Recent Opinion Articles

Why Waiting a Week for Photos Made Them More Precious

The most valuable photographs you've ever taken weren't the ones you saw immediately on your camera's LCD screen. They were the ones you had to wait for—sometimes a week, sometimes longer—wondering if that perfect moment you thought you captured actually materialized on film. This isn't nostalgia talking; it's psychology, and understanding it reveals something profound about how we value images in an age where we take more photos in a day than our grandparents took in a year.

Three Myths Holding Your Landscape Photography Back

Wherever you are on your landscape photography journey, there are common myths about how to approach the craft that can hold you back—thoughts that are commonly expressed in online communities that raise doubts and block your progress. Let’s look at three common myths that might be holding you back.

Why Are We Doing Film Photography Again?

I visited my local camera store in Canada recently and chatted with the guy working there about film photography. He confirmed what I was already experiencing from spending too much time on YouTube, telling me how popular it’s become and how the popularity continues to grow. He said it’s mostly younger people getting into film photography, and they can’t keep a used film camera in the display case for more than a few days; they get snapped up. Why is that?

It’s Not Just the Specs: Why Gear Reviews Hook Us

Gear content is everywhere—and strangely compelling. Even when we’re not shopping, we keep watching. What is it about reviews that draws us in, even when our photography might need something different?

5 Photography 'Rules' That Social Media Destroyed

Remember when photography had rules? Not guidelines or suggestions, but actual rules that separated the pros from the amateurs, the trained from the untrained, the serious from the snapshot-happy masses. These weren't arbitrary dictates from some photography ivory tower—they were hard-won principles developed over more than a century of image-making, refined through decades of darkroom experimentation, and codified in countless photography textbooks that gathering dust on our shelves. Then social media happened.

Why Modern Photographers Will Never Understand the Anxiety of Having Only 36 Shots

Picture this: You're standing in perfect golden hour light, watching a bride and groom share their first dance as married partners. Your light meter reads perfectly, your Nikon F4 is loaded with fresh Kodak Portra 400, and you've got exactly seven frames left on the roll. Seven. The pressure in your chest isn't just excitement—it's the very real anxiety that defined an entire generation of photographers who learned their craft when every single exposure had tangible, immediate value.

Is Film Photography Still Cool in 2025?

Film photography made a big comeback over the past decade, but where does it stand today, in 2025? The journey of film's revival and its current relevance is something worth understanding, especially if you're considering picking up an analog camera.

Japanese Art Philosophy Wabi-Sabi Gains Ground as Photographers and Clients Tire of Pixel-Perfect Images

Many shooters spent the last decade collecting faster lenses and bigger sensors, but a counter-movement now ripples through wedding albums, street-photo galleries, and TikTok feeds: pictures that leave the mistakes in. Motion blur, light leaks, camera shake—even a deliberate miss on focus—are suddenly welcome, propelled by a cultural hunger for images that feel honest instead of air-brushed.

The Death of the Photography Assistant: How Digital Killed Learning

When Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012, it wasn't just the end of an iconic brand—it was the tombstone marking the grave of a centuries-old apprenticeship system that had been the backbone of professional photography education. Today's Instagram-famous photographers may command six-figure day rates, but they've never experienced the foundational learning that came from spending years in the trenches as a photography assistant, and the industry is weaker for it.

Why Photography Content Creation Is Harder Than It Looks

Making a living from YouTube photography content isn't the dream job many imagine it to be. The reality behind the camera reveals challenges that go far beyond capturing beautiful images and building an audience.

Why You Should Spend Your Camera Budget on Travel Instead

Walk into any camera store and you'll witness a familiar ritual: photographers agonizing over lens specifications, debating camera body features, and calculating monthly payments for equipment that promises to transform their photography. The photography industry has built a powerful narrative around gear acquisition—that better equipment equals better photographs, that the next lens upgrade will unlock creative potential, that professional results require professional-grade tools.

