More Ideas for Creative Self-Portraits at Home

You don't need a model to practice your portraiture; you'll do just fine yourself! Here are some more ideas on creative and unusual self-portraits for you to try.

10 Great Hacks for Using the New Rode Wireless GO Microphones

The Rode Wirelss GO Compact Digital Wireless microphones have been a bit of a game-changer when it comes to ease of recording audio. This short video gives you ten excellent ideas of how to make the most from this very affordable piece of gear.

How Do You Add Mood to Landscape Images?

Mood is not as easily definable as it is in genres that involve a living subject displaying emotions for the viewer to see, but it is still possible to convey feelings in a landscape image with just as much power as something like a portrait. This great video discusses the process of adding mood to landscape images.

What Happens When You Put a Mega-Size Lens on a Gimbal and Shoot Video?

Some things involving esoteric and expensive gear we do because they help us bring our creative visions to fruition or enable new technical capabilities that can improve the quality or efficiency of our work. Some things we do just because we can. This video is about the latter.

Panasonic Releases Firmware 2.0 for S1H Camera: 5.9K Raw Video Over HDMI

The Panasonic S1H is already quite the powerhouse camera, with impressive specs that should satisfy the needs of lots of filmmakers and videographers. Panasonic is increasing the camera's capabilities all the more with the release of firmware 2.0, which will enable 5.9K raw video output over HDMI.

5 Pointless Aspects of Photography and What Really Matters

There is a lot of noise in photography, and I am not talking about the sort that appears in your images at higher ISOs. Rather, there are a lot of things in the industry that simply do not matter when it comes to making images, running a business, or simply enjoying the experience and thrill of taking a photograph and seeing it come to life before your eyes. This great video discusses some of the things we should worry about a bit less in photography and reminds us of what really matters.

Take a Trip Down Memory Lane With This Great Collection of Vintage Camera and Lens Manuals and Brochures

One of the things I love most about photography is its rich history of innovation and quirkiness, with a vast range of cameras and lenses with unique designs having come and gone throughout the years. If you would like to take a trip down memory lane (or you need a manual for that old camera sitting on your shelf), this fantastic site features a wide range of camera and lens manuals and sales brochures from about 120 different brands across decades of history.

Can You Make Large Prints From Phone Photos?

It is generally accepted that phone photos are fine for sharing on the web or on Instagram, but for larger applications, you need a dedicated camera. But with modern phones making great leaps in image quality, you might wonder if you can actually get acceptable or even good larger prints from a phone image. This great video examines the sort of print quality you can expect from images shot on a modern smartphone.

The Power of Batch Editing in Lightroom

If you are someone who frequently finds themselves coming home with large collections of very similar images, batch editing can save you loads of time and help you ensure more consistency in your edits. This excellent video will show you the power of batch editing in Lightroom.

Every Premiere Pro Effect Demonstrated in Just Six Minutes

Adobe Premiere Pro is a tremendously intricate and powerful program with a vast range of features and effects for improving your video footage and realizing your creative ideas. This excellent video will show you every single effect in the application and how it affects the look of your footage in just six minutes.

Is Luminar a Good Alternative for Lightroom?

We all know about Luminar. The post-processing software from the company Skylum is quite popular amongst a lot of amateur photographers. Perhaps professional photographers also. It is said to be an alternative for Lightroom, but I don’t agree.

The Canon EOS R5 Boasts Huge Video Specs

The Canon EOS R5 is confirmed to shoot 8K raw video footage, with dual card slots, one CFexpress and one SD UHS-II, and five stops of in-body image stabilization (IBIS) that works in combination with the IS in RF lenses.

How to Understand Lightroom's Luminance Range Masks

Adobe introduced the Range Mask to Lightroom Classic a few years ago, and it’s a useful means for targeting an adjustment when the local tools — Adjustment Brush, Gradient Filter, and Radial Filter — are simply too clumsy. If you want a deeper understanding of how it functions in relation to Luminance, read on.

I Destroyed a Drone on My First Flight and Here's What I'd Do Differently

The first time you do anything, you’re bound to do it poorly. The first time I shot football, I thought a 1/200 s shutter speed would be perfectly fine to stop action. The first time I shot portraits, I thought my f/1.6 photos were perfectly sharp (they were not even close). And the first time I flew a drone was a catastrophe worse than both of those experiences.

Should Photographers Still Be Doing Outreach During Covid-19?

There's no denying that, as photographers, we are living through unprecedented times. No one truly knows what we should be doing or how the next few months will pan out. One big question that keeps coming up is this: should we still be reaching out to brands, magazines, and agencies we'd like to shoot for?

Why Doesn't Every Professional Camera Have This Feature?

Shooting while tethered is probably the best way for many photographers. It's obviously not ideal for certain kinds of photography, like events and weddings; however, for those that shoot on a tripod, being tethered to a larger screen can make all the difference.

An Easy, Free Tool to Sell Vouchers for Future Work

We're all at home now, strategizing what we're going to do once it all ends. Here is a platform where you can sell vouchers and have the money reflecting in your account. And it's free.

