Why Using Your Gear Should Always Be the Easiest Part of Every Shoot

I’m often amazed by how many photographers don’t really know all that much about the technical aspects of operating their gear. While I’m not expecting everyone to go out and study how the mechanics of a lens works, I think it is utterly paramount when you are on a shoot that the actual act of operating your equipment to achieve a professional-quality image should be trivially easy so that you can focus on the more important aspects.

Upmarket Gifts That Photographers Really Want to Receive

Every winter, plenty of articles appear suggesting cheap gifts for photographers. However, the best presents are those where the giver has carefully considered the wants or needs of the recipient. Furthermore, let’s be honest, they are also where the giver has spent a bit more money.

RED Shows a Preview of Its Smartphone's Holographic Display

RED made a surprising announcement a few months ago, entering the smartphone market with its Hydrogen phone. What the company didn't reveal then was how its innovative "holographic" display looked. This kept us interested and anticipating what this might be. Now, however, RED lifted the curtain up a little bit more, showing us the concept behind the display.

Why Do Cameras All Have Such Stupid Names?

Sorry, Nikon, but why you ever thought that calling hundreds of different camera models COOLPIX would be a good idea will always confuse me. It's not just Nikon, though; camera names and naming conventions are a car crash of branding and lack of foresight. Why are they all so terrible? And which is the worst?

Stunning POV GoPro Video Emerges of Eagle In-Flight

Strapping a GoPro to a moving object has become 'the thing' over the years. More recently, we've begun to see spectacular aerial footage of GoPro's mounted to small remote control drones, such as this video shot over New York City earlier this year. But every once in a while someone puts a GoPro on something that just makes sit up and you just go "WOW!" If you've ever dreamt of flying or soaring free like a bird through the mountains, this is the video you've been waiting for.

Luminar Neo Makes a Dramatic Leap Forward With AI Masking

Users of Luminar Neo from Skylum will get a solid update when they launch the Windows or Mac raw editor today. The app gains MaskingAI, a feature that applies artificial intelligence to masking objects, saving a lot of time in the editing process.

[News] 7 Things You Should Do Immediately With Your First DSLR

For all of you who were fortunate enough to be gifted a shiny new DSLR this holiday season, Stan Horaczek over at PopPhoto.com wrote a short article titled, "7 Things You Should Do Immediately With Your First DSLR". For our more experienced readers the advice may seem to be a no brainer but if it's your first ever DSLR, there are some words to live by here.

Photographer Gets Tazed After Flying A Drone in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Since the National Park system banned the use of drones in all National Parks in June of 2014, it hasn't stopped some people from disregarding the rules (or not being aware of them) when it comes to flying their UAVs on NPS land. In the most recent example of breaking this rule, a photographer ended up on the ground after being tazed.

My 10 Favorite Films for Creative Inspiration

Sometimes, when creativity and inspiration leave us, we have to immerse ourselves in the creativity of another to regain them both. What follows are my ten favorite movies I constantly find myself returning to when in need of inspiration. Whether it be their visual spectacle, their storytelling, or the collective force of their artistry, they always manage to knock the creative block loose.

Should You Be Watermarking Your Images?

There seems to be a surprising amount of contention relating to whether or not you should watermark your images. Some people are adamant that yes, you absolutely need to put your stamp, so to speak, on images that you're putting out there online. Other people feel that a watermark is tacky, or that somehow it's presence cheapens the quality of the image that it has been applied to. As I have found with most things in life, context is king when it comes to watermarks.

20 Awe-Inspiring Photos from the US Department of the Interior's Breathtaking Instagram

It's certainly no secret that the United States’ 58 National Parks are home to some of the most incredible landscapes in the world. The sheer number of parks alone is quite impressive, but the vast range of diversity is even more notable. In what is most likely aimed to regain visitors to these often overlooked gems, the United States Department of the Interior runs a very well maintained Instagram account to showcase our national treasures. Here are just 20 of their awe-inspiring images.
Why I Quit My Job Two Weeks Before My Wedding to Pursue Photography Full Time

There is that spark in all of us. For some it's the first press of the shutter. For others it's that first dollar we make for creating art while doing something we love. It's that spark in our mind, in our very souls, that sprinkles us with those day dreaming thoughts about persuing photography full time. Everyone who has ever picked up a camera has had the "I could make a living doing this" moment.

Old Manual Lenses for Portraits on Mirrorless

So you finally made the jump to mirrorless! You've got that sexy new Sony/Nikon/Canon/Fuji/Panasonic and you're itching to get cracking on some awesome portraits! It's about then that you realize that the kit lens isn't going to cut it and you didn't quite budget as well as you'd thought for some shiny new system lenses. What's a photographer to do? Buy some cheap, old glass to get you going!

