A Common Mistake Photographers Make With Their Websites

Nowadays, your website is one of the most important parts of your photo business, and as such, it is well worth putting a lot of time and effort into making yours as good as possible. If you would like to make sure yours is as good as possible, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced wedding photographer discussing a common mistake creatives make with their websites and how to ensure yours rises above the rest.

Thoughts on How AI Will Impact the Professional Photography Industry

AI has caused a ton of excitement and controversy in the last year, and the photo industry has not been immune to it. This has led to many creatives wondering how the role of the professional photographer will evolve under the shadow of AI. This insightful video essay features an experienced commercial photographer discussing his thoughts on the topic.

How to Slow Down and Capture Beautiful Landscapes

Do you find yourself arriving at a landscape photography location, getting the tripod set up, the camera out of the camera bag, and then walking away disappointed with your images? Something not quite right? I have some tips for finding your shot, whether it is a new location or one of your old favorites!

From PVA Glue to Motor Oil: Illegal Practices in Food Photography

There is a lot of questionable information and hacks pertaining to photography on the internet. No genre is as notorious as food photography, where some people suggest pouring motor oil on pancakes and using PVA glue instead of cheese. However, some of these practices are literally illegal. Read on to find out why.

The Power of Contrast for Creating Compelling Photos

Contrast is one of the most fundamental properties of a photo, and it offers you many powerful ways to create a mood, make the subject clearer, and more. As such, learning how to leverage it and all the factors that influence contrast in the frame is crucial. This fantastic video tutorial discusses contrast and a variety of different ways to use it in your images.

4 Natural Light Portrait Setups Using Only a Reflector

Shooting outdoor portraits offers a lot of creative opportunities, but it can be a bit of a pain to lug lighting to a location. Knowing how to work with natural light and a reflector can give you a lot of the versatility of an artificial light without all the inconvenience. This fantastic video tutorial will show you four different ways to use a reflector for outdoor portraits.

Spherical Versus Anamorphic Lenses: Which Is Better?

You may be familiar with the term anamorphic lens, but what is the difference between them and spherical lenses? Which is better for videography? Here is a comprehensive comparison of a wide array of both!
Canon Patents More Interesting Lenses

Canon has produced some incredible RF mount lenses thus far, and they have shown they have no plans of slowing down. A new set of patents have emerged, and they show quite a versatile lens in the works.

3 Simple Steps Every Photographer Can Take to Immediately Improve Their Compositions

The mistakes you make in life, including photography, leave a tart, bitter taste in your mouth, especially when they’re your fault and entirely avoidable. The solution? Don't make them. Here are three easy steps photographers from any genre can implement to immediately improve compositions and eliminate unnecessary errors.

Getting More Creative With Photography in a Small City

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have to visit epic places to create great images. However, much like the false promise of new gear making us better photographers, the truth is photographic opportunities are everywhere, and you’ll develop your skills faster by working a little harder to seek them out.
The Power of Curves in Photoshop

Photoshop is a tremendously complex program, and as such, there is often more than one way to accomplish any one task. One of its most fundamental but overlooked tools is Curves, which many photographers shy away from due to its intimidating appearance. Nonetheless, once you master, you will be hard-pressed to find a more capable and efficient tool for many needs. This fantastic video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of the Curves tool and how to use it to edit your images.

Viltrox Does It Again on the Z Mount: We Review the 75mm f/1.2 Lens

Viltrox has gained a reputation for creating high-quality prime lenses for different lens mounts. Allowing for accessibility to everyone due to a very affordable price bracket, these lenses are sharp, robust, and fast and Viltrox is very rapidly establishing itself as a top contender in the 3rd party lens market.

How to Take Advantage of Lightroom's Powerful Filtering Features

Lightroom can be a surprisingly intricate program, and as such, some of its best features can be easily overlooked. Lightroom has some powerful filtering features, and if you are someone with a catalog of images in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of images, you will find it highly beneficial to learn the ins and outs. This fantastic video tutorial will show you everything you need to know.

A Review of the Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM Lens

The Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM is an absolutely tiny lens, making it an intriguing option for anyone who wants a nice walkaround setup that will not break their back or bank account. How does it hold up in practice? This great video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you will be able to expect from it in use.

Fixing Seven Beginner and Pro Landscape Photography Mistakes

Photographers make mistakes; it is part of the hobby of photography. They happen from not knowing how to use the camera adequately, to forgetting to change a setting, to post-processing errors. This video covers seven landscape photography mistakes you can easily correct, whether you are a pro or a beginner.

