Fstoppers Original Articles

You've heard that a portrait lens is the one with a focal length of 50mm or above and that wide angle lenses create a distorted image when used for portraits. This article will try to help you understand and overcome that prejudice.

We hear all the time about how it's not about the gear, it's about the photographer using the gear. And we hear about how you shouldn't focus on the latest and greatest camera equipment. I'm here to tell you that's not always the case.

“Exposure doesn’t pay the bills.” As photographers, we’ve all heard this saying, and we’ve all probably even said this at least once. It’s frustrating to be expected to work for free at all as a creative professional. You and your work need to be taken seriously.

DxOMark awarded the Google Pixel 2 the top smartphone stills camera award with a score of 99. Now that's a DSLR beating score. Or is it?

From sketch renderings to video surveillance, law enforcement uses many techniques to piece together clues for crime-solving. Details and memory often fail us, but there's one medium that never forgets - photography.

It's tempting to go from one thing to the next, whether it is a piece of gear or a method of shooting, but have you tried mastering one of them without losing your interest at the first hurdle?

If you’re a vlogger, video producer, or just a fan of posting cat videos to the Internet, you probably had the shock of your life during the great YouTube outage of ‘18. Suddenly, in one moment, all of your content was gone through no fault of your own.

Sometimes all you want to do is shoot some beauty work with some natural light, but it doesn't mean the weather will always cooperate with you. Mother nature has a way of doing whatever she wants on any particular day. Super, right? Here's how I simulated window light in the studio.

Most events uses lasers and fog to create some light effects, and they can really create some interesting photos or videos. Unfortunately, they can also permanently damage your camera.

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.

Every video surveillance system I've ever used has been horrible. Surprisingly, the cameras, no matter how cheap they are, are actually pretty high quality these days, but the software used to actually record and retrieve the footage is almost unusable.

I use long exposures more often than not in my landscape photography, and I have done so for more than three years. Here, I share some tips on how to do it, but most importantly, why I do it.

Put your camera down. Over there. Immediately. You don't need it if you want to earn more money as a photographer.

Who knew you could get beautifully lit images with nothing but a flashlight? In this week's lighting breakdown, I'm going to show you how I created this series with nothing but a flashlight and a bit of crafting know-how.

Improve your landscape photography this fall with one of my favorite techniques for composing within the photo: the use of leading lines.

Are you a photographer who's self-conscious about trying your hand at doing video? Don't worry, most modern cameras are suitable for video, so let's get started!

Until recently, my experience with Instagram was becoming increasingly lackluster, and I finally decided to take a step to fix that. I actually enjoy using the app again now.

Sometimes, I like to tell brief stories about my adventures in life and photography that have little to do with the technical aspects of creating an image and more to do with making sense of an often hectic profession.

Every photographer today has a digital portfolio of some kind but only a very few have spent the time to create a printed book. In this video, we look into three very differently designed printed portfolios.

What is the key to growth as a photographer? Is it buying the best gear you can possibly afford? Nope. Or is it strategically curating your Instagram feed? Probably not.

I know it's easy to get bogged down in all the different aspects of this industry. When is the last time that you took your camera and just shot some things with little-to-no plan just because you could?

Gear is expensive, and saving a couple hundred dollars on brand new gear might be tempting, but sometimes, it costs more than you expect.

Everybody will someday ask for the famous C&C (critique and/or comments), or has seen it when navigating the Internet on photography-related groups.

Looking for an easy way to collect and share photographs with others? Whether you're centralizing image assets for an organization, a public event, a family reunion, or a social gathering among friends, check out this quick how-to using a built-in and highly underrated feature of SmugMug.

When shooting the night sky, we are looking at points of light that don’t always resolve well with the lenses we have in our bag. Whether the lens is a top-of-the-line “L” from Canon or a third-party lens that cost 1/10th the price, they may both have issues with coma and astigmatism. Here's what you can do to fix these issues and not be stuck with an underperforming piece of glass.

