The Long Process of Capturing Time-Lapse Footage of Growing Mushrooms

The entire genre of time-lapse photography is a game of patience and preparation, but creating short films involving the life cycle of a mushroom is on an entirely different level. When 24hrs worth of frames can equate to only a few seconds of footage there is not a lot of room for mistakes.

How to Level Up Your Portraits Using Simple Props

Adding props is a simple and effective way of adding production value to your photographs. Not only do they add additional points of interest, they also can add to the story you're trying to tell. In this video and article, I'll be walking through the creative process of how an image evolves to the final version. To do this, I'll begin with a basic "walk-up" shot. From there, I'll be walking through the step-by-step changes to the shot until we get to the final image using various props.

Is Unreal Engine the Future of Filmmaking?

The short answer is "yes", and it has already proven affordable and successful in a wide range of fields and production sizes. With the rise of virtual models and 3D rendered product catalogs, and real-time rendering, I think the real question is how far this technology will impact commercial photography and videography as a whole.

Go Behind the Scenes of My Food Photoshoot

The landscape of all businesses looks different, and store after store keeps closing because of online businesses. The type of business we see consistently is the dining establishment, and their need for content is immense.

Drone Explodes in Alligator's Mouth After It Snatches It Out of the Sky

In the latest installment of social media "influencers" ruining everything, an alligator was likely severely harmed after a TikTok influencer harassed it with a drone to the point that the animal literally jumped out of the water to snatch the device, causing the drone's battery to explode in its mouth.

Use Lightroom to Breathe New Life Into Wildlife Photos

Wildlife photography can be incredibly rewarding when things go right, but it's incredibly difficult to master. That's why when you have a good photo that's let down by a few of the camera settings, you should use Lightroom to transform that drab shot into something much more beautiful.

Why Do I Forget to Photograph?

I am a photographer but I often forget to shoot. Isn't that a ridiculous thing to say? I must admit, it's my reality more often than I'd like to admit.

Shooting Through a Window? You Can Still Make a Great Image With These Tricks

Whether you’re using your iPhone or regular camera, shooting through windows and transparent surfaces can be one of the trickiest situations you’ll encounter. With just a few simple tricks, you can greatly improve the results next time you try photographing through a window.

7 Over-Editing Mistakes Photographers Make and How to Avoid Them

Going too far with an edit is something we have all been guilty of at some point, and it is something for which the temptation never quite disappears. Here are seven signs you have taken that edit of your landscape image from refined to gaudy and what you can do to fix or avoid the issue.

How to Become a Better Filmmaker

There is more demand for video than ever before and by an incredible margin. That demand, in combination with the plethora of new tools and gadgets for creating videos, has led to some of the fundamentals getting lost in the weeds. In this video, one filmmaker discusses how taking things back to basics can benefit your work.

If Cartier-Bresson Were Shooting Today, Would He Use 6K Burst Mode?

Henri Cartier-Bresson is hailed in the pantheon of photographers as one of the leading lights of his time. He is also inextricably linked with Leica. If he were shooting today, what brand would he choose and how would he shoot? It would of course be Panasonic and 6K Burst Mode.

Hands-On With the Fujinon XF R LM WR 33mm f/1.4

There are some great lenses in the Fuji range and this new release looks to further that history. In this video, see behind-the-scenes of a shoot with their latest offering and how it performs for studio portraiture.

Fujifilm GFX 50S II Review: Who Is This Camera For?

Fujifilm’s new GFX 50S II is the company’s most affordable medium format camera, but does the performance make it a worthwhile purchase when there are full frame cameras available with similar resolutions? This review seeks to find out.

The Photographer's Guide to Planning the Ultimate Fall Color Trip

My favorite season is about to hit the Northern hemisphere, autumn. With its riotous color and vibrancy, the forests of autumn transform into a landscape and nature photographers' playground. Here are my tips for planning your ultimate fall color adventure.

Learn How This Dramatic Portrait Was Shot With Just One Light and a Reflector

No doubt, when you are first learning about artificial lighting, it can feel very foreign and difficult to master, particularly when it seems like pros are using complex multi-light setups for all their shots. However, you might be surprised by how much you can accomplish with one light, a reflector, and strong knowledge of the fundamentals of lighting. This excellent video tutorial will show you how just such a shot was created and the process the photographer went through to create the final image.

What Kind of Landscape Photos Can You Shoot on a Cloudless Day?

For landscape photographers, a sunny day with no clouds in the sky is kind of boring and does not make for particularly interesting photos. On the other hand, that does not mean you should just pack up your bag and head back home if you encounter such a day. This excellent video tutorial follows a landscape photographer as he demonstrates what you can shoot on such days.

Developing Cyanotypes on Glass

Very often in photography, things go very wrong. In this video, Nicole Small shares her successes and failures in developing cyanotypes.

We Interview Tesni Ward, One of the UK’s Leading Wildlife Photographers

There are some photographers whose work you can learn from. Tesni is one of those whose wildlife photography is worth following not only because of her eye for a great shot, but her enthusiasm and knowledge of the natural world that also shine through in her images.

How a Photographer Shot This Levitating Model on Location

The levitating portrait is something of a classic and for good reason: it's effective at catching the eye and holding the viewer. In this video, watch a full breakdown, including behind-the-scenes footage, of how the shot was achieved, from start to finish.

Create a Cinematic Orange and Teal Color Grade in Lightroom

For the past decade modern cinema has opted for the orange and teal color grade to provide a wonderfully cinematic feel, and thanks to the new tools in Lightroom you can turn your shots into cinematic masterpieces, too.

The Best Tiny FPV Drones for Filming in Tight Spaces

Drones have improved at a rate of knots in the last decade or so, and now you are able to film usable HD footage with a tiny, agile drone. This has lead to a revolution of creative videography. In this video, one videographer and drone-lover goes through his top picks for this niche type of drone.

