If you're scared of damaging your camera's sensor by cleaning it yourself, this short video will show you exactly how to do it and remove any fears you might have.
The most stressful part of a photography trip starts before takeoff: booking and travel logistics. Since my first international trip 4 years ago, I’ve learned several booking strategies to minimize stress and maximize bang for buck.
Tired with your same ol' process of color grading in Photoshop? Try out different color combinations in quick succession using these handy tips from PiXimperfect.
Client galleries have become the de facto way of distributing photos post-shoot, whether you are a seasoned pro delivering to a corporate client or helping out at a friend's wedding. Can you do this on a shoestring and is there an efficient workflow?
Capturing portraits at night or during low-light situations without strobes or speedlights can be tricky. You don't want to capture blurry or out of focus shots, so what can you do to help reduce taking bad photos?
If you're often frustrated by how little detail can be seen in your Instagram posts, this technique and free Photoshop template are for you.
In this six-minute video, YouTuber workphlo breaks down a simple DIY diffuser that works especially well when going for a "glossy" look in your product photos. This technique applies to close-ups of reflective products.
You have been dreaming of shooting underwater for a while, but waterproof housing is too expensive, none seem to fit your huge rig, or you can’t find one with which you can trigger your strobes. Then check out this trick.
You probably use Lightroom because of the efficiency in processing batches of images, which in turn frees up more of your valuable time. But why use the software without the convenience of its many shortcuts, which save you time and make your work easier?
Creating soft light can become an expensive pursuit. A large, indirect softbox will cost around $2,000 and the cheaper ones are often badly built, are small, or generally lack good light quality. Being a tight git, I set about finding a way to create high quality, soft light for my food photography, although this set up will work for pretty much all genres.
When it comes to both photography and video hacks, there’s no shortage of clickbait videos. To me, this one is the complete opposite of that.
Mathieu Stern got his hands on a Scarlet-W, which shoots a whopping 5K image, to bring the best out of a vintage 135mm lens he picked up on eBay.
Want to know the secrets of turning any space, no matter how boring, bland, or dirty, into an awesome location for photo shoots?
Creating your own photography studio doesn't have to be as expensive as you might think. For around five dollars, you could make your own studio setup to take some amazing portraits in the comfort of your home.
Adobe’s latest update to Adobe Premiere CC has made it more accessible than ever for beginners to start editing video, but if your processing power is limited, playback lag can make the editing process frustrating. Here are six ways to reduce playback lag when editing your timeline.
Looking to add some vintage dust and grain look to your freshly taken digital photos? You know, that look when you come across some old polaroids or 4x6 prints that you dug up from an old photo album that's been packed away in some box… or possibly scrounged from your parents? Yeah, that look of slight imperfections where the ink has been scratched along with some dust that's hard to remove.
One of the biggest challenges all photographers and videographers face is knowing what gear to bring on any given shoot. To make it worse, we are constantly torn on when to purchase or use dedicated specialty gear versus all-around multipurpose gear. Each photographer has to learn this for their own style and genre of photography; however, learning tips that can help you get the most out of each piece of gear will always increase the usefulness of that gear.
In the magical world of Photoshop, there are lots of different ways to change an object's color from one hue to another, but achieving a change from color to a realistic white is sometimes challenging. This video from Helen Bradley will show you one way to get quick, realistic results when changing an object from color to solid white.
Videography can be a tricky area to traverse with a constant push and pull between expensive equipment and cheap alternatives. This video gives you three tips on how you can create smooth and cinematic shots, but without using a gimbal or slider.
"Gear isn't everything." We seasoned pros say it all the time, but often when standing under a pair Profoto B1 flash heads, so it can be hard to swallow for some. Well, if ever you needed convincing, this might just do the trick.
The Sony a7 series has won a lot of acclaim from photographers, but like any camera system, it's not perfect. This great video will give you five tricks and tips for getting more out of your a7 series camera.
Rumors circulated this week of a fix that significantly improves the biggest issue with Panasonic GH5 and GH5S, namely its auto-focus system when shooting video. Has YodaYeo really stumbled across a fix that GH5 owners have been longing for?
When it comes to food photography, your goal is to capture the dish as well as possible while making sure it looks appealing. You want to entice the viewer to order or crave that dish. If you are new to this genre, here are a few tricks that may help you craft a better shot.
