Subscribing to the Adobe Creative Cloud is a big financial step for most beginning photographers. In this article, I’ll figure out if the free and open software RawTherapee is a real competitor when it comes to developing an image.
Lightroom is a more powerful and versatile program than a lot of photographers realize, and you can accomplish quite a bit in it without ever having to switch to Photoshop. This excellent video tutorial will show you five helpful tips for getting more out of Lightroom.
When it comes to portraiture, we most often choose light that is soft and flattering on the subject's features. However, that does not mean that direct sunlight is totally unusable for portraiture, and in fact, you can create great portraits with it if you know how to work with it. This excellent video tutorial will give you a wide variety of great tips to improve your portraits in directly sunlight.
Wide-aperture lenses are quite popular for a variety of creative uses and technical requirements, but they can also be highly expensive. The 7artisans Photoelectric 35mm f/0.95 is just $249, and this excellent video review takes a look at how it performs in practice.
Becoming a competent photographer with good creative aptitude is only half of what it takes to become a successful wedding professional. This fantastic video tutorial will give you a ton of helpful tips and information on how to start and build a wedding photography business.
If you are new to photography, you might have heard other photographers using the term "stops" quite a lot when it comes to camera and light settings. If you are not quite sure what the term means and how photographers use it, this excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know.
Golden hour is a fantastic time to shoot portraits, using the interplay between the warm and dramatic light and your subject to create visually compelling images. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how this golden hour portrait was lit, shot, and edited so you can try the same ideas and techniques yourself.
Godox’s line of flashes, including the incredibly popular AD200 and V1, have become a mainstay of the on and off-camera lighting market. They’ve become so popular, in part, thanks to the surprising value and feature set offered at each price point. As a result, the AD100Pro, a new addition to the line, has quite the legacy to live up to. Has it earned a place in photographer’s bags?
The last few years have been tumultuous for the camera industry in terms of plummeting sales and COVID-19, but that hasn't stopped the pace and innovation of camera development. So what are the key developments and what direction are manufacturers headed?
I recently tested out the Hasselblad CFV II and 907X with the XCD 4/45P lens, which Hasselblad totes as the smallest medium format setup on the market.
It might seem like a silly question; after all, modern lenses are almost universally optically superior to their vintage counterparts. But photography is about more than technical perfection, and vintage lenses may actually be the better choice for a variety of photographers and situations.
Back in the days of film cameras, a few select Canon bodies had a very interesting feature: autofocus points controlled by your eye. The feature never made it over to the digital side of things, but that may change soon enough, with a new patent showing Canon researching the possibility of adding it to its mirrorless line of cameras.
The new and more powerful Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro comes with a larger sensor, lightweight body, and other additional features with the modern videomaker in mind.
When it comes to landscape photography, deep depth of field and high levels of sharpness are often the name of the game. This excellent video tutorial discusses how to choose the right f-stop settings for maximizing the sharpness in your photographs.
A good macro lens is one of the most versatile you can own, useful not just for close-up shots, but also as an ultra-sharp portrait lens. Tamron's SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD is highly affordable, and this fantastic video review takes a look at the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.
Modern digital cameras can shoot remarkably quickly, but as impressive as they are, they have less machinery to move around than film cameras. This fun video shows the incredible mechanics behind an old 16mm film camera at 1,000 fps, allowing you to see how it all came together to produce watchable footage.
For hybrid shooters looking to stay compact and within a certain budget, choosing between the Fujifilm X-T4 and the notably older Sony a7 III can be a challenge. This short video puts the two head to head. Which one would be your choice?
It is very easy to take your camera and shoot a landscape. But there is a big chance it will be a disappointing photo. There are six things you should take into account when photographing a landscape. I call it the six pillars for a good landscape photo.
Avalanche for Mac is an interesting product for Mac photographers, and it has one function: to get your images out of one application catalog into another. With all the changes in photo applications, it's easy to switch to something that seems more useful, but often, the catalogs don't come along with your move. As catalogs embed more and more editing metadata, it gets even harder.
Whether you are new to shooting video or an experienced professional, we all make mistakes from time to time, and we might not always be able to shoot what we need again. This excellent video tutorial will show you five common mistakes people make when shooting video and how you can fix them in post.
The Canon EF 135mm f/2L is one of the company's most beloved portrait lenses, but having been released in 1996, you might wonder if it can keep up with today's high-resolution sensors. This excellent video pairs it with such a sensor to see how it performs.
The horizon element in an image can be used in a variety of ways to accentuate a scene, whether it's a dramatic sunset or a glorious sunrise. But have you ever thought of removing them to create fine art minimalist photos?
Today, Panasonic introduced their latest full-frame L-mount lens. The Lumix S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Macro O.I.S. is a telephoto zoom lens that opens up possibilities in a wide range of shooting situations.
For most of us, there's a lot of excitement involved in buying a new camera, but it might not be the best investment for upgrading the content you create. Here are 5 things you should upgrade first.
Long exposure photography is a staple of the craft and a right of passage for beginners, but if you have some photos or a time-lapse that wasn't a long exposure and you think it might have looked good as one, look no further.
