One question I often get from my photography students is: "What the heck is that graph?" I often enjoy teaching photography even more than creating it, but explaining concepts like the histogram is one of the tougher parts of teaching photography.
Mobile phone cameras are progressing at breakneck speed. And just when you thought you'd heard it all, there's word that Apple is working with something that sounds ordered by Doctor Evil in the "Austin Powers" series: smartphones with new camera technology, complete with "frickin' laser beams" attached to them.
A dramatically cascading waterfall is one of the most iconic scenes that can be captured by a nature photographer — by any photographer. Here are some tips to get the most out of such a scene, no matter the scale of your subject.
Last week, we addressed the concept of mastery in photography. Now that we've touched on the basics of photography history and education, let's dive deeper into more tangible elements of this subject.
Achieving mastery of a craft takes lots of time and patience. Photography's most devoted practitioners pursue the elusive status of mastery one shoot at a time, one shot at a time, over many years. It’s not easy.
Fatherly advice is something of value that most of us would adhere to. Recent news tells of a striking example of such value: A father's wise counsel to hold on to some cheaply acquired film footage should soon lead one former NASA intern to riches.
Photoshop is arguably the most powerful tool at a photographer's disposal. And like many powerful tools, it can be used for either good or harm. The good news is that technology has recently been developed to counter nefarious and sneaky image manipulations.
On Wednesday, June 5th 2019, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) announced that Facebook would reconsider its controversial policy on nude images posted to its social network. As it stands, nudity on Facebook may only be depicted in paintings or sculptures, not in photographs, artistic or otherwise.
If you're a full-time videographer or even a photographer shooting video on the side, you're aware of the many creative uses for shutter speed. But if you're also a Sony user, you might not be aware of a lesser-utilized creative "hack" your camera offers.
Olympus has just recently announced its newest edition of the TG underwater series of cameras. While not a gigantic step up from its predecessor, it comes with enhanced features sure to grab interest to anyone interested in underwater photography.
You use Lightroom to process batches of images because you know how important efficiency is. But if you're not fully utilizing Lightroom's available rating (and sorting) options, you're not running as tight a ship as you could.
Getting started in macro photography isn’t too daunting. And once you've acquired the basic equipment, you'll always be looking for tiny subjects to experiment with — let us show you a few for inspiration.
Fans of "Stranger Things" have a new collectible available to them, and it's perfect for photographers. Though nothing too groundbreaking, lovers of this cult show are bound to get excited by this special edition camera release.
When people in the movie-viewing world think of sharks, the 1975 hit movie “Jaws” often comes to mind. Who could forget its ominous theme song or that menacing movie poster of a massive great white shark about to consume a swimmer?
Often we scroll through other photographers' Instagram feeds, wondering "How the heck did they get that shot?" We now have the unusual opportunity to learn exactly how one photographer captures “that shot,” and what we learn is surprising.
Browsing a dusty used book store on the north side of Chicago in 2008, a familiar name caught my eye: Aldous Huxley. The Huxley book I saw there, published in 1942, had an intriguing title: The Art of Seeing.
Maybe you've had a prospective client — someone you've never heard of — ring you up to discuss your photography services... and had your brain freeze, making the conversation awkward. Even if you've been landing photography gigs for years, the excitement of an unexpected phone call can throw you off course.
For almost every photographer who shoots bulk works of images, Lightroom is an essential tool. But we often make the costly and frustrating mistake of letting our Lightroom catalogs grow too large.
News recently broke that a legendary street photographer, Vivian Cherry, has passed away. Take some time to review her work and her artistic approach, as her decades of experience could benefit any photographer.
Although technology moves at an exponential rate, a recent technological breakthrough is more staggering than most. A team of Canadian researchers has designed a system allowing frame capture speeds previously unheard of.
If you've read my past articles on Fstoppers, you know that I love editing shortcuts. These quick tricks save you time and frustration, making your business more productive and profitable.
It's a story we photographers read about all too often. A Tulsa, Oklahoma woman has issued a warning for brides-to-be: make sure to vet your photographers before hiring.
Black leopards are a rare sight in Kenya, one of the few remaining places the elusive animal can be found. But that rarity didn't stop British wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas from recently seeking out the creature.
One of the most frustrating hurdles we deal with when shooting indoors is the strong color cast that incandescent light emits. I'm going to share with you a quick and easy fix in Lightroom (or Photoshop) to remedy that dreaded "orange glow" when white balance isn't enough.
Opinions are like cameras: everybody’s got one, and it should be upgraded once in a while. If you love giving feedback on photography, great, but make sure you're doing it in a way that’s right for the giver as well as the receiver.
Subscribe to business or productivity "influencers" on the web and you'll receive a variety of tips: “Nap this long,” “Consume more of these,” “Turn that device off!” But how do these techniques apply to photo editing, and can a one-size-fits-all productivity approach help us photographers use our editing time more efficiently?
It's probably happened to you: you're shooting away and someone, usually the venue owner, approaches you. You get that sinking feeling hearing those dreaded five words: "Can I get a copy?"
By “commandments,” I simply mean photography truths that have worked for me. Everyone has photography truths to believe in, but here are my 10.
If you rely heavily on HDR for your image processing, I have some news for you: It can be a lazy approach, and you may be using it in the wrong applications. It's time to learn about the limitations of HDR and far better alternatives at your disposal.
Color grading your videos can be tricky, so it's best to have an arsenal of options when one doesn't work out right. In this tutorial from YouTuber photoshopCAFE, you'll learn how to use Photoshop to digitally enhance and correct your video works.
How many times have you snapped a beautiful scene, only to be disappointed when your images don’t adequately represent the reality? Though the camera’s images sometimes fall short, have no fear, because bracketing is here.
Photoshop is a complex program that takes years to master. And even after you've spent countless hours learning the ins and outs, surprising new shortcuts are a pleasure to discover.
If you own a cheap older lens, go back to the first set of images you captured with it, then compare those to images shot recently with that same lens. You might be surprised by how much better those old images look.
The holidays months can bring extra leisure time, and there's nothing more rewarding than spending that free time on a challenging photography project. During last year's fall holidays I decided to turn my available energy into something creative and fun: a pet calendar for 2018.
We live in a time when photography becomes more and more commonplace but appreciation of the commercial value of photography is uncommon. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that copyright lawsuits from photographers are increasing.
