Articles from Michael B. Stuart

We all wish we could make money doing photography, but one macro specialist found a way to have his photography made into money. Twenty Canadian dollars, to be exact.

By now, most of you have figured out that light is everything in photography. When the time of day isn't a variable you have control of, you may have to visualize how the available light will work with your subject.

Hashtags are a lot more than fodder for your social media posts. You need to use them and do so correctly in order to be noticed being one small fish in the giant ever growing pond we refer to as Instagram. 

Did you know there are some tools in Lightroom that can help replicate a flash color gel modifier? I love the drama and interest you can create in what would otherwise be a throwaway image.

While the Perseid Meteor Shower was putting on a show earlier this week, I was fast asleep. Luckily for all of us, a lot of talented photographers planned ahead and captured some great photos.

Having time to get out and shoot can always be a challenge no matter how much you love photography. Luckily, a lunch break is almost always free and a great way to sneak in some time you might otherwise never find.

Some of my favorite photos are starting to feel old to me after looking at them so many times. Don't forget this is only a personal perception and often not shared by your audience.

Teamwork makes the dream work, but all good things must come to an end. Check out the final installment of our top 10 list series submitted by our loyal readers.

It is always hard to gauge what photos in your portfolio might interest people. What do you do if someone likes a shot but wants the crop rotated?

Get your eyes ready for some truly beautiful shots of the sky shared to our ongoing weekly photo theme by talented Fstoppers readers. 

I had a party, but no one showed up. We made due anyway and came up with a worthy list to get us into next week.

A photographer has found an amazingly cool way to capture and honor the art of facial tattoos from the indigenous New Zealand culture the Māori. Using the wet collodion process, the subjects appear to have their ink magically removed in portraits hung next to modern digital photos creating a surreal before and after effect.

This week's theme on the WeeklyFstop was something we all need but rarely appreciate as much as we should. Our readers got their feet wet with an awesome top ten list all featuring photos of water.

Taking a successful portrait may seem easy to someone who has never tried it. Transforming something from the simple concept of a camera pointed at a person (or a puffin) into a story-telling captivating photo involves skill.

To grow as a photographer you have to get out there and challenge yourself. Consider joining in on the weeklyFstop as a great way to try new things and enhance your photography skills.

The theme play was a perfect follow up to last week's work. Fstoppers readers delivered another diverse batch of photos worthy of some love.

All work and no play makes people crazy. I think there was a movie about that once. Luckily looking at these photos of people doing work requires very little effort at all and will help you ease into your weekend properly.

Stock photography websites can be a great way to get your photos out there and gain some passive income. Choosing what to shoot or submit can be simplified by sticking with what you enjoy and letting your passion shine through your work.

Taking pictures of people or things that are old is a wonderful way to get your photos to tell more of a story. Check out the great finds our readers came up with this week and be sure grab the new theme to join in yourself.

Some of the strongest photographs utilize shadows to enhance the mood of a photo as well as sculpt the light. Mastering the art of seeing shadows and learning how to capture them in an interesting way can greatly improve your photography.

There is nothing better than finally starting to get outdoors after a season of being cooped up inside. Our readers showed us their version of outdoors in the latest installment of our ongoing weekly photo theme. Check out the results and grab this week's theme to join in.

This week, our readers were challenged to find shots containing circles. Using a shape opens up the possibilities and the results are wonderful. Be sure to share with your photography circles if you enjoy.

With all the hectic distractions that come with today's fast-paced lifestyles, it's nice to slow things down sometimes and focus on one thing. That is exactly what long exposure photography offers, and our readers made it hard to pick out the best photo, as there were so many great shots this week.

Street photography is a popular genre and a favorite of mine to admire. This week's submissions by our readers produced an exceptional list and helped the WeeklyFstop gain some needed street credit.

Well, it has been about a year since I published one of my first popular articles titled "Why Us Average Joe Photographers Suck at Instagram" and I think it's time to update some things. If you think I'm better off now with thousands of new followers and busy influencing left and right, you'll be disappointed.

Recently a member of the Fstoppers Facebook group posted a confession with a simple question: Who else uses their left eye to look through the camera's viewfinder? I was shocked by the results.

While I'm pretty sure we said the theme was "macro" this week, I think everyone heard "bugs" instead. That's okay with me since Spring is finally here so let's check out the insanely insect-heavy list and find out this week's theme.

This week's top 10 list is sure to bring a smile to your face. We challenged our readers to show us photos displaying happiness, and the results should help to brighten your day.

The end of this color trifecta of themes is another great one featuring a precious metal in a number of different forms. The wide variety and quality of submissions in this list make it easily worth its weight in gold.

Some more advanced photography techniques have quite the learning curve, which can scare most of us away from even trying. What if there was a trigger smart enough to make these tasks simple and easy to set up?

We have all heard about how choosing a single color palette can be a good design choice for a photo shoot, a room, or even your Instagram profile. For this edition of the weeklyFstop, everyone rose to the occasion and shared some beautiful photos featuring the color pink.

I would never have guessed that a simple prompt like "green" could have produced such amazing results this week. Our readers really showed up with arguably the best top 10 list yet.

I cannot think of a more successful example of an American brand logo than the "Gerber Baby." Not only has that cute little face has been around for 90 years, but they just did something I think deserves some attention.

So apparently "gathering" seemed to scare away some people since we only seemed to gather about 20 percent as many entries as we have last week. Luckily, the quality of the entries was right on par with the previous themes delivering yet another great top 10 list.

First off let me just say thank you to all the new people who joined in this week. Having the unique hashtags every week has made it clear how many people are playing and we broke 100 photos submitted in a week for the first time ever. While quantity doesn't always equal quality, I think you'll agree that the level of these shots is up there with our best weeks. I guess that shouldn't be surprising seeing the theme was "favorite" and not "worst ever."