Fstoppers Original Articles

GuruShots is a photography site that hosts "The World’s Greatest Photo Game,” In their latest challenge, they invited participants to submit their best photos of "Mostly Black." I loved seeing the variety of images and mood this challenge set. There were thousands of entires and millions of votes but the winners of the challenge were decided. Check out the three winners as well as hundreds of top rated images below.

Wedding slow season is inevitable. Feelings of discouragement can fill the mind of even the most talented photographer during slow season, so here are a few ways to fill that downtime and make this year’s the most productive yet.

One of the best steps you can take for yourself and your photography business is setting goals. Being intentional about setting time aside to write out all of your goals can be one of the most powerful business strategies for the upcoming year. Not only does goal-setting help to solidify where you’d like to see yourself and your photography in the future, it also helps to create a clear-cut business plan for the year ahead. If you’re feeling lost or aimless within your photography business, you may want to give goal-setting a try.

Do we even need a unique voice in our photography? Is having our own style really necessary? I have a few thoughts to share about this.

I made a TikTok after months of being nagged by my friends and colleagues. There's a ton of behind-the-scenes content that I am slowly uploading there. Sometimes, at about 3 in the morning when I finish my work and get slightly depressed, I go on TikTok and scroll through videos tagged #photography. While this won’t be an article targeting TikTok photographers, or an article shaming people for following trends, it will be an article discussing what trends there are now, and what’s possibly dangerous with them.

Are you daydreaming about traveling while on lockdown? Why not immerse yourself in the beauty of deserts and learn how to capture beautiful landscape images when we're allowed to travel the world once again?

Multimedia projectors have become so affordable in recent years that it is quite likely that you either own one or know someone who does. This is good news for filmmakers and photographers who are interested in achieving a unique range of eye-catching lighting effects in-camera.

Maybe you've had a prospective client — someone you've never heard of — ring you up to discuss your photography services... and had your brain freeze, making the conversation awkward. Even if you've been landing photography gigs for years, the excitement of an unexpected phone call can throw you off course.

Have you ever thought what post-processing is involved behind the car images you see in the ads? An interview with founder and CEO of "Curve Digital" Nick Limb lifts up the curtain behind their workflow.

Pricing was the area of professional photography I struggled with the most in the early years. However, it was far too recently that I realized I had a fundamental error in my approach to pricing and value.

When saving layers into separate files using the in-built Photoshop script we always get this annoying string of numbers at the start before the filename. But now I'm going to show you how to make a quick tweak to change that forever.

All books on economy may tell you that you desperately need to raise your prices, but the specialists and formulas may be wrong.

A question arises: Exactly why is it that you still use very large cameras and film when photographing the American landscape? Which is what I do.

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2021, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

In a world looking for more honesty and truth, one element of photography has become more and more pervasive. As the list of companies going "retouching free" grows, we are forced to take a step back and take a look at the practice. Is retouching really the problem it is perceived to be?

He is one of the most revered photographers in the world. Having captured iconic images that became staples of modern culture, Albert Watson is a person that doesn’t need a long introduction. Recently, Fstoppers arranged an exclusive interview with Mr. Watson, where we asked the questions any beginner would want to have answers to. Read on to see what he had to say.

While Taylor Swift’s gorgeous looking revenge-fest music video to “Look What You Made Me Do” continues to break streaming records across the Internet, I’d like to shine a light on some of the lesser-known music videos that have stood out over the last few months that don’t demand the eye watering budget of a Swifty vid.

I think it is fair to say that streaming is complex, especially if you want to go beyond “Instagram live from a selfie camera.” Adding several angles, multiple cameras, and overlays is complex, and you would need quite a lot of gear for that. Well, say goodbye to that. RecNGo is a simple app that makes streaming affordable and accessible.

When I first started out in photography I didn't have any specific process to manage any of my images and files. This is one of the primary reasons I don't have many of my early images anymore. It's a shame because I was quite proud of some of the images I had produced.

I recently had the opportunity to be followed by Taylor Jackson on a shoot while at the Sony Kando event.

The true value of photographs comes from the appreciation of them in the long-term, not just for short-term beauty appreciation through digital devices. And the best way to preserve these memories is through the form of print. In today’s age of digital photography, where thousands of images can be viewed within seconds from our devices, it has clearly diminished the way we value photographs, and the act of viewing images through prints has become a forgotten art. Despite all this, I am here to advocate that printing your work is not just another option, but a commitment to your craft and a way to elevate your photography to a whole new level.

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2019, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

This is undoubtedly a crazy time for photographers. There's no work, and we can't stretch our creative muscles as often as we're used to. How are the pros coping? Many pro photographers are using their photography skills to create something they'd never normally have time to do, and the results are remarkable.

Showing now in her hometown of New York, the first major retrospective in the United States showcasing the work of the late photographer Vivian Maier. This article discusses the extraordinary story of one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century and how her work was only discovered after her death.

In 2023, I traveled extensively, frequently visiting cities and discovering new countries and cultures. Despite all my travel being within the EU, I feel like I've learned a great deal. I will share all my travel insights in this article.

In today’s overly connected world, it’s relatively easy to gain access to nearly anyone, but meaningful access has become much harder than it used to be. People in general are incredibly guarded against the random DM and the unsolicited “let’s shoot” comments on Instagram to the point that it’s almost laughable to think anything would ever come of it. That’s not to say that nothing ever will, but your odds will be much greater if you follow at least some of the rules I’m laying out below.

Less than a year after the release of the X5S camera, DJI just introduced the new Zenmuse X7 with superlative specifications. The Chinese drone manufacturer is innovating so rapidly that it may be hard to keep track of all the new features associated with its ever-expanding product range. Let’s check what the main differences between the two cameras are and which one you should buy.

