A Review of the Affordable But Impressive Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 Lens

A small, affordable prime lens with a relatively wide focal length can be tremendously useful (as long as it has the image quality to back it up), and at just $256 and 5.5 oz (155 g), the Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 lens certainly fits the bill. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of sharpness and performance you can expect from it in real-world usage.

The Fun of Shooting Street Photography at 200mm

Most street photography is shot at around 24mm or 35mm, but, of course, there is no reason you can't shoot it at longer focal lengths — even much longer if you so desire. This fun video follows a street photographer as he roams around Chicago, shooting at 200mm and showing just how different the photos look with such a distinctive focal length.

100 Years of Men in Love: An Accidental Collection

Photos are, at their essence, about acting as a witness to a feeling or emotion. Neal Treadwell and Hugh Nini's accidental collection, 100 Years of Men in Love, is a witness to love and hope. Showing on HereTV, David Millbern's documentary about Nini and Treadwell's collection is well worth the 60 minute investment.

The Sony a7C Versus the a7 IV: Which Mirrorless Camera Is Right for You?

When it comes to Sony's a7 series of camera, both the a7C and a7 IV are the most generalist options, offering the best balance of photo and video features at reasonable prices. So, if you are looking for an all-around option, which of the two is the best? This great video comparison takes a look at the two cameras to help you decide which is right for you.

4 Tips for Creating Window Light in Studio

The look of light filtering through a window to light a subject is both quite recognizable, even to the non-photographer, and a fantastic way to give your portraits a natural and elegant look. However, depending on where your studio is and when you are working, you may not always have the luxury of perfect window light. It is not that difficult to create it with artificial lighting, though, and this awesome video tutorial will show you four tips to ensure you get the best possible result.

The Most Important Rule to Improve Your Photography

Whether you are just starting your journey or are a seasoned veteran, allowing yourself to fail can be difficult as an artist. Yet, it continues to be the absolute best way to improve your work.

Which Fujifilm 35mm Lens Is Best?

50mm (equivalent) lenses are rather versatile, able to cover a range of situations. Fujifilm shooters have quite a few options available to them at that focal length, and this excellent video comparison takes a look at three of them: the Fujifilm XC 35mm f/2, XF 35mm f/1.4 R, and the XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR.

How to Grow Your Food Photography Business

When it comes to building a successful photography business, the ability to know where and how to find new clients is crucial to long-term survival, as they will not always come to your door. Every genre requires different techniques and methods to accomplish that, and this fantastic video tutorial will give you a ton of great advice on how to track down and land new food photography clients.

4 Things You Can Do to Book More Clients

You are going to learn how to book more photo clients now! It’s easier when you ask the right questions. This blog will guide you through the first client meeting. It's the most important meeting where they decide who to hire and for what budget.

How to Improve Your Landscape Photos With Dodging and Burning in Lightroom

When it comes to dodging and burning, you probably think of using it on portraits, but really, it is a technique that can improve your photos in just about any genre, landscape photography included. If you are wondering how to apply it to your own work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to do it entirely in Lightroom.

The Danger of Emotion in Photography

Emotion is a powerful tool, and it is often essential to the photographic process and our ability to motivate ourselves and find the best versions of our creative selves. On the other hand, emotion can be a dangerous thing that leads you down the wrong path if you are not careful. This fantastic video essay discusses both the pros and cons of emotion in photography to help you make the most of it.

How to Turn On City Lights Using Lightroom

The glow of streetlights and the like can add a nice bit of warmth, elegance, and atmosphere to a nighttime cityscape photo, but, of course, you do not get control over those lights, and they will not always be turned on when you are out shooting. It is not too difficult to turn them "on," and you do not even need Photoshop to do it. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to do it quickly and convincingly using Lightroom.

How to Use Lightroom to Check if Your Photo Has a Subject

It’s important to have a subject in your photo. Without a subject, a photo may be less interesting to look at. Sometimes, the subject is easy to spot, but at other times, it might be more difficult. You can get some help from Lightroom to check if your photo has a subject.

How to Take a Great Bird Photo From Start to Finish

Bird photography is a challenging genre, requiring top-level technique, specialized equipment, and an excellent understanding of animal behavior to produce compelling images, but when you get it all right, the results can be stunning. If you would like to improve your bird photos, check out this fantastic video tutorial by an experienced bird photographer that will show you everything that goes into making a compelling bird image from start to finish.

We Review the Laowa 20mm F/4.0 Zero-D Shift Lens

Shift lenses provide crucial solutions to problems faced by architectural and real estate photographers, and until recently, options have been extremely limited. Let’s take a look at this new shift lens option from Laowa.

