Photo editing can seem complicated, with endless techniques and software tools competing for your attention. Yet, at its core, successful editing comes down to mastering foundational skills that simplify your process and elevate your results.
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 2025, 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.
Sigma's latest camera, the BF, might be one of the most unique and divisive releases in recent photography history. With a sleek, minimalist design and unusual feature choices, this camera pushes boundaries—but those quirks might either attract or repel you, depending on your needs and style.
Travel photography is more than packing your camera and booking flights. How you plan your trip and what you focus on once you arrive can significantly affect the quality of your images.
Mastering the technical side of photography is easy. Learning how to expose an image, use lighting, and compose a shot is all just mechanics. You can study the inverse square law, diffraction, and the rule of thirds, but none of that will make you stand out. The difference between a technically proficient photographer and a great one is not something you can learn from a tutorial.
Sony has announced the 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS, its longest full frame E-mount lens to date. Designed for birding, wildlife, and sports photography, the lens extends Sony’s mirrorless telephoto capabilities beyond the previous 600mm limit, reaching up to 800mm. It is also compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, pushing its range up to 1,600mm.
Sony has introduced the 16mm f/1.8 G, an ultra-wide full frame E-mount prime lens designed for both photographers and videographers. The lens offers a combination of compact size, high-resolution optics, fast autofocus, and a bright f/1.8 aperture, making it well-suited for landscape, architectural, and astrophotography applications.
Flat, gray skies might seem uninspiring, but they offer a unique advantage. Instead of working around harsh shadows and strong highlights, you control the final image. The light is soft and even, allowing for more creative flexibility, especially in black and white photography.
Knowing when to stop editing a photo is one of the biggest challenges in photography. With endless tools at your disposal, it’s easy to push an image too far. Colors become unnatural, skin loses texture, and the final result can feel more artificial than real. Understanding when to stop isn’t just about technical limits—it’s about maintaining authenticity in your images.
Adobe has announced the launch of Photoshop on iPhone, bringing its well-known image editing tools to mobile users. The app is designed to provide a streamlined, mobile-first experience while retaining essential Photoshop features such as layering, masking, and Adobe Firefly-powered AI tools. An Android version is expected later in 2025.
Zeiss has introduced the Otus ML series, a new line of manual focus prime lenses designed for professional photographers and high-end visual creators. The Otus ML family brings Zeiss’s signature optical quality to mirrorless mounts, launching with the 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 lenses in 2025.
Strong landscape photography isn’t just about finding a beautiful location—it’s about how you compose, frame, and time your shots to create something extraordinary. Weather and light can be unpredictable, but knowing how to work with what you have can make all the difference.
Adding atmospheric elements like fog can transform a flat image into something more dramatic and immersive. Lightroom Classic now offers better tools to create and control fog, allowing you to shape the mood of an image without needing perfect weather conditions.
Macro photography opens up a world of detail that often goes unnoticed. Small subjects like fungi, moss, and intricate textures can turn into striking images when framed properly. But working at this level presents its own set of challenges, from finding the right focal length to dealing with distortion in certain lenses.
Confidence in photography isn't just about skill—it's about feeling comfortable with your camera, your surroundings, and yourself. Many people struggle with nerves when shooting in public or taking portraits, but overcoming these fears can lead to better work. Understanding how to build confidence can make a significant difference in your photography.
Sigma just announced several new products, and they aren’t small updates. These are major releases, from a versatile superzoom to a professional-grade telephoto lens to a completely reimagined mirrorless camera. If you’re looking for new gear that pushes boundaries, this announcement is worth paying attention to.
Sky selection is often one of the most important steps in editing landscape and outdoor images. Whether you’re adjusting exposure, enhancing colors, or replacing the sky entirely, getting a clean selection makes all the difference. Automated tools help, but they don’t always get it right, so knowing how to refine a mask is essential.
Coming to you from Matt Kloskowski, this practical video breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of different sky selection methods in Adobe’s raw editors. The Select Sky tool is the first stop in most cases, offering quick and accurate...
Long exposure photography transforms everyday scenes into something surreal. But pulling off the perfect long exposure shot isn’t as simple as setting a long shutter speed. Conditions, composition, and even patience play a huge role in making it work.
Changing the mood of an image doesn’t always require elaborate setups or complex software. A few strategic adjustments in Lightroom can completely transform a photo, shifting colors, reshaping light, and creating a more dramatic effect. This kind of editing isn’t about correcting mistakes—it’s about making the image match your vision.
Simplicity in photography can be both freeing and frustrating. When you strip away complex tools and techniques, all that’s left is light, time, and a bit of luck. Shooting with a pinhole camera pushes that idea to the extreme. No lens, no moving parts—just a box with a hole, a piece of film, and a whole lot of patience.
