The megapixel race in digital cameras has been ongoing for years, with manufacturers constantly pushing for higher resolutions. However, this trend raises an important question: do you really need all those megapixels, or could a 12-megapixel camera suffice for most photography needs?
Understanding your camera's exposure modes goes beyond basic settings; it's about taking control of your creative outcomes. Using the right mode in the right situation can significantly influence the quality of your photos and your growth as a photographer.
Understanding terms like ISO, aperture, and shutter speed helps you take control of your shots instead of relying on automatic settings. This knowledge can make a huge difference in the quality of your photos, no matter what you shoot.
You are a small-town American doctor, and to your surprise, aliens have replaced your community. Plant spores have fallen from outer space, creating seed pods capable of making identical human copies. Pod people take on traits and memories along with unique personalities. Slowly, an invasion has started. Wait a minute, hold up, reverse that! Sounds scary, right?
Choosing a photography workflow isn’t about following a set formula. Each step you take—from picking up the camera to final editing—is part of a sequence that can shift depending on your style, subject, and even personal preferences. There’s no “correct” way to approach it, so flexibility is key.
Canon has long been known for pushing the boundaries of lens design, but their latest patent is extreme, even by their standards.
The smudge and blur tools in Photoshop might seem unnecessary or even damaging at first glance. If you've ever tried using these tools, you've probably noticed they're slow, appear destructive, and generally seem to offer little practical benefit in your workflow.
One of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of landscape photography is finding the perfect location. The right location can elevate your photo from ordinary to extraordinary. However, choosing where to shoot can be a time-consuming process, filled with challenges such as overcrowded tourist spots, difficult terrain, or simply not knowing where to go. In this article, I want to explore the difficulties we face when finding the perfect location and provide strategies that have helped me overcome them.
Standard zoom lenses are the workhorses of many camera bags, balancing focal range with portability. The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM offers a combination of flexibility and image quality that’s worth considering.
The new Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z lens is making waves in the photography community. This lens boasts the longest zoom range available at f/2.8, making it incredibly versatile for a variety of photography styles, from portraits to sports.
The Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50mm f/2 ASPH. Lens is widely talked about as a pinnacle lens for full frame cameras. Can it really hold the crown?
Artificial intelligence has rapidly expanded what you can do in photography, and now it's stepping into Lightroom presets. Creating custom presets that match the editing style of images you admire can be tricky, but using AI could make this process simpler and faster.
Exploring familiar surroundings through photography opens opportunities to rediscover overlooked beauty. Even places you've visited repeatedly can offer new visual stories if approached intentionally with a camera.
If you want to improve your photography, experimenting with new techniques to achieve more creative and interesting results is the way to go. I did just that recently while out doing street photography by playing with a slow shutter speed while shooting handheld.
The camera industry is littered with the corpses of products that looked revolutionary on paper but crashed spectacularly in the real world. These aren't just minor missteps—these are epic failures that cost companies millions, confused consumers, and taught us valuable lessons about what not to do. Here are the cameras that failed hardest, and the brutal reasons why.
If you’ve wanted a creative way to easily share snippets of your photography, you might’ve considered making or ordering stickers. Actually making custom stickers and labels requires juggling multiple machines—a more complex process compared to just printing photos at home. Liene aims to change that with the PixCut S1, an all-in-one photo printer and sticker cutter that integrates printing, cutting, and lamination into a single device. But does it live up to the promise? Let's dive into the details.
Wide angle prime lenses are favorites for their versatility, whether for street photography, environmental portraits, or everyday snapshots. The TTArtisan AF 23mm f/1.8 lens offers a budget-friendly entry into this category, raising questions about how it holds up in terms of build quality, autofocus, and image performance.
I did it—I made the jump to medium format. This was quite some time coming, as I had been talking about it for about a year. The difference is huge, and what a fun camera it is. More about the Phase One in this review.
A few years ago, I first heard about the retouching software Retouch4Me when one of our readers asked me to review it for the Fstoppers Youtube Channel. I immediately fell in love with the software and added it to my workflow. This year, they have added some features we have all been waiting for, so let's look at what is new with this powerful skin retouching software.
The photography was stunning—moody, atmospheric, deeply personal. Each image told a story through dramatic lighting and unconventional composition. The photographer's Instagram followers loved it, fellow artists praised the vision, and it even won a local competition. But six months later, the photographer was struggling to book paying clients, questioning whether to continue pursuing photography professionally, and wondering why artistic recognition wasn't translating into business success.
In my quest for a pocketable camera that doesn't also take phone calls, I've arrived at Camp Sony. While I wanted the camera that every tech writer calls one of the best point and shoots ever made, the RX100 VII, between stock and price, I actually arrived at its video focused cousin, the ZV-1. And it makes me wonder: Why don't we have more of these kinds of cameras?
Today, I’d like to take you along on a little thought experiment. If I were to get into a magical de-aging machine and be placed in a position to restart my career all over again in 2025, which camera might I choose to take me into battle?
A quality 85mm lens with a fast aperture is a go-to option for portrait work, offering a balance of image quality and background separation. But getting those features with autofocus at a budget-friendly price is rare. The 7artisans Photoelectric 85mm f/1.8 AF aims to do just that, delivering solid performance at just $299.
