Who Was the First Global Social Media Travel Infuencer?

You take photos, you write books, you're published in weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines, and travel the world with the sole purpose of... traveling. You sound like one of the early social media influencers of the 2010s who was "living the dream," constantly on the road, distributing a drip of photos and articles to the travel-enthused general public. However, it's 1888, and your name is Frank Carpenter.

The Camera Gear and Settings Peter Hurley Recommends

There are few people on the planet who know as much about headshots as Peter Hurley. In this helpful video tutorial, he discusses the sort of camera gear and settings you should consider for your headshot work.

Photographers, Stop Calling Yourself a Creative Director

I have noticed a huge trend of photographers calling themselves creative directors. On the social media app Clubhouse, there was a wave of creative directors. I hosted rooms to educate the photography community on what a creative director does and why calling yourself a creative director prematurely might hurt your growth.

5 Affinity Photo Tools That We Need in Adobe Photoshop

For most things retouching, Adobe Photoshop sets the pace and has been the industry standard for decades. However, as alternative software improves and innovates, there are some features that Photoshop doesn't have that would improve it.

The Best Photo Vivian Maier Never Took

We'd all love to be mentioned in the same breath as our favorite photographer. Especially if that photographer is a highly celebrated master of their genre. But what happens when your image is mistaken for, and credited to them, instead of you?

5 One-Light Portrait Photography Setups

A lot of the work by professional portrait photographers uses more complex two- or three-light setups. And such setups absolutely have their place and give a wide amount of technical and creative control, but you can also accomplish quite a bit with only a single light. This excellent video tutorial will show you five great one-light setups for portrait photography.

Want to Be a Better Wedding Photographer? Try Street Photography

Wedding photography is a challenging, high-pressure genre, and anything you can do to be as prepared as possible will help you to ensure that when the big day comes, you can deliver the shots your clients want. One way to improve your abilities that you might not have considered is street photography, and this excellent video will show you why you should practice it.

How to Plan a Fashion Editorial Photoshoot

So many photographers talk about testing, test shoots, and time for print (TFP), but what are these things exactly? In this article, I will explain my take on them.

5 Common Landscape Photography Mistakes

Landscape photography is a popular genre that challenges a lot of aspects of your technique and creativity, and as such, there are plenty of places where things can go awry if you are not being careful or are not totally solid in your abilities. This excellent video tutorial discusses five common mistakes landscape photographers make and how to either fix or avoid them altogether.

Sony Launches $1 Million 'Create Action' Initiative to Serve Local Nonprofits

It's easy for large companies to donate a handful of cash to a worthy cause and call it a day. And although that money will be put to good work, sometimes, these non-profit organizations need more than just a few extra dollars. Because of that, Sony aims to do quite a bit more with their new "Create Action" initiative.

Astrophotography With a Google Pixel Smartphone? Really?

The recent addition of an astrophoto time-lapse mode (uncovered by XDA Developers) coming to Google’s camera app on their Pixel line of phones piqued my interest. Not that I think it will replace all of our “real” cameras, but I do have a deep appreciation for the engineering wizardry required to push right up to the physical limits of a tiny sensor and lens. And as an astronomy enthusiast, any developments that might open an appreciation of the night skies to a wider population get me very interested.

How Top Tips Videos Are Killing Your Creativity

Top tips videos dominate the YouTube photography world. The breakdown of a complex topic into an easily digestible list satisfies our appetite for a quick creative boost. But are top tips videos really bolstering our creativity or stifling it? This video suggests that those videos may just be limiting our ability to create unique work.

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Is That Camera Good Value for the Planet and Your Pocket?

Different camera makes and models are better than others for longevity. The main failing point of cameras is the shutter, because it is a moving part. Most manufacturers publish targets for shutter life. By spending a little more, you may get much better value and reduce environmental impact too.

Why I Became A Professional Photographer

Having spent a long and exhausting, but fruitful and necessary, weekend going about the chore of reorganizing my overly cluttered garage, I found myself with time to think about a basic question. Why exactly did I become a professional photographer?

How to Edit Portraits Using Luminar AI

Editing portraits can be a time-consuming task, especially when you have done something like a corporate session and have multiple subjects to work through. However, newer software offers the ability to automate many parts of the process and vastly increase your efficiency. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to edit portraits using Luminar AI.

A Few Helpful Studio Portrait Photography Tips

Studio photography allows you complete creative and technical control over your imagery, which also means all your skills and imagination are put to the test. This helpful video tutorial will give you a few quick tips to improve your studio portrait images and expand your creativity.

Olympus Announces the M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO Lens

Today, Olympus has announced a new, lightweight, ultra wide-angle zoom lens for their Micro Four Thirds (MFT) systems. This versatile lens has the image quality people have come to expect of the PRO range, but with a much wider coverage than most lenses in their line-up.

Why You Should Start Selling Postcards Through Your Website and How to Do It

Many photographers would love to sell prints from their website but holding stock is expensive, shipping can be complicated, and buying a quality print can be a significant investment of money and wallspace that won't appeal to a large chunk of your audience. Why not sell postcards instead?

How to Choose Camera Settings for Landscape Photography

The neat thing about landscape photography is that any single subject can be rendered in many different ways simply by your choice of settings and more. So, how do you know which settings to choose for a specific shot? This excellent video tutorial discusses what to think about when you are deciding which camera settings to use.

How To Get the Look of the Netflix Show DARK Using DaVinci Resolve 16

The amount of high-end television and film on display in recent years is unparalleled. One show that got a lot of attention is the drama mystery, DARK after it was added to Netflix. Its acting and plot are both brilliant, but the cinematography is utterly superb.

