Fstoppers Original Articles

Making a photograph can be a painstaking process involving location scouting, test shots, lighting setups, model releases and so much more, depending on your subject. However, some subjects — such as wildlife, children, sporting events, and such — require a photographer to be much more nimble. That's why I try to follow a few simple rules to be ready for when that unexpected magic moment arrives.

Artists invariably love color, and artists using camera mediums are no different. However, for photographers and videographers, there is a foundational element of color in our work that is too often neglected: color management.

Mirrorless cameras may well be the future, but I'm not buying the hype that they're revolutionary. Not yet anyway.

Nikon will officially announce its new Z mount full frame mirrorless system in a few days while Canon and Sony are expected to follow with major product release. Meanwhile, DJI should unveil a new version of the Mavic Pro.

I love photographing actions sports like surfing, skateboarding, cycling, MTB, and of course motocross and Supercross. Motocross and its cousin Supercross are great sports to photograph and are easy for fans with cameras to get close to the action. Read this first article of a three article series to get some tips to make your first outing or your hundredth outing a little more rewarding.

Most of you might be saying: "you're nuts! Haven’t you been sailing? Luxury car driving? Golfing all over the place?" And luckily, I have, and let me tell you, photography is the most expensive sport I have ever practiced.

Though Adobe Photoshop CS6 came out more than six years ago, there are a good many people still using it in 2018. Some don’t need to upgrade, others can’t afford the monthly fee, and still others refuse to buy into the software as a service model.

The art of photography can mean a lot of different things but no matter what it means to you, the fact is that what we know as photography is the product of an endless journey of experimentation from artists all over the world.

Have the questions your family ask you like “are we there yet?” been replaced with “how much camera stuff do you really need?” And “why do I have to carry this camera lightbulb thing in my suitcase?” Read on and the following tips just might save your family from a horrible vacation.

When you set aside time to learn as a photographer, how do you spend that time? Do you peruse your portfolio or browse through a respected photographer’s portfolio to break down why some photos “worked”? You may fall prey to a cognitive bias called Survivorship Bias.

In this article, I'm going to break down this dramatic lighting setup and explain why light placement and angle are important.

Last year Sony released the a9, the pinnacle of mirrorless camera technology. Since then I have not stopped hearing about this camera. I know I'm late, but I finally got my hands on one, and I was able to play with it for a couple of weeks. How does it compare to my Nikon D850? Let's find out.

I already wrote an article stating that this camera is the best wedding photography camera you can buy. But like most cameras, it's not perfect. These are eight things holding back the a7 III.

The exposure compensation dial. What's it for, exactly? And who on earth uses this completely useless knob that's taking up precious space on top of so many camera bodies?

I really have to admit it, but not every day do I feel like taking photos for someone else, but most days I feel like going out there and taking photos for myself. Most people see photography as something that just involves grabbing a camera or a mobile device and shooting whatever it is we see out there, but not for me. For me, photography is something else: it is a passion, it is an idea bigger than myself; for me, to be a photographer is to live.

If you are a photographer who is utilizing physical DVDs, USB drives, or even digital solutions like Dropbox to deliver client images, then take note as there is another way.

You may hate heavily post-processed images and videos, but do you hate them the right way? Here's how to properly do it.

Traveling to create new photography can get expensive fast, but whether it's for personal work, stock, or your portfolio, it is often a necessary part of advancing your work. There are lots of ways to monetize these images and tricks to shoulder the upfront costs involved in creating them. This is the approach and tips I use to get the most out of my travel photography.

We all get stressed about our gear at some point in our careers. Knowing how much and what quality of photography gear you need is complicated. This will help shed some light on exactly how much equipment a professional photographer needs.

Fashion and Editorial Photographer Clay Cook recently partnered with Stash, a mobile investment app, to photograph Instagram personality Baddie Winkle for a retirement themed campaign. I had the opportunity to pull up with Cook to discuss the shoot as well as learn more about how he approaches his business and brand.

One of the most difficult parts of any art is learning to express the things you feel through the medium you are working with. Today we’ll look at one way of approaching this in photography.

Weather and conditions permitting, the Perseid meteor shower puts on an annual show that blows stargazers away. Use these five photography tips to capture this dazzling spectacle.

Compositing frames in your interior photographs can be extremely time-consuming. With this simple technique developed by Mike Kelley, you can quickly and easily lighten doorways in post-processing while freeing up your editing time.

I've been holding off on learning video ever since I started my photographic career. Having now taken the plunge, I can safely say that I wish I had embraced video sooner.

