As landscape photographers, we hear it all the time: "Always use ISO 100 for your photos. That is the only way to get the crispest and cleanest image." Is this true, though? Should we be afraid of using a higher ISO? Or are there times you should use a higher ISO? We find out in this video.
Take a range of modern and powerful features, pair them with a beautiful lens, and put them all in a small and portable body, and you get the Leica Q3. With a high-resolution sensor, 28mm f/1.7 lens, and a great set of capabilities, the Q3 looks like a great camera on paper. How does it hold up in practice? This excellent video review takes a look at what you can expect.
In the past few years, Lightroom has taken some powerful steps forward, making it a versatile and capable editing tool that can accomplish many tasks that used to require a trip to Photoshop. One of the greatest new additions is the ability to use curves in masks. This great video tutorial will show you how to use curves inside the program's masking panel to quickly and easily create powerful and precise edits.
Navigating the complexities of wedding photography, especially when faced with challenging situations, is an essential skill. The ability to adapt to changing conditions and solve problems on the fly can distinguish a successful wedding from a problematic one.
I've been using filters for my photography for more than ten years, and for the last five, I have used filters made by Kase. Just recently, I switched my filter system to what I think is the perfect filter kit for landscape and architecture photography. In this article, you'll find a detailed review of it.
In the world of photography, the allure of high-end gear is undeniable. From the latest cameras to lenses with almost impossible specs, the market is flooded with equipment promising to elevate the art of photography to new heights. This narrative often leads to a common misconception: that the key to achieving photographic mastery lies predominantly in owning the most sophisticated and expensive gear. However, this perspective overlooks the essence of what truly makes a great photographer.
Editing is just as important as capturing the image, but there are many places where things can go wrong. This awesome video tutorial discusses five common mistakes people make in Lightroom and how to fix them.
Capturing stunning wildlife and street photographs requires specific equipment, particularly when it comes to lenses. The choice of lens significantly impacts image quality, versatility, and the overall photographic experience. Nonetheless, there's probably a limit. This lens might be past that limit.
The new Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports lens offers users extreme reach with the promise of exceptional results. This excellent video review takes a look at the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.
The Nikon Zf mirrorless camera is one of the latest to hop on the retro train, blending modern technology with a touch of nostalgia. Its features and design resonate with photographers who prefer the tactile experience of older cameras over using digital menus. This great video review takes a look at how that functional design holds up for demanding wedding work.
Over the past few months, travel photographer and videographer Greg Snell has been putting the artificial intelligence tool Midjourney through its paces to create travel content for the tourism industry. Could Midjourney be the end of travel photography?
Nikon has announced the release of firmware version 5.00 for its Z9 mirrorless camera. This update, being the fourth major revision since the camera's launch, introduces a series of features aimed at refining the experience for both sports and portrait photographers, while also addressing feedback from the professional photography community for enhanced operational efficiency.
A number of years ago, while still an ambassador for Hasselblad, I received a fateful phone call from a gentleman asking if he could pick my brain about the newly released Hasselblad X1D. I agreed, and we proceeded to talk about cameras, both past and present, along with the photos we had taken with them. It was a jovial conversation, but it wasn't until we were talking about the Hasselblad 500 that he said the line: "That is the camera I used to photograph the Mir Space Station."
Have you ever flipped through an REI catalog with a twinge of despair, or gazed with more questions than answers at the DICK’s Sporting Goods billboard? Perhaps you’ve wondered who shot those jobs and how they got the contract? Standing in the camping section, you suddenly realize why the 20-year-old employee is looking at you oddly. You have been staring at the billboard for who knows how long in a state of perplexed despair. Articles that line your LinkedIn feed extol the value of “networking,” but who to network with and how to gain access to these gatekeepers didn't come attached. You want a shot, but you don’t seem to be able to get your hands on that opportunity. If that description hits home, and if you are a female, you want to read on about the Peak Design & The Roam Collective Photography Scholarship.
Geared tripod heads offer precision and efficiency for various kinds of photography workflows. However, they often come with bigger price tags. Let’s see if this fairly affordable one from Benro is worth a look.
I've taken a look at some earlier iterations of Astro Panel over the years, a plug-in designed for automating and enhancing both astrophotography and landscape photos. I found it a powerful addition to my editing arsenal, and it was easy to use but could do some very sophisticated editing. This new version from photographer Angelo Perrone adds more than 80 new astrophotography and landscape functions, as well as some features to support portrait editing.
Editing photos with AI is becoming increasingly popular, and today there are some valuable competitors in the market! What used to be a slow, clunky process is now a powerful tool set that can eliminate hours from your editing workflow.
Landscape photographers often seek out specific weather conditions, such as dramatic storms or vibrant sunsets, to create impactful images. However, clear sky days, often considered less ideal due to the lack of dramatic light and clouds, can also offer unique opportunities for capturing stunning landscapes. By understanding how to work with the available light and compose effectively, you can create fantastic images.
Sigma is constantly increasing their range of contemporary lenses for various mounts. The quality of these lenses is constant in terms of build and sharpness, and with each new lens, we already know that the high quality we expect is there.
The new Hasselblad XCD 28mm f/4 P offers uses a very portable wide angle lens that still brings with it some innovative features and the promise of image quality able to keep up with the demands of 100-megapixel medium format lenses, making it intriguing for a range of applications, particularly street photography. Can it live up to those high demands in practice? This excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect.
It's a few days after the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro have been made available, and everyone is sharing their opinions about the phone, the cameras, and the new features that Apple has added in their latest and greatest (yet) iPhone release. Something that has always been difficult to get is the raw details of how well iPhone camera sensors perform. This year, one of the features that was highlighted in the Apple presentation was the phone's ability to connect external media via the USB-C port. This allows you to hig- quality video (using the new Apple Log and ProRes codecs) to an external SSD, or as some have experimented and found out, you can even save files to an SD card via an adapter.
