7 Tips for Better Winter Photos

Winter is just about here in the Northern Hemisphere (there is a bad storm raging outside as I write this), and it brings with it a bunch of new creative possibilities. As you get ready for the snow to fly, check out these seven fantastic tips for better winter photos.

A Look at the Impressive Performance of the New MacBooks

Apple's move to its own silicon has been one of the most notable paradigm shifts in the computing world in recent memory, and now that the first computers with the M1 chip are on the market, their performance capabilities are turning heads. This great video review takes a look at the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops.

What Happens When You Lose Your Photographic Confidence?

Photography, like any creative pursuit, requires a degree of confidence in your abilities in order to find success. It is totally normal to go through periods in which you lose that confidence, however. So, what do you do then? This great video essay discusses what you can do to rebuild your confidence.

How to Find Good Portrait Photography Locations

Shooting portraits outside of the studio requires a keen eye for finding good locations. If that is something you struggle with a bit, this excellent video tutorial will teach you how to find locations that make for stronger portraits.

Will the Panasonic S5's New Firmware Kill the S1H?

Panasonic is overlooked in a number of areas in the industry, but video is certainly not one of them. With this latest firmware upgrade, could Panasonic be cannibalizing their own more expensive camera though?

Fstoppers Reviews the Newly Launched Gura Gear Chobe 2.0

Gura Gear, a company known for its durable on-the-go focused bags, is back with an update to its Chobe shoulder bag. This time around, it comes in two different sizes and multiple configurations, but maintains that same excellent construction of the original bag. Let’s take a look at the new Chobe 2.0.

New To Landscape Photography? Here's What You Need

Starting out in any field can seem daunting, and photography is no exception. There’s so much gear or equipment out there and trying to single-out what you need in your field carry-ons can be quite confusing and difficult, without proper research or guidance.

Checking Used Camera Lenses in Three Steps

Most lenses are built to last forever – unless you break them. Hence, buying a used lens is often a good way to save money. In this article, you will learn what you need to check before buying a used lens.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (November 2020): Skyler Ewing

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2020, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

Control Photoshop With Hand Gestures

The future is always coming at the same speed, but on occasions, it feels as if it has sped up significantly. With this wearable device, you can control Photoshop with just your hand and a surface.

A Landscape Photography Course for Everyone: On Sale at 90% Off Today

Everyone has the capability to take incredible photos with the phone these days. Yet, most people lack the training of photography fundamentals that would turn their iPhone photos into works of art. Enter the newest landscape photography course from iPhone Photo Academy.

Can Upgrading Your Gear Make You Less Happy?

Cyber Monday — the more recent sibling of Black Friday — is upon us. It is therefore a good time to remind everyone that upgrades of gear are not always the right move, and they can be detrimental in more ways than one.

A Review of the Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM Lenses 

No doubt, the Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lenses are some of the most peculiar to come along in a while, but can they produce the kind of results suitable for professional work? This great video review takes a look at both lenses and the kind of performance you can expect.

What Features Do You Want to See Added to Photoshop?

Photoshop is a very complex and multi-layered application full of a ton of features, but even with all of those capabilities, there is still a lot of room for new features. This great video discusses 16 features that one pro would like to see added to the program.

7 Tips for Natural Light Beauty Photography

Of all the genres in photography, beauty work often has some of the most precise, intricate, and carefully sculpted lighting setups out there. Nonetheless, that does not mean you can't shoot beauty images using natural light, and that may even be preferable in certain situations. This fantastic video tutorial discusses seven tips for shooting better natural light beauty images.

How to Be Successful on Instagram in 2021

Though Instagram has changed quite a lot in the last few years (and not particularly for the better), it still remains an important place for displaying your work and attracting potential clients. This excellent video discusses how to rethink how you use the app and approach it in a way that will generate growth in the coming year.

Should You Use a Teleconverter, or Just Crop the Image?

Where once the only option was the longest lens possible if you wanted to shoot wildlife, now we have the resolution to give the photographer some real flex with cropping. So when you're next out birding, what's the best approach? Is it a telecoverter, or just cropping?

My New Go-To Strategy for Reducing Noise

Long exposures and high ISOs can bring out hot pixels. Worse than just regular high ISO noise, hot pixels are those little brightly colored dots that stick out like a sore thumb. Their random nature has made them tough to deal with effectively, until now. Want to know the easiest way to get rid of them?

The Contax T2: The Best, Most Expensive Point-and-Shoot Film Camera Ever Made?

The Contax T2 was a luxury compact rangefinder released in 1991, combing excellent image quality and controls that have since made it a desirable option for film aficionados. Contax no longer exists and T2s now sell for thousands of dollars. Why do they cost so much and are they worth the investment?

The Most Underrated Skill in Landscape Photography: Scouting

Many things are required to be an excellent landscape photographer. Knowledge of your equipment, understanding the attributes of light, and an eye for composition are just a few of these skills. However, there is one skill that is often underrated.

