The Enemy Agents, The Psychopaths, and the Cult of the Camera

Nasty comments get posted in the online photographic communities, so I researched the driving forces behind the trolls and what we should do about them. Who they are and their motivations are not as obvious as you may think.

Find Out How Long It Is Before Your SSD Will Die

Many of us photographers rely on solid-state drives to store our important images. Did you know these types of drives only have a limited life span? Here's how to check how long your current drives have left on them before they urgently need replacing.

It Looks Like Sony Is Planning a Unique and Impressive Lens

It has been an exciting year for gear, and it looks like camera companies are showing no signs of slowing down. Sony looks to be next in line, with an exciting and boundary-pushing lens being readied for announcement next week.

The Benefit From Using Three Primes Instead of One Zoom Lens

Zoom lenses are wonderful things. With one lens, you have a large number of focal lengths at your disposal. The adjustments are infinitely variable. But in reality, you can often shoot everything with only three different focal lengths. You may even benefit from it.

5 Reasons Why Being a Landscape Photographer Is Great

Landscape photography is a tough genre, requiring long slogs to find good shots with no guarantee that nature will cooperate once you get there. Still, there are a lot of great things about it, and this fantastic video discusses five of the best parts about being a landscape photographer.

What Is It Like Being a Commercial Food Photographer?

Until 10 years ago, I didn’t know that being a professional food photographer was even a thing. I don’t come from a creative background, so if you had asked me what I thought they did, I would have been very far from the truth. Hopefully, I can shed some light.

The Fastest Way to Cull Your Photos? Fstoppers Reviews Narrative Select

I don’t know about you, but I really hate culling images. I hate waiting for images to load. I hate zooming in to see if it’s in focus. I hate the time it takes to go through so many images. About six months ago, I started using Narrative Select for culling, and it might be the fastest way to cull images.

Learn to Embrace Eyesores in Landscape Photography

Humans are a rather invasive species, and it is getting harder and harder to find pristine landscapes that are untouched by manmade structures. So, how do you create good images when you have to deal with all these eyesores? Maybe the answer is to learn to embrace them. This insightful video essay discusses the issue and what we can do about it.

Is Canon's R3 Enough to Challenge the Sony a1 and Nikon Z 9?

The Sony a1 has arrived and the Nikon Z 9 was recently been announced, so it's now Canon's turn to make an announcement about its forthcoming top-end camera, the R3. Last month, I compared Canon's then top-end R5 to Sony's and Nikon's offerings, commenting on the different strategic approaches of the three companies. Now that the R3 has arrived, what does it say about Canon's approach to the burgeoning mirrorless market, and what are the portents for Sony and Nikon?

Check Out Canon's Neat New Bokeh Control in the RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens

A good medium telephoto macro lens is an extremely versatile optic, offering the ability to shoot extreme close-ups and also doubling as a sharp portrait option. Canon's new RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM comes with increased magnification and a neat bokeh control feature, and this video shows it in action.

The Canon EOS R1 Is Going to Be a Crazy Camera

Canon's EOS R5 showed us they were finally taking mirrorless seriously. And now, the EOS R3 has shown us that they are swinging for the fences. And yet, there is still the EOS R1 to come. It is going to be one crazy camera.

The Pioneering Photography of Harold 'Doc' Edgerton

With all of our fussing over codecs and bitrates, and demanding 4K 120 fps at every latest camera release, it can be good practice to look back at where some of this technology started in order to get a bit of perspective. This beautifully edited video illustrates perfectly how the likes of Canon and Sony are most certainly standing on the shoulders of giants.

An Interview With Eric Magnussen: The Art of Drag and Photography

RuPaul’s Drag Race is the Emmy-winning global phenomenon taking reality TV by storm. The show is in its 13th season but boasts several spin-offs including All Stars, as well as localized seasons in Canada, UK, Thailand, Holland, Spain, and Australia. Drag race, as it is called by fans, is a reality competition that challenges contestants to find the drag performer who possesses the perfect blend of charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.

Is This the Weirdest 35mm Film That Polaroid Ever Made?

For the overwhelming majority of people, shooting on color film means dropping it off at a lab and waiting for it to be developed. But what if the film came with a weird box and some awful smelling chemicals so that you could develop it at home?

How To Understand Color To Create More Impactful Photographs

Whether you’re picking clothing combinations for a shoot or sitting down to edit your shots in Lightroom, understanding how colors work together and how to manipulate them can have a huge effect on the impact of your images. This insightful video gives you a detailed understand of how to use color in your photography.

The Only Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Umbrellas

How do you know if an umbrella costing $100 is any better than the $5 one? It's quite hard to tell the difference in terms of light quality, especially if you're a beginner. But I assure you, expensive light modifiers are quite different from the regular cheap ones. That difference is noticeable only after you've used them for some time.

