A few weeks ago, an intriguing "Coming Soon" tweet popped up in my Twitter feed, teasing the announcement of a new Rolleiflex digital TLR. I gave the tweet a like and followed the account since the idea of a twin lens digital camera sounded interesting, although strange, and thought little of it until the account issued another tweet titled "My Apology."
"Vintage" point-and-shoot digital cameras are all the rage among Gen Z today, and while you can cruise eBay to find something used to scratch that itch, what can you get for about the same money new?
Likely the most controversial topic in the photography world is which camera brand is best. What if you took those brands and personified them into a conversation with each other?
It's no secret that Gen Z has rediscovered the digital cameras of most millennials' youth. But while 20-year-old point-and-shoot cameras are fun and all, the realest camera of them all just might be the Barbie Wireless Video Camcorder.
DSLR fashion has plummeted in recent years. The perks of mirrorless tech continue to exceed expectations, pushing boundaries and leaving their clunky, slower siblings in their shiny, space-age wake. But does any of that really matter in the commercial photographic world? Well, no, not really. In 2023, £250 will still have your images contending with ones from bodies 10 times the price.
What does it really take to get by in an industry where any Tom, Dick, and Harry has it in them to harvest likes on images like basking sharks devouring krill? Who’s doing it better? Well, everyone, right? What’s happening, day to day, week to week in the life of an active professional photographer? Well, I’m laying it all on the line. Telling it like it is. Here’s a desperately honest account of what happens in an average week for me, an honestly average photographer.
Addiction. Hedonism. Chasing the dopamine hit. Just another taste. Just one more like. Ok, maybe 10, then I’m done. I swear it’s all I need! Here’s what I’m doing. Here’s what I’ve done. Here’s who’s doing this and hey, look, I’m present. Lifting the lid on the banality of everyday life. Journalists of the quotidian. Instagram is not what it used to be. We can all agree to that. And no truer is that than from the perspective of the humble photographer. Surely, it’s time to grow up, isn’t it?
I ate it. I ate it with my partner and made soup out of it the next day. Damn, I hate spoilers. Nevertheless here’s the full lowdown on how to orchestrate a simple food shoot when you’re technically meant to be cooking dinner in a pokey kitchen.
They say variety is the spice of life and in the world of the freelance photographer, a broad and knowledgable skill set goes a long way. So, why does knowing your way around a multitude of photographic genres breed so much disrespect in the professional world?
Photography is brilliant! It’s an accessible art form adopted by millions of fabulous people. However, there are some things it should have grown out of by now. Here are my bottom six that we should abandon in 2023.
With AI being all the rage lately, I thought I would test run a plot generator story of Canon versus Sony. I put in some spicy adjectives and plotted the main storyline: the photographers cross paths at the Imagining USA Nikon booth, and I let AI write a plot that will have you both roaring with laughter and fuming with offense. Grab your popcorn, and enjoy a good laugh.
Every year, mobile camera technology improves, and every year, I see more articles comparing phones to professional cameras. I decided to carry out my own comprehensive test to finally decide which device is better, the phone or the DSLR.
Geraint and Rob are old friends out to have fun with their photography. They are both accomplished photographers and, most importantly, have a lot of fun taking pictures. The genuine joy they find in the creative process is evident and makes this video is worth watching.
When it comes to portrait posing, there are some great poses, some not great poses, and then, there are those poses that are so egregious that they should be avoided at all costs.
If you are not getting absolute joy out of photography, you are doing it all wrong. Rob Cottle and Geraint Radford show you how nature photography should be done.
Under the category of so-ridiculous-that-I'm-not-sure-it's-real-but-kind-of-a-cool idea is a video that chronicles the life of a "fanny pack photographer."
And while we're on the subject of which is better, iPhones are far superior to Android devices, the iPad is objectively the best tablet available, and digital imaging is far superior to analog film in every way imaginable.
Like it or not, mirrorless cameras have overtaken DSLRs as the cameras of choice for most photographers. As the major camera brands transition away from developing new DSLRs and focus on mirrorless technologies, there are still advantages to using a DSLR.
Landscape photography is a quirky genre, often requiring long physical treks in the wee hours, all while hoping for the conditions to cooperate and allow you to take the photo you have in mind. If you have been there before, check out this hilarious video that follows a landscape photographer's thought process while deciding whether to head out to shoot or not.
Every profession and hobby has clichés that lurk around them like an unpleasant smell, and photography is no different. But what clichés about photographers do you believe to be mostly true?
As you get better and better at photography, you learn more and more. This has the negative effect that there then exist fewer and fewer new things to learn since you already know most of them. I was surprised to find this video by Alex Kilbee where he shares some lesser-known photographic phenomena.
Recently, two photography friends visited the Fstoppers studio on the same day. Of course, this meant I needed to plan a friendly photography competition to see once and for all who is the best photographer in the land! This challenge video comes with lots of twists and turns, but at the core, we ask the question: "can an iPhone beat an expensive $12,000 medium format mirrorless camera?" Today, we find out.
Chances are, everyone in your circle knows you are a photographer. How many of those people have an understanding of what you actually do on a day-to-day basis? This brief, but funny video by Niels Kemp highlights some of the misconceptions he encounters from the people closest to him.
Seattle, Washington: A local photographer swears final_image_version_8_USE_THIS_ONE_edit_edit_edit_edit_copy.TIFF is the last edit of this image. No really. Promise.
What exactly is the best type of photographer? And how do you become one?
There are many times when you have gone to a location to shoot a landscape and you have not been the only one there. That is fine as everyone is entitled to be there. Every now and again however you have the type of photographer who thinks that they are entitled and who blatantly either stands right next to you to get the same composition without any acknowledgment or a courteous "would you mind if I..."
You read that title correctly. Tired of your landscape photos looking like every other fantastic photographer's shots? Maybe you should be taking things in the other direction. If you need a laugh (and some good education), check out this great video that will show you how to take just awful landscape photos.
It seems like all photographers can talk about these days is how sharp this lens is versus that lens. I miss the days when blurry photographs were charming.
Every genre of photography has quirks that the photographer gradually adopts as normal. This is one boudoir photographer's weird habits and although some of them are specific, there is a lot of crossover with other genres in places.
The act of capturing important moments or creating art is a fulfilling one, scattered with variety and fascinating niches. However, on occasion, people dream up a scenario where they require a photographer to do something... unusual. Here are some of the strangest occurrences of my career.
