When it comes to camera gear, the lens is probably one of the most important piece of equipment you can buy. In many cases, upgrading your lens will probably make a far greater difference than upgrading anything else. This is why it's important for photographers and videographers to understand all the different types of lenses that are available.
It is all well and good to put all the time and effort you can into making yourself an apt photographer, but when it comes time to be creative, how do you actually come up with good ideas? This fantastic video tackles a rather nebulous subject to help you become a better photographer.
The dream of many people is to be able to leverage a platform like YouTube as a full-time career, but of course, with such spaces absolutely inundated by many creatives, that is not easy. Nonetheless, if you can make it, what kind of money can you expect? This great video features a YouTube educator discussing his actual revenue on several of his million-views videos.
In the previous section of this review, I looked at the physical qualities and autofocus capabilities of Fujifilm's brand new XF 50mm f/1 R WR. In this second piece, I'll be looking exclusively at its optical characteristics. There's a lot to unpack here as well. So, let's get started with the juicy stuff!
What are the things that hinder you from being a better landscape photographer?
I'm a gadget guy. I always appreciate anything that can make my life easier, safer, or more enjoyable. When I recently acquired a Kywoo3D Tycoon 3D printer, I thought it would be an excellent time to make my photography life easier.
Photography is a bit of a never-ending cycle of learning and failing. However, I often get asked how long it takes to get good, as well as how to achieve that.
Adobe has announced early Black Friday deals for its Creative Cloud subscriptions packs, including more than 20 creative apps.
Apple decided to develop and use its own processors on Macs and released the first 13” MacBook Pro with the new ARM-based Apple M1 chip. But, does it really perform as well as the Intel-powered MacBook Pro?
There are a ton of different lighting modifiers out there, and as a photographer, you can very quickly end up spending a lot of money building a library of different tools for specific looks and purposes. However, you might be surprised by just how much you can accomplish with the humble and affordable umbrella, and this excellent video tutorial will teach you how to get professional results when using them.
When Canon announced their RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lenses, they raised a lot of eyebrows. No doubt, the lenses are unusual, but they also offer ultra-long levels of reach at highly affordable prices, especially compared to other lenses that reach such focal lengths. How do they hold up in practice? This great video review takes a look at the 800mm f/11 and what you can expect from it.
Learn how to become better at landscape photography fast by following these 10 simple steps.
Fujifilm recently released the XF 50mm f/1 R WR, a lens they are affectionately calling “The One.” With its extreme maximum aperture of f/1 and a price tag to match, it has been dividing comment sections ever since its release. Is it worth the extra cash? What does it offer over Fujifilm’s existing fast lenses? What does it give up? Let’s find out.
It took the best part of four months to get my hands on the new Canon EOS R5, but the wait is over. After a few days of playing with it, I have to say I'm stunned by its brilliance. Here are my first impressions on a number of topics.
One of the nightmares every photographer is to have their camera bag stolen while out on a shoot. Well, that's happened to one YouTuber, and the bag had some rather expensive items.
Exposure compensation is a tool that every photographer ought to know how to use effectively. In this video, learn exactly how it works, when to use it, and how to use it.
Photographing the stars is tricky and requires some know-how and preparation. Creating a time-lapse video, at night, of those same stars adds another level of difficulty on top.
A good supertelephoto lens is often quite expensive, but thankfully, in the last few years, we have seen a large influx of third-party options that offer long reach at significantly more affordable prices. This excellent video takes a look at one such lens, the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary.
Posing a single person is tricky enough, and of course, posing two people is at least twice as tricky. If that is something you struggle with, this fantastic video will give you five great ways to improve your couples posing.
A few months ago, Tamron announced the launch of the 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD for Sony mirrorless cameras. At just $549, it’s less than half the price of the Sony equivalent, but how well does it perform?
Apple's move to their own chips represents a seismic shift in the computing industry, and given how many creatives rely on Macs, one that has serious ramifications for the photography and videography industry. Now that the first computers with Apple's own chips are here, you might be wondering what kind of performance you can expect. This excellent video takes a look at the new Mac mini with the M1 CPU inside.
Lightroom isn’t as powerful as Photoshop when it comes to retouching portraits, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it to get good results. This guide will get you started using Lightroom and also give an idea as to why it can be faster and more effective than diving into Photoshop.
I don't know about you, but many of us, your humble author included, had a pretty horrific upgrade to Big Sur, the latest and apparently, not the greatest OS from Apple.
7artisans is developing something of a reputation for making extremely fast manual focus lenses for refreshingly low prices. How does this 35mm f/0.95 lens perform given that it costs less than $250?
Anyone with a camera can call themselves a photographer, sure. But how many of you can really say you're a professional? Follow along and find out.