Why You Shouldn’t Always Default to ISO 100

One of the first lessons we learn in photography is to always try to shoot at the lowest ISO possible. In theory, this produces the cleanest images with the least amount of noise and gives us the most room to work with in post-processing, provided you expose the shot correctly. However, shooting at lower ISOs can cause more harm than good, especially when lighting starts to get tricky.

Practicing Landscape Photography Locally Is Essential for Your Growth

Grand trips for landscape photography are exciting and can make it look like you’re really living the landscape photographer life. But practicing your landscape photography locally shouldn’t be underestimated if you want to improve your technical and compositional skills.

Helpful Advice for Improving Your Portrait Photography

Portrait photography is a challenging but rewarding genre that requires not just competence with a camera and lighting, but the ability to direct subjects and make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. If you are new to the genre and hoping to improve, check out this helpful video tutorial that features an experienced portrait photographer discussing a range of helpful advice and actionable tips sure to help you take better photos.

What One Photographer Has Learned After 10 Years in the Profession

Photography is not an easy profession in which to make a living, and so, it helps to absorb the insight and advice of more experienced professionals whenever you can. If you are new to the craft, check out this fantastic video essay that features a pro photographer sharing some of the most important things he has learned over 10 years in the profession.

Picking 360 Video Editing Software in 2023

It's still a bit of the wild west for 360 video editors in 2023, but that said, many of the major brands and smaller competitors have made great strides in catching up with their software to cater to this specific niche. If that's you, you'll want to read about these four video editing tools.

A Day Out With the Little Owls

Wildlife photography has always been a passion for me. It's not something that pays the bills, but it's something that I love, and it is great for my own mental health. Recently, I was informed of a family of Little Owls in England, and the young Owlets had just begun fledging from the nest. I took the near three-hour drive down to the location and watched these beautiful creatures.

Natural Light Boudoir Photographer Tries Artificial Lights

Michael Sasser is a well-known boudoir photographer on YouTube and loves to shoot in natural light conditions only, but in this video, he is opting to use the Zhiyun MOLUS G200 lights. Join Michael in this video to see how he gets on and what amazing images he can create.

AI Art: Are You a Fake If You Use It?

Are you curious about creating AI art? Is it okay to sell your work? I find it very fascinating, and since I’m not a Photoshop artist, I think I might try it out.
My Favorite Flash System is On Sale

It's not often that my favorite flash system goes on sale, so when it does it's pretty big news. Now until August 31st, Profoto is offering up to $600 off their B10x and B10x Plus flash heads. If you looking to add to your kit or are wanting to switch over to a powerful and portable flash system that uses Profoto's light modifiers, this is a great deal to check out.

Can Professional Photographers Take a Break From Social Media?

What an absurd question — I know. But, the times have changed and where social media was once an interesting marketing avenue, it's now a staple of the craft for photographers. If you're making a living from said craft, can you take a break from Instagram, for instance?
5 Secrets To Successful Photos

What separates a good image from a mediocre one? As a photographer who has conducted over 50 shoots in the past few months, this is a question I've asked myself countless times. Through this continuous exploration and practice, I've become adept at recognizing the essential components that elevate an image to greatness. In this article, I'll share my insights and reveal the five crucial ingredients that contribute to the creation of a remarkable photograph.

A Review of the Viltrox AF 75mm f/1.2 Lens

Third-party manufacturers have put a lot of pressure on first-party companies in the last few years by continually offering both innovative and unusual lenses and more standard options that perform just as well as more expensive glass at far more affordable prices. One such company doing that is Viltrox, with the AF 75mm f/1.2 for Sony APS-C E mount cameras being the latest example. This great video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from this lens.

Is Photoshop's Clone Stamp Obsolete?

Perhaps no editing tool is ubiquitous than the Clone Stamp. It has been around for decades now, and its uses and versatility are nearly infinite. And yet, we have seen an explosion of ultra-advanced AI-powered editing tools in recent months, which leads to the question: is the Clone Stamp finally obsolete? This interesting video essay discusses the topic while looking at some of those new AI tools.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (July 2023): Marc Lamey

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.

The Best Lens Kit for Landscape Photography

The 16-35mm lens is the standard workhorse of landscape photography, but it is far from the only lens you can use for the genre, and, in fact, you are probably doing yourself a disservice if you rely exclusively on those focal lengths. If you are new to the genre and wondering what makes for a good lens kit, check out this helpful video tutorial sure to put you on the right path.

