Teenage Photographer Discovered by Maroon 5...On Flickr!

Everyone dreams about their big break in photography. We wonder when it will come and if we'll be prepared for it when/if it does. For Rosie Hardy, a teenage photographer in Manchester, England, it came more suddenly than she could ever have imagined.

Using Photography to Change the Negative Stigma Surrounding Pitbulls

Two years ago, I adopted a lovable Pitbull mix named Emma. She's afraid of thunder, loves belly rubs, is sweet with kids and great with other animals. Sadly, a lot of the general public perceive my Emma as a monster, and that's probably why over half a million Pitbulls are put to sleep in the US alone each year. I decided to use my photography to start a positive PR campaign called Not A Bully to help change the way people view Pitbulls.

Buying a Camera for Photography in 2018

In recent years, camera technology has been evolving at an extremely fast pace. There are many players with a plethora of options on the market at any given time, so just how do we choose a camera for photography in 2018?

DxO PhotoLab 3.1: A Lightroom Replacement?

Photolab 3.1 from DXO has been out a couple of months now, and early looks from photographers have been positive. It's a complete raw editor and has many features photographers will expect to see and adds some very worthwhile enhancements that will highly interest editors at every skill level.

Is This the Best Bird Photography Lens?

Birds are notoriously difficult to photograph, because they're flighty (pun intended) and far away. Fixed focal length telephoto lenses are great at cropping in close to your feathered friends, but the decent, sharp lenses are incredibly expensive. They also restrict your composition, which is why the Nikkor 80-400mm lens may just be the best bird photography lens in the world.

One of The Fastest and Most Accurate Ways To Cut-Out Subjects for Composites

When first learning Photoshop, most of us are introduced to the pen tool, brush tool, or maybe even the eraser tool to remove sections of a layer. However, these methods can be both time consuming and mediocre in creating a clean final image. In this tutorial I'll be walking you through the steps that I use to isolate subjects shot in studio (against plain backgrounds) for the creation of a composite image.

Here Comes Another Extreme Canon Lens

Canon has taken advantage of the additional capabilities offered by the RF mirrorless mount, creating a variety of highly capable lenses that push the boundaries of lens design. It looks like they have no intentions of slowing down, with yet another high-level professional lens likely on the way soon.

Why Would You Buy One of Canon's New f/11 Lenses?

When Canon announced the RF mount for its new range of mirrorless full-frame cameras, we knew we might be in for a treat when it came to innovative lens designs. Fast zooms and razor-sharp primes have pushed boundaries, but the f/11 DO super telephoto glass revealed this week has come as a real surprise. What are these lenses for, and who is going to buy them?

How to Develop a Style and Trust For Your Implied Nude Clients

When it comes to shooting implied nudes, it is not as easy as simply stripping down as one might think. Soft posing, flattering light, and the trust from client to photographer is essential to capture that perfect look. Having a solid portfolio of this genre is essential to bring in new potential clients who can form a bond with your work. So how does one start out shooting implied looks if you do not already have a portfolio to show potential clients?

How to Apply Cinematic Color Grading to Your Still Images

Color grading is a term most of us associate with video editing, where the colors get shifted to create what's known as the "Cinematic" look. In recent years, photographers adapted the term and the appealing look, and made it a very popular process in the community. There are many different ways to apply cinematic color grading and achieve a cinematic look on images. Some can take just few seconds, and some can take hours.

Free Wedding Tutorial:  How To Light Wedding Reception Venues

Photographing weddings can be tough for a lot of people, and the area I find most of my assistants struggling is at the reception. Many times throughout a wedding you can rely on natural light, but what is going to make or break your reception images is your ability to master artificial lighting. In this free excerpt from the full Fstoppers wedding tutorial, we share four of our most used lighting setups so you can take the guess work out of properly lighting a wedding venue.

One Charger for All Your Needs: We Review the Ugreen Nexode 200W Charger

These days, most of us are carrying several battery-powered devices at any given time, and that can add up to a lot of cables to keep track of and a lot of inconvenience if you forget to bring along the right power adapter. That's why with four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, support for a range of fast charging protocols, and an impressive 200 watts of total output, the Ugreen Nexode 200W charger is a fantastic accessory for many creatives. We take a deep look at the device in our review here.

