A Practical Beginner's Guide to Using Aperture Effectively

Aperture isn't just about controlling how much light enters your camera; it’s a powerful creative tool that directly shapes how your images look. Getting comfortable using aperture correctly lets you decide exactly what stands out sharply and what's gently blurred.

Effective Strategies for Better Landscape Images

Improving your landscape photography often involves a combination of strategy and persistence. Simply owning quality equipment isn't enough—success also depends heavily on how you approach a location and manage your gear.

Master Your Composition: 3 Tools for Better Photos

Composition is more than following rigid rules or ticking boxes on a checklist. Understanding composition means expanding your toolkit, so you can intuitively capture striking images in any scenario.

When Does a Photograph Stop Being a Photograph?

Capturing reality was never photography's sole purpose—it always flirted with imagination. But in an age dominated by digital tools and AI, how far can we push photographic art before it stops being photography?

This Fatal Flaw Killed Leica’s Most Important Camera

In September 2009, Leica launched the M9. Despite the aesthetics and precision that fans love about the German manufacturer, the design contained a fatal flaw that has since slowly killed many of these cameras, rendering them useless and potentially beyond repair.

Poachers Posed as Wildlife Photographers to Illegally Hunt Deer

Two men in upstate New York have pleaded guilty to a wildlife poaching scheme that involved posing as a female wildlife photographer on social media. The duo used the fake profile to befriend real photographers, gaining inside information on the locations of large deer in no-hunting zones.

Meta Sues Photographer Over Alleged Instagram Username Scheme

Meta has filed a lawsuit against photographer Daniel Folger, alleging he engaged in an illicit Instagram username resale scheme and account reinstatement service. The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, claims Folger facilitated high-priced transactions for coveted Instagram handles and worked with a Meta insider to restore banned accounts for a fee.

A Connection to the Past: The Most Important Role of a Camera

As photographers, we can often get lost in the art of composition, lighting, and creative expression. We love the challenge of capturing a scene that tells a story, evokes an emotional response, or simply looks stunning. But beyond a camera's function as a creative tool, its most important role is its ability to preserve memories and offer a connection to the past.

Master Your Histogram: Better Images With ETTR

Getting the right exposure isn't always straightforward, especially when your scene has extreme contrasts. Knowing how to manage these situations can significantly boost your image quality by minimizing unwanted noise.

Uncovering California’s Quiet Beauty with Lukas Felzmann’s Across Ground

Set aside the rush of daily life to unwind with a photobook that invites you into California’s diverse landscapes. Lukas Felzmann’s Across Ground beckons photographers and art lovers to sit down, silence distractions, and immerse themselves in its poetic exploration of nature and culture. This article offers reasons why you might want to make a peaceful retreat into the pages of this photobook.

Creating Originality Through Chaos in Photography

Finding originality in your photography isn't just about standing out—it's how you genuinely connect to what you're shooting. It shapes your vision and the authenticity of your work.

How to Create a Dramatic Metallic Effect in Lightroom

Giving your photos a striking and moody style isn't complicated if you use Lightroom effectively. In this tutorial, Möhrle shows you exactly how to achieve a dark silver look—a cool, dramatic effect that emphasizes your subject while adding depth to the image.

Apple Announces New MacBook Air With M4 Chip, Sky Blue Color, and $999 Starting Price

Apple has announced an updated MacBook Air featuring the new M4 chip, offering improved performance, battery life, and features, along with a new color option—sky blue. Available alongside the existing colors midnight, starlight, and silver, the MacBook Air now starts at $999 and will be available for purchase beginning March 12, 2025.

If in Doubt, Crop It Out

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes, a few of those words need to be cut. Cropping isn’t just about trimming an image—it’s about sharpening the story you want to tell.

Essential Tips for Starting Photography

Choosing photography gear can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Focusing on the basics first sets you up for long-term success more effectively than obsessing over equipment.

You Must Have This Skill as a Landscape Photographer

In this article, I will show you one of the most critical skills a landscape photographer must have. It helped me take the title photo and many of the best images in my portfolio.

Transform Your Photos With Moody Blue Tones

Turning a simple photo into something visually striking often involves a careful balance of color and contrast. Mastering these subtle yet impactful adjustments can help you create images that stand out.

Why the World Never Got Smell-O-Vision

The idea of incorporating scent into entertainment isn't new, but it remains one of technology’s strangest endeavors. For creators and enthusiasts alike, adding smell to media has long been seen as a compelling, if peculiar, ambition.

5 Cameras That Get a Medium Format User Excited

Medium format is the pinnacle of image quality. You can’t beat the physics of medium format. The price is also hard to beat, but in a bad way. Medium format is notoriously expensive. In this article, we will look at a few cameras that get me, as a medium format user, excited.

