Trending Photography News and Reviews

Adding Depth and Dimension: Mastering Tonal Contrast in Editing

The ability to create a sense of depth and realism in your photographs is important for conveying the true essence of a scene. While modern cameras are capable of capturing incredible detail, raw image files often lack the dynamic range and tonal contrast necessary to bring your images to life. This is where understanding and utilizing tonal contrast becomes essential for transforming flat, lifeless images into captivating visual stories.

An In-Depth Preview of the Alice Camera

The Alice Camera is hailed as the camera for creators, boasting the ability to streamline your workflow and make you grow faster. Is it all it is advertised to be? This hands-on preview tells all.

The Real Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Light Modifiers

I get a lot of commentary on using expensive photo equipment, most notably lighting. Fair enough, a $400 softbox is not for everyone, and most people find it ridiculous to use a modifier this expensive. However, there are good reasons to use such tools. Here is why.

Capturing Grief: A Photographer's Journey Through Loss

The journey of a photographer often transcends the realm of mere image capturing, delving into the profound depths of personal experiences and emotions. It is these moments, marked by introspection and the essence of human connections, that imbue photographs with a palpable sense of narrative and intimacy. This intrinsic link between personal narrative and photographic expression serves as a cornerstone for understanding the transformative power of photography.

The Psychology of Photography Pricing

In my latest video, I accept vulnerability in photography, focusing on two pivotal aspects: refining street photography skills on camera and mastering the psychology behind pricing your photography services. The first is scarier for me.

Enhancing the Atmosphere of Your Landscape Photos in Lightroom

Landscape photographers look forward to days with foggy conditions, which help create interesting scenes to photograph. But timing your outing with those types of conditions isn’t always possible. Using Lightroom, you can use several techniques to enhance the atmosphere of your photos.

Explaining the Different Types of Lens Autofocus Motor

While every lens design may or or less look the same, the technology and components contained inside can be very different, particularly the autofocus motors. When it comes to autofocus (AF) systems in camera lenses, there are several types of autofocus motors used to achieve fast and accurate focusing. The decision on which autofocus motor to be used will depend on the lens manufacturer, lens type, and price range. Dive deeper into this article as we explore the most common types of autofocus motors found in lenses.
What Happened to Photo Credits?

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.

A Decade of Evolution: Cameras Now Versus Cameras From 10 Years Ago

Over the past decade, the realm of photography has witnessed a rapid transformation driven by rapid technological advancements. Cameras today stand as marvels of innovation, vastly different from their counterparts from just 10 years ago. In this article, let's delve into the technological differences between cameras now and those from the past decade, exploring whether these advancements translate into significantly better image quality and examining how technology has reshaped the landscape of photography.

Why I Don't Take My Camera With Me Anymore: EDC in 2024

As professional photographers, we carry around a bunch of stuff. I can easily rock up to a shoot with way too much kit for the job. My daily carry-around equipment is quite different, though. Let's talk about some of the must-carry items.

The Worst Advice You've Been Given as a Photographer

As a follow up to my article on the best advice in respect of turning pro, I thought it would be fun to dig into the worst advice we've ever received as photographers. As Oscar Wilde wrote, "one might consider always passing on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself." So, what's some of the worst photography advice you've ever received?

The Gear You Must Have for Low-Light Photography

Photographing in low light is one of the most challenging tasks you can encounter. This is a scenario where your setup truly matters. Not only should you know what to do with your camera, but also keep in mind which camera to bring for low-light photography. In this article, I will go over the essential gear for such work.

How to Get More From Photoshop's Generative Fill Feature

Effective use of Photoshop's Generative Fill can significantly enhance editing possibilities. This tool, while powerful, can often be unpredictable, making proficiency in its application essential for photographers who aim to achieve precise edits in their workflow.

How to Edit a Landscape Photo Using an iPad, Lightroom, and Photoshop

In the beginning, the iPad was mostly an entertainment device meant for content consumption, but it quickly evolved into an incredibly powerful device for content creators, and when combined with Adobe's apps, it is an intriguing option for photographers on the go. This awesome video tutorial will show you how to use the iPad to edit landscape images using both Lightroom and Photoshop.

Is Photoshop's Clone Stamp Obsolete?

Perhaps no editing tool is ubiquitous than the Clone Stamp. It has been around for decades now, and its uses and versatility are nearly infinite. And yet, we have seen an explosion of ultra-advanced AI-powered editing tools in recent months, which leads to the question: is the Clone Stamp finally obsolete? This interesting video essay discusses the topic while looking at some of those new AI tools.

5 of Photoshop's Most Important New Features

Photoshop has been evolving at a breakneck pace lately, with a number of groundbreaking features expanding and even completely changing the ways in which photographers approach editing their images. If you have not had a chance to catch up on everything that is new yet, check out this helpful video tutorial that will show you five of the biggest changes, what they can do, and how to use them.

What Is the Right Skill to Succeed in Photography?

In the world of photography today, it is pretty common that the relationship between creative concept and photography skill is intertwined and very much expected from a photographer. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into this discussion between these two relationships to see how photographers can unleash their artistic potential and bring their work to the next level and how one skill affects the other skill. Everything from the spark of inspiration from the basis of creative concepts to the technical skills required for project execution will be discussed in hopes of achieving balance between creativity and technical skill to push a photographer’s work to a greater height.

The Forgotten Symbol on Your Camera

Have you ever come across this alien-like symbol while cleaning or setting up your camera and had no idea what that was? Read further, where we discuss what this symbol is and its practical applications.