Recreating a Classic Hollywood Portrait

Recreating classic portraits can be both a fun creative exercise and a great way to sharpen your technical skills. This awesome video will take you behind the scenes of recreating a classic Audrey Hepburn portrait and adding a modern twist.

The Usefulness of Grids for Controlling Light

Artificial lighting can be a lot to try to learn when you are new to the subject, with a wide variety of tools, setups, rules, and techniques to get down. One of the most useful tools is the grid, and this excellent video will introduce you to how they work and when you should consider using them for your own work.

What Happens When You Put an $8 Lens on a $4,500 Medium Format Camera?

When you think of shooting with a modern mirrorless medium format camera, it is probably a safe assumption that you imagine pairing it with an equally top of the line lens. However, half the fun of mirrorless cameras is that you can adapt thousands of lenses to them. So, why not stick an $8 vintage lens on it and see what happens?

83x Zoom and 4K Video: A Review of the Nikon Coolpix P950

Professional lenses generally top out around 10x zoom ranges. However, certain bridge cameras have wider zoom ranges, with some pushing extreme ratios like 100x. This great video review takes a look at one such camera with a crazy 83x zoom range of 24-2,000mm, the Nikon Coolpix P950.

Here's How a Photographer Took a Wet Plate Portrait Over a Live Video Chat

Photographers directing virtual photoshoots through video calls has become the new trend, since lockdown laws were enforced throughout the world. However, one photographer has gone a step further and has managed to produce what may just be the first ever wet plate portrait taken over a live stream, through video call app Zoom.

How 1995 Saw the Birth of the DSLR but Manufacturers Kept on Making Film Cameras

Bill Clinton was President, John Major was Prime Minister, the 49ers won the Super Bowl, and Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf were Wimbledon champions. It was the year that the Space Shuttle docked with the Mir Space Station, the World Trade Organization was formed, there was a serin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, OJ went on trial, the Oklahoma City Bombing took place, Windows95, Dolly the sheep was cloned, eBay went live, and Braveheart, Toy Story, Babe, and The Usual Suspects were released. But what happened in the photographic world?

How to Make Impactful Photos With an Ultra-Wide Angle Lens

The wide-angle view is probably the most used in landscape photography these days. It shows the landscape and can make some highly impactful photos. Here, I show you how to use an ultra-wide-angle lens to make impactful photos.

The Photographer's Guide to Buying Your First Dedicated Video Camera

If you're a photographer interested in exploring video, there is a plethora of options available for you right now. Since the launch of the Canon 5D Mark II around a decade ago, video functionality has been a growing part of every DSLR and mirrorless camera to date. But there's always a trade-off when it comes to hybrid cameras. Here's why you should consider buying a dedicated video camera if you want to diversify your work and make video a dedicated service along with your photography.

The Differences Between Pro and Amateur Cameras

Photography is one of the few professions where the amateurs can have the same equipment as the professionals. If you have the desire and/or money, then you can shoot on the same rig that the great names in photography use. But there are a few differences.

A New Short-Form Tutorial Series: How I Got The Shot

We're certainly seeing an upsurge in behind the scenes tutorials. If you're looking for some great insight, look no further. I've talked about Nathan Elson's tutorials before, and I maintain that his series really stands out.

How to Use Your Sony Camera as a Webcam

With so many of us broadcasting from our homes, you might be keen to know how to use your Sony alpha series camera as a webcam. Check out this quick and easy guide for how to make your Facebook Live streams and maybe Zoom conferences look a little more professional.

How Much Money Can Stock Photographers Expect to Make Right Now?

The coronavirus pandemic has left a lot of photographers very unsure of how their finances will change over the next few months. One genre that still has at least some demand, however, is stock photography. This great video takes an honest look at what you can expect to earn from stock photography right now.

5 Steps to Better Flat Lay Images

Flat lay photography is quite popular at the moment, as it is a versatile way to cleanly show off a range of items in a professional manner that nicely fits with a variety of visual styles. This excellent video tutorial will give you lots of helpful advice for taking better flat lay images.

How to Create Effective Rim Lighting for the Body

Rim lighting can be one of the most important aspects of creating a professionally lit shot, and it is something that can be easy to overlook when you are new to artificial lighting and focused on your key light. This fantastic video will show you how to create proper rim lighting for someone's body.

10 Helpful Tips for Working With a Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photography

A wide angle lens is one of the most common pieces of gear in any landscape photographer's bag, but such focal lengths come with their own unique challenges. If you struggle with creating effective images with your wide angle lens, this excellent video will give you 10 helpful tips for working with it.

Fantastic Image Quality: A Review of the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens

The 70-200mm f/2.8 is one of the most important lenses for many photographers and videographers, as they are typically of high optical quality and offer a very versatile focal length range coupled with a wide maximum aperture for a zoom. This excellent video review takes a look at the new Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and what you can expect from it both in terms of performance and image quality.