Education

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.

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.

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.

The Internet can be a cruel and unforgiving place, especially when sharing your art, opinions, or creative endeavors with people worldwide.

It should go without saying that everyone reading here at Fstoppers is interested in taking photos. I know that many of you also want to shake things up and make some money doing it. With three new upcoming start dates, it’s worth taking a look at Side Hustle 101, the product of Canon Canada’s new partnership with The Maker’s Collective.

In between specialized equipment, camera settings, forecasting, creative vision, and more, it takes a lot to learn how to create compelling landscape photos. But perhaps nothing is trickier to learn than the art of composition. If that is something you struggle with a bit, check out this great video tutorial that features a range of helpful advice from an experienced landscape photographer.

It's something we are all seeking. There is no doubt that some photographers are fantastic at what they do, but even the best won't create a great shot every time. So, is there a secret formula to creating one?

There are a lot of approaches to landscape photography, and each offers different benefits and drawbacks and places different demands on your time, effort, creative vision, and technique. If you would like to improve your landscape images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will walk you through a few shots and offer some great tips and advice along the way.

Landscape photography takes a combination of technical skill, creative vision, and the ability to work in and with a wide range of conditions. There are some common mistakes all landscape photographers make at one point or another, and this fantastic video tutorial details five of them and what you can do to fix them or avoid them in the first place.

Landscape photography is a genre with an above-average emphasis on technical skill and perfection, and we often try to avoid making any mistakes. Mistakes are not always bad, though, and occasionally, they can even lead to "happy accidents," as Bob Ross would say. This great video shows how mistakes can sometimes be a good thing and why you might want to embrace them just a bit more.

When it comes to landscape photography, few pieces of equipment are considered more vital than the tripod. And while it is certainly a fantastic piece of equipment, it also significantly alters your workflow. So, do you really need a tripod? This great video examines the question and if you can afford to leave your tripod at home the next time you head out.

Have you ever held back on sharing your photos, pitching an idea, or showcasing your art? How many times have you let Impostor Syndrome hold you back?

It sounds counterintuitive, but there is a lot of truth to it: the better you get at photography, the harder it gets. Why is that? This excellent video discusses this seeming paradox and how you can avoid falling into a rut because of it.

It is no secret that the proper exposure is fundamental to creating a good landscape image, but it is even more important than you might think. If you would like to improve your landscape photos, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer discussing some of the many reasons that getting the proper exposure is so crucial to a successful shot.

How many times have you been stuck in a photographic rut? If your photo mojo got up, walked out, and slammed the door in your face, then there are things you can do to get it to come back. It has happened to me.

Artificial lighting is its own world, and it can be a bit overwhelming to try to tackle it all when you are new to the pursuit, which leads to some common misconceptions about the different types of flash, what they are used for, and how they work. This excellent video tutorial examines a lot of those misconceptions and offers a lot of helpful information that will make you better prepared to tackle working with artificial light.

Becoming a successful photographer takes a combination of a lot of factors coming together all at the same time to make successful images, some objective and some subjective. And while every photographer will have a unique approach to the craft, there are some common traits that almost every successful creative has. If you would like to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses five common traits of successful photographers.

Though we often think of Photoshop as the complex behemoth, Lightroom has plenty of little nuances and hidden features as well. One of the least discussed is the Camera Calibration tab, which sits at the bottom of the Develop module and can give your photos the kind of subtle boost that takes them to the next level. This excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about what the Camera Calibration tab does and how to use it.

Photoshop is a tremendously intricate and layered program, and it can often take several clicks to navigate to the function you want. Keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time and help keep you in the creative zone instead of trying to hunt down the feature you need. This excellent video tutorial will show you 19 lesser-known keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop that are sure to make you a more efficient editor.

Do you think the locations around you are boring and really not worth your time? This will help inspire you and breathe new life into your photography.

We photographers love gear. If you're like me, you probably have a corner (or a basement) filled with modifiers, filters, lenses, lights, and more. The truth is that we don't need a ton of expensive gear to create dramatic results, and in my latest video, I will show you how to create a Rembrant-style portraits using one off-brand flash in a small modifier.

Working in Photoshop with multiple layers and then trying to navigate to those layers to make tweaks to your edits can sometimes be time-consuming and at times also very annoying if you have forgotten to name the layer.

Photography might well be the most gear-intensive pastime on the planet, which means that while there is some incredible gear available for purchase, there are also plenty of duds to waste your money on. Are these some of the worst photography purchases you've seen?

Editing images is no easy task to undertake. Using editing software such as Lightroom or Capture One requires quite a bit of learning and getting used to. However, even if you know how to use editing software, you still need to edit images in such a way that enhances their beauty, rather than destroys it. Essentially, you need to know the why behind the how. Here are some mistakes I made when editing pictures because of not knowing the why.

There are some extremely popular and well-known landscape photography locations out there, so much so that they are essentially bucket list items for a lot of people. When they are that popular, though, is there any point in photographing them? This excellent video essay features an experienced landscape photographer discussing the topic.

The pin-up model was one of the most iconic styles of the 20th century, and even today, decades after its heyday, it is still a very recognizable and eye-catching look that makes for great portraits. In this great video tutorial, you will learn how a vintage nude pin-up portrait was conceptualized, lit, and photographed.

When it comes to landscape photography, you can certainly use prime lenses, but most professionals prefer the versatility and convenience of a zoom lens. So, what are the essential zoom lenses for a landscape photographer? This excellent video tutorial features an experienced landscape shooter discussing the three essential zoom lenses for the genre.

