The Retouching Toolkit 3.1: The Best Photoshop Plugin Gets Even Better
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The Retouching Toolkit is, without a doubt, the best Photoshop extension I have tried yet. It helps streamline one's editing workflow, improves Photoshop's interface, and with the latest update, it's getting one step closer to becoming the only Photoshop plugin you could ever need.

How to Properly Use Light in Food Photography
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Most of my food photography is lit with only one light source and after a few years of taking a special interest in shooting food and drink, I know exactly where I want the light to be and why.

Bentley's New Ad Is Shot with the iPhone 5s - Seriously!
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Intelligent Details is the new ad / documentary that Bentley Motors commissioned. It was filmed throughout New York and highlights what inspires Luc Donckerwolke, Bentley's Director of Design, and SangYup Lee, Head of Exterior Design. At around the 3:16 mark, you'll be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at how the film was created. Their YouTube channel explains, "Intelligent Details was filmed, assembled and edited using the in-car connectivity and entertainment platform."

This Uplifting Video Resonates With All Landscape Photographers
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Filmed and edited by Nejc Miljak, “Before You Wake Up” is a short production that casts a strong motivating monologue aimed at landscape photographers around the world. Alongside its message, the video portrays an awe-inspiring adventure into nature as photographer Janez Tolar captures images sunrise to sunset. The combination of these makes this semi-ethereal video too good to pass up sharing.

11 Ways to Improve the Sharpness of Your Images (Part 4)
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So much of photography is about capturing a moment, a place, a person, a glance, a tiny slice of history that is impossible to recreate. When we've only got one shot, we want to make sure we get it right. In this series, we’re examining 11 things that can lead to a loss of image sharpness, what causes them, how to recognize them, and what to do about them!

Fashion Photographer Chris Davis Shares His Tips On Shooting Male Models
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When you think of fashion photography, you typically think of women being the main subject. It's not without reason because female models typically dominate the fashion scene. When it comes to shooting male models in fashion, there's a lack of information out there for aspiring photographers. I reached out to my friend and colleague Chris Davis who was happy to share a few tips on shooting male models in specific.

Are Your Photographs Aesthetic?
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Do you want your images to look “good”? Aesthetics will help you understand the value of an image beyond its informative and representative character. Let's ask some great philosophers what they think about it.

iPhone 6 Slow Motion Tests To The Face | PRO EDU
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Flour bombs to the head, water balloons bouncing off my face, ribbon dancing, beer pours, back flops, a ginger eating cinnamon, and silly string to the face. These are a few of of the things we tried today in slow mo on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from Apple. Check out the results here.

We Review the GFX100 II Medium Format Mirrorless Camera: Fuji’s Marvel
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With the amount of technological advancements that we’ve come to expect, or in some cases demand, from camera manufacturers, where can they go without simply making a camera that does everything for you? All manufacturers, of any worth, are continually enhancing the features of their cameras. Fujifilm is one of these manufacturers, with one of the highest pixel count APS-C sensors, and their range of affordable medium format cameras puts pressure on other manufacturers to keep up in some aspects

How to Photograph the Total Solar Eclipse and Get Better Images With the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini
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On August 21, hundreds of thousands of people in North America and millions watching live at home will be experiencing a once, maybe twice, in a lifetime celestial opportunity. A total eclipse of the sun. Thousands of photographers will be traveling to locations along the path of totality to get the best possible photographs during the event. Photographing an event like this requires some special equipment so I will go over what you’ll need and some extra tools like the Sky-Watcher Star Tracker Mini (SAM) that can help you take your images to the next level.

Model Sues Getty Images Over Ad as Poster Child for HIV
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Imagine one day you let a photographer, maybe even a friend, take some photos of you. Then imagine that a few years later your friends and colleagues alert you that you are the poster child of an HIV positive ad in a free AM New York Newspaper. This appears to be the situation for a Brooklyn woman now suing Getty Images for the infraction.

Fstoppers Reviews the Fujifilm X-T3 Camera
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The X-T3 brings a host of changes and improvements over previous X-series cameras. Its new sensor and processor enable much faster performance and significant feature enhancements for both stills and video.

How to Create Dramatic Headshots With Three Lights, One Light at a Time
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Creating dramatic headshots using multiple lights doesn't have to be difficult. One of the best ways to become proficient at using a three-light setup is by building it one light at a time. In this article and the accompanying video, I will demonstrate how you can easily create dramatic headshots and portraits using a key light, kicker light, and fill light.

