Professional photography has never been more affordable to get into as a profession as it is today. Digital is now old hat, so your money goes a lot farther than it did 10 years ago. But how cheap can you really go as a commercial pro?
The Wiral LITE is a portable cable cam kit. It’s small, lightweight, versatile, affordable, and strong enough to carry my mirrorless camera and pro lens. This may be a videographer’s dream.
If you're interested in becoming a commercial product photographer but you don't have access to a large studio, powerful strobes, or innumerable backgrounds; don't be dismayed. There are plenty of lighting and compositing tricks you can learn in order to build that killer portfolio that will land you better-paying gigs.
Last week I wrote about the importance of the test shoot for the budding photographer, and even the established photographer. It's a way of proving your talents and style, something new clients are always looking for.
I received a Sony ZV-E10 for review. It’s an interchangeable lens camera for content creators, featuring a nice APS-C sensor. Instead of looking just at the specs and the pros and cons of this camera, perhaps it’s better to look at it from another perspective.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM was one of the most respected lenses in its DSLR line, offering top image quality, impressive image stabilization, and no-fuss autofocus, all at a very reasonable price that made it a top pick for wedding, macro, and portrait photographers. The new RF version promises a range of improvements and new features, and this excellent video review takes a look at if they are worth the price.
Trying to create the most unique photograph of a landscape is hard to do, especially if it's a well-known photo hotspot like Iceland. But these two local photographers revisited the same spot over and over to produce wildly different and stunning images.
Panasonic's latest camera, the Lumix BS1H, is here, and it brings with it impressive capabilities in about as small a body as you could possibly imagine. Who is it for and how does it perform? This excellent video takes a look at what you can expect.
Being a photographer (professional or amateur) can be a wonderful thing; after all, it is a dream of many people to devote their lives (or a significant portion of them) to a creative pursuit. Like anything in life, though, it has its drawbacks as well. This great video essay features a seasoned photographer discussing what is good and what is bad about being a photographer.
Every couple of months, it seems that there’s another manual focus lens from a tiny manufacturer that offers an insanely wide maximum aperture. This short video puts two newcomers head to head: the Laowa 35mm f/0.95 versus the TTArtisan 90mm f/1.25.
It's a favorite focal length for portraits. So, how does it cope with landscapes?
In the age of social media, we often only ever get to see the best version of things: the best-looking meal images, our best-looking selves in selfies, the best this, the best that. For photographers, this too can mean that we only ever get to see the best images from other photographers.
Adobe Lightroom is a deep and powerful piece of software with many techniques available for use. Some of the more well-known tools can be overlooked and one photographer believes that is the Radial filter tool is a prime example.
Besides focus, exposure, and composition, there are three other interlinking elements that we need to consider when taking photos. Sometimes, we overlook one of these, concentrating, maybe too much, on the other two.
Landscape photography is a wildly popular genre. Hop on Instagram, and you can quickly find thousands upon thousands of jaw-dropping images. But what is it that separates a really good image from a truly world-class photo? This excellent video essay examines the topic.
Wedding photography is a very competitive business, and with so many options, many couples will make initial decisions based on what they find on your website. So, should you include your pricing on your website, or is it better to save that for a phone call or in-person consultation? This excellent video discusses the topic.
It looked like 2021 was going to be somewhat of a dry year for virtual reality content creators, and then out of nowhere, Canon drops the RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens aimed squarely at creators of 180 VR content. It's now possible to more easily shoot this kind of content in 8K, but beyond that, what other new features does it bring to the table? Expert VR content creator Hugh Hou explains.
Tamron’s latest lens for Sony APS-C cameras is a superzoom: with a range of 18-300mm, it offers a huge amount of flexibility and might easily replace four or five lenses in your bag. How well does it perform, and what about Tamron’s other new lens, the 11-20mm f/2.8?
Landscape photography requires a fair share of specialized gear, and knowing when to upgrade or what to splurge on can make a big difference in both your image quality and the ease and enjoyment of the experience. This excellent video features an experienced landscape photographer discussing six such pieces of gear that improved his landscape photography.
Cameras just aren't good enough at processing photos — witness the inexorable rise of the smartphone which leverages adequate hardware and clever software to produce images that look as good as those from a high-flying $2,000 camera. What can manufacturers do to remain relevant in today's market?
The best thing about starting my film photography podcast, Matt Loves Cameras, three years ago is the connection it’s brought me to the film community. I’ve appeared as a guest on other film photography podcasts, I’ve run competitions, and I’ve produced community photo zines.
To celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary, Sigma is offering eight prizes of $7,500 to four photographers and four filmmakers. Entry — which is free — is open to any resident of the U.S. who is enrolled in a photography or film course.
I've been impressed with PureRaw since it first launched in April of this year. It is meant to be a starting place as you enter your raw workflow. It uses an extensive database of camera and lens profiles and corrects distortion, lack of sharpness, and reduces noise.
A good 50mm lens with a wide aperture is one of the most useful a photographer or filmmaker can own, suitable for everything from portraits to low-light work. At $299, Samyang's AF 45mm f/1.8 FE is an affordable option, 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 workhorse lens of choice for a huge range of photographers is the 24-70mm f/2.8, and while it is an extremely useful optic, there might be better choices for certain genres and photographers. For landscape work, an interesting alternative is a 24-105mm f/4 lens, and this great video discusses why it might be the essential lens for such imagery.
