Once upon a time, Sigma was a brand thought of by many as the compromise lens if you couldn't afford the household names. Times have changed, though, and Sigma has gone beyond offering competitive lenses to making remarkable lenses and even some notable industry firsts. Being a photographer who works heavily in product work, I decided to put the Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art lens in a shoot-off against the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro, and the results were... well, read on and find out for yourself!

Sunset portraits are a timeless look that will always be appreciated by a lot of clients, and adding a bit of artificial light can help both to balance the exposure and to add a bit of creative flair that can really take the image to the next level. If you are new to working with artificial light, check out this great video tutorial that will show you how to combine a speedlight with a sunset to create compelling and eye-catching portraits.

We all know what the rule of thirds is, right? And we all know that in the bottom third of the frame, we often have a foreground element of interest. Take a look here to see how going without any foreground at all can greatly improve your landscape images.

A $150 DIY camera that is capable of capturing 489-megapixel images sounds too good to be true, right? Let's take a look at how this thing is built and the pictures you can expect to get from it.

Is it a graphic tablet, a monitor, or both? Let’s take a look at the implications of what a 22-inch pen display can offer for your editing and retouching workflow.

When you think of compelling landscape imagery, you probably imagine rays of dramatic golden sun cascading across the scene, and while that can make for fantastic images, it certainly is not the only kind of light that makes for worthwhile photos. Flat light can be particularly nice for a range of shots, and this great video tutorial will show you both why it is useful and how to take advantage of it.

With the advent of the RF mount, Canon entered a new realm of lens design, with some of the most extreme designs ever seen for full frame cameras. Nonetheless, it seems the company is also exploring more measured and pragmatic designs as well, with some very interesting f/4 zoom lens designs emerging in a recent trio of patents.

Costa Rica is a place of breathtaking beauty, with lush rainforests, towering volcanoes, and pristine beaches. From the misty cloud forests of Monteverde to the remote beaches of Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica offers an endless array of photo opportunities. Whether you are a professional photographer or an amateur with a passion for capturing nature's beauty, Costa Rica is a destination you should not miss.

If you've wanted to try your hand at creating videos, but have dreaded tackling the daunting interfaces of professional editing tools like DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro, here's some good news for you. The tools that you already have on your Mac are probably good enough to help you get started on a YouTube or video production career. It turns out that you don't always need to use professional tools to make good videos.

I originally heard about the Helios 44-2 lens when my editor said it might be great for the skin. It took four weeks for the arrival and about 12 months before I had the free time to use it for a full day.

Today, we’re talking websites. What are the dos and what are the don’ts?

Rarely is a landscape photo finished when you take the shot; most such images require some level of editing to create the finished product. If you are new to landscape photography and interested in improving your work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses some of the most common landscape photography editing mistakes and what you can do to avoid or fix them.

The RF mount has seen some extreme lens designs, with Canon pushing into new territory with options like the revered 28-70mm f/2L. It seems they have no intention of slowing down, as another interesting design has emerged, this time one sure to please sports and wildlife photographers.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the photography industry by automating many tasks that were previously done manually. This has the potential to greatly impact the way photos are taken, edited, and shared. Should we be worried about AI or embrace it?

The beach and a good sunset make for a fantastic combination and a timeless look. There are several ways to approach such a shot, and it takes some careful technique to deal with some often tricky issues, such as large dynamic range. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer sharing a range of helpful advice on when and how to take the photo along with how to post-process it for the best results.

There are now several manufacturers will fully developed and advanced mirrorless camera lines, and it can be difficult to choose between the many different options. This interesting video features an experienced photographer discussing why he chose to switch to Sony after being a Canon user for over a decade and features some excellent insights into what features and capabilities a modern creative needs and appreciates.

Pets are some of our closest companions, and even if you do not want to photograph them professionally, knowing how to capture them well can help you create wonderful memories that you will treasure for years to come. If you want to improve your pet photography, check out this helpful video tutorial that will give you a wide range of useful advice sure to improve your images.

If you want a warm film look for your photographs or videos, you might want to consider one of the easiest ways to come closer to a film look. That is halation, or a light bloom, and I'm going to show you how it's done through a diffusion filter.

OM System has announced a new 90mm true macro professional lens, which macro photographers have longed for.

Sigma recently released a prime wide angle lens, which promises to be fabulous. Does it live up to the high standards of the other lenses in its class?

The new Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens is here, and it brings with it the promise of some of the most uncompromising optical performance ever seen from the company. Can it live up to that promise in practice, though? This excellent video review takes a look at the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

The 85mm focal length is a staple in photography, with many portrait photographers gravitating toward it. Is this new 85mm f/1.2 version the new king of portrait lenses?

Nobody wants to fail at photography, do they? Success and failure are both achievable, although the latter is easier. This is how to set about failing and, therefore, succeeding.

Though the words only differ by a single letter, the difference between making and taking an image could not be more immense. One is a passive approach meant to capture what occurs in front of the camera should something interesting cross its view, while the other is an active engagement in the creative process that draws on the technique, imagination, and foresight of the photographer. This great video takes you behind the scenes of a stunning wildlife image to show you the difference and why it matters.

