What Cameras and Lenses Will We See in 2023?

2022 has been quite the year for the industry, with a variety of impressive cameras and lenses making their way to the market. 2023 looks like it will be another exciting year, with a lot to come from all the big players in the industry. This great video essay discusses what we can expect from the likes of Canon, Nikon, Sony, and more.

How to Get Great Landscape Photos Even in Bad Light and Weather

One of the most challenging aspects of landscape photography is that we have no control over the light or the conditions. And while bad light and weather can be frustrating to experience, you should not let them stop you from making photos. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to create compelling landscape images even when the light and weather are not cooperating.

Minolta Maxxum 9 Retrospective: A Great Camera That Arrived Too Late

When I was working in the photo industry in the late 90s and early 00s, Nikon was king. Canon was already a close second or even considered the leading brand, depending on which photographer one spoke with. Both companies offered a robust selection of lenses, advanced camera bodies, and excellent autofocus systems. And then there were the outlier brands, like Minolta, Olympus, and Pentax, all who made some wonderful cameras, but were not nearly as popular as tools for professionals. Minolta was, perhaps, one of the most adventurous camera makers.

Radiant Photo Editor Adds Color Grading

I took a look at Radiant Photo when it first came out in September. I found it a capable editor, aimed mostly using AI to improve your color and the overall look of shadows, highlights, and other image parameters. It uses a pixel-by-pixel approach, which the developers claim gives you more creative control of the final result.

Using Positive and Negative Space for Composition in Photography

There are a lot of ways for a photographer to make a composition. Although some won’t like to accept it, the rule of third often fits quite nicely. But no matter what you use as a basis for composition, we always use negative space. Most of us just don’t realize it.

A Review of the Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8 FE Lens

Samyang has long had a reputation for producing sharp and highly affordable manual focus lenses, but in recent years, they have expanded into autofocus options while still keeping them at highly competitive prices. One of their most impressive lenses is the AF 135mm f/1.8 FE, which combines a useful portrait focal length with a very wide maximum aperture. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

3 Helpful Tips to Improve Your Forest Photography

As a sub-genre of landscape photography, forest work shares a lot of similarities with its larger parent genre, but there are some distinct differences one must be aware of to create the best possible shots. If you would like to improve your forest imagery, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three helpful tips sure to improve your work.

A Practical Beginner's Guide to Using ISO to Balance Exposure

Along with aperture and shutter speed, ISO is one of the three fundamental parameters that control the balance of exposure in your images, and as such, mastering it is crucial to becoming a competent and confident photographer. If you are new to photography and looking to improve, check out this great video tutorial that will give you a practical guide to ISO and how to use it in your work.

Are Modern Camcorders Worth It?

When I worked in camera marketing, one of the toughest sells around the mid-2010s was camcorders. Why spend hundreds or thousands of dollars when a DSLR can give you equivalent image quality and, on paper, do more? YouTuber Tom Buck answers that question after a couple of months of using one.

Canon Patents Two Exciting New Lenses

As Canon keeps filling out their RF mount lens library, more patents of interesting and innovative lenses have continued to emerge. Two new patents recently came to light, and these lenses look like potentially fantastic options for sports and wildlife photographers.

Is This the Best Budget Drone Available?

The drone market has matured considerably in recent years, and photographers and filmmakers now have a variety of devices to choose from that fit just about every budget and set of needs. One of the more affordable options is the new DJI Mini 3, which packs a remarkable amount of tech is an extremely portable package. This great video review takes a look at the new drone and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Canon Announces Full Frame Sensor With Global Shutter

Few things are more hyped in photography than the development of global shutters, which offer a wide range of advantages over more traditional counterparts. The holy grail is a consumer-level full frame global shutter, and thanks to Canon's recent announcement, we are getting closer to that.

A Review of the Fujifilm X-T5 Mirrorless Camera for Wedding Photography

The new Fujifilm X-T5 is the latest entry in the company's highly popular X Series line of mirrorless cameras. It brings with it some major steps forward, most notable being a major bump in resolution over the X-T4, which makes it quite appealing for genres like portrait and wedding photography. This excellent video review takes a look at the new X-T5 for wedding work and how well its performance and image quality stand up in a demanding genre.

More Exciting Canon Lenses Are on the Way

Canon's mirrorless lenses have generally been quite impressive, offering exciting levels of image quality and performance, even better than some of the most respected EF lenses. Nonetheless, the RF lens library still has quite a few missing lenses. It looks like Canon will get off to a quick start in 2023, though, with some new high-level options on the way.

Autumn Portraits in Tokyo With the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN

There are few better feelings than a great lens, a great model, and a great location. In this video, go behind the scenes with Mitch Lally as he roams an autumnal Tokyo taking portraits with a much sought-after Sigma prime.

3 Ways to Make Your Subject Pop in Lightroom

While Photoshop is where the most serious editing generally takes place, you can accomplish quite a lot in Lightroom, especially with the newer versions of the program. If you would like to improve your Lightroom skills, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three different ways to make your subject pop using the program.

Which of These Premium 85mm Lenses Is Better?

Wide-aperture 85mm lenses are some of the most popular out there, and both Canon and Sigma make some of the most impressive options out there. If you are looking for a high-quality portrait lens, check out this excellent video comparison of the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM and Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art.

How to Select and Edit Midtones in Photoshop

A lot of photo editing focuses on adjusting the shadows and the highlights of an image, as they are the extremes of a photo and thus, what the eye is drawn to. That being said, a normal image consists mostly of midtones, so knowing how to select and edit them independently of the shadows and highlights is a crucial skill for any photographer. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to select and edit the midtones of an image in Photoshop.

