Working with a new model can be a brilliant way to practice and help someone else with their aspirations, but it's undoubtedly tricky. In this behind-the-scenes video, a veteran photographer works with a model on her first shoot and walks you through some of the difficulties and offers some tips.
If no one takes notice or takes time to engage more deeply with an image, what does it matter?? Getting control over the viewer’s eyes can be a big game-changer for your fine art photography.
In some genres, flat, even light can be a real boon for the photographer, but in landscape photography, it can rob a scene of the drama created by the interplay between light and shadow and the natural contrasts across the frame. That does not mean you can't create great images in flat light, though. This excellent video tutorial will show you what you need to know.
The holy grail of time-lapse videos is smooth day-night transitions. Could it be as simple as a few settings on the right camera?
Much of commercial photography is about marketing. Agency Access is a service that is aimed at helping commercial photographers market their work efficiently. But how good is it? Here is my review of Agency Access.
Infrared photography can be a wonderful new avenue to explore and can really get the creative juices flowing. It can also produce some otherworldly and beautiful images. Unfortunately, the cost and commitment of converting an existing camera to be capable of infrared is a barrier for many to trying it out. But, as this video demonstrates, you really don't need any specialized equipment to create great infrared images.
Breathing life into your photographs can make the difference between an average shot and a masterpiece. But how can we bring life into a flat piece of paper? Depth is all you need.
It was a one-on-one with a paying client. I got to know her a bit better over the phone. This was important so I could plan the session and give her what I thought she'd find value from. We met up in Paris in a neighborhood neither of us knew very well.
A lot of people think of Lightroom as the place for organizing photos and performing basic edits and Photoshop as the place for more involved and serious edits, and while that is true to a degree, you might be surprised by just how much you can do in Lightroom. This fantastically comprehensive tutorial will show you everything you need to know to edit photos in Lightroom.
Adobe Photoshop is one of the most complex pieces of software in the industry. While it is relatively easy to do the basics as a beginner, it has layers of depth that go far past where even many experts go. In this video, learn over 100 different tricks and tips.
Perhaps no piece of equipment has a bigger impact on your photos than your lens. There are some common misconceptions about lenses, however, and as expensive as they are, it is important to make sure you know everything you can about them. This helpful video tutorial discusses some common mistakes photographers make when thinking about lenses.
As a professional nature photographer, Topaz DeNoise is an essential part of my workflow. I had heard about it for years, but since I owned Lightroom and Photoshop, I didn’t add Topaz into my software library until last spring. I was late to the party, but at least I can save you the trouble. Just DeNoise alone is worth every penny. Come see why.
As photographers, we spend a lot of time trying to get the perfect exposure and discussing and learning a variety of techniques to do so. But what is a "correct" exposure anyway? Maybe it does not exist at all.
Finding success in a single area of the photography industry is no small task. And yet, R. J. Kern has managed to find success not only as a wedding photographer but now as a fine art photographer as well. I sat down with him one afternoon to pick his brain on his top five tips for emerging fine art photographers.
Can you emulate studio gel lighting with Lightroom's new masking tools? In short, yes, but is it as good as the real thing?
After a decade of selling my work at art festivals, I've discovered that beyond the money that I've earned, I've also gotten some valuable lessons both for my career and for my life.
Creating a successful landscape photo often takes skills both behind the camera and at the computer, and of course, what you do in the field influences how you handle things once you are ready to process your images. This great video tutorial takes a look at a camera setting many of us never touch and how it can improve your landscape images quickly and easily.
Photoshop has some pretty advanced automated tools for removing distracting objects from your photos, and while they can get the job done a lot of the time, sometimes, you are dealing with such a complex and difficult background that you need to take control of things. If that is the case, check out this helpful video tutorial that will show you how to efficiently and convincingly remove such objects.
Skin tones are one of the most crucial parts of a portrait edit. Get them right, and they can elevate the image to another level. Get them wrong, however, and they can sink your image. If you are new to shooting and editing portraits, this helpful video tutorial will show you three steps to get better skin tones in Photoshop.
Photoshop is a large and intricate program, with multiple ways to accomplish what you want, and as such, it can be a little overwhelming to learn when you are first starting out. If you are new to the program and wondering how to get started, this excellent video tutorial will show you some essential tools and techniques that will help you accomplish most of what you will need when editing images.
It's easy to look around at local locations and think that you have no chance of creating beautiful, natural light portraits because of them. However, with the right positioning and knowledge, you will be able to create stunning images with great light.
A wedding photo booth can be one of the most entertaining and memorable activities at your wedding. They can also be a total dud and waste of money. In this video, I share my top tips for building a successful photo booth for my wedding!
Light is crucial in any form of photography, but unlike most other genres, you do not get control of it in landscape work. Thus, it is crucial to be able to read the scene you are presented with to create photos that the light is conducive to, rather than fighting against it. This fantastic video tutorial will show you the different kinds of light you will encounter and how to use them to create the best possible photos.
There are a handful of tools and techniques in Photoshop that are utterly essential in my eyes. One of those is the ability to remove even complex objects from your images, whether they are distractions or unwanted features, you will be surprised how often you need to remove something.
You can't control the weather, but you can control what the weather looked like. In this video, go behind the scenes of this shoot with a beautiful Porsche 911 GT3 RS and how one photographer made an overcast day look like an epic sunset.
