My Three Wishes for Nikon
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It’s the time of year again for my 100% non-scientific, not-based-on-actual fact, purely speculative wonderings about the future of my main camera brand.

Save Money by Checking Out Canon's Best Older Gear
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Addicted to Canon gear, but not to Canon prices? Canon has a long history of producing some extremely impressive products. If you find yourself looking for some new gear, but trying to stay within a budget, consider these gems of Canon yesteryear.

Yongnuo Announces 14mm f/2.8 Autofocus Lens
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Yongnuo, known mostly for their low-cost near-clones of Canon flashes and lenses, has announced a new lens, a 14mm f/2.8 with autofocus. This lens is not a Canon clone and should offer photographers a lower-cost alternative for those looking for a wide-aperture, ultra-wide-angle option.

This Simple Trick Leads to Better Landscape Photos
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We are used to traveling to the most beautiful places with the aim of getting outstanding photographs. But when we import our images to Lightroom, we have often to accept that our photos are no more than the same old story that was photographed there already by thousands of others before. How can we get photographs that stand out?

Popular Photo Accessory Company Photoflex Just Went Out Of Business Without Warning
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After 30 years in business, the popular photography and video lighting accessory company Photoflex has suddenly and without warning closed its doors. To this day, I still use and enjoy my Photoflex extra large softboxes, and I am shocked by the news considering they were just at Photokina earlier in March. Read below to learn more.

A Photographer's Real Take on Macphun's New Editing Platform, Luminar
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Luminar is Macphun’s latest editing platform, and it’s the company’s first try at an all-in-one solution that can go head-to-head with Adobe Lightroom and Apple’s discontinued Aperture programs. Still in beta, Luminar recently received an update that helped improve speed and fixed over 300 small bugs, making it nearly ready for its public release on November 17. So, how does it hold up to platforms such as Lightroom?

Proof Viral Hurricane Shark Photo In Street Is Fake!
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Hurricane Irene is battering the East Coast of the US right now which has left many stuck in their homes browsing the internet for storm updates. One particular story that has filled my facebook news feed and was tweeted by CNN involves a shark swimming in the streets of Puerto Rico. Apparently the shark was swept up by Hurricane Irene and trapped inland on flooded streets of the Caribbean island. But something about the photo seems very suspecious. A few weeks ago Fstoppers correspondent Reese Moore interviewed photographer Thomas Peschak and one of his most famous images features the same shark making headlines today. Coincidence or is this shark just hungry for more media attention? Click the full post to see the two photos and you be the judge.
Examples of DIY Business Cards for Photographers
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As creatives we photographers have very little reason to be packing standard humdrum business cards (let's leave those for the door to door salesmen and insurance agents). Photographer/Blogger Katie Sokoler obviously agrees with me as she recently posted on how she made her home made cards. I love exchanging cards but am often disappointed when I'm out networking with my peers and I recieve a card that is unimaginative or worse, tacky. Whenever I hand mine out I'm often bombarded with a slew of questions like, “Is this an envelope? Is there something inside it? Can I open it?". To which I respond: “Yes it is. Yes there is. Yes you can.” Which often leads to the question, “How much did it cost to have these made?” To which I respond: "I did them myself." So I decided to follow Katie's example and throw up a few pics to show how I make my cards. See how putting in a little bit of effort can help get you remembered.

One Tiny Change in Photoshop to Speed Up Cropping
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For many of us, we’ve been using Adobe Photoshop for so long that at this point we don’t question our own workflows; we do what we’ve done before because that’s the way we’ve always done it. I did something crazy the other day though. I questioned if a tooltip’s displayed information could be changed. And I was a little shocked that yes, it could be.

'Photos That Bear Witness To Modern Slavery' The Lisa Kristine Story
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Lisa Kristine is an extraordinary activist who has documented the world of slavery in which we are currently blind to. Her story is very captivating and her images say so much. I highly recommend viewing the whole video and take in the stories behind each photograph. I believe we sometimes take our freedoms for granted without realizing that what maybe a privilege to us is a dream to others. Keep reading to watch the video.

