Articles written by John Ricard

The arrival of a new flagship from a top camera maker inevitably sparks a debate regarding how much sense it makes to upgrade to the latest model. Camera makers boast of the many improvements their new models offer, but each photographer must determine if those improvements are worth the cost of upgrading. How the manufacturers name their latest offering can sometimes offer clues about the extent of the improvements. In 2021, when Sony introduced their newest flagship under the name a1 rather than some variation of the a7 or a9 moniker, there was an expectation that the a1 would stand apart from the brand’s other mirrorless cameras.

Before the recent advent of AI-based retouching, I struggled to make rather basic adjustments to my portraits. Using AI plugins, however, I can quickly whiten teeth and eyes, smooth over wrinkles in the fabric, and remove blemishes from a face. Portrait retouching has benefited greatly from AI-based intelligence. One area that has been neglected in this technological revolution, however, is compositing. To put it succinctly, compositing is broken. Fortunately, Adobe is aiming to fix it.

In the 6 years that I have owned a DJI Spark drone, I have yet to create a photo or video clip that I have deemed worthy of sharing. I am a portrait photographer who loves the simplicity of capturing images with a Leica M. Using a drone to capture scenes has always appeared needlessly complicated. Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder, however, if there is an online course I might study to take my drone photography to new heights.

It’s no secret that photographers from various genres are experiencing a decline in bookings. The ease of using a smartphone and the quality that anyone can get from those devices have reduced the need to hire a professional for small and even mid-level shoots. Wedding photography is a genre where people are accustomed to hiring professional photographers, and the smartphone has had a lesser impact here.

Fujifilm recently held an event in NYC for photographers to gain hands-on time with their two most recent camera releases. Fstoppers was there, and we are pleased to provide you with three downloadable raw image files from each camera.

Today, it is common for a small company of 1-3 employees to design, create, and market a product without outsourcing any part of the process. Hiring someone from outside to market or sell the product is not an option for a small organization that must be conscious of how every penny is spent.

As photographers, we choose where we take photographs. While it is undoubtedly a joy to take pictures in a climate-controlled photo studio, tethered to a laptop while your favorite tunes play through speakers, many romanticize taking photographs under challenging conditions. We dream of being assigned to document a war or cover the aftermath of an earthquake.

Adobe Max is a three-day conference in Los Angeles, CA attended by designers, illustrators, photographers, and social media content creators. Attendees can watch presentations by Adobe representatives and attend educational sessions given by independent creators. This year, Generative AI was mentioned in many presentations. This feature is implemented in unique ways across the programs that make up Adobe’s Creative Cloud, and it often feels to the user that they have more effective communication with programs that have AI enhancement.

Photoshop's Generative Fill is possibly the single most talked about addition in the history of the program. This AI-powered feature allows users to add elements to a photograph not present in the original capture. Many creators love the feature. But that may be about to change due to a recently announced change in Adobe's pricing structure.