What Is the Best-Handling Camera of All Time?

We often get quite caught up in the headline-grabbing specs of cameras — things like sensor resolution, burst speed, autofocus, and more. However, one thing you will not find on a spec sheet but that can have a huge impact on your quality of life is a camera's handling. Which cameras have been the best? This neat video discusses five top choices.

How to Find Better Landscape Photos

When it comes to landscape photography, you can't control the elements in the frame like you can in just about any other genre, which, of course, means you need to be able to find elegant and compelling images instead of building them. If you want to improve your landscape photos, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three helpful tips for finding better landscape photos.

7 Photographer Types We All Know (I Am One of Them) 

As a photographer, you inevitably meet a lot of other photographers in the industry. As much as I am not a fan of putting anyone in a box, it is still lots of fun and can make for some great jokes. In this article, I will do just that: list the seven most common photographer types I met.

7 Tips for Better Milky Way Photos

It’s springtime, which means that for most of us around the world, the core of the Milky Way galaxy, or the “Galactic Bulge,” will be prominently visible in the night sky roughly through the end of summer.

Think Like an Artist and Improve Your Photography

Have you ever struggled with getting creative in your photography, but whatever you have tried, it didn’t solve the problem? Artists think in a very special way. Knowing how can massively change your photography.

What's the Better Camera: The Sony a7 IV or the Canon EOS R6?

All of the major camera companies have released some incredible cameras in the last few years, but many of us do not need top-shelf features and would rather opt to save thousands of dollars by buying a more generalist option. Such cameras have come quite a way and can handle most demands, and this great video review takes a look at two of the best options, the Canon EOS R6 and the Sony a7 IV.

We Review the Aputure LS600x: A Viable Alternative to HMI Lights?

When Aputure released the LS 600d Pro, it took the market by storm and signaled an era of high-power LED coming. But when the LS 600X Pro came out, it took the D version and made it greater. I’ve been using the 600X Pro for the past month, and here are some of my thoughts on it.

The Unsung Heroes of Portrait Lenses

There are many staple lenses in portrait photography that are recommended to beginners and professionals alike. However, there is something of an unsung hero lurking in a different genre entirely that could complement your gear arsenal perfectly.

Should You Use an 85mm or 70-200mm Lens for Portrait Photography?

When it comes to portraiture, the wide-aperture 85mm lens has been the classic choice for years, but zoom lenses have come along quite a bit in the past decade, and with their impressive image quality, you might prefer the versatility of having a variety of focal lengths at your disposal. If you are wondering whether to use an 85mm or 70-200mm lens for your portrait work, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you the pros and cons of each.

The New Mac Studio M1 Max: One Photographer's View After 5 Days

First: Some History

I've had a lot of Macs over the years. I remember the old PowerPC Macs, which performed OK against Intel-based PCs, but did have some heat issues under heavy loads. I went along with the transition to Intel in the Mid 2000s, and had a Mac Pro Intel-based machine, which replaced my identical-looking PowerMac G5. That served me well for many years because it was so upgradeable, but eventually, that machine no longer supported the latest versions of macOS, so reluctantly I bought an iMac in 2019, sporting a 3.6GHZ 8-CORE INTEL CORE I9 chip, and 8GB of memory. Like many...

A Beginner's Guide to Choosing the Right Shutter Speed for Your Photography

Along with aperture and ISO, shutter speed is one of the fundamental parameters that control the exposure of your image and give you the creative latitude for rendering the frame as you see fit. If you are new to photography and want to learn how to use shutter speed both to create technically correct photos and to explore your creativity, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know.

A Review of the Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM Lens

Ultra-wide angle zoom lenses with wide maximum apertures are popular for a variety of uses, ranging from astrophotography to weddings and events work. For Sony shooters looking for professional-level options, there is the FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM, 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 usage.

A Surprisingly Easy Technique I Use to Get More Clients as a Professional Photographer

You can only be profitable as a photographer if you have clients. Clients are the good and bad about being an artist. On one hand, you are paid to do what you love, but on the other, they usually don’t care about the same stuff you care about. In this article, I will tell you exactly what your clients want from you.

Fstoppers Reviews the HEX Back Loader DSLR Backpack V2

HEX has been on a tear lately, releasing plenty of functional bags with some meaningful limited editions. The HEX Back Loader DSLR Backpack V2 continues the trend with a useful and stylish package that’s just about perfect for shooters with DSLR or mirrorless cameras.

