Fstoppers Original Articles

Exclusive articles and expert opinions written by Fstoppers’ talented team of creative professionals. Here we cover everything from the latest photographic techniques to advice on running a successful photography business, to first hand accounts of working in the photography industry.

Easy Sky Replacement in Photoshop and Luminar: Which Is Easier?

One of the nice options in Luminar is Sky Replacement. It is a very effective way of replacing a boring sky for a more interesting one. I have been using it for my real estate photography. But how much easier is it compared to Photoshop?

The Sony a7C: Did Sony Get This One Wrong?

Sony announced its new compact full frame mirrorless camera today, the a7C. It shaves the dimensions of the hugely successful a7 III while retaining most of its innards, but who is this camera for and should you be excited about buying one?

6 Important Lightroom Features Most Photographers Forget About

When editing in Lightroom Classic, it's normal to edit as quickly as possible in order to share your finished photograph online, but by doing that you run the risk of missing out on some hugely powerful settings that can save yourself a lot of time and headaches further down the line.

8 Essential Composition Tips to Improve Your Photography

Landscape photography is the art of seizing the beauty of the outdoors through images. Landscape photographers aim to make their viewers feel as if they’re walking into a scene without having to get out of a sheltered building. But what is composition, and how is it helpful in landscape photography?

Five Reasons To Shoot Abstract Photos

It's always nice to capture a subject in its purest form, presenting it powerfully. However, shooting an abstract photo can turn an ordinarily drab subject into a work of art.

COVID Devastation on Financial Results: Sony Wins, Canon Holds, Nikon on the Way Out

Camera manufacturers have faced a tough time in recent years as sales dwindled, whilst photographers have demanded ever better products and the development of mirrorless systems. COVID-19 added insult to injury by essentially halting production. How have manufacturers fared? Everyone is a loser, but who has lost less than anyone else?

The Photoshop Action I Wish I Knew When I Started

My most used Photoshop action is actually pretty simple and by following along, you can record it yourself in just about 30 seconds. If you’re new to Photoshop’s actions, it serves as a great introduction to their functionality, and I think it has a place in every photographer’s set of tools. Want to know what it is?

This Is the Best Camera You Will Ever Own

Debate among photographers about the best camera will rage unabated until the end is nigh. And there will likely never be universal agreement. Despite that, the best camera you will ever have is not a Canon, a Sony, a Nikon, or even a Hasselblad.

Don't Make This Mistake With Your Photography Website

Your website is more important than ever. It is likely the first place potential clients look when they want to evaluate your work and if you are a good fit for them. So, to increase the chances of landing the job, make sure you do not make this mistake.

Are Your Photos Real or Not? If They Are Real, How Do You Prove It?

Recently, I got into a discussion with a guy on social media about one of my photos. He claimed it was fake. I had manipulated the image by adding birds, he said. The incident got me thinking about how easy it is nowadays to change an image completely. How do you prove your image shows the reality?

7 Simple Tips to Create a Strong Depth in Your Photos

If there is one thing that makes a landscape photo “come alive,” it is adding depth to it. Adding depth either invites the viewer into the photo or can make the photo feel like looking through a window.

5 Instagram Era Behaviors That Need to Die

We’ve all been spending a lot more time on social media lately. Whether Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or something else (that as a mid-thirty-something I’m not even aware of yet) is your preferred poison, I would like to respectfully submit that it’s time for us all to make some behavioral changes in how we socialize online.

8 Steps to Better Milky Way Editing in Lightroom

Editing pictures of the Milky Way is difficult to get right. Which white balance do you use? How bright should the scene be? How do you remove excessive noise without stars disappearing? Well, follow these eight steps for image editing success on the galactic scale with Lightroom Classic.

Is Canon About to Announce a 90-Megapixel Full Frame Mirrorless Camera?

Rumors of Canon producing a high-resolution, mirrorless full frame camera have been circulating for more than a year, and rumbling resurfaced recently with the suggestion that an EOS R5S is in the hands of a few professionals for early testing. How many megapixels, how fast a burst rate, and when will it be announced?

10 Top Tips for Beginner and Amateur Photographers

There's a lot of negativity and poor advice on photography on the internet, and that can put off amateur photographers — photographers who would otherwise go on to become full-time professionals. So, here's some of the best advice for amateur photographers who want to make it.

Spending a Week With the Fuji X-T30

As a seemingly endless quarantine has made my daily afternoon walkabouts a mental necessity, I decided to go small and rent a Fuji X-T30 for a week to see if it could potentially save my back and my wallet.

