With an ever-increasing line of new photographic studios popping up, how do you carve out an income for yourself and at the same time create a niche for your business? Have you considered iris photography?
It is no secret that “bad” weather provides great opportunities for moody, dramatic and atmospheric landscape photos. In this article, I will share a few important tips for photographing in such weather.
Just back in town after three consecutive assignments, I decided to take advantage of a lazy weekend to test out a few theories about my cameras.
As one of our site's regular film shooters, I naturally tend to post a lot of articles on the subject. Without fail, I'll get a few comments to the effect of digital being so much better than film or vice-versa. I've always laughed off such remarks, but since they keep on coming I figured I'd address them. Maybe the mediums have more in common than some would like to admit.
With 2018 winding down to a close, it's time to start thinking about what to do with all of those wondrous images we've created. Storing them on a hard drive is difficult, because if the hard drive gets lost — so do your photos. The New Year is a perfect time to re-organize your life, do some cleaning, and keep your photos safe!
Photo editing software has granted us powers that were beyond our imaginations a little over a decade ago. No matter how much try to "fix it in post" though, bad light is bad light — let me elaborate.
Christmas is over and after slowly digesting their family dinners, thousands of enthusiasts are eager to learn how to efficiently use their freshly acquired devices. If you just got hold of a camera, you might ask yourself, where to start your journey.
Chances are you've seen this type of composition before. Well fortunately for you it's easy enough to do, so here's how to set it up.
Learning how to create good headshots is no easy task. With so much advice on the internet available, it can be hard finding a good place to learn professional headshot photography. This is why we here at Fstoppers created this comprehensive article that answers some of the most frequently asked questions.
When it comes to editing software, there are dozens to choose from, however Capture One takes the cake. Find out why in this article.
Free, fast, multi-platform, and easy to use. PhotoRec is the great data recovery software that I ran after one of my card got corrupted. Here is a short review and tutorial.
Ah, the crown of the (Ant)arctic. Known in the northern hemisphere as the Aurora Borealis (northern lights), and as the Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere, these brightly colored bands of moving and waving light are a majestic display in the night sky. Who doesn't want to take a picture of this otherworldly phenomenon? Here's exactly how to do it.
Photography as a sector has been affected by shifting technology as much as – if not more than – any other industry. The biggest change is undoubtedly the availability of cameras compared to 50 years ago, with almost every human in the Western world having a camera within arm’s reach every waking second. This is met with nothing but doom and gloom by the commentators on the professional photography industry, but is all that negativity justified?
"Don't turn too much. It will ruin your photo!" This is what we have all learned about circular polarizing filters in our young days as photographers when we tried to get rid of glare. But how much polarization do we need?
Landscape photography can become frustrating if you get too focused on results and constantly compare yourself to other photographers. While browsing the web and visiting social media sites, you see countless photos of spectacular sunrises and sunsets. But getting truly awesome conditions is rare, even for those who are pros at planning. Let me share what the reality looks like.
Well, we've made it to the final video in Elia Locardi's eight-part video series on using filters for landscape photography. In this final episode, we will take a look at the new Nisi Black Mist filter set and how it can be used to improve your landscape photos and videos. Make sure you enter the final contest to win a set of your own.
The search for a good deal in camera equipment can be both rewarding and painful. Nobody is as much of a proponent of finding good, used equipment as I am, but I've definitely been burned before. Just this past week I had a good reminder of why it pays to be cautious in picking up used, and more particularly, discontinued, gear.
Probably, most of us have at some point encountered a behind-the-scenes photo where there is a parabolic reflector with the name Briese written on the side in yellow letters. Yet, very few photographers have actually worked with it or know what makes it so special. Recently, I got a chance to try out Briese reflectors and generators in Hamburg. Read on to find out why I fell in love from the first sight.
I’ve always subscribed to the practice of “paying it forward” however you can, and this article is my way of doing so for the intrepid photographers out there fixin’ to fashion a career in this space.
