3 Tips to Improve Your Travel Photography

When traveling, it's often the case that photographers zero in on the iconic sights that everyone else gets: the Eiffel Tower in France, Big Ben in London, etc. But instead of capturing what everyone else gets, there are ways to capture the feel of a place without necessarily getting the "standard" shot.

Why You Should Do Things Even if They Can't Be Tracked

With the availability of complex analytics, deep statistics, and clear reward-for-effort ratios, it's all too easy to become hung up on doing only those things that we can carefully track the results of. In this article, I will explain why you should carve out a place for those things that can't be tracked.
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Enter your Best "Dark" or "Low-Key" images

Welcome to the April Critique the Community!  For this contest/critique, we are doing another abstract theme that should allow more photographers to enter. For this month we want to see your most "dark" or "low key" photographs.

Still Not Taking APS-C Seriously? We Review the Sony a6700

Sony has recently released a successor to a fan-favorite a6600 fittingly called the a6700. Don’t get me wrong, in those few days I had it it performed well, but there are some features that would elevate it to a different level. First things first though, what did Sony do well with the a6700?

Why Your Handheld Photos Aren't Sharp

If you are anything like me, you hate having to lug a tripod around, a hate which is only outmatched by your disdain for unstrapping it, setting it up, and packing it up again. If you are going to shoot handheld, though, you need to have careful technique and awareness to ensure you still come away with sharp images. This excellent video tutorial discusses some of the common reasons why photographers end up with soft images when shooting handheld and what you can do to fix those mistakes. 

Why One Photographer Wants to Leave Leica After Four Years

Leica is arguably the most polarizing photography brand out there, though its users tend to be fiercely loyal to the brand, which is why it is always interesting to hear why when one leaves them for another system. This insightful video essay features a photographer discussing why he might leave Leica after four years with the brand and switch to Nikon. 

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (August 2023): Jess Hess

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 2023, 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.

Shooting Portraits on a $10,000 Lens

The Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM is one of the most exciting lenses to come along in several years, and it is tailor-made for the needs of wildlife and sports photographers. Of course, there is no reason you can't use it for other things, such as portraits. This fun video follows well-known portrait photographer Lindsay Adler as she works with the lens for a portrait session. 

A Review of the New Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II Lens

The new Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II lens is here, and it brings with it a nice range of improvements and new features that will make it a desirable option for many photographers and filmmakers. How does it hold up in practice? This excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you will be able to expect from it in practice. 

Simply Undefeated: We Review the Datacolor Spyder X2 Elite

If you haven't calibrated your monitor recently — or perhaps ever — you may not realize the impact it can have. It is a rather dry topic and you might want to allocate those dollars toward a new lens, which I understand, but a color-calibrating tool is an essential piece of kit and Datacolor are the best in the game.

Is Stock Photography Worth It in 2023?

One of the biggest questions for many is how to make money from photography. There are many ways of doing it, such as photographing weddings, pets, portraits, or even products, but there are also ways to make money, such as stock photography. In this article, I discuss my experiences of using stock photography websites. 

Red Flags in Photography Clients

Perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of running a professional photography business is that you have to deal with all clients yourself, including those who might be looking to take advantage of you. It pays to be aware of some of the red flags these clients will frequently show before you get involved with them in order to save yourself a lot of headaches down the road. This great video essay features an experienced commercial photographer discussing some of the most common things to watch out for. 

3 Tips for Taking Better Portrait Photographs

Portrait photography is a challenging genre that requires not just a creative voice and technical command, but the ability to work with people at the same time. If you are new to the genre and would like to improve your portrait images, check out this helpful video tutorial that shares three tips that will put you on the track to better results. 

3 Reasons Why One Photographer Uses Prime Lenses for Wedding Photography

Wedding photography is a very challenging genre that requires a lot of versatility both as a photographer and in terms of gear. As such, 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses are highly popular options, but they are far from the only choices for wedding work. This great video essay features a seasoned wedding photographer discussing some of the reasons he prefers using prime lenses for his work instead. 

DXO Is Back With a Solid Update to Nik Collection Version 6.3

I go way back with the Nik Tools software. I bought the set before Google snapped it up, then they let it sit virtually idle. DXO got it six years ago and have added their own deep knowledge of photo editing and, I think, fulfilled the dream of what the Nik Collection should be. 

How to Edit Portraits in Lightroom

It used to be that Photoshop was the place to go if you wanted to edit portraits, but in recent iterations, Lightroom has implemented some powerful tools that make it easier to edit your images without leaving the application. This great video tutorial will show you how to use those new tools for editing portrait photos. 

What’s New With The Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master II?

It’s no surprise that the well-loved 16-35mm G Master is getting a revamp, as this one completes the trinity of second generation G Master zoom lenses. But what does it have to offer, and is it worth the upgrade?

Buying Versus Building a New Editing Computer

Getting a new editing computer can be a confusing process. How do you know when to upgrade? What kind of computer do you get for different kinds of editing? Do you build one or buy one? Well, I hope to answer those questions here in this article in a way that will match your specific situation.

How to Become a DOP for Sherlock, Game of Thrones, and Justice League

As I began my interview with Fabian Wagner DOP, he sits there, totally relaxed and easygoing. Describing himself as just an ordinary guy, it quickly becomes clear that my conversation was going to be a very relaxed affair, without pretenses, and totally open to all questions I threw at him.

How to Use the Depth of Field Scale on Manual Lenses

If you've ever owned a fixed focal length wide-angle lens, you've probably noticed the numbers located between the focus ring and the aperture ring. This is the depth of field scale, and it's a valuable tool that helps you check the depth of field for different apertures and focus distances.

We Review the Sony a7cR: Compact But Full Featured

Today Sony has announced three new products: The Sony a7CII, the 16-35mm F2.8 GM II, and last but not least, the Sony a7cR. And unfortunately, I have not been able to use the first two products I mentioned, but, I have been able to use the A7cR quite a bit. In total, I’ve taken about 10,000 images with it so far. So let's talk about it.

A Review of the New Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G Lens

24-70mm f/2.8 lenses are the workhorses of many genres in the industry, combining a useful focal length range with a nice maximum aperture for a zoom lens. If you do not need that f/2.8 aperture, though, f/4 versions offer the same versatility in a smaller package and at a much lower cost. The Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G embodies that and offers an even more versatile focal length range, making it quite desirable for a huge range of applications. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in usage.

This Cheap Lens Makes Everything Look Like a Dream

A lens that costs only a few hundred dollars and gives a unique, dream-like image? That's certainly going to catch the attention of many photographers and videographers, but how good is it?