As an architectural and interiors photographer, I own more lights than I even want to think about. Pelican cases full - hot lights, speedlights, monolights, color balanced bulbs, and modifiers to go along with all of them. Lowel recently released the very polarizing GL-1 Hotlight to much controversy: people mocked it or loved it. And truth be told,
The annual income of the typical photographer in the U.S. is 20 percent less than the national average. There are both good and bad reasons why photographers don't earn a decent wage and you might want to give these five reasons some thought if you want to survive as a creative image-maker in the modern world.
The Nikon 135mm f/2 DC is a bit of a gem in the portrait game but as the title might suggest, you might not have heard of this lens. This may be due to one of a few reasons: The primary being that it’s a reasonably old lens; it hasn’t been updated optically in its nearly 25 years in the Nikon lineup. Another being that even if you have heard of it, it’s probably because it has gotten a bad reputation as a “soft focus” lens due to its unique Defocus Control feature.
Designer Roberto Cavalli recently designed a gown for Beyoncé, exclusively for the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. In an official press release that was sent out by the Italian fashion house on Tuesday, one very controversial photo of Beyoncé wearing that dress was attached. In what looks like a heavily Photoshopped image, the company behind this ad made her look very thin, unrealistically thinned and stretched her legs. As art it's interesting, but it wasn't received well by many viewers.
This week, ON1 Software released their new Photo RAW 2017 processor. It functions as both a raw processor and a simple editing workflow that can be used as a standalone application or as a plugin within various other editing applications such as Lightroom. In this article, we will take a quick look at Photo RAW 2017 in order to provide some first impressions on what ON1 is touting as one of their most powerful tools to date.
Have you ever wanted to be invisible? That's the question Thomas Hurst, creator of COVR Photo, is asking. COVR Photo is an iPhone case with a sliding prism that, when slid into position, allows the photographer to take photos without being obvious.
With modern zoom lenses for mirrorless cameras getting better and better each year, more people lean towards their utility, and this is especially common in all-purpose APS-C lenses like Sigma’s 18-50 f/2.8 and Tamron’s 17-70 f/2.8—but which of the two is better?
Our video lighting of choice has become the Flex lights by Westcott. They are portable and extremely bright, but they certainly aren't cheap. Now, there is a cheaper option, but should you buy it?
In my recent Natural Light Tutorial with RGGEDU, I went through every aspect of natural light photography and retouching... Or so I thought. During a shoot this week, I realized I missed one thing: enhancing freckles with Photoshop. In this article I will show a simple method to making those freckles pop.
If you are a regular reader of Fstoppers, than by now you should be familiar with Elena Jasic and her amazing photography and retouching skills. Elena just posted her tutorial on how to color tone your photos the way she does it. Mind you, there is no one way to do anything in photoshop, but Elena is a master at her craft and offers some very valuable insight for anyone interested in color toning their photos.
In a move that potentially threw the Profoto marketing team into a frenzy, Godox recently released their V1 hotshoe flash. Sporting a round fresnel head and all the features of a great flash system, the V1 is a hefty contender at its price-point. But, how does it perform? Let's check it out after the jump.
I've gotten to play with the Sony a6400 for the last couple of days and although it's not exactly what I'm looking for, it still may be the best camera for sale currently under $1,000.
A photo is a two-dimensional rendering of a three-dimensional world. Although there is no longer any depth present, it is possible to add a sense of depth to it. I have gathered eight methods that can help you to add depth to your landscape photo.
In case you were holding your breath, were on the fence, or just needed another excuse to take a look at Nikon's mirrorless Z 6 or Z 7 model, now your purchase includes the FTZ adapter for free when purchased within the US.
Throughout my career so far I have failed over and over again. Although it’s the successes that I'm remembered and known for, it’s the failures that are always the catalyst. At the end of the day, the key to success lies in failure. This improvisational beauty shoot was only a success because I set myself up to fail.
Most people don't understand what all the fuss is about when they see a Platypod for the first time. If I showed it to my mom, she'd probably feign excitement in the way only a mom can. If you've ever used a Platypod, though, you know how powerful such a little piece of aluminum can be. You can use them for anything from travel and landscape to toy and food photography as a way to show your audience a new perspective on the world. You can even use them to mount flashes in obscure spots for portrait photographers. Okay, I'm a Platypod evangelist, but their company truly has changed the way I photograph.
