response patterns are, the properties of the most common types, and how to pick the right one for a specific scenario.

An Easy Way to Get Better Landscape Photos

One of the most challenging parts of landscape photography is that you constantly have to balance ever-evolving conditions, seeking out new compositions, and managing camera settings and equipment. What if you could remove one of those from the equation, though? This excellent video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing how you can make finding new compositions far easier.

A Review of the New Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens

Tamron is one of the most exciting companies in the photography world right now, putting pressure on other manufacturers by releasing lenses that offer a ton of performance for their respective prices and that often push the envelope of design. One of the most exciting lenses in their current lineup is the 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD, and this excellent video review takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

5 Easy Techniques for Retouching Skin in Portrait Photos

Knowing how to light, pose, and shoot a portrait is only half of what it takes to produce a compelling finished product. Almost all portraits will need some degree of retouching, and as such, your editing skills need to be just as sharp as your skills behind the camera. If you are new to the craft, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you five easy techniques for retouching skin in Photoshop.

Some Helpful Tips for Better Landscape Photo Compositions

Composition is one of the trickier parts of any photographer genre, as it is a bit more nebulous and tricky to talk about than something quantifiable like camera settings. It can be particularly tough in landscape photography, where we get no control over the placement of elements in the frame. If composition is something you are struggling with at the moment, check out this great video tutorial that offers some helpful tips and advice sure to put you on the right track.

Is the Fujifilm X-H2 Mirrorless Camera the New Camera to Beat?

The Fujifilm X-H2 mirrorless camera is the company's newest option in the X Series line, and it is a major step forward, being the first to offer a high-resolution sensor — the highest ever in an APS-C camera, in fact. There is more than just that sensor to be excited about, though. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera from a photography perspective and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

A Review of the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Lens for Fujifilm X Series Cameras

Standard zoom lenses with f/2.8 apertures are some of the most popular workhorses out there, as they cover many commonly used focal lengths and offer enough light-gathering power to handle a wide range of scenarios and needs. However, such lenses can be quite expensive, which is why the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD, which comes in at $799, is such an intriguing option. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and if its performance and image quality can outpace its bargain price tag.

After Banning Some Third-Party Lenses, What Does Canon's RF Future Look Like?

Recently, Canon banned the production and sales of some third-party lenses for its RF mount cameras. Many photography enthusiasts bemoaned the decision and claimed Canon would lose out because of it. Now that Canon has confirmed the prohibition, what does the future look like for its RF mount cameras and lenses?

Why Did Olympus Fail?

In January 2021, OM Digital Solutions acquired the Olympus Imaging Division, and though the cameras and lenses live on, the original iconic company was gone in some sense. So, what caused the downfall of one of the most respected and oldest photography companies on the planet? This interesting video takes a look at the history of the Olympus Imaging Division, where things started to go awry, and why it led to its ultimate failure.

Will Advancements in Technology Bring Back the Shoot and Burn?

The "shoot and burn," a photoshoot in which the photographer immediately delivers the images with minimal edits, saw a peak in popularity in the first decade or so of digital, when the novelty and convenience of digital files made the prospect of instant delivery enticing for a lot of customers, especially in genres like family photography. Now, with the rise of AI-powered culling and editing software, there loom some interesting questions: will the shoot and burn see a resurgence, and will it be a good thing for photographers?

5 Helpful Beginner Tips for Better Photos

When you are new to photography, there is a lot to try to learn all at the same time: creative vision, controlling technical parameters, editing, and a lot more. If you are new to photography and looking for some guidance on how to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five great tips and techniques for creating better photos in no time at all.

Dealing With Burnout as a Professional Photographer

Being a professional photographer is a demanding career that requires you to wear many hats and rarely allows time to catch one's breath. As such, burnout is a common issue among professional photographers. So, when you experience it, what can you do? This excellent video essay features an experienced photographer discussing his experiences with burnout and how he handles it.