What Nature Taught Me About Photography—and Life

If there is one thing I have learned over the many years of photographing nature, it’s that she waits for no one. One of the biggest lessons in nature photography is being out in nature at the right place and the right time.

Apple Announces New iPad Air with Powerful M3 Chip and Redesigned Magic Keyboard

Apple has announced the latest generation of the iPad Air, featuring the powerful M3 chip and an updated Magic Keyboard. The upgraded tablet offers significant performance enhancements, including improved graphics capabilities, faster AI processing, and increased versatility for productivity and creative tasks.

Three Pillars of Great Photography You're Probably Missing

Most photographers start by focusing on technical skills and aesthetics, but there's another critical factor that often goes unnoticed. Recognizing this overlooked element can significantly change the quality and meaning of your photos.

Turning Ordinary Conditions into Stunning Landscape Photos

The way you handle natural light shapes your landscape photography, determining whether an image feels captivating or merely ordinary. Knowing when and how to harness specific types of light is key to transforming your shots from standard captures into something more meaningful.

Fashion Forward: Wedding Photography Trends in 2025

As the wedding industry continues to evolve, so too does the art of wedding photography. From paparazzi style to classic portraits and true colors, top photographers share their key insights on trends shaping wedding photography in the upcoming year.

Mastering the 50mm Lens: Why Your Shots Feel Off

Have you ever come back from a shoot using your 50mm lens, only to find the images feeling slightly off, but you can't pinpoint exactly why? Understanding how to use this popular lens correctly can drastically improve your photography results.

Why Photography Is Struggling Right Now

Fewer people are engaging with photo content, and many who once pursued it seriously are struggling to maintain the same level of enthusiasm. Economic factors, shifting social media trends, and technological changes all play a role in why photography is in a slump.

An iPhone Accessory To Improve Your Photography Experience: PolarPro LiteChaser Pro 16 Slim

Since Apple's iPhone 16 was launched with the ability to shoot 4K 120 fps video with Dolby Vision, improved stabilization, and a new 48 MP ultra wide camera, iPhones have become more popular among content creators. At the very least, an iPhone is a great vlogging camera. So, of course, with all the great tech comes a hefty price tag. Well, that beautiful titanium phone needs protection.

Olympus 75mm f/1.8: A Portrait Lens That Delivers

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 Lens is one of those rare lenses that can make a real difference in how portraits look. Its focal length and optical quality bring natural proportions, smooth backgrounds, and sharp details, making it a favorite for portrait photographers using Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Leave No Trace: How to Be an Ethical Nature Photographer

After nearly 20 years of traveling and photographing the outdoors—both as an enthusiast and a professional—I’ve noticed a frustrating trend: people leaving behind their crap (both literal and figurative) and showing little regard for the environment.

Embracing Imperfections: Why Noise in Photos Is Your Friend

Noise in images is often seen as something photographers should avoid, but intentionally embracing it can lead to more compelling and expressive photographs. Understanding when and why to let noise into your work can shift how you create.

Images Taken on an Older Camera
Critique the Community

Images Taken on an Older Camera

Enter Your Best Photos!

Welcome to the March 2025 Critique the Community Contest!  For this month's contest we want to see your best images taken with an older camera you've owned.

This contest has ended.
Why AI Isn’t Always the Answer for Photo Edits

Getting natural-looking results when expanding your images can be frustrating, especially when relying solely on new AI tools. Knowing alternative methods can often yield far better outcomes.

How to Build a Simple, Affordable Home Photography Studio

Having a photography studio at home doesn't mean investing in tons of gear or a big space. It's about making the most of what you have and learning to create professional-quality photos with limited resources.

Practical Truths About Selling Photography Prints

Selling prints seems straightforward, but it's tougher than you expect. It's more than snapping good photos and hanging them in an online shop; it's a careful blend of understanding your customer and knowing what makes a print sell.

Robert Doisneau: The Street Photographer Documenting Life’s Other Side

Paris has long been a city associated with romance, art, and everyday wonder. Few have captured its essence as beautifully as Robert Doisneau—the "poet with a camera." His images of bustling streets, playful children, and fleeting moments of love continue to define the soul of post-war France. In a world increasingly obsessed with high-stakes visual storytelling, Doisneau’s work reminds us that beauty is often found in the ordinary.

Montana Lawmakers Consider Criminalizing Sexually Explicit AI Deepfakes

Montana lawmakers are examining a proposal that would criminalize the creation and distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence. The measure targets content that portrays individuals in explicit scenarios without their consent, aiming to curb a practice that many believe has serious personal and societal repercussions.