Tips on How To Pose Men for Portraiture

So much of portraiture is of women that you would be surprised at just how much posing knowledge you might have without trying. However, for many reasons, with men, it's trickier. This video goes into some tips, tricks, and mistakes when posing men for portraits.

Fstoppers Reviews the Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro ISO Live Streaming HDMI Switcher


The Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini is one of the best and easiest ways to do more than just stream multiple cameras, and at first, it might seem like an expensive gadget for most photographers. But this last year has shown us a lot of businesses can succeed remotely and even after things return to some level of normalcy a few things are probably going to stay that way.

4 of the Best Apps for Planning Photoshoots

Apps have undoubtedly revolutionized modern life and there are few areas untouched by them. Photography is no exception and with the help of the right app, your shoots and your workflow can improve tenfold. Here are four apps one photographer reaches for when planning his next shoot.

How to Improve Your Landscape Photo Compositions

Composition is one of the most challenging aspects of landscape photography, and a good composition can be what takes an interesting subject and creates a compelling photo of it. If you have been struggling with creating good compositions, this great video tutorial will show you an effective method for finding worthwhile subjects and using them to make better photos.

Shooting Locations With No Golden Hour Light

There are a few locations you'll encounter in landscape photography that don't get golden hour light. This video discusses a few examples of those locations and a few ideas of what you can do when you find yourself without golden hour.

The Top Five Photography Spots in Socotra: This Place Is Beautiful

Socotra is one of the most stunning places on the planet to photograph. Its strikingly white sand dunes and breathtaking dragon blood trees certainly have a lot to do with it. But there’s way more to love about one of the planet’s most biodiverse islands.

How to Blend Photos With Different Shutter Speeds in Photoshop

Landscape photographers often blend images shot at different focal distances for maximum sharpness and occasionally those shot at separate focal lengths for creative effect. However, you can also blend images shot at different shutter speeds for both creative effect and high levels of sharpness, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to do it using Photoshop.

A Year With Fuji's Flagship X-T4 Mirrorless Camera

Fujifilm's X Series of cameras has gained a lot of respect over the years as a line of capable, well-designed bodies that offer photographers a functional and creatively inspiring experience. The X-T4 is the most recent flagship in the company's line of mirrorless cameras, and this excellent video review discusses how it holds up after a year of usage.

Fstoppers Reviews the SunwayFoto GH-02 Gimbal Head

I recently decided to upgrade to a nicer gimbal head for my tripod. However, I wasn't quite fond of the $500+ options available on the market. I'm sure they are nice, but I couldn't justify the extra cost because my current gimbal did almost everything I needed.

Do You Really Understand How Reflections Work in Photography?

Controlling reflections on your subject has to be one of the trickier skills to master in photography. It's a deep and nerdy topic to dive into, but this video is specifically about food photography and how simple changes in your shooting angle can dramatically affect the final image.

Sony a7S III Versus Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro

In this article, you will discover the key differences between two very popular cameras with video shooters, the Sony a7S III and the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro. Check out the article to decide which one of these video workhorses is the right one for you.

5 Things You Should Do Before Every Wedding You Photograph

Wedding photography is a high-pressure genre in which being prepared in every aspect is crucial to ensuring success when the big day arrives. This excellent video tutorial features a seasoned wedding photographer discussing five things you should do before every wedding you shoot.

Stop Storing Your Files Like It’s 1999

Whether you’re shooting 8K video or are just coming back from a shoot with 1,000 images to sort through, your digital asset management strategy has to be on point. Over the last few years, technology and standards have advanced quite a bit, and it’s easier than ever to create a powerful, versatile, and safer approach to storing your files, but it can also be confusing. This guide will take a look at the standards you have to know when upgrading your storage.

How to Get Started in Deep-Sky Astrophotography With a Telescope and Your Camera

Astrophotography is a very challenging genre, requiring specialized equipment, technical knowledge, top-notch technique, and a lot of patience, but it can be tremendously rewarding when it all comes together and you get a stunning image of something that is an unfathomably large distance from our home. If you are new to deep-sky astrophotography, this great video tutorial will show you the basics of getting started with a camera and a telescope.

Don't Listen to Photography Gatekeepers

Photography culture is a weird thing, and there can be a lot of unnecessary gatekeeping regarding gear, skills, creativity, access to opportunities, and more, and it can all be rather discouraging, especially for newcomers. This excellent video essay offers some important words of encouragement for facing those gatekeepers.

Talent Alone Isn’t Enough to Get You Very Far

Talent is a wonderful thing, but talent alone isn't enough to bring you success in the photography world. And let's face it, there are lots and lots of talented people out there. Here are some other things that you will probably need far more than talent to succeed in photography.

What Camera Gear Makes Me the Most Money

As a working professional commercial photographer, the return on investment (ROI) of your equipment is very important. Or at least it should be. In this video, I look at what actually makes me money.

What Is a Shift Lens and What Does It Do?

Shift lenses offer a lot of unique solutions in certain situations. Is it beneficial for your photography workflow? In this video, we'll see the uses of a shift lens and for what genres of photography you may want one.

Finally a Tripod I Love: Colorado Tripod Company

I've been testing out the Centennial Tripod from Colorado Tripod Company and I love it. Buying US-made products is cool, but when those sellers offer top quality at a good price, it's even more awesome! Read on to see why I think your next tripod should be made in Colorado.