Fstoppers Original Articles

Coming from a photography background, venturing into the video realm can feel overwhelming. While I'm confident in most aspects of photography, the learning curve for filmmaking is steep and often more complicated than expected.

I woke up with my morning coffee to these thoughts: “Overprocessing images can sometimes compromise the integrity of the image and do more harm than necessary. Here are several reasons why one should refrain from over-editing their images.” I thought to myself, “I need to caffeinate further before finishing this article” and took a big gulp of my coffee.

Picture controls, picture styles, and picture profiles are a few of the names they go by, depending on your camera brand. But what are they, and how can they help you create images and make editing easier?

Someone on social media stated “A pro would never use a Z50!” If you’re not familiar with Nikon, this is their crop sensor entry-level camera, costing $860. I’ve heard similar statements dozens of times—matter-of-fact assertions about what pros do, usually made by photographers who aren’t actually professionals.

I love prime lenses—they’re always my preference—but I had to travel across Spain recently to make a documentary film and was traveling light. I had to pick my lenses carefully, so I chose the 24-70mm as my main lens. I quickly discovered it was the perfect travel lens.

So many of us photographers seem to have an insatiable appetite for camera gear. For some, it’s G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome), while others are honing their photographic experiences into a seemingly futile and almost never-ending quest to trade up to the perfect camera. For a rare few, they have found their gear and are sticking to it.

Landscape photography, often romanticized as a calm pursuit, is, in reality, a demanding test of patience. Unlike studio photography, where they control the lighting, backdrop, and subject, we landscape photographers must yield to nature’s rhythm. Whether it’s the color at golden hour, a dramatic storm, or a perfectly composed scene, capturing the ideal moment requires unwavering patience.

To fully understand how white balance affects our perception, we must first explore how color shapes our emotional response in photography. Since the dawn of time, we humans have become accustomed to associating certain colors with specific contexts. The ability of humans to read visual cues for signs of danger is likely an instinct as a survival mechanism. For example, brightly colored insects scream danger without having to look into the species.

One of the most difficult things to accomplish is achieving a great composition. There are many rules and guidelines—enough to make your head spin. Perhaps there’s a better way to create an attractive composition, and that’s by ignoring the rules at first and concentrating on what you want to show.

I've been seeing spotlights used in shoots everywhere, so I wanted to jump on the trend and put my own twist on a spotlight shoot. Here’s how my creative partner, David, and I created a theatrical portrait session using a spotlight.

A few months ago, I explored a new photography challenge and invested in an infrared filter for landscape photography. I could've bought an already converted used camera, but after looking at what was available on the used market and specialist conversion services, investing in a filter seemed to be at a more appealing price point and the best of both worlds. After several trials and tribulations, I became hooked on this newly discovered world of infrared photography.

I see a growing number of new lenses hitting the market that rely on lens correction. These lenses have some benefits, but are lens manufacturers taking shortcuts with these lens designs? Will we be seeing more and more lenses with this reliance on lens correction in the near future?

This week, Fujifilm announced the development of a new camera designed with filmmakers in mind, the Fujifilm GFX Eterna. The camera builds on Fuji’s GFX line of medium format still cameras but will be focused on video capture and is aimed at independent filmmakers and documentarians.

When it comes to lenses, photographers who hear "ultra-wide" and "fast apertures" are usually bracing for an equally impressive price tag. The Viltrox 16mm f/1.8, however, seeks to deliver excellent optical quality and unique lens features at a reasonable price—in this review, I’ll see if Viltrox can execute a truly great ultra-wide prime.

As the season of goodwill, giving, and receiving rapidly approaches, what do you buy an established photographer if you want to spend more? Here are some big presents for those photographers nearest to us, or ideas your loved ones might consider for you.

Recently, I was flown out for the first time as a photographer, and this is everything I learned from the experience, as well as what I would change for next time.

Let’s walk through the top seven mistakes (because, let’s be honest, ten is too many, and five just feels lazy). Here’s the thing: your website is your storefront. It’s how people find you, decide if they like your work, and, ideally, hire you. But if it’s buried in search results, slow to load, or difficult to navigate, you might as well be taking those gorgeous photos and tossing them into the digital void. Whether you’re wondering why your site isn’t showing up on Google or why potential clients aren’t booking after visiting, this list will help you turn things around.

The king of kit lenses is dead. Long live the Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS!

Being a professional photographer is about more than just the exposure triangle.

When editing landscape photographs, there are many ways to get from point A to point B. In this tutorial, we'll cover using Adobe Camera Raw to get the most out of your raw files.

You’ve poured your blood, sweat, and tears into your art. Now, it’s time to make sure it is preserved.

The latest M4 MacBook Pro marks another substantial upgrade in Apple’s pro laptop lineup, bringing a blend of powerful performance and practical new features. I've used it over the past week, and here are my thoughts.

Is there a difference between a photograph and a picture? In my mind, yes! A picture is a snapshot documenting a person, place, thing, or moment without intention. A photograph is created with intention, process, and technique.

Remember the smell of film rolls and the feel of manual focus?

Modern lenses are perfectly sharp and crisp. But perfection is overrated and can be rather boring. I have a solution to add some character back into my photography and videos.

