How to Use Adjustment Layers in ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2018

Recently Fstoppers reviewed ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2018, the newest version of their all-in-one editing flagship. If you are not familiar with ACDSee’s platform, it is an editing suite similar to Capture One Pro or Photoshop, but also includes photo managing tools and quick editing capabilities similar to Lightroom. This gives ACDSee a unique combined platform that simplifies the average user’s workflow and eliminates the costly need for multiple programs.

Pitch Your Idea With These Four Easy Tips!

Most photographers starting are happy to create an image, stick it on their social media platforms, and call it a day. This doesn’t really cut it once photography becomes more of a career, though, so in this article, I’ll talk a bit more about how to pitch your ideas.

Adorama Urges Photographers to Keep Busy With #CreateNoMatterWhat

Roughly two months after the coronavirus began to become recognized as a pandemic threatening the United States, a well-known retailer in the photography industry has released a PSA with a simple but powerful message: continue to create your work, no matter what happens.

We've Used the Zoner Photo Studio X 2024 Update and You Might Want To As Well

When it comes to photo editing software, the selection out there is not huge by any means. However, the programs that are available to us at least stand out from one another in interesting ways. Today we’re going to talk about Zoner Photo Studio X, more specifically the 2024 update.

[Free Education] Sign Up For Mark Wallace's Free CreativeLIVE Workshop

Update: Mark's is going LIVE tomorrow. Sign up for an email notification in the full post: Photography educator Mark Wallace has been featured on Fstoppers probably more than any other photographer. His easy to understand approach to lighting and tech talk has made Mark one of the top teachers in the field. On May 18-20th, Mark is hosting a FREE Speedlights 101 Workshop on CreativeLIVE. If you aren't familiar with CreativeLIVE, they stream full photography workshops for free but also allow you to download full copies for future reference. Enroll for the free online workshop in the full post

How Do We Keep the Honeymoon Passion After the Novelty Wears Off?

Early on in our photographic career, it seemed as though every photo we took was a new masterpiece. It was clear that I was meant to be a photographer by the awe-inspiring photos I was taking of the streets of New York. Fast-forward a few years, and you couldn't pay me to admit those photos were mine, much less show them.

[News] A Cool Gift for Creatives: 35mm Hand Cranked Retro Video

Hipstamatic and Instagram BS always provokes an eye rolling from me. Fun apps for the non photographer but when I see actual shooters using these apps I'm often a tad revolted. But hey, pro shooters need to have fun to, so, if you're an actual photographer and want to rock out some retro vibes, check out the Lomokino. This camera is an affordable novelty item at just 79 bucks, shoots 3 to 5 frames per second (hand cranked) and used 35mm film.

via [Lomography]
Blackmagic Cinema Cameras Can Finally Format Cards in Camera

Blackmagic Camera 1.9.7 update is available now free of charge from the Blackmagic Design website. The biggest feature? The long-awaited format disk option! The new disk formatting feature allows you to format SSD’s and SD cards in camera so they don’t need to use a computer to prepare disks for recording. This new disk formatting feature is unique because unlike computers that format disks for general storage use, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera can format disks optimized for high performance video use.

Unique Holiday Gift Idea: Photograph Your Own Pet Calendar

The holidays months can bring extra leisure time, and there's nothing more rewarding than spending that free time on a challenging photography project. During last year's fall holidays I decided to turn my available energy into something creative and fun: a pet calendar for 2018.

