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.

'Social Distancing' Isn't Realistic for Photojournalists

Photojournalism is a contact sport. Or at least it used to be, before the coronavirus rolled into town. Despite the health risks with taking photographs of people in close quarters or crowds, photographers at news organizations around the country are still, more or less, on the job.

If You Do Not Do This As a Creative You Will Not Succeed

How serious are you about making this crazy photography game full time? It is an amazing feeling to get to create every day, but are you forgetting to do the other eighty percent of what is needed to survive?

Care to Share Which Non-Photographers Influence and Inspire You?

I get it. Ansel Adams inspires you. Perhaps Bresson, and maybe Gursky too. But there's another world of creative geniuses outside the realms of photography where you can draw creative ideas and energy from. Here are two people that influence me.

Helpful Money-Saving Tips for Surviving the Coronavirus Economic Downturn

As the world essentially stops moving due to the widespread Coronavirus, many photographers and creatives are left with canceled jobs and nothing on the horizon. While we wait for businesses to open back up, we need to find ways to survive these stressful times. Here are a few helpful tips to get you through this event.

Filling Income Gaps for Wedding Photographers During COVID-19

Wedding photographers are being hit hard during COVID-19/coronavirus shutdowns. With events anywhere from 100, to 50, to 10 people being shut down, dependent on the city, couples and photographers alike are scrambling to pick up the pieces. With the coronavirus switching things up for the peak of wedding season in many markets, it has left wedding photographers wondering how to fill the gap. Until it’s safe to resume with events, there are other ways to fill it.

Ideas for Wedding Photographers During COVID-19

COVID-19 is causing lots of uncertainty, especially for wedding photographers. Wedding photography often puts you in a room with 100, 200, even 300 people who have often been traveling. It’s no surprise that this pandemic has had a major effect on the weddings industry. Many photographers are facing postponements, cancellations, and halted bookings. In a time where no one is certain on the next steps, let’s talk about keeping your wedding photography business moving.

Some of My Favorite Photos Are Perfectly Imperfect

Sometimes, there are camera misfires or shots that just barely missed focus. Other times, there are other incidents where an image falls short of technical perfection but still finds a way to my list of favorites.

How to Shoot Street Photography in Quiet Areas

I’m sure we’ve all read enough about how the world has been changing in recent months. But unless you’re in Antarctica, you’re probably wanting to get away from the crowded areas for a while.

Should You Begin Photography as an Assistant?

Every once in a while, I receive a request from a beginner photographer who want to become my assistant. I usually decline their application, and in the following article, I'm going to explain why. This information is also useful for those who'd like to become apprentices of established professional photographers.

A Quick Way to Figure Out Which Gear You Should Sell

Your eye is on a new piece of kit, but your partner, accountant, or guilt won't let you make another acquisition before you sell off some deadwood. Well, here's a (very) quick way to help with that decision.

Predicting the Future of Fashion Photography if COVID 19 Isn’t Beaten

We’ve heard the news, and we’re all a bit paranoid. It’s understandable. But, the economy is suffering, and so are our jobs and projects. Our clients aren’t calling, because the industry has come to a standstill. It’s said that we should (hopefully) have a vaccine by the end of next year, so for the immediate future, we will need to adapt.

What Is Your Photography Horror Story?

Spend enough time as a photographer, and you are likely to encounter situations that range from strange, to cringeworthy, to downright scary. In this article, Fstoppers writers share their personal horror stories. Be sure to tell us yours as well!

Think It’s Time to Upgrade Your Gear? Here’s How to Choose the Right Stuff

There’s a constant stream of new technology on the horizon, new features and capabilities that are undoubtedly valuable to someone. But how do we know if that someone is us? How do we know what’s worth investing in and what’s worth passing up? Here are three questions to help us figure that out.

What Can Photographers Do During This Coronavirus Downtime?

These are tough times, and they're likely to get tougher. The virus has been spreading quickly, affecting countries around the world and causing the cancellation of many events. This article isn’t intended to be doom and gloom or alarmist for the sake of it, but rather to help.

6 Ways to Import Photos Into Lightroom Classic

One of the attributes of great software is that it has multiple ways to accomplish a single task. Lightroom Classic is one of those in that it has various ways to import files.