How I Got a Photography Agent

If like me, you have always wanted to be a commercial photographer, then having a good agent is a really important part of this. However, there are far more photographers than there are agents, so how do you get one?

How Polaroid Made Billions, Lost Billions, and Has Risen Again From the Ashes

The story of Polaroid offers a fascinating insight into the evolution of camera technology. Once a titan of the photographic industry, Polaroid failure to innovate and anticipate the shift to digital led to its bankruptcy, but a return to analog processes has breathed new life into this former giant.

Photographing Strangers on Film

Photography as a job and as a hobby are two very different things. For professional photographers, this distinction means consistently working at their practice, rather than at certain points or only if inspiration strikes.

What Is This Famous Camera Like 20 Years Later?

The original Canon 1D came out almost 20 years ago, in November of 2001, and it represented the company's arrival on the professional digital camera market. Since then, the 1D series has become well known for its high-level capabilities and almost unbreakable build, becoming a favorite of countless pros around the world. What was the original model like, though? This neat video takes a look at the shooting experience and image quality. Spoiler alert: the colors are beautiful.

7 Helpful Ideas to Break Out of a Creative Rut

Creative ruts are something we all go through at one time or another, and they can be frustrating if you are a hobbyist and downright dangerous if you are a professional whose income relies upon your ability to come up with interesting and effective ideas and content. So, what can you do when the creative juices stop flowing? This excellent video tutorial will give you seven ideas to help you get back on track.

Is the DJI Phantom 5 Finally on Its Way? Or Is It the Osmo Mobile 5 Next?

It has been over three years since any update to DJI's Phantom series, and given how quickly the line used to see updates and how the Mavic models have progressed, it would not be unreasonable to assume the Phantom series has been put out to pasture. That might not be the case, however, as DJI's latest event invite seems to point at a new model.

How to Pick the Right Wedding Photographer: 7 Tips You Should Know

If you're looking into hiring a wedding photographer, you may not have much experience with the profession. Although you can pick photographers you like, there is more to the story than just that. So, how can you make sure you're hiring the right photographer? Here are seven tips that can help ensure you aren't disappointed.

6 Tips For Getting Started In Street Photography

Street photography is perhaps one of the most celebrated and ubiquitous forms of the art of photography. Names like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, and William Eggleston pervade any list of "greatest photographers of all time," so if you also want to try your hand at it, what is the best way way to approach it?

Essential Skills Every Photographer Needs

No doubt, it is a lot of fun to nerd out over cameras and lenses, but becoming a successful photographer takes a variety of essential skills that have nothing to do with the latest and greatest equipment. This excellent video discusses three of those important skills and how they will make you a better photographer.

What Should You Do When You Find Your Photos Have Been Stolen?

It is one of the most upsetting things that can happen to a photographer, and it is frustratingly common: you discover your images have been stolen and used without permission. What can you do in this situation? What can you do the prevent it in the future? This excellent video essay features a seasoned photographer discussing the issue and offering a lot of helpful advice.

How to Break the Photography Rules

There are a lot of "rules" in photography, meant to codify what makes a good image and how to create one yourself. But for every rule there is out there, there are 100 notable exceptions to it. So, how do you break the rules in a way that produces compelling photos? This excellent video discusses three different ways to go about it.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (August 2021): Kim Silver

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.

Behind the Scenes of a Shoot for a Commercial Using Only Natural Light

Shooting a commercial is a difficult task at the best of times, but to do so only utilizing natural light, is even trickier. In this video, go behind the scenes of the shoot as Eric Floberg walks you through settings, equipment, and considerations to get to the professional final result.

A Common Editing Mistake Landscape Photographers Make

The vast majority of landscape photos are only half done once the shutter has been pressed; a lot of the image is created in the edit, both from a technical standpoint and in adding your personal style. As such, it is important to be aware of where things can go wrong, and this excellent video tutorial details one of the most common mistakes and what you can do to avoid it.

The Unique Lens That Had Autofocus Over 40 Years Ago

Canon introduced the EF mount in 1987, and it brought with it a number of innovations while ushering in the autofocus era for the company. Before that, though, was the FD mount, and while it had almost exclusively manual focus lenses, one special lens, the FD 35-70mm f/4 AF, actually had a very strange and unique autofocus system, and this neat video shows what it was like to shoot with.

Is TSA PreCheck a Must-Have for Creatives Traveling With Gear?

No one enjoys the hassle of going through airport security, but for photographers and filmmakers, it can be especially frustrating and tedious to deal with having all of our gear unpacked, inspected, and repacked, and it can be a serious delay. TSA PreCheck has the potential to alleviate a lot of that, though. Is it worth the $85 fee for five years? This great video essay discusses the topic.

Are Godox Lights for Professionals?

There are two types of opinionated photographers: those who love Godox lights and those who feel Godox lights are not for professional use. Here are some considerations for whether the Godox system is for you.

5 Tips for Making YouTube Videos Faster

Creating video content can be so time-consuming that it is off-putting for people starting out on platforms like YouTube. In this video, and experienced videographer and YouTuber, Sidney Diongzon, goes through five tips to help speed up and smooth out your workflow.

One Truth of Photography That Catches Beginners Out

Some of photography is intuitive, some of it requires some understanding, and then there are quirks of the craft that can catch you out completely. This particular truth of photography is counter-intuitive and can be frustrating too.

Drone Photography: 6 Things to Know Before Flying A Drone 

If you're new to flying a drone, there is a lot to learn. I wanted to share my practical advice that can save you time and money. This is the advice I would give myself if I were to go back in time. I would hopefully have helped prevent some frustration and improved my ability to create!