The Damage We Inadvertently Do in Photography

I’ve long been a believer that wildlife and landscape photography does a lot of good for wildlife by raising awareness of conservation issues. But there’s a problem that many of us don’t consider. Are you aware of what can you do to ensure your photography is doing more good than harm?

A Beginner's Guide to Prime Versus Zoom Lenses

The most fundamental distinguishing factor of lenses is whether they are primes or zooms. Each type has distinct advantages and disadvantages, and as a beginner, it is crucial to learn the differences so you can make the right choice for your needs and budget. This helpful video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about the two types of lenses.

Sony FX3 Gets Major Version 3.00 Firmware Update

Sony's latest firmware update for the FX3 has some major improvements for shooters making the body truly one of the most desirable video-centric cameras on the market. Here is a breakdown of what has been added and how to get your hands on it.
The Usability of the Canon EOS R5’s IBIS High Resolution Option

The firmware update version 1.8.1 offered Canon EOS R5 users the ability to capture a stunning 400-megapixel image. You may ask yourself if this has any real benefit over the standard 45-megapixel resolution, but it’s nice to have. How useful is the option in real life? Let’s find out.

Two Big Reasons Amateur Photographers Are Afraid to Become Professionals

Becoming a professional photographer can be a scary thing, especially because, unlike a traditional job, the pathway to sustainable success is much more nebulous and often changing. What are the most common fears people have about becoming a pro? How can you mitigate those fears? This excellent video features an experience professional photographer discussing the topic.

A Review of the Canon EOS R6 Mark II Mirrorless Camera

Canon's EOS R5 mirrorless camera showed the industry that the company was deadly serious about the professional mirrorless market, but alongside it came the EOS R6, which was arguably a more pragmatic option, offering most of the EOS R5's features and capabilities at a much more affordable price. The EOS R6 Mark II brings a nice array of improvements and new features over the original model, and this excellent video review takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it.

How to Deal With Rejection as a Freelance Photographer

When going freelance in any profession, you will get faced with rejection after rejection. Not getting enough love on social media, emails not being replied to, and inquiries not leading to bookings are frustrating parts of running a self-employed photography business. “Don’t take it personally,” they say. But how?

A Review of the Canon EOS R8 Mirrorless Camera

The Canon EOS R8 offers an affordable route into the company's full frame mirrorless lineup, making it an appealing choice for a wide array of amateurs and professionals alike. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

Applications Open for Canon's Incubator: Futures (Year Three)

Canon Canada has opened applications for the third cohort of its FUTURES program. Canon's FUTURES is geared to helping emerging storytellers between 20 and 25 years old develop their craft and business acumen. It's heartening to see a major international corporation make a point of nurturing the users of their products. Hurry, applications close on June 30!

What Is Art?

We all know what art is, right? Or maybe not.

How to Use Gels and Hard Light in the Studio

Mixing gels and hard light, when done properly, can result in some truly memorable images. In this video, watch as you are walked through the setup, the shoot, and the results.
A Review of the Leica M11 Rangefinder Camera

Leica's M11 rangefinder represents a notable step forward for the iconic M series, bringing with it a wide range of new features and improvements that are sure to capture the attention of many photographers. How does it hold up in practice, particularly against the reputation of its predecessors? This excellent video review takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from the camera.

Who Makes the Best Telephoto Lens for Sony Cameras?

One of the best parts of the Sony system is the vast library of different lenses available, making it easy to find an option that fits both your budget and your needs. In particular, there are many options for supertelephoto zooms, with Sony, Tamron, and Sigma each offering multiple choices. This excellent video comparison takes a look at seven such lenses to help you pick the right one for you.

The Oversaturation of Photography: Is Social Media Killing the Photographer's Eye?

Without a doubt, social media has revolutionized the experience, dissemination, and even creation of photographs. Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter have leveled the playing field in a lot of ways, allowing photographers to instantly share their work with hundreds or thousands of followers. Combined with the availability of high-quality cameras in smartphones and social media algorithms, the number of images disseminated to the world has absolutely exploded. Despite this democratization of the craft, has social media actually diminished the value of photography?

