Portrait lenses come in all price ranges, but finding the right mix of quality and affordability can be tricky. The Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 offers an appealing middle ground, delivering strong performance at a budget-friendly price.

When even a compact tripod is too large, photographers don’t have many options for supporting their gear outside of tabletop tripods. In that narrow market, the offerings can feel gimmicky or cheap. In contrast, Leofoto’s MT-04 brings their CNC-machined aluminum build quality and feature-rich ball head to the smallest total tripod package I’ve tried.

Shutter speed plays a huge role in how your images turn out, but it’s easy to fall into default habits like 1/125 of a second. Moving beyond those defaults opens up creative possibilities, whether you’re capturing motion blur or freezing fast action.

Choosing the right lens often comes down to balancing performance, features, and cost. If you’ve ever wondered whether investing in a premium lens makes a difference, this comparison between Sony’s 28-70mm f/2 GM and Tamron’s 28-75mm f/2.8 could offer some clarity.

Photographing the landscape can be hard work, at times very hard work. It entails rising well before daylight in most cases and working in sometimes very harsh conditions. Most of the time, you will be out in the woods until well past dark, waiting for just the right moment, which may not come—even after your most valiant efforts. It makes sense, then, to do everything you can to stack the odds in your favor. Here are some thoughts on that.

Do you find yourself getting frustrated with your photography in the field? It is easy to fall into routines and practices that could hamper your photography and stifle your creativity. Are you looking for a way to break out of that as we move into 2025? This video provides a practical tip to help!

You’ve got your new upgraded camera, maybe a new lens, and Santa delivered a cool new magnetic filter kit. Now you’re all set this year to take sharper photos, faster, without reflections. But is this enough to help you become a better photographer in 2025? Spoiler: No. It may actually make you a worse photographer.

Do you ever get tired of manually searching for, tagging, culling, and organizing your images? I can relate.

Street photography thrives on strong composition and purposeful framing. Creating images that captivate often comes down to how effectively you use the space within your frame.

With more clients seeking unique, standout images, digital backdrops could give you a creative edge and make your work more efficient.

As photographers grow more familiar with their gear and solidify their preferred approach, it’s easy to fall into comfortable, well-trodden patterns. We often return to the same focal lengths, shoot the same subjects, rely on the same post-processing techniques, and compose images according to established habits. While there’s value in refining a signature style, there is also a risk of stagnation.

If you approach the scene you are photographing thinking in 2D, you may have difficulty transforming your image from just a snapshot to something visually interesting and intentional. Learning to think in 3D will help you approach scenes more dynamically and create more compelling images.

Pergear has introduced the second-generation 12mm f/2 lens, bringing improvements in design and functionality to this affordable APS-C wide angle lens. Here’s a closer look at what the new Pergear 12mm f/2 II lens has to offer.

Natural light portrait photography demands a nuanced understanding of how light interacts with the environment. By learning to read and work with available light, you can transform challenging conditions into opportunities for creating captivating portraits that stand out from the crowd.

Setting ambitious goals in photography requires more than just dreaming - it demands consistent, deliberate action to transform those aspirations into reality. Whether you're looking to start a wedding photography business or launch a creative project, understanding how to effectively bridge the gap between vision and execution can make all the difference in your success.

Feeling stuck in your photography journey can be frustrating, especially when it's easy to think new gear will solve your problems. Instead of relying on temporary fixes, it’s a good time to rethink your approach and rediscover your creative spark.

There’s always been a gaping hole in Canon’s APS-C strategy. While there are plenty of competent APS-C cameras from the company, it hasn’t always produced the professional lenses to match the bodies.

Having infinite resources for many of the locations we frequent for landscape photography is what makes it so accessible to anyone and everyone. The downside is that we tend to plan out everywhere we go, every shot we want to take, and thus we never really get a chance to develop our vision as photographers.

Isn't it great to have a crystal ball to tell us our future and what's around the next corner? Unfortunately, there is no such thing, and we must live life, make mistakes, and move on. I wish I had one, especially when I started my photography journey. Here are five things I had to learn the hard way.

I go through many a season with my gear. Sometimes it's Nikon season; other times, it's Panasonic or Fuji season. But no matter how many times I try to downsize, I always end up back where I started: with too many cameras.

For the past few months, you have been dropping subtle hints to your family about the camera you would love to own, and you have also been dreaming about your first shoots with your much-desired new camera. Christmas morning arrives, and the excitement of opening that box under the tree is palpable. It finally arrives in your hands; you tear open the wrapping paper and open the box, only to discover some socks and a knitted sweater inside. All is not lost...

I have had the opportunity of working as an Artist in Residence for the National Park Service four times. The last residency was for Buffalo National River in Arkansas. In the spring of 2020, I got a call from one of the managers for the National Forest Service in Wyoming, wanting to know if I would be interested in coming to Wyoming to do a residency there in Bighorn National Forest, which I was glad to do. So, in early September 2020, I loaded up my gear into my Bronco and headed to Wyoming!