Normally in portraiture, you get a high level of control over the lighting, but in some scenarios (weddings, for example), you will have to think, light, and shoot on your feet. This excellent video tutorial will show you several ways to shoot nighttime portraits with a variety of different techniques and for a range of different creative looks.
Apple's latest iPhones have arrived, and they come with a wide variety of improvements on the photography front. With everything from Cinematic mode to macro capabilities, they promise to be versatile and powerful tools for photographers and filmmakers, and this great video review takes a look at the sort of photo capabilities and image quality you can expect.
Ocean drones have been around for a while, but unlike their aerial siblings, they don't see quite as much use. They are, however, conducting important work and one has recently achieved a world first by filming inside a hurricane at sea.
Frequency separation and dodge and burn are powerful techniques for retouching photographs. But which one is better?
A good 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is the workhorse of choice for a huge range of photographers and filmmakers, offering a versatile focal length range and a wide aperture suitable for a lot of uses and applications, though they are not always cheap. Sigma's 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens offers impressive image quality and performance in a small package and at quite an affordable price, and this great video review takes a look at just what you can expect from it.
Few lenses are more versatile and useful than a tilt-shift lens, offering high levels of sharpness, the ability to control depth of field independently of aperture, correction of verticals, and more. For Nikon shooters, there is the PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED tilt-shift lens, and this excellent video review takes a look at the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.
Canon has just unveiled the latest lens for its R-series cameras: the 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye that projects two image circles in order to create 180-degree stereoscopic footage for 3D virtual reality capture. It’s ingenious and bizarre.
There are lessons that you only learn from constant practice and making mistakes. These are some lessons that can widen your scope and fuel your learning as a landscape photographer.
Wildlife photographers deploy a range of tactics when attempting to capture birds, and those which are very easily scared and move incredibly quickly offer a particular challenge. This video shows you some tactics to deploy in order to get some fantastic photos.
Slow motion is one of the most common and powerful techniques in videography, but it has a few elements to it that can be tricky to get right without some prior knowledge. In this video, get a brilliant beginner's tutorial on how to get your Sony camera setup for slow motion footage.
The season of red, orange, and yellow leaves is just about here. Whether you’ve already gone out and taken some photos or are just about to, it can be really helpful to keep a few key concepts in mind. In this guide, we'll be taking a look at what to do when you’re behind the camera, as well as in front of the monitor editing those shots.
In 2020, Sigma announced the disappointing news that its work on a groundbreaking Foveon sensor was delayed indefinitely. However, in a recent interview, Sigma’s CEO has said that work is underway, having restarted the project from scratch.
As Nikon shooters worldwide await with bated breath the announcement of the brand’s flagship mirrorless camera, Nikon has dropped a first look preview that gives us a clue as to their priorities.
There's a good chance you've heard of the "Ring of Fire," a technique popularized by wedding and portrait photographer Sam Hurd. The Ring of Fire is a special effects technique that uses a piece of copper tube to reflect light and create a highlight flare in the shape of a ring. This technique has been widely adopted, and to create this effect for yourself is pretty easy. Today, I'll be walking through the steps to transform your portraits using the famous Ring of Fire technique.
Photographing for free can hurt your brand or build a whole new business branch. There are photographers who work for free because they are afraid to charge. Then, there are photographers who work for free in the form of test shoots.
Fujifilm’s X100 line has been one of the most popular compact camera choices over the last decade. Even diehard shooters of other brands buy one for their everyday carrying. Starting with the X100 in 2010, the series is now in its fifth iteration with the X100V.
Nikon’s announcement of the much-anticipated Z 9 could be upon us with the manufacturer expected to confirm the resolution of its brand new stacked sensor that is promised to shoot 8K video.
Perhaps one of the biggest moral debates I have with myself is when I look at the good work of “bad” photographers — work that has a life of its own and work that has become culturally significant. Yet, that work has a dark side to it: the creator. Is it possible to look at photographs without ever thinking about the photographer behind them?
The Canon EOS R5 received most of the fanfare when it was first announced alongside the EOS R6, but the latter is no slouch, and in some ways, it might be the more appropriate and balanced camera for a lot of photographers and filmmakers. This great video review takes a look at the camera and the kind of performance you can expect from it in the real world.
Seascapes can be beautiful and it's almost impossible to shoot the same image twice, so the genre can keep pulling you back in. However, one setting almost rules them all when it comes to the final image; get it wrong and you can leave with nothing.
It’s something I’ve been contemplating for some time. Will the Latest Version of On1 Photo Raw 2022 persuade me to finally abandon Adobe? Please help me decide whether I should.
There are many combinations and properties of light, all of which have different consequences and effects on both the technical and creative aspects of your images. One of the most fundamental properties every photographer needs to know is the hardness of light, and this excellent video tutorial will show you both when and how to use soft and hard light for portraiture.
A rumor describing Canon’s next lens for its full frame mirrorless cameras has taken everyone by surprise: a 5.2mm f/2.8L “dual fisheye” designed for virtual reality. What is Canon planning, and who is this lens for?
It was only a matter of time before Canon would release a true macro lens for the RF mount. Instead of an RF version of the ever-so-popular EF 100mm macro lens, Canon had a little surprise up its sleeve. I got a chance to review this amazing lens.
The Ricoh GR has long been a popular choice of compact camera for fans of street photography, and a new version was recently announced. The IIIx brings an interesting change to this point-and-shoot heavyweight.
