Critique the Community: Submit Your Best Headshots Now

Our next episode of "Critique the Community" will feature headshot photography. This featured images was taken by the master himself, Peter Hurley, and in our next episode Peter will critique 20 random images submitted by our readers. Please post your submissions into this post by Thursday October 22nd at Midnight for your chance to get direct feedback from Hurley and the FS staff.

Photo of John Lennon's Glasses: A Plea on Gun Violence

An image can be an incredibly powerful thing. Someone once told me that a picture isn't worth a thousand words; it speaks a thousand languages. On the 44th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's wedding, Ono tweeted an image of Lennon's bloodied glasses - the glasses he was wearing when he was slain over 30 years ago.

[BTS] Building A Car Composite

This is a very cool video from the guys over at Aesonica, they're shooting an Audi A4 with only a single light and a whole lot of post work. Just goes to show that you don't need a ton of money to make a great shot of a car.

Well, you'll need plenty for an awesome car to shoot, but that's not important right now.

Utilizing Natural Light in Photojournalism

The ability of identifying various qualities of light and knowing how to interpret that light is essentially a core concept of photography. One must learn how light translates to an image in order to successfully convey one’s vision and develop a style. In this 5 1/2 minute interview, photojournalist Ed Kashi chats with Marc Silber about his growth as a photographer by way of understanding light.

Fstoppers Reviews the Elinchrom 17" Softlite Reflector and Grid Set

I am a photographer who started shooting with daylight only, and I moved to discover new possibilities of lighting only after mastering daylight and craving more tools to create the desired images in my head. I don't believe the idea that you have to have all the possible equipment to be a good photographer or that the equipment makes you the photographer. My credo was always to master what you have available and only afterwards move to a new tool. This way, you can have all the understanding of your tools and avoid a bulk of unnecessary equipment.

Instagram Finally Brings Messaging Ability to Desktop

If there is anything that annoys me about Instagram, it is definitely the inability to respond to direct messages on a desktop computer. Thankfully, the company has finally brought the ability to read and respond to direct messages to the web version of the app.

5 Ways To Take Better Waterscape Photos

Shooting bodies of water is both fun and challenging. In this article, you'll learn five techniques that will rapidly help you to improve your images of oceans, lakes, and rivers.

We Review the Laowa 28mm f/1.2 Lens

Laowa has been producing lenses since 2013 and now has a vast collection, from cine lenses to landscape, to specialist lenses, and everything in between. These lenses are sharp and solid and cater to the ever-growing needs of photographers.

The New Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB Lens Enters the Ring Swinging!

The Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB lens is the second full frame autofocus lens in the company’s flagship line, after the 135mm LAB, which was released in 2024. And, like the 135mm LAB lens, the 35mm continues to raise the bar and offers photographers outstanding quality and performance at a much more affordable price.

Finding Value in an Older Camera

It sits there on your shelf, looking at you: that old camera that you were so excited about a few years back. Now, it's not even worth the trouble of listing it on eBay or Craigslist. Or is it? Recently I picked up my old Fuji X-E1 and put it through its paces. I was surprised to find out that it's still an enjoyable camera, but not for the reasons that it originally was. Sometimes, a camera's flaws hold a certain charm that can only be appreciated with some distance.

What You Need To Know About The New Phantom 3 "Standard" Drone

Another day, another drone is now available from DJI. You have heard of the Phantom 3 Advanced and the Phantom 3 Professional but the "standard" version is now available as well. Let's break down everything you need to know about these 3 quadcopters.

Documentary on the Most Famous Fashion Photographer Alive: Mario Testino

Mario Testino is without a doubt one of the most famous fashion and portrait photographers currently alive. He has worked for the biggest magazines and brands in the world, including Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Calvin Klein, and Burberry. Over his 35 years of experience in the industry, he more than certainly shot some of the sexiest, most important, and most famous people on earth. In this article, take a glance at his work, but also his life, through a documentary created by the BBC.