Support Noam, Create A T-Shirt With The Stolen Scream

The Stolen Scream 5 Days ago we released The Stolen Scream, a story about Noam Galai's stolen photographs. So far, it has been viewed by over 130,000 people and hundreds of websites have already picked up the story. As you know, Noam has made almost no money from his images being used around the world but I think that we can help him in a small way. How you can help We have decided to make the Fstoppers March Photoshop Contest a t-shirt/graphics contest to support Noam. If you want to donate your talent to help Noam, please download either his original image, or the graphic image of his scream and create your own design from it. Once you create a graphic, post it here on our forum. At the end of the month Noam himself will choose his favorite graphic and it will be sold in his scream store. All proceeds from the design will go to Noam but the winner will receive a t-shirt with his or her winning design on it plus an Urban Design 70 bag from Think Tank. If you don't have the time or the talent to be a part of the contest, you can still help by sharing this contest on Twitter or Facebook. You can also support Noam by purchasing his original scream designs.
Post-pandemic: The State of Creatives in 2022

We are quickly approaching the three-year mark since the pandemic, and most creatives have found their new normal. Our new "normals" are all unique, but the common thread is a re-evaluation of our goals, priorities, and non-negotiables as working artists. WeTransfer and TRIPTK polled over 6,500 artists from 180 countries about success, fulfillment, and happiness. The 57-page report was released as The 2022 Ideas Report, and I'm here to share the results. First, let's start with a quiz. Grab a pen, and let's see how on target you are with the state of the industry.

Film Ferrania Opens Online Shop, Takes Pre-Orders

Italy's Film Ferrania, whose halting progress toward reopening as the third (or fourth, if Kodak beats them to the punch) manufacturer able to produce color slide film we've been following, has made another step towards their goal. Their online shop is now open and taking pre-orders for the new Ferrania's first product, a re-engineered version of P30 ISO 80 black and white film in 35mm format.

The Coffee Shop Sessions With Kai Eason

Saturday mornings, for most people, are about errands or relaxation. But for photographer Kai Eason, Saturday mornings are spent at local coffee shops, photographing a film photography portrait series known as "The Coffee Shop Sessions."

What Makes A Great Image?

A few editors of National Geographic sat down to talk about a few of their favorite images. What is it that makes an image memorable and interesting? Most everyone said it was something they have never seen before. Some fields of photography don't have to be ground breaking but if you want to take your own images to the next level try to imagine shooting something you have never seen published before. I'm afraid too many photographers get wrapped up in the lighting, gear, location, and very picky details. Before you even pull out your camera, think to yourself, "what have I not seen done before?" Obviously this video applies mainly to naturally occurring events in nature but I think the same principles can be applied to planned shoots. What do you guys think? <
To Make Creative Cloud More Social, Adobe Acquires Behance

Adobe today announced that it has acquired privately held Behance, a leading online social media platform that enables creatives to showcase and share their work. With over 1 million members, the acquisition of Behance is designed to help Adobe's strategy to bring great community features to Creative Cloud, making it the ultimate hub for creatives worldwide.

Your Voice is Something You Build, Not Something You Find

When people talk about finding their “voice,” you might get the impression they looked down one day and there it was — lying on the ground, fully formed and functional, just waiting to be used. In my experience, though, finding your voice is more about hard work. And time. Lots of time. Our voices are built, not found. It seemingly takes forever. A decade or more. And here’s the frustrating thing: you can’t rush it. There are no shortcuts to finding your voice. You have to go the long way — slowly accumulating influences, trying on different styles, finding a voice that feels natural — and then refine it slowly, project after project, year after year. The good news is that while there isn’t a shortcut, there is a path.

How To Photograph A Movie Theater By Rich Legg

Rich Legg is a successful stock photographer, and he goes all out in this video as he tries to make the prefect stock photo of a movie theater audience. If you haven't checked out stock photography, I highly encourage you to sign up and test your skills. Nothing proves whether your photography is marketable or not like putting it up on a site like shutterstock or istockphoto. This video is great on how to light large groups and also how to efficiently gather model releases from a large pool of model.
NYC Photography Meetup This Saturday January 8th: Update VENUE CHANGE

Patrick and I are both in NYC to shoot the next FS Original on Monday but until then we are working on our biggest project to date. For the next 4 days we are shooting a full length DVD with Peter Hurley. We hope this DVD will be an incredible opportunity to learn the art of headshot photography from the best. Due to the football game we have decided to change the venue to Las chicas Locas at 160 West 25th street. The party begins at 8pm. Last time we had a get-together here it was quite a memorable night (those who were there know what I'm talking about) and I have no doubt this one will compare. The photographers in NYC are some of the nicest and most welcoming bunch I have met. Don't miss out. The first few rounds are on Fstoppers!
Can Social Media Kill Our Aesthetic Vision?

