Savage Sports Photography

How do you get “the shot”? The saliva spewing out, as a fighter gets the decisive knockout blow. The sprinters desperately leaning forward in to gain the winning inch as they cross the finish line. The water tracing the swimmer's face as they come up gasping for air. Sporting events happen so fast, and even if you make the most of your camera's impressive burst rate, it takes a lot more to nail your sports photos. These are three pillars I always lean on to create savage sports imagery.

A Beginner's Guide to Using Aperture to Take Control of Your Photos

Along with shutter speed and ISO, aperture is one of the three fundamental exposure parameters that give you technical and creative control of your images, and mastering it is crucial to growing as a photographer. If you are new to photography and a bit perplexed about how aperture works, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know.

The Good and Bad About Nikon Cameras and Lenses

Though it seemed doomed to linger behind Canon and Sony for a while, Nikon has made some serious steps forward in the mirrorless realm in the last year or so, and it seems full frame is a three-horse race once again. So, where does the company stand right now? This interesting video discusses the good and bad of Nikon's camera and lens lineup at the moment.

Not All Color Calibrators are Created Equal. See Why.

Being a commercial photographer working on ad campaigns, I pay a lot of attention to color. From image capture to the final result, color plays a significant role in my work. The tools I use for color, by all means, determine the quality of the result.

Tricks for Masking in Adobe Lightroom

I've never been a huge fan of photo editing in Lightroom. In the past, I used it to organize my photos and for basic raw processing. But since the introduction of the new masking feature, I do a large part of my post-processing in Lightroom. Here, I share two videos, in which I show how I use Lightroom masks.

3 Basic Flash Techniques Every Portrait Photographer Should Learn

When you are new to working with artificial light, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to balance all the technical and creative aspects while also posing your subject and controlling the camera. If you are a beginner and looking to improve, check out this great video tutorial that will show you three flash techniques every portrait photographer should know how to employ.

A Look at the New Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens

Sigma's latest lens is the 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary, and it offers the versatility of a wide angle zoom with a wide maximum aperture at a price that significantly undercuts typical first-party offerings of the sort, making it an intriguing option for many photographers and filmmakers. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

5 Reasons to Consider Converting a Photo to Black and White

Converting an image to black and white is one of the most fundamental yet powerful editing techniques, but there are no hard and fast rules that dictate when you should do so. If you struggle with knowing when to edit a photo in black and white, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you five things to consider when deciding whether or not to do so.

Is it Time To Show the World Crime Scene Photos of Gun Violence Victims?

Buffalo, New York. Uvalde, Texas. Tulsa, Oklahoma. A month ago, none of these towns would have been in the news for anything remarkable, but now, they have all shared headlines for the same reason: each has had a mass shooting, all within the last month. And each time, we never actually see what the carnage looks like. Is now the time to change that practice?

A Review of the Powerful Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera

The Sony a1 is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive cameras ever released, with features and capabilities that allow it to tackle just about any photo or video situation you could conceivably throw at it. This fantastic video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in a range of real-world scenarios.

Did B&H Just Leak New Apple Products?

Everyone's favorite camera store, B&H in NYC, has built placeholder product pages for Apple products that are supposed to be announced tomorrow. Is this actually a leak or are they simply preparing for any products to be announced?

Think Outside the Box With Luminar Neo

Now in its seventh year and incarnation as Luminar Neo, Skylum's editing software can fit the needs of some photographers as a standalone app or as a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom. But what if you want to push the limits of your creativity with it? That's when you have to think outside of the box.

10 Great Wedding Party Poses

Group photos and video of the wedding party are some of the most shots you will need to get at a wedding, but posing a mass of people under significant time constraints can be a real challenge, even for experienced creatives. If you would like to learn about posing wedding parties, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you 10 effective poses sure to take some of the pressure off of you and help you make compelling images.

Can the OM System OM-1 Mirrorless Camera Compete With Full Frame Flagships?