DJI, one of the world’s leading drone manufacturers, has formally lodged a complaint against the BBC for a pair of "biased" programs they aired on drone safety. DJI claim the broadcaster included little of the information they provided for the programs, and that the shows were sensationalist by focusing on high-risk incidents like the Gatwick Airport drone crisis.
If you want to improve your wedding photography this year, here is a great place to get inspiration. These are the winning photos from this year’s International Wedding Photographer of the Year.
An unusual situation has occurred on several occasions in the social media era, and it is as counterproductive as it is interesting. In this article, I will discuss the irony of trying to remove a photograph from the internet and the implications of a public persona in modern life.
The 2017 edition of the Pirelli Calendar has finally been revealed in Paris, and in the words of Al Green, it is simply beautiful. Shot by German Photographer Peter Lindbergh, it features actresses Robin Wright, Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman, and Lupita Nyong’o amongst others. It has been titled “Emotional.” Expect to see nakedness in a different way, because the calendar of this year was all about “stripping down to the very soul of the sitters” without shedding all their clothes.
A simple Google search will turn up millions of results on what photographers should do/not do when working with models. However, nine times out of ten, these articles are written from a photographer’s perspective, and the model’s voice is rarely heard. Well, today is your lucky day! I have jumped in to give you the model perspective! Whether you are shooting underwater, commercial, fashion, conceptual, etc., some of the same rules of etiquette apply across the board.
Gear. Batteries. Cables. Chargers. Hubs. Do you ever feel like you spend more time managing things around creating instead of actually creating? Is your gear a chaotic mess when it comes to charging the plethora of batteries you have for your digital lineup? Is charging after you are out shooting something you don't keep up with right away? Wouldn't you rather grab a beer and download your digital assets after a shoot and skip charging? If you are anything like me and love getting more out of the gear you already have, here’s a sweet and rewarding DIY solution to make life a little easier. You can build a similar charging station for less than $50 using a few tools and simple supplies that you or a friend might already have.
The patent mill is churning once again, and this time, it's hinting at a potential earthquake in the world of ultra-wide-angle lenses. A recent Canon patent application has ignited speculation about a groundbreaking lens, a zoom lens that could redefine the possibilities for landscape, astrophotography, and architectural photographers.
Auto ISO is one of those features that I ignored for a long time, considering it not much more than a gimmick. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to try auto ISO, and I quickly realized that I was missing out on a valuable and practical feature.
Photographers today demand a lot from their equipment, and we expect a lot when purchasing gear that we plan on traveling with. Fstoppers takes a look at a lightweight carbon fiber travel tripod that’s packed with the features you may be looking for.
Street photography is the kind of photography most of us don't usually like doing, but its probably the kind of photography we appreciate the most when the pictures become old. Its always amazing for me to see how people live, or lived, in other places or other times. Great street photography pictures can tell a story of time and place, and makes you make up your own story for the subject photographed. Check out these awesome photos and let us know which ones you like the best!
This week we released the longest photography tutorial Fstoppers has ever produced; Joey Wright - Swimwear Photography: Lighting, Posing, and Retouching. Our entire team headed down to the island of Curacao for 10 days to film a variety of photography lessons ranging from how to pose models, how to use scrims, reflectors, strobes, and how to create portfolio worthy images with minimal gear. During this incredible journey the behind the scenes cameras never stopped rolling, and each week we will be releasing a new episode of all our adventures. This is episode 1!
As a former IT worker and all-around nerd, I was used to firmware updates having small changes to increase compatibility with new hardware and software; often allowing older BIOSes to support newer hardware, etc. Fujifilm's engineers have turned this concept on its head with their firmware updates, which have routinely introduced new features to existing cameras, and giving users the best that Fujifilm have been able to pull from their existing hardware. These changes have brought huge improvements to already great cameras. Fujifilm's new X-T1 Firmware 4.0 may just be the mother of all updates seen on an X-series camera yet.
After using the new firmware for just under 24 hours, on a job yesterday, and in the streets on the way out, I would like to share my thoughts on the changes so far.
It's what a tilt-shift lens was born to do. Learn how to straighten up your leaning buildings with this simple technique and never have a parallax problem again.
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