Creating double or even multiple exposure shots isn't anything new. Traditionally it was used in film photography and even recently in Photoshop, but you can do it all in camera too.
Some days, the light just doesn't cooperate to give you that beautiful blue sky in the background of an image. But your subject may be so compelling, you know you have to fix that sky to make elevate your image from mundane to impressive. You could always replace the sky in Photoshop, but there may just be an even easier way to do it using the Black and White Filter.
I'm no painter. In fact, if we ever play Pictionary together, do your best to get on the other team. So, when I wanted to make my own custom backdrops, I knew I was way out of my depth. Like many photographers, I've drooled over Sarah Oliphant's hand painted backdrops for years. When I saw Jeremy Cowart draw his own backdrop on an iPad Pro, I thought I may have something within reach. While I continued trying to decide exactly what Oliphant backdrop I want to start with, I thought maybe I could experiment with some digital painting of my own.
Photography gear can get quite expensive and put a huge dent in our wallets. While there are many things we wouldn’t want to cheap out on, there are several DIY hacks that can solve some of our wants and still fit within our budget. Some of those hacks are great for adding effects and different looks to shots. Here are eight DIY photo filters.
Do you ever shoot with seamless paper as the backdrop? If so, how do you use it? Don’t use it just as a plain background when you can get creative with it. If you're not sure what else you can do with seamless paper, here are 10 creative uses to give you some ideas.
Wrapping up the shooting for your latest vlog is always a satisfying feeling but, of course, the work has only just begun. Cutting, editing, adding sound, text; the list of finishing touches for your vlog goes on. One way to speed up that workflow is to accomplish as much of the work as possible in camera, reducing your workload once you've uploaded your content to your computer. Daniel DeArco has put together a vlog showing off some really easy and effective transitions that will take your vlog from static to dynamic with minimal extra effort.
A pinhole camera is essentially a box with a piece of photo-sensitive paper on the inside and a tiny hole on the other side of the box. It's used by pointing the hole at a light source or reflected light, exposing the paper through the pinhole and then covering again. Simple. So, whats stopping us from doing it with our digital cameras? Nothing, that's what, so get up off your bum and start creating something different, like Blue Mantle Films just did.
One way to spice up your photography is to add gels to your lights so you can produce colorful and edgy looking imagery. Adding wild colors to your photos can offer a lot of creativity but gels can also be used in a much more subtle fashion to slightly alter the color of your background and sky. In today's video I want to share two simple techniques I use to help make my backgrounds on location look more interesting.
Baby it’s cold outside, just look at that ice beard! Only in Northern Michigan would you find someone actually surfing in this kind of cold. But, that’s what a Marquette local, Daniel Schetter or “Surfer Dan,” does. On Christmas day, Photographer Devon Hains ventured out into the cold to photograph Schetter out on Lake Superior. If you’re thinking at all about venturing out in the cold after the next fluffy snowfall to take some shots (and you should), you need to take the appropriate actions to protect your gear. In this article, I’ll share a tip on how not to completely ruin your gear after shooting in the cold.
Whenever you ask one of your creative peers which software they use to edit, you’re probably expecting an answer along the lines of "Photoshop" or "Lightroom." Microsoft Excel is unlikely to be high up on your list – but software engineer Kevin Chen has actually managed to create an HDR photo using exactly that.
If you've ever wondered where photographers are getting this gorgeous colored powder for portraits, stock imagery, and dance photos, it turns out it's very easy and affordable to make at home. This powder can be used in endlessly creative ways to add an eye-catching unique and fine art element to your studio or outdoor photography. Clients and followers love seeing these fun images, and it's an absolute blast to photograph.
I'm no cinematographer. I mean I dabble, like a lot of still shooters do, but I wouldn't put myself under the category of video expert by any means. That being said, I do know what I like and what I think looks good. What I've always really liked is the depth and feel of large format in still photography and, now finally, in video. You don't need to spend a $100,000-plus to do it either. See for yourself how Zev Hoover from Massachusetts accomplished it.
Light is a key factor in photography. It helps shape and create your photo. As the sun changes throughout the day, depending on where you are you may see some thin beams of light fall across the environment. Creating these thin light beams and adding them to your portraits can add some interesting looks. Controlling the light into small beams is one way to create drama and mood in your work. How would you create a thin beam of light on set?
