Never Work With These Types of Clients

There are some types of clients who I tend to avoid at all costs. This may mean less income, but trust me, the stress is not worth your time and money. At first, it is scary declining a job because you don’t like a client, but trust me when I say it is better to decline the following ones.

Hands On: Insta360’s Ace Pro

Insta360 has gone traditional. The Ace Pro is a feature-packed action camera that doesn’t rock the boat.

Brooke Shaden and Lindsay Adler Concept Shoot-Off

The [Framed] Network recently teamed up with photographers Brooke Shaden and Lindsay Adler for a very interesting show - "The Concept". In this show, they give Lindsay and Brooke the same missions, and they together have to decide on the concept and location. Both Lindsay and Brooke are leading names in the industry and both are amazing photographers, so it's very interesting to see how each one of them tackles the concept in a very different way. Both results are epic yet so different.

Have Money to Burn? Canon's New 200-400mm f/4 L USM Announced for $11,800

Canon has announced their answer to Nikon's 200-400mm with their new 200-400mm f/4 L USM. It boasts a built-in 1.4x extender which, with the flip of a switch, extends the lens to a 280-560mm f/5.6. Measuring in at 5.0 x 14.4 inches and 127.7 oz, the specs on this beast look amazing, but the price tag is a little surprising. It's expected to retail for $11,800, nearly twice what Nikon's is selling for.

What Makes a Professional Photographer In 2023?

A few months ago, I reluctantly took the plunge into Instagram reels, like many other still photographers. My most popular reel by a wide margin was a joke comparing “amateurs” to “professionals.” And, although my point was not so much to make a distinction between two classes of photographers, but rather to comment on photographers’ common obsession with gear, sometimes at the expense of fundamentals, I touched a nerve with some people who took exception to what they saw as an insult to amateur photographers.

Pushing the Panasonic GH5 Stabilization to the Limit

The somewhat flawed auto focus system on the Panasonic GH5 has claimed plenty of attention since it's release, but if there is one feature which is undoubtedly five star, it's the dual stabilization technology, and here is the proof.

One of My Favorite Gadgets of the Year Is a Vacuum

Although at Fstoppers, we tend to focus on photography-related products, we occasionally feature gadgets and technology outside of our normal focus. The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is one of the most incredible gadgets I've ever used, and I wanted to create a video about it.

Fstoppers Reviews the Custom SLR C-Loop and Glide Strap

When I test products, I like to have a plan. I put together what I think the product should handle and then carefully execute and document the situation. It's the easiest and best way for me to give a fair assessment of the gear. A relatively straightforward and planned review was on my schedule for the C-Loop and Glide Strap but instead, I found myself in the midst of a natural disaster and the desire to capture the moment as best I could. This required the cooperation of this camera strap, and inadvertantly, resulted in this review.

From WPPI: Epson's Shockingly Gorgeous New Paper & Sigma Shows Us the New 50mm f/1.4

As of today at 3pm, WPPI was concluded - and while the trade show itself is done, we're all still left with the excitement lingering from the last couple days. Today, we highlight a look at Sigma, who was able to show us their newly announced camera system as well as the much-anticipated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art Lens. We also stop by Epson, to look at their rich new metallic prints available for ordering soon.

How to Make Your Own V-Flats

One of the most popular pieces of gear most photographer assume a studio should have is a reflector of some sort, and a v-flat is greatly preferred. Some photographers who look for a DIY option but can't seem to find a source for the large foam boards usually give up and proceed without them. Here's another method you can use to create your own v-flats.

[News] Canon To Reveal New Gear On April 15

With NAB just around the corner, the rumor mill has started to spin with regards to what Canon is planning on announcing near the start of the annual video conference held in Las Vegas. Contenders include a 4K DSLR style camera, new cinema lenses similar to those released back in November, or something completely different.

Objectively Analyzing the Adobe Creative Cloud: Should You Want It?

When Adobe launched the Creative Cloud more than a year ago, it was not met with much fanfare from actual users of the software. Those around me heard about it, shrugged and moved on. I’m pretty sure many of us didn’t really fully understand what it exactly was. Fast-forward to today, and Creative Cloud has turned into something that is obviously Adobe's future, begging the question, "Is it good for Adobe, good for consumers or both?"