If you like seascape photography, Donegal is for you. As you'll learn in this video, it has some of the most photogenic coastlines in Europe.

When it comes to autofocus, today’s flagship cameras are pushing the boundaries of technology. The Canon EOS R1 and Sony a1 II represent the cutting edge of what’s possible, offering advanced tracking systems powered by AI processors. But how do these systems hold up in real-world scenarios?

Creativity is often tied to a photographer's success. Many approach it incorrectly and wonder why their photography fails. Here's how to approach creativity, freeing yourself from the mundane images everyone else shoots.

Even with the best gear, a stunning location, and perfect light, your photos can still fall flat. The key lies in composition. It’s a skill that evolves over time and one you’ll always have room to improve.

Balancing ambient and artificial light is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. Understanding how to control light gives you more flexibility and precision in your work.

Hard work can often outpace natural talent in photography. The learning curve may seem steep, but dedication to developing skills and creativity can open doors that talent alone won’t.

Photographing a place with a rich history or unique features forces you to approach it with fresh eyes. The struggle to avoid clichés and create something original is what makes these moments so rewarding.

There are plenty of camera bag options on the market today. Brands have introduced several styles and options in endless colors and features for every type of photographer. WANDRD is no different, but it offers some unique styles compared to its competitors. The PRVKE 31L is one of those bags. But how does it compare to other bags on the market?

As social media platforms shift more and more toward video content and become fragmented, is interest in landscape photography declining? Using tools such as Google Trends analysis, one can see what people are searching for on the Internet and on YouTube. Is interest really declining?

Are you holding back in your creative career out of fear of failure? Take an unfiltered look at the importance of taking risks, stepping outside your comfort zone, and embracing uncertainty as a pathway to growth.

Street photography can be one of the most challenging genres to master. The unpredictability, combined with the constant pursuit of improvement, creates a dynamic environment where growth feels both exhilarating and exhausting. As your skills develop, your ability to critique your own work sharpens, often revealing gaps between your vision and execution.

Reflecting on your work and setting intentions for the future can transform the way you approach photography. With a new year comes an opportunity to refine habits, focus your energy, and work toward meaningful progress in your craft.

Correcting challenging skin tones can be one of the most frustrating parts of photo editing. Here's how to get reliable results every time.

Unseen photo shoots can offer a rare glimpse into the challenges and unpredictability of creating compelling images, shedding light on the realities of managing expectations, conditions, and results.

White balance is a tool for shaping the mood and tone of your image. Whether it’s the chill of a winter morning or the warmth of a glowing sunset, white balance offers control over how your viewers feel when they look at your work.

It’s not just about owning better gear—it’s about developing technical expertise, refining your style, and mastering the intangible qualities that set advanced photographers apart.

The turn of the new year is the perfect time for reflection and renewal. For photographers, this moment can be used to evaluate the practices that either propel creativity or hold it back. As we step into 2025, I’m taking stock of the ways I work, create, and connect, making conscious decisions about what to carry forward and what to leave behind. Here’s my roadmap for growth and fulfillment in photography for the coming year.

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 2024, 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.

Sometimes the best results come from unexpected challenges. A seemingly wrong gear choice at a wedding shoot turned into a lesson in creativity, pushing boundaries and proving the value of adapting to your circumstances.

Offering a bright maximum aperture and a versatile 43mm equivalent focal length, the Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7R WR is designed for creating sharp, dynamic images with beautifully blurred backgrounds.

Creating depth in your images can transform a flat photograph into something visually compelling. Here's how a good Lightroom edit can do that.

Converting color photos to black and white can highlight textures and contrasts in ways color cannot. Here's how to do it in Lightroom.

I’ve noticed that dramatic photos, full of bright colors from a sunset or a scenic view, get the most likes on social media. People aren’t liking the photographer’s skillful technique; they’re liking what they’re seeing—the colors, the location, etc. Of course, many of these photos are taken by photographers solely because of the colors or the view, with no other reason.

Landscape and street photography, in particular, saturate social media feeds, and most of the photos are simply nice views, vibrant colors, or dramatic, high-contrast lighting. Then there are those who...

Editing your photos is just as important as capturing them. By mastering a few key tools in Lightroom and Photoshop, you can fix imperfections, enhance details, and transform an image into something extraordinary.

Understanding terms like ISO, aperture, and shutter speed helps you take control of your shots instead of relying on automatic settings. This knowledge can make a huge difference in the quality of your photos, no matter what you shoot.

OK, that sounds a bit dramatic, but hear me out. At the beginning of 2024, I was looking for a community offering a weekly photo assignment, and I came across 52Frames.