What do you do when worst-case scenario hits? When even after doing your best to prepare for it, it cripples you, and you feel like you're stuck in a depressive "Groundhog's Day" of going through the motions?
Photographers and cinematographers sometimes find themselves in the middle of a shoot wishing they had some piece of equipment to get that shot just right. Whether a gimbal has broken or the light just isn't cooperating, sometimes you just need a creative solution to make the image you visualize in your head. Vlogger and Photographer Hayden Pedersen has put together a video with some clever hacks to help you create the shot you want — video or still — when you might not have exactly the right piece of equipment to accomplish it. And, best of all, you can see them all in less than two minutes.
Like many other photographers and filmmakers today, we need batteries for many of our gear and accessories. Many devices today come with their own rechargeable battery but there are still many gadgets and accessories we use that still can take the standard AA or AAA batteries. Keeping many on hand can be a pain in itself, so I tend to keep a set of traditional non-rechargeable batteries as a backup with many rechargeable ones as the main source for these items that need them. What happens with the rechargeable ones will not recharge anymore?
From the outside looking in, the creative industry can be daunting. We think we need thousands of dollars of equipment to take images on par with our peers – but that’s not strictly true. Here’s a breakdown of how I photographed one of British pop’s biggest acts using cheap lights from eBay.
There are many things we have to remember to have with us while on set for a shoot, sometimes those things can be really questionable until you need them. Some of those things can be as simple as carrying extra screws with you, something you might not need but really helpful when you do.
So if for some reason you've still never tried a graphical tablet for your image retouching or digital illustrations, seriously stop waiting around. Worst case scenario is that you find that you really don't like it so you turn around and sell it. Best case, you revolutionize your retouching habits; pretty much a no-brainer. You can pick up used tablets online at huge discounts or you can buy new if that's your thing. For the sake of retouching, just try one out. Give it about a week if it's your first time with a tablet. Here is an awesome video with some tips and tricks you can apply to get you flowing right out of the gate.
The ultimate lifehack tool or an unnecessary distraction? Love them or loath them, the Apple Watch is here to stay. But does it have any real use case for a photographer? Well, here are five of them!
Filmmaking and photography are often about being as resourceful as one can and using creative problem-solving to get whatever shot you're interested in. The Gorillapod is a popular product built around that philosophy, and this helpful video shows you five different ways to extend its usefulness.
There are tonnes of tips and hacks you can use to get new and creative shots for your portfolio. How many tips are you aware of where you are using simple objects most people probably have just lying around? If you are like me and shop online, you probably have a few cardboard boxes lying around right now which could be perfect for some photo hacks for creative work.
As a YouTuber, I’m always looking at new ways and new techniques to improve my video quality. I’m very passionate about the content I create, and Peter McKinnon has been a huge influence on my channel. There are a number of reasons as to why he’s become such a massive presence on YouTube in a very short period of time, and a previous article on Fstoppers outlines it more effectively. The most obvious reasons are because of his entertainment value, but more importantly it’s the incredibly useful information he provides to his audience. In his latest video, McKinnon describes and demonstrates three subtle techniques that can give some much needed spice to your videos.
Different projects may require different things in the background to help sell the story we are trying to tell with our photos. Sometimes they can be as simple as using a window in the frame. What happens when you are shooting and there aren’t any windows that fit your vision, or any windows at all?
By now most of you have probably watched the Matrix movies and seen how the bullet time effects were created, and if not where have you been? In a nutshell, the effect was used in the films too slow down or freeze a moment while adding a rotation around the subject using multiple cameras to capture that moment. Why did I bring that up?
Are you looking for different ways to add some creativity to your work? There are several different methods to add special effects to your photos, both in-camera and in postproduction later with Photoshop or other photo manipulation software. Depending on what effects you are trying to achieve, some of them can be done really easily in-camera and won’t take up too much time extra time.
As Adobe Lightroom Mobile has become more and more powerful with each update, more photographers are starting to adopt mobile workflows to get images out to both social media and clients faster. The ability to quickly make edits on your phone or tablet then share those images almost instantly has a lot of uses. Now in his newest video, photographer and YouTuber Peter McKinnon gives a quick tutorial on how to apply presets within Lightroom Mobile.
