The Power of the Luminosity Blending Mode for Portraits

For anything you want to do in Photoshop, there are probably at least 10 ways to accomplish it. This great video tutorial will show you a less common way to bring emphasis to your subject's face in a portrait by using Photoshop.

5 Great Tips for Better Sunrise Landscape Photos

Sunrise can be a magical time for landscape images, and if you are one of those brave people who can roll out of bed in time to make it out to shoot it (seriously, how do you do that?), you can often come home with some really beautiful photos. This excellent video tutorial will give you five tips for taking better sunrise shots.

A Review of the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM Lens

A sharp, wide aperture portrait lens is one of the workhorse optics for a large number of photographers, and while 85mm is often thought of as the classic focal length for such work, some prefer something a bit longer, like a 135mm lens. This great video takes a look at just such a lens, the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM.

A Look at Every Model in the Fujifilm X100 Series

The Fujifilm X100 series is a modern legend of sorts, loved by many photographers for its unique experience and focus on putting the enjoyment back in the experience of photography. If you are thinking of picking one up for yourself, this great video will give you an overview of all five models in the series to help you decide which is right for you.

Adorama Urges Photographers to Keep Busy With #CreateNoMatterWhat

Roughly two months after the coronavirus began to become recognized as a pandemic threatening the United States, a well-known retailer in the photography industry has released a PSA with a simple but powerful message: continue to create your work, no matter what happens.

How to Shoot an Ad in Your Dining Room

Daniel Schiffer is a YouTuber who started off as a guy making videos for restaurants. Now, he's got more than one million subscribers, and it's because he can get a lot done with very few resources. In this video, you can see how he does it.

The Life of a Large Format Photographer

Large format photography is something entirely different from 35mm digital, medium format, and even other film photography. This fantastic video features a large format photographer discussing his story and some of the process behind making his images, and his lessons are readily applicable to any other type of photography.

What Post-Processing Software Is Right for You?

These days, there is a vast range of post-processing software available for photographers, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. This excellent video takes a look at five of the most popular options to help you decide which is right for you.

How Flags Can Help You Control Light

Successfully crafting light in photography is just as much about keeping it out of places it should not be as it is about controlling how it falls on your subject. This excellent video tutorial will introduce you to a fundamental tool for removing light from a scene, flags, and show you how they can improve your photos.

How to Use Depth of Field for Better Photo Compositions

Depth of field is one of the most fundamental yet powerful tools for crafting your images, and it is important to make sure you have full creative and technical control of it in your work. This great video discusses three aspects of using depth of field to create stronger compositions.

Convert Your Ceiling Into the World's Largest Softbox

If you don't already have your own home studio, now might be a great time to start building one. With a little knowhow, it's possible to transform a regular room into the perfect place to shoot.

Part Science, Part Magic: Printing With Hahnemühle

Printing is hard. Rather, printing well is hard. It's been a little bit science. It's been a little bit art. Trying to make digital prints look like traditional darkroom prints is even harder still. But is it possible?

How to Make Beautiful Blue Water Using Lightroom's Color Brush Tool

Lightroom's color brush is an odd tool, but paired with a range mask, it can be a fantastic means of making water look far more appealing. Here's how I transformed the muddy brown of this lake into water so blue that you'll want to jump in and go for a swim.

Why Photographers Hate My Images

I recently shot a new portfolio and every photographer I have shown it to thinks it is rubbish. But every art director, buyer, agent, and creative director loves it. Let's look into why this is.

How to Work With Photos in Premiere Pro

In this video, Jason Boone from Boone Loves Video shares the best tips and methods of using still images in Premiere Pro and how to make the visual aspect as interesting and visually appealing as possible.

5 Tips for Photography Websites

In this video, I look at some of the dos and don'ts of photography websites. Although there are many ways to skin a cat, there are some things that are real turn-offs for potential photography clients. Here are my top five tips.

Tips and Tricks for Cinematic Lighting

Lighting is often the difference between a boring scene and an interesting one. In this video, you get to see a full breakdown of the transformation of a scene from flat and common lighting, through to complex and cinematic looking.

The Psychological Benefits of Post-Mortem Photography

Death photography was, at one time, a popular way of preserving a memory of a loved one who has passed. This video discusses the history of it, and suggests that it can still play a role in modern society as a way to cope with grief.

This Free Software From Sony Could Make Gimbals Redundant

Filmmaker Mark Bone has just discovered that some free software from Sony can stabilize footage from his FX9 to the point that he’s wondering how often he will ever need to use a gimbal in the future. Check out this short video.

Here's a Cost-Effective Way to Get Some Really Long Glass

Like many photographers in quarantine, I’ve been trying to get creative without the ability to get out. I’ve had a lot of gear sitting around that doesn’t get much use, and so I’ve gone through my boxes to dust them off and see what’s possible. One gem I had forgotten about was the FotodioX Mount Adapter that lets me mount my Nikon F glass to my Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Group Photos
Critique the Community

Group Photos

Submit Your Best Group Photos

In this episode of Critique the Community, we are looking for your best photographs featuring groups of people. The group needs to be more than 2 people and can be of any genre of photography.

This contest has ended.
9 Helpful Composition Tips for Landscape Photography

Composition in landscape photography can be a really subtle and tricky thing. If it is something you struggle with, this excellent video tutorial will give you nine guidelines that can help you improve the compositions of your landscape images.

How to Retouch Skin Using Dodging and Burning in Photoshop

It is quite impressive just how advanced editing and retouching tools have become, but even so, many of the world's best retouchers prefer a more fundamental, old fashioned technique: dodging and burning. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how you can use dodging and burning for retouching skin using Photoshop.

Critique the Community Images Taken During Quarantine

Congratulations to the Winners!

Congrats to everyone who submitted and had their image published in this week's Critique the Community. If your image was featured, send Lee Morris a message on Fstoppers and he will add your tutorial of choice to your downloads.  We really enjoyed all the images selected and hope that this episode has given you some ideas for your own photography during these difficult times. 

The next Critique the Community is going to be "groups of people" which will go live here shortly.  

A Review of the IRIX 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 Lens

Most macro lenses are generally in the 100mm range, but sometimes, macro photographers prefer longer focal lengths, as they can give better telephoto compression and longer working distances when trying not to disturb a subject. If you are interested in such a lens at an affordable price, check out this great video review of the IRIX 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 lens.

A Complete Guide to the Sony Camera Menu System

There is no doubt that Sony cameras are some of most advanced on the market, but with those advanced capabilities come some very intricate and complex menus that can be a bit difficult to navigate. This great video tutorial will show you every item in the Sony menu system, including what it does and how you can customize it to your liking.

3 Unique Self-Portrait Ideas You Can Try at Home

If there's one subject you're always going to have access to, it's you. Here are three great ideas that can work as templates or inspiration for some self-portraits to try.

Extreme Street Photography With Kai and Lok, Covid-19 Edition

As the lockdown continues, many of us may be struggling to find ways to keep ourselves entertained. Worse than that is the fact that many of us may be feeling a little under utilized. It's probably not that easy to flex our creative muscles during this time, especially if your kind of work specifically requires you to be out and about.

COVID-19 Positive: What Happens When You Are Infected While Running a Business

Businesses all over the world are in crisis due to COVID-19. Small companies are scrambling to figure out a way to keep their business open or at least relevant while this pandemic takes over. Studios are shutting their doors and owners prepping before their state gets the shelter in place order. But what happens if you, as the owner, test positive for the virus?