Test Driving the Profoto Pro-B4 at 1/25,000 of a Second
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Several weeks ago I wrote an article about Profoto's new-ish pack, the Pro-B4, which has a flash duration of 1/25,000th of a second. Well, last week I was finally able to take it for a test drive. And what better way to test an insane flash duration than with water?

Why Professional Gear Is Not The Most Important Element in Photography
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Yes I said it. I can hear the outraged shrieks of equipment addicted photographers, but hear me out. In February, I went to Capetown for a month to please my trigger finger and shot eight stories in the same location using just natural light. South Africa is a renowned location for occidental productions. When it is snowing in Europe and in the States, it is summer season there. During that time the only weather complication can arise from wind with the upside being constant blue skies. During my stay, I got unpredictable rain and clouds. When I was done throwing tantrums at the black skies and banging my head against a wall questioning my decision of spending hard earned bucks to fly to the southern tip of Africa, I capitulated and went with the flow. And learned a lot in the process. Getting out of my comfort zone reminded me about the core of photography: my vision.

Einstein 640 & PLM System Review From Paul C. Buff
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The Einstein E640 strobe from Paul C. Buff is compact, light weight unit capable of shouldering studio work yet portable enough to take on location. The unit weighs in at four pounds and because it is self contained, it does not require a battery pack which cuts down on gear bulk.

I shot around with the Einstein 640 and the 86 inch PLM (parabolic light) umbrella in studio to test the products and see how they stacked up in my work flow.

Working with What You’ve Got to Better Your Photography
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There is no substitute for hard work when it come to being a photographer. In my opinion, the best way to improve your work is to shoot as much as possible. If you want to be a surf photographer, shoot surfers, if you want to be a portrait photographer, shoot portraits, and so on. However, for photographers just starting out, chances are it's going to take some time and experience to build your skills to the point where you are able to specialize in one thing. While this is not always the case, here are some tips to help you make the most of the simple things and improve your photography.

These Are Our Favorite Fstoppers Logos From The Contest
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The Fstoppers Logo contest has ended and after over 1500 submissions I can say that I believe all possible avenues have been explored. Both Patrick and I went through every single logo one by one separately and we narrowed them down to our favorite 17. Check out the full post to see our best options and vote on your favorites.

Sigma Unveils Three New Lenses Along with Filters and Teleconverters
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Sigma has announced several new pieces of gear in preparation for Photokina this coming week. Firstly, they have announced the availability of two different versions of the150-600mm f/5-6.3, one a Sport line lens and the other a Contemporary line member. They also announced the 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 lens, also a member of the Contemporary line. Finally they announced the first global vision accessories: teleconverters and filters.

Higher Resolution Photos: Know When You Need Them and When You Don't
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There are quite a lot of complaints like: "Canon won't release a 4K video camera." At the end of the day, most photographers and filmmakers publish visuals online, and most viewers watch them on sub-2K mobile devices. Here's how much resolution you truly need.

Know the Differences Between Sony/ZEISS and ZEISS Lenses? Here’s the Answer
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Beginning in 1995, consumer electronics giant Sony and high-end optics company ZEISS entered into a partnership that is still going strong. Today on the market you will find Sony, Sony/ZEISS, and ZEISS branded lenses. So what’s the difference between all of these, or are they actually quite similar?

Advice on Retouching in Photoshop
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I don’t use Adobe Lightroom. I use Bridge and Photoshop to retouch my client’s and my own images. Here are some tips and advice on how to use certain tools in Photoshop to get the best out of your work.

Photographer Narrowly Escapes Crocodile Attack
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Would you ever turn your back on a river full of roaming crocodiles while your cohorts chucked food into the water? I wouldn't either, but this photographer at the “Crocodile Bridge” over the Tarcoles River in Costa Rica, got a close look at one of the river beasts while perched in the grass.

Robert Capa said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” This might be an exception to that rule.

What do you think about him pushing the boundary?

Why You Should Stay On Top of Yourself and Shoot as Much as Possible
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I feel like I write a similar article every few months, but this whole theory I have about going and shooting is something that just continues to benefit me day after day. Of course it can be challenging to always go out and shoot or to always even just want to shoot. I know some of us are young, some of us have other jobs, some of us have families or some of us do photography as a hobby...