Lowepro recently announced an update to their popular Flipside series of backpacks aimed at meeting the modern photographer and videographer's needs. Here I review the largest and most robust of the series, the Flipside 500 AW II.

For many Instagram users, hub accounts can be a source of inspiration and being featured can be a game changer. For Jason, it was his opportunity to foster a sense of community.

Two new Instagram features emerged this week: the ability to follow hashtags and the addition of "recommended for you" into a user's feed. This might be great news for freebooters, and not so great news for users who are already disillusioned with Instagram's algorithms.

It was supposed to be a quick trip in Mexico to cover the Lucha Libre World Cup for Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine. But Photographer Jerry Villagrana, based in Detroit, eventually spent the next 15 months in the country shooting Mexican wrestling both for major promotions in 18,000 seat arenas as well as local neighborhood areas with dirt floors. Here is his story.

In last week’s article, I detailed my experience interning with photographic legend Art Streiber and how his extensive use of preparation has helped him to create some of the most iconic images in photographic history. In this post, I’ll attempt to take you through my own method of preparing creatively for a shoot so that I can get exactly what I want, and often a whole lot more.

When it comes to photographing models, a comfortable subject can make for exceptional photos. Making your subjects feel like they are in a safe and welcoming environment will make your photoshoot a successful photo set for both your portfolio and the models. As a photographer, it is your responsibility to make the subject of your images feel comfortable and in a safe space.

Accessories for cameras have improved in both quality and function over the last decade or so, but perhaps not as quickly as other areas of equipment. This new filter system, however, aims to overcome a lot of the irritants around stacking filters.

Fujifilm X-Series owners will be happy to hear that today, the corporation has announced a new prime lens and teleconverter for their highly-regarded system. By adding another 35mm (53mm full-frame equivalent) prime and 1.4x teleconverter, Fujifilm continues to enrich their ever-burgeoning lineup. As an added bonus, those who are attending the Photoplus Expo in New York can play with the new equipment for a day at no extra charge.

I initially dove into the world of cinema and photography because of my passion for the automotive world and the arts. I have had some plans for more video work with cars in action but I always wanted more than action camera footage that’s stationary on the vehicle. Even with a jib and other equipment, I wanted more production value out of my work. Really, what I had in mind was a vehicle camera crane system.

A photoshoot is a high stress situation that can often push emotions to their limits, and lead to conflict that can tear a great shoot to pieces. Part of your job, as the photographer, is to captain the shoot in a way to avoid this sort of thing. Everyone has a responsibility to be professional throughout the shoot but it is you who must ensure that they adhere to this.

Wide angle lenses are favorites for real estate, landscape, and underwater photographers. The AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm proves to be versatile in wide angle focal lengths with a maximum aperture of 4.0 allowing consistent illumination. Curious how it would perform below the surface, it tagged along in a recent shoot.

Fstoppers is happy to announce the next round of Critique the Community. We invite everyone to submit your best sports image to be critiqued by the Fstoppers team. The image doesn't have to have any particular style but it must be related to sports and action, incorporating a human element (not just products or sports equipment). Please follow the guidelines for submissions below to ensure eligibility for your image to be chosen. We will be accepting submissions through Sunday night, February 7th and will be offering feedback to a total of 20 pictures.

If you're an aspiring lifestyle, commercial, or fashion photographer who doesn't live anywhere near the large cities, can you make your business a success? Olivia Bossert, an established fashion and lifestyle photographer, gives you her insight on how she did it.