If an editor sent a photographer out to get some "weather art" to show a hot summer day, the photo above of a child playing in a sprinkler park would probably make a good image for the newspaper, right?
Photographing a seascape with crashing waves along the shore and the movement of the water can be a challenge for a landscape photographer. This video provides several tips on capturing dramatic images from the seashore with an ultrawide lens.
The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM is one of the craziest lenses to come along in quite some time, offering an unheard-of zoom range and aperture combination for a full frame lens, making it a unique option for photographers. Nonetheless, it is neither cheap nor small. Is it worth the price and size? This excellent video review takes a look at if its performance and image quality can stand up to two demanding sensors.
Should you get a high-resolution 4K monitor or will a lower-resolution display be sufficient? There is no one-size-fits-all answer, as it depends on several factors like your vision, editing needs, and display size. However, this helpful video will help you decide.
As we all know, livestreaming can be a very expensive adventure. If you want to go beyond streaming from mobile phones, which are great, by the way, you will need to spend money on some higher-end equipment. This is why we put together a list of the top eight cameras for livestreaming that will deliver high quality at low cost.
There are a lot of photographic accessories on the market, and some are more pleasing than others. Peak Design is a brand that never ceases to impress, and their latest collaboration with Sitka became a huge hit and sold out immediately. Here's why.
Landscape photography can be a bit of a start and stop genre, with hours of waiting punctuated by fleeting moments of opportunity. That can lead to some difficult decisions about how to maximize your chances of coming home with worthwhile shots. This great video follows an experienced landscape photographer as he grapples with such decisions and discusses how he moves forward.
There is a lot of various advice on the internet. A large chunk of it is bad or irrelevant. Editing images is an art. It is an art that takes a while to master. Because there is so much bad info online, I decided to share some of my favorite editing techniques I use to get my signature look.
Back in my college days, when I first started taking photographs, I pursued magazine photography because I loved seeing my name printed in the magazine. Often, I wasn’t being paid for my services and the photo credit was payment enough for me. When I incorporated my business some 20+ years ago, I named my company "photo: John Ricard, LLC" because it resembled a photo credit.
Photography, a hobby often celebrated for its universal appeal, holds a special charm for older individuals. Embracing the art of photography can be a particularly rewarding pursuit for those in their golden years, offering a unique blend of creative expression, mental stimulation, and physical activity, all of which are key components to a fulfilling and balanced lifestyle in later life.
There is a lot of bad advice online on how to make money as a photographer. Truth be told, I followed much of it and made a big fat zero. This is not because such advice is wrong, but rather because it is out of touch with what the market is in 2024. In this article, I will shed light on one of the worst ways to make money with your work.
A wedding day is a marathon for photographers. Finding the time to grab a quick bite and refuel can feel impossible, but this is the perfect time to do it.
I’ve been seeing Prism Lens FX filters everywhere and have been curious about what they're actually like to shoot with. There are so many interesting filters available that it’s hard to know which ones are worth the investment. So, here’s a comparison of the Lucid Dream FX Filter and the Moody FX Filter.
When it comes to artificial lighting, small and portable lights can be as valuable as having larger and more powerful light sources. With an option that requires no cables and can be used virtually anywhere, this light from SmallRig definitely has a lot to offer.
Can combining ND filters and a flash elevate your portrait images? Miguel Quiles takes us through this technique in depth and provides great advice on how you can make the most of this setup.
Storage is one of the most critical necessities for a content creator. After all, without a place to store your work, you can't enjoy the freedom of creating. While it might be fine to store your shoots on your computer initially, you will soon run out of storage space. This is when a product like the LaCie D2 external HDD drive becomes essential.
In the past decade, we have seen an explosion of highly capable supertelephoto zoom lenses, and the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS and Nikon NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR are two of the most versatile options. How do they compare? This great video review takes a look at both lenses, their various characteristics, and how they match up with each other.
The life of a professional photographer is often romanticized, but the reality is that it can be a demanding and stressful career path. From the pressure to constantly create to the financial instability that often comes with freelance work, there are many challenges that photographers face. However, there are also ways to find happiness and success in this field.
In this article, I show you an awesome Lightroom editing technique you can use to add atmosphere to your photos. If you take this method to the extreme, you can even turn a normal day into a foggy scene. It works well for woodland photos.
The announcement of the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens has captured a lot of the photography world's attention, as it is now the widest full frame f/1.4 lens ever made, easily besting out second place, Sigma's own 20mm f/1.4 Art. However, that does not mean it does not have competition. The Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM is a widely respected lens that offers great performance and extreme capabilities as well. So, which is right for you? This excellent video review takes a look at both to help you choose.
What are your editing workspace essentials, and how much impact do they have on how efficient and/or comfortable you are when you do post-production? Here are some tools that might give your workflow a boost.
Lightroom masking tools offer quite a lot of control and precision when editing photos. This helpful video tutorial offers 15 masking tips and tricks specifically tailored for landscape photographers, with techniques that refine skies, add ethereal fog, create custom vignetting, and dodge and burn, all while maintaining a natural aesthetic.
Photoshop's new Generative Fill tool has generated a lot of buzz for its ability to transform images and manufacture ideas with just the click of a button. One genre it has a lot of potential in is portrait photography, and this great video tutorial will show you some of those applications.
It's nice to see Skylum offer the powerful Luminar tools for iOS and a version that runs natively on Apple's new Vision Pro headset.
This is one of my most favourite test shoots I’ve done to this date, not only based on how we got the shot but also how they turned out. Here’s how we shot it, how it was lit, and everything that came together to make this shot happen.
