Photography without a traditional viewfinder often divides opinion sharply. For many, relying solely on an LCD screen seems limiting, yet increasingly, cameras are designed without viewfinders, raising the question of whether adapting to this approach might be worthwhile.

You've been charging the same rates for two years. Your costs have increased, your skills have improved, and your calendar is booked solid—yet you're making less money than ever because inflation has eroded your purchasing power while your prices stayed frozen. You know you need to raise your rates, but every time you think about it, panic sets in. What if clients leave? What if you lose the momentum you've built? What if you price yourself out of the market?

In an industry where formal education and expensive equipment often seem like prerequisites for success, Galina Trush's story stands as a powerful reminder that raw talent, determination, and an unwavering commitment to quality can open doors to the world's most prestigious publications. Today, her retouching work graces the pages of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour, but her journey began in a small Ukrainian town with nothing more than a passion for visual arts and access to Photoshop.

In this video, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at a real session and a real wedding day. But as the photographer being followed, I wanted to expand on a few things.

The latest AI selection tools in Lightroom and Photoshop are set to significantly simplify your editing process. By automating precise selections, these tools reduce the complexity of edits, allowing you to focus more on creative decisions.

I’ve had the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses for a while now, and this is what I think of them as a professional photographer, as well as why I picked them up and whether I would do so again. Smart glasses have come a long way from their initial inception many years ago. While there is still a lot of ground to cover—where I’m sure they will become a more portable version of the Apple Vision Pro—for now, this is what we have. But is it worth it?

Throughout your photography journey, camera gear inevitably evolves. Understanding how much image quality and camera functionality have improved over time directly impacts your buying decisions and creative possibilities.

Taking compelling photos of popular locations isn't about finding an untouched spot, but about how you see and capture a scene. A few specific editing techniques can significantly elevate your work, even in familiar places.

Enhancing the foreground can dramatically transform your landscape photos. Mastering this skill makes your images more engaging by immediately drawing viewers into the scene.

Astrophotography using a star tracker can dramatically improve your deep space images, but setting it up properly takes careful preparation. Even small errors can reduce the clarity and detail of your shots.

Every photographer dreads the moment their work gets stolen — but what happens when the President of the United States is the thief? Last night, Donald Trump took Mike Kelley's most iconic photo and turned it into a controversial deportation meme. Will this lead to one of the more interesting copyright cases in recent history?

Paris-born Mathieu Bitton, a Leica Ambassador, has photographed some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Quincy Jones, The Rolling Stones, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and Bruce Springsteen, as well as designing and art directing albums, posters, books, and promotional materials — earning him three Grammys. Here he explains how to break through a creative block, why rules of composition are meant to be broken, and why he burns sweetgrass over used equipment.

Every experienced photographer has a story about the client from hell—the one who made their life miserable, didn't pay on time, demanded endless revisions, and left negative reviews despite getting exactly what they asked for. What separates seasoned professionals from struggling photographers isn't just technical skill or marketing savvy—it's the ability to spot problem clients before they become problems.

Photography is a continuous journey, evolving through distinct stages of skill and understanding. Recognizing your current stage can clarify your path and inform your next steps, helping you grow both technically and creatively.

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 2025, 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.

When dealing with high ISO and fast-action photography, noise and image sharpness are constant challenges. Choosing the right tools can mean the difference between usable shots and missed opportunities, especially when your lighting conditions aren't ideal.

You've probably heard the phrase "gear doesn't matter" countless times. But the reality is more nuanced, and understanding when gear actually impacts your photography is crucial.

Instagram was great until it ruined the art of photography. Somewhere along the way, the app that once celebrated still images traded intention for attention, and in doing so, it didn’t just change photography — it helped ruin the art.

Your portfolio is sabotaging your career, and you don't even know it. Right now, thousands of photographers are losing potential clients because they're making the same fundamental mistake that screams "amateur" to anyone who views their work. It's not about technical quality, composition, or editing skills—it's about something much more basic that most photographers completely misunderstand.

Many photographers get stuck obsessing over camera settings, but it turns out many of these details don’t matter as much as you might think. Your camera should support your creativity, not distract from it.

Every photographer knows this email. You've delivered the final gallery, the client loves 90% of the images, and then comes the follow-up: "These look amazing! Could you just make a few quick edits? Nothing major—just brighten this one a bit, remove that person in the background, and maybe make my skin look smoother in these five shots. Should only take a few minutes, right?"

Adjusting light and shadows skillfully is one of the most impactful ways to elevate your landscape photography. Mastering this allows you to guide attention, build mood, and create genuinely captivating images.

Photography reshapes the way you see everything around you, from casual walks to vacations. It’s more than a hobby—it rewires your attention, making you sensitive to subtle details that others might miss.

If you are a photographer who works remotely, shoots all-day events, doesn't have access to electricity, or needs to power numerous devices, a powerhouse such as the GRECELL H2400 2400W Portable Power Station is valuable. Even better, it's also a UPS. It'll keep it all going.

Something's wrong in the photography world, and everyone can feel it. Browse any photography forum, scroll through Facebook groups, or check Reddit threads, and you'll see the same conversations repeating: established photographers selling their gear, newcomers questioning whether it's worth starting, and veterans openly wondering if the industry they once loved still has room for them.