Who Should You Contact For Commercial Work

When I started out in photography, I didn't even know that ad agencies were a thing. To be honest, I didn't know a lot at all. However, over the years I have picked up a few tricks that will hopefully help you.

A Review of the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift Lens

Avoiding converging lines and keystone distortion with a wide angle lens can be tricky, which is why a shift function can be so useful. This great video review takes a look at the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift and the sort of image quality you can expect from it in practice.

A Practical Review of the Apple M1 MacBook for Photo and Video Editing

The M1 architecture released by Apple late last year completely blew away the expectations of many tech enthusiasts, myself included. Now that the dust has settled after a few months for apps to grow into the new system, how well does the M1 chip handle photo and video editing?

Our Long-Term Review of the Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS Lens

Hands down, the best zoom lens you can get for the Sony mirrorless system is the 70-200mm f/4 G lens. I’ve been using it professionally for over three yearsm and it lives up to its reputation. Let me tell you why.

Keep It Simple: Stop Overthinking Your Boudoir Sessions

The art of boudoir photography can get lost in translation and become something other than what it was intended to be. Don't the photographer that fails to hit the mark and misses out on an amazing opportunity.

How Good Is the Affordable Viltrox 24mm f/1.8 Lens?

A wide-aperture 24mm lens is useful for a huge range of applications, from events coverage to astrophotography and more. The Viltrox 24mm f/1.8 is highly affordable but still offers rather good image quality, and this great video review takes a look at what you can expect from it.

DxO PureRAW Just Might Be the Best Way to Start Your Editing

Every photographer has their own workflow, and most of us start by making edits in our raw files. Sometimes, I start in Lightroom Classic; other times, I open them with Photoshop, which takes me to Camera Raw. At times, I use Luminar AI. Now, with the debut today of DxO PureRAW, photographers have a better way to start their editing sessions, with some compelling advantages over what you are using now.

The Surreal Self-Portraiture of Marc Klaus

Marc Klaus is one artist who has a voice uniquely his own. He has used visuals and storytelling to create a meta-narrative; the video has no words but acts as a deeply insightful look into Klaus's process through clever camera work, in-camera collage, and performance art.

At What Point Is Digital Manipulation No Longer Photography?

With increasingly complex automation, turnkey editing has become easier than ever, and the line between photography and digital art is blurrier than ever. So, at what point does an image stop being a photo and become something else? This interesting video essay examines the topic and offers some insight.

Canon Announces Three New Mirrorless Lenses

Canon is showing no signs of stopping, with three new mirrorless lenses hitting the market, each with impressive features: the RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, RF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM, and RF 600mm f/4L IS USM, each with quite interesting features.

What Gear Do You Need to Photograph Your First Wedding?

A lot of new photographers view weddings as an easy way to break into professional photography while making a lot of money with minimal time, effort, and gear. As a professional wedding and portrait photographer, I can tell you part of that is true.

Break Your Bad Habits by Shooting Film with the Minolta X700

Shooting film might be a dying industry, but don’t let that hold you back from the joy of this lost art. I would also argue that occasionally shooting a film will make you a better photographer! The same things we love about our digital cameras are the things that make us lazy.

5 Things No One Tells You About Being a Landscape Photographer

Landscape photography is a bit of a different genre: there is not as clear a path to being a pro as in other areas, and there are many different ways to engage with it. If you are wondering about the genre, this interesting video discusses five things no one really tells you about being a landscape photographer and offers some great tips and advice in the process.

Three Valuable Photography Investments You Won't Overpay For

In an industry where every day seemingly brings the announcement of a new camera system promising to up your photography game while simultaneously depleting your bank account, it can be hard to know what is really worth the investment. So today, I’ll have a quick look at three areas where I’ve found you almost always get an appropriate level of bang for your buck.

10 Handheld Moves To Give You Great Shots Without a Gimbal

While gimbals are a staple of videography these days, in-camera image stabilization (IBIS) has improved to a level that with a bit of know-how, you can get great shots handheld too. Here are ten different styles of shots you can create without a gimbal.

How to Create Compelling Minimalistic Landscape Photos

A lot of popular landscape photography is very rich and vibrant, with complex and multilayered compositions. And while you can certainly create compelling images in that style, it is not the only one. At the other end of the spectrum is minimalism, which is quite challenging in its own way. This great video tutorial details some helpful tips for improving your minimalistic landscape images.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Kodak Portra 400 Versus Kodak Ektar

As a film photographer myself, one of the biggest struggles when going out to shoot is deciding on the right film. Considerations of film speed and color rendering are two of the most important and these are two that differ considerably between Portra and Ektar.

A Review of the Sigma 24mm f/3.5 DG DN Contemporary Lens

At just two inches (five cm) long and 8.1 oz (230 g), the Sigma 24mm f/3.5 DG DN Contemporary is an exceedingly portable lens at an ideal focal length for walkaround work or quick and versatile events coverage. This great video review takes a look at the lens and if its image quality and performance can match its sleek design.