Have you used this little-known tool in recent versions of Photoshop? Have you even seen it? It makes editing images so much easier. See it in use here.

A creative and well-executed edit can take a modest snapshot and turn it into an eye-catching image. Lightroom's new masking features contain some impressively powerful tools that allow you to quickly and accurately select and edit different parts of your image, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to take advantage of them to create a moody, dark-toned edit that helps your subject pop out from that atmosphere.

DxO PhotoLab is well regarded as one of the finest raw editors available for pro and semi-pro photographers. Although certainly not as well known as the Adobe products like Photoshop and Lightroom, it offers very powerful tools that have gotten a lot of attention.

The Canon EOS R50 is here, and it brings with it a lot of Canon's advanced mirrorless camera features at a very affordable price. This great video review takes a look at what you can expect.

The Canon EOS R8 is here. Here is what you can expect.

On January 17, 2023, the Oversight Board issued a decision advising Meta to revise its policies on freeing the nipple. Here's what that decision actually says.

Though it fell out of use for a while, the Fresnel lens has regained popularity for portraiture work, where it can provide a sharp and impactful light quality that is still flattering on the subject's facial features. If you have not used a Fresnel before and want to learn how to employ one to create compelling portraits, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know.

I have quickly become a big fan of the Sigma Contemporary lenses for Fujifilm X Mount. A few months back, I reviewed the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8, a lens that delivers superb image quality and performance in an extremely small and well-constructed package. More recently, I had a chance to test the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 and 30mm f/1.4 on the Fujifilm X-T5, and I was once again impressed by the results.

Lightroom is one of the most popular photo-editing programs. We talk a lot about the library module and the develop module. The other available modules are almost never mentioned. What are these modules? But more important, are these useful?

Samsung's latest update to its flagship phone is here, and the Galaxy S23 Ulta brings with it a range of improvements and new features, including new camera modules led by a 200-megapixel wide angle camera. This great video review takes a look at the cameras on the new phone and everything you can expect from them in usage.

A couple of weeks ago, I published a piece on the Jack of All Trades Photographer, which covered the plight of the gigging photographer just starting out, doing what he or she can to build portfolio content and generally begin to make a living from it. Imagine my surprise when just a few days later, the topic was covered by straight-talking, commercial super talent and formerly of this parish, Scott Choucino!

It's devilishly simple, but this marketing tip by a renowned wedding photographer absolutely exploded his numbers. I think it's applicable to many types of photography, so to learn what it is and how you can implement it, take a look.

Film is enjoying a resurgence right now, and yet, in an age of ever-burgeoning megapixel counts and clinically sharp lenses, it can seem a bit strange to some to purchase an old film camera whose technical image quality could not dream of competing with modern equipment. And yet, that is exactly what you should do, as one photographer argues in this interesting video essay.

Sigma's Art line of lenses have long been popular for offering superlative image quality at prices that are often significantly more affordable than first-party options. Today, the series welcomes its newest member, the 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art.

Professional photographers rejoice. Today, Nikon has finally announced the release of two new lenses, including the highly anticipated NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S and the pint-sized Z 26mm f/2.8.

Learning how to create good headshots is no easy task. With so much advice on the internet available, it can be hard finding a good place to learn professional headshot photography. This is why we here at Fstoppers created this comprehensive article that answers some of the most frequently asked questions.

When you use a wide angle lens, you can fit so many things in the frame, it can be difficult knowing what you should include and what you shouldn't. Here, we take a look at one simple composition technique you can use to enhance your wide angle photography skills.

There are a lot of common rules about portrait photography, but rules are meant to be broken, and one photographer shares how he does that in a meaningful way after shooting more than 100,000 portraits.

Constant lighting has dropped dramatically in price, with companies like SmallRig making excellent products — along with accessories — that are refreshingly accessible. How good is the SmallRig RC120B, a bicolor packing a decent amount of power and coming in at just $259?

In the past couple of years, Viltrox has established themselves as a manufacturer capable of creating lenses at some of the most competitive prices on the market that often outperform their affordable costs. One of their newest offerings, the AF 75mm f/1.2 XF, offers Fujifilm X series users the enticing combination of an ultra-wide aperture, a portrait focal length, and an affordable price. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Manual mode can be a bit intimidating to a lot of new photographers, but learning how and when to use it will make you a better shooter and give you far more creative control over your images. This helpful video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of manual mode and how to use it to create technically correct and creatively inspired photos.

Starting a photography studio can be an exciting and fulfilling endeavor, but it can also be challenging to make it profitable. Here are a few tips to help you create a successful and profitable photography studio.

Artificial intelligence is coming for photographers, just not in the way you're thinking.

If you’re relying solely on cloud-based storage alone such as Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, etc., stop! This is a disaster if you’re a professional or a semi-pro photographer. Allow me to explain why.

While many professionals employ the use of complex setups consisting of multiple lights, even just a single source can create vivid and compelling images when in the right hands. This excellent video tutorial will take you behind the scenes to show you how a photographer shot a striking series of full-body portraits using just one light.

Phone photography has reached the point where it's good enough for online consumption, but can those photos keep up their appearance printed large?