Keeping the Creativity in Your Photography Business

This is by no means a new topic, but a recent poster in the Fstoppers Wedding Photography group lamented that they felt they were stuck in a creative rut, and it got me thinking about the problem of trying to be experimental within an industry. Chances are if you’re shooting for a client, they have a preconceived idea of what you're going to provide, even if that’s just a ballpark “these kinds of colors, this kind of emotion.” If you rocked up to a wedding with the awesome idea of only shooting macros of toes, you’re going to have a hard sell when it comes time to deliver the finished product; they’d need to be really good foot shots.

How Does Photography Make You Happy?

If amidst all the challenges of the changing times and around the craft itself, you’re still really passionate about photography, it probably brings you significant joy. But why?

Calumet Photo is Coming Back!

According to ThePhoblographer, Calumet Photo was recently bought out by C&A Marketing and is set to become operational again in the very near future. Currently, C&A is looking in to how they can re-activate the online web services and possibly opening up some of the actual stores. Rentals, repairs, sales, and much more should be making a comeback from Calumet Photo.

Netflix Teases With Kodachrome Movie Trailer

Netflix is releasing "Kodachrome" soon. It's about the journey to the last Kodachrome development lab. It's out on April 20, and if this trailer is anything to go by, it's going to be good.

Dutch Police Training Eagles to Tackle Drones Like Prey

Drones are great, but they also pose a huge threat to general safety and national security if in the hands of the wrong people. The Secret Service has even said they don't yet have an effective method of defending against drones, although they recently began testing drone flights in their own backyard to defend against them. While some turn to strictly technological methods of bringing drones to the ground, the Dutch police are evaluating the effectiveness of a new program that trains eagles to grab drones from the sky with their talons.

How to Recover Deleted or Formatted Files with Wondershare Recoverit

One of the best pieces of advice I have been given in recent times was to not be a firefighter. Before you all jump on me and tell me I'm a dummy for saying something negative about people who are clearly more heroic than I am, let me explain. What I mean is to not be proactive in how I operate.

Create Your Own Product Lightbox on the Fly

On a recent visit to my hometown, a friend of a friend asked if I would be able to photograph some inventory for her online art business. Most of her products were small to medium sized and she had a considerable backlog that needed to go up as quickly as possible. Being away from most of the gear in my studio, I had to improvise a bit if I was going to earn the business.

Mighty Fine Macro: Fstoppers Reviews the Venus Optics Laowa 50mm f/2.8 Ultra Macro APO Lens

There’s no shortage of lenses to choose from when it comes to the Micro Four Thirds mount, and so, for one to stand out, it’s got to offer something special. The Venus Optics Laowa 50mm f/2.8 Ultra Macro APO is a lens that just happens to have a few tricks up its sleeve to make a case for itself, namely 2:1 magnification for macro photography and the computer chips to make it play nice with Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Perfect for Gimbals: Using Your Phone as a Monitor

The biggest downside to using a gimbal is losing basic controls of the camera. Sure, you can use a monitor, but you can't actually control the camera. Could your phone fix this problem?

Finding Calm Photographing Gloomy Minimalist Flowers

Call it a personal project or way of finding the calm again in photographs, lately I've been shooting a portrait style “sad flower” collection and I love it. Check out the how and why and if it tickles your fancy you can give it a try too.

Canon Is Bringing 4K to Its Mirrorless Line [Rumor]

Mention Canon and 4K in the same sentence and you're likely to upset some videographer in your vicinity. That may be about to change, however, as it looks like Canon will be bringing 4K to their next mirrorless camera.

Photographing Quantum Physicists' Chalkboards

There is something really beautiful about Alejandro Guijarro's ongoing Momentum series. It is not big and bold and in your face, it's quite simple and surreal.

At first the photographs present themselves to be mundane classroom blackboards with scribbles across the surface, resembling notes left behind from a previous class. The difference is that these chalkboards house the notes to some of the biggest brains in quantum physics from around the globe.

Pocket-Sized 10,000 DPI 35mm Film Scanner Announced

35mm film shooters will be happy to hear that German imaging company, Reflecta, has announced a new almost-pocket-sized slide film scanner that can scan up to 10,000 DPI. The ProScan 10T is advertised to have a DR of 3.9 DMax. Here’s the kicker - it comes in at a surprisingly low € 469 (just under $650).

