Why Choose a Terrible Lens for Landscape Photography?
Landscape photographers usually want stunning detail and excellent image quality, so why would you shoot landscape photos on a cheap lens that rarely delivers sharp images?
Landscape photographers usually want stunning detail and excellent image quality, so why would you shoot landscape photos on a cheap lens that rarely delivers sharp images?
There are a ton of ways to approach editing an image, with different methods having their own pros and cons. One method involves using Smart Objects, and this helpful video tutorial will guide through editing landscape images with them and show you why they are so useful.
If there are two things that photographers work really hard to avoid in their images, they are noise and blown highlights. It is drilled into us from day one that these are to be avoided as much as possible. But are they really the end of the world? Maybe not.
The Micro Four Thirds system isn’t my go-to system for night sky or astrophotography, but if it’s yours, you can do far worse than photographing that sky with the Venus Optics Laowa 7.5mm f/2 lens for Micro Four Thirds.
The Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens is here, and it brings with it a range of improvements and the company's latest technology, all meant to make it a versatile, high-quality supertelephoto lens that will not break the bank. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Sony shooters will soon be blessed with two new zoom lenses courtesy of Tamron: the unusual 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD and an updated version of the incredibly popular 28-75mm f/2.8. Both are due to go on sale in the next four months.
Baber Afzal is the soft-spoken talent who only found his way to photography after picking up his sister’s Sony point-and-shoot nearly over a decade ago. That twist of fate has led him to work for some very well-established clients in the UAE, including the Porsche UAE’s new Panamera campaign.
A few unfortunate photographers have found out the hard way that lasers can permanently damage camera sensors. Now Sony has listed the warning on its website, hopefully preventing further accidents.
Learning how to properly edit your raw photographs can be highly daunting if you do not have much experience with Photoshop, Lightroom, or any other post-production suite. In this video, learn five basic steps to getting more out of your raw files.
When we capture a 3D environment in 2D, the perceived depth can be lost due to the colors in the scene. In this short tutorial, I'll show you one way of bringing back the depth in your image.
A Dallas, Texas man was arrested after flying a drone in the World Trade Center complex in New York City on August 2 and crashing it into one of the skyscrapers. The man, Adam Ismail, 22, said: "Now, I’ve got a great New York story... I need to make my YouTube pop off."
The vast majority of portraits you shoot will involve at least a small degree of retouching to create a finished image, and there are a lot of places where things can go awry. This excellent video tutorial will show you five retouching mistakes portrait photographers make and how you can either fix them or avoid them completely.
Like many photographers, I love to see interesting astrophotography. There are plenty of stunning examples out there, usually featuring the Milky Way over a dramatic landscape. Also, like many photographers, I've tried my hand at astrophotography and have not quite gotten the same results. Unlike many other wannabe astrophotographers, my images make me feel happy.
Once you have mastered the basic properties of light by working with a single source, you can begin to explore your creativity with more advanced lighting setups. This fantastic video tutorial will show you an advanced four-light headshot setup for creating an eye-catching image and everything you need to know to replicate it in your own work.
When you are new to photography, you probably use your camera in auto mode. And that is a great place to start, especially since modern cameras are remarkably competent at creating balanced images. Nonetheless, if you want to advance your photography, you will need to eventually embrace semi-automatic and manual modes, and this great video tutorial will show you six ways to start taking more control of your camera and your photos.
Every photographer has been faced with the task of photographing subjects in front of beautiful sunrises or sunsets. Ideally, you'd have a light, but if you don't or the subject is too large to light, you're going to have to fix the image in post.
Canon has just published its results for the second quarter of 2021 and it will make positive reading for the company’s shareholders.
Many photographers and artists say that your subject's eyes are the most important element in an image. But trying to enhance them or add a little eyeshadow can be very tricky. This tutorial will show you exactly how it's done and teach you great Photoshop techniques in the process.
Sigma has just announced its latest lens for Sony E-mount and L mount cameras: the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports complete with optical stabilization and dust and splash resistance.
It’s probably fair to say that we would all like to improve our photography, perhaps in a small specific way or maybe a whole new aspect, such as off-camera flash or wedding photography. Having a desire to improve is why we do things like buying lots of expensive new equipment in the hope it will improve our images or spend hours taking photos and editing them, much to the annoyance of our family and partners.
There is no better reminder that strong technique and knowledge of how to shape light are what create good images than seeing a professional make compelling photos use basic equipment. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to create a professional-level product image of beer using entry-level equipment and also walk you through the retouching process in Photoshop.
Cameras are more advanced than ever, but at the end of the day, nothing can replace the sort of experience, technique, and intuition that all go into knowing exactly when to press the shutter to capture that perfect moment. So, how exactly do you know when to press the shutter release? This fantastic video essay discusses the topic and how to improve your own sense of timing.
Sometimes, to grow as a photographer, you have to take two steps back to go three steps forward.
Long exposures are highly popular in landscape photography, normally used for turning turbulent, violent water into silky smooth flows. However, they are fantastic for creating motion in the sky as well. This great video tutorial will show you how to create such images, including the gear, settings, and compositions that go into making compelling results.
September is fast approaching, which means we’ll soon be getting a new iPhone announcement. It’s a safe assumption that Apple will be announcing a faster processor and a better camera. But how can smartphone cameras continue to improve without the ability to include large lenses and larger sensors?