Being good with a camera and having creative vision is, of course, crucial to becoming a successful professional, but it is far from the only requirement. It takes a lot of business savvy in combination with those aforementioned skills in order to make a reasonable income. This excellent video tutorial discusses 10 common business mistakes photo and video creatives make and how to fix or avoid them altogether.

As you've learned in a previous article, a great time to photograph cities is during blue hour. But the blue hour often lacks dimension and depth in the sky. If you're lucky, you'll have some clouds that provide structure. But if you have a clear blue sky, it'll often appear flat. In this article, I show you a trick you can use to make such a sky more interesting and improve your blue hour photos.

Why not just a fast shutter speed to freeze motion? That's what I always think, but there are good reasons to use a flash or speedlight to do it instead. Take a look to see what they are.

One of the questions I had when starting out was how to get jobs. How to turn my hobby into money? The advice on the internet was few and far between. So, here is my advice to anyone who wants to take the next step and make some cash from their art.

There are often multiple ways to go about achieving the same result when editing photos, and that is particularly true when it comes to editing the tones of an image. One of the most powerful and efficient tools for doing this in Lightroom is the tone curve. If you are new to the tool and wondering how to use it, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will give you an introduction to the tone curve and how to use it to create better edits.

Understanding framing and composition is one of the crucial areas that photographers and filmmakers need to know about. Make sure you have these seven fundamentals mastered before your next shoot.

If you are a photographer, I can guarantee you that somewhere along the line, you will have a client who is unhappy with your work. In fact, I’m sorry to say that there will be more than one, especially if you have a thriving business. When the dreaded “I’m not happy with my photos” email arrives, it can easily suck the joy out of your entire day. But not all is lost, and in this article and accompanying video, I present six tips for dealing with unhappy clients.

Landscape photography is the type of thing in which there is always something new to learn, a new technique to try, or a new creative approach with which to experiment. If you are new to the genre and ready to get started, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the basics to get you up and running in no time.

When it comes to bird and wildlife photography, getting as close as possible without disturbing the animal is often the name of the game. However, there is an issue of geometry that can sometimes ruin your shot. This excellent video will show you why sometimes, you are better off getting farther away from your subject to get the best possible shot.

In the northern hemisphere, fall is upon us, and with that, some magical opportunities arise to take stunning images of all the resplendent fall colors. Learn some invaluable tips on how to take your fall photography to new levels.

Portrait photography is a popular genre that challenges a variety of skills, both with technical skills like your handling your camera and lighting and with more subjective skills like working with subjects. If you would like to improve your portraiture, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses three common mistakes and what you can do to fix them or avoid them in the first place.

A few days ago, I found myself among a group of wedding photographers discussing how far behind they are with their editing. Answers varied, as did attitudes. Some felt they were only eight weeks behind, which was fine. Other photographers seemed anxious, with 17 or 18 weddings in a backlog lasting months. When it was my turn, I gulped. I said: "Two weeks. The wedding I'm delivering today was shot two weeks ago".

In the past few years, automated sky replacement has come quite a long way, and what used to be a very tedious task can now be done in just a few clicks. If you are interested in learning how to use the technique in your own work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to quickly and easily replace a sky using Lightroom and Photoshop.

Landscape photography is a challenging genre that requires strong technique, the ability to forecast and adapt to conditions, creative vision, and a lot more. If you would like to improve your landscape images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer discussing eight tips that will help you create better, more compelling shots.

"Collabs" are the new currency between aspirant photographers and content-pressured models. Both parties are looking for scroll-stopping images to gain attention as they rise up in their respective industries. What happens when the images don't measure up to the expectations? Are models expecting too much from growing photographers who are shooting for free, or are photographers hyping up their skills and not delivering?

When it comes to a genre in which you can't control the light or the placement of elements in the frame, storytelling can be a really tricky thing to implement in your work. Nonetheless, if you can successfully convey a story with a landscape photo, it can be what turns a very good shot into a top-shelf image. This excellent video tutorial discusses the topic and offers some helpful advice for storytelling in landscape photography.

Pretty much all of us want to take sharper images. However, there are a ton of things that can derail that pursuit, including equipment, camera settings, and even how you stand and hold your camera. If you would like to improve the sharpness of your photos, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features six helpful tips sure to put you on the right track.

Lightroom is one of the most common applications in the photo industry, used by millions of photographers for cataloging their images and performing basic to intermediate edits on them. As the foundation of many photographers' workflows, it is important to ensure that you are using Lightroom correctly. This excellent video tutorial discusses three common mistakes photographers make when using the application and how to correct or avoid them in the first place.

Photography is as much about what you show in your photos as it is about what you hide. Too many details can overwhelm the viewer. You can already be selective about what you include in an image when you capture it. There are also several techniques that help you simplify a photo in post-processing. One way to do so is by introducing a darker mood and by shrouding less important areas in darkness.

It takes a lot of different skills and qualities to become a competent photographer, but one of the most important of those has nothing to do with a camera, but rather your ability to keep at it despite setbacks or discouragement. If you want to step up to the next level, check out this fantastic video that will remind you why persistence is one of the most important qualities of any successful photographer.

When you are new to landscape photography, there is a lot to learn: camera settings, forecasting and planning around conditions, reading light, and more. One skill stands above all else, and this great video tutorial makes a case for why it should be first on your list when you are learning the genre.

If your camera is mounted on top of a tripod, should you turn your camera's image stabilization off? These findings might surprise you.

One of the most frustrating things about landscape photography is that you have no control over the light, and an otherwise perfect scene can be ruined by it. Just because the light is not great, however, does not mean you need to pack it in and head home; sometimes, the answer is adjusting your approach a bit. Black and white can be such a solution, and this great video shows how it can help you come home with worthwhile photos.