How to Light a Portrait Using a Single Speedlight

Portrait lighting can sometimes take complex multi-light setups, but you would be surprised at what you can accomplish with just a single light — even only a speedlight. In fact, you can even create professional images with one, and it is a great place from which to start as a beginner to artificial light. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to use a single speedlight to create compelling portrait images.

How to Use a Standard Zoom Lens for Landscape Photography

The standard zoom lens (24-70mm) is one of the most practical and versatile out there, able to tackle a wide range of applications with ease, including landscape photography. This great video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer sharing how he uses a standard zoom for his own work.

How to Earn Extra Money From Your Photography

What if I told you there is a social media platform on which you can earn money whenever somebody likes your content? And it's not owned by a big corporation but is governed by its community. In this article, I share my experience with such a platform that has been around for several years already.

One Photographer's Thoughts After Four Years With the Leica M System

Perhaps no camera system is more iconic and more polarizing than the Leica M system. While some see it as an overly extravagant status symbol for wealthy people, others absolutely swear by both the experience it offers and the images it produces. So, who is the system really for? This fantastic video review features one photographer sharing his thoughts after four years of using Leica M cameras and lenses.

The Limitations of AI Art: Why Hands Often Look Unnatural in Art

AI art generators have made significant strides in recent years, capable of producing stunning pieces of artwork that mimic the styles of famous artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso. However, there is still one area where these AI algorithms struggle to accurately replicate, the human hand.

10 Books Every Photographer Should Read Now

As a photographer, focusing on improving your craft is one of the most important things to do. Money can buy the latest equipment, but it can't buy you knowledge of how to use that equipment.

A Look at How to Make Expressive Landscape Photos

One of the challenges of landscape photography is creating expressive images, as you have little control over what appears in the frame compared to most other genres. If that is something you struggle with, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will share some helpful advice for creating expressive images and how to deal with issues like composition, aspect ratios, and perspective shift.

Thoughts on the Impact of AI on the Photography Industry

AI has been the talk of the town around the photography industry for a few months now, with opinions ranging from it being a fantastic tool that will significantly reduce and streamline photographers' workflows to it being the death knell of many parts of the industry. This interesting video essay features an experienced commercial photographer offering some more pragmatic and balanced thoughts on how AI will change the industry.

A Versatile and Effective Two-lens Kit for Landscape Photography

The beauty of landscape photography is that there are so many different ways to photograph the same scene. As such, it is nice to have options to cover the full range of scenarios, but that also needs to be balanced by keeping the amount of bulk you are hiking with in check. This excellent video discusses a versatile two-lens kit that will not break the bank or your back.

The Beauty of the Ordinary

There are a lot of iconic locations out there, and it can be wonderful to travel to and photograph them, but there is a lot of beauty in the ordinary and what is around us, and you are missing out if you overlook the places you pass by every day. This great video tutorial discusses the power of the ordinary and why embracing it will make you both a better and more content photographer.

A Review of the Impressive and Affordable 7Artisans 15mm f/4 Lens

7Artisans has become well known for producing some of the most affordable lenses available to photographers. While that sometimes means significant compromises in performance or image quality, their 15mm f/4 lens offers rather impressive results while still coming in at a very low cost. Is it the right lens for you? This excellent video review takes a look at everything you can expect from it.

Shutterfest 2023: Unlocking the F.U.N.damentals of Photography

Shutterfest stands out as my favorite photography conference to attend each year! As I write this, I am wrapping up day three of the affair. I always look forward to the various workshops, lectures, and unique experiences available throughout this fun-filled event like no other.

3 Ways to Fix Uninspiring Portraits

Have you ever set up your lights, gone through the poses, gotten back to your computer, and realized you have taken some perfectly competent but uninspiring photos? If that is a situation you have recently found yourself in, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced portrait photographer sharing three different ways to reinvigorate your images.

The Seven Essential Elements for Improving Your Photos

There are different opinions about what makes good photography. Many suggest it’s a single ingredient; they are wrong. If we want to grow in our art, it’s by combining seven elements that we have any hope of improving.

