Fstoppers Original Articles

Smartphones have become an indispensable tool for most people, photographers included. We talk a lot about great apps for photographers, but here are five fantastic non-photography apps for photographers that will make your life far easier.

Working as a commercial photographer during the COVID-19 pandemic requires a healthy dose of creativity, and commercial photographer Kate Woodman, known for her conceptual images and mastery of color, is using that creativity to navigate how she can still be a viable resource to the industry while keeping an eye toward the future.

Have you heard of "Star Wars"? John Oliver? Maybe Tom Hanks? Still no? What about Tom Brady? Perhaps you’ve heard of one of the other hundreds of stars Jesse Dittmar has photographed.

It is quite an uncertain time for wedding photographers. We don’t know when our next event will be or what weddings will look like in the near future. What we do know is that people will still be getting married one way or another. However, it can feel creatively exhausting to go for months on end without photographing what you love.

Should we separate the art from the artist? Are we complicit in perpetuating terrible behavior when we elevate talented creatives who also happen to be poor humans?

Portrait photographers are told time and time again that their goal is to somehow bring a subject's soul, as Godard would phrase it, to life. Is this just myth? Is it even possible? Can you manipulate what aspects of a person's personality are highlighted in a portrait?

It is a difficult time for wedding photographers in 2020. Wedding bookings, for the time being, have postponed or canceled. Many couples in the United States have shifted their wedding dates to 2021, leaving wedding photographers without thousands of dollars of anticipated income for the rest of the year. So, how can wedding photographers keep cash flowing into their business during COVID-19?

Every time I hear someone say how much better a camera or lens or computer is from the previous model, I cannot help but think of how little you actually need to create nice images.

I’ve covered protests in my time as a photojournalist and photojournalism educator, and there are always a chorus of conspiracy theorists postulating that by posting photos that show protestors’ faces, you’re setting them up to later be hunted down and killed and/or imprisoned. The thing is, a leaked phone call on Monday of President Donald Trump talking to the nation’s governors has all but confirmed that this is happening, or at least that the ostensible leader of the U.S. government wants this to happen.

The first thing you should be doing when editing landscapes (or any kind of photo) in Lightroom is to apply a new profile. By adjusting this base render of your raw files, you’re providing a solid foundation on which to edit.

There's almost an infinite amount of decisions that a photographer has to make on their journey to becoming a professional. While many of these choices may be somewhat trivial, other decisions will place you on the wrong path, cost you money, or slow your progress down dramatically.

Image editing takes a lot of skill in numerous techniques and creative vision to pull off successfully, and even the most talented and experienced photographers and retouchers can occasionally go awry in their work. Anyone, novice or experienced, can improve their image edits with this simple technique.

Do you remember the game "Would You Rather?" It is a straightforward premise: pick two equally unappetizing options, and make the player choose between them. It is equal parts cringing and laughing, so jump in and give it a try.

Composition is one of the trickiest and subtlest aspects of photography and is often one of the last things photographers master. If that is something you personally struggle with, you should try this simple change in thinking to make more powerful and compelling images.

The rainforest canopy rustled overhead with the fragrant scent of an oncoming downpour. Glancing down at the sodden trail, we noticed a set of paw prints pressed into the detritus-flecked mud, each five inches across. They led in a slow procession of confident strides down the center of the jungle path. The hairs rose on the back of my neck.

You may have noticed a photography education form in recent years online. With the popularization of digital courses, photographers have found fantastic ways to spread education in their community. They’ve also found a lot of opportunities for their business growth in creating an educational platform. So, why do so many photographers get into education in the first place?

You can't do a project on a zero budget. If you actually spent a zero amount, that means you never did anything.

When it comes to photographing models, a comfortable subject can make for exceptional photos. Making your subjects feel like they are in a safe and welcoming environment will make your photoshoot a successful photo set for both your portfolio and the models. As a photographer, it is your responsibility to make the subject of your images feel comfortable and in a safe space.

In order to be a great portrait photographer you need a set of decent tools in order to do your job. Whether you work in the studio or out in the field we take a look at five top lenses for portrait photography.

Episodic television budgets are on the rise, but more money is never enough. Award-winning cinematographer, Jeffery Waldron, tells how overcoming creative challenges onset can lead to beautiful solutions.

This may be something that is obvious for some, but I noticed how many starting photographers struggle when it comes to understanding the relationship between resolution, detail and shutter speed, and how these things effect each other. This article is for those photographers.

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 2020, 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.

Canon’s RF mount has opened up new avenues when it comes to lens design, but the ludicrous prices of its premium glass close it off from huge swathes of potential customers. All of that might be about to change thanks to one tiny lens manufacturer.