What do good coffee and good images have in common? Our taste and the ability to understand their ingredients need to be trained. But we can also walk into the trap of feckless consumption.

Pop Quiz: Did You Change Your Camera’s Clock?

If you live in the United States (and aren’t fortunate enough to reside in Arizona), you probably set all of your clocks back an hour on Sunday to switch out of daylight saving time. I’ll put aside, for now, the arguments about why the daylight saving time system is outdated and annoying, and just ask you this: did you remember to change the clock on your cameras?

From Stuck to Inspired: Breaking Free From Photographer's Block

Photographer's block, also known as creative block, is a common challenge that many photographers encounter during their artistic journey. It is a frustrating and sometimes overwhelming feeling of being stuck, unable to find inspiration or ideas for new photographic projects. Photographer's block can affect photographers of all levels, from beginners to seasoned professionals. However, it is essential to recognize that it is a natural part of the creative process. In this article, we will explore the causes of photographer's block and provide practical strategies to unlock creativity and overcome this creative hurdle.

Weekly Contest: Win a Feature on Fstoppers!

Fstoppers has partnered with the awesome folks at ViewBug to bring you sweet, sweet contests weekly! This week if you impress the ViewBug community, you could win yourself a feature on Fstoppers.com! The winner's photo will be given a 24 hour feature on our top slider as picture of the day as well as a full featured article.

Behold the Power of Gesture!

When you think of the elements of an image that make it successful and interesting most photographers immediately refer to the powers of color, form, texture, light/dark, and visual rhythm. There is another that is often overlooked: gesture. Unlike the other elements, gesture can't easily be preplanned into your composition; it's a fleeting thing. However, when you add in an interesting gesture to your frame, it's transformative.

Can't Take a Holiday this Holiday Season?

Photographers around this time of the year, portrait and wedding photographers especially, tend to have clients banging down their doors for holiday photos and other must have product deliveries in time for Christmas. While the rest of the world is gearing up for a relaxing holiday, we often experience anything but. From Christmas cards to wedding albums — regardless of the client's procrastination all year — we're expected to produce our work in record time.

Sony Officially Announces the Zeiss 16-35mm f/4.0 FE (Full Frame E-Mount) Zoom Lens

Two weeks back Sony released a teaser image for the Zeiss 16-35mm f/4.0 FE zoom lens for their α7 line of cameras. This lens rounds out the "Holy Trinity" of zooms, the 16-35mm wide-angle, the 24-70mm standard, and the 70-200mm telephoto. The lens is immediately available for preorder for $1,349.99.

How To Light Glass

Lighting products can be extremely tricky. Especially if that product happens to be reflective. Check out this video from LearnMyShot.com and see how they choose to light 7 wine bottles. The video itself isn't a large production but there is a boat load of good info to be learned. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NicM0o87dPE<
Sony E-Mount 16-35mm f/4.0 ZA OSS Lens Now (Finally) Available in the US

After two months of waiting, Sony a7 owners can finally round out the "holy trinity" of pro-zooms with the 16-35 f/4.0. The lens is now available in limited quantities from B&H. The 16-35mm f/4.0 ZA OSS was announced back in September at Photokina and has since generated quite a bit of buzz and excitement from photographers in many different camps including landscape shooters, events and wedding photographers, and people just looking for a wide-to-standard zoom for their a7 system.

The American Daguerre - John Plumbe

Imagine pursuing your dream but lacking the funds to do so, then coming across a technology so amazing that you see the opportunity to establish a new business as a market leader, creating a chain of branches. John Plumbe, the Daguerreotype portraitist, did just this in 1840 which led to some of the most enduring photos of Washington D.C.