What Exactly Is Image Stacking?

If you have ever seen images of deep space objects like nebulae and galaxies while perusing the internet today, you may have wondered why they look the way they do. I mean, it’s not all difficult to point your camera up and take pictures of the night sky. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

Active Contests
7 292

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.

13 Great Tips and Ideas for Springtime Landscape Photography

Spring is just about upon many of us, and it brings with it a wide range of exciting new photo opportunities and chances to explore your creativity and expand your portfolio. If you want to make sure you get the most out of the next few weeks, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses 13 ideas and tips to improve your springtime landscape photos and expand your creative output. 

Camera Settings Every Landscape Photographer Needs to Know

One of the beautiful things about landscape photography is that your camera settings play two roles: providing a technically correct exposure and just as importantly, allowing you to render the frame in the way your creative mind sees fit. There are some camera settings you need to make sure you have down, however, and if you are new to the genre, this helpful video tutorial will make sure you know what they are and how to properly use them.

How to Combine Multiple Catalogs in Lightroom

As you progress in photography and accumulate more images in your library of work, you will probably end up with tens or even hundreds of thousands of photos, and keeping them organized can be quite a task. Part of that will sometimes mean working with multiple catalogs that you might want to combine down the line. This excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to merge multiple catalogs in Lightroom. 

How to Capture Sharp Photos of Birds in Flight

When it comes to photos of birds in flight, few other things matter if the final image is not sharp. If you would like to make sure your photos of birds in flight are nice and crisp, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will give you a range of tips as well as a nice discussion on what makes a compelling image of a bird in flight. 

6 Pieces of Gear You Will Regret Buying in 2022

There is a lot of advice on what gear you should buy in 2022. But, if you look beyond the marketing of companies, is there gear that you probably don’t need in 2022? The answer is, yes, there is a lot of gear you don’t need. Here are my top picks on what you should not get. 

Amazing DIY Photo Storage Server

Let's face it: as photographers, we are crazy about saving our files. I have terabytes of images and videos spanning multiple hard drives in different arrays in my studio, and it drives me nuts that it's in disarray. Maybe you’re in the same boat, looking for a better way to safely store all your important images in one place.

The Importance of Following Your Photographic Intuition

When it comes to photography, we often spend a lot of time either trying to follow formulaic procedures to create the best images or trying to imitate the work of others. And that can often create perfectly acceptable images, but on the other hand, it is important to remember that sometimes, intuition is the best way to get things done. This excellent video essay discusses that idea and how to apply it to your own work. 

Stop Making These Editing Mistakes (Part Two)

These are six of the most common mistakes I see photographers make in their editing regardless of skill level. This part will cover white balance, getting caught up in your histogram, and not spending enough time cropping. 

7 Composition Mistakes Beginner Photographers Make

There are few things that can make or break a photograph like composition. If you organize a brilliant composition of a scene, you could turn an average photo into something special. However, conversely, if your composition is poor, it can undo a lot of hard work.

How to Photograph Foggy Forests

Forests can make for wonderful photographs, but they can be very tricky to create compelling and clean compositions in given the dense and unpredictable, snaking branches. Fog can be a fantastic natural way to alleviate this issue, and it provides dramatic, diffuse light. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to create the best images you can when shooting a foggy forest.

How to Choose the Best Aperture for a Photo

Along with shutter speed and ISO, aperture is one of the three fundamental exposure parameters that help to create a technically sound photograph. However, aperture is not just a tool for getting the correct exposure, as it gives you powerful creative control over the look of the resultant image. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to choose the correct aperture for a variety of images both to create a technically correct photo and to convey what you want creatively. 

5 Photographic Phenomona You Absolutely Need to Adhere To

As you get better and better at photography, you learn more and more. This has the negative effect that there then exist fewer and fewer new things to learn since you already know most of them. I was surprised to find this video by Alex Kilbee where he shares some lesser-known photographic phenomena.

How Believing in Yourself Leads to Better Photographs

You have checked the weather maps, you have a clear idea of what you could photograph to get a masterpiece, and then, things are different, and you have no idea what to photograph? That’s fantastic, because this is the best starting point to become a better photographer.

Using Flash To Change Your Photo From Day Into Night

If you like shooting your muse in a night-like environment, you might run into some difficulties. With flash, it is also possible to create the night during daylight. This way, it becomes much easier to shoot your muse, without all the difficulties you encounter while shooting in the dark. On top of that, it isn’t difficult at all.

A Guide to Shooting With Sony Cameras and Lenses on a Budget

Sony offers some of the most advanced cameras and lenses in the world, but of course, tricking out your entire kit can quickly cause the costs to add up. That being said, if you do not insist on having the absolute best equipment, it is quite possible to build a competent and capable Sony kit without breaking the bank. This helpful video will take you through the best options for cameras, primes, and zoom lenses. 

What You Need to Know to Take Fantastic Pet Photos

Whether you want to make it a business, volunteer your time and skills for shelter pets in need, or just want to create better memories of your own furry friends, pet photography is a specialized skill that takes some careful technique and knowledge. If you are ready to improve your pet photography, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know from the best gear to lighting, camera settings, working with treats, and more. 

Is This the Only Lens a Photographer Needs?

Tamron has really gone through a renaissance in recent years, creating impressively capable and practical lenses that significantly undercut the prices of many first-party options. The 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD is quite a significant step forward, covering a huge range of common focal lengths with impressively wide apertures. Can it be the only lens some photographers need? This fantastic video review takes a look. 

Stop Making These Editing Mistakes (Part One)

These are six of the most common mistakes I see photographers make in their editing regardless of skill level. This part will cover how heavy your edit should be, controlling your saturation, and fixing halos in your images. 

The 40mm Focal Length Is Just About Perfect

I've used a 40mm (equivalent) lens for years, and while I first discovered this weird focal length more than a decade ago with Micro Four Thirds, it's become a staple of my collection enough to move it from "weird" to "wonderful."

Why Your Focal Length Choice Is So Important for Portrait Photography

When it comes to portrait photography, one of the most fundamental and important creative decisions you can make is the focal length you use. If you are newer to portrait photography and curious about how it affects the look of your final images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you a set of portraits shot at a range of different focal lengths.

A Review of the Sony a7S III In the Field

I am not a Sony shooter, but, for the last couple of months, I’ve gotten a chance to play with the Sony a7S III and use it for an assortment of projects. Here are my impressions from the outside looking in.