The OM System OM-1 sets a new standard for micro four thirds cameras by offering features and capabilities that help it compete or even exceed those of APS-C and full frame options. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in real-world usage.

A Review of the Revolutionary Sony Xperia 1 IV Camera Phone

Camera phones have become remarkably advanced in the last few years, especially as we have seen some impressive advancements in computational photography that help to offset the drawbacks of their small sensors. Sony's new Xperia 1 IV ups the ante even more by being the first phone with an optical zoom, and this great video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it.

How To Get Stunning Light Each Daytime for Landscape Photography

One of the biggest mistakes in landscape photography is to think that the best light appears just around sunset or sunrise. You could get the best light you have ever seen in your life straight around noon, as well. This is what you have to consider.

A Complete Portrait Retouching Workflow in Affinity Photo

While Photoshop and Capture One are still the most popular choices for retouching work, in the past few years, several alternative programs have made major advancements, giving photographers quite a few viable alternatives. One such program is Affinity Photo, and this excellent video tutorial will show you a complete portrait retouching workflow in the application.

How to Light and Shoot Your First High-Key Portrait

The high-key portrait is a classic look that has retained its popularity over many decades, but it requires good knowledge of lighting to execute it properly. If you are new to portrait lighting and wondering how to create the high-key look, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know.

The Forgotten Force Behind Your Photography

Visual weight is an often overlooked but essential component of your photographs. It influences how your pictures are viewed and is what drives your compositions.

How a Dry Cabinet Can Protect Your Cameras and Lenses

If you live in a particularly humid environment, you might not think about all that moisture very often, but it can cause some serious damage to your cameras and lenses in the long-term. If you live in such an area, a dry cabinet can protect your gear, and this excellent video will show you both how they are used and why they are beneficial.

Hourly Photographers Are Like Vending Machines

The title said photographers who charge by the hour are like vending machines of the photography world. There is everything wrong with that, and my quest is to help you earn more money.

New Mac User Tries Apple Accessories for the First Time

I recently switched from a Windows desktop to a Macbook Pro, but I still haven't tried many of the Apple accessories that Mac users swear by. In this video, I try out the AirPods Max and the Magic Keyboard, Trackpad, and Mouse for the first time.

3 Must-Know Tips for Capturing Beautiful Seascapes

Over the past six weeks, I've photographed more sunsets than I can count along the coast. As someone who primarily shoots on land, I had a lot to learn about shooting the sea and have put together a few of the most important lessons I came away with for your next seascape location.

Important Advice for Portrait Photographers

Portrait photography is a popular but challenging genre that requires you to be at the top of your game in handling a camera, creating lighting setups, post-processing, posing, interacting with a subject, and more. If you are new to the genre and looking to improve, check out this great video tutorial that offers some helpful advice sure to improve your images.

A Review of the New Fujifilm X-H2S Mirrorless Camera

The Fujifilm X-H2S is the latest in the company's highly popular X Series of mirrorless cameras, and it brings with it a wide variety of improved capabilities and new features. This great video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

Product Photography Made Easy: We Review the Ombar Light Box

The Ombar Photo Studio Light Box is a 24”x24” LED box designed to make product photography simple, even for those with limited studio skills. In this review, we discuss the features, pros, and cons and whether this might be the light box for you.

A Beginner's Guide to Using Flash for Outdoor Portrait Photography

One of the most fundamental skills every portrait photographer should learn is using flash for lighting their images. However, flash is not just for working in a studio. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to use flash for outdoor portrait photography.

A First Look at the New Fujifilm XF 18-120mm f/4 R LM PZ WR Lens

Fujifilm's X-H2S has been receiving most of the attention the last few days, but along with it, Fuji released a few compelling lenses, the XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR and the XF 18-120mm f/4 R LM PZ WR. The latter lens offers a very versatile focal length range along with some useful features, and this great video review takes a look at the image quality and performance you can expect from it.