[Video] Photographer George Holz lights Beyoncé

Photographer George Holz sits down with our friends over at Profoto to walk us through the lighting rig on his shoot with Beyonce, and explains why and how each piece is used. There's some good solid lighting know-how in this video, so check it out and enjoy! via the Profoto Blog
The Storytelling Technique That's Taking Over TV

The box-set revolution of the last fifteen years has pressed huge demands of screenwriters to flesh out narratives into 10-20 hours of television. Over the last few years, there has been a go-to technique that has helped writers add meat to the bones of complex narratives, whilst filling up the content needed to air modern TV shows. We’re talking about the flashback.

Fuji UK Posts Full Specs and Release of X100s and X20

Fuji's latest mirrorless systems are some of the best in their category because of their new X-Trans sensor technology that allows for sharp, moire-free images without the blurring anti-aliasing filter. Now, we have specs on the newest updates to Fuji's line, the X100s and X20, both with new, X-Trans II sensors and speedy phase-detection autofocusing...

We Review the Astrhori 85mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro and Tilt Lens

With shorter daylight hours and longer dark, cold, and wet nights, it's time to think about what to shoot indoors: something new perhaps? For myself, it's going to be trying something new, and that's macro with the Astrhori 85mm f/2.8 Macro Tilt lens.

Skin Retouching Made Easy With Infinite Skin

Skin retouching takes time, so any plugin that can help speed up the process is a bonus. Infinite Skin is a Photoshop plugin from the Infinite Tools range and is probably the quickest skin-retouching plugin I've ever used, producing great results in next to no time.

Sam Jones Goes offCamera with New Magazine

Print is not dead and celebrity portrait photographer Sam Jones has created offCamera magazine — part print magazine, website, web television series and podcast — to showcase and profile actors, musicians and artists working at the highest level of their professions. Jones, whose work frequently appears in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and Men's Journal, intends for offCamera to be an artistic vehicle for further exploration of the casual chats that often occur on set during his editorial photo shoots.

Lightroom Film Presets: Full Totally Rad Replichrome I, II, and III Review

Totally Rad are the producers of the film emulation presets titled Replichrome. Currently there are three sets of presets, Replichrome I: Icon, Replichrome II: Slide, and Replichrome III: Archive. The initial inception of the Lightroom presets, now known as the Icon Series, came with the intent to get it right. Not to create stylized versions of film but to create accurate depictions so that the digital images with the film presets would appear as close to actual film as possible.

Using a Modern 360 Camera as Your Wide Angle Lens

360 cameras have become jacks of all trades, but there’s a specific reason that photojournalists might want to consider carrying one in the field: to replace a wide angle lens.

Patrick Brown's "Trading to Extinction" Project

Black bear bile, rhino horns, shark fins and other endangered wildlife and their illicit trade account for more than $10 billion annually. For the past ten years, documentary photographer Patrick Brown has explored this story, shooting from the jungles of Cambodia to the markets of Guangzhou. The work is now collected in the book “Trading to Extinction,” published by Dewi Llewis and released to coincide with this week’s global summit on illegal wildlife trade hosted in London.

Fstoppers Creative Photography Challenge (Part One)

Like I've said before, being creative or simply having to create, is one of the biggest assets you can have in this era. Being creative doesn't mean you always have the juices flowing in your body. Sometimes, we get into a rut. I know some of you have fallen into that black hole where it feels like you can't seem to get out. Trust me, we can all use a jump-start from time to time. Creatives can always use a new method to refresh their minds.

Radiant Photo Mobile Gives You a Powerful Editor in Your Pocket

We've looked at the Radiant Photo Editor for Mac and PC in the past. It was created by some professional photographers to speed your editing process by making some smart decisions about your image and making intelligent changes. It was infinitely variable, and some good improved photos could result from the process.

Adding Color to Your Black and White Photos Just Got Easier

We all know someone that has an older photo taken in black and white and many of us have seen those request to transform those photos into color. Converting old black and white photos to color may have just gotten easier with a new app.

Quick Lightroom Tip - Import Multiple Cards at Same Time

As a wedding photographer I often fill up 3 or 4 memory cards at a wedding and it is important that I get those images downloaded and backed up as soon as possible. Rather than download one card at a time I like to do them all at the same time using multiple card readers. I usually use Photomechanic to do this but recently discovered that it is actually very simple to download multiple cards at the same time in Lightroom as well. I put together this quick video tip to show how.

The advantage to downloading multiple cards at the same time is so one doesn't get...

Make Your Own Post-Processing Presets Instead of Buying Presets

Adding a finishing touch to your photos can be done in many ways. You can do it yourself, or buy presets online and uses the look someone else has made for you and many others. You can also make your own preset from unique post-processing in your favorite editing software.