Photography Is Art: Rules Need Not Apply

As the curator for the Fstoppers Photo of the Day and our Instagram feed, I happen to read a lot of comments and criticisms thrown out at images by semi-anonymous people from all over the world. One thing I can be sure of is that when I post an image that is a composite or incorporates some sort of digital art, some people get offended. This is ridiculous and needs to end for photography to continue growing.

Fstoppers Reviews Capture One Film Styles Pack

Phase One has already released multiple Styles Pack since the beginning of the summer. Today, they announced their brand new Film Styles Pack and I had the chance to play around for a few days before it was officially announced. Rather than offering you a simple release article, I thought a review would be more useful. After four weddings and a couple of portrait sessions edited with it, here are my thoughts and why this might just be the perfect pack for VSCO lovers who rely on Capture One for their professional photo editing work.

Why We Shouldn’t Give Up When We Struggle in Landscape Photography

It is good to have a plan B in landscape photography. But what if even plan B doesn’t work? Should we give up? Or is there still the chance, any way to get some really strong photographs? I came exactly into such a situation recently – and oh man – finally it turned into one of the best photography days I ever had. I even got 360 degrees surrounded by compositions!

Instagram Finally Allows Automatic Post Scheduling via API

At long last, we can say goodbye to push notification scheduled Instagram posts. As all my workflow articles reiterate, I am always looking for the most efficient way to accomplish my tasks especially since I work alone with no assistants. For my Instagram postings, I have been using Later which has been good, because it allows me to get my caption and hashtags ready on the computer and do my final posting from my phone.

Fujifilm Announces the X-T3 Camera

In a week full of mirrorless camera announcements, Fujifilm has stepped up to the plate again with its announcement of the X-T3.

Being Bold and the Promise of the Nikon Z 9

Nikon has finally officially announced their new flagship mirrorless camera, the Z 9. The long-rumored specs are now confirmed, and the promise of the system has exceeded expectations.

Shooting Action With Chris Garrison Using Hypersync

Just the other day a buddy introduced me to hypersync via this video from PocketWizard featuring Chris Garrison. Hypersync is technology in PocketWizard FlexTT5's and MiniTT1's which enables you to sync your camera with big studio strobes at speeds up to 1/8000 with certain setups. PocketWizard has more information on hypersync over at their site. This video is pretty long (over an hour) but Chris walks you through several of his setups as well as talks about how he got his career to where it is now.

How Do You Determine A Fair Price For Licensing Your Videos And Photos?

Figuring out a fair rate for providing photography or video services can be a slippery slope, filled with pitfalls if you happen to price yourself incorrectly. But what's more complicated than setting a rate for services is how to approach setting a rate for someone who wants to license a piece of work you've already created. In this post I'll share my insight on the factors I look at, and my rationale for determining a fair fee for video and photo licensing.

New Motorized Parabolic Slider Available from Redrock Micro

In addition to a new cage for the GoPro, Redrock Micro today announced the all-new One Man Crew, a new class of motorized 'parabolic slider' that operates unattended and delivers elegant cinematic motion. The One Man Crew is being touted as particularly effective for individuals and small crews who want their footage to stand out and have the look of being shot by a professional camera crew.

How to Use CTO and CTB Gels to Change the Color of Your Background

One way to spice up your photography is to add gels to your lights so you can produce colorful and edgy looking imagery. Adding wild colors to your photos can offer a lot of creativity but gels can also be used in a much more subtle fashion to slightly alter the color of your background and sky. In today's video I want to share two simple techniques I use to help make my backgrounds on location look more interesting.

Peakto Review: A Hub for All Your Images and Catalogs

If you're like me, you've got photos strewn over a variety of storage devices: local, on the web, maybe even some off-line storage. Keeping track of these images is a real pain. I've got multiple image editing apps: Lightroom, Photoshop, Luminar Neo, and some dedicated astronomy editing apps. I'm also a former Aperture user (groan). Lightroom has its own catalog system, and it's very good. But I've also got photos in the Neo catalog (it's not so good as a catalog) and all my iPhone photos in Apple's Photo app.

Photographer Brigette Bloom on Her Ethereal "Kaya" Series, Experimental Processes (NSFW)

Photographer Brigette Bloom draws from her start in documentary photography to create mystical, story-driven work. A concept photographer, Bloom works with Impossible Project Polaroid and 35mm film, which she often alters to create interesting effects (you may recognize her as “the photographer who pees on her film.”) I spoke with Bloom about her captivating “Kaya” series, and her overall process as an artist.