A wide-aperture 35mm lens is one of the most versatile a photographer can own, suitable for a huge range of applications from portraiture to astrophotography or even as a walkaround option that lives on your camera. For Fuji shooters, there is the XF 23mm f/1.4 R lens, and this excellent video review takes a look at how it holds up in practice.
With the release of the EOS R5 and EOS R6 to complement the EOS R and EOS RP, Canon has created a very well-rounded line of full frame mirrorless cameras at a variety of price points. Which is the right one for you? This excellent video discusses the line from a wedding photographer's perspective.
In a recent conversation, a new photographer asked me a question that I had forgotten I'd had too when I was starting out. It was difficult to find much information that was actionable, so I'm going to do my best to provide it.
The wide-angle zoom lens is known as the “go-to” lens for landscape photography. It certainly has its benefits and in this article, I will explain how to compose for that distinctive dramatic look that a wide-angle lens can create.
When Japan Industrial Partners acquired the Olympus Imaging Division, it wasn't entirely clear what the future would hold for its storied lines of cameras. For fans of the cameras, there is a bit of good news: we can expect to see a new high-end camera from OM Digital Solutions at some point.
Portraiture is a challenging genre, as it requires the confluence of creative ideas, solid technique, and the ability to work with and direct people. If you are new to photographing portraits, this great video will give you five tips to improve your work.
Whether it is weddings, portraits, or something else, any genre in which you photograph people will require you to whiten a person's teeth at some point. This quick and to-the-point video tutorial will show you to easily and efficiently do that in just a few seconds using Photoshop.
A lot of photographers like to use a shallow depth of field for portraiture; however, if you are lighting your subject with flash, you will be limited by the flash sync speed of your camera. There are ways around this, however: high-speed sync and ND filters. Both come with their own pros and cons, and this excellent video discusses which is better for your work.
Many newer mirrorless cameras are on the more expensive side, but we have also seen a few budget models that offer affordable entry points into the world of full frame mirrorless. This excellent video review takes a look at one such option, the Nikon Z 5.
The Sony a1 mirrorless camera is here, and it takes a no-compromise approach to its design that is meant to handle whatever photo or video work you can throw at it. This great video review takes a look at the camera for both photo and video applications and discusses the sort of performance you can expect from it in practice.
Are we sometimes a little too obsessed with the quality of bokeh in our photography? Yes. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't have a little fun with it.
70-200mm lenses are highly versatile, and though f/2.8 is the professional standard, not everyone needs that wide aperture or wants to spend the money to carry around that sort of bulk. 70-200mm f/4 lenses offer the same focal length range at a more affordable price and in a more portable form, and this great video review takes a look at Canon's mirrorless version, the RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM.
Having previously spent a few months with the 24-megapixel Nikon Z 6II, today, we move to its bigger brother, and I will begin a series of essays on Nikon’s latest high-resolution entry into the mirrorless camera market, the new Nikon Z 7II.
When it comes to modern autofocus lenses, your options are typically cheap-feeling plastic up to nice-feeling plastic. Finally, there’s an option for getting the build quality of a beautiful, vintage prime with modern optics and coatings.
The 35mm focal length is great for a huge variety of uses and is one of the most often-used lenses in a lot of photographers' bags. For Nikon mirrorless shooters, there is the NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S, and this great video review takes a look at the performance you can expect from it in practice.
In this video I walk through my office desk set up at my studio and go through in detail what I use, and why I use it. Considering I spend more time here than anywhere else, I thought it wise to spend a bit more time and money on it.
Everyone loves a good deal and as every photographer will tell you, buying camera gear is a great way to spend a lot of money. This useful video gives you 10 way so save some serious cash when investing in new equipment.
Great composition in landscape photographs can be tricky and there are so many tips, tricks, and rules, some of the more basic principles can fall by the wayside. Here are seven tips based around one area of composition that is too often forgotten.
What can you possibly shoot in a snowstorm in northern Iceland in the middle of winter? There's not a lot of wildlife around and landscapes are a no-go, but hardy horses might just save the day.
One of the worst experiences any photographer can go through is breaking a piece of gear beyond repair. The question is, however, at what point is "broken" too broken to use?
Every photographer has likely struggled with the implications of using social media. If you've ever felt lost, sad, or insecure because of social you are not alone and I hope this article might help find balance in your journey as a photographer.
Many camera bags are created for limited applications. Not all bags can be as useful for every shooting situation. However, this expansive camera bag system just might have covered most, if not all.
Getting close to birds is forever a problem, the closer you get the more likely it is that the birds will notice you and fly away. However, a floating hide can transform your ability to get up close and personal with birds on the water.
Third-party lenses for Sony are plentiful and some slightly more obscure manufacturers have been producing some quality glass in the last two years. This 24mm f/1.8 lens from Viltrox — with autofocus — is going to cost a mere $399, making it a full thousand dollars less expensive than the Sony equivalent.
Soon you'll be able to capture footage and have it automatically transferred to a cloud-based platform where editors and production teams can get working on it.