The Two Most Important Traits of a Landscape Photographer

This article is about two traits you need as a landscape photographer if you want to take photos that stand out. And I'm not talking about a good eye for composition, love for the outdoors, or an adequate fitness level to reach the photo locations you want to photograph. Those are also important. But there are two key characteristics you need as a foundation.

How to Work Nondestructively in Photoshop

One of the most fundamental principles every photographer should learn when it comes to post-processing is how to edit nondestructively. If you are learning the ropes in Photoshop, this is something you need to pay careful attention to. This fantastic video tutorial will show you to ensure that you are working in Photoshop in as nondestructive a manner as possible.

Helpful Photo Editing Tips for Beginners

When you are new to editing images, it can be a bit overwhelming learning all the various methods and tools professionals use to create the final photos they are known for. This fantastic video tutorial will show you a variety of helpful tricks you can use to create better and more compelling images.

I Tried Traveling Light. How Did I Get Along Without My Kit?

As a keen photographer, whether professional or amateur, one of the best parts of traveling to unfamiliar places is being able to capture new and interesting images. Whether you’re going on a dedicated photography trip, working away, or on family vacation, I'm sure we all put aside some space for our main camera and a lens or two. What if you left your kit at home and traveled light?

Leading Lines
Critique the Community

Leading Lines

Show Us Photos With Incredible Leading Lines

For this next contest/critique, we want to see your favorite images with interesting leading lines that pull the viewer's eyes through the frame. 

This contest has ended.
How to Take Fantastic Landscape Photos Without Even Leaving Your Car

If you watch videos of professional landscape photographers in action, you will probably notice that they often have to hike miles through often unforgiving terrain to get the shot. However, for many of us, such hikes simply are not possible or desirable. If you are in that position, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you some of the shots you can get from your car along with some helpful tips on how to do so.

Helpful Tips for Better Plant and Flower Photos

Summer is just about upon us, and it brings with it a myriad of blooming flowers and plants that make for wonderful subjects. If you are interested in capturing some of that beauty, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you some helpful tips and techniques for photographing flowers and plants along with some creative ideas for doing so.

A Review of the New Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens

Sigma's newest lens, the 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary, is here, and it offers photographers and filmmakers the versatility of a wide angle coupled with a wide maximum aperture, all at an affordable price, making it a great option for a variety of genres and applications. This great video review takes a look at the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Create Stunning Portraits With This Simple Two-Light Setup

Creating an even, flattering light in the studio doesn't have to be difficult. In this tutorial, I will show you three simple parallel lighting hacks to make portraits that everyone from the boardroom to Broadway will love.

Three Excellent Lenses for Landscape Photography

Landscape photography allows for a wide range of lenses to be used to realize your creative vision, meaning photographers have a lot of choices available to them. If you are wondering which is right for your work, check out this fantastic video that features an experienced landscape photographer discussing three excellent options that will cover just about all of your needs without breaking bank.

Olympus XA Retrospective: 35mm Pocket Sized Perfection?

The perfect camera probably doesn’t exist, but there are certainly some that come close. In this retrospective look at the classic Olympus XA, find out why I've come to love this tiny powerhouse from the past.

A Look at the Weird New Laowa 24mm T14 2x PeriProbe Lens

The Venus Optics Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe lens was one of the weirdest and most interesting lenses we have ever seen, and it enabled photographers to get intriguing images that would be near-impossible to get otherwise. The company has doubled down on that uniqueness with the new version, the Laowa 24mm T14 2x PeriProbe, and this awesome video review takes a look at everything you can do with it.

A Review of the New Fujifilm XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR Lens

Along with the X-H2S, Fujifilm has announced the XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR lens, which offers a ton of reach for sports, wildlife, and bird photographers. How does it hold up in the real word? This excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you will be able to expect.

A First Look at the New Fujifilm X-2HS Mirrorless Camera

Fujifilm's latest camera, the X-H2S, is here, and it brings with it a veritable plethora of improvements and new features. This excellent video review takes a first look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (May 2022): Camille Girard

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 2022, 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.