7 Tips for Getting Started With Portrait Photography

Portrait photography is a popular but challenging genre, as it requires good technical skills with your camera and lighting, the ability to pose people and make them feel comfortable, and solid capabilities when it comes time to edit the image. If you are new to the genre and looking to improve, check out this helpful video tutorial that offers seven tips sure to put you on the right track. 

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Show us the work YOU wanted to do

Welcome to the September installment of the Critique the Community! This month's critique theme is going to be "Passion Project," and we want to see your best photographs that come from a personal project.

In a World of Infinite Images, What Makes a Photographer?

Photography is a strange thing. Almost everyone listens to music, but very few people actually make it. Almost everyone enjoys a painting in a museum, but how many people do you know who own a set of paintbrushes? And yet, almost everyone takes pictures, usually on a daily basis. So, in a world where images flow at a dizzying rate, what actually makes a photographer? This insightful video essay tackles the question. 

Some of Photoshop's Most Useful Newer Features for Landscape Photographers

Photoshop remains the gold standard for advanced landscape photo edits, and in recent iterations, we have seen some remarkable steps forward, with some features giving photographers the ability to make drastic edits with just the click of a button. If you are ready to update your toolkit, check out this fantastic video tutorial that explores some of the newest features and shows you how to leverage them in a landscape image edit. 

Five Tips for Better Autumn Photos

Now is the time to head out and capture beautiful fall colors, and in this article, I give you five tips on how to do so.

Learn How to Use Flash to Light an Engagement Portrait With This Tutorial

Learning to use off-camera flash can feel quite daunting, especially when you combine it with natural light in an outdoor environment. Once you understand and grow comfortable with a few fundamental principles and techniques, though, you will find the entire process much more intuitive and easier to tackle. This fantastic video tutorial features an experienced photographer walking you through an engagement shoot using off-camera flash and natural light to help you learn those crucial fundamentals. 

Why Feel Is More Important Than Rules in Landscape Photography

Between the rule of thirds, camera settings, guidelines on focal length, depth of field calculations, and more, landscape photography can be a rather prescriptive genre. And while it can be good to have rules that increase your chances of coming home with a keeper, they can also be overly restrictive. This great video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing why feel is more important than following the rules in the genre. 

A Review of the Sirui Night Walker 35mm T1.2 S35 Cine Lens

The Sirui Night Walker 35mm T1.2 S35 Cine lens offers extreme light-gathering power in tandem with a useful focal length, making it a desirable option for filmmakers and photographers alike, and at $349, it will not break the bank either. Can it offer the sort of performance and image quality professionals demand? This excellent video review takes a look at what you can expect. 

5 Invaluable Lessons I've Learned as a Landscape Photographer

Embarking on my journey as a landscape photographer has been a thrilling ride filled with exploration, challenges, and countless awe-inspiring moments. Over time, this pursuit has not only honed my technical skills but also imparted invaluable life lessons. In this article, I'm excited to share the five most significant insights I've gained as a landscape photographer, each of which has enriched my craft and my perspective on the world. They may also be applicable to you. Or, perhaps you have more to add?

This $200 Camera Is a Hidden Gem

One of the real benefits of having such an incredible selection of cameras these days is that the older models can become highly affordable. What's more, the cheapest used cameras are getting stronger and stronger, leaving examples like this!

Why You Should Copy Other Photographers

We are constantly taught the value of originality as creatives and why it is important to explore, expand, and refine our creative voices. And so, it can sound a little strange to recommend you copy other photographers, but the exercise can actually be tremendous beneficial. This fantastic video tutorial discusses some of the reasons why you should try it. 

The Wedding Photographer Dilemma: To Share or Not To Share?

In my nine years as a wedding photographer, it was commonplace for other wedding vendors to request access to the entire wedding gallery. They often wanted to use my photos to showcase their work at the wedding. This practice has left me with mixed feelings, and I'm eager to hear your opinions.

A Look at the Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7R WR Lens

Fujifilm has continued to expand their GF medium format line, offering more and more versatile cameras and a nice gamut of lens options. The GF 55mm f/1.7R WR offers medium format users an unusually wide maximum aperture in tandem with a versatile and neutral focal length, making it an intriguing option for all sorts of applications, including portraits, events, and much more. How does it hold up in practice? This great video takes a look at the performance image quality you will be able to expect. 

Landscape Photography With the Nikon 24-200mm

A 24-200mm is a zoom lens with such a range of focal lengths that it makes it perfect for a walkaround lens. The question is, how good is it at the extremes and how useful is it in the wild? In this video, Nigel Danson takes it on a landscape shoot to see how it performs.

Which of These 24-70mm Lenses Is Better for You?

Perhaps no lens is more ubiquitous than the 24-70mm f/2.8. A versatile performer, the 24-70mm f/2.8 is equally at home in a huge range of genres, making it a favorite workhorse of many different photographers. However, such lenses can often be rather expensive. So, at $1,100, can the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art compete with the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, which costs more than twice as much? This excellent video comparison takes a look at both.

Beautiful and Powerful: We Review the Nikon Z f

Many have been waiting for it ever since the release of the Z fc. Well, it is finally here and it is not just gorgeous, but surprisingly well-built using high-quality materials and impressive tech. The Nikon Z f is partially a Z6 II, a Z8, and a beautiful FM2 and yet it’s its own unique thing.

Street Photography With the New FUJIFILM GFX100 II

FUJIFILM medium format bodies have attracted quite the cult following and for good reason. Their latest flagship model in the GFX range is available for purchase, but how does it hold up in street photography?

How Good Is This Ultra-Affordable Lens?

TTArtisan has gained a reputation for creating some of the most affordable lenses out there, which makes their lineup intriguing for any creative who wants decent performance at prices that will not hurt their bank account. One of their latest such lenses is the 27mm f/2.8, which offers a common focal length and autofocus for only $149. Can it still offer good performance and image quality at that price? This excellent video review takes a look.

The Best Value for Money? Fujifilm X-T3 Re-Review

When it comes to used cameras there are many powerful contenders for the top spot in terms of the best bang for your buck. Well, almost no cameras have been losing value as fast as Fujifilm’s X-Ts with each new release. For a budgeting photographer, this can only mean you get the good stuff cheap. 

Which of These Top Cameraphones Is Better?

The Google Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are arguably the two best phones available at the moment, as they offer creatives a huge range of advanced features and versatile capabilities that make them desirable tools for all sorts of applications. Which of these phones works best for your needs? This fantastic video comparison takes a look at both phones to help you decide. 

Making the Best of Bad Conditions in Landscape Photography

Perhaps one of the most frustrating parts of landscape photography is that you do not have any control over the conditions, and if nature does not feel like cooperating that day, you can end up with a real struggle on your hands. That does not mean you should just give up and pack it in, though. This great video follows an experienced landscape photographer as he deals with such a day and perseveres in order to still come home with worthwhile images. 

How to Light an Outdoor Portrait With Natural Light and Flash

Learning flash can feel daunting, but once you get the basics down, you will find that you can tackle a much wider range of creative needs. One of those fundamental skills is balancing flash and natural light, and this excellent video tutorial will show you the ins and out of doing that to create a compelling portrait.