Drone Strikes West Hollywood Power Lines, 647 People Lose Power

We’ve long passed the beginning of the end and are now certainly in middle-of-the-end territory with respect to the freedom to fly drones. The latest high-profile drone incident further ensures that drone piloting will remain a privilege and not a right, though rightly so, as some people apparently can’t exercise enough common sense to stay away from populated areas (i.e. Los Angeles) and critical city infrastructure (i.e. power lines).

The Best Images from GuruShots "Impressive Architecture" Challenge

GuruShots is a photography website that hosts "The World’s Greatest Photo Game,” In their latest challenge, they invited participants to submit their best photos of "Impressive Architecture." The challenge received thousands of entries and millions of votes. You can see the three winners of the challenge as well as hundreds of top rated images below.

Xencelabs Pen Tablets: The Ultimate Tool for Photographers?

If you're considering replacing your pen tablet with another leading brand or are new to the benefits of using this type of peripheral instead of a mouse, I recently got to test the Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium Bundle SE in Nebula, White and the results were astounding.

We Review the Haida M10 Generation II Filter Holder

I started using the Haida M10 filter system in January 2020, and I liked it a lot. Since that time I have been using the M10 filter system exclusively. Now, Haida released a second generation with many improvements. I was provided with an M10 generation II filter holder for review.

Fstoppers Reviews The Steadicam Air 25 Gas Assisted Monopod

Has the photo industry neglected one important feature when designing monopods over the last several decades? Steadicam seems to be addressing an overlooked feature with the recently released Steadicam Air 25 that active photographers may find quite helpful.

The Wednesday Rundown 6.14.12

Howdy everyone and welcome to the Wednesday Rundown. This week we have a great BTS video of the making of a low budget music video. Shot entirely on DSLRs this video looks just like a high budget music video. If you have a great and informative video you want to see in the Wednesday Rundown please shoot me an email jerrit@fstoppers.com .

Eight Tips to Speed Up Your Wedding Workflow

A few days ago, I found myself among a group of wedding photographers discussing how far behind they are with their editing. Answers varied, as did attitudes. Some felt they were only eight weeks behind, which was fine. Other photographers seemed anxious, with 17 or 18 weddings in a backlog lasting months. When it was my turn, I gulped. I said: "Two weeks. The wedding I'm delivering today was shot two weeks ago".

Timelapse With Surreal Camera Movements

Jess Dunlap created this masterpiece of a timelapse. What I really enjoyed about it was his very unique camera movements throughout the video, they really add some dimension to each section. I tell myself timelapses are becoming less and less intriguing, then I always end up eating my words when I see work like this. Not sure how he was able to accomplish some of these camera movements, but if anyone has any ideas please feel free to share because I am dying to know.

Inspiring Videos of Wild Animals Reclaiming The Empty Streets

COVID-19 has certainly turned the world upside down. One of the most unexpected effects, though, has been on the streets in normally bustling cities. Taking advantage of the quiet roads, wildlife is starting to creep back in and reclaim urban areas. Instagram is now just as likely to show us a badger ambling along the road in Florence, Italy, as it is to show us a civet meandering in Kerala, India.

Sony Unveils the a7II & 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G SSM II A-Mount Lens

Sony seems to be stealing the show this week, first with the US release of their new 16-35mm f4 and then the announcement of the world’s first stacked CMOS sensor, they just keep bringing the fire with today’s announcement of the a7II by Sony Japan. The a7II builds upon the already stunning a7 lineup with a plethora of upgrades, most notably its in-body 5-axis image stabilization, the first of its kind in a full frame body.

Which Focal Length Is the Best for an Editorial Photoshooot?

Every well-rounded photographer needs to be able to tell a story in three images or less. This is particularly important when shooting editorial content for online publications and in print magazines. On today's assignment, I explore three different focal lengths to capture a well-rounded story of a local musician.

Healing and Fill Content-Aware Tools on Steroids Using Affinity Photo

Photoshop has been around for quite some time now. It works great and every photographer has gotten used to it. It is a staple in my workflow alongside Capture One and Photo Mechanic. Until a few days ago, I did not think I would hesitate changing my retouching routine. After a few years of trials and errors I am finally somewhere I feel comfortable with my post-production. However, after having installed Affinity I must admit that I might "cheat" on Adobe Photoshop.