How AI Can Find Hidden Photography Locations You've Never Considered

Finding fresh photography locations becomes increasingly challenging as you explore more of your local area. AI tools are now offering landscape photographers a practical solution for discovering hidden gems and overlooked shooting spots that traditional location scouting might miss.

Is the Canon RF 28–70mm f/2 Still Worth It in 2025? My Honest Take

When Canon first released the RF 28–70mm f/2L, it felt like a statement piece. A constant f/2 aperture on a zoom lens? It was bold, fast, and unlike anything else on the market. At the time, I was impressed by an aperture that wide on a zoom. But in 2025, after years of mirrorless refinement, is this lens still worth its weight, both literally and figuratively?

The Dopamine Economy of Photography: How Instant Gratification Destroyed Patience

Photography has undergone a fundamental transformation that extends far beyond technical capabilities. While digital cameras and smartphones have democratized image-making and eliminated financial barriers to practice, they may have simultaneously dismantled the psychological foundations that historically drove photographic mastery: patience, deliberation, and tolerance for delayed gratification.

The Loneliness Epidemic and Photography: Connection Versus Performance

Sarah posted another sunset photo from her weekend getaway, carefully edited with warm filters that made the moment look even more magical than it had felt in person. Within minutes, the likes and comments began flowing: "Gorgeous!" "So jealous!" "Living your best life!" Each notification brought a small rush of validation, proof that her 847 followers were watching, appreciating, connecting with her experiences.

Photography May Adversely Affect Your Memory and AI Is Making Things Worse

Photography can help improve people's mental health. It’s a mindful activity that brings moderate exercise outdoors, which can help our mood. However, with every advantage in photography, there is always a disadvantage, and the damage photography does to our brains is exacerbated by AI.

The Death of Candid Photography in the Smartphone Era

Maria noticed it first during her daughter's birthday party. She'd positioned herself discreetly across the room with her camera, hoping to capture genuine moments of joy and surprise. But something felt wrong. The children weren't behaving naturally—they kept glancing toward phones, adjusting their positions slightly when they sensed potential photo opportunities. Even the adults unconsciously angled themselves for better documentation.

When Is a Photograph Truly Finished?

Photographers make photographs, right? It’s obvious. And we all regularly share and view images, even as the technology underpinning the craft has changed. But what makes a photograph a “finished” product that we can put out into the world?

When Is it Okay to Use AI-Generated Images for Your Photography?

I can already see it. Many of you are clenching your fists and saying, "Never!" Certainly, there are many cases in which it's not acceptable to use AI-generated images for your photography. First, I'm going to discuss several instances of when it might be okay to use AI-generated images for photography. Then we'll examine the not-so-great applications.

The Individual and Social Paradox of Photography

Photography is an artistic pursuit, and yet shares similarities with sports. While fundamentally an individual activity, there is a necessary social component that enhances the experience. How do these two strains interact in our photographic journey?

Photography Trends That Reveal Everything Wrong With Modern Society

Photography has always been a mirror of its time, but the digital age has transformed it from a tool of documentation into a weapon of self-delusion. The camera, once used to capture reality, now serves primarily to manufacture it. What we photograph, how we photograph it, and why we photograph it reveals a society that has lost touch with authentic experience, commodified human connection, and replaced genuine accomplishment with the performance of success.

The Best Way To Improve Your Photography

I’ve always loved wandering around with my camera, looking for interesting things to photograph. Often, I struggled to find interesting things to shoot. Often, I didn’t have the motivation to put in much effort, which was weird because I love photography. And then one day, I learned something, and everything changed. From that point on, there was no looking back, no lack of motivation, and no difficulty in finding things to photograph.

What if the Only Way to Combat AI Is Finding Your Unique Photographic Style?

Let’s face it—AI is here to stay. Whether we like it or not, it’s not going anywhere. When it first emerged a few years back, I have to admit that I didn’t pay much attention to it. It felt like just another tech buzzword because of how immature it seemed. But fast forward to now: it’s evolving faster than most of us can keep up with, and it’s beginning to change the creative industry in a very real way.