Fstoppers Original Articles

Photography scams are something that we all need to be on guard against. These scams often come our way in the form of poorly worded emails that we instantly delete. Atlanta wedding photographers Jaimie Dee and her husband Kyle were recently targeted by a rather elaborate variation of a classic photography scam. Fortunately, they didn’t fall for the con. How might you fare if you were targeted by the scam detailed below?

Adobe recently released the new version of Photoshop, and it is relatively faster and smoother than the previous versions. However, it might still crash.

As photographers, we are constantly in pursuit of the perfect shot. Sometimes, the conditions don't align as expected, and the location we had in mind for a stunning sunset turns out to be better suited for a breathtaking sunrise. In such situations, it's important to embrace the opportunity and capture the beauty of the moment.

In today’s article, I thought it might be helpful to those just getting into the business to take you through my real-time thought process when bidding on commercial assignments, from the initial query email to whether or not I take a job. Over the years, I’ve made a lot of good decisions and a lot of bad decisions, and hopefully, you can learn from my journey.

As photographers, we’ve all been frustrated at one time or another by rules or regulations set forth by popular locations or venues in an attempt to preserve, protect, and even seemingly limit photographers. Regardless of one’s personal feelings toward photo rules at favorite photo spots, one thing is certain: we need to follow the rules.

The TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 lens is a budget-friendly portrait lens designed for APS-C cameras. Although it only costs $158, don't let the price fool you because this inexpensive lens packs quite a punch in terms of quality and performance.

A bad second shooter can create many problems for a wedding photographer, so it is important go the extra mile to make sure the second shooter does exactly what you need.

No matter how strongly you feel about photography, it can still start to lose its shine. So, how can you avoid losing that fire that keeps the camera in your hand?

As with everything else, there’s a right a tool for every job. For a photographer, the decision between film and digital is sometimes simple, sometimes less so.

Interviewing interesting people can be an awesome experience that when done right, will provide impactful insight to your next video project. When done wrong however, you may find yourself asking the client for a do-over or spending hours in the editing room cleaning up mistakes.

As photographers we are constantly learning. It's how we get better at our craft, to say we are always learning is an understatement. Everyone I know in the field is always looking up how to do something better or more efficiently. People tend to start to see these when they try to transition mediums, be it from photo to video, and they begin to realize they have to learn things from the ground up. As photographers we tend to stick with what we know we are good at, but how do we go about identifying our weaknesses and improve on them?

With only a few days left in open enrollment, I'm seeing a lot of my friends on social media ask: "What is the best insurance for self-employed photographers?" If you live in the United States and are overwhelmed with the choices in private and market place insurance, let me give you a suggestion on one of the smartest types of insurance plans you can get for you and your family. Warning: this article is not exciting for photographers, but it could save you a lot of money in the long run.

You can have the tools, and you can have the know how, but what is one of the most powerful skills that most photographers, videographers, and just about anyone else will swear by in a creative industry? The power of forethought and pre-planning. Granted, for some this step isn’t as important as it is to others. However, whether you sit down and make a shot list, sketch out some rough ideas for shots, or just develop a really strong concept of what you want to accomplish on a project, most people do pre-plan in some way shape or form.

In a world where everyone wants to be a star photographer, there isn't nearly enough discussion about the benefits of a good photo assistant. Here are a few tips for those interested in assisting a professional photographer and a few things for photographers who may be seeking an assistant to consider.

You may be “following” your favorite artists work on Facebook, or have a long list of bookmarks you like to check, however there is a better way. Over the past few months, talking with several friends, it has become apparent that there are quite a few people that don’t know about RSS and the benefits it has.

Across the vast millennia of human existence, the total solar eclipse remains the most spectacular and celebrated of astronomical phenomena. As the blue sky dimmed, I suddenly decided to shoot the 2024 solar eclipse on black and white film using my trusty Hasselblad 500 C/M.

At the alarming rate of destruction and wanton littering and waste that is happening globally, is it time for us as photographers to stop publicly announcing the location of our shoots?

Grand Canyon National Park is nothing short of epic. With rich natural history and mind-blowing scenery, most people have at least heard of this natural wonder. But who has tried to capture the Canyon's beauty and grace (Many!)? And who has done it successfully? That's open to debate.

I recently posed a challenge to DALL-E 2 (or to myself?) to mimic one of my photos using prompts. I didn't think it was actually going to work, until it did. Almost.

The fact that the focal plane of a picture must always be parallel to the sensor plane is so obvious to most photographers that they don't even bother questioning that fact. Here's what happens when you do question it and how modern mirrorless cameras can help you do it.

With the release of Luminar 4, it has become amazingly easy to replace a boring sky with something more appealing. You only need to pick the sky of your choice, and the artificial intelligence part of the program does an amazing job in masking out the sky and changing it into something else. But should you use it?

We are living in an exciting time, where software and machine learning are rapidly changing the way we approach work. For some industries, artificial intelligence will destroy job opportunities, but for other industries, it will revolutionize productivity. How will photography and the retouching world fare as editing software begins using this exciting technology?

Once again Fstoppers talks with cinematographer Gonzalo Amat about his work on the third season of "The Man in the High Castle." In this interview we will dive deeper into the technical execution of the project: preproduction and shooting. A significant part of the article will be on the way Amat worked on lighting the scenes.

There's something exhilarating about getting a new client. I love the buzz of working with a new creative direction, team, and objective. But new clients are expensive, and repeat clients are where businesses thrive.

