I used to think all fog machine liquid was the same. Never once had I considered that a new fog formula could be far better than what I've been using for decades. PMI's Vanishing Formula Kit has changed my opinion, and today I test it against three of the most popular portable fog systems on the market.
The Neewer Q120 is a compact 120 Ws TTL pocket strobe aimed at photographers who want more power than a speedlight without carrying a full-size studio flash. After using it for outdoor portraits and location shoots, I found it surprisingly capable for its size. Compact and lightweight, the Q120 is clearly designed for outdoor and location shooting, but is it worth adding to your kit bag?
Post-processing has long been the most time-consuming part of a photographer's workflow, and the numbers back that up. According to the 2026 Zenfolio State of the Photography Industry report, about 70% of photographers spend between 26% and 75% of their working time on editing. Only 5% of photographers surveyed feel they are managing the stress of running their business well.
Printing a photo that's nearly 10 feet wide sounds excessive, but I wanted something that would completely transform my space. What started as a simple landscape shoot quickly turned into the largest (and most rewarding) print I've ever created.
Artificial intelligence has quickly become part of the workflow for many photographers. From culling thousands of images to automating complex edits, there's now a tool for almost every part of the process. But not all AI is built for the same job.
Nearly everyone has a smartphone in today's world. They have come so far, and the technology inside them is extremely impressive. When you think back 20 years ago, they had a small screen and could only be used to make calls. Now, you can use them for pretty much everything: to call people, to listen to music, use them as GPS to get around, and in a lot of cases as a camera.
If you produce short-form video for clients or your own brand, take a second and count the number of apps, browser tabs, and subscription logins sitting between the moment you have an idea and the moment you hit publish. There's the scriptwriting tool (or a blank doc you've been staring at for twenty minutes). The generation or editing platform. A separate captioning service you pay for monthly. Something for thumbnails, maybe a dedicated generator, maybe you're still screenshotting frames and adding text in Photoshop. A background removal tool. Possibly a video enhancer you bookmarked six months ago and keep forgetting to cancel.
Photographers print their work less often nowadays. It's not because they don't care; it is due to one fundamental issue: whom do you trust?
When it comes to branding, there are a number of elements that need to be considered. It needs to speak about your business while also evoking something in the viewer. It doesn't necessarily need to clearly explain what you do.
Photographers are worried about AI coming to take their jobs. Fair enough, with all the new tools out there you might very well think that. Yet, it is simply impossible, and Aftershoot has finally proven that. Aftershoot AI works for you, not against you.
The narrative of smartphones launched every year has honestly been quite dull, mainly focusing on still photography — better cameras, more resolution, sharper images, and better low-light image quality. Being dull is not necessarily a bad thing; if anything, it means that we might have successfully reached the point of sufficiency for smartphone photography imaging systems. However, things on the video side are still lacking, and that is about to change with the upcoming vivo X300 Ultra, the first Ultra model from vivo that aims to push the boundaries of what is capable with a smartphone in videography and put vivo ahead of its competition.
If you're experienced in photography, you know crop-sensor cameras are recognized for two main qualities: being ideal for beginners and offering great value for money.
If you’re shooting fast-moving sports or wildlife, or you’re a videographer shooting long takes in a raw format and high resolution, the most essential piece of gear you need is a fast reliable memory card. Choosing one, however, can be a nightmare. So what do you do? I would guess you buy one from a reputable brand, right?
The DJI RS 5 isn’t just a minor iteration; it is a thoughtful evolution of what a mirrorless gimbal should be. While it maintains the familiar silhouette of the RS series, the quality-of-life upgrades—particularly regarding balance and automation—make it one of the most frictionless tools I’ve used in the field.
Every photographer has a collection of images that almost worked. The composition was there, the moment was right, but something about the light fell flat, or the exposure didn't quite capture what your eyes saw in person. We also tend to accumulate old family photographs in shoeboxes and drawers, images yellowed by time and marked by creases from decades of handling. These are the kinds of problems that used to require either significant manual work in Photoshop or simply acceptance that some photos couldn't be saved. Skylum's recent updates to Luminar Neo take direct aim at both challenges, and I've spent the past few weeks putting their newest tools through their paces with my own work.
Xtra is an innovative U.S.-registered startup founded by an experienced team dedicated to advancing imaging technology. Having established a strong foundation with products such as the Xtra Muse, Xtra Sphra360, Xtra Edge and Xtra Edge Pro.Xtra’s latest product is aimed at those needing a lightweight, highly versatile solution to film BTS and POV content on the move. They call it Atto. And looking at the specs, it’s rather impressive!