Franco Fontana, born in Modena, Italy, is a photographer who built his career on a simple—but, at the time, radical—approach to photography: the use of color. At the time Fontana was working his way through the art world, black and white photos dominated the medium.

Camera manufacturers have turned photographers into spec addicts, and it's time for an intervention. Every product announcement sends us scrambling to compare numbers: How many megapixels? What's the burst rate? How many autofocus points? We've been conditioned to believe that bigger numbers equal better photos, but that's marketing fiction designed to empty your wallet.

Did you know that DVDs store captions in two fundamentally different ways? This isn't just trivia; understanding this matters if you're relying on older media for accessibility.

If you're considering printing your own photos, the right printer can significantly improve the quality of your work.

Sony has introduced the FX2, the latest addition to its Cinema Line series. Aimed at independent creators and small crews, the FX2 blends cinema-quality video with high-resolution photo capabilities, enhancing versatility for multimedia productions.

Today, I’d like to take a moment to focus on what has really mattered in my life as a photographer.

Craving a Mac that tears through demanding projects without crowding your desk? The new Mac Studio with M4 Max aims to be your next power-packed desktop, merging blistering performance with a compact form factor that sits discreetly on any workstation.

Black and white photography demands deliberate thought. It's a choice that can sharpen your visual message or inadvertently muddle the intent.

If you've opened up any social media at all in the last year or two, you've probably seen a fair number of AI-generated videos set to music. I know for me, my feed is filled with many strange videos involving Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and a bag of Cheetos. But none of those videos have had any dialogue—until now, with Google's Veo 3.

You're scrolling through Instagram when you see it: your photograph, posted by someone else, with no credit, no permission, and often with their own watermark slapped on top. Your stomach drops. That image took hours to capture and edit, and now someone is using it to promote their business, build their social media following, or sell their products—all without paying you a cent.

The Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50mm f/2 ASPH. Lens is widely talked about as a pinnacle lens for full frame cameras. Can it really hold the crown?

The Voigtlander 18mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar lens for Fujifilm X mount is worth a look. Its combination of compact size and unique optical character provides an experience many photographers crave but rarely find in modern lenses.

If you’re a one-person crew or working with a small team on photo production, you’ll know the pain—especially when it comes to lighting setups. It can be one of the most frustrating parts of a shoot. It’s not just about turning a light on. It’s the constant need for micro-adjustments: tilt it a little more, feather it to the edge, raise it higher—only to realize the angle’s off and you have to bring it back down again. When your light is way up there, you never really know how much to tilt until it’s already in the air.

Your sister needs engagement photos. Your college roommate is getting married. Your neighbor wants family portraits. They all know you're a photographer, and they all expect the "friends and family discount." It feels natural to help the people you care about, especially when you have a skill they need. So you cut your rates in half, or maybe shoot for free, thinking you're being generous and strengthening relationships.

Contrast can make or break your images, and knowing how to control it precisely is essential. Getting beyond the basic slider in Lightroom opens up powerful editing options that enhance your creative control.

Lenses like the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art and Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM have long dominated the fast 35mm space on Sony E-mount. But Viltrox, with its new 35mm f/1.2 FE LAB, is aiming right at the high end. Is this latest entry in Viltrox’s already impressive LAB series a competitor for the best-performing 35mm on E-mount?

Sony's a1 II is their latest flagship camera, boasting top-tier specs and the best performance Sony currently offers. But despite these exceptional features, this camera isn't necessarily the right choice for most photographers or content creators.

Magic Eye stereograms swept through the 1990s as a cultural phenomenon, capturing imaginations with their ability to transform a flat image into a mesmerizing 3D scene. For many, they became an intriguing challenge that separated those who could instantly discern the hidden depth from those left squinting at a frustrating blur (aka me).

What gear do you need to photograph landscapes with the Milky Way? The good news is that you don't need the most expensive, fanciest gear to get amazing Milky Way photos.

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 combines the power of a high-end laptop with the versatility of a tablet. This 13.4-inch 2-in-1 packs cutting-edge hardware in a sleek CNC-milled aluminum chassis, aiming to deliver pro-level performance for photographers, digital artists, and programmers on the go. In this in-depth review, we’ll explore its design, display quality, performance benchmarks, thermals and battery life, connectivity, cameras and audio, and overall user experience to see if it lives up to the hype.

Godox has announced three new LED lights and light mats: the FL100R, FL200R, and FL200SR. The company positions these full-color LED panels as affordable lighting solutions for small studios and independent content creators, building on their existing KNOWLED F series.

When it comes to landscape photography, choosing the right lens isn't just a detail—it shapes your entire creative process. Many photographers default to wide angle lenses, but exploring telephoto options can completely redefine your images.

Today, I’d like to share three simple rules for success in art and in life that have helped me through both the ups and the downs.

One need only look at GoPro's stock price, once at almost $94 in 2014 and now trading at less than a dollar, to recognize that maybe action cameras — and other niche, specialized cameras — aren't the best ideas. Still, that hasn't stopped me from buying a good many of them over the years, and after watching this video, I have some feelings.

Understanding camera drive modes is critical if you want crisp, professional-looking images. Knowing how and when to utilize these settings can significantly improve the clarity and composition of your photographs.