Fstoppers Original Articles

One of my favorite tools in the studio is a vacuum cleaner. You may not need one all the time, depending on where you live, but I need one if I’m going to do any kind of macro or product photography at all. If you’re a photographer, it comes as no surprise that items from around your house are essential to your photography.

I was extremely excited to get my hands on the Sony a7 IV last December. It promised to be a camera with a lot to offer and for me, felt like a huge upgrade from my much loved Sony a7 II. As the successor to the successful a7 III, expectations couldn’t be higher, so it certainly had a lot to live up to. 10 months of heavy use later, I couldn’t be happier with it. Here’s five of the many reasons I’m completely obsessed with the Sony a7 IV.

Hasselblad recently announced its latest camera, the X2D 100C, along with several new lenses. What's interesting is that Hasselblad has used certain design features in its latest lenses that are arguably reminiscent of another well-known company on the market, which is, of course, Leica.

I’ve been fortunate present photography workshops over the past 15 years. My focus is usually on lighting for beauty, but I’ve presented on other topics as well including how to pose a subject so they look natural on camera. I’ve also attended many workshops from both well-known photographers and lesser-known names as well. From being on both sides of the lectern, I’ve developed a good understanding of what makes a good photography workshop. Here are 3 tips you might consider should you find yourself tasked with presenting a photography workshop.

There’s no single sure way to being successful as a photographer. However, there are a handful of examples around that definitely teach you what not to do if you want to attain success.

Feeling lost on your photographic journey is common. So are being in a creative rut or having periods of low motivation. At times, we can all struggle to feel inspired to pick up the camera and get out there. A lack of direction, purpose, and reason can be the culprit for these aforementioned photography ailments. So, let’s dig into these questions and uncover the possible “whys” behind your keen need to capture.

Photographing sand dunes can be a very productive photographic endeavor if you find a stretch of desert remote enough that not every inch of it is covered in footprints. In this article, I show you my favorite place to photograph dunes, and I give tips on how to get the most out of this sandy subject matter.

Have you found yourself frustrated by being nickeled and dimed for your work? Does self-doubt about your skill and imagery creep in as a result of the prices you are asked to shoot at? You’re not the only one.

Headshot photography has been making major headlines recently. A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal interviewed headshot guru Peter Hurley about the importance of a professional headshot in a quickly changing business landscape (The Perfect Professional Headshot Is Worth $1,000, and Maybe Even a Job).

While photography definitely isn’t the cheapest business you could get into, you can definitely get started on a budget. Here are my tips for being prudent with your money as you start out.

If you've ever experienced a flare or diagnosis of a chronic illness while being self-employed, you'll understand the overwhelm of navigating your health and your business interests. It can be hard to focus on rest and recovery when you're fearful about the longevity of your business and the cash flow you need to live.

As photographers, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. But there’s one disadvantage that almost every photographer has in common.

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.

Every year, I've had to hear about how a new technology was going to kill the photography industry. I ignored it all, until now.

Having seen many beautiful images of newborns in the past, when I recently became a father for the first time I was keen to get some images of my newborn daughter. Unfortunately, the photographers I wanted to use had no availability, so I thought I'd try it myself. It was an interesting experience.

Spectacular light and a unique subject alone don't make a great photo. A good composition that ties the two together is also required. In this article, I give you six tips on improving your photo compositions and dealing with different light and subject matter.

Is CineStiil’s new 400D a replacement for Fujifilm’s legendary Natura 1600 film? Many devotees of Fujifilm’s high-speed color negative film would find this an absurd proposition, but bear with me.

Travelling to exotic locales? Searching for rare megafauna in spectacularly remote landscapes? Here are some tips from experts on how to get the best photographs while respecting your subjects and their environment. Spoiler, it's not all about your camera.

Investing in a camera system is a costly business. Once you are tied to a particular brand, you seem stuck with it. Changing is a big decision, but there can be good reasons both to and to not swap systems.

The OED defines "diptych" as a pair of thematically linked paintings, photographs, sculptures, etc. For Toni Meneguzzo, in light of his show, Diptych, opening at 29 Arts in Progress Gallery in Milan, the word seems to mean something much broader. Meneguzzo's Diptych is an invitation to engage with his newest work side by side with his growing legacy, perhaps as a challenge for the viewer to consider where art and commerce overlap.

The people and websites that sell the most products make the most money, but at what cost?

Your mind plays clever tricks, helping you make sense of the world. It creates imaginary groups and lines. So, understanding how that works will lead you to take more compelling photographs.

I've had a preview release of the Noiseless AI extension that will be offered for Luminar Neo users on August 30. It's not quite finished it terms of GUI, but basic functionality is there. My copy only runs under Rosetta on my Mac Studio, but at release, it will be Apple Silicon Native.

