Simple Men's Portrait Retouching Workflow

As I spend more and more time around other photographers, I’ve had the opportunity to sit back and listen to everyone’s take on what makes a retouched image successful. Some photographers spend minutes retouching, while others spend literally hours on an individual image. Regardless if you spend 15 minutes or 3 hours retouching in image, it’s important to have a strong workflow so that you maintain your sanity.

Nvidia Announces New Graphics Cards: Should We Care?

If you've read any tech journalism over the last day or two, you're probably sick of seeing the words Nvidia and 3000 series designations. It's no question Nvidia has created some impressive technology, but is it actually going to change anything for photo and video editing? The answer might just surprise you.

Masters of Photography: Steve McCurry Review

The Masters of Photography courses are a series of instructional videos, each focusing on the work and style of a specific photographer who is considered a master in their field. Having tried both the Joel Meyeorwitz and Albert Watson courses, I had to give the third – Steve McCurry – a go. Here’s what I thought about the experience and the lessons learned.

[BTS] How To Create HDR Images Using Bracketing With Trey Ratcliff

Trey Ratcliff is perhaps one of the most well known and adored HDR photographers today. The High Dynamic Range images he creates are not subtle by any means and he takes no apologies when it comes to creating images he personally enjoys. In this video, Trey talks about his gear (mainly Nikkor 12-24 and Really Right Stuff Tripods) and how he thinks through his compositions as he visits the beautiful Gorda in the Virgin Islands. Watch the 2nd video in the full post

5 Different Ways To Light Your Subjects For Videos Or Stills

In the video below Jay P Morgan explains 5 different lighting setups that he uses during his shoots. I am usually not a huge fan of videos like these but once again Jay has done a fantastic job and I think you guys will really enjoy it.
A Warning to Long Lens Shooters: Heat Wave Distortion

We’ve all seen heat waves rising up from the asphalt of a hot road in the summertime. But did you know that this same effect happens across all types of open area environments? In this informational video, nature and wildlife photographer Steve Perry demonstrates what long lens shooters need to look out for in order to preserve sharpness in their images.

Produce Better Black and White Photos by Paying Attention to What You Like

When I first decided to try converting some of my photos to black and white, it seemed very hard to get good results. I would often rely on using the desaturate adjustment in Adobe Photoshop that I learned in high school 20 years ago. This makes for some very flat and gray looking images. From there I found better results by using tools like Photoshop actions and Nik Silver Efex. This method still lacks control a bit, and in my opinion anytime you have to leave Adobe Lightroom, your workflow speed is taking a hit. Once I learned to emulate the monochrome photos I was attracted to and impressed by, my work started getting better.

Instagram - Marketing Strategy For Seniors

Reaching high school seniors on social media isn't as easy as one might think. First, you have to attract a following, then you have to appeal to their interests. I quickly found that Facebook is not popular among 16-18 year olds. I could still reach my wedding clients through Facebook, but the 16-18 year old crowd had gravitated elsewhere. Why? Their parents are now on Facebook and they want to keep their privacy. This age group is using other forms of social media; one of the most popular, Instagram.

Affinity Photo Receives Its First Major Update

Serif released a new update today to its photo editing software Affinity Photo. It is the first major update, and it includes quite a few exciting features. To celebrate these welcome changes, Serif also announce a discount on the Mac App Store.

How Not to Lose or Break Your Photo Gear

Cameras are expensive. Anyone with a pro body and a few decent lenses won't have much change from $10,000. So how do we go about protecting them?

Skills and Secrets of Shooting Stunning Seascapes

Seascape photography is so different from shooting landscapes. Its dynamic nature makes it one of our most exciting and challenging subjects. The distinct difficulties of capturing the ocean require a different set of skills and learning some of the secrets of the sea.

Guide to Reaching Out to Modeling Agencies

So much of photography is built on social relationships. Models, makeup artists, hair stylists, designers, and assistants all play a crucial role in contributing to the creation of an image. At the center of the photographer's work is the model, yet photographers may find it difficult to reach out to modeling agencies for collaboration. This article will describe some best practices to start and maintain relationships with modeling agencies and their models that may enable you to further develop your portfolio.