The Godox V100 is here, and it's making waves with a noticeable leap in build quality and usability. For anyone regularly relying on flash photography, finding the right gear that balances power, consistency, and reliability is crucial, and the V100 could be just what you need.
Creating a photo book involves far more than just selecting images; the practicalities of production, publishing, and shipping present significant hurdles. Understanding these challenges can help you realistically plan your own book project.
When it comes to action cameras, this time of year seems to be when all the main players release their latest and greatest iterations to the market, each promising to be better than before and better than the rest. Enter the ring, Insta360 and the Ace Pro 2, which promises to shake things up quite considerably.
Water reflections can transform a basic landscape photo into something captivating, but they don't always look their best straight out of the camera. With a little fine-tuning in Lightroom, you can make those reflections more vibrant and balanced. It's a quick and easy technique that can instantly elevate the look of your landscape photography.
Photographers often juggle specialized gear for macro photography and wide angle landscape shots, but that's cumbersome and costly. The Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro lens presents itself as a convenient tool uniquely bridging both worlds, marrying macro capabilities with an ultra-wide perspective in an unusually compact package.
I have never been a fan of digital effects that emulate analog results. I always thought making a digital image look like it was shot by film was a deception. Could DxO FilmPack 7 change my mind?
Less can often be more when it comes to creating stunning portraits in Lightroom. If you’re relatively new to it or you’re somebody who prefers a minimalist but effective approach to portrait editing over going crazy in post with loads of effects, then this tutorial is definitely going to help you.
If you’re in the market for a high-performance camera, deciding between the Sony a1 II and the Sony a9 III might not be straightforward. Both cameras bring innovative features, but their strengths cater to different needs.
As Zillow pushes its Showcase platform to brokerages, real estate media professionals face new challenges and opportunities. Understanding how this platform works and its impact on listings is key to staying ahead in a competitive market.
If you’ve ever tried removing wires, cables, or other distractions from your photos, you know how tedious it can be. Photoshop’s new AI-powered tool aims to change that. This feature, currently available in the Photoshop beta, lets you erase unwanted elements in a few clicks without the need for complicated selections.
If you're stuck with your photography and unsure how to improve due to limited time, cultivating effective habits can help. Small but consistent steps can significantly enhance your skills and confidence behind the camera.
So, paying attention to light direction is vital. And by the way, I have used studio photographs in several instances here because they more adequately illustrate the concept I am discussing. The point of that, of course, is that concepts and principles cross genres of photographic work. They are basic principles.
Sony has introduced the FX2, the latest addition to its Cinema Line series. Aimed at independent creators and small crews, the FX2 blends cinema-quality video with high-resolution photo capabilities, enhancing versatility for multimedia productions.
The Fujifilm XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 R LM WR lens is an updated, versatile option for Fujifilm users, designed to replace older kit lenses while handling the demands of higher-resolution sensors. This lens is lightweight, well-suited for everyday use, and provides good performance across a wide range of photography needs. It’s aimed at those who want reliable image quality without the bulk.
Lightroom’s newest update introduces Adaptive Profiles, a tool that changes how you can approach editing. Instead of applying a standard profile, these profiles intelligently adjust to your image, giving you a different kind of automatic enhancement. If you rely on auto settings, this could be an alternative worth exploring.
Determining the right number of images to deliver for a wedding isn't just about hitting an arbitrary number. It’s about understanding what's truly valuable from the client's perspective and tailoring your gallery accordingly.
As a photographer, your photo library is one of the most important things to keep safe and backed up. Of course, you can have backups on multiple drives, cloud storage, and servers, but hardware can still fail. The risk is exceptionally high during or after a shoot, between the time you take the SD card out of the camera and plug it into your card reader. The last thing you want to see is a drive read error, but it happens. Luckily, there's an easy solution.
We've reached a point in photography where basically every camera can take great images, so does skill simply not matter anymore?
There is quite a lot of excitement about the new Canon cameras. Of course, the much-anticipated Canon flagship is bound to attract attention, as well as the much-improved Canon R5 Mark II, which builds on the legacy of the famous R5. Yet, I am not buying any of these cameras. Here’s why.
Today, I’ll share a quick look at my simple solution to a sometimes convoluted process.
Choosing the right lens for real estate photography matters. It impacts your workflow, image quality, and ultimately, your bottom line.
The Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD is an intriguing lens, especially if you want a versatile zoom that doesn’t break the bank. For portrait sessions, landscapes, and a bit of everything in between, it’s worth a look.
In my previous article, I wrote about the basics of aperture. Once you have got to grips with that, there is more information that's really useful to know.
If you love photographing vast landscapes, ancient cities, and magnificent architecture, you'll enjoy a visit to Morocco. In this article, I show you five of the best photo spots in the country.
Apple has introduced the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, showcasing several new features powered by the A18 chip and Apple Intelligence. Both models offer improved camera capabilities, extended battery life, and a more durable design. With upgrades to the camera system, Apple is focusing on enhancing both everyday photography and professional-level capabilities, while also integrating Apple Intelligence to streamline user tasks and improve privacy.
I’ve always loved wandering around with my camera, looking for interesting things to photograph. Often, I struggled to find interesting things to shoot. Often, I didn’t have the motivation to put in much effort, which was weird because I love photography. And then one day, I learned something, and everything changed. From that point on, there was no looking back, no lack of motivation, and no difficulty in finding things to photograph.
