Fstoppers Original Articles

One of the interesting trends in the comments on a previous article on the rule of thirds was a reaction not just to that rule specifically, but to “rules” more generally. That got me thinking a bit. What are “rules”? Where do they come from? Is breaking them an act of rebellion; or one of self-destruction?

I’ve been impressed with the computational imaging I’ve seen with the Google Pixel’s “Night Sight” mode. I’ve also been scared, because there are times where the images that it captures have no correlation with reality, and therein lies the danger of this emerging technology in smartphones.

Are you looking to buy a new camera this year? Perhaps you are hoping that the holiday season will bring you a fantastic new camera as a gift. I bet you already know which camera you would like to have next. But what is wrong with your current camera?

No one likes to get caught short, but there are times when you have the image and none of your standard image processing software. Here are eight of the best web apps to help you out in a sticky situation.

In November, some of us have less projects to work on, and it might be smart to not just idle, but make the best of it. Thinking about photography and business is a good idea to be prepared for whatever is coming next.

Most of the adjustment sliders in Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw are self-explanatory, for example, highlights and shadows. But do you truly understand what is happening when you move that slider?

Every couple months or so, I find myself in a conversation about the state of photography. There is no doubt technology is pushing our field farther and faster than ever before, but is this technology actually killing photography?

A recent launch event in Paris gave me the opportunity to hold a Leica for the very first time, and I quickly broke it. Leica’s brand new SL2 is a 47-megapixel beast that shoots 20 frames per second. Despite my capacity for crippling technology, I learned that there’s a lot to love about this camera and that Leica — with the SL2 in particular — might be more than a luxury brand for those with too much money.

Lightroom is probably the most used photo database program available, with an integrated raw file editor, and many options for post processing. These thirteen tips can improve your Lightroom experience.

For the last month, we've teamed up with Wix for a series called "How to Build a Website." In this series, Lee and I talk about some of the advantages and mistakes photographers make when creating their own website. Today, I release my new commercial photography website and walk you through the process.

Recently, I had the good fortune to interview high-end retoucher Kelly Robitaille to get her insights on retouching and learn how she’s built her career and skills as a high-end retoucher as well as getting her advice to those who want to build a similar career.

I never thought I would learn important lessons about selling my photographs from a six-year-old, but now that I have learned them, I think you should, too.

There seems to be a flurry of “I’ve changed brand” going on again at the moment. I find the entire thing very alien, but mostly because I have never changed camera brands, and there is a good reason for that.

With an ever-expanding selection of community-based services and subscriptions to choose from, it can be difficult to find a platform that feels like your own and where your rights as a photographer are respected and protected. Let's dig into dig into why YouPic has grown into one of the most trusted home for photographers, and why celebrated and respected names such as Steve McCurry, Joel Meyerowitz, Adam Hinton, and David Yarrow utilize YouPic Pro's subscription in their photography work.

I have now been a proud owner of a Fuji GFX 100 medium format digital camera for three months now. So, was it all I hoped it would be?

Is Halloween pretty much the best time of year for you too? The late fall and autumn vibes are awesome, and it culminates with everything spooky that is Halloween; let's see what you've shot in the spirit of Halloween over the years!

Photography is expensive. Even a budget camera is expensive, so for many of us, a career in professional photography seems out of our reach. Here are some tips for getting there.

Eye-es-oh or eye-soh? Not as simple as you think! Tip: Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

If you’re a fan of a good photograph and a good beer, understanding how one is made may help you understand the other. Beer and photographs are comprised of three active ingredients and one passive ingredient.

The Sony world felt a little bit disappointed when Tamron’s recently announced primes turned out to be only f/2.8. Is Tamron about to cheer us all up with some glass that’s a little more up to speed?

In March, I did a post that was critical of Adobe applications of late: lots of bugs, sometimes unintelligible offshore customer support, and their Creative Cloud menu bar app (on Mac OS) that seemed more a marketing device than a useful way to know about Adobe updates (on Windows, the Creative cloud app is launched from the Task Bar).

The Lens Corrections panels in the Lightroom Develop Module and Adobe Camera Raw provides the ability to correct lens problems such as distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting. These settings are often turned on and never given a second thought.

Do you track your own development? By looking into the past of our photography career, we can learn a lot about our progress and how to move on.

