The Best Approach to Quoting for Photo and Video Work
Figuring out how to price your services can feel overwhelming when you’re starting out. Whether you’re handling photography, videography, or broader social media content, knowing what to charge is a skill that can simplify your process and boost your confidence.
TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8 II: Compact, Affordable, and Improved
Lenses in the affordable range often make compromises, but the TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8 II aims to strike a balance between price and performance. With a focal length equivalent to about 50mm on full frame, it offers a versatile standard view suitable for various shooting styles.
To Zone, or Not to Zone: That May Be the Question
When I began photographing the landscape, the only option was using film, either black and white or color. When using black and white film, most of us used the Zone System or a derivation of it. Even those who cursed it as being too constrictive—it is not—or some kind of voodoo (again, it is not) were using this type of system in some way.
In the Field Tips for Photographing Forest Scenes
Woodland photography can be one of the more challenging environments for landscape photography. The trees and undergrowth create scenes of chaos that can be hard to organize into compelling images. Follow along as two landscape photographers wander through a rainforest, making photographs.
A Budget-Friendly 85mm f/1.4 Lens for Full Frame Cameras
Portrait lenses come in all price ranges, but finding the right mix of quality and affordability can be tricky. The Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 offers an appealing middle ground, delivering strong performance at a budget-friendly price.
Leofoto’s MT-04 Mini Tripod: The Best of the Tabletop Tripods?
When even a compact tripod is too large, photographers don’t have many options for supporting their gear outside of tabletop tripods. In that narrow market, the offerings can feel gimmicky or cheap. In contrast, Leofoto’s MT-04 brings their CNC-machined aluminum build quality and feature-rich ball head to the smallest total tripod package I’ve tried.
Unlocking Creativity With Shutter Speed
Shutter speed plays a huge role in how your images turn out, but it’s easy to fall into default habits like 1/125 of a second. Moving beyond those defaults opens up creative possibilities, whether you’re capturing motion blur or freezing fast action.
Comparing Sony’s 28-70mm f/2 GM and Tamron’s 28-75mm f/2.8 Lenses
Choosing the right lens often comes down to balancing performance, features, and cost. If you’ve ever wondered whether investing in a premium lens makes a difference, this comparison between Sony’s 28-70mm f/2 GM and Tamron’s 28-75mm f/2.8 could offer some clarity.
Six Steps to More Effective Landscape Photographs
Photographing the landscape can be hard work, at times very hard work. It entails rising well before daylight in most cases and working in sometimes very harsh conditions. Most of the time, you will be out in the woods until well past dark, waiting for just the right moment, which may not come—even after your most valiant efforts. It makes sense, then, to do everything you can to stack the odds in your favor. Here are some thoughts on that.
A Practical Tip for Improving Your Photography in 2025
Do you find yourself getting frustrated with your photography in the field? It is easy to fall into routines and practices that could hamper your photography and stifle your creativity. Are you looking for a way to break out of that as we move into 2025? This video provides a practical tip to help!
My Best Photography Advice for 2025
You’ve got your new upgraded camera, maybe a new lens, and Santa delivered a cool new magnetic filter kit. Now you’re all set this year to take sharper photos, faster, without reflections. But is this enough to help you become a better photographer in 2025? Spoiler: No. It may actually make you a worse photographer.
The Best Image Manager in 2025? 5 Reasons Why Every Photographer Should Try Excire
Do you ever get tired of manually searching for, tagging, culling, and organizing your images? I can relate.
Framing and Composition Tips for Street Photography
Street photography thrives on strong composition and purposeful framing. Creating images that captivate often comes down to how effectively you use the space within your frame.
Why Digital Backdrops Are Changing Headshot Photography
With more clients seeking unique, standout images, digital backdrops could give you a creative edge and make your work more efficient.
5 Unusual Ways to Improve Your Photography
As photographers grow more familiar with their gear and solidify their preferred approach, it’s easy to fall into comfortable, well-trodden patterns. We often return to the same focal lengths, shoot the same subjects, rely on the same post-processing techniques, and compose images according to established habits. While there’s value in refining a signature style, there is also a risk of stagnation.
Think in 3D to Improve Your Photography
If you approach the scene you are photographing thinking in 2D, you may have difficulty transforming your image from just a snapshot to something visually interesting and intentional. Learning to think in 3D will help you approach scenes more dynamically and create more compelling images.
Pergear Announces 12mm f/2 II APS-C Lens: Lighter, Upgraded Design for 2024
Pergear has introduced the second-generation 12mm f/2 lens, bringing improvements in design and functionality to this affordable APS-C wide angle lens. Here’s a closer look at what the new Pergear 12mm f/2 II lens has to offer.
Simple Secrets to Beautiful Natural Light Portraits
Natural light portrait photography demands a nuanced understanding of how light interacts with the environment. By learning to read and work with available light, you can transform challenging conditions into opportunities for creating captivating portraits that stand out from the crowd.
Turning Daydreams Into Real Progress
Setting ambitious goals in photography requires more than just dreaming - it demands consistent, deliberate action to transform those aspirations into reality. Whether you're looking to start a wedding photography business or launch a creative project, understanding how to effectively bridge the gap between vision and execution can make all the difference in your success.
In this critique, all twelve of the photographers we featured win both an Fstoppers Tutorial, and a bottle of Lee's hot sauce, Oliveum. (if you live in the USA). You can join the next contest at Fstoppers.com/contests
Five Practical Ways to Overcome Creative Blocks
Feeling stuck in your photography journey can be frustrating, especially when it's easy to think new gear will solve your problems. Instead of relying on temporary fixes, it’s a good time to rethink your approach and rediscover your creative spark.
Your Best Winter Photographs
Welcome to the first Critique the Community Contest of 2025! Since it is deep winter in the Northern Hemisphere, we decided to make this month's theme "Winter." You can submit any image you've taken that captures cold, winter, or freezing elements.
Fstoppers Reviews the Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD Lens, the Company’s First for Canon RF
There’s always been a gaping hole in Canon’s APS-C strategy. While there are plenty of competent APS-C cameras from the company, it hasn’t always produced the professional lenses to match the bodies.
Take Better Photos by Doing Less Work
Having infinite resources for many of the locations we frequent for landscape photography is what makes it so accessible to anyone and everyone. The downside is that we tend to plan out everywhere we go, every shot we want to take, and thus we never really get a chance to develop our vision as photographers.
Five Truths Every Beginner Photographer Should Know (That I Learned the Hard Way)
Isn't it great to have a crystal ball to tell us our future and what's around the next corner? Unfortunately, there is no such thing, and we must live life, make mistakes, and move on. I wish I had one, especially when I started my photography journey. Here are five things I had to learn the hard way.