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You May Be a Photographer, but Are You an Artist?

I personally want to learn. I want to learn how other creatives think and I want to draw upon their experience. I loved this video and you can pull so much out of it despite the photographs being kinda ugly. Everyone taking photos are photographers but are they artists? That is a whole other question. Here are seven thoughts to help you become an artist.

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

Plans are good. Most of us live by plans, and we like things to go as planned. But sometimes just showing up and going with the flow can yield immense rewards for photographers. There is nothing wrong with wanting to know what to expect so you can plan appropriately, but sometimes we just need to let go. Here are a couple of examples of some amazing moments I would have missed if I had stuck to plans and took shelter in my comfort zone.

How to Get Cinematic Footage From Your Entry Level Camera

Entry level DSLRs and smaller format cameras don’t do a great job when trying to achieve footage with a cinematic feel, but with these tips, you can add an extra touch to your filmmaking. All of the advice is either incredibly practical in terms of how you shoot, or requires a very low level of investment. If you’re new to shooting video, be sure to check out this list.

Did Canon Get Its Mirrorless Strategy Wrong?

The photography news channels have been awash with announcements from Canon over the past few weeks and rightly so as it had a lot to talk about with the release of two new mirrorless cameras. But has it got its mirrorless development strategy wrong?

How I Shot These Fun and Dynamic Portraits of a Comedian

Have you ever wondered what went into photographing a comedian? In this article, I take you behind the scenes of a recent client shoot I did using a fun aesthetic and mood to match my subjects' larger-than-life personality.

How Was Video Invented?

This video shows how video came to be what it is today. It's fascinating to learn how the concept of a fax machine invented in the 1800s was developed to become the broadcast on TV we grew up to watch and love.

It's Work, Not Talent That Makes Photographs

I would hazard a guess that most working photographers will tell you that talent has very little to do with a successful photograph. Somewhere along the way, you've probably heard the words “Genius is one per cent talent and ninety-nine per cent hard work.” It's that hard work that brings about good photography. Let's explore the roles that effort and perseverance play in our photography today.

Lightroom User? Don't Make This Common Mistake

For almost every photographer who shoots bulk works of images, Lightroom is an essential tool. But we often make the costly and frustrating mistake of letting our Lightroom catalogs grow too large.

Should You Buy a 2019 iMac Or Build a Hackintosh?

Last week Apple refreshed their iMac range for the first time in two years but is the new 2019 iMac worth the hefty price tag? Or would you be better off building a Hackintosh that you can easily upgrade in the future?

Lee Cohen: Ski Photography Master

Lee Cohen is currently one of the best ski photographers, and his images just might be some of the most iconic of all time. Watch this video to get a glimpse of his daily ski photography routine and to hear of his motivations.

Finally, a Solution to Make LUT Selection an Easy Process

When using LUTs, one of the biggest problems is that many apps won't let you preview what they do before applying it. This makes the LUT choice and application slow and very unpractical. That was until Lutify came out with a solution!

A Conversation With Art Streiber

Art and inspiration go hand in hand. For photographers, curling up in the corner of the bookstore with a stack of magazines, oohing and ahhing at photographs we wish we had created seems to be a part-time job. However, equally as important as what our heroes produce is how they produce it. We can learn a lot from the methodology of the folks that do what we want to do day in and day out. With that in mind, here's a conversation with Art Streiber.

A Good Photo Assistant Can Be Worth Their Weight in Gold

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.

Running a Business for Pleasure, Not Profit

Modern business exists for one primary purpose: to maximize profit. In this article, I’ll explain why, for the past six years, I’ve run my business in the opposite spirit, often knowingly leaving money on the table.

Creating Creative Studio Spaces on a Budget

In the process of creating good content for their clients, creative professionals often have to use their knowledge and experience to come up with solutions to problems on set. But what if you don't have a set?

Manfrotto Releases Six New Carry-on Roller Bags for Camera Gear

If you travel with gear, you know one of the most important rules to follow is to carry on all the cameras and lenses and pricey equipment you can. The expanded line of Manfrotto's Pro Light Reloader carry-on trolleys are designed to meet these needs of traveling creators.

Developing and Refining Your Post-Processing Workflow in Lightroom

It's not a glamorous topic, but managing an ever-growing photo catalog is something we all face. Here are a few smart ways to get yourself on the right track with Adobe Lightroom to spend less time searching and more time editing and delivering.

Panoramas in Lightroom for Beginners

Creating high quality, print-ready, stitched panoramic images takes more work than simply switching your iPhone over to "Pano" mode and scanning the horizon with the cell phone. In this tutorial, Serge Ramelli walks through each viable step in the process of creating quality panoramas.

