Some photographers still believe that it’s important to shoot in manual mode, no matter what situation they’re in. As long as the correct exposure is achieved, it isn’t important if this is done manually or partly by the camera itself. But sometimes, manual is indeed the best choice.
The challenge of landscape photography is that unlike most other genres, you do not get control over the lighting or the placement of the elements in the frame. For some photographers, though, that is one of the most fascinating and enjoyable aspects of the genre. If you would like to improve your landscape work, check out this fantastic video tutorial by an experienced photographer that will guide you through the entire process from lens choice to editing.
Composition sometimes falls by the wayside in portrait photography, but if you want to elevate your images to the next level, it is something you need to take into careful consideration with every shot. If you would like to improve your portrait compositions, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features five helpful tips from an experienced photographer.
As someone who's been a regular Canon EOS R system user for the last few years, it's really dawned on me through teaching students how much things have changed for the better with serious mirrorless cameras.
For several years now, many of us have used Instagram as our primary outlet for sharing and viewing images. However, Instagram has made it clear that the platform is shifting its focus to video. If you haven’t been practicing capturing portraits on video, now might be a good time to start learning how to do so.
Landscape photography is a quirky genre, often requiring long physical treks in the wee hours, all while hoping for the conditions to cooperate and allow you to take the photo you have in mind. If you have been there before, check out this hilarious video that follows a landscape photographer's thought process while deciding whether to head out to shoot or not.
If you already own an interchangeable lens camera, you can make a pinhole lens in five minutes.
Have you ever thought of taking a trip to the sub-Arctic or Arctic to photograph polar bears and their habitat? Ever thought it might be your destiny to come nose-to-nose with the largest predator living on land? My latest article for Bradt Guides' Travel Club is all about taking photos of polar bears and their environment. I thought I'd share some of the tips and photos here.
Most of us use only two or three view modes while working in Lightroom, but the program actually has eight in total, and they are highly useful for both culling and organizing your photos as well as editing them. If you are unfamiliar with all eight view modes, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you where to find them and how to incorporate them into your workflow.
Photoshop and Lightroom are tremendously complex and intricate applications, and there are many different ways to accomplish any specific task. If you are always looking for new ways to improve and expand your workflow, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features some lesser-known tips and techniques for working in both Photoshop and Lightroom.
The claim is that NFTs got rid of gatekeeping in photography. Anyone can pick up a camera, mint a few NFTs, and make money. But what does this actually mean?
Modern cameras, even entry level, are remarkably capable machines, offering a wide variety of useful features for photographers and filmmakers alike. And yet, one basic feature is still left out of many models, despite its tremendous usefulness and popularity. This great video discusses why more cameras should embrace it.
At just two inches long and 4.6 ounces (130 g) in weight, the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH. lens is ridiculously portable, making it a great wide angle option for Micro Four Thirds photographers and filmmakers. If you are looking for a wide angle lens with a wide aperture for your kit, check out this awesome video review that takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Spend any amount of time reading about photography on the internet, and you will probably come across the claim that professionals should shoot in manual mode. And there is certainly some truth in the idea that manual mode gives you the kind of control necessary for certain shooting scenarios, but that does not mean it is always the best choice. This great video discusses the issue a bit and why you should not always default to using manual mode for your work.
As waves of international turmoil shake the photographic world, how will the industry be affected? Additionally, are there ways we can protect ourselves from this economic mess? Here are seven options.
Tamron has made a name for themselves in the last few years by creating lenses that are highly practical and offer great image quality without costing an arm and a leg. One of the most exciting newer options is the 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, which can replace a multitude of lenses in a photographer's bag, and 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.
Harsh, direct sunlight can be a real pain in the neck to work with, especially when you are a wedding photographer and do not have much control over the timing or location of things. Whether you are a wedding or portrait photographer, check out this fantastic video tutorial that offers a lot of practical and helpful advice for taking compelling portraits in harsh sunlight.
Today, I’m reviewing the X-Dynamics Evolve 2 Drone. I’ll share thoughts on build, performance, and other details as well as my favorite features. Drones, or “airplane cameras” as my kids call them, are an awesome piece of technology that can take your photos to a whole new level.
Sony users have a ton of choices available when it comes to lenses, with many manufacturers offering a wide range of focal lengths and maximum apertures that can fit just about any budget. If you are wondering how to navigate all those choices, check out this great video that will show you 10 excellent third-party lenses for Sony mirrorless cameras.
Photoshop is a behemoth of a program, and while it has a ton of features and functionalities in it, very few photographers ever need all those options. All those extras can make it a bit tedious to navigate through the interface and find what you need. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to simplify Photoshop's interface to make it easier to navigate and to make your workflow more streamlined.
I finally received my DJI Mic after pre-ordering it more than a month ago, and at first, I was disappointed. When I did the initial test with the DJI Receiver connected to my Canon R5, the audio I recorded was much noisier than what I was used to from my old setup, for which I used a Zoom H1 with a Rode Lavalier GO. But there's a solution to this problem, and in this article, I share it with you.
When you are learning photography, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to simultaneously balance all of the technical and creative ideas and techniques that go into making a successful photograph. If you are new to the pursuit and wondering how to grow, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer giving 10 tips for improving as a photographer.
Sigma first hit the jackpot with the 35mm Art, which kicked off the entire series. The 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is the update to the original, and it brings with it a variety of improvements and new features. This excellent video review take a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Sometimes, we try hard to find a composition, but sometimes, we get distracted by too many, and it gets hard to choose the best one. At home then, we have often to accept that all our images are just average. How can we avoid situations like that and come home with a masterpiece instead?
