Simple Steps to Better Portrait Edits in Lightroom

Editing portraits is about more than adjusting sliders—it's understanding how subtle choices shape your final image. Getting comfortable with Lightroom can make your portraits look more intentional and polished.

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Submit your best photos tweaked with Ai

Welcome to the July installment of the Critique the Community!  This month's critique theme is going to be "Augmented with Artificial Intelligence," and we want to see your best photographs that have been enhanced using Artificial Intelligence.

Are You Investing Enough In Your Photography?

Photography, like any artistic pursuit, needs to be cultivated. You have to invest in it. And while cameras, lenses, and accessories are often the focus of photographic investment, what can really elevate your craft is putting more of yourself into your work.

Introverted? Simple Steps for Confident Street Photography

Street photography can feel intimidating if you're naturally introverted or shy around strangers. Overcoming that initial fear matters, because without it, you might miss capturing compelling moments that happen right in front of you.

Historic Planetary Alignment: Photographer Captures All Eight Planets in Rare Panorama

Josh Dury, a photographer based in Somerset, UK, recently captured a panoramic image showing all eight planets—including Earth—in a single frame. He took the photograph on February 22, 2025, during an uncommon astronomical event called the "planetary parade," an occurrence when all eight planets align on one side of the Sun.

The L-Mount Alliance Is Growing

At the 2025 CP+ show in Japan, Kaoru Mokunaka, Chief Leica Camera Representative for Japan, confirmed that the L-Mount Alliance is actively seeking to expand its membership.

Why a 365 Challenge Might Be Hurting Your Photography Instead of Helping It

I have considered doing a 365 photography challenge in the past but have refrained from putting myself under that much meaningless pressure. The idea of taking a photo every day for a year sounds like it could help build consistency, but in reality, it often leads to uninspired shooting, creative burnout, and a portfolio full of forgettable images. Instead of improving your craft, you end up taking photos just for the sake of it—grabbing a quick shot of coffee, a random leaf, or whatever happens to be nearby—just to keep up with the challenge.

Essential Photo Editing Steps for Lightroom Users

Photo editing can seem complicated, with endless techniques and software tools competing for your attention. Yet, at its core, successful editing comes down to mastering foundational skills that simplify your process and elevate your results.

The Exposure Advice That Transformed My Photography

Photography can be simplified down to the art of capturing light, and we all learn to capture that light correctly for perfect exposure. But what if that is actually hurting our creativity and work? This advice changed how I take photos.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (February 2025): Maria Sustelo

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.

Influencers Are Using Expensive Medium Format Cameras, But You Don't Need One!

YouTube is a great place to learn about photography. You can discover how to do something, research gear, and get inspiration. However, the problem with most photography content is that it’s structured around selling you stuff you don’t need. The latest example—a huge example—is the idea that you might need a 100-megapixel medium format camera.

Hidden AI Tools for Real Estate Photo Editing

When we think of AI editing tools, it’s easy to get caught up in flashy features like Generative Fill or the Remove Tool. But did you know there’s a whole world of lesser-known AI-powered tools in Photoshop and Lightroom?

My Field Review of the KEKS KF01 Flash

Photography gear is constantly evolving, redefining what it means to be “professional.” Once, carrying massive DSLRs and powerful flashes was the mark of a serious photographer—now, smaller, more efficient setups are taking over.

Why Technical Skills Won’t Make You a Great Photographer

Mastering the technical side of photography is easy. Learning how to expose an image, use lighting, and compose a shot is all just mechanics. You can study the inverse square law, diffraction, and the rule of thirds, but none of that will make you stand out. The difference between a technically proficient photographer and a great one is not something you can learn from a tutorial.

DXO PureRAW 5 Adds Local Adjustments, Expanded Performance

I have to say that on many days, I find myself using a DxO product—most frequently, their PureRAW software, which looks at my image metadata in my RAW files and gives me a near-perfect image, correcting my sensor/lens combination, sharpening, and removing imperfections like vignettes and ringing. DxO has more than 100,000 camera/lens combinations covering almost any gear. Even both my DJI drones are covered by DxO.

Thinking of Turning Pro? You’ll Get The Worst Advice on YouTube

There are three pieces of really bad “pro advice” that have cropped up more than once on YouTube channels. We need to talk about this to help you avoid wasting time and losing money unnecessarily if you’re thinking about making a living from your camera.

Sony Announces 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS Super Telephoto Zoom Lens

Sony has announced the 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS, its longest full frame E-mount lens to date. Designed for birding, wildlife, and sports photography, the lens extends Sony’s mirrorless telephoto capabilities beyond the previous 600mm limit, reaching up to 800mm. It is also compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, pushing its range up to 1,600mm.

A Complete Image Editing Workflow: Start to Finish

If you’ve ever wanted to dive deep into the entire process of editing a photo—from raw files to final stylization—this video is a must-watch. It’s a thorough tutorial that walks you through every step, and trust me, it’s packed with insights.

Sony Announces 16mm f/1.8 G Full Frame Prime Lens

Sony has introduced the 16mm f/1.8 G, an ultra-wide full frame E-mount prime lens designed for both photographers and videographers. The lens offers a combination of compact size, high-resolution optics, fast autofocus, and a bright f/1.8 aperture, making it well-suited for landscape, architectural, and astrophotography applications.

Why and How to Make the Leap From Lightroom to DxO Photolab 8

Switching from Lightroom to another digital asset management and development tool can be daunting for photographers. There are very good reasons to, and DxO PhotoLab 8 is one of the most compelling options. Here’s why and how a Sony Ambassador made the switch.