Lighting modifiers aren’t quite as expensive as they used to be. However, some of the quality and flexibility has gotten lost along the way.

The technical side of photography takes a lot of committed study and practice to master, and it is something to be proud of when you have gained the skills to stride confidently into a variety of scenarios and produce adept images. Nonetheless, just that alone is not enough to find success and recognition, particularly in the professional realm. This great video essay features an experienced photographer discussing what it is that differentiates the most memorable pros from their peers.

We all dream of heading to a thrift store, pawn shop, or storage unit auction and finding a great camera or lens for a fantastic price. This person actually took a chance on a similar auction, dropping $175 on mostly unverifiable camera gear to see if it contained any hidden gems, and this fun video takes you through the unboxing to see if the gamble paid off.

There are hundreds of cameras in existence, some more successful than others. However, some cameras have become icons that managed to define the industry and technology for years. Despite technology evolving rapidly in the past 20 years and cameras becoming too good to be true, some pieces of gear were so perfect that professionals used them despite newer versions coming out. In this article, I will look at five of the most iconic cameras ever made.

Learning photography is a complex process that takes the confluence of a variety of skills and knowledge sets in order to find success. And while there is certainly a ton of specific information you will need to learn, if you follow the five simple rules contained in this helpful video tutorial, you will find yourself ahead of the curve in no time at all.

Sony just announced the new Sony ZV-E1 full-frame interchangeable lens camera. Currently the smallest and lightest full-frame interchangeable lens camera on the market. But who is this camera designed for?

In a recent interview, Fujifilm offered some interesting insights into the company, its accomplishments, and the future of its cameras and lenses.

Being a new photographer, whether you have aims of going pro or you simply enjoy the hobby, comes with a lot of challenges you need to overcome to find success and contentment with the craft. If you are just getting started and looking for some guidance, check out this helpful video tutorial that features an experienced photographer sharing some important advice.

I gave a favorable review to Peakto a couple of weeks ago, and one thing I noticed is that they do frequent updates, which is a positive thing in my view. Bug fixes and new features are frequent. Today, they've offered an update to Peakto that includes integration with Pixelmator Pro, a popular photo editor. Peakto, please note, is a Mac-only application.

As you learned in my articles about editing mistakes, too strong image transformations can harm the quality of your photos. But if you use them selectively, they can be of great help. In this article, I show how to use selective image transformation in Photoshop to fix compositions.

Being a photographer, whether you are an amateur or a professional, is a complex thing that takes knowledge of and experience in a multitude of factors and scenarios in order to find success. And though all of those factors are undoubtedly crucial, there is something else that all successful photographers share in common, and this great video essay discusses how you can embody it to become a better creative.

Tutorials on using a 1-light setup for portrait photography are commonplace, and rightly so. There are several ways that a single light source can be positioned to create flattering lighting on a subject. You might think that switching to a 2-light setup would be twice as complicated. This isn’t the case. There are several 2-light arrangements that are easy to understand and quick to set up. Using 2 lights can make it easy for you to transition between a clean headshot and a dramatic portrait.

"Migrant Mother," a photo by Dorothea Lange, is, by far, one of the most important and well-known images ever taken, having become an iconic symbol of the Great Depression. If you do not know the story behind the photo, check out this great video that will show you some of the history that went into it.

By far, one of the common retouching requests photographers receive when editing portraits is to lighten dark circles under the eyes. Thankfully, it is not an especially difficult problem to address, and this excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to do to lighten those circles in a convincing and high-quality manner.

The Fujifilm GFX line of mirrorless cameras has become popular for making medium format more modernized and financially accessible than ever, making it a legitimate alternative to full frame for many photographers. For landscape photographers using the system, the GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR looks like the ideal lens. 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.

"Vintage" point-and-shoot digital cameras are all the rage among Gen Z today, and while you can cruise eBay to find something used to scratch that itch, what can you get for about the same money new?

In this article, I share my experience with a new NFT marketplace called Fantasea.io. There's not much information available about it online. The domain has been registered just a little over a month ago, and the homepage currently feels like a work in progress. Because more and more photographers seem to get contacted to sell NFTs on this site, it's important to determine if it's legit.

No matter how incredible the vistas are in front of you, your resulting images can be ruined by poor composition. In this video, learn some of the most common composition mistakes and how to avoid them.

Eye-controlled autofocus, in which the camera selects the autofocus point by detecting which one you are looking at, is one of the niftiest features in the Canon EOS R3 mirrorless camera. In a bit of good news, Canon has confirmed that the feature will be coming to more mirrorless models in the future.

When it comes to product and food photography, lighting is critical and can make or break the final image. Achieving the perfect lighting can be a complex process, even more so if you are just starting out with this type of photography.

Would you use a camera tripod that costs as little as $8.50? Let's see what you get when you buy the cheapest tripod on Amazon.

If you've ever looked at your face on a Zoom call and wondered why you look so bad, you're not alone. Here, we look at how to add color corrections and pop to your face so you look so much better on Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, and more.