There is a lot of flexibility within portraiture to create a wide array of different looks. One of the primary ways to put your own stamp on a shot is through lighting and this tutorial might be just the trick for your next shoot.
When an image has a distinct texture or pattern, cleaning up blemishes or the like can be a bit trickier, as you need to replicate the texture and/or pattern accurately in order to create a convincing replacement. One such example is pristine sand that has been walked upon, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to make it perfect again using Photoshop.
If you work a lot in the field or like to take long road trips, you know how difficult it can be to have access to enough power to keep all your devices charged and running. Anker's 757 Portable Power Station has a ridiculous amount of power to spare, and this great video review takes a look at its performance and applications.
Today, hopefully, you’ll allow me a brief break from discussing tech and technique to revel in a bit of the pure joy that is the process of photography.
Apple's Mac Studio is ludicrously powerful. It comes in two basic configurations, the M1 Max and M1 Ultra, which might leave you wondering which you should pick for your work. If you are asking yourself that question, check out this excellent video that discusses three options for video editing to help you choose.
When you are newer to working with artificial lighting, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to pick the right modifier for a given shoot. Umbrellas are easily the cheapest modifiers you can get, making them a great tool for learning how to work with artificial light, and they are more versatile than you might think. This great video tutorial will show you five different single umbrella setups for shooting portraits.
Sometimes it is difficult for me to look back at the photographs I created early in my career. The shots are all technically strong, but there is something missing. That missing element can be defined as vision. In this article, I will detail my journey in understanding the need to incorporate this crucial element into my art.
35mm lenses are popular for good reason, as they offer a versatile focal length that is neutral enough for a variety of applications, including portraits, street photography, events, astrophotography, and more. The Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 AF is one of the more affordable options out there, but it still offers a range of great features. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
It's easy to think that if you want to put together a great portrait shoot you need to book an expensive location and have a room full of lights, but sometimes simplicity can be more rewarding.
A couple of months ago, I tried Final Cut Pro for the first time. Surprisingly, there were many things I liked about Final Cut, but it wasn't enough to convince me to switch from Premiere. Today, I'm giving Final Cut Pro another try.
If you love landscape photography, you probably know a lot about camera equipment, settings, and the most common composition rules and techniques. But landscape photography is not always about those things. I have six important tips that are often overlooked.
In this informative video from Pal2Tech, Chris Lee demonstrates how to convert raw files to TIFFs or JPEGs right in the camera. The results are both interesting and quite surprising when the images are uploaded and compared.
About a month has passed since Skywatcher officially announced the Star Adventurer GTi, the smallest and lightest purpose-built GoTo astrophotography mount. But is it actually any good?
When I started photography, one of the hardest things for me was to pick the editing software I should use. Indeed, a lot of photographers face the same problem every day. Looking beyond the classic choices, there is arguably much better software you can choose: ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12. It combines the functionality of several Adobe products into one affordable and intuitive software.
Modern cameras can handle low light quite impressively, but high ISOs will still introduce some noise into your images. So, what can you do when that happens? This excellent video tutorial will show you how to process high-ISO images in Lightroom to reduce the appearance of noise while still maintaining sharp results with plenty of detail.
During the May 16 Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game, Diamondbacks left fielder David Peralta turned on a Craig Kimbrel fastball, lifting it for a home run over the right field fence. Unfortunately, the ball came down on the head of a camera operator standing on top of the outfield wall.
Twice yearly, ON1 produces free upgrades to their Photo Raw program. The newest version is just over the horizon, and it has some expected features to add, plus improvements to its existing arsenal of tools.
You can absolutely create professional-level portraits using nothing but a single key light, but once you move into multi-light setups, you get a bit more creative and technical control over the final image. One of the first ways to do this is by adding a fill light, and this excellent video tutorial will show you what it is and how it can be used to create better portraits.
Samyang has long been known for producing sharp and highly affordable manual focus lenses, but in recent years, they have moved into producing autofocus lenses as well, while still keeping those budget prices that have endeared them to many photographers. At $299, the AF 45mm f/1.8 FE offers a lot of lens for not a lot of money, and this excellent video review takes a long-term look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
I have to admit it: I’ve never been on team Lightroom. This may be a bit of a low blow, but Lightroom has always seemed like the sandbox for those who couldn’t play on the big-boy playground: Photoshop, of course.
Car photography is a lot of fun and can be highly dynamic, but it represents one of the hardest products to photograph in a studio environment. Not only do you need a large studio that a car can be driven into, but you need huge lights to evenly light the car too. Or do you?
Zeiss lenses are known for providing sharp and contrasty images with silky-smooth bokeh, making them favorites of a lot of photographers. For photographers looking for a 35mm lens, one option is the Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2, and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.
Custom-made, hand-painted backdrops were all the rage a few years back. I personally could never justify the price of one, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to try it out.
How far should you sit from your screen? How large can you print your photos? Why are stacked sensors better? There is much more to those pixels than you might think.
Street photography is not the easiest genre to get into, especially if you tend to have a more timid personality or enjoy working alone. However, it can be a tremendously interesting one, and even if it is not your primary pursuit, it can do a lot of good to sharpen your skills in many other genres. If you are interesting in street photography and wondering how to get started, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything from composition and lighting to gear choices and editing.
