Fast glass is more affordable than ever before, with brands pushing quality and lowering prices to attract photographers away from the big names. But how good are they?
A problem that many photographers face is being unhappy with their photos. This ends up running shoots and makes matters even worse. Some never fully experience the joy of creating that photography can bring.
A wide-aperture 50mm lens is often one of the most versatile options in a photographer's bag, suitable for a lot of work ranging from portraiture to low-light events. A lesser-known option is the Irix 45mm f/1.4, which offers some unique features along with an interesting focal length, all put together in a rugged package that can handle a variety of tough shooting scenarios. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
If you've been trying to get some portraits of your furry friend but your images aren't quite cutting the mustard, then these seven simple techniques might be just the thing you need.
A lot of the time, you have complete control over a portrait, including where you take it and thus, the background that complements your subject(s). But in other situations (wedding photography, for example), you do not get much of a choice and may be stuck with a boring, distracting, or simply unpleasing background. If that is the case, this helpful video tutorial will give you five tips for still making professional portraits.
Using manual exposure is considered professional use by many photographers. Sometimes, it is even considered the only serious way of using a camera, giving you full exposure control. But is this true, or is manual exposure just old fashioned?
The Canon EF lens exodus is continuing, with over a dozen more being discontinued or slated for it at some point this year as the company rapidly pivots toward mirrorless and its RF mount.
We talk about how to add light and shape it in a scene quite a lot, but as important as that is, so too are the shadows in your photos. This great video tutorial discusses how you can use shadows to create better, more dynamic, and more compelling images.
The majority of landscape photographers tend to prefer keeping the entire scene in focus from back to front, using smaller apertures to maintain greater depth of field. Using this simple technique, any photographer can quickly find the hyperfocal distance, or the focusing distance at which a lens, given any aperture and focal length, will produce the greatest depth of field.
Overlaying textures on top of your photographs is an underused way of adding real interest and creative flair to a final image. This tutorial on exactly that might be the best one I have seen to date.
"Big Magic" has changed my approach to photography, and art in general in more than one way. I rarely urge anyone to do anything; I think it’s too intrusive. But this time I do. I urge you to read this book like it’s The Bible. Here's why.
Taking the leap into photography as a career can be a terrifying prospect, but on the other hand, some of us are simply not happy stuck in the tedium and repetition of a more traditional 9 to 5. This inspiring video essay discusses one man's journey from a 9-to-5 job in IT to professional astrophotography.
The internet has been an integral part of allowing photographers to showcase their work to the world. Yet, no one is safe from the trolls hiding behind their computer screens.
Canon's new mirrorless macro lens, the RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM, is likely on its way soon, and the first images of it show a bizarre control we haven't seen on a lens before.
If you’re a photographer who shoots film, you’ve likely seen and had an opinion about film presets. For many, that opinion is quite negative, and for those like myself, we lean towards favoring them.
The Sony a1 is probably the most extreme camera we have seen so far, with one of its most notable features being that insane 30 fps continuous burst rate. While the camera also has some equally impressive video features to accompany its photo capabilities, it is more fun to see just how truly fast that aforementioned burst rate is by shooting video using it.
This video by Premiere Gal was uploaded on April Fools, so it starts with a joke. But the rest of the video has some valuable tips even if you've been editing video for a while.
Sony has very quietly released two new cameras that bring incremental upgrades to the a7R III and a7R IV.
There is a trend growing in the photography world. The trend is to accompany photographs with explanatory text. I am not convinced this is a good thing. What do you think?
One of the marks of a lot of good images is the ability to make a two-dimensional photo have the feel of a three-dimensional scene. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to take advantage of the way the human brain determines distance to give your images a deeper sense of depth.
“The last travel tripod you’ll ever need” might seem like a very definitive statement, but let’s take a look at what Gitzo is talking about and exactly why is this tripod kit worth getting.
Portrait photography is a tricky genre that takes the combination of good technique, creativity, and the ability to work with people simultaneously. If you have been struggling with it a bit, this helpful video tutorial contains six minutes of rapid-fire tips and techniques to help you improve your work.
Photography struggles with truth as a concept. With other art forms, truth is generally a non-issue. We do not question whether a painting is real. We do not question whether a dance is real. We are generally able to discern fictional texts from nonfiction; furthermore, we’re generally able to sift through multiple nonfiction texts and combine them with our own experiences to arrive at a conclusion of truth. But not with photography.
We know that Canon is bringing a lot of new RF mirrorless lenses to market fairly soon, and it looks like we have more information coming in, with some exciting news on new designs.
Having WhatsApp aggressively compress your images, strip out important metadata, and delete your handpicked color profiles is downright annoying for photographers. Thankfully, there is an easy way to trick WhatsApp into sending your precious images unharmed.
