Fstoppers Original Articles

Making money from photography is becoming increasingly more difficult. Quite by chance, I have stumbled upon a system of selling my images that has proven far more effective than anything else I've done. This is how I do it.

The two brands are often the center of many photography arguments online. Some claim that their Godox flashes outshine Profoto, while others are happy to die on the “Profoto is better” hill. The two were not direct competitors, as Godox never took the rental house and powerful 2,400-watt pack and head market. However, the release of their latest pack and head system was singled out as the best thing they have ever done for professional photographers. It is fair to say that Godox is trying to break into the professional market. But are they up for the game and should they try? Let’s find out.

This is one of my favorite tips that I teach in my beginning photography workshops. I’m focusing this article on nature and landscape photography because it’s mostly what I do, but I think this is applicable in almost any genre.

Landscape photography is no walk in the park. It can often be filled with challenges and frustrations. But why do we choose to do what we do?

How many hours a day are you spending retouching portraits? I'd guess too much. Today, I’ll be comparing three different pieces of software that automatically retouch portraits: Luminar AI, On1 Photo RAW 2021, and PortraitPro Studio Max.

Today we’re going to discuss how WAFFLES will make you better at capturing moments in wedding photography. Yes, you heard me right. Delicious, warm, smothered in syrup waffles! Actually, it’s an acronym, because who doesn’t love a tasty acronym?

Have you ever seen a complete 360X180 degree panorama on Facebook and wondered "how do they do that?" Today, I'll teach you.

Some of us don’t need to be persuaded to buy new camera gear like the Sony a7S III. Early adopters buy the latest and greatest simply because they love new tech, and many photographers are gearheads that can’t resist. Even so, it’s probably a good idea to support your purchase with these three reasons you should get the Sony a7S III.

I have long been a staunch critic of the street photography genre. One of the biggest problems I've seen over the years, most notably as a judge in dozens of major contests, is derivative work. In this article, I will discuss six types of street photographs that we simply don't need any more of.

Contrast means so much more than the separation of light and dark. Understanding the different types of contrast can train our photographic eyes and improve our Images.

The popularity of film is still on an upward trajectory with no signs of slowing down. With the film world changing constantly, it’s time to update the list of underrated and overrated film cameras.

Another day, another dollar. In Nikon's case, it wishes it had a whole load more dollars, as its annual financial report shows significant losses. So, is it making progress to get itself back on a level footing with Canon and Sony?

Many compare the rapid rise of mirrorless cameras to the days when digital overtook film. But how different are DSLRs and mirrorless cameras? Well, not that different when compared to the change from film to digital photography. Let's see what changes were made from film to digital and how they compare to the current "giant leap" in technology.

Admit it or not, we all like new gear or the next best thing. We try not to think about it, but that thought just sticks and goes round and round in your head like a cyclone until you either realize you don't need it or you give in and using your hard-earned savings to purchase it, only to find that you didn't need it after all and that it hasn't made your photographic practice any better.

For 2021, the first event of the “eclipse season” is a lunar eclipse on the morning of May 26. The second is an annular solar eclipse on June 10. In an annular eclipse, the Moon appears too small to block the Sun out entirely, so at maximum eclipse, the Sun is visible as a ring (annulus).

Trade for Print or TFP shoots are shoots where the photographer doesn’t pay the model and the model doesn’t pay the photographer. They are a great tool for when models and photographers are starting out or when they don’t have a budget. Here are some tips for how to make them successful.

I just bought a DSLR — the Canon 5DS. Yes, you read that right, and no, this article is not a repost from 2016. DSLRs are a very viable option that you should look into before buying your next camera.

Having now had at least one of the second generation of Nikon Z cameras, either the Z 6II or Z 7II, in my possession for almost a year now, I thought I would share three of my favorite things about the cameras so far.

Seb Agnew is a German-based photographic artist. His practice is based on creating tableaux imagery, which is set in the real world, but with elements that make the ordinary extraordinary. His characters challenge the human experience and often face moments of disorientation and solitude.

Photoshop’s newest version introduced a head-scratching change to one of the essential functions of Photoshop: if you’re used to easily saving a quick JPEG or having your choice of file formats, the latest update has changed things for the worse. Fortunately, there’s a quick and easy way to get things back to normal, and it uses one of the best workflow-enhancing parts of Photoshop.

Focal blending: is this a technique you use, or is it one that you consider cheating?

The film era was a cash cow, with cameras being high-precision instruments from specialist manufacturers and because they used film that needed developing and printing, a huge service sector that surrounded it. From the 1960s onward, the sector innovated and grew at breakneck speed. And then, it fell apart. Is that about to happen for digital?

In this article, you will discover five very compelling reasons why you should be using something like the Osee 17-inch field monitor when you are creating your videos. Because if improving the quality of your work is important to you, then you will want to check out the helpful tips in this article.