Photographing New Male Models

Photographing male models can be a challenging but rewarding experience for a photographer. In order to create stunning and memorable images, it's essential to direct the model and guide them into confident poses that showcase their best features.

A Review of the Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Lens

The 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is the workhorse of choice for a huge range of professionals, suitable for portraits, weddings, events, and much more. For Fujifilm shooters, there is the XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can except from it in practice.

7 Common Beginner Landscape Photography Mistakes

With all the different aspects that go into creating a successful image, landscape photography can be a daunting genre to get started in. If you are new to the genre and looking to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you seven common mistakes new photographers make and how to fix them or avoid them in the first place.

How Good Is the New $6,000 Point and Shoot Camera From Leica?

Many people believe that size matters, especially when it comes to photography. But what if you could get a high-quality camera worth $6,000 and almost do away with all your bulky gear? Check out the new Leica Q2 Ghost camera.

The New Photo Studio

TikTok studio rentals are going to be a huge trend in the future for photo studios looking to increase their profitability. With such a competitive market, it can be difficult for photo studios to succeed.

The Importance of Light in a Landscape Photo

In landscape photography, we do not get control over the light on the scene, but just like any other genre, light can make or break an image. Knowing how to read the light, predict its evolution, and wait for it to be just right is crucial to creating successful images. This great video tutorial will show you why just how much of a difference it can make.

Are Cliché Photos at Iconic Locations Worth Making?

Hop on Instagram or the like, and you will find plenty of nearly identical photos of famous locations, often to the point that it would be essentially impossible to create an image of such a place that would actually stand out from the crowd. So, is it even worth taking the time and putting in the effort and resources to make such images? This excellent video essay discusses the topic and offers some worthwhile advice.

In Search of a Travel Lens: We Review The Fujifilm XF 35mm f/1.4 R

With ever-increasing lens choices from both first-party and third-party manufacturers, how do you know what lens is going to be right for you and your needs? Articles such as this on Fstoppers and YouTube videos all help in your search, but how do you narrow your search to the best lens for your requirements?

Luminar Neo Adds an Extension With a Christmas Twist

Just in time for holiday photos, Skylum has a new extension for Luminar Neo. It's the seventh extension offered this year, and it's called Magic LightAI. The release is scheduled for December 15.

Are You Experimenting in Your Landscape Photography Enough?

One of the wonderful things about landscape photography is that there are so many ways to photograph a single scene, and because of that, one location can yield dozens of photographs. If you are not taking the time to explore your creative voice through experimentation, though, you might be missing out on a lot of opportunities. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing why experimentation is so crucial to finding success.

How to Reduce Distractions in Landscape Photos

A question to ask yourself before composing your landscape photos is: what's the subject? Having a clear answer to that will help you create good photographs. But there are situations where no matter how you position your camera, some elements in the frame will distract from the main subject. In this article, I share editing techniques you can use to alleviate that problem.

5 Simple and Effective One-Light Setups for On-location Portraits

While many pros working in studios will use complex multi-light setups for portraits, when you are shooting on location, it is often much better to employ a single light that allows you to be a bit more nimble. And with a bit of lighting savvy, you can still create fantastic professional-level portraits. This great video tutorial will show five easy one-light setups sure to help you make compelling images.

What Is Going on With Capture One?

The list of monthly subscriptions photographers are pressured to keep up becomes longer every year. From Dropbox to Pixieset, Adobe to Honeybook, and Shootproof to Fundy, photographers' monthly bills multiply annually. Now, Capture One wants a piece of the pie, and its community is not happy about the announcement.

How a Cool Camera Can Make You a Better Photographer

We often hear about how gear does not matter, and while that is a well-meaning sentiment, the truth is a bit more nuanced than that. In fact, the right piece of gear can actually make you a better photographer. This great video essay discusses why that is and will help you find a little inspiration along the way.

Affordable and Versatile: A Review of the Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 AF Lens

35mm lenses with wide apertures are some of the most important and popular options out there, equally at home in a huge range of scenarios, including portraits, weddings, events, astrophotography, and more. Premium 35mm lenses can easily run north of $1,500, which makes the Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 AF a breath of fresh air. This great video review takes a look at the lens and if its performance and image quality allow it to compete with those much more expensive options.

Six Photography Books to Add to Your Christmas List

Santa's coming! And for many photography enthusiasts, that means gear! For the luckiest amongst you, it might mean lenses and bodies. Others might be looking forward to a Loupedeck Live or Simplr Strap. That stuff is fantastic, too. For me, though, wedding photography is my job, and I don't ask Santa for gadgets because I buy them when needed. Instead, my family now usually asks: "which book do you want for Christmas?"

A Review of the New DJI Mini 3 Drone

DJI recently released the Mini 3, the latest entry in the company's respected and widely varied line of consumer drones. Despite coming in a remarkably portable package (8.8 oz or 249 g), the Mini 3 still comes with a wide range of modern features and capabilities. This excellent video review takes a look at the Mini 3 and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

A Beginner's Guide to Luminosity Masks in Photoshop

When it comes to post-processing, one of the most useful tools at your disposal is the luminosity mask, which can help you create more precise and efficient edits. If you have not tried luminosity masks if your work before, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the ins and outs of creating and using them.

A Bit of History About the Golden Ratio and Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is the first thing that is taught about composition in photography. It seems to have some similarities with the golden ratio, but in reality, it’s something completely different. Let’s have a closer look at the history of these so-called rules to get a better understanding.

10 Crucial Tips for Photographing Your First Wedding

Wedding photography is one of the most demanding and difficult genres, requiring strong technical and creative capabilities, the ability to quickly and effectively solve problems, and strong interpersonal skills. If you are getting ready to photograph your first wedding and feeling a bit nervous, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced wedding photographer sharing 10 important tips that will help you to better prepare and ease your nerves.