As the old year rolls into the new, it’s that time again to make a few photographic resolutions.

100-400mm lenses have long been popular for everything from bird photography to sports, as they offer a tremendously useful focal length range. While Canon offers a premium option of this lens, there is the much more affordable RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM for anyone who wants to save some money or a bit of weight in their bag, and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

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 2021, 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.

If you love photography, there’s no doubt that you want to know the best ways to improve your photography. There are countless blogs and articles on this subject alone; what I’m going to do is drop five ideas that might help you become better at photography.

Building a robust and strong photography portfolio is something that takes a lot of effort, persistence, and patience, and many of us spend years before we have a decent collection of images we are really proud of. So, how much persistence does it really take? This interesting video features a professional landscape photographer breaking down the numbers of how often he goes out and how many portfolio-worthy images he comes back with in a year.

If you're interested in printing your photography, why not double down on creativity and turn those images into mixed media art. In this video, Irene Rudnyk walks you through how she created some stunning works by combining physical artistic techniques with prints of digital images.

Composition has rules that transcend all visual mediums, but playing to the equipment you're using can still be helpful. In this video, one photographer walks through his favorite techniques for better film photographs.

As the number of lenses available for Canon's RF mount grows, photographers are faced with options and decisions for most focal lengths they would like to buy. Is this Viltrox prime one of the best value 85mm lenses for RF?

As we near the end of another difficult year, we look forward to new beginnings. What will you be doing to ensure that you grow and improve as a photographer in 2022? Here are five ways you can guarantee you are moving in the right direction.

Like it or not, mirrorless is where the majority of the industry is headed (or has already arrived). And while that means you will eventually have to upgrade your camera bodies, the situation with lenses is a bit murkier, particularly since they generally have much longer useful lifespans and there are many adapters available. This interesting video takes a look at an extremely challenging situation for bird photographers, offers some great tips, and shows you how adapted lenses rise to the challenge.

Sony's a7 IV, the long-anticipated successor to the highly popular a7 III, recently arrived, and it brought with it a range of new features and improvements over its already well-balanced and capable predecessor. This excellent video review takes a look at the new camera's stills photography capabilities and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it.

Canon has always had some extreme lens designs, but they really kicked things into high gear when they got serious about the mirrorless world. It seems they have no intentions of slowing down, as another patent for a crazy lens has emerged.

If you knew for certain that you would succeed, what move would you make in 2022?

If you've ever seen portraits with some wild reflections and funky lighting effects, it's entirely possible that it's not a multiple exposure or post-processed image. Using a cheap prism, you can duplicate some of these effects in camera.

Just like everything in life, Photoshop techniques change or require slight adjustments. What may have been perfect two years ago might not necessarily be perfect now. And so it is with changing colors of objects in Photoshop. Here is the latest on how to do it effortlessly.

The Sony a7S series of cameras is strange. They're described as stills cameras; however, most customers seem to use them for their video features. At best, they're an odd compromise that doesn't fit anywhere properly. For this reason, I'd like to discuss why Sony should get rid of this line completely or at the least, revamp the series.

There are many ways to light a subject, both complex and simplistic, and while you might be always tempted to go for the most complicated setups, knowing the classics is important too. Classic lighting is classic for a reason and you may find yourself using it more often than you expect.

You may have noticed over the last few years that it is increasingly common for a film or show to have what looks to be unexposed shots. The question is: why?

50mm lenses are a peculiar bunch, as you can spend anywhere from under $100 to well over $2,000 depending on the sort of parameters, performance, and image quality you are looking for. Canon, Nikon, and Sony all make 50mm f/1.2 lenses as their premium options, and this excellent video comparison takes a look at all three to see which comes out on top.

They hold you down in landscape photography, they bring you to make wrong decisions out in the field, they make you blind for finding compositions, and they even kill your creativity. Knowing about them and avoiding them makes you a better photographer.

If you are new to photography or are wondering whether you ought to take your photography more seriously, you may be debating an upgrade to a higher spec camera. But, when is that the right move?

The Fujifilm GFX range has some stunning cameras in it and in the last few years, several more have been added. However, their two newest additions come at two different price points, so which is right for you?

As photographers, we are always looking for ways to improve our craft and stay ahead of the curve. With new technology emerging every day, it can be difficult to know what is worth investing in and what will become obsolete in a few months. In this short article, we will explore the potential of AI technology and how it could benefit photographers in the future.

How can you manipulate the color of the sky with simple lighting techniques? In this video, learn how to capture a rich blue sky with just one light.

In a bit of news that is important, though not particularly surprising, Canon has confirmed that the 1D X Mark III will be the company's last flagship DSLR, with forthcoming top-of-the-line models being exclusively mirrorless options.

Buying new camera gear can be very exciting, but it can also drain your bank account rather quickly if you are not careful about it. If you are a newer photographer and wondering how to find the right gear for yourself without overspending, this helpful video tutorial will run you through the options and their pros and cons.

Learning photography and trying to create better photographs can be a daunting task when you're just starting. Here are some guidelines I've taught in my workshops to help new photographers create stronger images.

Simply put: mastering lighting, camera settings, and editing is, of course, crucial to becoming a financially successful photographer, but it is not enough. If you want to find success with your photography business, you also have to know how to properly run a business. This excellent video tutorial will run you through the basics of that to help you ensure you give yourself the best chances of getting it right.