How to Take Your Landscape Photography to the Next Level

Even if you are a landscape photographer who has mastered the art of taking and editing photos, knows how to plan and compose a shot, and creates good images on a constant basis, you might reach a point at which you feel stuck with your photography. In this article, I share one way of breaking through this barrier to take your photography to the next level.

The Best Camera of 2020

2020 has seen some remarkably good cameras released and perhaps a dud or two. Which was the best? Here is my pick.

How Peter Jackson Shrunk the Hobbit

To shrink the hobbits in "Lord of the Rings" was not a simple feat for Peter Jackson, it took a lot of set crafting and perspective tricks. Instead of going through those extra hoops for the recently released "The Hobbit," Peter and his team took a different composite approach to the process of resizing the actors. Our friends at Popular Mechanics detailed how the results were achieved.

Nude Photography: Why Do People Do It? [NSFW]

Nude photography is a very complex subject, one that can be viewed from thousands and thousands of points of view. The final product can range from what most would consider straight-up porn to what many would think to be fine art. But why do people on both sides of the camera do it?

Pour One out for the MacBook Air: Apple's Workhorse for Photographers Left for Dead

Apple’s MacBook Air isn’t long for this world. When Apple announced its new lineup of MacBook Pros in October, absent from the update party was the MacBook Air. In fact, Apple quietly removed the 11-inch model from the website around the same time, leaving only the 13 inch to soldier on for the time being. It's not a good sign for photographers invested in the Apple ecosystem (that’s a lot of us) looking for a road-warrior laptop.

Don't Pose, Give Direction

If you are a lifestyle photographer one of your jobs is to make your images look natural- not stiff, not awkward, and definitely not staged. Your audience should see your images as moments that were going to happen regardless of whether or not you were there to capture it. The imagery that Roxy uses in their advertising is a spot-on example of this. Their photographic brand is made up of images of surfer girls living their carefree, summer lifestyle. Each image is a moment.

Tips for Shooting Boudoir All Shapes and Sizes

Boudoir clients range not only in background but also shapes and sizes. She may be a model or the stay at home mom that wants to feel like a model. Knowing your client and how to pose for flattering looks as well as creating a lasting experience is what one boudoir photographer is about to explain.

Dear Wedding Photographers: Get Over It

Spend just a couple days in the online photography community and you'll notice something: Photographers like to complain a lot. When we're not posting photos or arguing about which cameras are better than others, we're complaining. It's an epidemic and it's really hurting the community and ourselves. Many of us have lost focus on what really matters.
How to Achieve Fast Autofocus In Low Light Situations

Getting accurate Autofocus must be one of the most frustrating things an event or wedding photographer deals with on a daily basis. How many times have you been in the right place at the right time, taken a photo at the absolute peak of the action, and then found yourself cursing under your breath when you review the image only to find it wasn't in focus? This used to happen to me a lot at weddings, and I still see many of my assistants struggling with autofocus in extremely low light situations. Luckily there is a very simple solution that works everytime.

Instead of Praising Nikon, We Should Be Asking Why the Industry Has Been So Slow To Replace GPS With GNSS

The recent press about an upcoming Nikon camera — denoted the "N2014" — highlighted a government registration filing that suggests it will be "equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)." This has been a positive media development for Nikon as, if correct, it would make them the first camera manufacturer to integrate GNSS into one of their products. Is the camera industry being disingenuous by their slow adoption of existing technologies?

20 Photographers Growth in Post-Processing

People often forget that all successful photographers started from the bottom. This knowledge should be an aspiring photographer's motivation that fuels every action and re-touch. Each person has the ability to exceed beyond expectations; to set goals and reach them. In the future, you may look back at your work with embarrassment. Remembering where you started from should be a source of pride. The growth of 20 popular photographers in their retouching skills might be the greatest source of inspiration.

Seven Things for Beginning Photographers to Practice

Learning photography and trying to create better photographs can be a daunting task when you're just starting. Here are some guidelines I've taught in my workshops to help new photographers create stronger images.

Why Hustling Is the Most Dangerous Trend in Photography

A modern trend that is taking over every freelancer is hustling. The mantra is repeated by some of the most popular productivity “gurus.” The more hours you put in, the more outcome you will get. However, following this hours = improvement idea is dangerous for your health, creativity, and ultimately, photography.