I'm sure most, if not all, of you have heard about the idea of paying-it-forward. Did you know that recent studies have shown that this phenomenon is a learned behaviour? How can we as photographers use our skills to encourage others to benefit projects and philanthropy close to our hearts? I had a chance to chat with photographer Michelle Valberg, whose habit of giving back just saw her appointed to the Order of Canada this past summer.

Likely the most controversial topic in the photography world is which camera brand is best. What if you took those brands and personified them into a conversation with each other?

The eyes are one of the most important of any portrait, and as such, they deserve a little bit of extra attention when you are in the post-processing stage of your work. If you would like to improve your portraits, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to brighten and enhance the eyes in a portrait for natural, compelling results.

Photography education is a constantly fluctuating space, ever evolving from one approach to the next in an effort to differentiate from the pack. The Photo Creators Conference is the next evolution in the chain.

The Fujifilm X-T5 mirrorless camera takes the company's well-established and respected X-T line and adds a range of new features and capabilities, most notable being the new 40-megapixel sensor, the highest ever in an X Series camera. The great video features an X-T5 user discussing three reasons why he recommends the camera.

Wide angle lenses are the tool of choice of countless landscape photographers, but they can be particularly tricky to work with, especially when it comes to composition. If you are new to landscape photography and hoping to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to use a wide angle lens for creating effective and compelling landscape images.

A good pair of binoculars are often invaluable to photographers. There are many important things to learn about buying them. Here's what led me to the OM System Olympus PRO binoculars, why they are my perfect choice, and why my old ones were a mistake.

Canon has a long history of producing some of the most interesting and extreme lens designs out there, and they can be a blast to look back on and even use today if you can track them down. This fun video takes a look at the company's seven most extreme designs, ranging from an insane 5200mm f/14 lens from the 1960s to one of the most useful options on the market today.

Recently, news broke that Canon is likely planning a significant firmware for the EOS R5 later this year, including a high-resolution pixel-shift mode. Now, it appears that mode may offer a whopping 400 megapixels of resolution.

Hobolite has recently entered the market with what could possibly be the most aesthetically pleasing LED lights created by any company within the past decade. In this article, we will be looking at the new Hobolite Avant, a mid-tier 100-watt LED light.

The new Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens has arrived, and with it comes some of the company's most extreme design and impressive optical performance. And while it looks impressive on paper, can it hold up in the real world? This great first look video examines the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

A good wide-aperture 50mm lens is one of the most versatile optics a photographer can own, capable of comfortably tackling a huge range of genres and needs. For Sony users, the new FE 50mm f/1.4 GM offers the promise of high-level performance and image quality in a relatively portable package. This excellent video review takes an in-depth look at everything you can expect from it in practice.

It’s time to spring-clean your photography website! Don’t leave it until you've finally shot that new body of work you’ve been meaning to shoot. There are several things you can do to your website to freshen it up without shooting new images first.

When it comes to studio lighting, you might think that you need powerful monolights or pack and head systems, but you can accomplish quite a bit with speedlights. This great video tutorial will show you how to do just that using affordable and easy-to-use speedlights.

Rhy Dyball is a photographer and artist working with themes uncanny and eerie images.

Canon CPS is changing for the better? We talk to Frankie Jim, the man in charge of Canon’s Professional Services in the UK, to find out what’s changing and assess if these changes happening are for the better or worse?

Working with flash intimidates a lot of photographers, but it is well worth taking the time to learn it, as it will make you a vastly more versatile photographer and enable new creative opportunities that simply would not be possible with only natural light. This excellent video tutorial will help you learn the basics of flash through examples and have you up and running in no time.

Drones provide photographers with incredible image opportunities but still lack dynamic range and pixel count of their grounded handheld counterparts. What if you could increase your dynamic range, resolution, and take better images?

Tamron's 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD has been praised for being remarkably versatile and for pushing the boundaries of lens design. Samyang might be joining the party soon, as rumors that the company is planning a similar lens have emerged.

If you are interested in landscape photography, you might think that the first lens you should pick up is an ultra-wide angle zoom. Those can certainly be useful tools, but there might be a better first lens. This excellent video will show you a potentially better choice.

When I was looking for a camera that could shoot higher resolution than my Canon 5D Mark IV, I had three options: Phase One, Canon 5DD, or mirrorless. I ended up getting the Canon 5Ds, and after using it for a bunch of work, here are my long-term thoughts.

Few lenses are more famous than the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, renowned for its extreme design and insane bokeh, making it a favorite of numerous portrait and wedding photographers for many years. Now available on the used market for about the same price as the far newer RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, you might wonder which is right for you. This great video comparison will help you decide.

The Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G is an impressively versatile and portable wide angle zoom lens at a very reasonable price for the features and image quality you get. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

Being a photographer, whether a hobbyist or professional, is a complex endeavor in today's world, and it can be easy to be sidetracked by a wide range of issues or red herrings. If you sometimes find yourself struggling with that, check out this important video that is a useful reminder of what matters in photography and what the real nature of progress is.

Along with aperture and ISO, shutter speed is one of the three fundamental parameters that determine the overall exposure and look of a photo. Shutter speed has both a technical and creative aspect, as you can also leverage it for making effects that would not be visible to the naked eye. If you are new to photography, check out this helpful video tutorial that will give you some useful advice regarding choosing shutter speeds.