Knowing how to light, pose, and shoot a good portrait is only half the battle; you also need to be able to edit your images to produce a fully finished and compelling final product. If you are new to portraiture and looking to improve your work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you a full image edit, including retouching, dodging and burning, color grading, and more.

Picflow is a new program that allows you to deliver images to your client and for that client to select and even download their favorites. Let’s take a look at Picflow's features and operations.

It can be difficult to consistently push yourself to achieve more, but Morten Hilmer manages it. In this video, he ventures out into the Norwegian wilderness for days on end to capture the local wildlife in grueling conditions.

If you were to ask any landscape photographer what their primary workhorse lens was, the overwhelming majority would likely name something like a 16-35mm. No doubt, wide angle lenses are popular in the genre for good reason, but they are not the only suitable choice for landscape work. This great video will show you some of the possibilities of a telephoto lens and why it can sometimes be a better choice.

Some photographers have skills that blow us away. Embedding emotions into images sets some photographers apart, so I knew instantly I had to share Tianna Williams’ work with our readers.

A street photographer’s task is to observe the mundane human interactions that take place throughout the day and turn them into something worthy of being preserved and shared through photography. This is not an easy task.

One of the most challenging aspects of landscape photography is composition, as unlike most other genres, you do not get any control over the elements in the scene, only where you place your camera and how you frame them. If you are looking to improve your compositions, check out this great video tutorial that will show an interesting challenge as well as some useful tips.

When is a softbox not a softbox? When it's a Sundisc. Here's a long-term review of a multi-talented light modifier that packs down to the size of a pack of small tortillas.

Some lenses are naturally exciting, the sort that inspire and excite you to go out and create images. Others are more pragmatic workhorses, and it can be easy to be tricked into thinking you can get away without them, especially when you have something like a bokeh monster in your bag. This interesting video examines one photographer's journey away from and back to an uninspiring but highly useful lens.

Few recent cameras have had a more profound impact on the hierarchy of consumer options than the Fujifilm GFX medium format series of mirrorless cameras. Perhaps the most interesting of all is the GFX 100S, offering Fuji's best sensor at a price that competes with top-level full frame options, and this great video takes a look at its image quality and performance.

When you are new to photography, it can be a lot to try to learn and master every technique and develop a creative voice all at the same time. If you are working on getting your footing and need a bump in the right direction, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you 10 great tips for improving your photography.

Until recently, the last time I shot an entire roll of film was on a Canon EOS 5, sometime in the mid-2000s. Last month, I put a roll of black-and-white film through my mother’s old Olympus Trip 35, and the results sparked some strong emotions.

Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros are mightily impressive, but their prices can grow quite quickly as you add more features and capabilities, with the top model tipping the scales at over $6,000. On the other hand, the base model comes in at less than half that price. Can it keep up with the demands of professional photographers and filmmakers, though? This great video review puts it through the paces to find out.

What can be achieved in post-production is astounding these days, but more surprising of all is just how much can be achieved without a career in Hollywood. In this video, learn how to create some incredible effects.

Clint Bentley’s new film, Jockey, is an intense character study that contrasts the ending of a veteran jockey’s career with the ascendance of a younger jockey. Under the watchful eye of director of photographer Adolpho Veloso, the filmmakers use some exciting photography and lighting techniques to complement the strong script and award-winning acting.

Photoshop has a huge range of blending modes — almost 30, in fact — but the majority of photographers go their entire careers using only about six of them most of the time. One of the rarer blending modes is color dodge, and though you will not use it every day, this helpful video tutorial will show you a specific and nifty application for it that can give your images a bit more pop.

24mm is a useful and popular focal length, offering a noticeably wide angle of view without a lot of the distortion that starts to creep in as you go wider. Viltrox offers the AF 24mm f/1.8, which brings with it a wide maximum aperture and autofocus capabilities at an affordable price, and this excellent video review takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Astrophotography has always fascinated me, as the thought of capturing objects that are such unfathomable distances from Earth just blows my mind. This great video goes behind the scenes to show you the process of shooting one of the most well-known objects in the night sky and the sort of technique and effort that goes into producing a memorable image.

Sony users tend not to struggle when it comes to choosing lenses thanks to a ton of third parties complementing a large offering from the Japanese manufacturer. However, one lens now forms a bizarre gap in the lens lineup and, amazingly, companies are not trying to fill it.

When it comes to portrait work, things like camera settings and lighting often have quantifiable positions and settings, and in that sense, they can be more easily learned (to a degree). Posing, on the other hand, is a more subjective art and often presents difficulty to newer photographers. One useful technique is knowing how to make your subjects look taller, and this great video tutorial will show you what you need to know to accomplish that.

The Apple iPhone 13 Pro has won the MKBHD award for the best camera phone in 2021. This may not come as a surprise to many considering all of the latest improvements and advancements in the latest iPhone cameras. Honorable mentions included the Google Pixel 6 Pro and the Vivo X70 Pro Plus.

At the end of the year, when the nights are long, and the days dark and weary, photographing can become less interesting. Some may even lose inspiration during these days. I have some ideas for you to get through the dark winter months in the Northern hemisphere.