Compositing Portraits With AI-Generated Images

AI is the most talked about subject on the internet these days, with many fearing its impact (and rightfully so), but for now, we ought to see how we can harness it. In this video, Aaron Nace of PHLEARN combines a portrait with images created on Midjourney, the AI image generation software.
How to Add Glow in Photoshop

Here's a super quick and easy method of adding glow to objects in Photoshop using layers, blending modes, and brushes. This technique can be used to make light sources in your images look more realistic, or add some pop to a portrait. This tutorial would be helpful to anyone looking to start using layer masks and blend modes in Photoshop.
Luminar Neo Delivers a Stealth Update With Some Powerful Features

Current Luminar Neo users are in for a treat the next time they open the app, which has quietly hit version 1.8.0. Some of the updates are evolutionary, and there's the usual gaggle of bug fixes, but there are some really nice updates here that will please Neo users.

A Long-term Review of the Canon EOS R7 Mirrorless Camera

The 7D line of APS-C DSLRs from Canon were some of the most popular the company ever made, bringing many of the features and capabilities from higher-level full frame cameras like the 5D and 1D series to far more affordable cameras. Now in the mirrorless age, the EOS R7 has picked up that torch and brought along a modernization of the body with a range of upgrades. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera after six months of usage and if it holds up to the needs of professional photographers.

How to Take Better Rainy Landscape Photos

When you step outside and are greeted by rainy weather, it can be tempting to turn around and head right back inside. However, if you are willing to brave those mundane conditions, you might be rewarded with worthwhile landscape images. This helpful video tutorial offers five tips to increase your chances of coming home with compelling shots.

Samyang's New 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Lens Is Creating Buzz

We would be hard-pressed to find a photographer who wasn't familiar with mega-brands Tamron and Sigma offering lower-priced lenses to rival the designs put out by the giants: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and more. This week, there has been buzz in the nerdy sublayers of photography sites about a new lens coming out: the Samyang 35-150mm f/2-2.8. Let's dive into this.

Why You're Being Ghosted by Potential Clients

How many times have you had a promising conversation started with a potential client, only for them to simply stop responding to you, never completing a booking? It is a very frustrating but also very common experience. This helpful video tutorial shares some useful advice and techniques to decrease that ghosting rate and land more clients.

A Review of the Affordable Canon EOS R50 Mirrorless Camera

At $679, the Canon EOS R50 offers an affordable entry point into Canon's mirrorless system, though it still brings along an array of enticing features. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

A Start-to-Finish Edit in Lightroom of a Beautiful Shot in Bali

If you want to improve your post-production skills, there are few better ways than to watch experienced photographers editing their raw images. In this video, Mark Denney edits a stunning landscape in Bali, walking you through each step.
A Look at How to Break Out of a Creative Rut

Whether you are a new hobbyist or a seasoned professional, creative ruts are something that happens to all of us, and trying to get out of them can be a frustrating exercise that only makes them worse. If you find yourself mired in a creative rut, check out this helpful video that features a photographer sharing what helped him break free and get back to work.

Why the 50mm Focal Length Is Overrated

I know, I know. I'm likely guilty of photography blasphemy here. The 50mm focal length, often referred to as the "nifty fifty," has long been one of the most commonly used in photography, noted for its versatility and often, its affordability relative to other focal lengths. Despite all that, I am here to argue that the 50mm focal length is overrated and not as useful as it is often touted to be.
How to Improve Your Sports Action Photography

When it comes to sports portraits and action photography, employing a bit of artificial light can make a huge difference by giving you the ability to shape the look of the frame and add a lot of drama to the image. If you are ready to get started working with artificial light in your sports action portraiture, check out this excellent video tutorial that will give you a range of helpful tips and advice sure to put you on the right track.

The Magic of a Forgotten Sensor

Camera sensors have evolved at a breakneck pace since the advent of the digital era, but many photographers lament the loss of a sensor from the early days of the technology, often calling its color rendition "magic." Is it nostalgia, or is there really something different in the way it produces images? This awesome video takes a look.

Creating a Michael Bay-Level Rig in the Back Garden

It seems that every year we see crazier and crazier setups, usually reserved for high-end cinema productions, made available to the average person. In this video, you can see an absurdly cool orbital shot made in a back garden.
Why You Shouldn't Overlook This Fantastic $400 Full Frame Camera

Top-level full frame cameras can easily run north of $3,000 and much higher, and while they are, without a doubt, tremendously capable machines, you may not need all that power. This fantastic video takes a look at a full frame camera that costs only $400 and can still compete with modern options in many ways.