Every year, I run dozens of workshops for photographers, and there are always the same areas that even established photographers have not grasped. Learning the metering and exposure ropes opens a gamut of creative possibilities.

Professional wide angle zoom lenses tend to have apertures of f/2.8, but for photographers who do not need that extra light-gathering power, choosing an f/4 zoom can mean significant savings in both weight and cost (and sometimes other gains). For Canon shooters, there is the RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM, and this great video review takes a look at the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

One of the most useful skills any portrait photographer can learn is the ability to balance both artificial and ambient light in a portrait. If you are learning how to work with artificial light and want to improve your skills, check out this great video tutorial that will show you how to balance natural light and flash to create better outdoor portraits.

Canon has impressed us time and again with their RF lenses, which push the boundaries of design and performance. Such superlative lenses are not cheap, however, and many photographers may be looking for more reasonably priced options. The RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is one such option, and it is quite portable on top of that, and this excellent video review takes a look at the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Last month, DxO released PhotoLab 5 and introduced a major new feature: support for Fujifilm X-Trans files. If you shoot at high ISO levels, you might want to check out what this software can do when it comes to removing noise and increasing detail.

How do you define success as a photographer? How do you know when you’ve reached the goal you’ve set for yourself when you first started your journey behind the lens?

The price disparity between entry-level and high-end equipment in photography and videography is larger than every, and in many ways, that makes comparing them more interesting. In this video, one videographer shoots b-roll with a cheap smartphone gimbal and an expensive stabilizer rig to see just how much difference there is.

Landscape photography is often about achieving maximum depth of field, fantastic sharpness, and gathering as much quality into one image as possible. Or is it? This photographer shoots everything wide open and has an excellent reason for it.

Zoner Photo Studio X is a powerful and affordable editing suite that doesn't get the attention it deserves. Now they have improved the speed of the Develop module along with some other new features, increasing its viability as an all-in-one post-production and digital asset management tool.

If you’ve ever thought about getting into astrophotography, you may have been dissuaded by the task of correctly processing your own images. There are countless guides online using a variety of programs, but they are either expensive and difficult to use, or are only available for a single operating system.

Australia boasts some of the best beaches in the world. If you photograph water and you haven’t visited, then you are certainly missing out!

New gear is always exciting and can have a meaningful impact on the technical quality of your images, but those prices can add up quickly. Besides, there is a lot we can do to improve the quality of our photos with the gear we already own, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you many different ways to do so.

Photoshop is a large and intricate program, with multiple ways to accomplish what you want, and as such, it can be a little overwhelming to learn when you are first starting out. If you are new to the program and wondering how to get started, this excellent video tutorial will show you some essential tools and techniques that will help you accomplish most of what you will need when editing images.

When starting with photography, it is easy to be focused entirely on the technical side of the medium. However, paying close attention to your compositions is sure to bring your images to the next level.

When it comes to buying new lights, you first need to decide if you want a continuous light or flash, which can be a difficult decision if you shoot both photography and video work. But with the new Reflex S from StellaPro, you no longer need to decide.

You don't need many photography lights or a big crew to accomplish a professional campaign, but it helps. The big crew and system is a major asset, especially if you have the assistance of lights to help you shape an image.

Modern cameras have an amazing dynamic range. It allows the capture of all the luminosities between the darkest parts and the brightest parts. If you want more, a bracketing series can go beyond that. But do we need everything within the dynamic range, or not?

While every new photographer has to master working with a camera, that is only half of making a compelling image, as it takes good editing skills to finish things off. If you are new to editing your photos, this helpful video tutorial will show you a range of techniques and methods for post-processing a portrait using Lightroom.

The old sentiment that classics are classic for a reason holds in many areas of photography. There are techniques that most — if not all — photographers should know how to do, and this one in particular, will always have applications.

Composition is a fundamental word in many artistic disciplines and in photography, it's crucial. However, it's all too easy to get bogged down in rules and try to force images into preconceived notions of how they ought to look. In this video, Nigel Danson walks you through four of the rules he leans on for creating great images.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit most of the world hard, and many businesses closed as a result. In Australia, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) is one such business that announced closure.

Fuji recently unveiled their Instax Wide photo printer, over 20 years after the format first made its appearance. So, why has it taken Fuji so long?

"Don't turn too much. It will ruin your photo!" This is what we have all learned about circular polarizing filters in our young days as photographers when we tried to get rid of glare. But how much polarization do we need?

One of the most commercially successful lenses in recent years was the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD, which offered an impressive blend of performance, image quality, and portability all at a very affordable price, particularly when compared to other 24-70mm f/2.8 options. The second iteration of the lens is here, and it brings with it a range of improvements. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the kind of image quality and performance you can expect from it in the real world.

My preferred targets for astrophotography are what we might call transient targets. In this article, I will identify three targets I will be aiming for this winter.

When it comes to landscape photography, waterfalls are always a popular choice of subject, as they offer a great way to add some movement to an image and make it more dynamic and compelling. If you want to improve your own waterfall photos, check out this great video that will give you a helpful look at an experienced landscape photographer's process.

