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.

Improve Your Photography Website Without Shooting Anything New

It’s time to spring-clean your photography website! Don’t leave it until you've finally shot that new body of work you’ve been meaning to shoot. There are several things you can do to your website to freshen it up without shooting new images first.

5 Easy Tips to Improve Your Drone Photography

Drones provide photographers with incredible image opportunities but still lack dynamic range and pixel count of their grounded handheld counterparts. What if you could increase your dynamic range, resolution, and take better images?

3 Great New Features of the Latest Major Update to Zoner Photo Studio X

Zoner Photo Studio X is an editing suite and file management system for photographers and videographers that rivals Adobe's options, all while costing significantly less. In the latest update, ZPS X has added more improvements than any update in the past 7 years, so let's take a look!
Photography Will Never Be the Same: Content Creators Are Replacing Photographers

Are you a photographer or a content creator? More and more photographers take on several roles and end up being content creators rather than traditional photographers. The industry is changing every year, and as it looks now, you have to learn content creation to stay in business. Photography is not enough.

Are TFP Photo Shoots Really a Trade or Is Someone Simply Working for Free?

Collaborating with models for trade shoots, often referred to as TFP (Time for Print), provides a wealth of benefits to both parties involved. In this type of collaboration, neither party charges for their services, but both receive valuable assets in the form of high-quality images that can be used to build their respective portfolios.

Mark Mann As You've Never Seen Him Before

We all know Mark Mann from the close-up, soul-bearing portraits of what feels like every celebrity, public figure, and president in current times. Prolific seems a fitting word that should be permanently grafted to any discussion of the artist’s work. Today, however, we are getting to know Mark Mann in a way that you never have.

5 More Photo Editing Mistakes to Avoid

In a recent article, I shared a selection of easy-to-avoid photo editing mistakes. Today, it's time for five more. Some of them might sound obvious, while others are more subtle. What they all have in common: they can ruin an otherwise great edit.

The Growing Popularity and Creative Versatility of Boudoir Photography

In recent years, boudoir photography has experienced quite a surge in popularity, attracting women of all ages and backgrounds who want to capture their beauty in a classy and sensual way. While it's true that the rise in confidence and body positivity among women has played a significant role in this trend, there are several other factors contributing to its growing popularity.

Photographers, Print Your Photos

Although I've probably taken millions of photographs at this point, I rarely ever print them. I moved into a new house in 2022, and a year later, almost every wall was still bare. Well, not anymore. I finally printed 10 giant photos and purchased two Samsung Frame TVs that become art when they aren't being used.
7 Tips to Improve Your Photography as a Beginner

There are many simple and effective techniques that you can utilize to improve your photography when you're just starting out. Check out these seven simple tips to help you improve your photography as a beginner.

Benro Theta: World’s First Smart Tripod You Will Love

As a photographer, you know that having the right gear can sometimes make all the difference, and this includes tripods. With the launch of the Benro Theta, shooting just became more fun and easy. This revolutionary tripod combines portability, stability, and intelligence, making it one of the most essential tools for photographers on the go.

Maximizing Your Potential: A Guide for Building Value and Setting Competitive Prices

As a photographer, understanding your place in the market is essential to the success of your business. Whether you are just starting out or are an established photographer, it's important to have a clear understanding of your competition, your preferred target audience, and demand for the photography services you offer.

Avoid These Five Photo Editing Mistakes

Photo editing is a powerful tool that allows you to transform your images in many ways, from enhancing the atmosphere in a photo to increase of image quality. However, common editing mistakes can negatively impact the final result. In this article, we'll explore five of those.

New AI Software Will Fix Any Photo

Artificial intelligence may end up destroying the photography industry, but until then, let's use it to make our lives easier.
How Much Planning Does Your Landscape Photo Need?

Taking amazing photos is the wish of every landscape photographer. You can go out and photograph what you encounter, or you can plan everything in great detail. What do you prefer, planning the perfect photo or taking your chances? Or is there a way in between? Let’s find out.

Why Photographers Shouldn’t Ignore LinkedIn

LinkedIn is not just a platform for jobseekers; it is a powerful networking and marketing channel for entrepreneurs, such as photographers. If you ever serve other businesses with your photography, then LinkedIn is a great place online to find and connect with the right people in your niche. As they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Rain Photoshoot Tips for Unique and Captivating Photos

Rain in the forecast can be a disappointment for photographers and their clients, especially if they planned an outdoor photoshoot. Rain can ruin the vision for perfect, directional lighting that was originally planned, making it difficult to capture the desired mood or atmosphere. However, instead of rescheduling or moving the shoot entirely indoors, photographers have an opportunity to capture interesting and creative photos with an outdoor rain photoshoot. In this article, we’ll provide you with some rain photoshoot tips to prepare and inspire your creativity.