In this video walkthrough, watch as Dean Samed shows you all the steps it took to create his cyberpunk girl photo manipulation. This a behemoth of an image,e so be sure that you have 40 minutes to watch the full process.
2020 might have been a dreadful year for just about everyone, but it's been nothing short of an incredible year for new cameras.
We have already seen Canon's mind-blowing lens roadmap for the RF mount, but now that the EOS R5 and R6 are here, what can we expect next in terms of cameras?
Some mistakes you make as a photographer over and over again, learning a little bit each time you make them. But this is one mistake I can't afford to make again.
Lightroom is about 13 years old now, and over the last few major releases, Adobe has added a number of tools you’d previously need Photoshop for. While it’s great to see new features like color grading, luminosity masking, and more make their way to the program, their implementation still leaves them falling far short of just using Photoshop. Here’s why I couldn't ever use Lightroom without Photoshop.
Today, I’ll share with you a brief review, not of a camera, but of the life of a professional photographer.
Traditionally, you can adapt lenses made for a larger format on a smaller format — full frame lenses on an APS-C sensor, for example — but going the other way will produce issues the majority of the time. But thanks to Metabones, you can now adapt any Canon lens to a Fujifilm medium format camera with full functionality and no loss of image quality.
For film photographers, there are few (possibly no) other topics that are as truly misunderstood or overhyped than the topic of "overexposure."
In this video tutorial, watch as I show you how to create heat haze in Photoshop.
When you look at Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” videos, oftentimes what’s left unsaid is the amount of extra gear beyond the iPhone the cinematographers had to use. Whether that’s expensive drones, camera stabilizers, or underwater gear, chances are, if it’s on Apple’s website, it’s not only shot with an iPhone.
In this video tutorial watch as Abby Esparza shows you how to create a burning effect in Photoshop. This is a really cool effect, and the way Esparza goes about doing this is definitely one of the best ways I have seen.
It’s about the time of year where many people are looking for gift ideas. This list outlines multiple options for a film photographer at multiple price points.
The dynamic range of a camera is something that is considered to be important. A large dynamic range is often preferred. But how can you make use of this in your photography? In this article I will explain how you can use your camera’s dynamic range in post processing.
Whether you want to speed up your computer, or simply keep your photo archive safe and secure, check to see if you're making any crucial mistakes that you may come to regret further down the road.
Mustering the courage to shoot posed portraits of strangers on the streets is a challenge. This excellent video from respected street photographer, Frederik Trovatten, gives you some great tips on how to approach people and ask them to pose for a picture.
For many photographers, power is a major struggle. If you're shooting video or working in live-view, a battery charge never seems to last, so you're stuck carrying 3 or 4 batteries in your kit. X-tra battery is here to solve that problem and simplify your kit with one revolutionary accessory.
Of all Canon's esteemed L lenses, the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM probably has the most controversial reputation of all. Though originally meant for DSLRs, it easily adapts to Canon and other mirrorless cameras. Can it stand up to the resolution demands of modern mirrorless cameras? This great video review takes a look at what you can expect.
Just like any other genre, landscape photography comes with its own set of potential pitfalls and common mistakes that can derail your images. This fantastic video discusses five common mistakes in landscape photography and what you can do to avoid them and create better photos.
Wide aperture portrait lenses are some of the most popular out there, but they are rarely cheap. However, in the last few years, we have seen an influx of third-party lenses that are significantly cheaper than first-party options. This excellent video review takes a look at one such lens, the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4.
The most classically chosen portrait focal length is 85mm, which represents an excellent balance of all the characteristics sought after by photographers. However, portrait photographers will frequently employ a wide range of focal lengths depending on the look they are going for. This great video compares some of the best lenses at 85mm, 105mm, 135mm, and 200mm.
Michael Grecco’s brand new book, "Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face, 1978–1991" features more than 160 previously unseen photos from the heyday of the explosive punk rock movement in the United States. Working for the Associated Press in Boston as a photojournalist at the time, Grecco freelanced for local cultural media outlets, including the legendary radio station WBCN-FM. He had a unique opportunity to be embedded inside this unprecedented scene from the beginning.
If you're looking for tips on how to slowly lift the tension of your film, watching Thomas Bezucha's new film, Let Him Go, will serve you well.
Producing a promotional video is one of the tougher kinds of content to produce as a videographer. These types of videos tend not to be super long; however, the impact they're required to make is what put them in that challenging category. In a recent video, we offer up some valuable tips to help you edit your promos more effectively.
Photographers are always trying to stay one step ahead of the pack when it comes to making images. If you're currently out of ideas for your next shoot, maybe a new lens will help get the juices flowing.
Photography is full of complex terminology, and a lot of it refers to some tricky concepts. This useful short video runs you through 19 fundamentals that every beginner should add to their vocabulary.
