As photographers, we are always looking for ways to improve our craft and stay ahead of the curve. With new technology emerging every day, it can be difficult to know what is worth investing in and what will become obsolete in a few months. In this short article, we will explore the potential of AI technology and how it could benefit photographers in the future.
Some lenses are naturally exciting, the sort that inspire and excite you to go out and create images. Others are more pragmatic workhorses, and it can be easy to be tricked into thinking you can get away without them, especially when you have something like a bokeh monster in your bag. This interesting video examines one photographer's journey away from and back to an uninspiring but highly useful lens.
Until recently, the last time I shot an entire roll of film was on a Canon EOS 5, sometime in the mid-2000s. Last month, I put a roll of black-and-white film through my mother’s old Olympus Trip 35, and the results sparked some strong emotions.
Sony users tend not to struggle when it comes to choosing lenses thanks to a ton of third parties complementing a large offering from the Japanese manufacturer. However, one lens now forms a bizarre gap in the lens lineup and, amazingly, companies are not trying to fill it.
We are lucky to live in a time when modern lenses can open to extreme apertures and somehow still produce sharp images that render every in-focus detail in sharp relief. Can a lens actually be too sharp, though? It seems like an absurd question to ask, but this interesting video makes a great argument for why that can sometimes be the case.
The Fujifilm X-Pro1 has become something of a cult classic. Released in March of 2012, the camera was an immediate hit with photographers due to its aesthetics and outstanding image quality. I picked one up used a few years ago, and it quickly became my favorite take-along camera. As it nears one decade on the market, here are 10 reasons to love the X-Pro1 — 10 years later.
Leica has always tried to maintain a balance between their reverence for the past and their willingness to embrace the future through innovative camera releases that shoot black and white only or cameras that don’t have a rear LCD. I believe their next flagship release, expected to be unveiled on January 13, 2022, will take the bold step of removing all buttons, dials, and switches from the back of the camera in favor of a touchscreen-only interface.
A brief story to round out the year and launch us into the next.
Sony has an extensive lineup of cameras in its range that cater to many different genres and applications. In this video, Sidney Diongzon goes through his suggestions for which camera is most suitable depending on what you most often shoot.
Photography tends to breed a lot of strong opinions among those who enjoy the pursuit, some productive and some less so. This interesting video essay features a seasoned photographer sharing five opinions he hears commonly that can be detrimental to photographers.
Nikon’s recent lens announcement, the Z 28-75 f/2.8, came as a bit of surprise. Notably absent from the roadmap, with few rumors or speculation in the run-up to its appearance, this lens is an odd duck in more ways than one. Is this a promising development for the Z system or a missed opportunity?
Cameras are always improving, but it seems like the rate of progress has kicked into another gear in the last few years, with Canon, Sony, Fuji, and Nikon all blazing ahead with remarkably advanced bodies. One photographer recently decided to switch to Sony for his work, and this great video takes a balanced look at his thoughts after three months with the system.
Like any specialist occupation, photography is an expensive one. There are big savings that can make it affordable for the professional, some of which can help the amateur too.
This has been a billboard year for camera and equipment releases as all the big players have launched impressive products of some description. What have you bought and what have your favorite purchases been?
Minimalism is a word bandied about by some photographers and overlooked by many others. There’s so much more to it than excluding elements from our images, and embracing its wider meaning can transform the way we approach photography.
Being a photographer in the digital age is a double-edged sword. On one hand, we have an endless resource of articles, videos, and experts right at our fingertips. It’s truly a golden age for education, and a motivated person can go from an absolute novice to an expert almost completely on their own. But at the same time, we are more exposed than ever before, and as photographers, posting our work online means opening ourselves up to a sea of criticism — both good and bad.
If you are in the market for an adaptable filter system that really is top quality, I would definitely check out the H&Y filter system.
Fujifilm has a relationship with its customers that’s a little different from every other camera brand. Having carved a definite niche within the world of photography, what does the manufacturer need to do in order to ensure that it maintains — or even expands — its market share?
Entry-level cameras are the best option for beginners, right? Plus, that popular brand must be the right choice, mustn’t it? As the song goes, it ain’t necessarily so. Here’s why you should consider choosing something better.
Growing your skillset and your career as an artist can be filled with pitfalls. But even though many mistakes are shared amongst nearly all photographers, the good news is that most can be avoided if you only know where to look.
Smartphone cameras and AI technology can produce beautiful results. Many of them can intelligently boost colors in an image, blur out a background to mimic larger optics, or even change how you look. The question is: how far is too far with smartphones and AI manipulation of images?
This major midterm upgrade to On1 Photo Raw brings more exciting and unique features that will certainly win it more converts from other asset management, raw development, and editing software programs
Artificial intelligence is bringing incredible advances for photographers, from relighting portraits and making people smile, to cleaning up skin and swapping out skies. However, photographers everywhere would beg developers of photo-editing software to harness deep learning to create one simple tool.
2021 brought a huge array of excellent gear. Here’s a roundup of the best and worst releases of the year, including a decision for the best stills camera that will take a lot of people by surprise.