A Beginner's Guide to Capturing Winter Nature Photos

A winter frost can give the most amazing nature photos, from dewy spider webs to seemingly diamond-encrusted berries. Find out how to capture those frosty shots with this method that can help you get great shots every time.

Are You Raising Your Photography Rates? You Should Be

The broad and often contentious topic of pricing one's photography services can be a mind-melting process for new professional photographers or for those that are less business-savvy — but it needn't be so difficult. This video not only looks at the ways in which photographers can raise their rates, but also why every photographer should periodically increase their prices.

Lightroom Settings All Photographers Should Know About

Lightroom is a deceptively complex program with a wide variety of settings that can impact both your workflow and the quality of your images. This excellent video details some lesser-known settings in the application that you should nonetheless be aware of.

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

A shift lens is a uniquely useful optic for a variety of applications, particularly for architecture, where the ability to correct perspective and keystone distortion allows you to make buildings look more natural. This excellent video review takes a look at one such lens available for a variety of lens mounts, the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift.

How to Pose People Who Aren't Models

Working with models can make your job a bit easier, but for those of us who shoot portraits of people who are not models, having a firm grasp of posing is crucial. This excellent video will teach you how to pose normal people and still get professional images.

How One Photographer Almost Lost His Business

Running a photography business can be a risky and nerve-racking venture, and it helps you to have all of the business advice you can before you dive into things. This excellent video essay discusses how one photographer nearly lost his business and offers seven essentials for building and running a successful photography business.

How to Pose Males in Portrait Photography

It doesn't matter how perfect your settings both in and out of the camera are, if your subject is posed poorly, the shot will be all but ruined. Here is a guide to some techniques on posing males for your next portrait shoot.

Is It Time To Change the Laws on Street Photography?

There’s been some intense discussion in recent weeks as to whether freedom of expression gives photographers the right to be intrusive and disrespectful towards their subjects when photographing in public. Do the laws governing street photography need to be addressed, or does any change pose a threat to the First Amendment?

DIY Water-Cooled Canon R5 Set-up Results in Unlimited 8K Recording

Imagine being able to film unlimited 8K video, or capturing images of deep-sky objects all night with almost zero noise. While there may be better ways to manufacture a camera without heat issues, there is a market for a camera that could be cooled beyond the average current camera housing.

How to Choose Your First Prime Lens for Photography

If you’re ready to upgrade from your kit lens and you’re wondering what to choose, consider getting yourself a fast — yet affordable — prime lens. Here’s an overview of the most popular options which should give you an idea of what will best suit your photography.

How to Raise Your Prices Without Losing Clients

Figuring out how to price your photography services can be really tricky and a bit nerve-racking, especially when you are thinking of raising your prices. If that is something you are thinking of doing, this excellent video discusses how you can do so without losing your clients in the process.

Can the New $1,300 MacBook Pro Beat a $4,000 Model?

Apple's new Macs with their own silicon have been smashing conventions with highly impressive performance numbers, ultra-long battery life, and affordable prices for the power you get. If you have been wondering about the new MacBook Pro for your own work, this great video review features a photographer pitting the new laptop against his tricked out i9 MacBook Pro.

Poll Results: iPhone Photo Beats DSLR

A few days ago Patrick and I posted two images and asked you to vote on your favorite. What we didn't tell you was that one was taken with an iPhone and the other was taken with a Nikon D850. The majority of you chose the iPhone shot as the better photo.

Shooting With One of the Most Beloved Medium Format Film Cameras

Though it was introduced 50 years ago, the Mamiya RB67 is still one of the most beloved cameras out there, widely sought after by many film photographers. What makes this camera so special? This great video follows a photographer as he shoots with it for the first time.

Are You Hurting Your Business by Keeping Your Prices Too Low?

The level you set your prices at is crucial to your business, of course, but so is the perception of your brand. One issue many photographers overlook, however, is how their prices impact the perception of their brand. This excellent video examines the topic.

A Review of the Fujifilm XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR Lens

No doubt, a wide aperture wide angle lens is one of the most versatile optics a photographer or videographer can have. If you are a Fujifilm shooter and looking for such a lens for your kit, check out this great review of the XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR.

5 Reasons Why Filters Matter: A Review of NiSi's Long-Exposure Circular Filter Kit

When it comes to photography, there are a few fundamental basics one needs to cover before shooting. Besides needing a camera, decent battery life, and a reliable and solid support system, you need filters to combat the daylight sun's harshness, introduce contrast, remove the annoying infrared noise, and polarize the sky or any reflections. Some filters also allow you to create those beautiful, abstract, long-exposure, misty seascapes with streaky clouds overhead.

Why Are Sony, Fuji, and Olympus Soaring Ahead?

A camera is only worth what you're willing to pay for it, and the same is true of camera manufacturers. A business is not necessarily the sum of its parts, and its value is reflected in its share price. By this yardstick, Sony is streaking ahead while Nikon is bombing. How do they compare?