A Review of the Affordable Nikon Z30 Mirrorless Camera

As far as modern mirrorless cameras go, Nikon's Z30 is one of the most affordable, priced at just $706, or just a bit more with one or two lenses. So, what do you get at that price point? This excellent video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Not Using Auto ISO? You're Missing Out

Auto ISO is one of those features that I ignored for a long time, considering it not much more than a gimmick. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to try auto ISO, and I quickly realized that I was missing out on a valuable and practical feature.

A Review of the Canon EOS R7 Mirrorless Camera

The Canon 7D and 7D Mark II were two of the most popular cameras of the DLSR era, giving photographers the chance to use a lot of the technology in Canon's upper-level full frame bodies at a significantly lower price. The EOS R7 continues that tradition into the mirrorless space, and it brings with it a nice range of improvements and new features. This great video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

7 Things Professional Landscape Photographers Do

Landscape photography is a challenging genre that takes a combination of good technique, creative vision, strong editing skills, and the ability to plan ahead. If you are just starting out and looking to improve your work, check out this great video tutorial that features an experienced landscape photographer discussing seven things professionals do to ensure they consistently produce worthwhile images.

Is This the Perfect Camera Backpack for Hiking and Travel?

About two years ago, my long search for a new camera backpack ended as I stumbled upon a company called NYA-EVO. In this article, I review their biggest backpack, the Fjord 60-C. After two years of heavy use for traveling and hiking, I feel competent enough to share why I think it's the perfect camera backpack.

How to Use Photoshop's Blend If Feature for More Powerful Edits

Photoshop is a tremendously intricate and complex application, and as such, there are many ways to accomplish any specific task. The Blend If function is one of the program's more useful tools, but it is a bit hidden and does not always get the attention it deserves. This helpful video tutorial will show you five different ways to use Blend If for editing landscape photos.

We Tried Busking With a 4x5 Large Format Camera

Large format cameras have been increasing in popularity over the last few years. With startup manufacturers producing new large format cameras, the allure has grown significantly. Among large format cameras, the most popular type is the 4x5 camera. We decided to take this camera out into the city and photograph strangers.

How to Protect Yourself From Toxic Photographers

Most photographers are generous with their knowledge and supportive of others. Sadly, this is not true of everyone. Here's why a toxic minority gives all photographers a bad name and how to deal with them.

5 Helpful Tips to Improve Your Bird Photography

Bird photography is a difficult but fun genre that requires a combination of specialized technique, patience, creativity, and knowledge of how birds behave in order to get successful results. If you would like to improve your bird photography, check out this fantastic tutorial that will show you five tips sure to put you on the track to better images.

This 'Hidden' Lightroom Slider Will Help Your Photos Pop

This Lightroom slider is not hidden in the sense that there is some special secret to finding it, but it is in a place where you probably would not think to look for it. This great video tutorial will show you how to take advantage of it to make your photos pop quickly and easily.

6 Tools in My Props Styling Kit

When we think about photoshoot essentials, we often picture the big, exciting pieces of equipment:the camera, the lenses, the light, the modifiers. However, today, I’m sharing the unsung heroes in my kit. Here are five small, inexpensive, but essential bits of kit for styling product photography photos.

How to Maintain Your Wedding Photography Business During a Recession

There is a good chance we are currently headed toward an economic recession, and as such, wedding photographers should consider how to ensure their business will be ready if such a downturn arrives. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced wedding photographer discussing how to prepare yourself for a recession to ensure that you are in a position to survive or even thrive when one arrives.

Why You Should Use a Wired Connection for Printing Photos

To make accurate prints, you need to get several elements right. From print profiles, to choice of paper, to correct calibration. If you are working on a Mac, you need to ensure you are doing it properly.

How to Add Interest to Your Cityscape Photos With Time Blending

Taking your cityscape photos during blue hour is always a safe bet if you don't get spectacular light at sunrise or sunset. A deep blue sky provides the perfect color contrast to the incandescent lights in the city and will help you create a pleasing result. But what if you are lucky with light and weather? Do you take a photo while the colors pop in the sky or with the city lights during blue hour? Luckily, you can get both by applying a technique called time blending. In this article, I show you how.