What's Is the Best Choice: Cropping or Stitching a Panorama?

The first thing that comes to mind when panoramas are mentioned is an extremely wide field of view. Often, you need multiple photos to cover such angles. A panorama can also be achieved by a crop. Which method should you use for landscapes? Cropping or stitching?

Why My Synology NAS Is Still My Best Photographic Purchase in 2023

Are you thinking of buying yet another lens? Can't wait for a new body? (In my case, reincarnation is the only option). This article covers the main reason why my Synology DS1821+ is the best purchase I made in 2020 for my photography business.

Edit Your Images Faster With Lightroom's AI Masks

Adobe's Lightroom masking feature introduced just under a year ago revolutionized the workflow for many photographers by automating the tedious task of creating individual masks for specific parts of an image. This AI masking feature allows photographers to easily separate the foreground from the background, easily break down the parts of a portrait, and apply various edits to each individual part.

We Review the V-Flat Karl Taylor Light Cone

When V-Flat released the new Karl Taylor Light Cone, the comments ranged from dismissive jokes about "the cone of shame" to excitement for a product designed by esteemed commercial photographer Karl Taylor. I decided to take the cones into my product studio and see for myself if this simple tool really delivered the effortless results it boasted.

5 Photographs You Need to Get When You Photograph Basketball

It takes years of practice to become good at sports photography. Basketball, for example, is fast-paced, with frequent turnovers. When covering a game, you need to be attentive to all of the action happening on the court. But even if you photograph all of the crucial plays, something may be missing from your coverage. This article will help you understand the variety of potential shots at a basketball game and what you need to do to ensure that you capture them properly.

Beyond the Studio: How Shooting Boudoir Outdoors Can Take Your Work to a New Level

The art of boudoir photography, which is playful, imaginative, and private, honors the femininity and beauty of women (though the genre is expanding rapidly to men as well). It's all about capturing personal and stirring moments that highlight your clients' best features. But have you ever thought about holding your boudoir sessions outside?

The Top 10 Essential Photos You Need to Capture as a Wedding Photographer

Are you starting out as a wedding photographer? Maybe you're looking to improve the quality of what you deliver. Here are my top 10 must-have shots, when they will happen during the day, and key information to consider when setting them up, finessing, and completing them.

The Secret Sauce to More Effective Photographs

Have you ever experienced being delighted about the outcome of your photographs but ended up getting a different reaction from your audience? Here’s a step that might help you curate your images better.

10 Tips for Successful Panning Photography

When you love photographing moving subjects, it may be difficult to get a perfectly sharp photo. The best way is by moving your camera with the subject to keep it in the frame. This technique is called panning. I have 10 tips for successful panning photography.

Have You Ever Made a Series of Landscape Photos From One Location?

Visiting beautiful locations for landscape photography can be quite rewarding. Often these, are one-time occasions. If you want to visit the same location more than once, you have to look for something close. This article is about making a long-term series of photos of one location.

What Is the Best Position of the Horizon in a Landscape Photo?

Most of the time, a landscape photo will show the horizon. The best position of that horizon depends on what's important in the photo. Do you place the horizon at the top, the bottom, or somewhere else in the frame? If you struggle with that decision, this article may give a helping hand.

Lighting the Night With Sony’s Airpeak Drone

Sony's AirPeak drone is the world‘s smallest drone that can carry a full frame Alpha series mirrorless camera. It's also a versatile aerial platform that's capable of carrying other payloads. Check out how professional drone pilot Craig Coker deployed powerful drone-lighting tools to capture stunning images of world-class athletes in the first AirPeak "Light The Night" showcase.

A Week in the Life of a Professional Photographer: What Does It Really Take?

What does it really take to get by in an industry where any Tom, Dick, and Harry has it in them to harvest likes on images like basking sharks devouring krill? Who’s doing it better? Well, everyone, right? What’s happening, day to day, week to week in the life of an active professional photographer? Well, I’m laying it all on the line. Telling it like it is. Here’s a desperately honest account of what happens in an average week for me, an honestly average photographer.

10 Million Options to Make Your Photography Unique

Mostly, photographers learn the camera settings and compositional techniques first. Those basics of photography are essential. But when we have mastered those, what do we do next?

Shoot for What You See, Not the 'Correct' Exposure

There are times when achieving a balanced exposure across your entire image is ideal, ensuring that you don't lose the details in your shadows and highlights. But, some of the most interesting images do not follow that rule whatsoever, and you should try shooting that way too.

How to Unlock the Full Potential of Your Photos With Topaz Photo AI

While I'm not fond of using AI to replace the creative process, I think it is incredibly helpful in enhancing image quality. With the right AI tools, you can rescue photos that may have been unusable otherwise. Topaz Photo AI is such a tool, and in this article, we look at its capabilities, limitations, and ways to get the best results.