Tips for Shooting Portraits in Harsh Sunlight

Taking portraits outside is great fun and can result in some amazing shots, but you'll likely have heard that you shouldn't shoot during the middle of the day, when the sun is at its highest. Why? It's difficult to make the light flattering, among other things.
The Premium Compact King Is Back! Fujifilm X100VI Preview

The successor to the worldwide popular, and rightfully so, Fujifilm X100V has finally been revealed! The new X100VI brings forth some very welcome features while staying true to what made the X100 lineup great. We’ve used it for a while and loved it! How was it? What’s new? What stayed the same? Is it worth upgrading? Will you even be able to get one?

2024: The Year of the Lens Revolution

The photography landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, particularly in the field of lens technology. As we approach 2024, two key trends have become increasingly evident: the emergence of revolutionary lens designs and the rise of high-quality, affordable lenses. This pivotal shift is reshaping the choices available to both professional photographers and enthusiasts, setting the stage for what could be a landmark year in photographic equipment.

Photography Opinions That We Should Burn

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the photography community is an opinionated bunch, and to make matters worse, there are a lot of people outside of the community who are opinionated about it too! So, let's take the edge off by sharing the worst photography opinions and why they should be condemned to history.

How Much Do You Value the Process of Creating Images?

Each week it seems, a new camera is released. And with every new release is the lure of new features promising to make the already easy image-making process even easier. This raises the question, do the benefits of easily creating images outweigh the potential benefits we might gain from taking a more challenging approach?

How To Find Your Authentic Voice in Photography

Authenticity is the holy grail of being an artist. If you’ve managed to find your own authentic voice, you’ve achieved more than most photographers will ever do. I won't lie to you: it takes time to find your own authentic voice. Here are some steps that you can take to find yours.

A Comprehensive Guide for Starting to Print Your Photos

Printing your photographs is a magical experience that elevates your work from digital files to tangible pieces of art. It allows you to experience your images in their full glory, appreciating details and colors as intended, much like viewing a painting in a gallery or listening to music at a concert.

How to Color Correct Portraits in Adobe Photoshop

When it comes to portraiture, the power color has to make or break even your best images is not to be underestimated. In this video, Aaron Nace of PHLEARN walks you through how to correct the colors in Adobe Photoshop.
How Good Is This Ultra-Affordable Portrait Lens?

Portrait lenses are often quite expensive, with some easily running north of $2,000. That's why, at $168, the TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 is an intriguing option for Nikon Z, Sony E, and Fujifilm X APS-C users. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

The Basics of Visual Hierarchy for Landscape Photography

Understanding how different elements of the frame "rank" relative to each other is fundamental to creating balanced photos that draw the viewer's attention in the right direction in a pleasing and intuitive manner. If you would like to improve your landscape photography, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses the idea of visual hierarchy in the genre and the different elements it includes.

One Trick to Get Easy Long Exposures Out of an iPhone

Long exposures are useful to convey a sense of motion in photos, whether that's bodies of water that seemingly look like glass or car taillights whooshing by in a street scene. The iPhone allows you to create scenes like this easily. It's just a bit hidden.

What's New in Lightroom?

Lightroom version 13 is here, and continuing the trend of recent releases, it brings with it some major changes and new features that you will want to be aware of so you can get the most from the program and your image edits. If you have not checked out the latest version yet, check out this excellent video that will show you all the new features and how to use them to work on your images.

A Treasure Trove of 70 Tips and Tricks for Lightroom Users

Understanding the nuances of Lightroom is crucial for photographers, as it not only refines their work but also streamlines their workflow. If you are new to Lightroom, check out this incredibly comprehensive video tutorial that will show you 70 tips and tricks for editing your images in the program.

Three Ways to Emphasize Your Subject in Lightroom

Lightroom has become an impressively capable editing application, and you can easily use it to process a lot of photos without heading over to Photoshop. One of the most important skills a photographer needs is the ability to emphasize their subject, and this great video tutorial will show you three different ways to do that in Lightroom.

Capturing Reality: The Essence of Photography in the Modern World

The debate on whether photography is an expressive art form ignites passionate discussions among photographers and art enthusiasts. This subject is particularly pertinent, as it delves into the essence of their craft: is photography about capturing moments as they are, or is it about creating something entirely new?

One of Lightroom's Lesser-Known Useful Features

Learning how to apply batch edits to your images is one of the best ways to increase the efficiency of your workflow. This great video tutorial will show you one such Lightroom tool for doing that.

One of the Least-Known but Most Useful Sliders in Lightroom

Lightroom is an intricate program with dozens of controls, and among all those options, a few hidden gems are waiting for you. This excellent video tutorial takes a look at one of the least-known but useful sliders.

5 Photography Breakthroughs That Will Transform Your Images

Understanding the fundamentals of photography is crucial for capturing worthwhile images. While technical aspects like camera settings and equipment are important, developing a keen eye for light, composition, and storytelling is what truly elevates your photography.

How to Take Advantage of Lightroom's Powerful Filtering Features

Lightroom can be a surprisingly intricate program, and as such, some of its best features can be easily overlooked. Lightroom has some powerful filtering features, and if you are someone with a catalog of images in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of images, you will find it highly beneficial to learn the ins and outs. This fantastic video tutorial will show you everything you need to know.

How to Create Dreamy Light for Landscape Photos in Lightroom

In the realm of landscape photography, post-processing can transform a good image into a great one, and that means mastering tools like Lightroom is essential. This helpful video tutorial will show you a useful technique for making dreamy light in a landscape image using the program.