Landscape photography is a genre that often requires editing to complete your image more heavily than most others, and as such, there are a lot of places where things can go a bit awry during post-processing. This informative video tutorial details seven common editing mistakes landscape photographers make so you can be aware of them and avoid them.
There is a lot of photography content out there, a large portion of which is video. This might be, however, the most relaxing and enjoyable video of photography I've ever watched.
Today, I’d like to discuss one of the most overused and most misunderstood concepts in photography. What exactly makes something a “professional camera”?
Both the Fujifilm X100V and Leica Q2 are advanced fixed prime lens cameras, and they each offer a range of great features and excellent image quality. Which one is right for your work? This great video review takes a look at both.
Exposure bracketing is one of the most important tools to know how to use for landscape photography and is likely a term you've heard from every major name in the business. Find out why it's so important and just how easy it is to learn.
Are you feeling a bit stuck lately and wondering how you can improve your images? Check out this fantastic video tutorial that will give you 10 helpful tips for improving your work.
Creative blocks and lack of motivation for picking up the camera happen to the best of us. While there are times it is best to just embrace the downtime and wait for inspiration to strike, more frequently, it is better to take active steps to push past the doldrums. It's important to find methods that work best for you, but there are a handful of tricks that I have found to be successful over the years.
Zeiss lenses are well known for their contrasty, sharp, and nearly flawless renderings with smooth bokeh, making them highly sought-after portrait instruments. This great video review takes a look at one of the company's more reasonably priced options, the Milvus 85mm f/1.4 ZE and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
If like me, you were told to work out your overheads, how many days a year you plan to work, and calculate your fees from this, you have also been pricing your photography work incorrectly.
With the increased availability of high-quality lenses with wide apertures, we have become quite obsessed with images that use a narrow depth of field to isolate the subject and blow the background to smithereens. And certainly, that can be a valid way of doing things, but there are many other great ways to draw attention to your subject, and this informative video tutorial will show you some of the best methods.
When you are scouting locations for a photoshoot, what are you typically focused on for the backgrounds? How often do you consider the textures and the colors that they could add to your shots?
This subject comes up all too often, every time a new camera body comes out or when the industry makes a big shift such as film to digital or DSLR to mirrorless. So, what’s the best kit you can buy?
The Sony a1 mirrorless camera is by far one of the most impressive cameras we have ever seen, meant to tackle just about any need you can throw at it. This great video review takes a look at the camera and how it holds up for stills work after two months.
The NFT craze infuriates me, even though it's great to empower artists,and support a vital part of society through a devastating pandemic. The cost of this support is far greater. NFTs have a catastrophic impact on the environment, the true scale of which we can't even begin to understand.
Photography is full of rules regarding every aspect, including composition, lighting, editing, and more. And while those rules can be tremendously useful, adhering to them strictly is likely to handcuff your creativity and limit your growth as a photographer. This interesting video essay discusses the ideas of learning the rules, following them, and then breaking them.
Tim Huynh's new documentary, "Fill The Frame," sparked a recent controversy about who qualifies as a professional street photographer. I suggest the answer is no one.
No doubt, a sunrise or sunset showering a scene with dramatic golden light is a popular look for a good reason, but it should not be all that we look for in landscape photography, and you could be missing out on great shots if you ignore gray days. This interesting video examines the topic and discusses why there is more to life than obsessing over sunsets.
It has been our reality for quite some time now, but the effects the pandemic has had on the travel industry will continue for the foreseeable future. How does a travel photographer get through this without completely losing everything?
Focal length is by far one of the most important choices you can make when it comes to portraiture, as it makes a huge difference on how your subject is rendered. This helpful video will show you how five different common focal lengths render the same subject.
As virtual gatherings and conferences are still in full blast this year, Leica has released the full list of speakers for the first Annual Leica Woman Summit which can be attended virtually and is accessible at no cost!
In this video tutorial, watch as Abbey Esparza shows you seven reasons why your composites may need work in Photoshop. If you feel like something is holding you back composite-wise, this video is for you.
COVID-19 has brought 2.7 million deaths worldwide so far; poor mental health kills 8 million every year. Jessica McGovern talks about her own struggles and helping other photographers.
Venus Optics is known for producing some rather unique and extreme lens designs, and the Laowa 17mm f/4 GFX Zero-D is no different, offering an extremely wide angle of view for Fujifilm medium format shooters. This great video takes a look at the lens and the kind of performance you can expect from it in the real world.
Look at your gear right now. How much of it did you need and how much of it did you want? Knowing the difference between the two can save you thousands and make you a more sophisticated photographer who focuses on art.