Taking images of your family every day for 50 days is a challenge all on its own. Pair that with being stuck at home in quarantine for all 50 of those days, and things get downright interesting. This is how I approached it and what I learned.

While it's important to get things right at the source, if you've made that age-old mistake of not changing your camera settings before taking the shot, is it possible to recover the photo? Or is it destined for the recycling bin?

Shutterstock sent an email to its contributors recently and informed them about their new earning structure. As you might guess, it was shocking and disappointing for the vast majority of contributors.

Nikon has just released its 2020 financial results alongside its medium-term management plan. How does the manufacturer see its future in the wake of last year's financial results?

Pratik Naik is one of the more recognizable people in the photography industry, with tutorials across numerous educational platforms. But what most people don't know about Pratik Naik is that he was never supposed to be a retoucher.

How do you photograph extremists without giving them the publicity they desperately crave?

The world of macro photography can become endless once you venture down that path. There are so many new textures, creatures, and plants to discover. You can quickly lose hours by photographing the miniature world, but how do you get started?

By 2018 Apple was worth $1 trillion, the US-China trade war had intensified, LeBron James reached 30,000 NBA points, and Black Panther starred in the box office. Camera manufacturers finally stopped flogging the dead horse of DSLRs, with 2018 truly the year of mirrorless. But what happened?

Taking photographs of cities at night can be a veritable feast of colors, reflections, and light, but it can also be tricky. Here are my five best tips for taking shots of cities at night.

Today on our new Fstoppers Live channel, we had the chance to interview Vasyl Nykolyshyn, the owner of Raycrown accessories, about a brand new shoot-through octabox concept he has designed. Not only is this light modifier wind-resistant and easy to build and break down, but it can also be used off-axis as a large soft light and on-axis as a massive ring light. Let us know what you think!

I will be the first to admit that I’ve found myself to be in a love hate relationship with the platform that at times leaves me discouraged. More often than not, however, I find my inspired to photograph more.

Now the camera market has gone full swing into the new mirrorless market, does an old DSLR keep up with the new tech on the block? Can it still produce professional quality images that rival even the latest cameras, or does it fall short?

I know a lot of wedding photographers that buy a photo booth in order to make a little more money from each client. While this is definitely a great reason to buy one, there are a few ways to use a photo booth that can help you book more clients instead of just making a little more money.

Many parallels can be drawn between being in the military and being a photographer. Both have their high pressured moments and require extreme concentration at times. Here's one technique that the Navy SEALs have adopted that photographers should too.

Da Vinci Resolve is a complete video editor with a full set of tools for editors of any level, which means you can build your videos for YouTube, or a feature film, right here in Resolve.

An impractical and thoroughly illogical reflection on our emotional connection to our favorite inanimate objects.

A few years ago, Adobe introduced an alternate way of processing images that could help reduce artifacts. In the intervening years, much of the benefits have faded away, until now. Can this technique find a new use in processing images from non-Bayer sensors?

Long exposure photography is a fascinating discipline. It can be used in many ways and to great effect if you want to bring some mood and mystery into your photography.

The wedding photography and videography industry, just like many others, has taken a massive hit during the pandemic. Are you going to persist through this, or are you thinking of giving yourself a change of direction?

The world has never been more uncertain in our lifetimes. However, now is a perfect time to start up as a professional photographer. And as a pro who started in the last recession, let me explain why.

Polarizing filters are one of the last camera filters that cannot be replicated by software. But is a polarizing filter better to reduce haze in landscapes than Adobe Lightroom's Dehaze tool?

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I should clarify that the title of this article is a suggestion and not a claim.

I know, you're tired of reading about coronavirus and its colossal impact on both people and industry alike. Well, this article isn't really about coronavirus, but rather what it has served to highlight.

Let's face it: photography is expensive. So, it's always good when you can do it yourself and make something at home for free. Save $100 and learn how to make this simple light hack from the comfort of your own home.

Adventure photography has taken its place as a component of the broader commercial market. Characterized by stunning, hard-to-reach locations and demanding conditions, gear can be critical to getting the shot. These days, mirrorless’ features make it the format of choice.

Jeff Rhode has the highly unusual role as a full-time hospital photographer. In this interview, he shares his heart-rending photographs of COVID-19 patients and the staff supporting them and talks about the experience of photographing history as it happens.

When the dynamic range of a scenery is very large, it might be necessary to use some kind of trick in order to keep it inside the histogram. At least, if you want to prevent pure white or black in the picture. Some use filters, others use bracketing. But why not use both?