Roland Barthes was a theorist and philosopher whose literary contributions to photography are still discussed and hold relevance today. I believe he is mandatory reading for anyone who considers themselves a photographer in any capacity.
After a long weekend with too much food and too little exercise, I found myself receiving a gift that contained both a product and a lesson.
When you combine modern photography gear, even at the entry-level, with today's post-production software, it has never been easier for people to get high-quality images. The days of perfectly matching time, elements, and light are essentially done.
A decade ago, the differences between zoom and prime lenses were stark: zooms offered convenience and versatility, while primes offered better image quality and more extreme apertures. However, the gap has closed in recent years, with zooms showing marked jumps in image quality and pushing their designs to new extremes, blurring the line between the two. So, can you get by with just zooms now? This insightful video takes a deep look at the question.
No doubt, photography is in a time of change. As the abilities of cameras skyrocket, ironically, the demand for photographers decreases, as all that technology makes it easier for normal consumers to get photos that are good enough for their needs. So, what is the future of photography? Is the industry going to look completely different in a decade or two? What will cameras be like? This interesting video tackles some of those questions.
Imagine you can open up Lightroom and browse through the lighting setup (a graphic from top down) that shows you what you did during your shoot, where each photo has its lights, and the setup of these lights, all embedded. Would that be beneficial?
Drones are appealing to a wide gamut of people, from creatives to tech-heads, to aviation enthusiasts. For me, it was perhaps a blend of all three, but something I couldn't easily justify. Nevertheless, I bought one anyway, and it turned out to be the best poor decision I've ever made.
With Christmas lurking over the hill like a bright red flashing pickpocket, it's time to start figuring out what to buy your loved ones. If they are a photographer, here are some ideas that won't bankrupt you.
During an effort to rid my house of excess belongings this weekend, I stumbled upon an analogy that should help inform my gear buying decisions going forward.
Opinions matter to most people, but when the opinion of another photographer goes against or deviates from what the original photographer intended for that image, does that that make the image wrong?
A long time ago, I heard someone utter this bit of nonsense. Depending upon the genre of photography you shoot, there are good arguments for using manual controls and settings. However, there are times when your camera’s automated technologies prove the Luddites wrong, then automation is king.
Til death do us part? Apparently not, according to a popular wedding photographer who shares three signs she's picked up along the way that indicate a marriage will end in tears — of unhappiness.
How do you define success as a photographer? How do you know when you’ve reached the goal you’ve set for yourself when you first started your journey behind the lens?
Modern cameras have an amazing dynamic range. It allows the capture of all the luminosities between the darkest parts and the brightest parts. If you want more, a bracketing series can go beyond that. But do we need everything within the dynamic range, or not?
No matter how long you’ve been involved in photography or other creative work, you’ve probably been asked to do something for someone for free, or worse, for “exposure.” Is it ever sensible to give your time without some form of tangible remuneration?
Just about every important image I publish or send to a client passes through Photoshop. It’s an essential part of my workflow, and if you’re like most photographers, I’m sure it’s a part of yours. There are, however, a number of cases where I’ve just found a significantly better tool for the job, one that’s worth paying for. Want to see why you should consider snagging these programs that beat Photoshop at their own game?
Photo contests are often very divisive. You're happy when you win and furious when your work is snubbed. They can be so subjective yet they draw people in like moths to a flame. Why?
As I am knee-deep in production this week, I thought I’d take this week’s article to share an experience outside the normal photography realm that still has lessons to teach for every small business owner.
It is 2021, and numerous devices have GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular radios or some combination thereof, and these capabilities provide a certain level of security. There are also passcodes, serial number databases, and much more. And yet, cameras do not seem to take advantage of any of these capabilities. Why is that, and will we ever see some of these features make their way into our devices?
Becoming a successful professional photographer requires more than just being able to shoot a pretty sunset or stunning portrait. It's about how you run your business.
Transferring images from the camera to the customer is a complex process that — depending upon your genre — will require a greater or lesser number of intermediate steps. Irrespective of who you are delivering to, you need to get photos off your camera, and this is where the fun and games start. Nikon has released NX MobileAir as another solution to fix the problem. Has it missed a beat or taken a bold step forward?
In a few days, Activision will launch the 18th installment of Call of Duty, returning players to the Second World War. To market the game’s new photography mode, two conflict photographers were immersed inside the virtual world and tasked with photographing it. The resulting commercial portrays mankind’s most brutal act of self-destruction as little more than a game of football.
Nikon has just recently announced the Nikon Z 9, a flagship camera with some incredible features. The autofocus, high-resolution sensor, and overall speed might put the Nikon Z 9 ahead of the competition. However, the most curious thing about this new camera is the fact that it does not have a mechanical shutter.
Artificial Intelligence is a powerful machine-learning technology that's starting to seep into our image editing workflow and it'll soon render some manual editing obsolete, but which will go first?
Nikon has finally officially announced their new flagship mirrorless camera, the Z 9. The long-rumored specs are now confirmed, and the promise of the system has exceeded expectations.
As more mirrorless camera lines are announced from the biggest manufacturers in the world, does the DSLR run risk of being put on the sidelines indefinitely?