The Death of Another Cookie Cutter Photo Studio
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Just a few weeks after Olan Mills threatened to shut their doors, both Sears Portrait Studio, and Walmart brand PictureMe Portrait have announced that they're closing their doors permanently. Both stating that because of the digital age and smartphone photography, they're no longer able to maintain profits in the industry.

Ten Essential Travel Apps for Nomadic Photographers
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Besides your camera, your phone is probably the most important tool for a successful photography trip. So if your laptop was stolen, could you get by with your smartphone? Would it be handicapped without a cellular connection?

How to Change Your Background Color in 30 Seconds
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While I’ll always try my best to get the shot right in camera, there're occasions, like when I photographed this beauty editorial, when that’s not always feasible. In this short tutorial, I'll show you how to change your background in a few short steps.

Create Amazing Food Photos With a Single Speedlight
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Inspired by a recent photo book I purchased, "Creative Flash Photography" by Tilo Gockel, I set out to create a series of food photos this week as part of a Thai dinner theme my wife and I decided on. The principle here was simple: create a great image using a single speedlight and a bounce card. That’s it.

Incredible Lord Of The Rings Special Effect Done In Camera
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In Lord Of The Rings the Hobbits, who are supposed to be very small, are required to interact with much larger humans. I always assumed they did this by recording each actor separately and then combining them in post but I was very wrong. By using a telephoto lens and very small aperture that produced a long depth of field, they could place the actors on different focal planes and keep them both sharp. With some incredible set design they could fool the viewer even while the camera was in motion.

Luminar Neo Adds Portrait Background Removal to Its Bag of Editing Tricks
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Luminar Neo from Skylum has added a much awaited feature: background removal in portraits. Removing a person's image from a photo is nothing new, but it's generally time-consuming if the background is not simple or solid. Luminar Neo does it usually in one click, and if you're a professional or an advanced hobbyist, it is a time-saver.

Review: Topaz DeNoise AI Kills Noise but Not the Details in Your Images
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I've owned lots of image de-noisers over the years. I've used external apps, Photoshop/Lightroom plugins, and I've used the noise reductions controls built into Photoshop and Lightroom. They all work to some degree, but you wind up trading noise reduction for details, and I've never found a noise reduction aid that didn't have some rather large trade-offs. Increase the noise reduction and details suffer. Preserve the details and the noise reduction is not effective. Many of you know the drill.

Three Lenses With Same Specs, Which Would You Choose?
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Though they've each been a player for some time, Samyang, Bower and Rokinon have each grown in popularity over the course of the last year or so. Recently releases by Samyang and Rokinon in particular have garnered a lot of attention from gear heads. But unlike mainstays like Canon, Nikon, Sigma and Tamron, consumers generally aren't as familiar with Samyang, Bower and Rokinon. So I ask you, which would you buy?

5 More Video Editing Tricks For Your Video Post Production Toolkit
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About a month ago I listed some of my favorite editing tricks and while experienced editors knew the deal, I got a lot of feedback saying that at least one or two of those techniques were helpful for people who have only started to edit videos in the last few years. So here are 5 more, some maybe a touch more advanced, editing tips for the video editors out there.

The Robotic Cameras Of The 2012 Olympic Games And Beyond
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The progression of technology has allowed for us to capture shots in angles that we would not usually be able to capture. Robotic cameras have the ability to fit into spaces and locations that a photographer would usually not be able to get to. These are fully controlled by remote as well. It may very well begin to change the landscape of photojournalism. Check out what you can expect and how it's done within.

The Easiest Way to Edit in Lightroom From Multiple Computers
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One of the most common complaints among Adobe Lightroom’s users is the issue of it restricting your catalog access to a single computer. Photographers who travel often or studios with multiple editors have continually looked for options that would allow them to sync their edits across several computers conveniently. If you search the web, you can find a few workarounds for this problem, but none that are as simple most photographers would like. However, the creation of the new Lightroom CC has opened up several new possibilities, including a simple option to easily edit your images from multiple computers.

Should I Shoot in 1080p or 4k For My Next Video Project?
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Creating and viewing video content in 4k resolution has never been more accessible. But don't go shooting in 4k just because you can, it might not be necessary. The process of delivering 4k video content as a videographer or filmmaker has certain limitations and changes in workflow that are worth considering before you hit the record button.