How to Make an Editing Time-lapse and Increase Engagement

An editing time-lapse is a great way to give viewers a peek behind the scenes of how you edit your photos, is a quick watch, and a fantastic way to get people engaged in your content. So, how do you make them?

Five Reasons You Should Be Shooting Astrophotography

It doesn't take long to burn out on a single photographic genre, especially for a creative person not being challenged enough. If you’re in danger of burnout and could use a unique challenge to reignite your passion for photography, consider astrophotography.

Three Things You Should Do to Improve Your Instagram Experience

In between the ads seemingly every three posts, forced "suggested" posts and accounts, and the infamous algorithm, a lot of us have grown very apathetic toward Instagram in the last few years. If you are one of those people, here are three ways to make the app more enjoyable again.

This Is the Sony FX6... Probably

On September 2, Sony announced that the previously rumored FX6 cinema camera was indeed coming before the end of 2020. Here’s some juicy speculation on what we can expect.

Filming and Editing a Cinematic Wildlife Video

In this article I will be giving some insight behind the creation of my latest video, “Green Heron: A Cinematic Portrait,” which includes dealing with gear limitations, working with music and sound effects, and forming wildlife footage into a story.

Fstoppers Reviews the GIM 19” 48W Ring Light

Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve used quite a few different types of ring lights for my portrait and product work. Each had its own particular benefits and drawbacks. Nothing was ever quite “perfect,” but most worked well enough in their given role. This is my review of the very affordable GIM 19” 48W Ring Light.

Panasonic's Silence: The Micro Four Thirds Conundrum

At the beginning of the summer, Olympus announced the sale of their imaging division, leaving the future of their highly regarded OM-D range and Micro Four Thirds (MFT) more widely in disarray. The other half of the MFT founding partnership — Panasonic — has been strangely quiet on the subject. Their next move is crucial, so what might it be?

How to Increase Your Chances of Winning a Photography Competition

There's a huge variety of photography competitions, from your local camera club, to huge global awards and some big prizes if you win. So, how do you win a photography competition, and is there a special formula you can use to reap the rewards?

Is Canon Planning an Even Cheaper Full Frame Mirrorless Camera?

If you were impressed by Canon’s ability to keep the price so low on the EOS RP, you might be a little shocked to hear that the manufacturer might be planning a full frame mirrorless camera that’s even more affordable. Just how much cheaper can a camera get, and what features can be ditched to keep the price down?

Building a Magical Empire: Fstoppers Interviews Bella Kotak

Bella Kotak is an international fine art, fashion, and portrait photographer whose magical aesthetic has gained her fans all across the globe and garnered her features in industry magazines like Rangefinder and PhotoPlus, but her photography career didn’t start in the happiest place.

What I've Learned From Starting a YouTube Channel

As photographers, it's vital not to keep all our eggs in one basket, but to expand our means of income by setting up different revenue streams, one of the most popular of those streams being YouTube. But is it still possible to make money from it in 2020?

Trying Out an Olympus OM-D: Why Are These Cameras Not That Popular?

I have met a lot of photographers who are using an Olympus camera. They are often very enthusiastic about their gear. A lot of their functions cannot be found in other cameras, which makes Olympus quite unique. If these cameras are so unique, why aren’t these more popular? I tried an Olympus for a few weeks to find out.

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.

My First Considerations Prior to Bidding on a Commercial Photography Job

In today’s article, I thought it might be helpful to those just getting into the business to take you through my real-time thought process when bidding on commercial assignments, from the initial query email to whether or not I take a job. Over the years, I’ve made a lot of good decisions and a lot of bad decisions, and hopefully, you can learn from my journey.

Will Off Camera Flash Make The iPhone a Professional Camera?

The day has finally come when photographers can sync their powerful off-camera flashes with their Apple iPhone using Profoto's new AirX syncing system. Being the skeptic I am, I had to see for myself if using 500 Ws of powerful strobe light with your cell phone was simply a gimmick or potentially an industry game-changer. Today, I'm left swallowing my pride.

Canvases: Affordable Art for the Nomadic Lifestyle

I move a lot. It’s kind of my thing. In the past sixteen years, I’ve called fourteen different places home and I’m currently packing up and getting ready to move again. One thing I’ve discovered over the years is that lightweight, self-contained art — like canvases — is easier and safer to move. I’m always open to trying out different vendors for printed products, so I was excited to give 365Canvas a try and see if their products would work well for my nomadic lifestyle.