Is the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Worth the Price?

Canon's EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens was one of the most respected lenses in the company's lineup, offering 1:1 macro performance, impressively sharp rendering, a capable hybrid image stabilization system, and more, endearing it to anyone from macro photographers to portraitists and wedding photographers. Now, we have the RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, which brings a variety of new features and improvements. This excellent video review takes a look at the new lens and the performance and image quality you can expect from it.

A Review of the New Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens

Sigma recently announced two new lenses, the 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art and 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, both of which offer impressive image quality combined with very wide apertures, making them intriguing options for landscapes, astrophotography, and more. This great video review takes a look at the 20mm lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

A Review of the New Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens

Sigma recently announced two new lenses, the 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art and 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, both of which continue the Art series tradition of providing impressive image quality at a significantly more affordable price than many first-party options. This great video review takes a look at the 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Is the Red Komodo the Right Camera for You?

Here are a few thoughts from getting to spend a couple months with a powerful if pint-sized cinema camera from one of the industry’s leading brands.

How to Photograph Shy Birds

Birds are some of the more easily spooked creatures out there, and as such, it can be particularly tricky to get close enough to photograph them before they fly away. One particularly useful tool is a blind, and this awesome video will show you both what it is and how it is used.

How to Add Depth to a Portrait

A photograph is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional world, and as such, part of the challenge to the photographer is to recreate a sense of depth in the image. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to use lighting and other techniques to create a deep sense of depth in a portrait for a more compelling overall image.

Here's How to Stitch a Panorama in Luminar Neo

Editing software from Skylum has gone through a lot of changes over the past few years, and with its new software Luminar Neo, there's still lots of room for evolution in what the software can do for its users. HDR Merge was recently added as an expansion for the software, and this is one feature that had been asked for by its users for some time. Another feature that has been requested in forums quite frequently is the ability to stitch panoramas.

The True Source of Creativity

The internet has made it easier than ever to digest hundreds or even thousands of images in just a few swipes and minutes, and while that can be a great thing, it has downsides too. It is important to remember where creativity comes from before you allow yourself to be derailed by things like envy. This fantastic video essay serves as an important reminder of how to truly be creative.

What Is a Leica M Camera Good For?

As a film photography enthusiast, I am a firm believer that gear is a long way down the list of important factors in image-making.

Beauty Dish Lighting Made Simple

When I was new to studio portrait photography, for some reason, I found the beauty dish to be one of the more intimidating modifiers to master. Perhaps it had to do with the unique shape and setup, but for whatever reason, I avoided trying one out for a long time. In reality, using a beauty dish is not as challenging as it may seem, and in this article, I will detail three basic ways to use one as well as provide sample images.

Is the Arsenal 2 for Advanced Photographers?

You may remember my 2019 review of the original Arsenal hardware. It was a block box you attached to your DSLR or mirrorless camera and it automated many of the tasks photographers face on a regular basis. The Arsenal sold quite well. While it had some good points that could speed or improve a photographer's workflow, it left a lot of buyers unhappy and it seemed to wind up on a lot of shelves and in a lot of drawers, rather than in camera bags. Now we've got Arsenal 2.

The Best Lenses for Sony E Mount Cameras

Sony users have the blessing of having both a large native lens library and a robust slate of third-party options. With all those choices, it can be a bit difficult to know which is right for you. This helpful video discusses the best lenses for Sony users, including zooms and primes and the full range of focal lengths.

How to Properly Use a Light Meter

Back in the days of film, where there were no image previews and every frame cost money to take, light meters allowed you to ensure that an image would be properly lit and the results would be what you expected. With digital, you can now check the results instantly and make adjustments right away with no penalty. So, while light meters are not necessary anymore, they can still be quite useful. This great video tutorial will show you how to use one properly.

Are Prime or Zoom Lenses Better for Portrait Photography?