In an earlier article I bemoaned the state of Android camera apps and in particular, how they lacked the features that even moderately specced cameras have. Find out what one developer has to say about the prospect of Android camera apps.

One thing that we love about the YouTube community is that people always show up to help the beginners. There are countless threads from YouTube newcomers who are unsure of how to start out, but plenty of creators with more experience are willing to lend a hand.

In a genre composed of so many different disciplines, there are a couple truths that cross all boundaries.

In this week's lighting breakdown, I'll show you the setup I used for this editorial beauty shoot that let me create an angelic mood and make the most of the model's fantastic skin.

Looking for a photo-editing alternative to Adobe's Lightroom CC that won't break the bank? Today, I test-drive Alien Skin's new Exposure X4 editing suite for the first time.

I’m here at Google’s launch event for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in New York. Have they got a world-leading smartphone camera again?

When shooting football or other field sports, oftentimes, you are looking downfield with your long glass such as a 400mm f/2.8, and suddenly, the play happens right in front of you. The solution is a Hail Mary camera.

Don't have any time for roaming streets with your camera? Well, put it aside for your personal development, because it can make you a better wedding photographer!

We’re in the depths of a format war, and I’m a little uneasy picking the winner so early.

Have you had cases when someone looks at a photo at 100 percent and says it looks bad, but when you check it yourself, it's just fine? Is it possible that both are correct?

There are various reasons why the golden hours are the best times of day to shoot. But to just dismiss regular daylight hours out of hand is just silly. Because daylight can be beautiful too.

Attempts to network with fellow photographers often fall short. Many of us act as professional “gatekeepers," defensively sharing little or no information.

We all wish we could make money doing photography, but one macro specialist found a way to have his photography made into money. Twenty Canadian dollars, to be exact.

Out of the over 1 billion Instagram users on the platform in 2018, it's important to stand out. Check out my top 10 favorite female portrait photographers on Instagram and go give them a follow! Be ready to be blown away!

Have you ever felt so uninterested and indifferent towards photography that you could barely look at your camera, let alone pick it up and go out shooting? I have, but I found a few things I'd like to share with you today that really helped me rediscover my passion.

Hair photography can be a pain to shoot. Having a good hair stylist is incredibly important to make sure you don’t end up spending more time than you should behind the desk for the retouching. When it comes to hair, you’ll already have to spend more time than you’ll like.

It all started when I lost my camera. I needed a smartphone with a decent camera for just such occasions. So why on earth aren't there any good camera apps on Android?

This past weekend in Colorado I decided to give my full frame mirrorless camera a break and shoot some portraits using the much smaller Sony RX100V. I was curious to see if a small, pocket-sized camera could give me the kind of results that I would be happy with. Here are my experience and recommendations if you choose to do the same!

I don’t think there’s a more polarizing social media platform than Instagram. From photographers who sing its praises to those who loathe the day it was invented, there’s no denying that Instagram evokes strong feelings.

This is your chance to participate in the Flashlight challenge, prove you can make an amazing photograph with any light source, and have your photograph featured in an Fstoppers article all about you!

There are a lot of reasons for people starting in photography or trying to become a photographer. Be it as a hobby, to make some extra money, to make it a main source of income, or whatever the reason might be, it takes careful thought when purchasing a camera.

Last weekend I attended the world's largest military air show at MCAS Miramar in San Diego, California. Also in attendance with me was a Sony a9 and the new FE 400mm f/2.8 GM lens. Here's how it went down.

There are many, many different trends that have gained a significant amount of traction on the immensely popular social media platform. Some of these trends die out and some of them stay, and so far, it seems that centered compositions are here to stay.

Creating a custom email signature is easy if all you want is plain text. It’s worth it to create your own HTML signature to stand out with something fresh. And it’s not nearly as scary as it sounds.

So, you’re thinking of becoming a street photographer? What are the most important things to get you started? Find out!