4 Tips to Make Any Subject Look Good

You can’t polish a turd, but you can do your darndest to make sure all your ducks are in a row, photographically speaking. To prove that you can make anything look good, I'm shooting an old potato. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take a lot to make your images sing, so here’s my top four tips to make any subject look good.

How You Can Use Focal Length in a Different, More Creative Way

If your subject is far away, you can use a longer focal length to bring it closer. When the subject is very large, a shorter focal length can capture it al at once. But did you know the focal length can also be used in another way?

Are You Making These Five Common Photography Mistakes?

Over years of teaching, I’ve gotten a chance to review photographs by all types of photographers. While there are lots of mistakes that can be made, there are a few consistent ones that stand out the most to me.

How to Shoot and Edit Your Concert Photos

Concerts and events can either be exciting and fun or quite challenging for us photographers due to the low-lit environment and having to share the space with other photographers, all while being crammed into a tight space. Luckily, a little bit of planning and preparation can go a long way to avoid any disasters while shooting.

Is the Sony E-mount Already Becoming Obsolete?

Mirrorless… the one design to rule them all. The master of the full frame is undoubtedly Sony, however has it inadvertently introduced a short-lived shelf life with some in-built obsolescence?

High Quality Continuous Lighting: Fstoppers Reviews the Broncolor LED F160

Continuous LED lights have made a ton of progress in the last few years, and they have become more powerful and versatile than ever, making them a viable alternative to strobes in a lot of situations. In this review, we will take a look at the Broncolor LED F160, a compact, high quality option.

The Top Images From GuruShots' 'Nightfall' Challenge

Our friends over at GuruShots, "The World’s Greatest Photo Game,” hosted a challenge recently where participants were asked to submit their best nightfall Image. There were thousands of entries and 37.6 million votes throughout the contest. Check out the three winners of the challenge as well as the 100 top rated images below.

How I Shot This Rock Climbing Photograph and Got a Lesson in Humility

I recently returned from 10 days of camping in the Swiss mountains, having just taken one of my favorite climbing images. As is often the case, it was another lesson in humility: sometimes, you need the person in your photograph to tell you what you’re doing wrong. Here’s how it came about.

How I Shot This Pastel Beauty Spread for Female Malaysia

One thing I love the most about my job is to be able to work with hugely talented people in my team. It’s always so inspirational to be around them and never fails to serve as an outstanding learning opportunity.

How Focusing on Storytelling Can Improve Your Photography

While strolling aimlessly along downtown streets this weekend, doing a bit of photography just for fun, I was reminded of one of the reasons I fell in love with photography in the first place. I was also reminded that this simple reason still provides benefits, both professionally and personally.

The Joy of Seeing the World in Full Color for the First Time

As photographers, we appreciate the importance and the simple joy of experiencing the world in full color. However, for about five percent of the population, color blindness prevents that experience and affects their everyday lives. One company is hoping to change that, and I was lucky enough to witness firsthand the way they are improving people's lives.

Five Steps to Preserve as Much Information as Possible in Your Images

Ever wanted to correct a mistake with your exposure or try a cool post-processing technique, only to find that the results weren’t all that you’d hoped? Image data may have inadvertently been lost in your workflow. These five steps can help ensure you have the best chance for technical greatness!

Six Steps to Sharper Selfies

So, you want to photograph yourself but don’t have anyone to stand in to get your focus set? No problem, all you need is a tripod and a coin for sharp selfies, every time.

Search for This Information Before You Buy a New Lens

More and more people get infected every day, and I’m a victim of it, too. Yes, I’m talking about GAS, which usually hits me when spring is coming. For this reason, I am focusing a little on purchase decisions lately.

Here’s Why You Don’t Need a Macro Lens

Macro photography has such a draw for beginner photographers because it opens up a world we can’t see with the naked eye. Most camera stores will tell you that you need a macro lens to do this kind of work, but don’t believe the hype. There are plenty of ways to do macro with the kit you already have.

What is the Best Way to Fire the Shutter?

It is surely the simplest of operations — instructing the camera when to take a photo. Surprisingly, for such a straight forward task, there are a myriad of ways to actuate the shutter. What are they and what is the best?