How Many Backups of Your Images Do You Need?

One of the worst things that can happen to you as a photographer is to lose your images due to a corrupt hard drive or memory card. Here is an excellent plan to put in place to protect against hard drive failure.

Woman Beautifully Photographs Her Own Childbirth

As the baby was crowning, Megan Mattiuzzo was clicking away. This might sound like a normal scene for most birth photographers out there, but Mattiuzzo was up against an extra layer of difficulty: she was photographing her own delivery.

Avoid These Five Photography Mistakes

Making mistakes is how we improve, but in this age of infinite online resources, you can learn to avoid potential photography landmines without having to experience them first. Check out this great video on how to avoid five common photography mistakes.

My Love for Lightroom Is Fading Quickly

Adobe's Lightroom is a divisive piece of software. Proponents love the consistency and close compatibility with Photoshop, while others argue it is inefficient with resources and has inferior processing compared to competitors. I want to take a look at a much simpler, fundamental issue with Lightroom.

New to Commercial Photography? You Should Try Up-Selling.

Up-selling is part and parcel of the wedding and portrait photography business. Many photographers depend on these selling techniques to generate a decent income. But similar opportunities can be found in the commercial genre — you just need to know how to target them.

How to Acoustically Treat a Room to Remove Echo and Reverb

Our new studio in Puerto Rico had so much echo that it was ruining the audio in all of our videos. I'm happy to say that we have finally figured things out, and we've learned a few things that might help you as well.

This Simple Camera Hack Changed My Life

It's so simple yet so powerful and has literally saved me hundreds of hours and untold gallons of frustrated, angry sweat. If you want to know a quick, fast camera hack that can make your photography life a rosy ride of comfort, then keep on reading.

A Behind the Scenes Look Into How Photographer R. J. Kern  Shot This Heartwarming Photo Series called "The Unchosen Ones"

In last week’s article, I introduced you to the inspiring work of Minnesota-based fine art photographer, R. J. Kern. This week, I connected with him again and was able to gain insight into what it took to create his most recent project, "The Unchosen Ones". If you were inspired by his work last week, I can assure you you'll be blown away by this one, too.

A Few Tips To Help With High School Senior Portrait Photography

Initially, there wasn’t much about the idea of photographing high school seniors that excited me. Boring portraits of kids wearing their caps and gowns and flashing whatever year they’re graduating with their fingers like an awkward gang-sign always came to mind. After all, it’s this type of cliche portrait that I most often stumble across online, but this doesn’t mean that all senior portraits have to be so boring. Below are a few tips that I've learned over the years.

Instagram Etiquette for Sharing a Photographer's Work

Social media is something that many photographers rely on regardless if its to showcase their work or to bring in clients or subjects to work with. For many, there are some downsides on how social media is changing how photos are respected, so what is the proper etiquette for Instagram?

Three Tips for Mastering Seascape Compositions

Seascapes are one of the most imaginative sub-genres of landscape photography. It’s challenging enough to create a compelling landscape image when “what you see is what you get,” but with the energetic waves constantly changing a sizable portion of the composition, seascapes can be incredibly difficult.

Neutral Density Filters Compared: Is It OK to Go Cheap?

Many of us have heard that variable neutral density filters give a softer image, or that more expensive filters have less color cast, but few of us have actually tested these "facts" for ourselves. Here are the results of a range of 23 neutral density filters compared.

Two Tricks on How to Enhance Your Image in Post

What happens when you can't "get it right in camera"? There are different scenarios when you have to shoot the subject with what's available at that moment. What can you do afterward to improve the shot?

Make It Rain With This DIY Machine for Product Photography

Water dripping down the side of a beer bottle, splashing around a shampoo bottle, or sparkling on a flower petal are staples of product photography, but creating water effects in a controlled environment doesn't have to be difficult or expensive.

Three Different Window Light Portrait Photography Looks

Windows can be a great way to add some elegance and visual interest to a portrait. This great video will show you three different ways to incorporate windows into a portrait shoot using only natural light.

Steve McCurry’s ‘Afghan Girl’: The Truth That Never Gets Told

The documentary photography of Steve McCurry has come under intense scrutiny in recent years. In this thought-provoking video, photographer Tony Northrup explores the truth around how the image was created and the story of its subject that rarely gets told.

Simple Lightroom Trick: Before/After Preview Key

If you've read my past articles on Fstoppers, you know that I love editing shortcuts. These quick tricks save you time and frustration, making your business more productive and profitable.