Once again in a series of articles for my frequently visited cities, I have compiled a list of locations for first time photographers to Madrid. The list is open to interpretation and I encourage you to go off the beaten path. It is a rough guide to get lost with a purpose. In my last two articles on Tokyo and Barcelona I focused on street portraits, architecture and night shots of the city. While in Madrid last April of 2016 I walked the city streets with my customers as seen in the Google map below.

I just finished shooting my first video for Levi’s and it was a learning curve of note.

As Spring gathers steam and hits its stride, wedding photographers all over gear up for sleepless nights in front of a monitor, intoxicated Macarena dance moves, and most importantly, activity in their bank accounts once more. Feeling left out of all that fun? Here are some pointers for joining in on the fun.

Since's Instagram's inception, there have been countless arguments by creatives for and against the social media platform. Here are three reasons why you should get on and stay on Instagram.

Sometimes photos are called high key or low key. I never thought much about it and just made the photos I liked, regardless of what it could be called. But when is it correct to name a photo high key or low key? Let’s find out.

If there is one thing as photographers we love more than debating over new camera bodies it is camera bags. Chances are if you're like me you have a closet full and you are always looking to get another.

I still try to learn, as much as I can, as often as I can, especially in the world of photography. No matter how much more experience I manage to gain or how many people I get lucky enough to work with, I think I will always still feel like a beginner who is just learning the craft. I was fortunate enough to begin my adventures into photography with a great darkroom class. My experience behind the camera quite literally started with black and white film and using enlargers to bring my images to life.

Stock photography has always been something of an enigma. Used by brands, marketers, advertisers, and the media, it’s managed to withstand the test of time and the radical shift in how media is consumed and sold. Stock photography has, until recent years, served up functional, generic images that could be used in diverse ways by a core customer base. That’s no longer what creators want. To keep up with demand, stock photography providers have started evolving past cookie-cutter imagery to more compelling, artistic, and authentic visuals—keeping stock not only relevant, but making the industry a leader in the visual arts.

Modern cameras have an amazing dynamic range. It allows the capture of all the luminosities between the darkest parts and the brightest parts. If you want more, a bracketing series can go beyond that. But do we need everything within the dynamic range, or not?

As a landscape photographer who is addicted to the big vista, I have often wondered just how hard or easy it would be to force myself to only use one lens, and that lens being the 70-200mm. The versatility of this lens is fantastic, and many of you will know this already. However, the best thing about having my 70-200mm is that it's always in my bag and ready to be deployed whenever I need it, but what if I were only to have this lens?

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2022, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

There are a lot of ways to improve at photography, and we should never stop trying them. Sometimes, it comes down to just risk versus reward.

One of my biggest fears as a professional photographer is that someday, somehow, for some reason, I’m going to lose critical images from a shoot and make a client, and myself, very unhappy. A memory card gets corrupted, a hard drive fails, or my studio burns down.

The Internet is loaded with articles on new gear or popular techniques. Everywhere you look, you will find some new unboxing video or review piece. Everyone promising that they will make you the photographer you have always wanted to be. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy looking at fancy new equipment as much as the next guy -- and I have written a few of those articles myself -- but do all the toys and tricks help my career in the long run?

Growing up on comic books and graphic novels I have always been a fan of anything illustrated. When I started taking photos and creating art, I wanted my images to have a similar feel.

VirtualRig Studio is the only software that allows realistic motion blur simulation, and it has many advantages over Photoshop's path blur. In this article, I will walk through the software and explain how to use it.

Loving what you do is the goal of most, but can doing what you love threaten that passion?

At different points in our lives we experience happy moments, but also tragic ones. In this emotional photo series, we see how one person overcomes their dark past and stands strong immersed in the light of their new beginnings.

With photographic lighting, there is plenty to learn. Each surface requires its own type of light and every modifier produces its own signature light. One other element we must always consider, though, is the photographer’s intent.

One of my favorite things to do, when I'm able to, is to do pro bono work for local charities that need the help. There's something special, in a way, about not being paid: the "client" is usually a lot more flexible in their expectations and they allow you more leeway in your creative process. So when I got a chance to do some marketing material for a half-marathon that benefited local emergency services, I took it.

Action sport photography has always been something that I have been drawn to, but I just don't have the access and opportunity to shoot it very often. So when I got the chance to shoot some wakesurfing, I Instantly jumped at the opportunity. The one thing I wanted to do going into the shoot though, was come out with something different.

Is it perhaps too simplistic to assume that photography should always be approached through the age-old saying "picture is worth a thousand words"? Or is it maybe a field that is more multifaceted than that?

A few days ago, Lee Morris wrote up a story about fellow Fstoppers Writer Andrew Richardson's unfortunate circumstance after he came back to the first home he purchased just three weeks before Hurricane Harvey hit only to see it completely flooded. A contractor told him it would cost at least $50,000 to repair the home that Andrew had already started remodeling with his wife, Desiree, to make it their own. We're a photography website, so it seems only fitting for me to try and help by letting you rent film cameras through Film Objektiv while helping Andrew at the same time.

Running a photography business, or even just posting to social media as an amateur, can end up driving some of us crazy with worry and anxiety. I'm one of these people, but thanks to friends, family, and my own doggedness I've learned some ways to cope with the madness.

I've heard several arguments in the past against cropping images. But in my opinion cropping is OK. Here's why.

Photographer Roger Ballen's signature style, which has come to be known as the "Bellenesque" aesthetic, didn't develop overnight. In fact, it took five decades of trial and error to fully mature into what we see today.