Taking something that you love to do and making it a money-making endeavor fundamentally changes your relationship to it and will require way more from you than you think. If that is something you want to do, it’s worthwhile to ask yourself: “am I really ready for that?"

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.

If you have ever worked with a model, you’ve probably heard of the concept of model releases. Here is an explanation of when you need them and what kind of language they should contain.

Have you ever wondered about the secrets of camera trap wildlife photography? Find out how one photographer captures striking images of big cats and more in this interview with expert Robert Yone.

Real estate photography is a relatively simple way to make money off your photography. That said, there are some very common compositional mistakes that I see lots of photographers making on a regular basis. Fixing these four things can greatly improve how your real estate photos show off a property!

For many of us photographers in the commercial world, the key to getting good jobs for exciting campaigns is having the right agent by your side. However, finding the right agent and with space on their books for you can be incredibly hard to do.

Canon produces some of the most popular cameras in the world. There's a Canon camera available for pretty much every kind of photography genre. In this article, we will be looking at the best budget options available from Canon for photographers at any level.

Ever wondered what your images sound like? Well, you can find out with a strange process known as sonification.

Both the Canon EOS R5 and the Sony a1 are amazing cameras. I have used both next to each other. If you could use one of these for one month with a 50mm f/1.2 lens, which camera would you choose and why?

While many lighting brands today are trying to simplify their products, the Fusion TLC Raven arrives as the most feature-rich wireless trigger ever made.

She Dies Tomorrow has been celebrated for its unsettling sensibilities and unorthodox filmmaking techniques. Independent Spirit Award-nominated cinematographer Jay Keitel's work on the film is one of the main factors in the film's moody success. I recently had the chance to ask Keitel a series of questions about his approach to filmmaking on She Dies Tomorrow.

If winter is the season of monochrome, spring is the season of color. Spring, following a season of coma-like dormancy, reminds us that we inhabit a miraculous living organism. We are reminded that our planet is a colorful one. Absence, indeed, makes the heart grow fonder.

The Harinezumi camera, a Japanese toy camera sold by Powershovel Superheadz, is now totally discontinued. As a highly popular cult camera, used models are now selling for more than $500 on eBay. Is it worth it?

I often write about the careful process of making sure you get the most bang for your buck when shopping for photo gear. Well, sometimes you just get lucky.

Despite being a lawyer for 10 years in California and a former professor of Business Law at UCSD, I only recently started using contracts in my client portrait work. Here are the reasons why I wish I used them sooner and how they could benefit your business.

If there's one place that you ought to invest your time and money into, it's education. This 4-day event is an interesting one for creatives as it's a mix of international photowalks and online training sessions led by experts.

Cameras have become so dumbed down in recent years that pretty much anyone can take great shots with even an iPhone or an entry-level camera. Here’s why you do not need to worry about the explosion of mediocre photography impacting your business.

In 2021, one of the astronomical targets you may want to challenge your photo skills on is the lunar eclipse occurring on May 26 (the evening of May 25-26). While lunar eclipses are generally not hard to see, since half the world can see the moon at any instant, not everyone can see the full extent of the approximately three-hour event. For this one, Pacific Ocean hemisphere residents are favored, but the west coast of the U.S. gets to see totality followed by the still partially eclipsed moon set opposite the sunrise.

Everyone has a pocket or two in their camera bag filled with odds and ends that they might find useful. If you’re the type of photographer that travels a lot or is often on-location you’ve probably developed a list of non-photographic items for various scenarios, based on your own experiences. Here is a list of all the things that can be found in my camera bags.

It is easy to overthink landscape photography (as I am about to do now). For anybody prone to self-doubt, like myself, the act of landscape photography can be downright paralyzing.

In any given lens review, the most valued and sought-after tests performed are those pertaining to image quality. I believe we have already begun to shift away from this, and here's why.

A lot has changed in the photo world over the past decade or two. One big change has been how the focus has shifted from artist intention to end product — the photograph. A good photo is a good photo because it is a good photo. Or is it?

A few social media platforms, especially those owned by Mark Zuckerberg, monopolize the sharing of images online. Those platforms do have controversies, and Apple’s changes to how Facebook handles data is starting to shake up that dominance. But will it be a good thing for photography? Furthermore, should we consider doing something else with our images instead of posting to social media?

This week, Twitter finally decided to stop cropping image thumbnails on mobile feeds. While many will welcome this news, Twitter still has a lot of work to do if it wants to become a platform that appeals to photographers.

TFP, Time For Print, Time For Photos; All these terms and initialisms can become a bit daunting and overwhelming. What do they all mean? I definitely can’t pay rent with exposure dollars. So why is everyone always offering exposure for compensation?

We live in a world where if you have a need for something, almost without fail, there's an app for that. The trick is to find one that's useful now but that can also adapt to your needs over time. It'd be nice if it was free as well.

If amidst all the challenges of the changing times and around the craft itself, you’re still really passionate about photography, it probably brings you significant joy. But why?