There has been a lot of hype around the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. With phone cameras getting better than ever, it’s a fair question to ask who would even want a pocket-sized camera that takes up extra space. The answer, it seems, is a lot of people. The G7 X Mark III has become one of the hottest compact cameras again, and its popularity doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Ready to level up your photography in 2026? The year’s most significant creative jumpstart is happening at PPA’s Imaging USA, and you don’t want to miss it.
When a medium format camera claims the number one sales position on Japan's Yodobashi Camera rankings and breaks into Map Camera's top 10, it's worth noting. The Hasselblad X2D II 100C achieved exactly that following its August release, securing first place on Yodobashi's rankings in the first half of September 2025 and maintaining a prominent position in the months that followed. The camera also broke into Map Camera's top 10 in August. For a premium medium format system to reach this level of visibility in a competitive market is notable.
At a certain point in your career, you inevitably decide that it’s time to show your portfolio online. An Instagram grid simply does not cut it. What you need is a professional website builder that can showcase your work in the best way possible. A website is one of the things that clients expect you to have when they look for a photographer. Bonus points go to those whose websites load quickly, have clean navigation, and a dedicated domain.
Light is one of the most crucial elements of photography. Without it, there can’t be a picture. I never skimp on lighting equipment and have used Profoto equipment since the dawn of my career. This Black Friday, it’s cheaper than ever — here’s why you shouldn’t miss out.
As content creators, we're constantly searching for that perfect balance: professional-grade equipment that doesn't require a full production crew to operate. It's a challenge I've faced countless times: wanting cinematic tracking shots, multiple angles, and broadcast-quality footage, but without all the gadgets that require additional camera assistants to run them. The OBSBOT Tail 2 aims to solve exactly that problem, and right now, it's available for $999 (down from $1,199) during its Black Friday promotion running through December 1st.
This is the best time of year to save on the best investments you can make in your photography. ver the next week the best brands in the industry are offering their best prices of the year. Whether you're in the market for new gear, a faster workflow, or want to study a new skill, there's a way to save money on what you need.
Owning a Leica is merely a dream for many. Their gorgeously designed and incredibly well-made cameras and lenses are expensive. Like a Rolex watch, they’re an indulgent luxury item, and many of us simply cannot justify the cost. If you’ve perused a Leica Store, you’ve probably discovered a new Leica M11 paired with a little APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH will cost you just shy of $20,000.
It’s that time of year again—when the days get shorter, the coffee gets warmer, and the holidays sneak up faster than any of us are ready for. And with the holiday season comes the annual tradition of building out that all-important wish list. If you’re anything like me, a few SmallRig items have probably been sitting in your mental shopping cart for months. Let’s be honest: want might be the polite word, but need feels far more accurate.
If you’ve been a photographer for any amount of time, you know very well how quickly gear can depreciate. You, much like every other photographer, likely have gear that has been collecting dust for far too long. Recently, I went through my stockpiles and realized that this has never been more true for me—so I decided to sell it. Here is how I made money with gear that I’m not using.
Old photos are some of the most precious things we hold onto, as they often carry priceless memories that we can no longer go back to. Yet they rarely survive the passage of time unscathed, especially for those in physical prints that are more prone to becoming faded or scratched. Having lower-resolution digital images that lack details from the early 2000s doesn’t help either, leaving us hoping we could see more to relive the memories.
In the world of photography, few things inspire as much love and hate as post-production. Some photographers trust this as the place where the vision comes alive. Others (myself, for example) dread it and put it away for months at a time. AI has promised to make editing faster but was met with criticism from artists who are afraid to lose creative control. I spoke with Miles Witt Boyer, a pioneer in the world of AI editing, about this and much more.
Who doesn’t love going on a trip to explore a new destination with a camera? However, when we’re traveling, weight can be an issue. If we’re flying, there’s only so much gear we can take in our carry-on luggage. When we reach our destination, a heavy, bulky camera and lenses can be a nuisance to take on a stroll and can get conveniently left in the hotel. While on that stroll, we come across something worth photographing and immediately regret not having a camera with us! The answer is to carry a small, light camera that you barely notice you have with you.
Photographers are always chasing fresh perspectives—but this time, I didn’t just change my angle, I completely flipped the rules. During a golf-themed shoot, I turned my light modifier into something it was never meant to be: the view from inside the golf hole itself. Here’s the story (and the shot) that came out of it.