DXO Is Back With a Solid Update to Nik Collection Version 6.3

I go way back with the Nik Tools software. I bought the set before Google snapped it up, then they let it sit virtually idle. DXO got it six years ago and have added their own deep knowledge of photo editing and, I think, fulfilled the dream of what the Nik Collection should be.

Finally, A Camera Bag Made Just for Women: Introducing Pompidoo

It seems that every week a new camera bag hits the market, and while the majority are stylish and functional they all have one unifying trait. They all seem remarkably masculine in appearance. Whether this is a reflection on the industry of photography as a whole (seeing as men outnumber women) the fact of the matter is that there isn't a whole lot of selection for women... until now. Introducing, the Cologne camera bag/purse by Pompidoo.

Canon Announces the Super-Small PowerShot N Camera

Canon today announced the the PowerShot N, a tiny portable camera designed to capture "life's every day moments." The 12.1- megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5 Image Processor is packed in an insanely small body which includes a tilt screen for tough angles. The tiny camera will retail for $300 and is expected in April.

Accidents Happen: Take Care of Your Equipment

When you go out taking pictures, you grab your camera or camera bag, you might set up a tripod, and start shooting. Often, that goes without any problems, but not always. Imagine what happens when your equipment takes an unexpected fall because something fails.

The Scariest Photo Tour Ever

Patrick and I recently were recently planning a trip to Alaska, and Patrick became obsessed with a particular excursion: a plane ride that landed on a glacier on the top of Denali Mountain.

YouTube Sensation Sued for Copyright Infringement

YouTube Star Michelle Phan, who has 6.7 million subscribers to her beauty tutorials, is being sued for multiple copyright infringements. Ultra Records claim Phan has used music from its artists Kaskade, Deadmau5, and Calvin Harris, and profited from them. The company's lawyers claim they have found over 50 examples of her using said music.

Cinematographer Eric Kress Crafts Light For A Scene In This Video Workshop

Eric Kress, an accomplished cinematographer whose credits include "The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo," (2009) recently led a lighting class at Gokinema, an annual film workshop in Sweden. This video is the first in a series that captured Eric's demonstrations. Grab a coffee, sit back, and watch as he masterfully crafts a cinematic look for a mock scene.

engaged couple embracing on rocky beach at sunset

One of the challenges wedding photographers encounter is how to structure pricing for their services. One common mistake is to include a free engagement session in all wedding packages. There are a few reasons why you should offer engagement sessions only as an add-on to wedding packages.

Fstoppers Reviews the Professional-Grade Tamrac G-Elite G26 Photo Backpack

When Gura Gear was absorbed into the Tamrac brand in late 2015, the beloved Bataflae photo backpack was left without a home. Without hesitation, Tamrac introduced the G-Elite line that improved upon the genius butterfly-opening backpack design of the original Bataflae and was launched in two sizes: the G32 and the G26. Over the past few months I’ve been running around with the G26 version and it is without a doubt the best backpack I’ve ever used.

Getting Started With Macro Photography

The world of macro photography can become endless once you venture down that path. There are so many new textures, creatures, and plants to discover. You can quickly lose hours by photographing the miniature world, but how do you get started?

How to Become an Expert Photographer: Fame and Fortune Optional

Industry icons like Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz often look to us plebs like they’ve been blessed by the photography gods with talent the rest of us can only dream about, yet their success stories often include incessant practice, unwavering determination, apprenticeships, and lucky breaks. What separates those of us at the bottom from the select few at the top? And, if you want to be front and center stage, how do you get there?

The Master of Wedding Photography Degree From PPA: Do Photographers Need Another Degree?

Professional Photographer’s of America (PPA) has been the foremost association campaigning for photographers for over 150 years, but is still growing with its membership even today. With over half of photographers in the non-profit association capturing weddings as part or the majority of their income, PPA has moved forward with creating a new degree that specifically evaluates and promotes wedding photographers. With the Master of Photography degree and Master Artist degree already part and parcel to the education options in the association, does qualifying photographers with a new set of rules make better artists or lessen the value of the other degrees?