Fstoppers Original Articles

Exclusive articles and expert opinions written by Fstoppers’ talented team of creative professionals. Here we cover everything from the latest photographic techniques to advice on running a successful photography business, to first hand accounts of working in the photography industry.

NFTs Are Causing a Global Ecological Disaster, I'm Not Exaggerating.

The NFT craze infuriates me, even though it's great to empower artists,and support a vital part of society through a devastating pandemic. The cost of this support is far greater. NFTs have a catastrophic impact on the environment, the true scale of which we can't even begin to understand.

Do You Need or Want New Photo Equipment?

Look at your gear right now. How much of it did you need and how much of it did you want? Knowing the difference between the two can save you thousands and make you a more sophisticated photographer who focuses on art.

Clean up Reflections With This Cool Trick

Automotive reflections can be a pain, especially if you are restricted to where you can shoot the vehicle. Reflections of the surrounding environment can really ruin your image.

How to Create Useful Custom Vignettes in Lightroom

Vignettes can make or break an image and can literally lay waste to the final outcome if overcooked. I’ve never been a big fan of the vignette feature in Lightroom, but that’s not because of what it does or how I use it. It’s simply because of the immovability of it.

Is Photography Art?

Of course photography is art. Is all photography art? Debatable. Is all photography good art? Nope. Most photography is bad art. Is your photography good art?

A Great Camera Nobody Will Want: Pentax K-3 Mark III

It's a perplexing state of affairs: the DSLR as a product category is officially on life support now that more mirrorless cameras ship every year. Of what is left of the DSLR sector, Canon and Nikon hold a staggering 98% of it. So, why on Earth is Pentax releasing a flagship model?

Create a City Glow With the Oniric Plugin

Oniric, from Composite Nation, is a plugin I've been looking for for a long while. Last year I caught an advert for it on Instagram and I haven't looked back since.

The Canon EOS R5 Is a Mirrorless Workhorse

Despite being a long-time Nikon shooter and a fan of their latest mirrorless offerings, it’s only fair to keep an eye on what the competition is doing. So, with the right level of begging, I was able to get my hands on the Canon EOS R5 and thought I would offer a few brief thoughts.

How To Get Real Sprocket Holes in Your Images

A popular photo trend we’ve all seen on Instagram is to bring back the vintage look. People’s love of a good nostalgia trip means they go looking for interesting ways to add old and dated character to their images.

This NFT of an NFT Just Sold for $10 Million

The NFT craze continues to explode, as for the first time, an artist has bought an NFT of the NFT that points to his own work of digital art — for $10 million.

Not the Moulton Barn: Carol Highsmith's America

It's not the famous Moulton Barn in Jackson Hole and those definitely aren't the Tetons rising majestically in the background, yet this image of a barn in Idaho is perhaps more impressive. Not because of what it is, but what it represents in the form of the Carol Highsmith Archive.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (March 2021): Akis Douzlatzis

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 2021, 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.

How to Stay Productive in Bad Weather for Landscape Photography

Extended periods of poor conditions for landscape photography can leave you feeling unproductive and stuck inside. There's plenty you can still accomplish no matter the conditions, and I've got a few ideas to get you started.

The Selfie Is More Powerful Than We Realize

In 2016, Kim Kardashian broke the internet with a mother’s day selfie. We’ve all seen the picture; she’s stood in front of a mirror wearing pretty much her birthday suit. It becomes such a big deal that Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian go on to recreate the thing. Break the internet twice! Why is this such a big deal though?

Canon Makes Rapid Gains in Mirrorless Camera Sales

With more mirrorless cameras shipped than DSLRs in 2020, the pivot to mirrorless has occurred. Nikkei's report on 2019 mirrorless sales was therefore eye-opening; however, it is the 2020 numbers that will show the shape of the sector. So, who are the winners and losers?

Best Camera Bag for Adventure and Traveling

I have a closet filled with camera bags but I think I might have found the best camera bag for adventure and travel photographers. There are countless bags on the market but every adventure requires a slightly different bag. The goal is with the right features, versatility, and customization, one bag can do everything!

Revisiting Micro Four Thirds for Photojournalism

When I first wrote about using mirrorless cameras for journalism in 2014, the Sony Alpha series had just been launched a few months before in 2013. Panasonic was just hitting its stride with the GH series of cameras and Fuji had just really started kicking off its X-Series cameras. Things have certainly changed.

Share Your Spherical Panorama as a VR Video

NASA/JPL’s recent posting of the first Mars panoramic view from the Perseverance rover brought me back to some experimentation I had been doing a few years ago with spherical (360x180 degree) panoramic photos. Standardized viewers for interactively viewing panoramas aren’t readily available even today, but one option for sharing is to post a video on YouTube.

How To Use a Tilt-Shift Lens, Part 2: The Tilt Function

The tilt-shift lens is probably one of the most special lenses available. It allows the photographer to turn, shift, and tilt the lens in many different ways. In this article, I explain when and how to use the tilt function.

How Freelensing Can Reinvigorate Your Photography

The fact that the focal plane of a picture must always be parallel to the sensor plane is so obvious to most photographers that they don't even bother questioning that fact. Here's what happens when you do question it and how modern mirrorless cameras can help you do it.

Can You Make Passive Income Selling Your Existing Photographs Online?

Passive income, the Holy Grail of personal finances. Who wouldn’t want to make money from all those old photos without having to lift a finger? With that in mind, I’m going to share with you my own experiences as a casual photographer selling my existing back catalog of digital photos online. It’s been an interesting experience to say the least and I even made a little money.

The Only Preset You Need to Be a Great Photographer

A lot of photographers seem to fall for promises that presets make, and sometimes, they are true. There are packs out there that give decent results. But the problem with presets is that they do the creative work for you instead of helping you be the creative you wish to be. And that is what is holding you back. But what if there's one unique preset that will distinguish your work from everyone else's? You can't buy it, but you can develop it. Here's how.

How To Upgrade Your Photography Without Breaking the Bank

So, you’re starting to think that you really want to grow and try something new with your photography, but don’t have the funds for a new camera? Well, there’s a good chance that you can make significant upgrades to your productivity without breaking the bank.

Becoming a Full-Time Landscape Photographer: Six Months on YouTube

Becoming a full-time landscape photographer can be difficult to navigate, especially in the modern era of photography. I've focused heavily on developing a YouTube channel to hopefully turn my passion into more, and in this update, I go over my revenue, progress, and future steps.

The Other, Bigger Pandemic Hitting Photography: Part One

The WHO says approximately 450 million people currently suffer from mental health and neurological disorders. That’s over three-and-a-half times the number that have ever had COVID-19. Within the photographic industry, the rates of mental illness are far worse than in society as a whole.

Is the Digital Image as Special as the Film Image?

In Walter Benjamin’s 1935 essay, “A Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” he argues that the reproduction of an art object diminishes its "aura," or unique position in time and space. What this means is that if you make something with your hands, you only have a singular of that thing, so that makes it something special. It is "one of a kind."

One-Light Product Photography

Given the global pandemic of COVID-19 (and the year that shall not be named), I very quickly found out that I am indeed, contrary to previously held opinions, an extrovert (and not an introvert). But given the situation, I wasn’t photographing people. What could I make that would work well with the images I already create? I do quite a bit of fashion and beauty work, so why not products that go with those?

Micro Four Thirds Is Dead? Well, Not for Me

It’s often read and repeated: Micro Four Thirds is dead! Olympus’ camera department has been sold and full frame mirrorless is currently ruling the game. Am I the only one who doesn’t care?