Did you know a lot of people use their camera without setting it up for their needs? If you have done this already, you may find nothing new in this article. If you don’t know what I am talking about, perhaps you should read it.

I grew up racing motocross, so I have always had a passion for the sport. But my passion for motocross and photography have never had the chance to overlap. Until I recently got the chance to document the Ponca City National by Motoplayground.

Canon has just released the trifecta of f/2.8 lenses that cement the workhorse length of optics for professionals and prosumers alike, but they are still missing a flagship mirrorless camera body to take advantage. This is only part of Canon’s future strategy when competing against Sony and Nikon which may include a new family of f/2.0 zooms.

The emergence of digital cameras has had a truly democratizing effect on photography, so why then are they on the verge of disappearing? Here are nine facts and figures (largely working from CIPA sales data) that might explain why.

Having your work in a print magazine is seen as the goal for many, but are all print magazines created equal? With the boom of on-demand printing, there has been an increase in user-submitted editorial magazines. But are these magazines for real?

In the course of being a visual journalism educator, I’ve come to realize that while here at Fstoppers my colleagues and readers might be attuned to 360 cameras and imaging, by and large most of the viewing public is not, but perhaps it's time they should be.

For many photographers, the first type of photoshoot they will ever book is an engagement session. In this extended tutorial, I will walk you through four different setups that you can use regardless of your location or skill level.

With Christmas looming on the horizon like a big, hairy money-sink, here are 10 gifts us photographers don't want!

Has the rule of thirds influenced your compositions? It has mine at times. Yet, with each application I wonder, why should placing things near the thirds of an image be appealing? In fact, it turns out that the link between the rule of thirds and aesthetic appeal is weak. Is the rule of thirds dead?

So, what did you photograph in the last seven days? What, you didn’t shoot anything in the previous week? Nothing? Too many times, I hear: “there is nothing interesting to photograph” or “I’ve already photographed everything around me.” Well, to me, that means you just aren’t trying hard enough.

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 2019, 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.

Mastering any craft takes a lot of time, intentional practice, and dedication. However, getting out of the blocks quickly can put you further along that path, sooner.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and if you do it right, you just might be able to use a photograph to tell a story.

Today we are releasing the second video in our How to Make a Website series with Wix. After reflecting on the content in this new video, it made me wonder, "why are photographers so intimidated by photos of themselves?" Could your view on this question be dramatically affecting your business?

I spent 48 hours in New York City and took a bit of time to reflect on what makes for the perfect street photography camera.

The 2019 PhotoPlus Expo was held this weekend at the Javits Center in New York City. This year’s edition was full of several changes, both exciting and concerning.

Let's just pretend for a moment that DSLRs are officially dead and we're left with nothing else, but mirrorless cameras and cell phones. What would that mean to photographers?

Canon just announced that it will launch its RF 85mm f/1.2 DS lens, where the “DS” stands for “Defocus Smoothing.” What does that mean exactly, and on a piece of gear that carries a hefty price tag, why doesn’t the fancy marketing mention that the lens lets in less light as a result of this funky new coating?

As photographers, we’re a diverse bunch — this crazy industry is home to an array of different personalities. But many of us fall into specific patterns of behavior that affect the success of our businesses.

It's a slightly uncomfortable question when said directly, but it's one you ought to answer. If you want any significant improvement in your work, being happy just taking pictures isn't enough.

If you use screw-in lens filters, sooner or later, you may end up with a stuck lens filter that refuses to come off. Have no fear, though: here are 10 ways to remove that stuck lens filter.

It seems as if the world of photography is currently turning all around this topic: Is the time of DSLR over? On the web, people get into heated discussions about this issue. Should you join in?

In a world of mirrorless cameras, vintage glass is coming back and for good reason.

With every new camera, new options and enhanced features are introduced, sometimes small and perhaps even insignificant, sometimes groundbreaking. The end result is never perfect, but what if you could design one yourself?

Fujifilm’s introduction of the X-Pro3 has continued their trend of quirky design choices, but has also raised the question of whether bucking the trend is actually making for a better experience for photographers.

This week, instead of 10 lords a leaping, we have the rather more useful and edifying 10 most inspirational photographic quotes. But which photographers were as good with words as they were with pictures?

A few days, ago we published three anonymous pictures and asked you to vote on your favorite. Now, you can watch the entire challenge and see who the winner was.