Last week I showed you how you can use just a DSLR and a few accessories to digitize your negatives. However, that article wouldn’t have been complete without explaining how to convert the scanned analog picture to a positive image. The process is quite easy and only a few steps are required to achieve a great result. Let’s dive in!

Lighting modifiers aren’t quite as expensive as they used to be. However, some of the quality and flexibility has gotten lost along the way.

It was the year that Osama Bin Laden was killed, Barack Obama was President, the Space Shuttle was retired, and "Game of Thrones" was premiered. Meanwhile 2011 turned out to be one of the most pivotal years in camera history, putting us on the path to where we are today. Here's what happened.

What can photographers learn from an award-winning illustrator? As it turns out, quite a lot.

More than ever, people are trying their hand at photography and with it comes a lot of photos meant to emulate the work of others. Do you strive for originality?

At some point we will all get stuck. We will all feel like we’re not developing as creatives. These ruts can drive us down or they can be a wake-up call to do something different. How we handle them determines how we function as creatives afterwards. In this article, we’ll discuss the power of doing something different.

At the onset of a portrait shoot it is important to come packing the usual garden variety of a few safe jokes to lighten the mood, some fail-proof poses to keep things moving, and direction for the model to play off of. It is easy to forget, with all the headspace that pours into reflecting the images from inside of our heads, towards reality, that when the time comes to start working with our subject, we are not just setting a tone visually, but also emotionally. One simple way personally for me to connect and as well bring additional personality out of a model is via the universal power of music, which has long played a predominant role in my life.

Everyone has what they would tell you is their favorite photo. The measure of why has changed quite a bit over the years and I think I might like the old way better. I only say this because Social Media is the main source of validation for a number of photographers today. Applying modern day metrics of likes, shares, retweets, and views creates a score of sorts that someone can use to justify why a photo might be their favorite. This score didn't used to exist. The old equivalent might have been a photo placing well in an art show or being used in a print publication.

This comes almost as an unplanned part two to my article on the environmental costs of NFTs. As was pointed out in the comments, clean NFTs are a thing. This got me wondering, why are we not using them? Why aren't artists jumping to clean NFT platforms?

Landscape photography thrives on flexibility and spontaneity. The ever-changing nature of light and weather requires us to adapt quickly, abandon rigid plans, and let the natural elements guide our shots. This fluid approach often leads to the most captivating and memorable images, showcasing the dynamic connection of light, land, and sky. Here’s why being fluid in your landscape photography is essential, along with some practical tips to help you embrace this mindset.

Old and damaged photographs are easy to come by. Most have been stored in boxes in the back of a closet left to dust and wither without a second thought. That is until said person goes to tidy up one day and finds an invaluable treasure trove long forgotten.

Photos are, at their essence, about acting as a witness to a feeling or emotion. Neal Treadwell and Hugh Nini's accidental collection, 100 Years of Men in Love, is a witness to love and hope. Showing on HereTV, David Millbern's documentary about Nini and Treadwell's collection is well worth the 60 minute investment.

If you know anything about SEO (search engine optimization), then you know that finding good keywords is, well, key. Here are a few ways to find new keyword ideas and how to implement them on your website.

I recently had the chance to speak to Greg Beadle, one of the official photographers for the World Economic Forum Event in Davos. From the start he made it clear that as an official photographer for the World Economic Forum, it is his job to “promote the annual meeting through photographs that best emulate the positive experiences and results here in Davos.” He said the energy is tangible and throughout the week, world leaders, celebrities, and wealthy elite will come together to discuss and try solve the current issues of the world today. This is what a day as a photographer at Davos is like.

Being a working commercial photographer requires consistent self-marketing and, according to award-winning commercial sports and portrait photographer Alexis Cuarezma — whose work can be seen on the cover of Sports Illustrated — portfolio reviews are a great way to do just that.

This week, Fujifilm announced the development of a new camera designed with filmmakers in mind, the Fujifilm GFX Eterna. The camera builds on Fuji’s GFX line of medium format still cameras but will be focused on video capture and is aimed at independent filmmakers and documentarians.

Have you always wished you gathered the courage to dive deep into travel photography? It can be an unforgettable experience, but be cautious because you are highly likely to contract a "travel bug" for the rest of your life!

I recently wrote about shooting on film, and the dangers of that. One of the reasons was that no one sees my work right away. In this article, I will break down why shooting tethered has completely changed my workflow and improved my photography beyond imaginable.

Have you ever tried out a new camera at a convention, tech show, or open house? Do you have a method for testing out something you’ve never touched before?

The concept of permanence is flawed. Nothing can keep its state, unchanged indefinitely. What is young and vibrant will eventually wither and fade. I never fully grasped this simple truth until my father lay dying in the next room. While he would always be my father, I realized my dad wasn’t as permanent as I once thought. I had confused permanence with stability, and stability was exactly what I needed as my world spun out of control. Gut-punched, I reached out for the most stable thing I could find: my camera.

In the words of the great John McEnroe: "you cannot be serious". This is how I respond when people ask me if I'd like to swap landscapes for portrait work. Here's why.

Working as a video editor can be a hectic and tedious experience. Spending some time to think about organizational tools and methods can help you out significantly when working with a lot of files, or in a large group of colleagues. Renaming files, creating proper folder structure, logging metadata, backing up files, and developing a workflow can make your life much, much easier. While some of the advice listed below is geared for Premiere Pro users, any video editor can take advantage of these tips.

If a picture tells a thousand words, these photographs of Baja 1000 race vehicles created after the race tell tales of blood, sweat, tears, and the epic battles that ensue every year as racers battle it out in Mexico.