I had the fortune to sit down recently with London-based photographer Ivan Weiss, whom I consider one of the great portrait artists of our time. Weiss’ unique body of work has been featured by Canon UK, Affinity Photo, Vogue, BBC, and Forbes, among others, and he also leads the Portrait Track in Peter Hurley’s Headshot Crew, where he mentors other photographers. Our conversation focused on the illusion of originality in art, mentorship, and why you need to “stay on the bus” in order to reach your full potential.

Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to powering your video system.

It might seem to be an easy transition for a photographer to become a filmmaker. At the core of each of these disciplines is storytelling. A photographer tells a story in a single instant captured at the decisive moment, while a filmmaker tells a story over a period of time, often incorporating elements such as editing and sound to help tell that story.

Search the web: hundreds of videos teach you how to get more bookings and nail your marketing efforts. But how do we get our very first booking? I asked a few professional photographers to tell me their stories.

The pandemic has been one of the most impactful events in the lifetimes of most that are alive today. It has been singular and brutal, affecting people, businesses, and infrastructure. Whether you're a professional photographer or a hobbyist, it undoubtedly changed the status quo for you, but how?

As a landscape photographer, I don't usually deal with too much noise in my images unless I'm shooting nightscapes. Once I started shooting more wildlife during my time in Alaska, I decided to give it a try and I was absolutely blown away with the results.

Are you struggling to find your style as a photographer? In teaching photography, I am often asked how you even know what your style should be. This is both the easiest and hardest question. Let me explain why.

Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin are close to solving another murder in the building, in a whodunnit that laughs at itself.

Listen up! Whether you have a full-fledged career in photography, the pandemic got you exploring it as your side hustle, or you are just dreaming of taking your hobby to the next level, then look no further. These podcasts will educate, enthuse, and enable you to make your dream career of camera (and paycheck) in hand, come true.

I have long felt that perhaps too many photographers prioritize bokeh and blur more than they should, but now I am a hypocrite, because I fell in love with an f/0.95 lens.

GuruShots, "The World’s Greatest Photo Game,” recently asked photographers to participate in a Summer challenge by submitting their best Sunny Summer photo into a worldwide challenge. With thousands of entries were sent in and millions of votes were cast to select the top images from the challenge. Check out the three winners as well as the 60 top rated images below.

DALL·E 2 is a new artificial intelligence system that can create realistic images and art from a written description. No more elaborate styling and lighting setups: you can now just pop in a description of what you want, and DALL-E-2 delivers the image. Too good to be true? Too threatening to the forever-taking-hits photography industry? See for yourself with my prerelease test run.

There are some essential things about being a photographer, most of which photography books don't usually mention. Here are the seven most important lessons I learned as a photographer, including one exercise I use to hone my skills.

If I promise to not curse and do my best to keep my rants to a minimum, can we have a discussion about the ongoing dilemma for photographers which is Instagram?

While the industry move to subscriptions has had pain points, I think it’s a net benefit for post-production.

While the ports on modern laptops are enough for most users, photographers and filmmakers have much higher connectivity demands than the average person. A portable hub can be a lifesaver for a creative on the go. In this review, we take a look at the Anker 555 USB-C 8-in-1 Hub and if it can provide both the ports and performance a demanding workflow requires.

The title of this article could be described as clickbait; however, it is factually correct. I will be discussing how you can legally make money from other people's content in this article.

In this article, I share some techniques I used to edit my most popular photo here on Fstoppers. With 4.36 points from 95 votes, it appealed to many of you. But aside from the great subject with Mohamed and his dromedaries and the beautiful, golden evening light, the final image required quite some work to achieve this pristine look.

With Luminar Neo, you have the option to remove power lines and sensor dust spots with a single click. It’s never been easier, and above all, it takes a lot of work off your hands. But is it faster than doing it manually? Or does the automatic process take up more time in the end?

Most of my photography friends have been playing around with some form of AI Art, and the results are pretty remarkable. However, as amazing as this technology is, I'm sure I am not the only one wondering if Artificial Intelligence will leave us all looking for new careers.

Here are some words about the choices all photographers have to make and how we choose to make them.

Over the last few years, weddings have become much more relaxed, and documentary wedding photography is taking over. How can reducing our need to make choices when shooting help our candid game?

It is common today to find professional photographers eager to embrace new equipment offerings from manufacturers. I recall a time when things were different and professionals were content to stick with gear that was adequate for their current needs.

Reflections in your landscape foreground always give a satisfying viewing experience because of the depth and symmetry that they create. Here are some steps that can help you achieve a more refined output.

Whether you have a full-time production studio, only shoot on location, or just do a little landscape or bird photography for fun on the weekends, you should own at least one of these first aid kits possibly even 2 or 3 of them.

Do you have Shiny Object Syndrome? Do you conduct self-control litmus tests when the weekly B&H newsletter drops in your inbox? Do you try to rationalize snagging the new Profoto strobe when you know very well that your savings account is plummeting faster the engagement for photos on Instagram? If so, you may want to take a hard pass on this article.

Auto ISO is one of those features that I ignored for a long time, considering it not much more than a gimmick. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to try auto ISO, and I quickly realized that I was missing out on a valuable and practical feature.