Access to photography has never been greater, yet now the risk of the family archive dying out has never been more of an issue. This article explains why the digital age has put the family archive in danger, and what we, as photographers, can do about this.

Natural light is one of the most important elements in landscape photography. It shapes the landscape, creates mood, and brings depth to a scene. However, natural light is also highly unpredictable and can either enhance or ruin your shot. For landscape photographers, understanding and ultimately mastering light is crucial, but it comes with several challenges. In this article, I want to explore the complexities of working with natural light and how you can overcome these challenges to improve your landscape photography.

It’s that time again when my brain starts to ponder the endless question: What would be my idea of a perfect camera?

Have you ever struggled to get your image from the foreground to the background in focus? As photographers, especially in the genre of landscapes, the ultimate goal is to achieve sharp focus from the foreground to infinity. Have you struggled with this in the past? You can use hyperfocal distance, double the distance method, and focus stacking techniques to achieve sharp focus from foreground to infinity. While a few of these methods can be challenging, with a little knowledge, they are more accessible than one might think.

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 2024, 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.

It is never easy to let go, whether it’s your favorite camera, light, or shoes that are just beyond repair. I’m the worst at letting go and don’t recall the last time I sold a light, if ever. The process seemed tedious and simply unnecessary. However, letting go can be much easier. Here’s the best way to let go of old equipment.

Every couple of years, our network access storage (NAS) gets nearly full of old photoshoots and video projects. Today, I am installing our biggest system yet, and it can hold a whopping 160 TB of data. Oh, and it's also 10 GbE, which allows us to edit video projects directly off the network.

Profoto just announced their new 500 Ws studio strobe, the D30. I've been playing with it for the last few weeks, and today I am finally able to share with you a full photoshoot using this powerful light.

Sadly, the world in which we’re living has become more polarized, with hatred splitting communities and war tearing countries apart. Many people roll their eyes when the holidays approach, but perhaps we should all be happy it’s only a few weeks away and think about what would help other photographers and brighten their days.

For any videographer, getting your equipment setup just right is key to achieving smoother workflows and better-quality shots. Recently, I upgraded my gimbal setup with a few accessories that have made a significant impact on both my shooting experience and footage quality. Looking back, I wish I had invested in these upgrades much sooner.

There is a bamboozling range of different camera bags on the market, and deciding which to buy is a veritable minefield. Here are some explanations of the various bags, their purposes, and what to look for when choosing yours.

Are squares better? Come with me as we throw a fork in the photographic microwave and investigate why you shouldn't underestimate the 1:1 image format.

If you’re creating content on your iPhone, Apple’s storage pricing can make it very difficult to justify using storage-heavy workflows like ProRes. Lexar’s Go Portable SSD, however, is specially designed to be the perfect external storage pairing for iPhones and other USB-C mobile devices.

The photography world is full of questions. Many of these questions are met with few answers and even fewer absolutes. Perhaps the biggest question of all is: “Do photographers exist today?”

Modifiers like softboxes and umbrellas serve as powerful tools for photographers to shape and control light. Whether they want to emulate natural window light with a touch of soft, diffused light or create an epic environmental portrait with darker exposures and higher flash powers, these tools provide portable and powerful means for photographers to bring their vision to life. In this article, we've gathered practical tips and techniques to help you effectively use softboxes and umbrellas to elevate the quality and mood of your wedding portraits.

Film production equipment is notoriously expensive. But some of the most helpful tools can still be had for a song.

As a professional commercial photographer, my main priority has always been to capture the perfect still image whether for client delivery or personal project.

For centuries, art was created in a physical form and limited to one original copy. If an artist wanted attribution, they could sign or carve their name into the artwork. No matter where the art traveled, the attribution traveled with it. Today, much of our work is shared digitally, where watermarks or crediting do not appear alongside the art. Widespread adoption of the new Content Credentials standard may give digital artists the recognition they deserve.

Do we even need a unique voice in our photography? Is having our own style really necessary? I have a few thoughts to share about this.

Whether you are still trying to find your footing or decades deep into a creative career, sooner or later a basic question comes for us all: Should you continue down the same path, or is it time to take a turn?

Is buying a Leica akin to strutting around with the latest ridiculously priced Louis Vuitton handbag? Is it all hype and image? Is it mandatory that Leica owners place their camera on the table in a coffee shop and spend more time taking photos of it—with their phone, I assume—than actually photographing with it?

In this article, we'll explore the ingredients for a great photo and find out which are the most important.

There are many benefits that come with teaching up-and-coming photographers, as I’ve come to learn. But some of them surprised me—namely that I would learn a lot more about photography, as well as myself, in the process. Consider this a short list of those benefits, along with some insights along the way.

One of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of landscape photography is finding the perfect location. The right location can elevate your photo from ordinary to extraordinary. However, choosing where to shoot can be a time-consuming process, filled with challenges such as overcrowded tourist spots, difficult terrain, or simply not knowing where to go. In this article, I want to explore the difficulties we face when finding the perfect location and provide strategies that have helped me overcome them.

As photographers, we intuitively understand that color profoundly impacts our images, and there’s much more to it than meets the eye. Here are ways you can elevate your images by employing the power of color.