I never tire of creating over-under water images, a technique advanced and popularized by National Geographic photographer David Doubilet. The over-under or half and half image provides a window into two very different worlds in a single frame, and if done well can be a powerful tool in fostering a greater appreciation for the other 71 percent of our planet.

Way back when the Canon T3i was the camera to have, I dabbled in video just enough to get frustrated and quit. Years later and after a lot of trial and error, I’ve made the switch almost entirely to creating short films and commercial work. Here are the big takeaways from my experience.

Having time to get out and shoot can always be a challenge no matter how much you love photography. Luckily, a lunch break is almost always free and a great way to sneak in some time you might otherwise never find.

Maybe now, ironically, is the best time of all to be a DSLR user.

I use flashes a lot in my photography, whether a speedlite or in the studio with some big strobes and modifiers. But this is the first time I have ever used a drone-mounted flash.

If you’ve done photography professionally for any amount of time, you’ve probably found yourself succumbing to the daily grind of the job, and in turn, it becomes an obligation. If this is you and you’ve found yourself in a creative rut, here are a few ways to climb your way out.

As children we’re taught that sharing is the way to go, but too often it feels like photographers forget that basic lesson. It’s a common debate that comes up: do you share your settings and locations?

At some point in our career, we all have to deal with a nightmare client. Here are a few tips to help spot them and then avoid them.

Back in March, I got an email saying that my website had been taken down due to malware. Essentially, I got hacked. In the months that followed, I learned some things about being a photographer, about web design, and about myself.

Sometimes the lessons learned as a child are the most useful as an adult. Even if they were lessons to forget.

As my photographic career has evolved, so has my appreciation of image quality. I now spend a huge amount of time on the road and would love a lighter, smaller system, and yet I can't bring myself to let go of my full-frame sensor.

A recent anonymous social media post is being spread like wildfire all over many photography groups and pages. In it, a woman claims she has had all of her accounts frozen, has a lien on her home, is being held liable for over $45,000 in delinquent taxes, and might possibly be banned from doing business in her county, because for five years, she has failed to report income she has made from photography.

While Lightroom seems to be the editing program of choice for most creatives, it’s far from perfect. Here are five features that are missing from Lightroom that you can find in ON1 Photo RAW.

Photographer Juergen Teller is under fire for his recent images of pop singer Rihanna created for Vogue magazine. Teller has been accused of appropriating the work of Mickalene Thomas, a staple in black female art.

When it comes to sending an important email, timing can be quite literally the difference between success and failure. Take the following things into consideration before you next hit the send button.

Music adds mood and personality to a video, reinforcing the message and engaging the viewer. In this tutorial, we are going to look at how to add and cut clips of music in a video with ACDSee Video Studio 3.

You've now got a kite, a rig, and a camera and have completed your first test flight as a kite aerial photographer. This kite flying malarkey is harder than it looks, so here are the top ten tips for acquiring great photos.

Don't lie, most of us are guilty of not bothering to pick up our camera and photograph what's close to our hearts and homes. But why should we push ourselves to do it more, even if there's no immediate reward?

Some of my favorite photos are starting to feel old to me after looking at them so many times. Don't forget this is only a personal perception and often not shared by your audience.

Most landscape and cityscape photographers prefer to have images that are void of tourists, traffic, and other distracting elements in their scenes. One way to remove these eye sores is to meticulously clone them out in Photoshop, but what if there was a way to get a scene to look empty with a single exposure all in camera? Today I explore using a 15 stop neutral density filter for the first time.

It wasn’t until English photographer Tommy Clarke wound up living in Australia, shooting fashion photography that he didn’t feel complacent with, that he decided to venture into landscape work. Since then, he’s found his niche in aerial photography, and recently unveiled his surreal abstract shots of Holland’s Tulip fields.

If you’re trying to build your photography business, having a brand is essential to your success. Here’s why you need to focus on building your photography brand.

As someone who shoots multiple camera systems, it’s easy to see that nothing out there is perfect. But while I’ve often thought about selling off one system entirely in favor of another, there’s always a lens or two for each system that is just about perfect and keeps me with a foot in many brands.

Nano-drones are usually designed as indoor toys but they can be used to create some very unique shots.

Just when you think we’re making huge progress towards equality, a stark reminder of how far we’ve yet to go emerges. Despite 126 years of publication at a rate of 12 issues per year, not one Vogue cover has been shot by a black photographer. If the rumors are true, Beyonce could be about to change that.

There was a time in my life that weddings were my main source of income. After being laid off from my job as a scientist, my hobby soon turned into a career. When I was first starting out, I took any and every gig I could to make ends meet. However, I held a secret during that time that I would never had admitted until now. I hated weddings.