Following on from the success of its f/2.8 standard and wide-angle zoom lenses for Sony, Tamron is in the process of launching a selection of primes. I’ve been using the 35m f/2.8 Di III OSD M 1:2 for the last couple of weeks, and it’s proven fun and surprising.
Bugsy Sailor had an ambitious plan for 2019. He had a seven-year personal tradition of shooting the first sunrise every year on New Year's Day, but this year, he had a grand scheme to photograph every single sunrise of the year 2019.
Everyone has a different photography skill level. There's nothing wrong with being a beginner or an intermediate. However, if you desire to improve your photography, you might be your biggest hindrance.
Isolation is sending many of us into a form of madness, myself included. We've had lots of content created for photographers while you're in lockdown and indoors, but this is one for the garden.
Growing your skillset and your career as an artist can be filled with pitfalls. But even though many mistakes are shared amongst nearly all photographers, the good news is that most can be avoided if you only know where to look.
While I use many different tools throughout the course of a day, there are a few that I have found to be indispensable to my business. Oddly, they don’t have a whole lot to do with photography. Yet, having them in my life allows me to be more productive and stay focused on what matters most to me: photography.
Sony's not a camera company or at least hasn't been until relatively recently. Its heritage is as un-optical as any recent manufacturer can be and is certainly far removed from the heritage of the likes of Nikon, Canon, Leica, and Pentax. Yet, among the gravestones we see littering the photographic landscape, it seems likely that the A mount will soon join them, finally severing any link to the past. So, why wasn't the A mount Sony's future?
For the last month, Fstoppers has been running a contest with our fellow friends SLR Lounge and Fundy. Last night during Fundy's world premiere of their documentary "The Power of the Print," we picked a random winner for the contest. This lucky winner will be receiving a brand new Sony a9 Mirrorless camera body. You can view the full documentary and the winner being announced here on Fundy's Facebook page, or keep reading for the winner below.
As a photographer, personal projects are important to always keep trying out new things and practicing one’s craft while helping to maintain the passion in the art.
There are many ways to skin the proverbial cat when it comes to editing your images these days, many of which are excellent alternatives to the most famous software. So, Patrick had a look at PhotoWorks 10.0 to see how it holds up.
It’s no secret that I am a little obsessed with efficiency in all aspects of the industry, and that carries over to more than just the photos themselves and my retouching process. Efficiency is key for me since I am a one-man-show, I do every aspect of my business from the photography, to the retouching, accounting, marketing, website development, etc., and I could not even begin to keep up if I didn’t take advantage of every automation process available to me. One of my favorite and most useful things is RSS feeds.
Cinema may be a source of inspiration for photographers. And if we have titles of movies coming to mind or names of directors, we usually pay less attention to directors of photography, also called cinematographers. Big mistake! Those are the guys who master cameras and lighting techniques in order to materialize ideas into images.
Over the weekend I asked our community members if they would like Lee and I to give critiques of some of their work. The response was huge, so we have picked 20 random images to look over and give our honest opinions and suggestions. I never thought being this brutally honest would actually be quite fun and productive.
If you've not seen Felix Hernandez' images before, you're missing out. The Cancun-based photographer's work is as brilliantly resourceful as it is creative. In this interview, we go behind the scenes of his shoot using 1/45 scale models for Audi Middle East and Hernandez guides us through his process and offers advice for up and coming photographers.
As someone who shoots multiple camera systems, it’s easy to see that nothing out there is perfect. But while I’ve often thought about selling off one system entirely in favor of another, there’s always a lens or two for each system that is just about perfect and keeps me with a foot in many brands.
These past few days I have caught myself shooting a lot more than usual. When I am not working, I still get the urge to go out and shoot, whether I take out the drone, my Nikon, or the little Micro 4/3 camera. Recently, I have been shooting tons of aerial photography and I finally decided to ease off a bit and shoot with my Nikon some more; I’ve realized how much fun it is to just create awesome images with any camera. I think that getting out there and shooting whatever it is you want to shoot is something that drives you as a photographer and can really help improve your eye for photography in general.
