We Review the Elinchrom FIVE Monolight
Elinchrom has long been known for their amazing lights and modifiers. But does their newest release, the Elinchrom FIVE, live up to the hype?
Elinchrom has long been known for their amazing lights and modifiers. But does their newest release, the Elinchrom FIVE, live up to the hype?
The Nikon Z9 and Sony a1 are two of the most advanced mirrorless cameras on the market right, capable of capturing high-resolution images at blazing burst rates, all backed up by some of the most sophisticated autofocus systems out there. And so, how do they perform against each other in one of the most challenging genres for a camera, wildlife photography? This excellent comparison takes a look.
The sky is an integral part of just about any landscape photograph, and as such, it deserves a healthy dose of your attention during the editing process. If you would like to improve your landscape images, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you three different ways to adjust the sky using Photoshop or Lightroom.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra takes a well-established platform and formula and builds upon it with a number of improvements and new features, one of the most notable being its 200-megapixel wide angle camera. This excellent video review takes a look at the new phone and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Today, I will definitively answer an age-old question. Or perhaps, more likely, pontificate on something that all people and all artists have been asking since the beginning of time.
A lower ISO means less noise, greater dynamic range, and better image quality. As such, a lower ISO is almost always preferable — almost. ISO is only one of the three exposure parameters, and if you do not consider it in tandem with them, it can seriously affect your image quality. This excellent video tutorial will show you why you should not be afraid to raise your ISO when the situation calls for it.
Do you have $20,000 burning a hole in your pocket? If you have ever wondered what you can accomplish with a lens that costs the price of a car, check out this excellent video review that takes a look at what is arguably the most extreme lens on the market right now, the Canon RF 1200mm f/8 L IS USM.
Sigma is known for making high-quality affordable lenses. Here’s why the new Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN lens is a lens you should consider.
I consider myself a Canon shooter through and through. This article isn’t about one camera manufacturer being objectively better or worse than another.
2023 is the year of AI, and the industry is exploding with a wide range of tools that can make your life easier, whether that is through editing, running your business, or other tasks. This excellent video tutorial will show you five such tools you should consider taking advantage of to save time and improve the quality of your images.
The age of AI is here, and like it or not, the barn door is open and the horse is out. With the ability to quickly generate believable images with minimal input, what does it mean to be a photographer in 2023? What is photographic purpose? This worthwhile video essay discusses the subject.
A fundamental lesson in photography is the exposure triangle. Learning about ISO, shutter speed, and aperture is something all photographers should do.
Studio photographers are often admired for their lighting skills, and for good reason. Creating compelling portrait lighting is not only extremely difficult, but requires lighting gear, backdrops, and a shooting space. Editing can play either a small or large role in the final image. Have you ever wondered how much of what you see was created in camera, as opposed to in the editing room? In this article, I will show you some before and after images from my own studio work and lift the veil on my editing process.
The awesome thing about shooting portraiture in a city is that there are so many options for locations and looks, meaning you can easily create a large volume of worthwhile images in the span of just an afternoon. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the options and wondering what some of the best locations are, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five of the best spots for your next shoot.
While instant photography cameras like Fuji’s Instax series have gained a large following amongst a younger generation discovering the beauty of instant prints, lugging around a sub-par camera just for the hard-copy photos is a drag. That’s where portable photo printers such as Liene’s Pearl K100 Portable Photo Printer come in.
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!