A Simple and Straightforward Technique for Improving Your Photo Edits

Image editing takes a lot of skill in numerous techniques and creative vision to pull off successfully, and even the most talented and experienced photographers and retouchers can occasionally go awry in their work. Anyone, novice or experienced, can improve their image edits with this simple technique.

Do These Things to Win New Clients Over the Holidays

It doesn't matter what industry you work in, sending out promotional material from time to time is a great way to help stay relevant in an oversaturated photography market. If you want such a marketing technique to pay off, there are some important things to keep in mind before you start. What, when, and how you send things out can dramatically affect your chances of success.

[Gear] Exciting New Strobe Boasts 1000 Shots w/o Overheating

Japanese manufacturer Nissin Digital have announced a newly designed speedlight, the MG8000 Extreme, and claims it's capable of 1,000 consecutive flashes without overheating due to it's ceramic insulation, a quartz-based flash tube (more like those found in studio lights), a glass screen to protect the lens from heat and it's use of air vents. More inside.
The Worst Camera I've Ever Loved: The Nishika N8000

One of the beautiful things about film is the variety of cameras out there. You could shoot a different one every day and seemingly never get to the end of them. With that variety, though, comes a lot of quirkiness. A new generation of photographers has embraced one of the quirkiest cameras of all: The Nishika N8000. Although no technical marvel, its resurgence in the photography community is because of one unexpected trick, creating 3D animated GIFs.

7 Tips To Improve Your Food Photography

If you've ever wanted to try food photography at home, then use these seven tips to improve your chances of getting some great food photos.

FujiFilm Announces the Beloved X100S in Black

One of the previous year's best and most sought after cameras is getting a makeover, and now coming to you in a stylish black design. Announced today at CES in Vegas, the FujiFilm X100S is getting a visual upgrade, showing off an all black design from it's previous silver/black vintage look. Aside from that nothing has changed, it still sports all the same specs that we've loved from the past year's model.

Fujifilm Says ‘We Must Do Better When It Comes to Diversity.’ Fstoppers Interviews Fujifilm’s Head of Marketing

A few weeks ago, Fujifilm announced that it was shaking up its ambassador program — partly in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the fact that the overwhelming majority of camera ambassadors are white men. I sat down with Fujifilm North America’s head of marketing for digital cameras, Victor Ha, to find out what led to the changes and what the brand is doing to reflect the diversity of its customers.

Five Tips for Beginning Cinematographers

Like many photographers during the digital revolution, the idea of being able to capture high-quality video with my stills camera has always been enticing. Filmmaking is a different way to tell a story entirely, because of the addition of context. While a still photograph can certainly be moving, influential, and captivating, a motion picture allows for the beginning, middle, and end of a story to be shown in a constant visual style.

Five Days in the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic, about halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilometers (200 miles) north-northwest of Scotland. The islands are an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Their area is about 1,400 square kilometers (541 square miles) with a population of 50,322 in October 2017.

Lessons From a Decade in the Photography Industry

Today marks 10 years since I first filed paperwork to start my photography business. It's been quite the roller coaster, and I've learned a lot of things about photography, business, and myself that I didn't expect. Here are some of the highlights from my first 10 years.

Fstoppers Answers - What is the Worst Part of Being a Full-Time Professional Photographer?

In our weekly Wednesday series, we ask our writers various questions from the public, and ask them to share their experiences working as full time professional photographers. Last week we touched on our favorite lenses, this week we're doing something different. We ask "What is the Worst Part of Being a Full-Time Professional Photographer?"

Award-Winning VFX Specialists Boris FX Releases Software for Photographers

There are many apps for photographers. Developing a workflow and testing each of them is all part of the process of developing a style and unique look. Some of us use Lightroom, others prefer Capture One or Photoshop or a combination of them all. And every once in a while, something is released that invigorates your work in a new way.

[Gear] Canon's New 600EX-RT Speedlight Uses Radio!

Along with the 5D Mark III just announced, Canon announced a new speedlight, the 600EX-RT. The 600EX-RT is Canon's first speedlight to introduce a wireless radio capable of communicating with up to 15 other units at a range of 30m. Just as impressively, the flash features the same weatherproofing standard as Canon's flagship 1D X. Pre-Order the new speedlight at B&H.