I relish a challenge and I knew this job was going to be hard, but I had no idea how much improvisation would be required to complete this shoot and come away with images that worked for the client. Huge venue, one light, complex action, no reccy visit, and just six hours to get it all done.
Stock photography websites can be a great way to get your photos out there and gain some passive income. Choosing what to shoot or submit can be simplified by sticking with what you enjoy and letting your passion shine through your work.
I am sure you have noticed that a lot of YouTubers receive large amounts of free gear. I myself have a very small YouTube channel, and my doorbell rings most days with deliveries of free kit. Let's talk about what we get, the expectations, and the ethics of that.
It's rare that I use prime lenses and I also don't shoot video with Nikon gear very often anymore. But, if I'm in an extremely dark environment, the Nikon D850 and Tamron 35mm f/1.8 is a killer combination.
There's something that isn't really talked about among the freelance photographers that I know, or at least not something that I hear about often. It's a small truth that nags at us all the time until we really, really get to where we want to be in our career, and sometimes even after that. And sometimes it involves bread.
Jeremy Cowart is a household name in the photography industry. Recently Jeremy was classified as one of the 30 most influential photographers on the web by the Huffington Post. After studying graphic design, he continued on to become a well-known celebrity photographer. We all know him from famous photos of Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and even the Kardashians. But who is Jeremy Cowart? And what motivates him to be a photographer, an artist, and a humanitarian?
Last week I shared a video that used a couple of alternative techniques for aerial video, and coincidentally I was contacted shortly after to check out another video that had some unique drone video shots. In this kite surfing video, you'll see some interesting macro-style clips, speed ramps, zooms, and more. The fact is, all of this was done in post.
Portraiture is one of the most revered genres of photography, with many photographers dreaming of capturing great images of people. But, how do you get started?
For any photographer who enjoys traveling, finding the ideal balance between utility, image quality, and size and weight can be tricky. This lens offers a great choice to condense it all into one.
Today, we have the conclusion of my three part series having a look at the Fuji GFX 100 in actual practice.
An annual pilgrimage for those among us who relish in new gear and the latest in our industry, PhotoPlus Expo 2017 is right around the corner. Taking place a few weeks after New York Comic Con, from October 25 to October 28, the Javits Center transforms into a digital wonderland loaded with the latest cameras, lenses, software, lighting, training, and seminars. It's been almost a decade since I attended PhotoPlus for the first time, and it’s a highlight I’ve only missed it a couple of times since. Here are my personal take on why you should get yourself there and how to get the most out of this great photo and video event.
After injuring my back a couple of months ago, I’ve been on a quest to downsize, and part of that was rediscovering the mirrorless cameras and lenses I already owned. Along the way, I discovered that I had acquired not one or two, but three wide angle prime lenses, leading me to the question: which wide angle is the best, but also not too heavy?
One of the first devices I bought for my office when I started with photography was, in addition to a proper monitor, a calibration device. Editing my photos with accurate colors and brightness has always been a priority for me. And the use of a colorimeter and monitor calibration software is a requirement for achieving those. In this article, I explain how to use such a calibration system.
I hate having my pictures taken. It’s common, but still ironic, to have a photographer who dislikes being on the other side of a camera. This fall, I made a promise to my wife that we would have our family photos taken and I was able to experience the entire process of hiring and working with a photographer. It wasn’t my intention to treat this as a learning opportunity, but now that all is said and done, I can say that I have learned a lot. Experiencing the client’s perspective, watching another professional operate, and the renewed perspective gained for what a photo is worth are among many things I came away with from our session.
It was less than a year ago I sat here and told you guys about the brilliant Google Pixel and how it was truly an iPhone killer for those wanting to give Android a go. The way manufacturers are building incredible hardware around Google's Android system is far better than it was years ago, and today OnePlus is doing just that with their brand new OnePlus 5.