4 Things I Was Never Told When Becoming a Photographer 

Photography may seem like a very glamorous career. The entry point is very low, and you can start with 0 investment: just use your phone. However, as you progress further and further, you may encounter that there are several things you didn't expect photographers to do. In this article, I will go through some of those.

A Guide to Photographing a Wedding Ceremony

Photographing a wedding is one of the most challenging and high-pressure scenarios a photographer can face, particularly since there are no do-overs, and they require you to balance a wide variety of skills and techniques, all while being creative at the same time. As such, being as prepared as possible before you ever set foot in the venue is crucial. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced wedding shooter guiding you through the process of photographing the ceremony.

Some Helpful Tips for Long Exposures in Landscape Photography

When it comes to landscape photography, long exposures are one of the most ubiquitous techniques you will see. Taking a long exposure involves more than simply cranking up that shutter speed, however. If you would like to improve your own work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you some great tips for taking long exposures.

Which of These Fujifilm Lenses Will Satisfy Your Bokeh Craving?

Fujifilm makes some pretty impressive lenses, and in between their well-established X Series and the respected GFX medium format line, photographers have a lot of choices when it comes to narrow depth of field and bokeh. This great video compares an option from each line, the GF 80mm f/1.7 R WR lens and the XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR.

Why I Love Photography

Our reasons for finding our way behind the lens of a camera are as various as the courses we choose to take with our lives. Here are just a few of mine.

The Basics of Photo Licensing for Photographers

Photo licensing is not the most exciting topic, but it is one of the most important and one every photographer should have confidently mastered, as it has significant consequences on both your income and your ability to protect and control the dissemination of your images. If you are a bit unsure of the ins and outs of photo licensing, take a bit of time to watch this informative video tutorial that will help you master the basics.

The Most Important Skill in Landscape Photography

I love when a plan works in landscape photography and this was the way I was doing for more than 30 years now: planning and going to the spot, for "harvesting" the photographs. This led to fantastic results though, but there is one more way to get outstanding photographs, you had maybe never thought about before.

Are You Improvising in Your Landscape Photography Enough?

When it comes to landscape photography, knowing how to plan in advance will generally yield much more success than simply heading out and winging it. That does not mean you should never just grab your camera and see what you can find, however. In fact, doing that can actually be the better choice in some situations, and this excellent video explores just when you should consider doing so.

How to Fix Clothing Using Photoshop

Clothing can be an annoying finicky thing, bunching up in distracting ways, or getting torn and stained at the most inopportune times. While fixing a stain in Photoshop is often relatively straightforward, dealing with a bunched-up sleeve can be tricky, particularly since clothing often has a fixed pattern you need to keep intact to make the edit believable. This helpful video tutorial from a Photoshop pro will show you everything you need to know to get it done correctly.

How to Improve the Fujifilm X-T4: A Canon User's Perspective

I picked up a Fujifilm X-T4 about five months ago to use primarily as a backup camera and for street photography, video, and family use. Although I shoot with a Canon system in my studio, I fell in love with Fuji’s cameras years ago when I acquired an X-Pro1 and a few X lenses. In this article, I offer a friendly critique and some suggestions for Fuji to improve an already great camera system.

Is Leica Worth Five Times the Price of Fuji?

Leica is a legendary brand, well known for a very specific camera experience and a desirable, unique look to their images. Fujifilm has made significant strides in the past decade, though, and their X-Pro series offers an experience similar to a rangefinder with a variety of interesting advanced and hybrid features. So, is Leica worth its significantly higher price? This great video review compares the Leica M11 to the Fujifilm X-Pro3 to find out.

A Review of the Impressive Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM Lens

It used to be that most supertelephoto zoom lenses were significantly below the standards demanded by professionals, leaving you to either buy a stratospherically priced prime or make do. However, in the last few years, we have seen an explosion of better lenses, and one of the most impressive options out there is the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM. 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.

Why I Chose the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro

It’s not just the price, which is considerably lower than any other camera in the market that gives the same quality. It's a camera like no other, and its digital film footage is pure eye-candy every single time I get into the editing booth.

Why I Sold My Photography Studio

A photography studio can be exciting and profitable. It can also have major pitfalls that you should be aware of.

6 Tips for Getting More Out of Your Telephoto Lens for Landscape Photography

When it comes to landscape photography, most photographers default to using a wide angle lens, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, a telephoto lens can create equally compelling images, of course, and if you have not tried one for your own work, now is the time to head out and give it a shot. This excellent video tutorial will give you six awesome tips to get the most out of it.