Before getting into the thick of this article, there is an important distinction that needs to be addressed when discussing the coloring of images (and video, for that matter), and that’s between color correction and color grading.

One of the neatest experiences after buying a dedicated camera is pointing it at the night sky for the first time and capturing beauty that is invisible to the naked eye. Doing so takes some specialized technique, however. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to take a compelling nightscape shot using nothing but a basic camera, kit lens, and tripod.

You can learn all the techniques behind the camera and in post-processing that you want, but if you are not making compelling images, all that work will not matter much. If you have been struggling a bit with creating interesting images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five habits that will help you create more eye-catching work.

One light, no studio. This quick tutorial will show you how to add a gel backlight to your portraits.

Tamron has turned quite a few heads in the past few years by offering lenses that significantly undercut the prices of first-party options while still offering impressive performance and image quality. One such lens is the new 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, and this great video review takes a look at what you can expect from it in practice.

Canon's EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens was known for being a bit of a hidden gem in the company's lineup, offering true 1:1 macro performance, sharp images, top-notch image stabilization, and more, making it a versatile option for everything from macro work to portraits and weddings. The RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is its successor, and it brings with it some new features and improvements over its already impressive predecessor, and this great video review takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it.

It doesn't matter what kind of photographer you are, chances are your images will benefit from being edited in some way. If you are serious about your pictures looking their best, these six key Photoshop techniques are well worth mastering.

Constructed photography is the art of illusion. As photographers, we cover the cracks, which compounded with social media, makes it hard to talk about underlying real issues.

Few camera shots are more readily recognizable than the Dutch angle (sometimes known as the Dutch tilt or canted angle), with its jarring tilt capturing the viewer's attention instantly. Where did this strange shot come from, and why do filmmakers use it? This interesting video takes a look at the history of the Dutch angle and its usage in cinema.

The Fujifilm Instax SQ6 has been my favorite instant camera for several years now. The relatively extensive features, film size, and overall compact design make it a brilliant option. The question is, how does the SQ6 compare against the new instant camera from Polaroid?

There are certain visual tools that almost any eye instantly responds to, and symmetry is by far one of the powerful you can use. If you would like to add another tool to your creative toolbox, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you some helpful tips and illustrative examples of how to use symmetry in your photography.

No matter how long you’ve been involved in photography or other creative work, you’ve probably been asked to do something for someone for free, or worse, for “exposure.” Is it ever sensible to give your time without some form of tangible remuneration?

It used to be that full frame was the largest sensor size most photographers could reasonably afford, with medium format reserved for rental houses and a few rare creatives. However, in recent years, we have seen an explosion of relatively affordable medium format options that open an entirely new system to many photographers. Before you take the plunge, check out this great video that answers some common questions about medium format and illustrates some problems you might encounter.

Adobe Photoshop has had most of its recent major updates centered around its AI editing tools. In this video, find out how to make the colors of an image more punchy by using a filter you might not think to.

Just about every important image I publish or send to a client passes through Photoshop. It’s an essential part of my workflow, and if you’re like most photographers, I’m sure it’s a part of yours. There are, however, a number of cases where I’ve just found a significantly better tool for the job, one that’s worth paying for. Want to see why you should consider snagging these programs that beat Photoshop at their own game?

Of course, flash photography existed long before the transition to digital. However, most modern film photography is shot in natural light, whether out of an aesthetic desire or because working with flash and film is a bit of a lost art. Nonetheless, just like digital, flash can open up a lot of creative possibilities, and this excellent video tutorial will show you a modern approach to doing so.

Sony's a bit of a niche player in the smartphone market, but with their latest offering, they seem to have managed the impossible, which is cramming a 1-inch sensor into a very thin cell phone.

Lightroom's latest update brought huge upgrades to its masking features, making the tools far more capable and much easier to use. If you are wondering how to use the new tools and take full advantage of them, check out this fantastic video tutorial that takes a deep dive into the new masking panel to show you everything you need to know.

There are numerous genres out there in which a 24-70mm f/2.8 is the bread and butter lens, offering a focal length range that allows for wide angle coverage on to portraits and more, paired with a wide maximum aperture. However, such lenses are rarely affordable, though Tamron's 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD G2 bucks that trends and offers a lot of performance for not a lot of money. This great video review takes a look at the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it.

Photo contests are often very divisive. You're happy when you win and furious when your work is snubbed. They can be so subjective yet they draw people in like moths to a flame. Why?

It might seem a strange thing to say, but there is something to be said for being willing to let go of the photos that are most important to you. This interesting video makes a strong case for why you should consider letting go of the photos that might matter most to you.

The popularity of film is on an undeniable upswing. As a result, prices of cameras have crept up and up to a point that one might think that at least film itself can provide some stability. Think again.

As I am knee-deep in production this week, I thought I’d take this week’s article to share an experience outside the normal photography realm that still has lessons to teach for every small business owner.