Street photography is a story of two halves. On the one hand, you can quite literally stroll down a street and capture some shots; whether it’s with your phone, a retro camera, or a modern DSLR, you’ll be doing street photography in one way or another.
When it comes to retouching software, many photographers have felt disappointed by the promise of an easy yet professional editing solution. Could Evoto AI be the dream editing suite we have all been waiting for? Today we take a look under the hood.
We talk a lot about sharpness and resolution, but when’s the last time your image made someone feel something?
Reliable image storage is arguably one of the most important parts of any shoot – because if your work isn’t safely stored, it might as well have never happened. Built with creatives in mind, the SANDISK® Creator Series is a high-performance storage solution for creators.
Tripods get super expensive very quickly, and if you are a full-time pro, you will most definitely be familiar with the price tags. If video is something you are trying out, or just doing for fun, you may also need a tripod—a tripod that is lightweight and has enough features.
Full frame cameras are known for two things: their incredible performance and their high price tag. I have pretty much always owned a full frame camera, but never paid full price for such a camera. In this article, I will share some options for those of us who want to go full frame but don’t want to pay full price.
I've always been skeptical about the introduction of AI into popular applications such as Photoshop; however, as time went on, I started experimenting with specific features, and eventually, Luminar Neo emerged as a standalone and plugin app for Photoshop and Lightroom. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued, and I had to test it out. To my surprise, I found it so helpful that I wondered why I had been using Lightroom in the first place.
You’ve captured some incredible moments. Maybe it was that perfect sunset, a goofy smile from your kid, or a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Whatever it was, you clicked the shutter and froze that memory. Now you’re ready to turn it into something more—a canvas prints that makes everyone stop and say, “Wow.”
Our friends over at GuruShots, hosts of "The World’s Greatest Photo Game,” recently offered a challenge where particpants submitted their best images "Traveling the World." There were thousands of entries and over 27 million votes throughout the contest but the top winners have been chosen. Check out the winner and the the 60 top rated images below.
Zoner Studio’s Spring 2025 update introduces a smarter, faster way to edit photos, built around a powerful new AI-driven Local Adjustments tool. Formerly known as Zoner Photo Studio X, the software has been renamed to reflect its evolution—but everything familiar is still here, just with more power under the hood.
Real estate photography has always been about precision, speed, and aesthetic intuition. Photographers are the unsung heroes behind listings that sell fast and above the asking price. But as the housing market shifts faster than ever, the expectations for visual content have reached new heights. Enter artificial intelligence.
The never-ending debate between the zoom and prime lens users only seems to get more heated with every argument for and against. As a user and enjoyer of both, I figured it would be only natural for me to weigh all the pros and cons of each in a somewhat unbiased article.
As a photographer, your photo library is one of the most important things to keep safe and backed up. Of course, you can have backups on multiple drives, cloud storage, and servers, but hardware can still fail. The risk is exceptionally high during or after a shoot, between the time you take the SD card out of the camera and plug it into your card reader. The last thing you want to see is a drive read error, but it happens. Luckily, there's an easy solution.
For landscape photography, summer is a curse. Harsh, bright light and blue skies give some photographers nightmares. They stay inside and read Fstoppers articles. Probably. No one really knows—they keep so quiet. Maybe they should read this article, because summer just so happens to be a fabulous time of year to grab a camera and wander into town for a spot of street photography.
A few years ago, I first heard about the retouching software Retouch4Me when one of our readers asked me to review it for the Fstoppers Youtube Channel. I immediately fell in love with the software and added it to my workflow. This year, they have added some features we have all been waiting for, so let's look at what is new with this powerful skin retouching software.
Photographers know that working smarter means more time snapping shots and not being stuck behind a screen. But for newbies, finding an editing style can feel like a never-ending puzzle. Luckily, The Presets Room is here to save the day—offering quick, pro-level edits so you can spend less time clicking and more time creating.
Culling is an essential part of a photographer’s workflow. However, sorting through thousands of images takes up precious time and focus. This article looks at how AI-assisted tools like Imagen’s Culling Studio help speed things up without losing creative control.
Medium format is the pinnacle of image quality. You can’t beat the physics of medium format. The price is also hard to beat, but in a bad way. Medium format is notoriously expensive. In this article, we will look at a few cameras that get me, as a medium format user, excited.
Picture this: rays of sunlight streaming through the pristine waters of an ancient cenote, forming a mesmerizing light display found nowhere else on Earth. Or a golden-hued petrified waterfall at sunrise, untouched by crowds. This is a side of Mexico rarely seen—far removed from the iconic shots of Chichén Itzá or the bustling shores of Cancún.
