Bird Photography Technology Makes Great Images Possible

Lisa is not a professional photographer. She started taking photos and learned about photography because she started watching birds and wanted a way to document it. She’s originally from Germany and moved to the US with her American husband. She lives in Michigan now, and although the landscape and weather is similar to what she experienced in Germany, the wildlife, especially the birds, differ quite a lot.

Fujifilm XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR Review

Fujifilm's lineup of fast primes is what sets it apart in the world of mirrorless cameras. Starting with the amazing XF 35mm f/1.4, and following up with the XF 23mm f/1.4 and XF 56mm f/1.2, Fuji have continued to impress with their small, lightweight, fast, sharp primes. The XF 16mm f/1.4 (24mm equivalent field of view on full frame), long talked about, was released in May this year to the excitement of many Fuji shooters. But does it hold up to the other primes in Fuji's lineup?

Product Photography Tutorial Shows How to Shoot Large Objects

London-based product photographer Sean Tucker is releasing a three-part video series on photographing large objects, such as chairs and sofas, in a studio setting. Here in part one, Tucker demonstrates how to set up your lighting and camera in order to achieve a great, clean image that will be easy to cut out in post-production for online product catalogs.

Why I’m Not Going to Use the New Instagram Crop Feature

The day has finally come in which we are no longer bound to the square crop within Instagram. The ability to post horizontal and vertical images has been requested by users since the beginning of the app. In the past, you would have to open your image in another app, add borders, and then export the new image to Instagram. Since this is the process I follow, I know it’s a huge pain. But even with this new cropping ability, I’m sticking with my old ways.

Stop Throwing Away Less Than Perfectly Sharp Images

Image sharpness is, for the most part, a false economy. It is mistakenly believed to be synonymous with image quality; that isn't the case. One major difference is that image quality has a ceiling and once reached (if that's even possible), the image cannot be any better in terms of quality. However, with the sharpness of an image, you can far exceed the perfect amount (again, if there is such a thing), and it begins to cost your image dearly.

The Layman's Guide to Buying Speedlights

For many forms of photography, an off camera flash should pop-up (pun intended) at some point in your career. Whether you’re a portrait photographer, a product photographer, or a sports photographer, some sort of flash other than what is built into your camera will be necessary. Whether you’re keeping it on or off camera, picking a speedlight can be a daunting task. Here is a guide to picking the right speedlight.

Fuji's Failed Firmware

Fujifilm is known for releasing firmware updates based on popular feedback from their customers. Typically this firmware may have small bugs, but their most recent major release version 4.0 failed miserably.

Remembering Leonard Nimoy Through His Captivating Photography Work (NSFW)

Leonard Nimoy passed away this week at the age of 83. His long career and legacy will always be remembered in his portrayal of the iconic character "Spock" from the 1966 TV series Star Trek. With numerous film spin-offs and a resurgence to the 2009 blockbuster Star Trek as the half-emotionless Vulcan he was just as relevant today as he was 40 years ago. Though his film career was beyond fulfilling in its own right, his photography work is what will also stay with us for years to come.

Don't Let Your Outfit Cause A Color Cast

Did you know that what you wear may have a huge influence on the look or your images? In portrait, landscape, or sports photography, you will most likely be working far enough away from your subject that you won't notice the effects of your outfit on your subject. Let me show you what happened while shooting with a red shirt.

Mastering Depth of Field

If a photograph is two-dimensional, understanding depth of field gives you a measure of control over the third dimension. Mastering it will give you more ability to render photographs with clarity and directness.

fotoClient - A Workflow Workhorse That All Photographers Need

The secret to running a successful business is organization. Developing an effective workflow that is both simple to understand, and manages your time properly is key when running a studio. Introducing fotoClient, an easy to use workflow and task managing website developed for photographers. It’s new, it's simple, and already, I can’t run my business without it.

Simplify your Photography, It Helped Me Remember Why I Love What I Do

Recently I was lucky enough to have a day off, something that doesn't happen too often. I woke up that morning feeling a little burnt out from the daily non-stop marathon that is living and working as a freelancer in New York City. I dragged myself out into the kitchen, made myself some bacon and eggs and sat down to eat. Over breakfast, I realized I hadn't made a picture for myself in almost a full year.

3 Reasons Why You Should Own the Westcott 7-Foot Umbrella

I have always preferred simplicity when it comes to lighting portraits. When connecting with a model or subject, especially when working without assistants, I hate having to deal with several lights or various flags, cutters, and bounce cards. This way I can work the camera and move around without having to worry about tripping over my whole setup, and my subject feels more comfortable without obtrusive equipment crowding them. Also, if the model can move around a little, I feel that I can get far more natural poses when they aren't confined by specific lighting. My favorite lighting tool to "keep it simple" with is the Westcott 7-foot Parabolic Umbrella.

iPhone Vs. Pro Camera Challenge

Patrick and I decided to create a video series where we compete to see who can come up with the best image based on a set of randomly chosen rules. This week, one of us got to use an iPhone and the other had the entire studio at their disposal.

Which Photographer Is the Sony a7R V Intended For? A Critical Review

I received the brand new Sony a7R V from Sony Netherlands for a review. It was a wonderful opportunity to find out if the autofocus is as good as advertised. Looking at the camera in a critical way makes me wonder: which photographer is the camera intended for?

Zeiss Launches Entirely New 'Milvus' Line of High-Performance Lenses for Nikon and Canon DSLRs

Zeiss was long expected to announce at least one new Otus lens today (and I suppose they still might, although I wouldn't hold your breath). Instead, at least for now, Zeiss announced a new line of lenses for Nikon and Canon DSLRs under the moniker, "Milvus." Oddly enough, however, there are some interesting, stand-out differences between the Nikon and Canon versions.

How 1987 Led to Canon's Domination of Photography

In 1987, Ronald Reagan was president, Mathias Rust landed his light aircraft in Red Square, and the stock market crashed on October 19, dropping 22% in a single day. Fox also made its primetime debut, the Simpsons aired for the first time, and "Robocop," "Dirty Dancing," and "Good Morning Vietnam" were all released. But what happened in the photographic world?

Adobe Releases Update to Lightroom CC for iOS

Adobe released an update to Lightroom CC for iOS. In addition to adding camera and lens support for the new Apple iPhone XS, XS Max and iPhone XR, Lightroom CC for iOS version 4.0.2 includes support for Apple’s new iPad Pro and second generation Pencil.

Photographer Listed as One of the Worst Jobs in the US

Being a professional photographer is certainly a lovely career if you can make it work, but it's not an easy field in which to be successful. That seems to have been confirmed by a recent report that names photography one of the 25 worst jobs in the country.

Photoshop for iPad Is a Disaster

Photoshop for the iPad was touted as Adobe’s most important mobile application, with iPad owners very keen to use the image editing software. However, the app is lacking some key features, seems to have a horrific lag when using certain tools, and is now attracting shockingly bad reviews on the App Store. What happened?

Quit Complaining and Grow Your Facebook Photography Page the Right Way

Photographers love to complain about the abysmal reach of their Facebook pages, as if Zuckerberg himself is gleefully consipiring to cripple everyone's business pages. He's not. If your Facebook page is floundering, it's because you're doing it wrong. Here's how to get back on track and ahead of your competition on social media.