When you are first starting out, you are not likely to be shooting from a dedicated studio. Most of us start out in a spare room at our home or the like, meaning we are in a tight space. That does not mean you can't take great photos in that small space, though, and this excellent video tutorial will show you three easy portrait lighting setups that work well in close quarters.
Photoshop is a deeply powerful and complex program, and it is easy to overlook certain capabilities or inadvertently do things less efficiently than you could. This awesome video tutorial features a seasoned Photoshop educator showing a variety of power tips that are sure to expand your capabilities, make your workflow more efficient, and improve the quality of your images.
The latest versions of Lightroom and Photoshop are here, and they bring with them some highly impressive new features that will make your workflow easier and more efficient. If you want to make sure you do not miss any of the new features so you can get the most out of both programs, check out this great video overview that will show you everything you need to know.
YouTube is an incredible resource for those seeking to learn about photography, with endless tutorials and discussions about gear. However, if you’ve ever been frustrated that more meaningful content doesn’t reach your feed, here’s how to go about fixing it.
There are few more consistent, wholesome, and informative content creators out there than Unmesh Dinda. In this video, he comprehensively breaks down Hue Masks in Adobe Photoshop and how it can be a power color grading tool.
The best place to practice photography, if it's possible, is in your own home. However, with few of us having acres of space to roam around in our own property, you need to get good at utilizing the space you do have. In this video, learn creative lighting techniques with speedlights even in smaller spaces.
It's the holy war of the photography world: Mirrorless versus DSLR. It's also, these days, a largely irrelevant question, as both technologies are pretty far along and end up doing about the same thing. Photographer David Bergman takes a look at a reader question and offers his thoughts on what's better.
A neutral density filter allow long exposure times, even when there is a lot of light. It flattens water surfaces when the exposure is long enough. But don’t use it at sea just because you have one. Use it only when necessary.
Fall is here, and there are numerous opportunities everywhere to capture striking, vibrant colors with your camera. The period of maximal color is heartbreakingly brief, though, so it is important to be prepared when you head out. If you are newer to landscape photography, this fantastic video tutorial will give you 10 helpful tips and ideas to ensure you get the most out of the fall season.
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 2021, 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.
Apple boasts that their new phone's cameras are better than ever, but how good are they? In this real-world comparison, I capture multiple challenging scenes with very impressive results. Can you identify which photos are from the iPhone 13 Pro and the Canon R5?
It's maybe time to let go of everything you know, take on board new beliefs, and change the course of your photography.
Waterfalls are a popular and classic subject, making for compelling images and giving you a chance to explore your creativity. If you are interested in learning how to photograph waterfalls, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will get you on your way to creating better photos in no time.
When it comes to landscape photography, using a long shutter speed to create smooth blurs of water is a highly popular technique. Occasionally, though, you might not be able to do that, as you might have forgotten your ND filter or you are just out on a quick walk. If that is the case, you can still create the effect in Photoshop, and this great video tutorial will show you what you need to know.
It is always fun to just grab your camera and head out for a walk, but landscape photography is a genre that really benefits from careful knowledge and planning if you want to get the best photos possible. There is a lot you can do to ensure better images before you ever leave your house, and this excellent video tutorial will show you what you need to know.
Landscape photography can be a mentally taxing thing at times, with a variety of different things to keep track of, all while trying to be creative as well. Sometimes, the answer is to try some simple things to reinvigorate your work, and this fun video will give you a few ideas.
If you haven’t already heard, Instagram has recently shed some light on how to use hashtags appropriately on the platform, and what you should avoid to get the most out of adding them to your content.
When it comes to landscape photography, tripods are normally the tool of choice, but there are plenty of situations in which you might be without a tripod or when using one is too much work. That does not mean you can't get sharp photos, though, and this helpful video tutorial will give you a range of tips to show you how.
When you are shooting wildlife or birds, you do not always get to choose what is behind your subject, and what is otherwise a compelling shot can be brought down by something distracting in the background. If you find yourself in that situation, this great video tutorial will show how to quickly and easily fix a distracting background using Photoshop.
Adobe Lightroom is a deep and powerful piece of software with many techniques available for use. Some of the more well-known tools can be overlooked and one photographer believes that is the Radial filter tool is a prime example.
Frequency separation and dodge and burn are powerful techniques for retouching photographs. But which one is better?
There's a good chance you've heard of the "Ring of Fire," a technique popularized by wedding and portrait photographer Sam Hurd. The Ring of Fire is a special effects technique that uses a piece of copper tube to reflect light and create a highlight flare in the shape of a ring. This technique has been widely adopted, and to create this effect for yourself is pretty easy. Today, I'll be walking through the steps to transform your portraits using the famous Ring of Fire technique.
It’s something I’ve been contemplating for some time. Will the Latest Version of On1 Photo Raw 2022 persuade me to finally abandon Adobe? Please help me decide whether I should.
As we transition from summer to fall, two of the most photogenic planets, Jupiter and Saturn, have passed the point of closest approach (opposition) to the Earth for the year. Yet, they still make great targets for planetary astrophotography, especially since they are now high in the sky soon after sunset. As another bonus, photographing these planets does not require traveling to a dark sky site. This kind of astrophotography can be done from our backyards.
A random hunch leads to a positive reminder about what gear does and does not offer the creative process.