Most of us have smartphones these days, and all of us with these smartphones have used the camera function on them. Every few years, when a new phone is released, the camera is often marketed with images taken on the phone.
The Sony a1 and Canon EOS R5 hold the distinction of being the only two consumer cameras currently on the market that offer 8K raw video. And while the video specs of the EOS R5 certainly are mightily impressive, you might wonder how it performs in the real world, particularly with issues like overheating. This excellent video review discusses the camera's video performance over the course of a year, including 8K, 4K 120p, overheating, and more.
Whether you are an amateur or professional, it is something that we will all struggle with at one point or another: hitting a wall with our work. So, what can you do when things just are not going well? This insightful video discusses the topic and offers some great advice for getting out of a rut.
We've all seen the cute cat GIFs and the funny GIF memes. But, making your own photo-based GIFs is a great exercise and can be a fun way to spice up your photography work without having to dive headfirst into video.
Tamron has produced a host of excellent lenses for Sony over the last couple of years and has recently been fleshing out its offerings for APS-C. How good is Tamron’s new 11-20mm f/2.8, and should you consider it over the equivalent Sony f/4 lens?
The Canon EOS R3 is getting closer to a full announcement and release and is currently in use by photographers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. After a lot of rumors and speculation, we now have firm confirmation that the camera will indeed feature a 24-megapixel sensor.
For the longest time, I had mixed feelings about drones. Once I finally picked one up, I found myself wishing I had done it sooner.
Canon's EF 85mm f/1.2L lens was well known for being a superlative portrait lens with a boundary-pushing design that was popular with many photographers. However, it was not without flaws, particularly a notoriously finicky autofocus system and soft image quality at wide apertures. The RF 85mm f/1.2L improves on both those issues and brings modern refinements to the classic version, and this awesome video shows the kind of images you can get from it.
Portrait lenses are some of the most widely used optics on the market, and so, photographers have plenty of options available, with something out there at just about any price point. At the top end, there is the Fujifilm GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR, and this excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
I’ve used a ton of constant lights. What they almost always have in common is that they just aren't powerful enough to keep up with the majority of shooting conditions. The StellaPro CLx10 solves that problem plus so much more.
When it comes to portrait lenses, 85mm tends to be the focal length that gets the majority of the attention from gearheads and is often where manufacturers put some of their flagship designs. That being said, 50mm lenses are an excellent choice and often the choice of top portrait photographers, and this excellent video will show you why they are so useful.
Some genres almost require post-processing of images to fully finish them, astrophotography being one of them. The post-processing techniques involved are rather particular, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to edit an image with the Milky Way combined with a light-painted landscape, all using Photoshop.
No landscape photographer is as iconic to the genre as Ansel Adams. But can someone who worked primarily in black and white and whose heyday was over half a century ago still teach us anything today?
Photographers often look for the "epic" shot — the one that will stand out, get thousands of social media likes, and get printed by our clients for wall art. While these photos are important, it's also essential to slow down and look for the other images in the scene that help tell a story and capture the vibe and emotion of the moment. In this video, we'll review a simple storytelling framework called "Wide, Medium, Tight" to help you find these opportunities.
There are few elements to an image that bears more influence on how good it is than composition. That isn't to say that you must follow the rules constantly, but knowing some of the basic rules is essential.
The last few critiques have been all about complex lighting, but for this critique, we want to keep things simple. Show us your best minimalistic photos.
In a recent article, I talked about upgrading your skillset and knowledge as a photographer. Continuing with that topic, I want to address some of the things that photographers seem to care about, but really shouldn’t.
Self-publishing your own photobook has never been easier. This helpful video gives you some insights into how to create a platform for your product, choose a printer, take preorders, and get your book on sale.
Is having old or entry-level gear a limitation to taking good quality images? Just how good can you make portraits with basic gear and what does it prohibit?
Back in film days, you loaded up a 24 or 36 exposure film and shot away until it was used up. Frames were precious because when your film was gone, it was all over. Digital removed that barrier, which has just created different problems. So, should you delete photos and, if you do, when should you stop?
The internet has a wealth of information available for free, but there are some questions that photographers seem to dodge as a question. Especially the more British of those. Let's try to answer a few of these.
Blackmagic's pocket cinema cameras have been a revelation for videographers with a tight budget and high standards. But their latest iteration, the 6K Pro, while boasting some amazing features, falls well short of being the perfect budget cinema camera — according to this professional videographer, at least.
The sad and often frustrating truth is that many times, there are very talented photographers who do not find success as professionals, no matter how good they are with a camera and how many interesting creative ideas they have. So, what, if not only talent, does it take to find success as a photographer? This important video essay discusses the traits of successful photographers.
While Lightroom Classic doesn’t offer as many customization options as programs like Photoshop, there’s still a number of major improvements you can make to the default experience. You can speed up browsing, create a way smarter default set of adjustments, and even rebrand Lightroom with your logo, in just minutes.
When it comes to landscape photography lens choices, the default choice is almost always a wide angle lens. Making successful photographs with one is tricky, however. This great video tutorial discusses some of the challenges and pitfalls of shooting with them and what you can do to improve your work when using one.