One of the most fundamental choices you can make is whether to use a prime or a zoom lens. For portraiture, there are benefits and drawbacks to each option. If you are new to portrait photography and wondering which is right for you, check out this great video tutorial that will show you the pros and cons of both to help you make the right choice.

3 Powerful Editing Tools in Lightroom

It used to be that Lightroom was for cataloging and basic edits and Photoshop was reserved for the more serious work, but in the last few iterations, the former has made some major strides. You can now do some impressively complex edits without ever leaving Lightroom. This helpful video tutorial will show you three advanced tools in Lightroom that will make your edits more efficient and help you create better images.

Can This Lens Replace One of the Best Portrait Lenses Ever?

Canon's 85mm f/1.2L lens is one of the most legendary lenses ever created and has been in the hands of countless portrait photographers for a few decades now. In the meantime, the company has developed some other remarkable lenses that give the 85mm a run for its money. So, can it be dethroned? This great video review compares two of Canon's best lenses to answer that question.

Sony Made a Huge Leap in Technology and No One Is Talking About It

Sony produced what could be described as a game-changer of a camera with its current flagship, the Sony a1. Although this camera offers a plethora of new features that most reviews have raved about. One of its most remarkable features has gone a little under the radar. This feature is the increase in the flash sync speed to 1/400th of a second shutter speed.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S Lens

400mm is a tremendously popular focal length for things like wildlife and landscape photography, and you can spend anywhere from under $1,000 to well over $10,000 for such a lens, depending on the image quality and your needs. In the middle of that range is the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S, 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 practice.

Canon Says the Camera Market Is Looking Up, Shares Plan for DSLRs

It's no secret that the smartphone has decimated the camera industry for the past decade, but according to Canon, the market may have finally bottomed out, and there might now be reason to look up. It turns out even DSLRs aren't dead just yet.

It the TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4 Lens Worth It?

The TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4 lens is a fully manual, all-metal lens designed for a variety of crop sensor cameras. In this video, I discuss my initial impressions using the lens and also whether or not I think it's worth picking up.

How to Retouch a Portrait Using Frequency Separation in Photoshop

There are many different techniques you can use to retouch a portrait, and one of the more advanced and powerful out there is frequency separation. This helpful video tutorial will show you what frequency separation is and how to use it to edit a photo.

You Don't Need Expensive Gear to Enjoy Landscape Photography

No matter what genre you shoot, you can quickly fall down the hole of spending a ton of money on gear in the pursuit of the perfect shot. However, you can easily create high-quality, compelling images even with basic budget gear. This excellent video is an important reminder that you do not need a lot of pricey gear to create good photos and just as importantly, to enjoy the craft.

ClickASnap: A Photo-sharing Platform That Promises To Pay You to Share Images

A new player in the photography industry, ClickASnap, offers YouTube-like payments for creators who simply upload their images. The business model is simple: take everything that’s good about photo-sharing platforms and make it better by adding features photographers long wanted.

How to Capture Vertically Oriented Photos With a Drone

A drone allows you to take photographs to the next level. There is only one downside for most drones I know of. The camera can’t be tilted for vertical shots. That doesn’t mean you can’t shoot vertical images. The solution is a panorama.

A Beginner's Guide to Aperture in Video

There are certainly a lot of similarities between photo and video, but there are also some fundamental differences you should be aware of to ensure you get the best results. If you are new to video and working on the fundamentals, check out this excellent tutorial that will show you how aperture works in video and how to properly adjust it to get your best results.

A Beginner's Guide to White Balance in Photography

Along with shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, white balance is one of the most fundamental settings on your camera and something you will want to consider before you take a photo. So, what is white balance and why does it matter? This excellent video tutorial will introduce you to white balance, what it is, and how to control it for better images.

A Powerful Editing Tool for Landscape Images in Capture One

Rarely is a landscape photograph finished when you press the shutter, as the vast majority of such images will take some amount of post-processing to create a finished result. Capture One is the tool of choice for many professional photographers, and this helpful video tutorial will show you one of its most useful tools for creating compelling final results.