A Fujifilm User's First Thoughts on Leica

Perhaps no camera brand is more polarizing than Leica, with many photographers absolutely swearing by both the experience and the image rendering and quality, while others claim they are nothing more than overpriced status symbols. If you have been wondering what the experience is like but are not ready to spend thousands of dollars to find out, check out this interesting video that features a Fujifilm X100V user discussing his thoughts on the Leica Q2.

Which of These 50mm Lenses Is Better?

Sigma long ago established themselves as one of the premier manufacturers of lenses that offer top-level image quality that professional photographers demand at prices that often significantly undercut those of first-party manufacturers. Two of their options, the 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art and 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary, often similar capabilities but with different experiences and at different prices. Which is right for you? This insightful video comparison will help you pick.

What Camera Gear Do You Regret Buying?

There is a ton of gear on the camera market, a lot of which promises to give you an easy shortcut to better images, and while some of it can legitimately make your life easier, a lot of it is simply a waste of money that you will regret spending down the road. This great video featured an experienced photographer discussing some of the gear he most regrets buying and why.

Is the Nikon Z7 II or Z8 the Right Camera for You?

Both the Nikon Z7 II and Z8 have earned reputations as highly capable cameras capable of producing excellent images in a variety of conditions. With a thousand dollars of difference between the two, you might wonder if you need the more expensive Z8 or if the Z7 II will cover all your needs. This in-depth video comparison takes a close look at both cameras to help you pick the right option.

How to Pick the Winning Photo From a Series of Bird Images

There are some genres in which you simply have to take fast bursts of pictures in order to ensure you get the right image taken at just the perfect moment. Bird photography is one such genre. So, when you come home with hundreds or even thousands of photos, how do you know which to choose from those? This helpful video tutorial shares a wide variety of advice sure to assist you in choosing the perfect shot.

5 of the Best Lenses on Fixed Lens Cameras

While interchangeable lens cameras rule the professional world, fixed lens cameras have always been an alternative option for anyone who does not want the hassle or expense of carrying around a bag of several lenses. With a long history of such cameras, there have been some remarkable options along the way. This interesting video takes a look at five of the best lenses ever made for fixed lens cameras.

The Many Joys of Film Photography

There is no doubt that digital photography is technically superior to film in most circumstances, but there are aspects of the film photography experience that can never be replicated and that keep creatives returning to the medium over and over again. This fantastic video follows a photographer on a day shooting a variety of film and shows you some of the joys of the experience.

A Review of the Ultra-Fast Viltrox AF 75mm f/1.2 Lens

In the past few years, we have seen an explosion of lenses that offer far more performance for the price than many comparable first-party options, and few manufacturers have been more competitive in that respect than Viltrox, who have created some of the most remarkably affordable lenses in recent memory. The AF 75mm f/1.2 offers APS-C continues that trend by offering APS-C users the combination of a portrait focal length and a bokeh-monster aperture. This great video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from the lens.

Is Nikon Planning to Go Retro Again?

Nikon has dabbled in vintage-styled digital cameras for quite some time now, with some achieving more success than others, but they have yet to release a full frame mirrorless camera with that sort of design. That might change soon, with a new vintage-style full frame mirrorless camera rumored to be on the way very soon.

How to Improve as a Photographer

Everyone wants to be a better photographer, but with as complex as the craft is, it can be difficult to know how to create a focused plan to really bring you to the next level. If you would like to improve your work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer sharing a wealth of valuable advice.

Redefining Success: What Truly Makes a You A Successful Photographer

Success in photography is a fairly vague metric. Some measure it by the number of followers on Instagram, others by ratings on photography forums, and some people by the gear you use. However, none of these three things mean success. In fact, a photographer who shoots on the latest gear, gets 5-star ratings on forums, and has a million followers is not necessarily successful. Here is what an actually successful photographer is.

Capture One 23 Review: It’s Time to Switch for Good

Having used Capture One for a while now, I came to understand that I never gave the software a proper review. Not an article that talks about tips, or one that only talks about the positive, but a proper in-depth review. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Well, here is my review of the latest version of Capture One.

The Difficulty of Wide Angle Lenses

Wide angle lenses are the tool of choice for a lot of landscape photography, but they come with a large set of challenges that can make it difficult to produce worthwhile images with them. This interesting video essay discusses the difficulties of wide angle lenses, why telephoto options can often be a better choice, and what it takes to make a compelling landscape shot with a wide focal length.